“Can strategists not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 462 – Special Episode Eight (6)
Zhuge Liang thought that as long as he wasn’t being a complete fool, he wouldn’t answer with a mere “no.”
Was it really just a coincidence that he and Guo Jia ended up in a situation where they could discuss matters together and feign collaboration to cover up the fact that they weren’t the original? And it even gave them the perfect excuse to gather information under the pretense of preparing lessons?
For the past few days, Huang Yueying hadn’t really returned home; even when she did, it was just a quick brush past him. Guo Jia had successfully dodged invitations from Xun Yu and Xi Zhicai time and again.
But is there really that much coincidence in this world?
Probably not.
In the twelfth year of the Da Yong dynasty’s founding, it wasn’t a long time; moving the capital from Chang’an to Luoyang had only recently happened. If any mismanagement let them slip through the cracks, that would make sense.
But they hadn’t managed to elevate their beloved lord to the pinnacle of the world or reunite the realm. What grounds did they have to think they were the wisest of all?
The directive given by Qiao Yan was less about utilizing their talents during this relatively less busy time to help her out and more of a final ultimatum.
Some things kept secret had no value; they only made them look like clowns in front of the emperor.
Being honest quickly was the right path.
At the moment they realized this hidden subtext, Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang couldn’t help but sigh.
As expected, their initial worries had turned into reality.
But thinking about how their attempts to return to their original world had been fruitless, they felt that receiving such a potentially troublesome invitation could actually be a good thing.
After all, things couldn’t possibly get worse than they were now.
Though… if they could meet His Majesty without encountering the little princess first, it might ease Guo Jia’s mind a bit.
After all, the little girl would greet him with, “I told you there was something fishy! Next time, remember, once I make a guess, you can’t just go along with it!”
Then she added, “Wait, you probably won’t have another chance to respond that way!”
“You really underestimate my mother’s capabilities—she keeps going in and out of the city gate, trying to recreate the scene by passing through where the swap happened? That’s not something Guo Zishang would do.”
As an aside, Qiao Huan whispered, “Noted, that’s not a feasible strategy.”
Guo Jia coughed heavily, cutting off Qiao Huan’s musings, “Swap?”
He thought the current emperor would just note how his and Zhuge Liang’s situations were different, but never expected her to accurately mention a swap!
Qiao Huan struck her palm, “Oops! I misspoke. Mother only said she inferred from your reaction to Guo Yi that you might also be Guo Jia, just not the one who experienced the founding of Da Yong. Honestly, I’m confused, you should just talk to Mother.”
Zhuge Liang glanced at Qiao Huan, this goofy little one with her silly antics. Despite what she was saying, her quick-witted expression made it clear she understood far more than she let on.
Being the child of the Da Yong emperor carries its risks, but given the current situation, that decision didn’t seem so wrong after all.
A portion of the central authority at the Da Yong court probably rested on this little princess.
The more she displayed her aptitude for wielding power, the more stable the new dynasty’s foundation would become.
In that respect, Qiao Yan’s luck was notably better than that of his sovereign.
But it was clearly not the time to dwell on this matter. After Qiao Huan halted at the door for still being too young to discuss affairs, he and Guo Jia entered the imperial study within the North Palace of Luoyang, where Qiao Yan awaited after being informed.
Since the unexpected shift in timelines began, Zhuge Liang had only seen Qiao Yan in court meetings, making it hard to compare. Guo Jia, however, could clearly see the difference between her current authoritative pressure and that of their first encounter.
Even if the thirty-something emperor still appeared unusually youthful due to his robust physique, the aura he commanded after years of rule didn’t come across merely in a few words.
The glaring contrast was evident in her gaze—not the familiar warmth reserved for old advisors, but akin to observing complete strangers.
By her side were two others.
One was Ren Hong, the Grand Historian, perhaps there to accurately document this event.
The other was a girl who looked to be around twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in Daoist robes and holding a whisk, her face pale and nearly devoid of expression.
But when she raised her eyes to glance at Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang, her gaze was sharp as a blade.
Yet, that sharpness flickered out just as quickly, returning to her composed standing posture.
