The facts proved that Cheng Yuan had a gentle and honest temperament. He was indeed a good, obedient, and sensible child.

Xu Ke was a little worried at the beginning.

About what?

Naturally, he was worried that Cheng Yuan would be uncooperative.

Cheng Yuan had just had his coming of age ceremony at 20 years old. He was full of youthful vigor. This was his first official position. If he felt that their lord did not put him in an important position, and was to be controlled by someone from a mediocre background, he might feel uncomfortable and refuse to cooperate with them… If that was the case, Xu Ke would have a headache.

Fortunately, the scenario that Xu Ke worried about did not play out.

Cheng Yuan was young and inexperienced, but he was methodical and meticulous. The key was that he was humble and eager to learn. He did not despise Xu Ke because of his low birth. No matter how dry and tedious the task was, Cheng Yuan gave his full attention to it. He was practically a little angel in Xu Ke’s eyes.

Could there be a boss or colleague who disliked such a good employee? An employee who obediently worked overtime and did not complain or criticize non-stop?

As a result, Cheng Yuan easily gained the favor of Xu Ke and Qiguan Rang. The three had a rapport and worked well together.

After all, Cheng Yuan was inexperienced. Even though he was very careful, he still made little mistakes in many areas.

Xu Ke and Qiguan Rang did not find it troublesome though. They gave directions whenever they could, but when they could not, they would help him to make up for his mistakes. This put Cheng Yuan in an environment of good influence and guidance.

In the beginning, Cheng Yuan thought that he would provoke resistance by taking up an official position and would find it difficult to fit into the team.

When he looked at it now, the people under his lord were rather easy to get along with.

But…

“Today, Xiaoyu asked about my brother.”

Cheng Cheng raised his eyelids. In recent days, he had gotten busy with the organization of his library collection. He was sorting them out in more detail and didn’t pay much attention to his son.

Even though this was the case, he knew that his son had been going to work early in the morning and only returning after toiling day and night. He was very busy with government affairs.

“He asked about Gong Luo? What about him?”

Cheng Cheng had two sons and one daughter. Other than his eldest son, who had taken up office in another place, he kept his youngest son and daughter by his side.

When he’d fled Sui’an County, he’d taken his entire family with him, including his wife, second son, and daughter. Only the eldest son, who had his own family and career, had been left behind.

The temperament of his eldest son, Cheng Xun, was worlds apart from his second son’s.

“Xiaoyu asked me if I had an elder brother. He also indirectly asked me some things about him…” Cheng Yuan was somewhat baffled and suspected that his elder brother and Xiaoyu might be old friends. “…MY elder brother has been appointed to an official position in another county for many years, he scarcely returns home. I don’t know much either… Perhaps Xiaoyu and elder brother are old friends? Otherwise, where did Xiaoyu hear my elder brother’s name?”

After Cheng Cheng heard that, the expression in his eyes changed and he looked at his son with some pity.

He understood his eldest son. That child attached great importance to the concept of family status. It was impossible for his circle of friends to coincide with Xu Ke’s. It was even more impossible that he would know him.

If Xu Ke had asked Cheng Yuan if he had an elder brother, the biggest possibility was that Xu Ke wanted to poach people.

Cheng Cheng lowered his eyelids.

He was not satisfied after “swindling” him, the old one, so he’d “swindled” his second child as well. But he was still not satisfied and wanted to swindle the eldest one too… Groan… How great.

“With Gong Luo’s temperament, I’m afraid that he’s not suitable.”

Cheng Yuan’s eyes widened. With his father’s hint, he finally understood Xu Ke’s true purpose.

“Brother will never come.”

Cheng Cheng inwardly twisted his lips. As long as his brain was still working, Jian Pengji would never accept Cheng Xun.

“Father, I’ve heard that the lord will be leading the army to rescue the Emperor.”

“Would you like to follow him?” Cheng Cheng asked calmly.

“I want to go and have a look, but it’s probably impossible with this situation.” Cheng Yuan did want to go, but he also knew that he would be useless if he went. The imperial order for all troops to come and rescue the Emperor in the capital was not a trivial matter. Every minute of the rescue would be a messy battle. He lacked experience and was still too delicate and unskilled.

Cheng Cheng said, “The situation in the world has turned chaotic, and the rescue of the Emperor will be an important turning point in it. You don’t have to join in on the action. You won’t be able to help. You might even make trouble or cause an inconvenience.”

Cheng Yuan looked dejected. He had suffered a psychological blow from his old father.

