Girl, There's Something Wrong With You - Chapter 35

The next morning, at the central of Taicheng.

It was the second time he had entered this place, and once again, there was a surging sensation of standing at the heart of the empire. The last visit had been to meet the Emperor himself; this time, it was to meet the Zhongshu. On both occasions, he was meeting the highest wielders of power in the empire.

Yet this time, Cheng Jinyang felt no nervousness at all, even more relaxed than the last time.

There was a reason for this calmness. He relied solely on his formidable ally, Gao Da.

The meeting with Zhongshu Yu was set in the officials’ dining hall, known as the “Leadership Restaurant,” where the prime ministers were given special treatment.

Entering the restaurant, he saw Yu Yuangui already seated, with before him a bowl of vegetable and scallop porridge, a plate of pickled cucumbers, another of peanuts, one of pickled vegetables, and one of fermented bean curd.

For a porridge meal, it was quite luxurious; Cheng Jinyang had never seen a porridge served with four side dishes before. Yet, as a breakfast for leaders, it seemed somewhat austere.

Yu Yuangui was in his forties, at the peak of his vigor, though not particularly imposing in spiritual pressure. Cheng Jinyang felt he was similar to his grandfather, likely around the fifth grade.

Clearly, Zhongshu Yu’s current political stature did not stem from his own strength. More accurately, it did not come from his hard power but rather from his marital ties to the late Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince.

To be frank, whether Zhongshu Yu rose through martial prowess or family connections, it had little to do with Cheng Jinyang now. Anyway, he was confident that someday, he would possess both martial prowess and family connections…

Setting aside other thoughts, Zhongshu Yu indeed matched the public description of “abundant harvest and beautiful jade,” a bearded, elegant, and handsome gentleman. The straight, dignified nose of Princess Nankang was particularly reminiscent of her uncle, adding to his impressive appearance.

“Please, sit,” Zhongshu Yu said.

Opposite him, a seat had long been reserved, with the smiling Princess Sister sitting beside it, handing over a pre-selected menu.

“I’ve ordered dishes you like, take a look. If it’s okay, I’ll have the waiter place the order,” she said.

“No problem, these are fine,” Cheng Jinyang replied with a smile.

The Princess Sister gestured for the waiter to come over and take the menu. Zhongshu Yu hadn’t touched the porridge on the table, instead looking into Cheng Jinyang’s eyes before finally speaking:

“Your appearance resembles your mother’s.”

Cheng Jinyang: …………

My eyes aren’t even green. How do I resemble my mother?

“The late Emperor,” Zhongshu Yu reflected, “had a good relationship with your mother. Even though she eventually chose to leave the Sima family’s protection, the late Emperor issued a strict decree forbidding anyone who knew her true identity from spreading the news — he continued to protect your mother.”

“However, the unexpected attack on Wujiang Town three years ago took everyone by surprise. How those demons managed to breach the Feishui Line and reach the northern bank of Jiankang City remains unknown to this day. But if you have a bit of understanding about the empire’s military and political divisions, you’d know that area falls under Liyang’s responsibility.”

Cheng Jinyang fell silent, understanding Zhongshu Yu’s implications.

He was hinting that Liyang had been negligent in defense, allowing high-level demons to infiltrate Wujiang Town, leading to the deaths of his parents.

As for whether Liyang had been negligent or intentionally let demons in to create a crisis in Taicheng and deepen reliance on Liyang’s military stronghold… The more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t help but resent Su Zigao. Negligent in his duties, both public and private, this guy deserved to die.

Seeing his fluctuating expression, Zhongshu Yu calmly continued:

“Su Zigao was promoted by Emperor Yuan, showing his favor. During the late Emperor’s reign, his relationship with Taicheng was extremely harmonious. The presence of the refugee army greatly relieved the population pressure on Jiankang City, preventing it from being overwhelmed by the influx of refugees from the north. At the same time, it also erected a military defense line north of the river.”

“But the grace of a gentleman wanes after three generations. Such blessings, not to mention human hearts. During the rebellion of Wang Chuzhong, this man still submitted to the central authority, and coordinated to threaten the left wing of the dragon’s head across the river. However, after this campaign, he began to see the decay and exhaustion of the central capital of the Empire and gradually began to form his own mind.”

“Within three months, he had a major clean-up within the generals, and all the spies who had been on the team in the refugee army were removed. Now, we have lost complete control over the refugee army, and war is imminent.”

Cheng Jinyang listened silently, while the princess sat beside him, drinking one cup after another of wine.

Yes, Zhongshu Yu’s words revealed a lot of information, but Cheng Jinyang had already known the corresponding conclusion. He even knew that Su Zigao had secretly gone to contact Zu Shishao, planning to unite the armies and rebel in the south.

However, the source of this information was difficult to explain, so he couldn’t tell Zhongshu Yu. At this moment, he could only pretend to have a surprised and solemn expression, as if suddenly feeling unprecedented pressure.

“Uncle,” Princess Nankang suddenly whispered, setting down her empty wine glass again. “You are too anxious.”

Challenged suddenly by his niece, Yu Yuangui’s face turned gloomy. Frowning, he said, “It’s not that I am impatient, but the time left for us is already very short.”

“The refugee army needs time to brew rebellion, and we also need time to recover from the last uprising,” Princess Nankang said in a low voice, her tone grave. “Jiankang City cannot withstand a second war in a short period!”

“But the war must end soon!” Yu Yuangui showed an unmistakably cold and ruthless expression, firm in his stance. “I cannot explain more to you, but the window of time allowed for war may suddenly close at any moment!”

“The window of time allowed for war?” Princess Nankang was briefly stunned, then suddenly asked, “Is it the satellites… no, satellites cannot penetrate the mist over Central Plains. Did your informant planted in the north discover something?”

“These are state secrets and cannot be discussed here,” Yu Yuangui seemed somewhat regretful. After scanning the surroundings sharply again to confirm that the Jinyiwei were still monitoring the entire restaurant, ensuring no one could eavesdrop, he continued in a low voice, “In any case, the situation of the empire is now perilous. When the nest is overturned, how can any family survive?”

He directed these last words at Cheng Jinyang, his expression extremely serious.

Cheng Jinyang naturally understood what he meant. But he remembered how devious this Zhongshu Yu could be. During the chaos of Wang Chuzhong’s rebellion last time, the Cheng family originally had a chance to leave Jiankang for safety, but Zhongshu Yu intervened and made them stay to defend Jiangning District.

If not for his Gundam skills, he might have really suffered a big loss. And now Yu Yuangui was again considering his Iron Giant Colossus. Did he really think Cheng Jinyang was that easy to persuade?

Seeing Cheng Jinyang pretending not to understand, Yu Yuangui knew that appealing to him with patriotism and family loyalty wouldn’t work. He gritted his teeth and said, “If you can achieve significant merit in the war against the refugee army, I will persuade Her Majesty the Empress Dowager to betroth Nankang to you. What do you say?”