The princess's sports car pulled up outside Wu Quemei's Clinic.
Passersby couldn't help but cast their gazes over, not out of envy or greed this time, but more out of curiosity and scrutiny.
In this world, dyed hair and tattoos were rare breeds, especially on a beauty like her.
Entering the clinic, they saw Wu Quemei, idly perched on her desk, looking somewhat surprised.
"Hey, when did you dye your hair?" she asked curiously, "This blonde... surprisingly suits you well."
"Hehe," Princess Nankang smiled faintly, without explaining.
"Sister Wu, I'm here for today's treatment," Cheng Jinyang reminded her.
"I know, I know," Wu Quemei waved her hand, "Besides this, what else can you come to me for?"
She placed her fingers on Cheng Jinyang's temples, while Princess Nankang began rummaging through the cabinet next to her, "Do you have any alcohol?"
"Yes, yes, it's in the cabinet behind the door. But don't mess it up!"
So Princess Nankang grabbed a beer can, sat next to Cheng Jinyang, and started chugging away.
Wu Quemei was feeling a bit tempted, but she still had professional ethics and didn't interrupt the treatment to grab Her Highness's wine.
"Speaking of which," she continued, trying to shift her attention away from the wine jug, "Has Jinyang returned to the Shendu Cheng Clan?"
"Yes," Princess Nankang replied, "Just yesterday."
"You've really put in a lot of effort for him..." after saying this Wu Quemei sighed.
"After all, he is the only son left by the teacher in this world," Princess Nankang said, holding the wine jug with a deep gaze.
"I'm afraid it's more than just care," Wu Quemei teased a little.
"Shut up," Princess Nankang blushed and said, "You haven't even solved your own single status, so mind your own business!"
"At least I won't make advances on younger boys..."
"Have I done it?" Princess Nankang slammed the table and shouted, then looked at Cheng Jinyang's tightly closed eyes, feeling a bit guilty.
"He shouldn't be able to hear, right?"
"He's currently in the memory adjustment phase, his perception of the outside world is interrupted," Wu Quemei waved her hand, showing an interested expression.
"So, what are your intentions? Planning to fall in love?"
"I'm not telling you," Princess Nankang hummed.
........
Xing Yuanzhi and Wang Wanrou followed the head nurse to a special care ward on a high floor.
Pushing open the door, they saw an elderly person standing by the window, lost in thought while gazing outside.
Hearing the door open, he turned around, surprised to see two nurses and two young girls.
"They..."
Seeing the puzzled expressions of the two nurses and then their hurried departure, Cheng Ben sensed something was amiss and furrowed his brow slightly.
"I'm sorry, I used a little trick to have these two nurses bring us to you," Wang Wanrou said with a smile.
"Trick?" Cheng Benhe immediately understood.
"So you're a young lady from the Taiyuan Wang family... And who is this beside you?"
His gaze turned to Xing Yuanzhi beside her, who calmly greeted, "Xing Yuanzhi of the Hejian Xing family."
"Xing family's Qingfeng, I've heard of your name," Cheng Benhe nodded, sitting by the bed and smiling.
"So, what urgent matter brings you to this old man on his last legs?"
"It's like this..." Xing Yuanzhi was about to speak when Cheng Benhe gestured towards the goban on the table by the window and said:
"However, your timing is perfect. My chess partner has just temporarily left the hospital, so..."
"...would you accompany this old man for a game?"
"With pleasure," Wang Wanrou said with a smile.
The two of them sat down on chairs, and Xing Yuanzhi laid out the chessboard for them, placing the chess pieces neatly.
Cheng Benhe made the first move as white, followed by Wang Wanrou as black.
They played quickly, almost without hesitation, engaged in an intense battle that showed they were both skilled beyond amateur level.
After a dozen moves, Cheng Benhe furrowed his brows, "What's this?"
"It's not the Taiyuan Wang family's style," Wang Wanrou replied softly, "I developed it myself."
"Interesting," Cheng Benhe smiled, "What's your name?"
"Wang Wanrou."
"So you're the daughter of Prime Minister Wang. But your chess style is too aggressive... quite different from your father's reserved style."
"Just cutting through the deadwood, what's wrong with being decisive?" Wang Wanrou smiled faintly.
Xing Yuanzhi's thoughts sank slightly at the words, then she saw Cheng Benhe laughing heartily:
"Good! Good 'cutting through the deadwood'! There are indeed not many young people like you who show such sharpness. At least among the younger generation of my Cheng family, none dare to speak such words as you do."
"Cheng family is already in the twilight of their life, like an old horse in its stable. Even if they still harbors ambition, what can they do?" Wang Wanrou spoke again.
"Hmm..."
Cheng Benhe pinched his go piece, silent, seemingly unable to refute the words of the arrogant young girl in front of him.
