Chapter 668 – Alliance by the Huang Shui (Five)
Upon learning that the cooked duck… uh, I mean, Cheng Cheng had brought his entire family to Xiangyang County, Jiang Pengji was struck with a dazed disbelief as if she was still in a dream.
She stared blankly at the Messenger, then at the urgent letter in her hand that Xu Ke had pushed through with haste.
“Who did you say has arrived?”
The Messenger simply repeated what he had said earlier. Although Jiang Pengji managed to keep her composure, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curve up—this Cheng Cheng was no ordinary person… Yang Si glanced at Jiang Pengji’s expression and came to that conclusion.
“Congratulations, Lord!”
Someone willingly defecting was indeed a good omen.
Yang Si tucked in his sleeves and made a formal bow, congratulating her loudly.
Wei Ci lowered his eyelids and interjected, “It’s probably not that simple. Cheng Wenfu was originally the county magistrate of Suian County in Haizhou. If he hadn’t run into some serious trouble, he wouldn’t easily leave everything behind, taking his whole family to join the Lord. There’s likely more to this story.”
Hearing Wei Ci refer to Cheng Cheng in such a way made Yang Si raise an eyebrow in discontent.
“You know Cheng Cheng?”
What a direct way to address Cheng Cheng—calling him Cheng Wenfu like that!
Titles are reserved for a superior addressing a subordinate, an elder to a younger, or peers among friends. So what was Wei Ci’s relationship with Cheng Cheng?
The answer: they were friends of different generations.
“I do. We’ve exchanged letters occasionally over the years. Cheng Wenfu isn’t the reckless type; his willingness to leave with his family suggests he’s facing some serious issues,” Wei Ci explained. Having known Cheng Cheng in this life and having ties in the previous one, he was aware of how significant Cheng Cheng was. “I believe the Lord should ask him for clarity before making any plans. Cheng Wenfu is usually taciturn, not one to chat with others… If the Lord doesn’t understand things thoroughly and inadvertently crosses his boundaries, it could easily offend him.”
Talented individuals often have their quirks; Jiang Pengji didn’t need to overly coddle them, but she also couldn’t be recklessly impudent.
Jiang Pengji understood this principle very well.
Otherwise, with her sarcastic face and sharp tongue, she wouldn’t be able to form her current squad of overtime workers.
Upon realizing that Wei Ci and Cheng Cheng were acquaintances, she said, “Though I have some connections with Cheng Uncle, we’ve hardly spent enough time together to know the details. If Zixiao knows anything, please share it with me. It will help me be better prepared. We can discuss it more later.”
Wei Ci calmly nodded. Dealing with Cheng Cheng required careful handling to avoid missing out on talent.
Typically, Yang Si wouldn’t think much of their conversation.
But now, knowing that their Lord was not a strictly masculine figure, he felt a sense of unease about the exchange between the Lord and Zixiao.
Perhaps scared silly, he now looked at their Lord, thinking she would try to pull a fast one on Wei Ci.
He shot Wei Ci a “mind yourself” look, leaving Wei Ci puzzled.
Yang Si still wore an expression of “I didn’t hear a thing,” ignoring everything around him.
Lately, with nothing else to do, the live stream content was mostly just Jiang Pengji and her subordinates working overtime, and it was rather dull.
But the Audience didn’t mind; they were pros at finding joy in hardship, adept at spotting adorable moments and capturing all kinds of reaction images.
For instance, right now.
【Well-Faced Wang Jiexing】: If the host in this time had a “Du Niang” knowing about such a social platform, maybe Yang Si would be begging for help with a question — “Help! My boss is trying to get cozy with my buddy, what should I do?”
【Innocent and Kind Zhang Xinjie】: Doesn’t this need saying? Just watch!
【Lucky Goddess Zhang Jiale】: No kidding, help with the assist!
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes, thinking, “Get cozy? Am I really that inadequate?”
【Host V】: You all seem to have forgotten that Zixiao was the one who ‘threw himself at me.’
