Cheng Yuexian has been feeling increasingly agitated lately.
On one hand, it's because the clan leader, Cheng Jinyang, is hospitalized. As a result, all the tasks he was supposed to handle have piled up on Cheng Yuexian and Cheng Huaiyan's desks.
Cheng Huaiyan himself is quite taciturn, and everyone gets intimidated by his cold demeanor. Therefore, whether there's a reason or not, everyone comes to Cheng Yuexian, making her busy to the point of being overwhelmed.
On the other hand, there have been rampant rumors circulating for the past two months.
The final battle in Jiangning District isn't really a secret. According to folk rumors, His Majesty summoned heavenly soldiers and generals to descend to earth, led by Princess Nankang, to directly wipe out the rebels in Jingzhou.
The devastated site of Jiangning District is the best evidence of this extraordinary force.
Noble families naturally do not believe these absurd rumors. Although many people did see Princess Nankang flying back from that direction after the collapse of the giant in Jiangning District, if the colossal steel divine weapon was controlled by the royal family, why would they choose this moment to act? And why destroy one-third of Jiangning District?
Jiangning District is not some remote place; it's a prosperous urban area second only to core districts like Qinhuai District, a golden egg (tax revenue) producer!
Furthermore, even if the royal family possessed some kind of treasury, they wouldn't need to hide it. They could just reveal it, and from then on, the whole world would submit, and royal authority would be as stable as Mount Tai.
Who would dare to rebel when everything they needed was already available?
So everyone knows for sure that this couldn't be the royal family's doing. However, it was indeed Princess Nankang who returned first from Jiangning District, and later, only metal scraps were found at the scene, suspected to bear traces of the metal manipulation skills of the Yangdi Chu family.
It's also not a secret that Her Highness can temporarily use the special abilities of major families through technological means. Therefore, to figure out what's going on, one must start with Princess Nankang.
After returning from Jiangning District, Princess Nankang immediately plunged into Zone Six of the Royal Imperial Hospital established by her maternal family, the Yanling Yu family, also known as the "Military Experimental Zone."
Subsequently, Zone Six was strictly sealed off. For the first 24 hours, even internal and external personnel movement was completely prohibited.
Afterward, strict political reviews were conducted, further fueling suspicions that Her Highness must be up to something inside.
However, since Her Highness stayed inside without coming out, there was no way to probe further. Everyone could only frantically investigate Her Highness's past experiences, and then they discovered that the clan leader of the Shendu Cheng family, Cheng Jinyang, seemed to have been away from the clan's land for a long time.
Up to this point, the disparity in information among different noble families has clearly emerged:
Most noble families speculate that Her Highness staying in Zone Six of the Royal Imperial Hospital, the disappearance of Cheng Jinyang, and the steel giant incident in Jiangning District all coincided in terms of time and location, suggesting some kind of connection... but they have no evidence, just pure speculation.
As knowledgeable as the Five Great Families are, they know that on that day, Yu Yuangui issued a private decree in the name of His Majesty, ordering the Shendu Cheng clan to go to Jiangning District to quell the rebellion.
Therefore, it is almost certain that the Shendu Cheng clan is involved in this matter. Even if they didn't participate, they probably know some inside information.
A few lucky ones like the Fufeng Xie clan learned that Xie Lingjiang had been lured and kidnapped by traitorous clan members and taken to the distant branch of the Longxiang Army to plead with Xie Yongye, in exchange for his life after the defeat in Jiankang.
Later, Xie Lingjiang was rescued by the Cheng clan's Tianluo in the north of Jiangning District, matching both time and place, so the subsequent giant must be related to the Cheng clan.
The more information they gather, the more convinced they are of the relationship between the Shendu Cheng clan and the steel giant, although everyone lacks concrete evidence and has only indirectly obtained second-hand information.
Therefore, during the two months when Cheng Jinyang was absent from the clan, everyone relentlessly probed into the affairs of the Shendu Cheng clan... which also allowed Cheng Yuexian to witness the myriad methods of manipulation employed by the noble families.
The head of the Xing family "considered" that since the clan leader of the Shendu Cheng clan was absent, he would send Xing Yuanzhi over to help.
