Girl, There's Something Wrong With You - Chapter 40

Before the Yangdi Chu clan even arrived, some news had already reached the Northern Army.

Jiankang City had officially been occupied by the Liyang Army, and the remaining Shenwu Army and Yulin Army were gradually withdrawing from the city. This led to the final and largest wave of evacuations.

Logically, since the imperial family and Yu Zhongshu were in Wuchang, the aristocratic families should have moved there as well.

However, the Five Great Families unexpectedly chose to head south along the Yangtze River, passing through Jingkou to reach Lin’an. This decision hinted at possible political implications, such as a potential break with Yu Zhongshu or a sign of advocating a change in the central leadership.

Regarding allegiances, the aristocracy maintained a basic level of unity. Most of the fourth-grade families decided to follow the Five Great Families to Lin’an, while the fifth-grade families were split roughly in half—some going to Wuchang and some to Lin’an.

It is said that Yu Zhongshu was so enraged by this that he called the higher-ups of the Five Great Families to chastise them.

However, there were no clear legal regulations or restrictions on where the aristocratic families could move, so the issue eventually fizzled out.

In any case, it seems the in-laws would soon be visiting Jingkou. Cheng Jinyang was troubled by this for a long time and eventually adopted a philosophy of “less is more”: the more you do, the more mistakes you make; the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make.

By letting the Shogunate handle everything, even if the aristocratic families didn’t give him face, they had to respect Wang Changshi and Xie Zhushu. If there was a conflict between the Shogunate and the aristocrats, he could step in and pretend to reprimand the Shogunate to smooth things over. This was the so-called buffer layer tactic, a crucial strategy in aristocratic diplomacy, not just Cheng Jinyang’s desire to slack off.

Despite delegating all tasks to the Shogunate, Cheng Jinyang was not idle, as Princess Nankang and Princess Luling also arrived in Jingkou.

He had to accompany the two princesses around… or rather, conduct inspections.

“Jingkou is mainly adjacent to Xuzhou,” Cheng Jinyang explained while walking down the street with the two princesses. “So, the migrants here are mostly from North Xuzhou and Qingzhou. The migration of northerners to the south inevitably causes conflicts of interest with the local residents. Our current efforts are focused on strengthening policy advocacy and working to eliminate regional biases to contribute to the construction of a harmonious society.”

“Damn these Siberian sheep skins!” Ahead, there was another burst of gunfire, indicating a clash between two migrant gangs, accompanied by furious shouting.

“Seems quite harmonious,” Luling remarked seriously, “they’re already using guns, isn’t that harmonious enough?”

“Don’t be so surprised,” Nankang quickly defended Cheng Jinyang, “guns are not unusual, especially among migrants.”

“Indeed, due to the massive influx of migrant population, maintaining law and order in Jingkou is quite challenging. Sometimes there are… well, energetic social organizations that engage in sporadic conflicts,” Cheng Jinyang said calmly. “Generally, these small disturbances are quickly handled by the Northern Army.”

“They’re escaping!” A shout came from the distance. “Call the patrol team! Have them block the way!”

“Oh, wow,” Luling couldn’t help but laugh, “colluding together, huh?”

“Why are you so pleased?” Nankang scolded her sister, “Can a few corrupt individuals represent the entire team?”

With the princess defending him, Cheng Jinyang couldn’t maintain his composure and expressionlessly dialed a number on his phone.

A few minutes later, Sun Wuzhong arrived with the day’s duty security chief.

“…So here’s the situation,” Sun Wuzhong finally explained after about twenty minutes, “We’ve cracked down on these gang members countless times, but there are always some who slip through and soon form new groups.

That’s why we intentionally eased up temporarily to let them lower their guard, then planned to strike when the time was right. Recently, they attempted to bribe our patrol officers, so we decided to take the bribe and use it to deceive them…”

Cheng Jinyang listened in silence, thinking to himself that it was surprising how even security officers could get involved in such covert operations.

Regardless of whether Sun Wuzhong’s story was true or not, the follow-up could be left to Xie Zhushu. For now, the priority was to find a way to defuse the situation in front of the two princesses.

He cleared his throat and said to Luling, “Old Sun has been my subordinate for a long time and has never disappointed the organization, especially in major matters. The situation is clear now; the security team’s temporary measures are just a strategy to eliminate the gang problem completely. I apologize for the inconvenience it has caused the princesses.”

“But weren’t you just saying they were ‘energetic social organizations’? How did they suddenly become tumors?” Princess Luling covered her mouth and laughed.

“Luling!” Seeing her sister continually making things difficult for Cheng Jinyang, Princess Nankang grew angry, “How can an energetic social organization not become a tumor? Things always change gradually. You were quite cute when you were young, but now you’re always arguing with people.”

“Sister!” Luling said indignantly, “Are you really my sister, or are you his sister?”

“I stand for fairness, not favoritism,” Nankang said firmly.

Seeing the two princesses about to argue again, Cheng Jinyang quickly waved his hand nonchalantly, and Sun Wuzhong hurriedly led his team away.

“Such fairness and impartiality!” Luling shouted angrily, “You might as well say I’m always wrong!”

“Princess, please calm down,” Cheng Jinyang said quickly, as Nankang was about to strike Luling. “This time, I truly didn’t host the princesses well in Jingkou. How about you both come with me to the Jiangxin Island manor south of Jingkou for a vacation? The scenery is beautiful, and there are cruise and fishing activities, which are very popular among the locals.”

“No, no, no!” Luling said through gritted teeth, “Sister, I’m your biological sister! There is no need to step on me to win his favor, right?”

“Do you think I’m intentionally stepping on you to gain favor?” Nankang put her arm around Luling’s neck, not sure if it was flesh or iron, and Luling immediately rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I’m giving you a hard time just because of your tantrums. Cheng Jinyang saved you last time, and you haven’t even thanked him yet!”

What? So last time I fought that big demon in Jiankang, it was to save my Sister-in-law?Cheng Jinyang was dumbfounded.

With her sister bringing this up, Luling lost her temper.

Or rather, her constant nitpicking at Cheng Jinyang stemmed from a mix of wanting to repay him for saving her while being put off by his demeanor. On the one hand, she wanted to repay him but was hindered by her sister’s relationship with him. On the other hand, this guy was so despicable that she really didn’t want (her sister) to have anything to do with him. The logic here really made her feel conflicted and entangled.

“Thank you for what happened last time,” Luling said, crossing her arms and lifting her head proudly, her golden ponytail swishing behind her. “I’m not an ungrateful person. I will repay this life-saving grace in the future.”

“Ah, Princess, you’re too kind,” Cheng Jinyang quickly said. “I’m not one to use kindness for personal gain. Even if it is for Sister Xinnan’s sake, it is my duty to lend a helping hand to Your Highness.”

Which is exactly why I dislike you! I’m not just an appendage to my sister!
Luling glared at him with gritted teeth.

Cheng Jinyang: ?