Another two weeks have passed.
The four of them have thoroughly learned the various weapons, equipment, and tactics of the Tianluo assassins.
This was largely thanks to brain domain development, which had almost miraculously improved their memory.
However, knowing something by heart is one thing, and using it flexibly is another. Even though brain domain development can simulate real combat environments, the princess sister wouldn't dare say that after only a week of actual combat training, they were qualified Tianluo assassins.
In the end, time was still too short.
Although Cheng Jinyang had figured out how to deal with the great demon Su Lili, Xiao Li had stopped appearing in his dreams altogether in the following nights, as if she had evaporated.
Fortunately, with the intervention of Miss Wang, the safe house remained intact and was solidified within the old house. Cheng Jinyang asked her if she had built a firewall that could filter out great demons, which earned him a glare from Wang Wanrou.
"If she really wants to find you, who could stop her in this dream?" Wang Wanrou replied, which left Cheng Jinyang despondent once again.
When she was around, he was suspicious and paranoid; after she left, he was anxious and worried. Ugh, how pathetic.
So he could only turn his grief into training, and finally reached the eighth grade on this day, thoroughly mastering Qiong Biluo.
By rights, he should be elated, but at this moment, Cheng Jinyang felt neither joy nor sorrow.
Until the Shendu Cheng family rarely called him, asking him to hurry to a meeting at Zhongbentang.
Ah, does the family have something going on again?
Bidding farewell to the girls, Cheng Jinyang hurried to Zhongbentang, the place where the core family members held discussions.
There, he saw his grandfather, Cheng Benhe, his three uncles, and the heirs from each branch: Cheng Yizhou, Cheng Yuexian, and Cheng Huaiyan. They were all already present, each with a serious expression.
"Sorry, I'm late," Cheng Jinyang apologized, and saw his grandfather, sitting in the main seat, smile wearily and wave his hand to indicate it was fine.
Cheng Huaiyan closed the door to Zhongbentang, and Cheng Yuexian activated the devices to ensure electromagnetic shielding, creating a standard isolated room. The family secret meeting was about to begin.
"Jingzhou has recently contacted us in secret," Grandfather Cheng Benhe said.
Jingzhou referred to the military stronghold occupied by Wang Chuzhong's Longxiang Army, the greatest enemy of the Jiankang court.
"Do they want us to defect?" Second Uncle Cheng Qingyuan asked, stroking his beard.
"If Wang Chuzhong were truly confident, he wouldn't be playing such tricks," Third Uncle Cheng Qingping said coldly.
"Regardless, the Longxiang Army holds the strategic advantage in the short term. We must be prepared for defeat before planning for victory," Family Head Cheng Qingxin said.
Two preparations? Does the First Uncle intend to sit on the fence? Cheng Jinyang thought to himself.
Isn't political alignment the last place for fence-sitters? No matter who wins, the Shendu Cheng family wouldn't benefit. How could the First Uncle propose such an absurd idea?
"Are you suggesting splitting the clan?" Grandfather Cheng Benhe suddenly asked.
Second and Third Uncles' faces changed simultaneously.
"Yes, splitting the clan," Family Head Cheng Qingxin said. "Political alignment is like gambling; one side wins, the other dies. The risk of putting all our eggs in one basket is too great. Our family can't afford the consequences of losing the bet."
"Rather than that, let's split the Shendu Cheng family into two branches. One branch continues to support the court, while the other defects to the Longxiang Army in Jingzhou. This way, no matter who wins, the Cheng bloodline will survive and won't be wiped out due to a wrong political stance."
In other words, regardless of which side wins, the branch on that side would be preserved... Cheng Jinyang was suddenly shocked.
Wait, wouldn't that mean that the other branch would inevitably be destroyed after being defeated?
That's too cruel!
"Which other families have confirmed they will split their clans?" Grandfather Cheng Benhe asked expressionlessly.
"The Hejian Xing family will join us in 'splitting internally' and defecting to Jingzhou," Cheng Qingxin said in a low voice. "The Sanchuan Zhu family is still considering it, but they lean towards directly defecting to the Longxiang Army. Even if they decide not to split, they won't inform the court."
"Moreover, the secret meetings with the Longxiang Army have already spread widely among the fifth-grade families. Everyone knows without saying, and some have already reported to the court. Yu Yuangui wanted to start a political purge, but Wang Maohong stopped him with a memorial."
"After all, the current Jiankang court cannot withstand any turmoil. Even if only one-tenth of the fifth-grade families were exterminated, the Longxiang Army, which is about to arrive at Gushu, would seize the opportunity to attack Jiankang in its internal chaos. Both the emperor and Wang Maohong understand this danger."
In other words, they are turning a blind eye to prevent outright rebellion against the court. Has the court really weakened to this extent?
Cheng Jinyang now had a deep understanding of the so-called decline of imperial power.
The so-called political prestige means that the emperor's word is law, and the world follows. Do people fear the emperor? No, they fear the power of the throne. If you don't obey the throne, you'll be killed by those who do.
However, once the throne loses its prestige and the tacit understanding among the various forces to obey the throne is broken, no one cares about the emperor anymore.
On the better side, like the major families in Jiankang, they openly obey the emperor and the court while secretly colluding with the Longxiang Army.
On the worse side, people like Wang Chuzhong of the Longxiang Army start plotting to usurp the throne. It's not necessarily bad that Wang Chuzhong rebels; it's just the trend of the times. Even if you kill Wang Chuzhong, others like Su Chuzhong or Liu Chuzhong will come forward.
"We'll discuss this later," Grandfather Cheng Benhe finally said, wanting to consider it for a few days.
After leaving Zhongbentang, Cousin Cheng Yuexian deliberately fell behind a few steps and then called Cheng Jinyang over.
"Grandfather said to consider, but there's no other way. The decision to split the clan is already set," she said worriedly. "Who stays in Jiankang and who goes to Wuchang will still depend on the preferences of each branch."
"First Uncle, as the proposer, is determined to defect to the Longxiang Army. This way, even if you inherit the branch in Jiankang, Cheng Yizhou can inherit the branch that defects."
"However, because of the political camps, only one branch will survive. Cousin, you're smart; you should understand what I mean, right?"
Cheng Jinyang pondered for a moment and asked, "Are you asking me to spare Cheng Yizhou's life if we win?"
"Yes." Seeing that Cheng Jinyang understood immediately, Cheng Yuexian smiled and said, "I also looked into it. It was First Uncle who suppressed you, and although Cheng Yizhou also spoke against you, he didn't participate in the suppression. There's no need for you two brothers to kill each other."
"I've already communicated with Cheng Yizhou. If the Longxiang Army wins, he will find someone to secretly replace you and save your life. If you agree to spare his life, then regardless of whether the world belongs to the Taiyuan Wang family or stays with the Sima family, at least the Cheng family's main and fourth branches won't be exterminated."
Cheng Jinyang pondered for a while.
As Cousin said, it was First Uncle Cheng Qingxin who ostracized his father, and this resentment shouldn't extend to his children.
From a personal impression, he didn't have much ill feeling towards his cousin Cheng Yizhou—just an encounter during the appraisal tournament. After being named the family heir by Grandfather, their interests conflicted, and they didn't interact much since then.
"Alright, if the Jiankang court wins, I'll try my best to spare Cousin's life," He finally nodded and promised.