"Wang Maohong!"
"You people from the Taiyuan Wang clan, just how much have you been hiding all these years!"
In the deliberation hall of Taicheng, Yu Yuangui stormed in with an imposing presence and growled.
"Not much," Wang Maohong responded calmly, "about the same as the royal family and other clans."
If Cheng Jinyang were here, he would undoubtedly be struck by how Wang Maohong's composed demeanor was exactly like that of Wang Wanrou, as if they were cast from the same mold.
Could it be said that they truly are father and daughter?
"The entire Shenwu Army has been affected!" Yu Yuangui was infuriated by Wang Maohong's confident attitude and angrily said through gritted teeth, "If Wang Chuzhong really controls the Shenwu Army, there's no need to fight this battle anymore!"
"Naturally," Wang Maohong replied with a slight smile, explaining, "The mind amplifier has many limitations. At the very least, it requires someone of the third grade to meet the threshold for use, and it takes several days to complete the brainwashing process. The Secretariat need not worry about it being widely abused."
"Is one Wang Chuzhong not enough?" Yu Yuangui's face darkened.
"Precisely because there is only one Wang Chuzhong, we can counter his mental field," Wang Maohong clapped his hands, and a servant next to him brought out a machine connected to a helmet with wires. "As long as we use the same method on our side."
"You..." Yu Yuangui suddenly calmed down, frowning as he said, "You've been planning this for a long time."
"After this matter is resolved, I will personally present the data and intelligence on the mind amplifier to His Majesty," Wang Maohong said calmly. "As for this machine, please request an imperial decree from His Majesty, confirming whether I should be the one to operate it and counteract Wang Chuzhong's mental field."
"I will report to His Majesty immediately," Yu Yuangui sighed.
This, of course, is merely a formality. As the opposing mental field pressed up to the outskirts of Jiankang City, many stationed Yulin soldiers reported hearing voices in their heads.
Some soldiers even showed signs of irritability, anger, and aggression. If no countermeasures are taken quickly, and the entire army mutinies under the influence of the psychic power, it will be too late to reverse the situation.
Therefore, Wang Maohong's proposal, currently the only feasible countermeasure, would certainly receive the emperor's approval.
After all, if Wang Maohong had rebellious intentions, he could simply hide somewhere and use this device—who could stop him then?
Since he openly disclosed the existence of the device, it indicates that he still intends to play by the current power rules. As his old political rival, Yu Yuangui understood his intentions clearly:
Maintaining the existing power-sharing system is beneficial for the top-tier clans like the Five Great Families.
In the past, the Sima family concentrated imperial power to suppress all noble families.
Now, with the imperial power declining, the Five Great Families can still maintain a delicate balance among themselves, all thanks to Wang Maohong's skilled diplomacy and adept maneuvering.
If the Sima family were overthrown, the Five Great Families would certainly not coexist peacefully. Who would trust the Taiyuan Wang clan if Wang Chuzhong seized the throne? Wouldn't everyone be worried about having their minds controlled in their sleep?
To be frank, none of the Five Great Families are easy to deal with. The "brainwashing" of the Taiyuan Wang clan, the "grand explosion" of the Qinghe Cui clan, the "invincible spear" of the Fanyang Lu clan, the "immortality" of the Longxi Li clan, and the "invisible fortress" of the Xingyang Zheng clan—all are forces capable of turning the world upside down.
Once the current order is overthrown, it's uncertain which family would survive to the end, but the human world would surely be battered and unable to resist the northern demons, forcing further retreat south and eventually losing the southern heartland as well!
The current power structure, hard-earned and fragile, must not be easily destroyed by Wang Chuzhong. This is the tacit agreement between Wang Maohong and Yu Yuangui.
For this reason, Wang Maohong would rather hand over the mind amplifier, allowing the Sima family to analyze and find its weaknesses, than let Wang Chuzhong breach Jiankang City.
Soon, the corresponding decree came from the palace: approval for Wang Maohong, the head of the Taiyuan Wang clan, to use the device to counteract the mental field of the Longxiang army.
