“At least I’m not a complete ingrate…” Mo Sigui muttered, turning to face the wall and continuing to sleep.

An Jiu stood there for a moment before leaving the room.

The rain had intensified, pouring down in sheets and forming a curtain in the night sky.

An Jiu opened her umbrella and walked into the rain.

As she left Plum Blossom Village, she saw a figure in the distance standing like a monument on the path beside the plum tree grove, holding an umbrella.

An Jiu recognized his aura immediately and quickened her pace. “Chu Diangjiang.”

Chu Diangjiang responded with a soft “Mm.”

Under the umbrella, Chu Diangjiang was dressed as usual, a black cloak covering his entire body, the hood hiding most of his face, revealing only his chin.

From her wanderings today, An Jiu realized he had indeed made many preparations for their departure, not just for the two of them, but for many others as well.

“Isn’t Sheng Changying coming with us?” An Jiu asked him.

If Sheng Changying was still in the Crane Control Army, his relationship with Zhu Pianpian could only end without resolution.

Chu Diangjiang noticed her sudden interest in other people’s affairs but didn’t point it out. “If he wants to leave, it would be even more troublesome than for me.”

Sheng Changying was an official of the imperial court. Although his duties were covert, his position was public. Once entangled with the Crane Control Army, there was no possibility of leaving in this lifetime.

An Jiu said, “The Mei family matriarch went to great lengths to escape back then, and still had to hide in the shadows afterward. How can you manage to bring out so many people?”

“Times have changed. The Crane Control Army has long been in decline. In the previous dynasty, it still had some use, but now it’s falling apart,” Chu Diangjiang thought for a moment, then took An Jiu’s hand and slowly explained, “The reasons for today’s situation are twofold. On one hand, the Song Emperor’s growing distrust of the Crane Control Army has led him to gradually weaken its power. On the other hand, after Yelü Huangwu’s divisive attack last time, irreparable rifts have formed both within the Crane Control Army and between the Crane Control and the Emperor.”

An Jiu’s clenched fist was enveloped in his palm, the warmth dispelling the damp chill of the rainy night. She opened her hand and grasped his in return, allowing their palms to share warmth.

Chu Diangjiang was somewhat surprised but then realized that An Jiu’s action was likely unrelated to romantic feelings.

“If you were to become the Emperor of Song, things might be much better,” An Jiu said.

Chu Diangjiang smiled, “You think so highly of me?”

An Jiu nodded.

In all of Song, perhaps only An Jiu and Chu Diangjiang dared to discuss such treasonous matters. Those who dared to aspire to that position were either royal relatives or those with immense political power. Ordinary people wouldn’t even entertain such thoughts.

Chu Diangjiang had considered it before, but he had given up. He was well aware of his abilities. If it came to seizing the throne, he would be quite capable, but if he became Emperor, the Song Dynasty might not be better off than it was now. Sometimes, action can be more terrifying than inaction.

His soul had been nurtured in an era of blood and fire, making him a thorough warmonger. He could endure the bullying from the Liao for five or ten years, but not for a lifetime. However, in Song’s scholar-revering environment, officials and civilians had become weak, left with only a somewhat ineffective sense of integrity. This atmosphere couldn’t be reversed in ten or twenty years, and it wasn’t suitable for fighting to the death.

The Song people probably couldn’t even imagine in their dreams the ferocity with which the Warring States people fought. Faced with such an atmosphere, Chu Diangjiang felt a deep sense of helplessness at his core, and he had always excelled in military affairs, not in the art of ruling.

“The current trend of following Confucianism isn’t necessarily bad, but today’s Confucianism has changed a lot,” Chu Diangjiang began to miss the straightforwardness and intensity of Legalism.

“I don’t understand,” An Jiu said honestly.

Chu Diangjiang tightened his grip on her hand. “This is all idle talk. I came here to tell you something.”

An Jiu asked, “What is it?”

“I might have to stay in Bianjing for a year or so,” Chu Diangjiang said, tilting his head to look at her.

“Mm.” An Jiu nodded to show she understood.

Chu Diangjiang felt a bit disappointed. Did An Jiu not care about whether he stayed or left?

“Where will we meet?” An Jiu looked up and asked.

Chu Diangjiang felt slightly better. “Hangzhou. I have a house in Green Bamboo Lane. You go there and settle in first, and I’ll come find you as soon as I finish my business.”

Most of the people who needed to leave had already been sent out by Chu Diangjiang. An Jiu couldn’t think of what else could require so much effort. “You’re staying for so long. Is the situation that bad?”

“It’s the Hua family,” Chu Diangjiang sighed. “Last time I went to Liao to investigate whether Minister Hua was colluding with the enemy, it turned out to be false. But someone insisted it was true and even produced letters showing Minister Hua’s collusion. The Hua family is now in a precarious position…”

“To kick them while they’re down?” An Jiu remembered he hated the Hua family.

In An Jiu’s understanding, if you hate something, you should erase its existence.

Chu Diangjiang shook his head.

An Jiu asked in surprise, “Are you going to save the Hua family?”

He didn’t seem like the type to repay enmity with kindness!

“Perhaps I came here precisely for this crisis of the Hua family, or perhaps to resolve my inner conflict,” Chu Diangjiang wasn’t an indecisive person, but when it came to family, he couldn’t let go, yet couldn’t bring himself to destroy it either.

An Jiu wasn’t very clear on the concept of family, let alone Chu Diangjiang’s deeply ingrained family complex, which was beyond her understanding. She thought that if the Hua family fell, Mei Jiu, as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Hua family, would certainly not escape unscathed. “Will they exterminate the entire clan?”

“I don’t know, but if the charge of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country is proven, confiscation of property and extermination of the clan would be inevitable,” Chu Diangjiang said.