Cheng Cheng said in a low voice, “But, this is also a good opportunity if you want to make a name for yourself.”

“Father, please give me your guidance.”

“Our lord has just captured Wanzhou and its foundation is unstable. However, he will be transferring a portion of the elite soldiers to the rescue of the Emperor, which means that the troops left behind to take care of the rear will be seriously insufficient. To alleviate this crisis, he can only recruit more soldiers while training the elites. We can see from this how great the pressure is. But as long as you can steadily pull through the initial period, his lord’s power in the north will be thoroughly stabilized. Just do your job well, be pragmatic and hard-working. When the time comes for your work to be evaluated and reward is given for merit, no one will be able to erase your share of the contributions… Remember, don’t be like your brother, only seeking instant benefits. Steady progress will win the race. ”

Cheng Cheng gave his son a clear analysis, not forgetting to drum some lessons into his head.

He disliked the internal strife of bureaucracy, but what could he do when both his sons had their own ideas? He could only give them some advice based on his own experience.

It was a pity that his eldest son hated and avoided him. There was so much friction between the father and son.

But his youngest son was obedient and easy to coax. His temperament was gentle too, and he listened to suggestions.

On the other side, Jiang Pengji had decided on their battle lineup for the rescue of the Emperor.

“Jing Rong, you used to work under Prince Changshou’s banner, and you understand them better than anyone. You are indispensable to the rescue mission.” Yang Si was the first to be named by Jiang Pengji. He revealed an expression that seemed to say that he had nothing to live for. Jiang Pengji found it funny. “No matter how strong Prince Changshou is, he can’t rush into the camp and cut you apart. In any case, I’ll be holding things up at the front. I won’t hand you over.”

Inwardly, Yang Si was wiping away his sweat.

In the past, he had defrauded Prince Changshou and left him in a miserable state. Prince Changshou would not stop at cutting his body into pieces. He probably wanted to destroy his entire family clan.

When he learned that he was going to face his old employer on the frontline, Yang Si felt some guilt mixed with a faint sense of excitement.

“The next person… I’ve wondered about this seriously and have decided to choose Zi Shi. The rest of you will stay in Wanzhou. I dearly look forward to having these gentlemen defend this area on my behalf.”

Jiang Pengji did not choose Wei Ci or the others. Instead, she had chosen Feng Zhen. His strategies and schemes were more suitable for the pattern of the turbulent battles that would break out during the rescue of the Emperor.

When Feng Zhen heard that he had been named, his eyes lit up and his spirits shook.

Finally, he wouldn’t have to deal with those disgusting hypocrites and even more disgusting government affairs.

He thought of earlier days, where he and Feng Jin had to socialize with the landowning gentry in Shangyang County. That had been a nightmare.

“My lord, you are wise.”

Feng Zhen smiled so hard that he was squinting. He couldn’t hide the smile forming at the corners of his lips.

As for the generals, Jiang Pengji chose Li Yun and Dian Yan. The rest would stay and continue to recruit or train the soldiers.

“Do you have any objections to this arrangement?” she looked around and asked.

Meng Hun, who stood at the side, showed a slight change in his expression. After some time, he stepped out of the ranks and offered himself.

Jiang Pengji knitted her brows and asked, “Why?”

Meng Hun said, “The Emperor’s order to rescue him is largely related to the Meng family turning against the Emperor and placing themselves under Prince Changshou. I was the military chief of Meng county in the Cang Prefecture and served the Meng family. I know them well. Therefore, I sincerely ask my lord to allow me to go into battle… ”

At this point, he stopped talking out of embarrassment and appeared to be somewhat distressed.

Meng Hun and the Meng family had an absolutely irreconcilable hatred for each other.

Jiang Pengji looked down and thought about it carefully.

She’d planned to leave Meng Hun behind only because he had rich experience in training soldiers. He also had a very prestigious reputation in the army. He was someone who could keep things under control… In contrast, Li Yun and Dian Yan were both rookies. Although they were famous, they had insufficient experience and needed to be given more opportunities to achieve their goals, build careers, and accumulate military achievements.

Since Meng Hun had volunteered himself for military service. It was not impossible to allow it.

Luo Yue had come from a family background of military coaches to the imperial guard. He had accumulated enough training experience over the years. By promoting two other people to assist him, even if Meng Hun followed them to the frontline, the impact on the rear would be insignificant… After considering this, Jiang Pengji agreed to Meng Hun’s request.

Meng Hun said, “Thank you very much, my lord!”