The sky was already dark, and Cui Jinqi bid farewell and left. The three of them then prepared to go to bed.
If in the guest room of the Cheng family's territory, cohabitation required locking the door sneakily and avoiding making noise, then there were no such concerns at home.
Wang Wanrou was still reading, the title of the book is "Bizarre Studies: How to Deal with Annoying and Stupid Friends," which made Cheng Jinyang feel like she was implying something.
"So what book are you reading, Wanrou?" he curiously asked.
"Don't you see the title of the book?" Wang Wanrou countered, lifting the book in her hand.
"What's this book about?" Cheng Jinyang ignored her sarcastic tone and asked with a smile.
"Take a look for yourself," Wang Wanrou said, handing him another book from the bedside table.
Cheng Jinyang glanced at the title:
Bizarre Studies: Why Men Always Like to Have a Harem.
Upon closer look at the author, wow, it's Sima Yi again.
"Sima Yi, after declaring himself emperor, had a phase where he enjoyed writing books," Xing Yuanzhi on the opposite bed remarked. "Just the 'Rabble Rouser' series alone, he wrote over a hundred books, right? Not to mention the 'Bizarre Studies' series, most of which are nonsensical and whimsical. He even self-deprecatingly called it stream of consciousness writing, saying those who understand, understand, and those who don't needn't ask too much."
Well, this senior is also an old riddle enthusiast.
Cheng Jinyang flipped through the book and after a few pages, understood why Ah Zhi would make such a comment.
Senior, when you joke with people from another world using our era's references, can they understand?
"Indeed, it's all nonsense," Wang Wanrou nodded. "But there are also some interesting things, like the discussions on the three types of government: dictatorship, oligarchy, and democracy."
"And the theory of dynastic cycles," Xing Yuanzhi added. "An emperor founding a dynasty actually acknowledging that it will eventually perish. With such breadth of mind and vision, isn't that stronger than the delusion of 'eternal unchangeability' of Qin Shihuang?"
"Wasted, isn't it? Even after 800 years, it's still a mess?" Wang Wanrou sneered, "The cyclical pattern of dynasties is correct, but blaming the decline of national strength on this pattern is simply a lame excuse to cover up incompetence."
"What's wrong with the Taiyuan Wang family?" Xing Yuanzhi sensed there was more to her words, "Did your Uncle contact your father?"
"They had a big argument," Wang Wanrou chuckled, "and parted ways unhappily."
The one in charge of the Longxiang Army is Wang Chuzhong, the Duke of Wuchang County, who is also Wang Wanrou's uncle. He, along with Wang Wanrou's father, Wang Maohong, were the main forces escorting the late emperor across the Yangtze River and were instrumental in helping establish the court in Jiankang City after the fall of the capital. They are now known as the creators of the alliance between the Wang and Ma families, ruling the world together.
However, later on, these cousins turned against each other. It is believed that their conflict arose due to their differing political views.
Wang Maohong advocated for moderate reforms and consolidating imperial power, while Wang Chuzhong believed that according to the cyclical law of dynasties, the Jin dynasty's reign was nearing its end, and it was time to overthrow everything and start anew.
Therefore, the two severed ties, mutually requesting the removal of each other from the registry of the Taiyuan Wang family, thus regarding each other as enemies.
Of course, Cheng Jinyang speculated that it wasn't solely due to political disagreements; the influence of ideological imprints likely played a role.
According to the customs of the Taiyuan Wang family, the previous generation patriarch should have imprinted both of them with the idea that "the interests of the family are paramount."
Then Wang Maohong believed that preserving imperial power was more advantageous to the family, while Wang Chuzhong believed that seizing imperial power was more beneficial to the family.
Driven by their unyielding ideological convictions, wouldn't these two individuals see each other as stumbling blocks?
No wonder they had to add "not to harm the interests of the family" in the ideological steel stamp. If a genius lunatic emerged, believing "everything has its end, dying early is better than late, destroying the family is for the family's good," then the Taiyuan Wang family would be doomed, wouldn't they?
According to what Wang Wanrou revealed:
The more demands there are for the content of the ideological steel seal, the easier it is for contradictions to arise among each other, thereby creating vulnerabilities that can be exploited; however, the fewer the demands for the content, the easier it is for people to misinterpret and bypass, even to the extent of violating the intentions of the sealer.