Wang Maohong calmly sat in the chief advisor's study and slowly put on the mind amplifier.
As his consciousness connected with the device's operating environment, a thought suddenly popped into his mind:
What has Wanrou been up to lately?
............
"Sister, how long exactly are you planning to stay here?"
Wang Xinzhi, having rushed back from Lin'an, came straight to Wujiang Town to find his sister Wang Wanrou.
As the brother-in-law came for a visit, Cheng Jinyang naturally received him with great hospitality, busying himself with serving tea and water.
Wang Xinzhi didn't beat around the bush. He took a sip of tea and immediately asked his sister when she planned to return home.
"After all, you're an unmarried girl. It's not proper for you to keep living at someone else's house, right? Although no one would dare speak ill of the Taiyuan Wang family, they might harbor negative thoughts, which is not acceptable either!"
"I'll stay until I don't want to anymore," Wang Wanrou said calmly.
Alright, a completely useless answer. She must be looking down on me as her brother again, he thought.
Wang Xinzhi spread his hands helplessly, "What about father? Does he agree with you staying here?"
"Of course," Wang Wanrou replied.
Wang Xinzhi was silent for a long while before standing up and walking towards the bedroom.
"Brother Xinzhi..." Cheng Jinyang also stood up.
"It's fine, I just want to see where she usually sleeps," Wang Xinzhi said, looking at the trash bin as soon as he entered the bedroom.
Hmm, no used balloons. That's good.
In fact, due to Xing Yuanzhi, the room's trash never stayed for more than 12 hours, but of course, Cheng Jinyang wouldn't tell his brother-in-law that.
Wang Xinzhi's gaze fell upon the two beds in the room, and he asked, "Where does Wanrou usually sleep?"
Cheng Jinyang immediately pointed to Xing Yuanzhi's bed and said, "Here."
"And the other girls?" Wang Xinzhi counted the number of pillows on the beds, plus the sleeping bag on the floor, totaling four places.
"Ahem, I sleep with Yuanzhi, and the sleeping bag is used by Miss Qingqing," Cheng Jinyang explained.
Wang Xinzhi: ......
Damn it, I suddenly feel like strangling this guy.
Wasn't Yuanzhi very particular about cleanliness? How can she stand sharing a bed with a scoundrel like you!
Besides, you already have Yuanzhi, so why won't you leave my sister alone? Do you know how much damage it does to her reputation to share a room with you every night?
Of course, while our society hasn't completely shed the influence of feudal ethics, thanks to the reforms of our dynasty's founding emperor, the social norms regarding women's reputation aren't as strict... but cohabiting before marriage is still a scandalous matter.
"Jinyang," Wang Xinzhi said seriously, "I really can't convince my sister to go back. Since our father agreed to this, I let her stay here."
"But you should also know that if you and she truly cohabit long-term, it will surely harm her reputation. I have arranged for someone to buy the house next door, registered in my sister's name, so you can actually move over there in the future."
The house next door? Is it Su Lili's house?
Cheng Jinyang immediately understood his implication.
Since Su Lili's death, her house had no heir, so it was taken over by the town of Wujiang.
Wang Xinzhi spent money to buy it and then let Cheng Jinyang move next door, so they could still meet and chat often. But to the outside world, it wouldn't be considered 'cohabiting,' thus reducing the harm to Wang Wanrou's reputation.
"Ahem, actually I also think it's not very appropriate to live with them." Cheng Jinyang sighed. "It's just..."
But you don't know, brother-in-law, if I move next door, they'll definitely follow me!
What's the point of that?
"Just what?" Wang Xinzhi asked, puzzled.
"Nothing." Cheng Jinyang agreed. The other party had made it so clear, he certainly couldn't refuse, otherwise it would look suspicious. As for Su Lili's house... I can discuss with him whether I can buy it back.
"Yes, yes." Wang Xinzhi nodded in satisfaction and turned to say, "Wanrou, you can visit whenever you want, but don't sleep together at night to avoid gossip."
"It just so happens that I won't be going back to the clan recently. Jinyang, can you allow me to stay for a few days?" He asked with a smile.