The young ladies were all in despair.
After a visit to their family homes, they returned to find an unexpected new member.
Could anything be more disheartening?
Li Qingwan, however, was straightforward about it. She greeted everyone, introduced herself as a newcomer, and asked for their guidance in the future. She also served tea to each person, which improved their moods somewhat.
Seeing no one else speaking, Yang Wangshu arrogantly stepped forward, typing, "Not just anyone can join our group. Now that you're part of it, you must follow our rules and understand our customs. Got it?"
Cheng Jinyang, watching from the side, was baffled. "Are you playing mind games or what?" he thought.
Li Qingwan smiled and asked, "Miss Yang, could you please tell me what customs and rules there are?"
Yang Wangshu was immediately at a loss for words. She had borrowed the line from an online novel and didn't actually understand the intricacies of palace intrigues. So, she turned to Xing Yuanzhi for help.
Xing Yuanzhi stood up and said, "There's no need for strict rules. As long as we respect each other, that's enough."
Cheng Jinyang then chimed in with a smile, "Yuanzhi is right. We'll be fighting for our lives together in our dreams, so we should be kind to each other in our daily lives."
Cui Jinqi also joined in, laughing, "We have an activity here that can help bond us sisters. It's called 'Beating the Scumbag.' Would you like to try it, Qingwan?"
Setting aside the playful banter, Li Qingwan's addition indeed brought a near-qualitative change to the team's overall combat effectiveness and survival capabilities.
Physical activation was a rare passive ability that allowed control over body cells for various changes, such as accelerating wound healing, enhancing muscle endurance or explosiveness, and so on. It sounded a bit like the "Life Return" from One Piece but was even more exaggerated in effect, forming the solid foundation of the Longxi Li family as one of the Five Great Families.
Of course, what the girls envied most was the ability to control fat cell burning and maintain body shape.
"How wonderful," Cheng Jinyang sighed as he watched them chatter away. "Wanrou, we have you to thank for this."
Wang Wanrou didn't respond, staring blankly at her phone screen.
"What's wrong?" Cheng Jinyang asked, noticing her unusual expression.
"Zhongshu Yu has summoned Su Zigao to the capital," Wang Wanrou said with a cold smile. "The formal edict has been issued."
This summoning was a customary practice of the Jin Dynasty for frontier generals, requiring them to hand over their troops and report to the capital. After all, Emperor Sima Zhongda had stated, "The emperor wields the weapon," with generals merely holding it on his behalf. If you hold onto it for too long without returning, are you planning a rebellion?
After reporting to the capital, generals would typically be reassigned to another remote military post to prevent them from establishing a private stronghold that was too powerful to control.
In peaceful times, generals were, of course, loyal. But in these turbulent times, it's naive to think they have no ulterior motives. Who wouldn't want to be a local tyrant? But outright rebellion is another matter, especially with northern demons eyeing them. A destructive conflict with the court is not worthwhile.
Therefore, most of the aristocrats favored a conciliatory approach towards Su Zigao of Northern Liyang, thinking, "We can't beat him, and he hasn't explicitly rebelled, so let's maintain the status quo."
As the patriarch of the Shendu Cheng family, deeply harmed by the rebellion of Wang Chuzhong, Cheng Jinyang was naturally a "big picture" person.
Leaders shouldn't act rashly; they must prioritize the overall situation. The Cheng family couldn't support a conflict; they lacked the strength.
However, Zhongshu Yu, an advocate of the court's hawkish faction, believed Su Zigao's rebellious tendencies were evident. If they didn't find a way to eliminate him now, Liyang would grow stronger with the influx of refugees, making them impossible to defeat in the future.
While this reasoning had some merit, the hawks versus doves debate was about whose influence was greater, not whose argument was more reasonable. Currently, with Wang Maohong wary of royal power and not daring to fully oppose, Zhongshu Yu held the upper hand, leading to the court's formal edict for Su Zigao to report to the capital and relinquish his military command.
After hearing Wang Wanrou's summary, Cheng Jinyang deduced the implications and grew worried again. Even an outsider like him, a mere fifth-grade family patriarch, could see the obvious. Would Su Zigao of Liyang not see it?
Would he obediently report to the capital and be captured? Impossible! Does this mean another war is imminent?
"What's the current balance of power?" Cheng Jinyang asked softly.
"If the court goes all out, they can barely win against the refugee army," Wang Wanrou replied with a cold smile.
The so-called "giving it all" means that the Longxiang Army of Jingzhou, the Shenwu Army of Yangzhou, the Xiaoqi Army of Xuzhou, and the Yulin Army stationed in Jiankang City all assemble to jointly resist the rebel army in Liyang.
In reality, the Longxiang Army has been severely weakened due to Wang Chuzhong's rebellion, the Shenwu Army has to defend against demons in the eastern ruins of Songjiang, and the Xiaoqi Army has to guard against demons in the northern Jianghuai region. It's simply impossible to mobilize their full strength.
Does this mean we're going to be stuck in a stalemate again? Zhongshu Yu, be reasonable! Everyone is in such a state, and you still want to continue fighting!
Although Cheng Jinyang was highly critical of the court's policy, he was ultimately a minor figure with a seventh-grade rank of supernatural ability. Even among those prestigious families of fourth-grade status, his level was merely that of an elite henchman and couldn't influence the political situation. At most, he could vent privately, making sarcastic remarks about the Zhongshu, but he had to be careful not to let it reach his princess sister's ears, considering it was her uncle.
"Now it seems the only option is to level up as quickly as possible," Cheng Jinyang sighed after much thought.
Currently, grinding monsters in the dream realm of Songjiang ruins yields about a thousand "Ma" per night. At this rate, it would take three months to reach the sixth grade.
"That's right," Xing Yuanzhi said, approaching him. "You need to become stronger quickly, Jinyang. I've already caught up with you."
"You're seventh grade too?" Cheng Jinyang asked in surprise.
"Of course, I just broke through 10,000 Ma this morning," Xing Yuanzhi replied coldly. Although her face showed no expression, Cheng Jinyang could sense her pride.
"Hmm?" Cui Xiao also came over, exclaiming, "I reached the eighth grade last week, why hasn't anyone praised me?"
Even though she said "no one," her eyes were fixed on Cheng Jinyang, who could only compliment her, "Jinqi, you're amazing!"
"Hmph!" Cui Jinqi puffed out her chest in pride, while Xing Yuanzhi frowned.
"But Yuanzhi is already seventh grade, you still need to work hard to catch up," Cheng Jinyang added.
Cui Jinqi pouted, and Xing Yuanzhi's brows relaxed.
The three girls behind them noticed the changes in Xing Yuanzhi and Cui Jinqi's expressions. Chu Qingqing and Li Qingwan whispered to each other:
"See that? The art of balance, mastered to perfection. This is the prowess of a Scumbag."
"The Scumbag of scumbags, the scoundrel among men," Yang Wangshu typed with a cold smile.
"I think it's pretty impressive," Li Qingwan said with a smile.
According to Wang Wanrou, this should be called the "art of managing subordinates"...