Qiao Yan seemed oblivious to the girl’s scrutiny and began speaking, “You two are smart and must understand my meaning. I imagine you’ve already heard what Huai Xu mentioned on your way here, so let’s drop the pretense and clear the air about what needs to be addressed.”
Zhuge Liang chuckled to himself, knowing that this question was one not only the current emperor was baffled by; he and Guo Jia had no clue either.
“In any case, what’s happened has happened, and your evasive attitude isn’t gonna help,” Qiao Yan continued. “Moreover, there are two others who share this situation.”
As she said “two others,” Ren Hong raised her eyebrows slightly.
But she didn’t interrupt Qiao Yan, as most attention in the room was focused on her and nobody noticed her subtle movements.
Everyone heard Qiao Yan say, “Prefect of Qinghai, General of the Chariots and Cavalry Cao Mengde, and the Yellow Gate Attendant Cai Zhaoji are also in your situation.”
Qiao Yan didn’t miss the fleeting expression on Guo Jia’s face when she mentioned Cao Cao had also been swapped, but she pressed on, “In the twelve years since the founding of Da Yong, we’ve never encountered such anomalies. Therefore, I’d like to hear about your circumstances before arriving here to find some similarities.”
Hearing this, Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang exchanged glances before Guo Jia replied, “Not to hide it from Your Majesty, we’re in search of such similarities too, but there’s a significant problem.”
Guo Jia raised his hands, “He arrived here alive, whereas I came back from the dead—there’s really no basis for comparison.”
“I died in the twelfth year of Jian’an, which corresponds to the twelfth year of Yuan Zhao’s reign, while Kongming came from the twenty-third year of Jian’an. Even time doesn’t match up.”
Should I say it—no matter what world Guo Jia belonged to, he always manifested a wild and carefree demeanor, discussing his “death” as if it were no big deal.
He even had the nerve to ask, “May I ask Your Majesty, when did the other two arrive here?”
Qiao Yan responded, “One of them arrived in the twenty-third year of Jian’an as well.”
“Now this is too excessive,” Guo Jia sighed, “So they literally dug me up eleven years post-burial?”
“Ahem…” A thunderous cough suddenly erupted from outside.
Guo Jia turned to see a little head peeking through the half-open window.
Who else could it be but Qiao Huan?
Clearly, this “not of age for discussions” rule was quite flexible for her.
As she didn’t step into the hall, she could eavesdrop from outside.
Qiao Yan’s expression made it apparent she was fine with Qiao Huan’s crafty behavior.
However, Guo Jia’s comments were a bit overwhelming for Qiao Huan, even though she’d heard some context from her mother.
Who would casually mention being dug up like that?!
Perhaps because of this interruption from Qiao Huan, Guo Jia managed to suppress the remaining twinge of frustration.
He turned to Qiao Yan, who had already shifted her attention to the young girl at her side. “What’s your take on this matter?”
The girl looked back at Guo Jia with her sharply piercing gaze, them locking eyes for a brief moment before she replied, “Your Majesty need not worry, it’s merely a matter of temporal overlap; we should be back to normal within a month at best, two at most.”
“Is that really true?” Qiao Yan asked.
The girl remained composed, her presence almost ethereal in the imperial palace.
In response to Qiao Yan’s doubts, she lightly nodded, “Your Majesty is right; the other is secondary, it must not overshadow the primary. Higher authorities will ensure it returns to normal.”
“Your Majesty’s two ministers remain here as well, though they may not return to their previous positions, they can be awakened through summoning techniques.”
This declaration was indeed convincing!
Were it not for the girl’s calm demeanor and her unflinching composure in the face of the powerful emperor, Zhuge Liang would almost think this was sheer nonsense.
He wanted to ask, given his knowledge from these records, that Qiao Yan once pushed Zhong Changtong’s claims to counter the “red energy penetrating the purple palace” narrative, indicating she did not believe in the whims of fate. Then suddenly he recalled that such a soul swap, the very thing that defies the belief that humans can overcome Heaven, had already occurred. What else was left to dispute?
This allowed him to see Qiao Yan unexpectedly relax her expression, “That’s good.”
But… what’s so good?
Is it good that this strange swap can revert in a month to two months, or that if it can’t be resumed they can use summoning techniques?
