Lin'an City, Upper City District, ancestral land of the Taiyuan Wang clan.
It has been nearly two months since the rebellion of Wang Chuzhong ended.
The Wang clan, who migrated to Lin'an City, showed no haste to return to Jiankang. Instead, they settled down peacefully in Lin'an City.
Wang Maohong, now retired, spends his days leisurely, rising early and sleeping early, enjoying flowers and tea, quickly adopting a lifestyle focused on health, much to the disappointment of the gentry who expected great deeds from the Five Great Families.
Recently, Palace Attendant Chu Jiye once again hurried to Lin'an for a visit, only to find himself received not in a study but in Clan Leader Wang's tea room... This left him feeling rather uneasy.
"Since the reconstruction of Jiangning District, there have been no new decrees from His Majesty," Chu Jiye murmured softly, picking out a handful of tea leaves from the tea caddy and delicately selecting the thinnest tea stem, deliberately pinching it between his fingers.
Thin stems signify "longevity." A single stem signifies "not much time left." It implies His Majesty's lifespan is not much longer.
Wang Maohong glanced at him indifferently and meticulously brewed the tea.
"How is the reconstruction in Jiangning District?" he asked casually.
"The public facilities have been rebuilt," Chu Jiye replied, "but the corresponding operational organizations have not fully returned. Currently, only about a tenth of them have resettled."
"The aftermath of the rebellion runs deep," Wang Maohong sighed leisurely.
Before Wang Chuzhong's defeat, he had only three months left to live. His successor was his brother, Wang Chuhong, who had previously served as the Minister of Ceremonies at the court. Later, he was sent by the Emperor to pacify Wang Chuzhong but ended up rebelling outright at Longxiang Army, putting the Taiyuan Wang clan at a disadvantage in Jiankang's public opinion.
After Wang Chuzhong's downfall, Wang Chuhong returned to Jingzhou to join Wang Chuming. The latter, a cousin of Wang Maohong, ostensibly held Jingzhou in place of the departed Wang Chuzhong but remained connected with Wang Maohong in reality.
Upon learning of the complete defeat of the Longxiang Army, Wang Maohong immediately ordered his troops to bind and drown Wang Chuhong and his son who had fled back.
Thus, Wang Maohong eradicated all remnants of Wang Chuzhong's forces, firmly establishing his authority over the Taiyuan Wang clan, enjoying unparalleled prestige... Chu Jiye couldn't believe this "Duke" was truly concealing his ambitions.
"My youngest daughter is still residing in the Shendu Cheng clan's territory," Chu Jiye paused briefly and continued, "Currently, there is no evidence linking the Cheng clan's Clan Leader and the Steel Giant."
"Evidence may not necessarily exist," Wang Maohong remarked calmly, "if there were none, would you refuse to believe it?"
Chu Jiye thought to himself, wouldn't that be the case? If he had no connection with that Steel Giant from that day, would I let my own daughter stay at the Shendu Cheng clan's territory?
Well, even though she wasn't a real family member, she was still my daughter!
It's strange to say.
Originally, although everyone was curious about the Shendu Cheng clan, no one thought of "sending a daughter" such a clever move.
Until the Taiyuan Wang clan took the lead in sending the Clan Leader's daughter to visit temporarily, everyone suddenly realized "there are actually such operations."
After all, if male clan members were sent over, it would be inconvenient to stay long due to the presence of female relatives in the Cheng clan. But with female relatives, there would be no such problem.
Even if they stayed for too long, the reputation of female relatives would be affected, but the Cheng clan would naturally not mind.
As for reputation, Xing Yuanzhi and Cheng Jinyang had long been engaged, Chu Qingqing was not the Chu clan's Clan Leader's real daughter, Yang Wangshu was the Yang clan's Clan Leader's daughter but had long been abandoned, and Cui Jinqi's reputation among the gentry was originally poor, Li Qingwan was simply an ordinary member... In short, these young ladies could bear some damage to their reputation without causing too much trouble for their respective families.
However, Wang Wanrou was different. As the biological daughter of Duke Wang, she was a pure-blooded standard Five Great Families lady with a perfect reputation among the gentry.
How could Duke Wang be willing to let her stay in Jiankang and inquire about information in the Shendu Cheng clan's territory?
There must be a problem!
Everyone was willing to send young ladies to the Shendu Cheng clan, and it must be said that the attitude of the Taiyuan Wang clan played a major role.
But with Chu Qingqing staying there for more than two months and still not getting any useful information, Chu Jiye was beginning to feel uneasy.
Seeing Chu Jiye silent, Wang Maohong said calmly:
"Jiye, if I say that Wanrou's stay in Jiankang is entirely her own choice, would you believe me?"
"Well... Your Grace's words, of course, I believe," Chu Jiye could only say.
His demeanor clearly showed that he didn't believe it, so Wang Maohong just smiled and said nothing, leisurely sipping his tea.
Meanwhile, in Qixia District, Jiankang City, Cheng clan territory.
"I am staying here voluntarily," Wang Wanrou said calmly.
"Really?" Cui Jinqi expressed doubt.
"Why wouldn't I?" Wang Wanrou countered.
"I think maybe you're interested in Jingyang... Ouch!" Cui Xiaoniang was clearly ninety percent convinced but still deliberately probing. She ended up getting flicked on the forehead by Wang Wanrou, tearfully holding her head.
"I am not you," Wang Wanrou said.
"Then perhaps you are loving him in your own way... Ouch!" Cui Xiaoniang persisted again, receiving a double tap on the forehead and getting a book flipped at her by Wang Wanrou.
Meanwhile, on the training grounds of Shishou Mountain, Cheng Jinyang and Li Qingwan were sparring with each other.
They stood in place in a horse stance, feet rooted, while their fists rapidly struck out, each trying to unbalance the other first.
Li Qingwan clearly held back, not only defending more than attacking but also slowing down her speed just enough for Cheng Jinyang to react.
Facing this teacher who was far superior to him, Cheng Jinyang abandoned any unnecessary tenderness and launched a full-scale attack on Li Qingwan.
It wasn't until his powerful strike broke through Li Qingwan's arm defense and hit her chest.
Li Qingwan couldn't help but step back a few paces, trying to regain her balance, while Cheng Jinyang quickly reached out to steady her.
"Sorry, sorry!" he awkwardly apologized incessantly, "I didn't pay attention when I struck just now, it was unintentional..."
"It's okay." Li Qingwan steadied herself, her face still slightly flushed, "I held back too much. I didn't gauge the intensity properly."
"Um, are you alright?" Cheng Jinyang asked with concern.
That punch just now had indeed pushed him beyond his usual limits, while Li Qingwan had maintained a speed similar to their usual practice, so she couldn't defend in time and was hit in the chest - despite the famous Longxi Li clan's physical activation, as a matter of basic politeness, he still symbolically asked if she was hurt.
"I'm fine." Li Qingwan pressed her chest, smiling apologetically, "I wear a chest binder... I'm actually quite plump here, the fat can cushion the impact, so there will be no harm."
Cheng Jinyang: ?
He wondered if he had just been run over by a car, but looking at her pure and flawless expression, it seemed more like a purely accidental traffic accident than deliberate murder.
"Let's continue." Li Qingwan assumed her fighting stance again, "This time I'll speed up, you be careful."