To the boy's apology, Hong Yan's face showed no expression. "This storm was bound to come sooner or later."
After a pause, she added, "All of you see only Liang's strength and prosperity, but it is already in great peril."
Wu Youren blinked in surprise, pressed his palms together, and said flatly, "Hong Da, please don't tell me about this!"
"It's hardly a secret," Instructor Hong remarked nonchalantly. "Who in Liang doesn't know the Crown Prince wants to seize the throne?"
*I genuinely had no idea!* The boy could only offer a bitter smile. "I'm of low standing, just a hostage making up the numbers."
"I know. Your grandfather died this year," Instructor Hong replied unhurriedly.
Then she glanced at the boy, and seeing his stunned look, said between exasperation and amusement, "If I want to look into you, it's effortless.
"You didn't think I'd keep backing you while remaining completely indifferent to your background, did you?"
Wu Youren nodded. "That's true enough. One shouldn't underestimate a grand knight. But... I really was out of the loop!"
"The Crown Prince is getting on in years, while our King enjoys long life," Instructor Hong said languidly. "What the Crown Prince relies on is the aristocratic faction on the Queen's side!"
What followed was a long stretch of silence.
Eventually, the boy had no choice but to break the silence. He ventured cautiously, "The noble faction's roots run deep?"
"Sharp as ever," Instructor Hong replied offhandedly. "Spanning four kings and over eighty years, they've grown too big to rein in!"
The current King of Liang had been on the throne for nearly thirty years, but for the first twenty-odd years he was fighting wars and still had to rely on the nobility.
Someone like Marquis Tanyong was ennobled by the current king.
Now Liang held hostages from multiple nations, with impressive martial accomplishments to its name, while the power of the nobility had swelled rather than diminished.
It wasn't merely the enfeoffment of feudal lords; Wu Youren caught the underlying pattern and sensed shades of a military-industrial complex.
Yet he could only smile ruefully. "I thought the New Army was created by the Crown Prince. It actually came from the current king?"
The name "New Army" was truly misleading. Turns out it was created by an old relic?
Her raspy voice replied calmly, "To cast off the old and establish the new—what it overhauls are the entrenched factions. Hence the New Army!"
"Please, stop right there," Wu Youren said, hands clasped together, bowing repeatedly. "You might dare speak it, but I don't dare listen!"
"You think I want to talk about this nonsense?" Instructor Hong glared. "Wasn't it you who dragged Red Pine to the edge of the whirlpool?"
The boy had no comeback and could only reply, "As you said, they've grown too big to rein in, so it was only a matter of time... That really has nothing to do with me!"
"Quick-witted as always," Instructor Hong nodded. "If I were ten years younger, I'd definitely kill you!"
*I don't buy that for a second!* Wu Youren groused inwardly... *More likely you'd want to marry me!*
Hong Da didn't waste time on pointless banter. "Make up your mind. Do we leave or stay?"
"I don't object to going back to Red Pine." Deep down, the boy truly wanted to return.
Tianjing was bustling, but there were far too many hidden dangers. The Martial Academy, by contrast, was ideal for him to keep a low profile and steadily grow his strength.
Heading into the mountains every now and then to grind some experience points would be utterly perfect.
Yet the reality remained, impossible to avoid. "Still, will going back actually let us dodge it?"
"It will certainly be more dangerous there," Instructor Hong said, frowning slightly. "It's just that here in the city, it's too easy for people to find us. Hiding is..."
Before she could finish, she looked toward the courtyard outside and let out a soft snort. "Speak of the devil."
An off-road vehicle drove through the gate, bearing the insignia of the New Army on its side.
The vehicle parked in the courtyard, and four men and one woman got out. Leading them was Commander Jeff of the New Army, and the other four in his entourage were all knights.
Noticing that only Instructor Hong and the boy were present while everyone else was out, he chose to get straight to the point.
"Your proposal has been submitted upstairs. There's some debate within the court."
The boy put on a blank expression, only nodding slightly after a long pause. "Oh."
*Why the hell are you coming to me about this crap?*
Instructor Hong watched coldly from the side without uttering a word.
The four accompanying New Army knights looked indifferently at the boy, not a shred of anticipation in their eyes.
Clearly, none of them believed their commander could accomplish anything by seeking out this youth, and were likely grumbling internally.
"Don't play dumb," Commander Jeff said bluntly. "Offer a solution, or else you're attempting to subvert Great Liang."
Wu Youren pondered for a moment before sighing. "Our cultural studies lessons said Great Liang never punishes speech!"
"Tch," Jeff snorted dismissively. "Drop the act. Are you going to talk or not?"
"I don't have the standing to get involved," the boy replied candidly, his dull gaze turning much clearer.
"If Commander Jeff wishes to kill me, go right ahead. At the very least, you won't be able to implicate Great Jin!"
At long last, he could utter the words "Great Jin" openly and proudly before an important figure of Liang.
The New Army commander was taken aback, then chuckled. "And here I wondered what this was about. Turns out you want to be a loyal subject of Jin!"
His smile was plain to see, yet a subtle gleam of ferocity flashed through his eyes.
Wu Youren was completely certain that although the man had made death threats multiple times before, this time he was genuinely harboring murderous intent.
The next moment, mockery surfaced in the New Army commander's smile. "Worried about implicating Jin? Do you think you even qualify?"
