Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

System: “So, your plan is to use Meng Liang in exchange for that officer’s loyalty? Did you ask if Meng Liang is okay with that?”

Jiang Pengji tsked at the System before replying, “Do I need to ask permission from someone who robs others of their lives?”

System: “…are you trying to play god!”

“I’ve always been one,” Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes and chuckled.

System: “…”

Could she afford to be more shameless?

The System was not the only one who thought Jiang Pengji was toying with someone else’s life––even Liu She thought so, too.

Normal people would be thinking of ways to get rid of Meng Liang, or to safeguard themselves in case they got into trouble because of him.

But Jiang Pengji? Her first reaction was to use him as an exchange for another’s loyalty.

Was that how she planned to become the Jiang Dynasty’s emperor? By ensuring that she had potential rivals working for her or locked away forever?

Suddenly, Liu She thought the burden upon his shoulders felt heavier.

“Father, you don’t approve?” Jiang Pengji frowned and asked when she noticed Liu She’s silence. She thought back about their conversation and wondered if she missed out on any details.

“I don’t disapprove, and I do support it. But Lanting… Don’t you think you’re too apathetic? If you were to carry it out, Meng Liang is still your stepmother’s son. If you were to kill him with your own hands, have you thought about how she would feel?”

Liu She had planned to be more tactful with his words, but what came out was more direct.

“Your mother treats you well, and you will kill her son as repayment?”

Jiang Pengji lowered her gaze. Liu She’s problem with it was something she had not thought about.

People in the current era were all about bloodlines and familial relationships, but Jiang Pengji had not once thought about such a thing. She was an orphan left behind from the intergalactic war… She had no memories of her own family.

It was not that she had forgotten them, but rather, her memories were wiped. Almost all genetically enhanced soldiers went through the same process.

Genetically enhanced soldiers were secretly raised by the federal government. They lived for the sake of victory and had absolute loyalty. They had no memories to weigh them down. During their upbringing, they were not allowed to have any memories.

Jiang Pengji was one of the rare cases. Her memories were not completely wiped, so she could remember some things. But they were memories that she had from when she was three years old, and they were not happy memories.

“Indeed I forgot about this. But should I let him be because of my mother’s relationship with him? Let him live while he continues raping and causing the deaths of many girls? I don’t think I should get all twisted up thinking about this. If mother hates me because of Meng Liang’s death…” Jiang Pengji paused and smiled. “Thank you for your reminder, father. If Meng Liang has to die, he should die at another’s hands.”

Liu She was speechless.

That sounded reasonable.

Regardless if they had to be at a loss over what to do with Meng Liang, that boy still had to die. So… what was the point of pondering over it?

To Jiang Pengji, Meng Liang still had to die for his deeds.

After a long while, Liu She let out a long sigh. “If your mother heard this, she would be so sorry.”

Yes––”sorry,” not “upset.”

Jiang Pengji knew Liu She meant her real mother, Gu Min, and not the second lady.

Gu Min had once told Liu She that, according to historians, the Jiang Dynasty’s emperor had a mental illness. She was incapable of feeling any emotions. The sickness was so bad that it caused unrest within the imperial court… That meant that Liu Lanting was already sick, but maybe she had yet to reach that level?

When he thought of that, Liu She started feeling sorry for his daughter. He was a little happy in his heart that they had noticed her illness. The earlier she received treatment, the faster she would recover.

He lifted a hand and patted Jiang Pengji’s head. “It’s all right. I’ll get a physician over one day. You should not hide your sickness.”

What sort of sickness is mental illness?

Liu She had no idea. He would leave that to the professionals.

Jiang Pengji was speechless.

She had originally thought Liu She would feel some sort of animosity towards her, or that he would take precautions against her. But that did not happen.

“That Meng Liang is, indeed, a fake, but your mother does have a son, and that is Meng Liang’s older brother, Meng Heng. If you ever get the chance to meet him, don’t kill him. You should get along with him. He’s smart,” Liu She warned.

Was that a hint for her to win him to her side?

“Since Meng Liang is not mother’s son, why is he doing this?” Jiang Pengji asked without any expression.

Even if he wanted to fake an identity, should he not be faking Meng Heng, not Meng Liang?

“It’s a long story that involves the previous generation.” Liu She’s expression turned sorrowful when he brought it up. “You’re not young anymore, so you should at least know this before you get hoodwinked in the future.”

Jiang Pengji: “…”

Wait. That sounds strange?

To make things easy for Jiang Pengji, Liu She changed his form of address to differentiate between Gu Min and the second lady.

“When your aunt was still waiting to be betrothed, her maiden name was Gu Zhen. Your mother and her had been very close ever since they were children. They were still very close even after marriage. Your aunt married the Meng family’s Meng Zhan once she reached the marriageable age. Most men like the new and tire of the old. I misjudged Meng Zhan. To think he was a man with the heart of a beast…”

“The Meng Zhan you mentioned is the senior provincial official in Meng County?” Jiang Pengji frowned while she listened to him.

He doted on Meng Liang, which, in the end, forced his own subordinate to rebel and torch the office?

Awesome.

“Yes,” Liu She’s expression showed some disgust.

“Meng Zhan looks like a gentleman, but his methods are preposterous… I will leave out some details… In the end, your aunt gave birth to the eldest son for Meng Zhan, and not long after, she was pregnant again. But Meng Zhan suspected that the second was not his flesh and blood. Coincidentally, his favorite concubine was pregnant as well. That woman bewitched him and he actually allowed her to swap her child with your aunt’s. The concubine’s son is now your aunt’s son.”