An Jiu always remembered her mother’s helpless expression, the fear, and loneliness on her face at the moment of death. It was her cowardice and avoidance that left her mother without support.
This was An Jiu’s only regret in life. She felt that if she could make up for this regret, her life would be complete. That’s why she regarded Mei Yanran as her mother, constantly thinking about her.
“Filial piety is a great virtue in human ethics. Excellent,” Chu Dingjiang praised her thoughts. He had the patience to slowly leave his mark on this blank slate, so he didn’t bring up the matter between them again.
An Jiu unexpectedly responded well to this approach, visibly pleased by the approval.
At the archives, Archivist Sheng wasn’t present, but the prepared materials were handed over to them by a subordinate.
The two found a quiet place to review the documents.
At the center of the Crane Control Agency was a small garden, where officers usually rested. It was the most pleasant and safest spot in the entire agency.
Water flowed gently, and willows swayed in the breeze. A boat-shaped pavilion extended from the shore into the lake, where lotus flowers dotted the expanse of green.
Ordinarily, trainees like An Jiu wouldn’t have access to such a place, but she benefited from Chu Dingjiang’s status.
“Chu Dingjiang,” An Jiu asked suddenly after reading a few pages, “Why was I chosen for this mission?”
Chu Dingjiang didn’t hesitate to be blunt, “Because you’re incompetent enough. If someone wanted to get me killed, would they assign a capable person to help me?”
“Is that all?” An Jiu might lack foresight, but she wasn’t stupid. Chu Dingjiang’s explanation seemed plausible but raised many questions.
After a moment’s thought, Chu Dingjiang said, “It was my request. Since I’m leading you into danger, I’ll ensure your safety.”
All his patience and apparent weakness had been in preparation for this day.
Most high-ranking officers in the Divine Martial Army supported two individuals: Yan Feng and Zhao Jie.
With these two around, Chu Dingjiang knew from the start that his position as the Divine Martial Commander wouldn’t last long. So during his tenure, he deliberately created chaos among the lower-ranking officers, frequently reassigning them. Some were promoted, others demoted. It appeared he was intentionally currying favor. Indeed, Chu Dingjiang did gain support from many lower-ranking officers, but his main goal was to ensure that most people were doing jobs they weren’t particularly skilled at.
Under normal circumstances, these officers could handle routine matters. However, when faced with more challenging, urgent tasks, their inadequacies would become apparent.
When the time came for Yan Feng to oust him, Chu Dingjiang deliberately created more unsolvable problems and then stepped down.
The ease with which he was pushed out was because he wanted to be pushed out at this crucial moment.
This way, Chu Dingjiang was freed from his position’s constraints. From the outside, he deliberately exposed the enemy’s vast influence, putting pressure on the Crane Control Army. With internal and external troubles, the chaos in the Divine Martial Army would persist longer. Having just taken power, Yan Feng would fear that the emperor might find him incompetent and bring Chu Dingjiang back. This would make him more desperate to eliminate Chu Dingjiang as a threat.
Before being ousted, Chu Dingjiang intentionally hid his investigation results in the office, “accidentally” letting Yan Feng’s spies discover the secret compartment.
As a new official with Zhao Jie coveting his position, Yan Feng was eager to secure his status. Presented with such a great opportunity for merit, he would surely verify the list’s authenticity privately and then present it to his superiors to gain credit. He would claim it was information he had painstakingly gathered himself.
The names on the list were genuine, but the methods used to obtain them were questionable. Some information was even traded with underworld figures in exchange for certain Crane Control Army secrets. These informants didn’t know Chu Dingjiang’s identity, only that the information came from someone in the Divine Martial Army. Once exposed, Yan Feng would face dire consequences.
The best person to uncover this truth would be Zhao Jie, who would eventually “discover” some “evidence” deliberately left behind by Chu Dingjiang.
Chu Dingjiang would reap the benefits, but he wasn’t idle. Before Zhao Jie could uncover the truth, he constantly provoked Yan Feng, ensuring everyone knew that Yan Feng was trying to eliminate him. When the time came, even if he claimed ownership of those documents, who would believe him?
Chu Dingjiang’s foundation in the Crane Control Army wasn’t as solid as Yan Feng’s. Zhao Jie’s primary enemy was Yan Feng, not Chu Dingjiang. Faced with a choice between the two, even if Zhao Jie suspected the list wasn’t Yan Feng’s work, he would seize the opportunity to eliminate his main rival.
In this dog-eat-dog scenario, during Yan Feng’s tenure, he would inevitably purge many of Zhao Jie’s supporters. When Chu Dingjiang returned, dealing with the remaining opposition would be much easier.
Moreover, given the emperor’s and the Shadow Commander’s style of handling matters in recent years, upon seeing so many hidden agents, they would inevitably conduct large-scale assassinations.
Events unfolded as predicted. The Crane Control Army began assassinating people on the list, attracting a large number of Misty Mountain Villa assassins. Combined with their annual business commitments, the villa was left half-empty.
If Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu were to strike now, sweeping through the villa, what would it matter if they ultimately failed to capture Wei Yuzhi?
After all, this was an “impossible mission” set by Yan Feng to eliminate opposition. Not only did Chu Dingjiang survive, but he also severely weakened the Misty Mountain Villa. It was an absolute success without fault; the higher-ups wouldn’t blame him.
The two of them sweeping through the Misty Mountain Villa might not be entirely accurate, but it sounded like an earth-shattering feat!
The emperor couldn’t help but take notice.
Concerned that too high a level of martial arts might alarm the emperor, Chu Dingjiang found an excuse midway to voluntarily offer himself as a cauldron bearer to Gu Jinghou.
Although Gu Jinghou’s character differed somewhat from expectations, it didn’t affect the plan. At worst, he might have kept this information to himself, rendering Chu Dingjiang’s efforts futile. Even if he became a cauldron bearer, Chu Dingjiang wasn’t afraid. He had risen to his current position in the Crane Control Army mostly through strategy rather than martial prowess. Besides, becoming a cauldron bearer wouldn’t immediately strip him of all his skills. Who knew what opportunities might arise before he became completely powerless?
A list of dubious origin, after a roundabout journey and some complications, eliminated two major rivals and, according to the original plan, removed the Liao Kingdom’s hidden agents. Along the way, it won over many hearts. And he, Chu Dingjiang, emerged as a loyal minister who had been framed, a capable official who achieved great merit even in dire straits, a man of passion and boldness in others’ eyes.
This was who he was – the former ruthless young master Hua Rongjian, now Chu Dingjiang.
The fragrance of lotus flowers wafted through the air.
Chu Dingjiang took a deep breath, “Let’s set out in the next couple of days. I’ll explain more to you as we go.”
His plan wasn’t complete yet, so he couldn’t speak freely about it. If he wasn’t careful, he might end up exposing himself instead of outsmarting others.
“Alright,” An Jiu decided to take a chance. In reality, she had always harbored some reservations about Chu Dingjiang and didn’t trust him completely. However, after spending time in the Crane Control Army, she realized that operating alone would take an eternity to find Mei Yanran, let alone rescue her. She needed an ally. Although Chu Dingjiang seemed down on his luck now, her instincts led her to reluctantly align herself with him.
As for why Chu Dingjiang would recruit her, An Jiu couldn’t figure it out. But she had nothing to lose except her life, so what was there to worry about?
Although she had started to value her life more, she hadn’t turned into a naive lamb like Mei Jiu.
“Let’s not talk about that. Tell me about Cui Yichen’s situation instead. I’m a bit confused,” An Jiu said.