With that one line, the chat exploded with “666” and “Host’s heart is beyond shameless.”
After the laughter died down, Jiang Pengji didn’t forget the important matters; she recalled her encounter with Cheng Cheng from years back and contemplated deeply.
Wei Ci privately asked her, “Are you thinking of employing Cheng Wenfu in a significant role?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “Your Lord has always disliked keeping idlers around, unless they’re family.”
Wei Ci: “…”
“I carefully reviewed the letters from Xu Ke and have gathered some understanding. Huang Song’s influence in Haizhou is growing stronger, and he likely wants to use Cheng Cheng’s position in Suian County as a springboard to control the entire Fufeng County. But who can blame him? Cheng Cheng’s fifth uncle, Cheng Jing, is working right under Huang Song, after all — good resources don’t go to waste. At this point, it’s better for Huang Song than for anyone else. However, Cheng Cheng chose not to stay in Haizhou; instead, he took his family with him to leave, which likely indicates he doesn’t want to serve Huang Song or perhaps he dislikes the power struggles within the officials.”
Huang Song currently also lacked capable hands. If Cheng Cheng worked for Huang Song, he’d either have to serve him diligently, which would inevitably drag him into the power struggles he despised, or he would have to compromise and find a way to resign.
However, given Huang Song’s temperament, would he easily allow Cheng Cheng to leave?
Clearly, that was unlikely.
Even if he agreed to let Cheng Cheng resign, he would probably find ways to restrain Cheng Cheng’s family, limiting their freedom and their ability to serve anyone else.
From Jiang Pengji’s understanding of Huang Song, the chance of him doing so was very high, especially after Yang Si’s incident!
Wei Ci said, “So… what does the Lord mean by this…?”
From Jiang Pengji’s words, Wei Ci knew she wouldn’t thrust Cheng Cheng into a situation but wouldn’t shy away from leveraging him either—wouldn’t forcing him be a waste of talent?
Jiang Pengji scoffed quietly, finding Huang Song’s luck to be unfortunate.
First, he missed out on Yang Si, but now he’s also going to overlook someone as valuable as Cheng Cheng.
She continued, “Let Cheng Cheng do what he enjoys; it’s not like he’s slacking off.”
Wei Ci was surprised; her tone didn’t sound like a younger person speaking to an elder; it seemed more like she was “spoiling” Cheng Cheng as if he were much younger.
But speaking of which, an old soul shouldn’t get spoiled, right?
Not that Cheng Cheng was old enough for that.
Jiang Pengji’s gaze sparkled as if filled with countless stars. “Cheng Cheng has a collection of ten thousand books at home, most of which are rare editions. Back then, in my ignorance, I used bamboo paper as compensation to request him to transcribe a book for me. Cheng Cheng didn’t hold a grudge; instead, he said he would help. Looking back, I feel rather ashamed. I think he’s quite the noble scholar; he once said he collected these rare books to allow future generations a glimpse at the splendors of the past, not for selfish reasons or profit. Since that’s the case, why not fulfill his ambition?”
Wei Ci fell silent.
From this exchange, he realized Jiang Pengji wouldn’t mistreat Cheng Cheng; instead, she would allow him to exhaust himself serving her for a lifetime.
Wasn’t that how it had been in their past life?
With just a few days remaining before the army set out to restore the kingdom, the matter of Cheng Cheng could not be delayed.
What if he thought Jiang Pengji was neglecting him and ran off with his family?
Thus, Jiang Pengji rode Xiao Bai the same day, making her way to Xiangyang County through the night.
It was a long and arduous journey, and even an extraordinary steed like Xiao Bai, capable of traveling thousands of miles a day, was left thoroughly exhausted by the end.
She instructed the stable hands, “Prepare the best feed for Xiao Bai and take good care of him.”
After that, she returned to the county office, cleaned up, and changed her clothes, washing away the fatigue and dishevelment from the journey.