Unfortunately, before they could decipher Qiao Yan’s expression, she spoke up, “Now that you two have heard this, a month isn’t too long or too short. I hope we can temporarily collaborate for mutual benefit instead of engaging in continued… mutual suspicion and disguise. How does that sound to you two?”
Given they’ve laid everything on the table, there was indeed no point in pretending anymore.
In the subsequent discussions, they exchanged more about Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang’s backgrounds.
Out of the corner of his eye, Guo Jia noticed Ren Hong writing furiously, and couldn’t help but think with dark humor that if this account were to spread to later generations, who knows what kind of speculation would arise from it.
So, he may have passed away in another spacetime, yet he could leave a mark in this already unified dynasty’s records—wasn’t that a win-win situation?
“Well, that escalated quickly…”
Before Guo Jia could even bask in his victory, he heard Qiao Yan, after drawing the lines for him and Kong Ming’s activities in Luoyang, add, “As for what I previously mentioned about the two of you giving a lecture to the students preparing for the imperial exam, while it’s meant as a reminder, I’m not retracting that order.”
Guo Jia: “……”
What the heck? Why the heck do they still have to teach?
But Qiao Yan boldly continued, “I believe that since you two are still talent in another version of the Han dynasty, you wouldn’t want to be inferior to my ministers. With the exam approaching, I want students to see the talent of my court, and who better to showcase that than you two?”
Guo Jia was one of the youngest strategists who had followed Qiao Yan, while Zhuge Liang was among the first group of students from Leping Academy who received important assignments from her. They were perfect as models before the exam; how could they take that away just because personalities swapped?
“Of course, if you don’t want to, that’s fine too.”
Stuck outside eavesdropping, Qiao Huan was curious why her mom suddenly sounded so accommodating and heard Qiao Yan say, “Disobeying orders is the same as dereliction of duty to officials; your salaries this year will be deducted.”
“Well, at most, they’d just say someday, ‘remember that other me? The one who got me docked a huge salary?’ Guess different life experiences really do make various kinds of people.”
Guo Jia: “……”
Zhuge Liang: “……”
Qiao Huan couldn’t help but snicker, disguising it as a cough.
Mom, that move was genius.
To be fair, after these days getting to know the situation in Da Yong and the other self, amid feeling inferior, both of them couldn’t help but feel a competitive urge.
Even if Guo Jia was technically dead, he really shouldn’t care, but he still got dragged in.
Both their expressions changed for a moment before they bowed to Qiao Yan, “We humbly obey your majesty’s orders.”
But just as they were about to step out, they heard Qiao Yan call out from behind, “Once this matter is done, I’ll have someone send you both down the river from Mengjin to see more than just Luoyang. But how much you can see along the way really depends on how much time we have left.”
“And do ensure my valued ministers are safely protected to fulfill this odd fate.”
That “valued ministers” was obviously referring to them from the other world.
When this last phrase came from the suddenly calm Da Yong emperor, they turned back to find a hint of gentleness on Qiao Yan’s face, making it sound more like a regular conversation.
This bond between ruler and ministers was enough to tell them why they couldn’t just impersonate their counterparts from another world.
Good thing they never intended to take this place for themselves anyway, so no need to feel envious.
Seeing them take a brief pause before moving forward, the girl in the Daoist robe dropped her previously ethereal demeanor and curiously asked, “Why did Your Majesty say I could return to normal in a month?”
She had never been to the capital before and hardly showed her face in public, and at that moment, she was perfect to stabilize Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang as a “successful Taoist practitioner.”
And the way she was nailing that mysterious aura wasn’t because Qiao Yan seriously set up some undercover acting classes at Leping Academy, but because she was Zhang Lu’s daughter from Hanzhong, raised as a successor of the Taishi Path.
Though the Taishi Path had practically become a tool for Qiao Yan controlling Yizhou, that didn’t stop this somewhat naive sect from evolving its teachings as the world prospered.
When Zhang Lu saw that Qiao Yan didn’t stop this from happening, he carefully maneuvered within the bounds of what the emperor could tolerate. Receiving the order to send his daughter north to Luoyang, he wasted no time.