Please get this straight: you're just the grandson of a baron—and an illegitimate one at that!
Yet the boy remained unfazed. He replied calmly, "If Commander Jeff can bring harm to me, he naturally can bring harm to Great Jin as well."
"Holy shit," Jeff blurted out, both infuriated and amused. "Cut the fucking nonsense. I don't have that kind of power!"
The New Army had been created specifically to suppress the nobility.
Stirring up an international dispute for no reason—wouldn't that just be handing the nobility ammunition on a silver platter because their military merits weren't already plentiful enough and their influence wasn't big enough?
Let alone that a minor commander like him couldn't pull it off—even if he could, he absolutely could not admit to it!
The boy watched him calmly, making no answer.
Yet one could tell from his gaze that he truly believed it—if you want to frame someone, any excuse will do.
Jeff had no comeback, because the kid's view was largely accurate.
If they could truly uproot the noble faction completely, framing Jin... what kind of big deal would that even be?
He laid it out directly: "Speak up. What do you want?"
"I want to return to Great Jin." The boy could finally openly state the deepest wish in his heart.
"Keep dreaming. Pick another condition," Commander Jeff replied without hesitation.
Then ferocity flashed in his eyes, and thick murderous intent instantly enveloped the youth. "You really think I wouldn't dare kill you?"
"Ahem." Beside them, Instructor Hong gave a soft cough. *Hey, there's someone else here, you know.*
*If you're going to say that, at least do it behind my back... Do you think I don't have face to keep?*
The boy's gaze remained clear. "I don't have to go back. But who would enjoy feeling like their life could end at any moment, just like right now?"
"Heh." Jeff gave a dry laugh, changing the subject. "Bold enough to name a price... Looks like you have an idea?"
"Commander," one of the knights beside him couldn't hold back any longer. "You haven't said a word about the specifics, yet he can have an idea?"
Whether governing the realm or treating the sick, shouldn't one always prescribe the right medicine for the illness?
This mere youth hadn't even grasped Great Liang's specific court feuds, and you expect him to offer suitable advice?
He felt his superior might just have lost his mind.
Yet the commander gave him a frigid glare. "Shut up. What do you know?"
Killing two birds with one stone—he had time to spare anyway, and what if it worked?
If nothing came of it, no big deal; would the kid dare mock the New Army?
He had a bit of a headache. Every single one of his subordinates had brawn but no brains, yet fancied themselves clever!
If only this boy were his own subordinate. "Pick another condition!"
Wu Youren turned toward Instructor Hong beside him. "I refuse to communicate with the commander, though I wouldn't mind having a word with Hong Da."
"Hm?" Jeff froze upon hearing that.
Who would have thought that in the very next instant, Hong Yan shot up to her feet.
Frowning at the youth, she said coldly, "Trying to drag me into this?"
"I am a student of Red Pine," Wu Youren looked at her calmly, his eyes clear.
"Before coming to the Martial Academy, the Protocol Office made it clear: not even the military can make unreasonable demands of us."
His earlier conversation with Hong Da had yielded quite a bit; understanding the nature of the New Army, in particular, had cleared up many of his thoughts.
At this moment, he wasn't afraid to be more direct—the Court of State Ceremonial governed foreign diplomacy, while the military was responsible for external warfare!
He simply didn't believe that while plotting major moves, the New Army would provoke the Court of State Ceremonial for no reason and create another adversary!
"Well..." Instructor Hong visibly hesitated. The Martial Academy did have the right to provide hostages with reasonable protection against the military; that was by agreement.
Yet why did something feel off?
"Makes no difference to me," Commander Jeff chuckled upon hearing this. "The little fellow doesn't want to leave any leverage in my hands."
Without waiting for her to respond, he said directly, "Grand Instructor Hong, what are your terms?"
"Tsk." Instructor Hong hesitated. "I protect my student... which counts as doing legwork, so I get to demand terms from you?"
Why did her head feel like it was buzzing?
Hong Yan wasn't foolish; she was simply accustomed to not bothering with schemes, leaving her somewhat bewildered for the moment.
Then she caught on. "I want a type of Guizu relic: light green stones, honeycomb-shaped... at least five of them."
"Give me a break," Jeff grimaced at her words. "For traveling outside, right? Even one is hard to get, and you want five?"
Clearly, he knew what she was after and understood all too well how precious that type of Guizu relic was.
"Then say no more," Instructor Hong stated calmly. "It is my duty to protect the students of the Martial Academy."
She had exhausted every method trying to find this kind of Guizu relic; it had been the main goal of her journey to Mount Xuanling.
Now that an easy mark had dropped right into her lap, why wouldn't she take a massive bite?
"Don't kid around. Impossible," Jeff shook his head. "I want some myself. Pick another condition."
"You may leave," Instructor Hong said, showing him the door outright. "And don't come back."
Jeff fell silent. He could act ruthless toward a boy hostage, but when dealing with Hong Yan, it truly was awkward.
It had nothing to do with whether he could beat her in a fight; it was exactly Wu Youren's logic from before—the New Army had so many major moves to make, so why make an enemy for nothing?
After a long while, he winced and spat out, "One!"
"Keep dreaming," Instructor Hong refused decisively. "It's already late. Get going."
Jeff's face darkened. "What you're asking for is vital military material... Don't push me!"
"So you do have them?" Hong Yan replied calmly. "Don't push me either. We're done here."
Chapter 159