Hidden Shadow – CH 152

Chapter One-Hundred-Fifty-Two: The Real Chu Dingjiang

An Jiu always remembered her mother’s helpless expression, the fear and loneliness on her face when she died. It was her own cowardice and avoidance that left her mother so alone.

This was An Jiu’s only regret, and she felt that if she could make up for it, her life would be complete. Therefore, she treated Mei Yanran as her mother, and this was what she kept in mind.

“Filial piety and brotherly love are fundamental human relationships. Excellent,” Chu Dingjiang praised her idea. He had the patience to slowly leave his mark on this blank disciple, so he did not bring up their past again.

An Jiu actually appreciated this, clearly pleased to receive approval.

At the Archives Room.

The Archives Manager was not there, but the documents were already prepared and handed to them by his subordinates.

The two found a quiet spot to read the documents.

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In the center of the Konghe Academy was a small garden, where the Academy Heads usually rested, and it was also the best and safest place in the entire Academy.

The water murmured, and willows swayed gently. A pavilion shaped like a small boat stretched from the shore into the lake, where a vast expanse of green water stretched to the horizon, dotted with pink and white lotus blossoms.

Normally, a trial participant like An Jiu would not be qualified to enter such a place; it was all thanks to Chu Dingjiang.

“Chu Dingjiang,” An Jiu said suddenly after reading a few pages of the scroll, “why was I chosen for this mission?”

Chu Dingjiang was not afraid to discourage her. “Because you are bad enough. If someone wanted to kill me, would they find someone stronger to help me?”

“That’s it?” An Jiu lacked long-term vision, but she was not stupid either. Chu Dingjiang’s explanation seemed plausible, but it was actually quite suspicious.

Chu Dingjiang pondered for a moment, then said, “It was my request. Since I brought you into this dangerous situation, I will naturally protect you.”

All his forbearance and feigned weakness were for this day.

The vast majority of high-ranking generals in the Divine Martial Team supported two people. One was Yan Feng, and the other was Zhao Jie.

With these two in charge, Chu Dingjiang knew from the beginning that his position as Commander of the Divine Martial Team would not last long. Therefore, during his tenure, he secretly and deliberately created chaos among the lower-ranking officers of the Divine Martial Team. He frequently reassigned people, some promoted, some demoted, seemingly to win them over. Indeed, Chu Dingjiang gained the support of many lower-ranking officers this way. However, his true aim was to have most people doing tasks they were not good at.

In normal times, these people could handle most problems. But when faced with more challenging and urgent tasks, their shortcomings would become apparent.

When the opportunity arose, and Yan Feng wanted to bring him down, he conveniently created even more unmanageable messes, then simply walked away.

The reason he was so easily ousted was because he willingly accepted this opportunity.

In this way, Chu Dingjiang was free from the constraints of his position and could intentionally and continuously expose the enemy’s powerful forces, putting pressure on the Konghe Army. Beset by internal and external troubles, the chaos within the Divine Martial Team would continue for a longer period. As this happened, Yan Feng, who had finally risen to power, would be even more afraid that the Emperor would think he was incompetent and bring Chu Dingjiang back. He would then be even more eager to eliminate Chu Dingjiang as a threat.

Before being overthrown, Chu Dingjiang deliberately hid his investigation findings in the yamen, intentionally letting Yan Feng’s spies discover the hidden compartment “inadvertently.”

Yan Feng, newly appointed and with Zhao Jie vying for power, was eager to secure his position. With such a great opportunity to gain merit before him, after privately verifying the authenticity of the list, he would definitely present it to his superiors to claim credit. He would certainly claim that this information was obtained through his own painstaking investigation.

These lists were absolutely genuine but obtained through illegitimate means. Some of them involved trading secrets of the Konghe Army with jianghu figures, who did not know Chu Dingjiang’s true identity, only that he was a member of the Divine Martial Team. Once the truth was exposed, Yan Feng would face utter ruin.

The best candidate to expose this affair was Zhao Jie; sooner or later, he would “discover” some “evidence” deliberately left behind by Chu Dingjiang.

Chu Dingjiang would reap the benefits, but he was not idle either. Before Zhao Jie uncovered the truth, he constantly provoked Yan Feng, wanting everyone to know that Yan Feng was now relentlessly pursuing him. Even if he claimed the scroll belonged to Chu Dingjiang, how many would believe him?

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Chu Dingjiang’s foundation within the Konghe Army was not as solid as Yan Feng’s. Zhao Jie’s primary enemy was him, not Chu Dingjiang. Faced with a choice between the two, even if Zhao Jie suspected the list was not Yan Feng’s, he would seize the opportunity to eliminate his formidable rival.

In a dog-eat-dog world, during Yan Feng’s tenure, he would inevitably purge a large number of Zhao Jie’s supporters. Once Chu Dingjiang returned, dealing with him would be much easier.

On the other hand, given the Emperor and the Dark Commander’s style of operation over the years, the sudden discovery of so many spies would inevitably lead to a large-scale assassination attempt.

As expected, events unfolded as the Konghe Army began assassinating those on the list, drawing a large influx of assassins from the Piaomiao Mountain mansion. Coupled with their numerous annual business assignments, the mansion was already half-empty.

Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu storming in, sweeping through the area—even if they did not capture Wei Yuzhi, so what?

After all, this was an “impossible mission” set by Yan Feng to eliminate dissidents. Chu Dingjiang would not only survive but also severely weaken Piaomiao Mountain Mansion—a perfect victory—and the top officials would not blame him.

The two, sweeping through the Piaomiao Mountain mansion, while not exactly what it seemed, sounded like a sensational operation!

It would be impossible for the Emperor not to notice.

Considering that his high martial arts skills might arouse the Emperor’s suspicion, Chu Dingjiang made an excuse midway through, offering himself as a furnace to Gu Jinghong.

Although Gu Jinghong’s character differed somewhat from expectations, it did not matter much. At most, he would conceal the matter, rendering Chu Dingjiang’s efforts futile. Even if he were to become a furnace for cultivation, he would not be afraid. He had risen through the ranks of the Konghe Army largely through cunning, not martial arts. Besides, becoming a furnace for cultivation would not mean losing all his martial arts in a day or two. Before he became a cripple, who knew there would not be a chance to resolve it?

A dubiously obtained list, after some twists and turns, eliminated two formidable enemies and, according to the original plan, removed the Liao Kingdom’s spies. Along the way, he also won over many hearts. And he was a loyal minister framed, a capable official who performed great deeds in dire straits, and a man of courage and magnanimity in the eyes of others.

This was him, the former heartless young master Hua Rongjian, now Chu Dingjiang.

The fragrance of lotus blossoms wafted through the air.

Chu Dingjiang took a deep breath. “Let’s set off in the next two days. I will tell you as we go.”

His plan was not finished yet; he could not reveal it openly. He might end up getting himself killed instead of scheming against others.

“Alright,” An Jiu decided to take the plunge. Deep down, she harbored some reservations about Chu Dingjiang and did not completely trust him. However, after spending so much time in the Konghe Army, she realized that venturing alone would likely mean never seeing Mei Yanran again, let alone rescuing her. She needed to form an alliance. Although Chu Dingjiang seemed down on his luck, she instinctively and reluctantly clung to his coattails.

As for why Chu Dingjiang wanted to recruit her, An Jiu could not understand. But she had nothing to lose; she had nothing but her life, so what did she have to worry about?

Although she was starting to feel a bit clingy, she had not become a naive fool like Mei Jiu.

“Let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about Cui Yichen first. I am a little confused,” An Jiu said.