Chapter 436 - 290: Martial World’s Public Enemy and the Grand Death Spy Plan (15,000-Word - ) (Part 3)
Qin You snorted coldly, saying, "It’s my mistake; I just didn’t expect Rong Yichu to be so ambitious. His Majesty values him so much, yet he doesn’t think of repaying the royal favor and is willing to fall and associate with a mere Martial World bum."
Yang Yuzhi shook his head slightly, saying, "Everyone has their own ambitions, and we cannot force them. Teacher, we must agree to Rong Yichu’s request; otherwise, he truly might send thousands to their death just to save Gu Zhan."
"Truly damnable!"
Qin You said solemnly, "But if we give Gu Zhan a title and military power, doesn’t he basically become a new Marquis Chengyang?"
Yang Yuzhi chuckled lightly, saying, "However, teacher, our plan was never about the Marquis Chengyang himself, but the Dugu Faction and the Ling Family behind him. A Marquis Chengyang is nothing to worry about. When I initially devised the death trap plan, the current Marquis Chengyang was only a Crown Prince."
Qin You remained silent.
Yang Yuzhi continued, "Teacher, the arrow is on the string now, and we cannot stop no matter the cost, or else we’ll fail at the crucial moment. A marquis title and some military power won’t affect the bigger picture!
As long as the death trap plan succeeds, Qingzhou, Liangzhou, and Yunzhou will be stabilized, and Great Xia will have no more internal troubles. The borders can be defended, and you will have successfully saved Great Xia from imminent collapse, teacher!"
Qin You took a deep breath and said, "But it’s truly frustrating. Gu Zhan, a mere upstart, just a bum; forget it, once the death trap plan succeeds, he will merely be a turtle in a jar. Will we not be able to handle him then?"
Yang Yuzhi opened his mouth but said nothing.
"I’ll send a message to His Majesty now!"
Saying this, Qin You got up and left.
Yang Yuzhi watched Qin You’s departing figure for a long time, even after Qin You had disappeared; he continued to stare blankly at the wind and snow outside the door.
In his mind, Rong Yichu’s words kept echoing,
"You defend the interests of your own class, never the common people..."
These words seemed etched into his mind,
Constantly resonating, unable to be dispelled.
After a while, Yang Yuzhi sighed softly, murmuring, "Ah, teacher, we have never walked the same path!"
Yang Yuzhi slowly got up and went out, hunching his shoulders against the wind and snow, leaving a long trail of footprints on the ground. He lifted his head, gazing at the swirling snowflakes,
In a trance, he saw his junior brother Wan Yan, saw his wife and children, saw his good friend Grand General Longguan, and those three hundred thousand soldiers who died in battle and were buried...
"Will this world really change for the better?"
"Will the common people... truly have a better life?"
...
Snow fell heavily, covering Linjiang City in silence.
Rong Yichu stood by the window, overlooking the snowy streets, with only a few people passing by occasionally, some beggars shivering as they braved the wind and snow to beg.
"Those who live well will never be ordinary citizens!"
Rong Yichu sighed, then turned and said, "Give some food to those few people below."
"Yes." A guard bowed and left.
Rong Yichu closed the window and walked to the table in the room, sitting down and pouring a cup of tea, then starting to read a book.
At that moment, a woman carrying a long sword walked in from outside, stopping beside Rong Yichu and saying softly, "Mr. Rong, there are some things I don’t quite understand."
This woman was the current prodigy of the Gu Family, named Gu Qiao, a thirty-year-old Grandmaster, arranged by the current Patriarch Miss Gu Qi to be Rong Yichu’s guard.
Rong Yichu put down the book in his hand, looked at Gu Qiao, and smiled a little, "What’s confusing Miss Gu?"
Gu Qiao sat next to Rong Yichu and said, "You are now esteemed as the Seventeenth Master of Jixia Academy, yet you are unwilling to stay in Capital City. His Majesty invited you to serve, but you refused. I understand you don’t like the court; however, my Gu Family tried to recruit you, and you still refused. I understand you don’t like being constrained,
but now you’ve come to seek an alliance with a Martial World person. You and Gu Chuan both highly praise Gu Zhan; does he truly have such allure? Would you give up tremendous power, give up future prospects at Jixia Academy, just to willingly become a strategist? I really don’t understand!"
Rong Yichu smiled slightly, saying, "You will soon understand, don’t rush. This time you followed me to Yunzhou not only to protect me but also mainly to give your Gu Family a good look at my Lord, right?"
Gu Qiao was slightly stunned, saying, "Mr. Rong, you already knew?"
Rong Yichu chuckled softly, "If it were merely about protecting me, the Gu Family could just send a few experts; why bother having you—a direct lineage—come along? If I’m not mistaken, this was suggested by Gu Chuan, right?"
"Yes," Gu Qiao nodded, "The world today is too turbulent, and Capital City is also full of undercurrents. Because of past events, the Gu Family’s Primordial Qi is heavily damaged. Although the Patriarch averted the collapse, it’s only been a few years, so recovery is not immediate.
The Gu Family now needs to find more allies, but since it’s an alliance, both strength and character must be assured. Gu Chuan has been strongly recommending Gu Zhan within the family, and following His Majesty’s recent division of Yunxi, the Patriarch finally decided to come and see what kind of figure Gu Zhan, whom both you and Gu Chuan praise so highly, really is!"
Rong Yichu’s eyes revealed a hint of anticipation, softly saying, "I haven’t seen my Lord in a long time. His presence... I cannot evaluate... I can only say it makes the heart yearn, unmatched in the world!"