Zhang Qiying was still young, but having been nurtured by Lady Lu and Zhang Lu, plus Qiao Yan’s assistance in crafting this narrative, she completely fooled Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang.
When asked about her doubts, or those shared by Qiao Huan outside listening in, Qiao Yan replied, “If I don’t secure these two first and avoid causing unnecessary chaos, it would only leave my ministers confused about their situation. I might as well give them some hope, during which I will think of other methods.”
She couldn’t reveal the existence of the system and the unnatural errors causing this predicament, so she had to set a timeline to keep them settled here.
Perhaps by the time they return to their original world, it’ll just feel like they had a long dream.
That undoubtedly gives Zhen Mi a chance to hide her experiences.
With this trip to Da Yong, along with her smartness and learning experience at Lingtai, she might find the right opportunity to escape a deadlock.
And with her identity as Cao Rui’s birth mother, she might even stand a better chance to make a change in that era.
Even if it’s just the start of a butterfly effect, it’s enough.
But she didn’t need to explain that to anyone else.
The history Zhen Mi might recount to those used to Da Yong life would be utterly unimaginable.
And grasping onto such history means they cherish this world more and hope to bring greater change to Da Yong.
No need to have them overthink and complicate another world’s future.
Besides, Da Yong still had a mountain of its own issues.
Now the only thing left was—
Before the month was up, to bring those other two right in front of her!
No, to be precise, three people.
Cao Ang’s intent to hide the arrival of the other world’s Cao Cao might stem from his own considerations.
After all, Qiao Yan had successively dealt with the Yellow Turban Way, Buddhism, and the Taishi Path, promoting the ideals of moral governance; it’s hard to say she wouldn’t be on high alert about soul-swapping shenanigans and might even want to eliminate Cao Cao.
But when she was the Son of Heaven, if he cannot make a choice between the Da Yong subjects and Cao Cao’s son, she could never truly trust him with important tasks!
This is a fundamental issue of ruling the world, and cannot be simply overlooked because Cao Ang was her nephew.
When the Tang Qiang tribe and Fa Qiang decided to pledge allegiance to Da Yong during Zhaoji and Jiang Tang’s envoy mission, Zhao Yun, who was urgently sent to Qinghai County following Qiao Yan’s order, along with Zhang He already in Liangzhou, quickly mobilized a force not belonging to Cao Cao to intercept them when Cao Cao and Cao Ang returned to Qinghai.
The Cao Cao from the other world obviously recognized Zhang He, who had originally switched over from Yuan Shao’s side after the Guandu battle.
And he definitely recognized Zhao Yun, having crossed paths while dealing with Liu Bei and feeling bitter that such talent couldn’t be at his service.
But now, both of them were answering to that Da Yong emperor instead of his subordinates.
What really gave Cao Cao the chills was that the way these two came, leading elite troops, it definitely wasn’t for support; it was a threat!
The might of the Da Yong army was fully showcased here, and the emperor who rose with forces from Liang and the two provinces had never forgotten where she stood, refusing to give even a slight opportunity for exploitation!
Though she hadn’t personally shown up, her overwhelming imperial presence was palpable.
At that moment, even without a flurry of words, it was more than enough for Cao Cao to grasp that the confidentiality agreement he had with Cao Ang, no matter how broad the territory, could never remain a secret from a ruler of the realm!
Neither Zhao Yun nor Zhang He made any aggressive moves, simply to avoid making the newly loyal Tang Qiang look foolish and to keep the rather remote Qinghai County from heading into chaos.
But Cao Cao had no doubts that given Cao Ang’s claim that “he” and Da Yong’s emperor had an acquaintance almost on equal terms, should he show any sign of misbehavior, Zhao Yun and Zhang He would undoubtedly take him out.
He overestimated the capability of that unifying ruler!
After everyone set up camp on the spot, Zhao Yun opened, “The emperor has ordered that General Cao return to the capital swiftly to discuss important matters; matters of the western front will temporarily be overseen by General Zhang.”
After that, Zhao Yun turned to Cao Ang, “Cao Taisho should come along too.”
“That’s also the emperor’s wish.”
The author has something to say:
Off I go shopping again~
See you tomorrow at 9:30 AM~