Suddenly, Xing Yuanzhi beside him said:
"If we're talking about the twilight of one's life, it may not necessarily be the case. Cheng Qinghe's son, Cheng Jinyang, returned to the clan recently. He's just over eighteen years old and, with his ninth-grade bloodline, in the assessment of the fixed-grade level, he single-handedly executed the Wind and Thunder Fish Dragon Sword Formation, breaking one hundred and thirty targets with one hundred swords, without a single miss. Can't we consider this as a display of his prowess?"
"Cheng Jinyang?"
Cheng Benhe was slightly surprised, then suddenly understood the situation. He smiled, "I almost forgot about this grandson of mine... So, he returned to the clan recently?"
"Just yesterday," Xing Yuanzhi said coldly, not saying much more, and continued watching the two playing chess.
Both sides are placing their stones swiftly, gradually occupying the board with black and white pieces. It's apparent that black is gaining the upper hand while white struggles to resist.
"I've been studying history recently, and I suddenly have a question: it's said that in ancient times, Duke Huan of Qi eliminated Duke Ji, and suggested Guan Zhong's imprisoning. Bo Shi said: 'Guan Yiwu governs well at Gao, he could be a good prime minister.' Duke Huan agreed."
Wang Wanrou suddenly said, "I'm not talented, but may I ask for an interpretation of this?"
This story tells of Duke Huan of Qi, who had not yet ascended to the throne, rushing to the capital upon hearing of his father's violent death.
At that time, Guan Zhong was working for another prince, Duke Ji, and attempted to stop Duke Huan by shooting arrows at him.
The story of Duke Huan of Qi revolves around his survival of an assassination attempt by feigning death and subsequently assuming leadership of the state, aided by his advisor Bo Shi.
With Bo Shi's guidance, Duke Huan managed to convince the nobles upon his return to the capital and ascend to the throne, ultimately eliminating his rival, Duke Ji.
Following these events, Guan Zhong, who had been imprisoned, was recognized for his talent by Bo Shi, who recommended him for the position of prime minister. Duke Huan, acknowledging Guan Zhong's abilities, granted him a pardon and appointed him as his prime minister.
In the world of "Zuo Zhuan," the prevailing sentiment is "Only the worthy are selected."
This ethos highlights the importance of recognizing and promoting talent, as demonstrated by Bo Shi's actions, ensuring that individuals with exceptional abilities like Guan Zhong are not marginalized due to political factors.
Falling into Cheng Benhe's ears, the old master naturally immediately understood her implied meaning, which was that Cheng Jinyang's supernatural talent was strong but he had been neglected by the clan due to political reasons.
However, he had retired from clan affairs for many years and was not clear about his grandson's situation, so he instinctively pinched Bai Zichen and pondered.
"When it comes to history, I have a question," Xing Yuanzhi picked up the thread and continued, "In the past, Han Xin served under Xiang Yu, offering many strategies which Xiang Yu ignored. Han Xin then left Chu and joined Liu Bang.
Later, Han Xin felt unappreciated by Liu Bang despite his numerous contributions and left again. Why did Xiao He chase after him upon hearing of Han Xin's departure, but didn't report it to Liu Bang immediately?"
Xing Yuanzhi asked, "Why did Xiao He do this?"
This story tells of Han Xin's early service under Xiang Yu, offering many strategies that Xiang Yu ignored.
Han Xin then betrayed Chu and went to Liu Bang. By chance, he had a conversation with Prime Minister Xiao He, leaving a deep impression on him.
Later, Han Xin felt that he had offered many strategies, but Liu Bang did not use them, so he left again.
When Xiao He heard that Han Xin had left, he hurried to chase after him without reporting to Liu Bang, clearly showing the meaning of "only the worthy are chosen."
However, she deliberately mentioned the "struggle between Chu and Han" and "Han Xin's departure," implying that Cheng Jinyang is not only valued by your Cheng family. If you really neglect him, he will run to other "enlightened lords"!
With young talents of the Taiyuan Wang family and the Hejian Xing family vouching for Cheng Jinyang, forced Cheng Benhe to take this matter seriously.
So the old man fell silent for a moment, then pushed the chessboard and chuckled, "I concede, I concede. The younger generation is formidable."
"Thank you for your generosity," Wang Wanrou smiled.
"Hmm," Cheng Benhe looked at the two girls, seeming to assess their relationship with his grandson, then slowly said, "I've been retired and recuperating for many years. It's not appropriate for me to suddenly return to the family and inquire about matters."
Seeing no immediate response from the two, he continued, "However... since my grandson has returned to the clan, it wouldn't be right for me to stay in the hospital and ignore everything. So, tomorrow morning, I'll make time to visit the ancestral land."
"Since that's the case, should we also postpone the matter of Shendu Cheng family's asking for a seal from the Taiyuan Wang family for Cheng Jinyang, and wait until you return?" Wang Wanrou's expression remained unchanged as she smiled and asked.
"A seal?" Cheng Benhe was taken aback at the words, his expression immediately becoming stern.
"Yes," Wang Wanrou remained composed, speaking softly, "It was scheduled for this afternoon. It was to give him a seal of 'not harming the family', to ensure his loyalty to the family..."
"Nonsense!" Cheng Benhe suddenly erupted in anger.