Chapter 416 Is Pei Ji that person?

"Excellent, excellent!"

Emperor Gan Ning clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "As the ancients said, 'Even Confucius feared the younger generation, so a man should not underestimate the young.' If my son is as intelligent as His Highness the Crown Prince when he reaches his age, I can rest assured to abdicate early and travel the world with my wife."

Sheng Sheng and Xie Yun exchanged a surprised glance.

They noticed that Emperor Gan Ning was using plain language at this time.

Before they could react, Emperor Gan Ning said bluntly, "To be honest, half a month ago, the State of Jin did indeed intend to launch a war against the State of Song."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Sheng and Xie Yun immediately thought of the "rumor" that Zi Juan had heard from the maid in the Shen family last night.

It wasn't a rumor after all?

Xie Yun was very clever; combining this with the recent unusual events in the State of Song, he was able to quickly deduce the general situation.

"Could it be that different forces within Song have joined forces, intending to launch a surprise attack on Jin? Everyone knows Song is currently in turmoil; no one would believe that Song, preoccupied with its own problems, would harbor ambitions towards other states. After Song's crushing defeat in the Song-Yu war a few years ago, the internal forces within Song have completely fragmented, naturally leading to the hoarding of weapons. Jin has been free from war for many years; Song must believe Jin's former glory has faded. If someone were to temporarily unite and launch an offensive against Jin, perhaps they could conquer Jin in one fell swoop?"

"Not bad." Emperor Gan Ning nodded approvingly.

Although he was talking about something that could threaten the very foundation of the Jin state, Emperor Gan Ning seemed very calm, as if he didn't take the Song state seriously at all.

They could even casually say that they planned to launch a war against the Song state.

This calm and naturalness stemmed from the fact that although the State of Jin had been silent for many years without war, this silence was because the people of Jin also loved peace and disliked war.

Decades ago, under pressure from the situation, the former king of Jin had no choice but to launch a war against the neighboring countries. Jin made great strides and gained a good reputation.

Years have passed, and the State of Jin has long since quelled the ambitions of the neighboring small states that were eager to make trouble, and has never initiated a war again.

If we could coexist peacefully, who wouldn't want to live a quiet and peaceful life like this for the rest of their life?

But the State of Song believed that the peace that the State of Jin had enjoyed in recent years meant that its former glory had faded.

That's ridiculous.

Although the State of Jin had been quiet for many years without war, its strength and foundation remained intact.

In recent years, the country has been able to recuperate and rebuild, farmland has been expanded and granaries have been filled, weapons and armor have been repaired and treasuries have been replenished, and generals have been preparing for war without ever stopping.

The State of Song is truly doomed. It actually naively believed that the State of Jin was declining and that Song could use its petty cleverness to fight a losing battle.

"If the Song Kingdom continues like this, I don't think it has any reason to exist."

Emperor Gan Ning spoke without any pretense, as if he did not regard Sheng Sheng and Xie Yun as two children, nor as people from another country, as if he were searching for any resonance among them that belonged to an ally.

"Beset by internal and external troubles, with internal troubles still existing, they dared to dream of taking a share of the pie from the outside world."

Emperor Gan Ning shook his head and sighed, saying frankly, "I am not a monarch with great love. Whatever happens in Song does not affect the people of Jin, so it is none of my business. But now that they have set their sights on Jin, if Song has no one who can restore order and stop the disaster, even if this war causes the people of Song to be displaced and their families to be destroyed, I will spare no effort to protect the state and the peace of the people of Jin."

"Your Majesty's words are quite frank." Xie Yunyang tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, his tone calm and impartial. "A monarch should prioritize the well-being of his country and its people. The Song state is in turmoil, yet it has recklessly launched a war to covet the Jin territory, which is a loss of judgment. Your Majesty is unwilling to stand idly by while the Jin lands are disturbed. Even if war is necessary, it is your duty to defend the territory, and there is nothing wrong with that. If it were my father, I believe he would have thought the same thing."

“However…” Sheng Sheng grasped the key point, “His Majesty just said that he did have this idea before. In other words, Jin State is no longer planning to wage war? Then, what made His Majesty change his mind? Was it… Brother Pei Ji?”

A voice deep inside her told her this.

Yes, it's Pei Ji.

Otherwise, Emperor Gan Ning wouldn't have specifically come to ask her about Pei Ji.

But why?

Emperor Gan Ning just said that if the Song state does not have someone who can correct the chaos and lead the Song state correctly, then the Song state should be destroyed.

So, in his opinion, Pei Ji is that person?

So, when Grandpa Mo asked her about Pei Ji in Qingyang City, was it also related to this matter?

"good."

Emperor Gan Ning replied.

Although Sheng Sheng was mentally prepared, she was still quite surprised when she heard this affirmative answer.

What?

Pei Ji is indeed very smart, and he's a very good person.

Sheng Sheng didn't think Pei Ji was incompetent; her astonishment stemmed purely from not understanding how Emperor Gan Ning could believe Pei Ji could achieve such great things.

He was in the palace of the State of Yu. In everyone's eyes, he was just a pawn abandoned by the State of Song, a hostage trapped in another country, enduring humiliation and hardship.

However, both the highly respected Mo Wen and the emperor of Jin seemed to have unexpected attitudes toward Pei Ji.

Sheng Sheng knew that Pei Ji would never be confined to a small world again, because he was intelligent, studious, and hardworking.

He has always been very talented and had long ago started learning martial arts from Xiao Jiuzhu.

He is talented and works just as hard as anyone else.

He will eventually become the person he wants to be and protect the people he wants to protect.

Sheng Sheng considers him a friend and naturally hopes he is doing well.

Therefore, Sheng Sheng was very pleased and happy that Emperor Gan Ning recognized Pei Ji's worth, and even felt a sense of honor.

But she was still very curious: "Your Majesty, why would you say that?"

Xie Yun also kept a close eye on Emperor Gan Ning. He was even more curious than Sheng Sheng, because Pei Ji was in the Yu Kingdom's palace. If someone hadn't told him the news, then there was only one possibility left—Jin Kingdom's spies had already been planted deep in the palace!

This is absolutely terrible news for the State of Yu. How could Xie Yun not be on guard?

Emperor Gan Ning met Xie Yun's suspicious gaze, chuckled softly, and reassured him: "Don't worry, it's not what you think."

Xie Yunyang's gaze froze for a moment, then she lowered her head and coughed a few times to cover her mouth, trying to hide her embarrassment.

I got too nervous and couldn't control my emotions, which was noticed by others.

"Oh, Sheng Sheng, I understand!" Sheng Sheng exclaimed in sudden realization. "It's Uncle Xiao, isn't it?"

"Not bad." Emperor Gan Ning nodded.

"Sheng Sheng guessed right!" Sheng Sheng grinned and asked him, "Your Majesty, do you also know that Uncle Xiao and Imperial Physician Xiao are brothers?"