On the other hand, the Yangdi Chu clan and the Hongnong Yang clan knew that Miss Qingqing and Xiao Wangshu had a very close relationship with Yuanzhi, so they had sent the two girls over as well.
Of course, it wasn't just the relationship network between Cheng Jinyang and Xing Yuanzhi that was at play. Cheng Yuexian's own several noble family friends were also sent over by their families, pestering her every day to chat and talk, making her quite distressed.
"I really don't know anything about this steel giant! Why don't you go ask the Yangdi Chu clan with the metal manipulation ability instead!"
Her friends quietly told her that the abilities used by the giant on that day corresponded to families such as Yangdi Chu clan, Hejian Xing clan, Hongnong Yang clan, and Sanchuan Zhu clan, and everyone had already visited and inquired.
More than just your Shendu Cheng clan is being questioned (it's just that your clan leader's absence makes you more suspicious).
Therefore, Cheng Yuexian was speechless. Now that the clan leader has finally returned, she immediately feels a sense of relief from the endless probing, feeling tears welling up.
Cheng Jinyang sits in a wheelchair, pushed by Princess Nankang into the clan territory. The clan members swarm around, greeting the long-absent clan leader, asking about his injuries from the battle in Jiangning District.
Yes, Cheng Jinyang has been hospitalized for the past two months. The reason being, on his way to rescue Miss Cui from the Cui family, he was hit in the head by a stray bullet from the rebel forces.
This reason has received support from the Qinghe Cui family—although Cui Jinqi's words are hardly trustworthy, the Shendu Cheng family has uniformly stated externally, "Whether you believe it or not, we all believe in our clan leader."
Cheng Jinyang then smiled and explained to everyone, saying he nearly died on the battlefield this time, but fortunately Her Highness Princess Nankang encountered him on her way back and casually rescued him. Otherwise, he might have been beyond saving.
Everyone responded with understanding, taking on the new explanation for external consumption, and began considering how to discuss the matter further.
Upon arriving at the family council hall, Cheng Jinyang saw Xing Yuanzhi standing at the door, walking towards him.
"Yuanzhi," he greeted his fiancée with a smile.
Xing Yuanzhi nodded slightly, then walked behind the wheelchair, gripping the back of the chair and said to Princess Nankang, "Thank you for escorting him. I'll take over from here."
"No, this wheelchair is a bit tricky to handle. I'll do it," Princess Nankang smiled.
"It's okay, I can make it lighter," Xing Yuanzhi insisted, pushing the wheelchair without further ado. "Since you've pushed him all the way, you can take a rest now."
"It's because I've pushed him all the way that these last few steps are nothing," Princess Nankang said, holding the other side of the wheelchair. Together with Xing Yuanzhi, they pushed Cheng Jinyang into the family council hall.
Cheng Jinyang: ...
Though your enthusiastic reception upon my discharge touches me, why do I feel like something's not quite right?
Can't you all just get along a bit more harmoniously for my sake as a patient?
"Yuanzhi, I feel like having grapes," he said with a sheepish expression.
"I'll go wash them for you," Xing Yuanzhi nodded, then looked at Princess Nankang.
"Sister Xinnan, do you have thinly sliced beef for hotpot? I'm craving it for dinner," Cheng Jinyang smiled.
"Yes, after your discharge, you can replenish with some high-quality protein," Princess Nankang said gently. "I'll go buy it for you."
Since Princess Nankang was willing to leave, Xing Yuanzhi could now confidently go wash the grapes.
Watching them leave separately, Cheng Jinyang shook his head with a smile and wheeled himself upstairs.
This wheelchair even has a lift for going upstairs, quite impressive.
Slowly climbing to the second floor, he pushed open the study door and saw Yang Wangshu playing games on his computer.
Apparently not expecting someone to enter at this moment, the girl wasn't wearing her mask and looked... well, despite her slightly immature features, the proportions indicated potential for beauty.
Startled by the opening of the study door, Yang Wangshu jumped up like a startled rabbit. She covered her mouth, her eyes turning red as she whimpered, seeming to want to speak but unable to.
Cheng Jinyang smiled faintly, turned the wheelchair around, closed the study door with a casual gesture, leaving Yang Wangshu with a gentle and caring view of his back.