“What?” Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan sounded displeased. “Not willing?”
“How could I dare?” Shen Moyan hurriedly replied. “I’m more than willing! The Grand Commander thinks so highly of me—I’m overjoyed. How could I possibly be unwilling?”
“Good!” Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan said. “You may leave. I’ll have someone arrange a position for you afterward.”
“Yes, yes!”
Shen Moyan walked out drenched in sweat, feeling that reality differed vastly from his expectations. He had thought that after helping the Grand Commander accomplish such an important task, he would receive an extraordinary reward. He had never imagined things would end so plainly!
So plainly that he was almost dazed.
“Wait, the men from Lu Chaosheng’s camp were hunting me and Wanqin down. I risked my life to retrieve that letter, and this is it?”
The joy Shen Moyan had felt moments ago had already faded by seventy or eighty percent. His heart was filled with discomfort, so he immediately went to look for Ning Wanqin, hoping he might have a chance to vent his frustration.
“Young Master Shen, you can’t enter the tent!”
When he reached the entrance, Shen Moyan was stopped by Ning Wanqin’s maid.
“Why not?” Shen Moyan asked darkly.
“My lady is tired. She’s resting inside and hasn’t woken up yet. Please come back after she wakes.”
“Or I can come and fetch you then.”
The maid did not dare to show the slightest disrespect to the man Ning Wanqin cared about most, and her manner was extremely respectful. Under normal circumstances, Shen Moyan should have calmed down and even turned his anger into delight. But at that moment…
His heart was pierced once more!
Just how intense had things been last night? How could she still be sleeping at this hour?
The little joy he had left vanished even faster, leaving him no choice but to wait outside the tent.
He waited and waited, until nightfall.
Two sweet, feminine voices came from outside the tent.
“Little Fei, your position is secure now!”
“It’s all thanks to Sister Wanqin. If you and General Shen hadn’t stolen the letters written by Ren Tianye to Zhao and Qian, I wouldn’t have been able to eliminate those two and establish my authority before Brother Mengyan.”
Shen Moyan recognized the voices as Ning Wanqin’s and Ruan Fei’s. He quickly lifted the tent flap and invited them inside.
Ruan Fei immediately saw through Shen Moyan’s thoughts and smiled. “General Shen, Brother Mengyan praised you lavishly afterward.”
“What you did has already left a deep impression on Brother Mengyan. Don’t be discouraged just because the position you’ve been given for now isn’t very high. With this achievement under your belt, if I recommend you to Brother Mengyan a few more times, I’m sure your position will soon rise higher and higher.”
Her words instantly filled Shen Moyan with wild joy.
So that was where his good fortune lay!
He immediately said, “Thank you for your help, Miss Ruan Fei.”
“You’re welcome!” Ruan Fei smiled. “In any case, we’re all in the same boat now, so naturally we should help one another.”
“I’ll help you and Sister Wanqin, and I hope you and Sister Wanqin will continue helping me as well.”
There was clearly more meaning hidden in her words. Shen Moyan was not a fool; in a place like this, he was actually quite shrewd. He quickly replied, “Rest assured, whatever orders you have, Miss Ruan Fei, Wanqin and I will carry them out without holding anything back.”
Ning Wanqin also smiled. “Little Fei, I feel the same way.”
Ruan Fei was delighted. “That’s wonderful. As it happens…”
“There really is something I need your help with!”
As she spoke, Ruan Fei sat down on a stool.
Shen Moyan and Ning Wanqin followed suit. The two of them already had a good idea of what Ruan Fei’s so-called matter was likely to involve.
It probably had something to do with the Grand Commander’s wife!
The Grand Commander’s wife possessed a formidable background and an intricate web of connections in Yunjing. It had been through her influence that Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan had secured his current position.
With such power at her disposal, she still had many trusted followers in the navy. Given Ruan Fei’s temperament, she was likely planning to make a move—to force the couple to step aside and stop obstructing the relationship between her and Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan.
Sure enough, Ruan Fei said, “There are two matters in total.”
“The first is to select another naval commander for Brother Mengyan.”
“The Yangtze defenses must withstand Ren Tianye. Although Brother Mengyan is exceptionally talented, his abilities aren’t limited to naval warfare. He should have a specialist assisting him.”
“Now that Generals Zhao and Qian are dead and their positions are vacant, Brother Mengyan will certainly choose the best candidates. But with such a wonderful opportunity before me, why shouldn’t I secure the candidate myself?”
Ning Wanqin understood immediately.
She still intended to pursue Lu Chaosheng’s support!
But…
When she had gone to see Lu Chaosheng yesterday, he had taken advantage of her for nothing. Was she really supposed to go to him again?
Shen Moyan’s heart also jolted.
What? They had to do it all over again?
Unexpectedly, Ruan Fei continued, “General Lu Chaosheng would be the best candidate. However, Sister Wanqin has already told me that Lu Chaosheng is unwilling, so there’s no need to rush for now.”
“Fortunately, I have another candidate.”
After a brief pause, she asked Ning Wanqin, “Sister Wanqin, you must know Sister Shen Zhian, right? She runs the largest martial arts academy along the Yangtze’s natural defenses.”
Ning Wanqin immediately replied, “Of course I know her. Sister Shen Zhian is a true force of nature.”
“Then…” Ruan Fei asked again, “Sister Wanqin, do you know who Sister Shen Zhian’s husband is?”
Ning Wanqin was not entirely sure. “I’ve only heard that he once served in the army. After fighting for twenty years and amassing a considerable fortune, he retired because of his injuries…”
At that, Ning Wanqin’s eyes lit up. “Could it be that Sister Shen Zhian’s husband is also a naval commander? A naval commander comparable to General Lu Chaosheng?”
Ruan Fei nodded. “That’s right. Sister Shen Zhian’s husband, Zhou Buzhang, is a naval commander. In terms of ability, he far surpasses Zhao and Qian and is absolutely no weaker than Lu Chaosheng.”
“Unfortunately, he had a serious falling-out with Brother Mengyan in the past. I’m afraid I won’t be enough to persuade him to come out of retirement, so I’ll need Sister Wanqin’s help.”
“Come with me to see Sister Shen Zhian and have her persuade General Zhou Buzhang to return to the army and serve.”
Ning Wanqin immediately agreed. “Of course. I’ll certainly help you with this, Little Fei.”
Ruan Fei was delighted as well. “Then that’s wonderful.”
“Next… we come to the second matter.”
“The second matter is even more extraordinary…”
As she spoke, Ruan Fei rose to her feet. A solemn look appeared in her eyes.
“The second matter was proposed by Lord Gu Qingyue. Even while she was busy organizing the all-female army, she took the time to write me a letter.”
“In it, she suggested an absolutely brilliant plan.”
“That is… to persuade one of the leading generals under Ren Tianye to defect and join our side!”
Ning Wanqin asked eagerly, “Who?”
Ruan Fei enunciated each word.
“General Zhang Shi!”
…
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
transmigrates into the role of a villainous rich second-generation kid in an urban fantasy novel, and gets bound to a god-tier choice system. Right at the start, he catches the female lead stealing exam papers! This triggers the villain's choice options! [Choice 1: Pretend you didn't see anything] [Choice 2: Loudly call her out, drawing everyone's attention] [Choice 3: ...] And thus, a twisted villain is born. To avoid getting killed by the protagonist, he has no choice but to take down all the protagonists first. Jiang Che: Nobody understands being twisted better than me!
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
