Lan Qingyi, with her keen insight, immediately caught the fleeting change in his eyes. Overjoyed, she quickly pressed her advantage, saying, "The unexpected passing of the late Madam is indeed heartbreaking. The young marshal and the late Madam were childhood sweethearts, their deep affection unmatched by anyone. It would be a tremendous pity if someone as outstanding as the young marshal were to die young due to a moment of impulsiveness."
A dim light flashed quickly in Cheng Muyun's eyes. He looked up at Lan Qingyi, whose face held just the right amount of regret. His smiling expression seemed to indicate that he was genuinely worried about his future.
“Secretary Lan,” Cheng Muyun’s voice returned to calm, but with an undeniable resolve, “there’s no need to play the emotional card. The Dongzhou Army will never surrender. If the government wants to fight, I, Cheng Muyun, will fight to the end without fear. As for loyalty to that government that’s already rotten to the core, that’s absolutely impossible.”
Having said that, Lan Qingyi's last shred of hope vanished.
He fully realized that trying to recruit the Dongzhou army and make Cheng Muyun submit was simply a pipe dream.
He sighed heavily, his tone tinged with disappointment: "Young Marshal Cheng is still too young. He's full of youthful vigor, but he doesn't understand the balance of advantages and disadvantages in this world. The principle of blending in with the world and going with the flow has been the way this country has operated for thousands of years. Why is it that it just doesn't work for you?"
Cheng Muyun frowned and stared intently at Lan Qingyi. He could actually read a genuine sense of regret in Lan Qingyi's heartbroken expression, as if he were lamenting that a piece of rough jade had gone astray.
Lan Qingyi continued to persuade him: "Young Marshal Cheng is a remarkable figure. In terms of ability and courage, he can be called a hero. It's just a pity that he followed the wrong path and stood on the wrong side. If he really falls because of this obsession, it would be an extreme pity and not worth it at all."
Heroes cherish heroes. Lan Qingyi has seen too many people fail because they chose the wrong path, and she truly feels that Cheng Muyun's behavior is too extreme and he doesn't know how to compromise.
In fact, ability is one aspect, but choice is an even greater one.
Cheng Muyun was just a little unlucky, lacking the luck to rise like a phoenix. A promising young marshal, who could have grown into a general, was ruined by his love for his children.
What a pity!
Cheng Muyun ignored Lan Qingyi's words, simply sitting upright with his gaze calmly fixed elsewhere, clearly having no intention of responding further.
Seeing this, Lan Qingyi wisely refrained from making a fool of herself, since she had already said everything and any further words would be futile.
He stood up, straightened his clothes, and maintained his dignified demeanor: "Young Marshal Cheng, I shall take my leave now. I will postpone reporting the contents of today's conversation for a few days. If the Young Marshal changes his mind, please send someone to inform me at any time. I await good news."
Cheng Muyun remained silent, as if he hadn't heard her.
Seeing this, the adjutant stepped forward, gestured "please" to Lan Qingyi, and politely but firmly saw him out.
The room finally returned to silence.
Cheng Muyun remained seated in the pearwood chair, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his slender fingers resting lightly on his knees. His gaze fell upon the long-cooled teacup on the table, lost in thought.
Lan Qingyi's visit today, ostensibly for recruitment, is more like a test of his bottom line and intentions.
Logically, after making it clear that he would never submit, Lan Qingyi should have backed down, taken advantage of his "refusal to obey" as leverage, and gone back to request troops to eliminate him.
But he didn't.
Instead of leaving immediately, he earnestly tried to persuade me to submit, his words implying that he was "doing it for my own good," as if he were genuinely worried about my future. This was highly unusual.
Based on previous information gathered about Lan Qingyi's movements, he has always been a staunch supporter of the government, acting ruthlessly and decisively, and never engaging in pointless maneuvering.
This kind of attitude is definitely not how he should behave today.
unless……
Cheng Muyun's eyes suddenly sharpened.
Unless, Lan Qingyi was trying to lull him into a false sense of security and lower his guard, or perhaps she was deliberately stalling for time while secretly plotting something?
But why did he do this? Is there some more terrifying purpose hidden behind it?
Cheng Muyun tapped his fingers lightly on his knee, a cold smile playing on his lips.
He never believed that Lan Qingyi had any good intentions; his so-called "kind advice" was just another disguise.
After a moment's thought, he looked up and gave an order to the person outside the door, instructing them to immediately investigate all of Lan Qingyi's recent movements thoroughly, leaving no stone unturned.
Not long after the men sent out left, Zhang Qi, who had been sent to scout the situation earlier, returned.
His face was solemn as he hurried into the room, stopped in front of Cheng Muyun, and snapped to attention with a crisp military salute: "Young Marshal!"
Cheng Muyun looked up at him and asked directly, "How many people are stationed at Lan Qingyi's residence?"
Zhang Qi lowered his voice and replied, "There weren't many people on the surface, but they were all very wary and moved in an unusually hurried manner. I sneaked in while they weren't looking and found some things."
As he spoke, he took out a sealed envelope from his pocket and handed it over with both hands.
Cheng Muyun took the envelope, tore it open, and quickly skimmed through the letter inside.
“There are many more secret letters like this at Lan Qingyi’s residence,” Zhang Qi added. “I have read a few of them briefly. The contents are all similar, requesting more manpower from above. It seems that he is determined to gather troops and confront our Dongzhou Army head-on.”
The letter inside the envelope was brief and direct, with only two words at its core: they wanted people, and the objective was clear—to attack the Dongzhou army.
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