So this bloodline ability really tests one's intelligence, ordinary people simply can't handle it. It's only these clever folks from the Taiyuan Wang family who mess around with each other, like psychic hackers, constantly searching for vulnerabilities and patching them up...
"So, what does your uncle say?" Cheng Jinyang asked curiously. "If he's at odds with your father, does that mean he'll resort to military force to attack Jiankang?"
"It's a matter of time," Wang Wanrou said calmly. "It could be as soon as next month, or as late as the end of the year."
Cheng Jinyang and Xing Yuanzhi fell silent, speechless.
Actually, three years ago, Wang Chuzhong already launched an attack on Jiankang. At that time, Emperor Sima Rui led his troops south to confront him. After fighting for half a day without success, Emperor Sima Rui had no choice but to surrender to Wang Chuzhong, proclaiming him as prime minister, grand commander, governor of Jiangzhou, Duke of Wuchang County, and other titles.
Wang Chuzhong accepted it peacefully, but he himself did not formally enter Jiankang to receive the appointment. Instead, he swaggered back to Wuchang County, and then the late emperor died in depression. The imperial power completely fell aside, oppressed by the gentry so heavily they couldn't lift their heads.
It was also during that rebellion that, due to the court's troops being sent southward, the defenses in the north of the river became weak. Some demons managed to attack Wujiang Town successfully, resulting in the death of Cheng Jinyang's parents and childhood sweetheart.
In other words, he is my enemy!
Cheng Jinyang sighed and cursed inwardly:
What nonsense 'Wuchang County Duke'? From the looks of it, he's clearly a rebel! The court can't hesitate anymore, we must strike hard and use nuclear bombs to send these rebels straight to the heavens!
"If Wang Chuzhong attacks again, can the court hold its ground?" he couldn't help but ask further.
"We won't be able to withstand the attack," Xing Yuanzhi replied.
Cheng Jinyang: ......
Damn it, how did my Da Jin country become like this?
"It's not necessarily all bad," Wang Wanrou pondered, "After Sima Shao ascended the throne, he relied heavily on the Yu clan to consolidate imperial power, and there has been some recovery in economic production. Many of the aristocrats fear Jiangzhou and have rallied under my father's leadership. Overall, the situation is much better than it was three years ago."
"Uncle called. If Yu Yuanrui can reach a consensus with my father, relying on the joint defense of the Shenwu Army and the Yulin Army, it shouldn't be a problem to hold onto Jiankang."
Just holding on? Cheng Jinyang seemed disappointed. "If the stalemate persists, and then the northern demons take advantage to attack..."
"Then humanity is probably doomed," Xing Yuanzhi said.
Wang Wanrou sarcastically said, "It's impossible to be finished so quickly. If Nanjing falls, we'll go to Lin'an; if Lin'an falls, we'll go to Fuzhou; if Fuzhou falls, we'll go to Duangzhou; if Duangzhou can't hold, we'll go to Kunchuan. And if all else fails, there's still Penghu, Qiongzhou, Luzon, and Australia. As long as the demons don't know how to build ships, we can still survive on the islands."
"Why aren't you saying what if the Earth is no longer livable? We can always escape to the lunar space station, right?" Xing Yuanzhi rolled her eyes. "If humanity has degraded to that point, what's the difference between that and being doomed?"
"Cough, the lunar space station 'Chang Gui Palace' is maintained by my Cheng family," Cheng Jinyang said seriously. "If the Earth really becomes uninhabitable, I'll take you two to the moon."
Xing Yuanzhi: ......
Wang Wanrou: ......
Although it should be a joke, what's up with this guy's serious expression and tone? Does he really think he can win us girls over by saying stuff like that?
"Well, it's getting late, let's go to bed," Xing Yuanzhi said, turning her head.
"Yeah, let's sleep," Wang Wanrou echoed.
"Wait, did I say something wrong just now?" Cheng Jinyang was bewildered, but Xing Yuanzhi had already switched off the light with a snap.
"At least tell me where I went wrong!" He complained in the darkness.
No one answered him.
In the darkness, Wang Wanrou turned her back to him and slowly closed her eyes.
"Fool," she thought to herself, "Do I really need you to save me when that time comes?"
On the opposite bed, Xing Yuanzhi found herself unable to sleep, silently staring at the ceiling.
"This idiot..."