Seven in the morning.
Ninghai City First People's Hospital, Chen Jinzhao finally saw the injured Shangguan Yu'an.
Shangguan Yu'an had already undergone wound suturing surgery and was in relatively good condition.
Seeing Chen Jinzhao come to visit her, Shangguan Yu'an was flattered and quickly got up, saying, "Instructor, why are you here? Shouldn't you be presiding over the situation at the Jiangnan Military Region right now? Actually, I'm fine, the doctor said I'll be fine in two weeks."
"It's good that you're fine," Chen Jinzhao nodded.
"Did you hear the news from the capital?"
Shangguan Yu'an nodded weakly.
She knew what Chen Jinzhao meant by that. She lowered her voice and said, "Our family's second great-grandfather was involved in this incident and has reportedly been arrested. However, the whole thing has nothing to do with my grandfather; Elder Xu has already met with my grandfather."
Chen Jinzhao also nodded, without saying anything harsh. After all, everyone's intentions were unique, and there was no need to attribute the petty dealings of the Shangguan family to Shangguan Yu'an.
"Are there any new developments?" Chen Jinzhao asked again.
After leaving the Jiangnan Military Region, Chen Jinzhao had not contacted the capital again and still did not know what had happened afterward.
Shangguan Yu'an told Chen Jinzhao what she knew, "The capital is still very bloody, and the purge continues. However, the higher-ups have already classified this incident as rebellion. The Han family of Donghai will have all their previously enjoyed privileges revoked, and the Su family will also be demoted, with no one from the Su family allowed to enter the civil or military systems for the next fifty years."
This was not a bad thing for the Jiangnan region.
"What about the Qin and Li families? What actions have they taken?" Chen Jinzhao was curious about these two families because he already knew the Wu family would not interfere, as they were too high and mighty.
Shangguan Yu'an, being from one of the nine great families, possessed some insider information. After a moment of contemplation, she replied, "I heard that Elder Xu was rescued this time because the Li family lent a helping hand. As for the Qin family, they adopted a wait-and-see attitude. Of course, after Elder Xu turned the tables, Qin Jianguo publicly declared his support for all of Elder Xu's actions."
Chen Jinzhao smiled. These two major families were indeed very patient, having not made a move until now.
It seemed this was not yet the opportune moment in their eyes.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have remained inactive.
"According to my grandfather, the faction of Elder Xu has now gained the upper hand, enough to rival the conservative forces. Before this, the power balance was only three to seven."
"Some vacant important positions have also been taken over by Elder Xu's people, which can be considered a concession from the conservative forces."
Chen Jinzhao nodded, "Alright, I roughly understand. You should focus on recuperating."
Shangguan Yu'an fell silent for a moment, then said with a hint of grievance, "Instructor, if there's another operation next time, can you bring me along? The operation last night was so dangerous. I heard you were almost in trouble. If something were to happen to you, my remaining life would be spent in self-recrimination."
Her gaze was so sincere that Chen Jinzhao couldn't bear to refuse.
But in the end, he still said, "Don't overthink it. If you get implicated because of me, I'll also feel guilty."
"I don't want to see you get hurt either."
Shangguan Yu'an was stunned and looked blankly into Chen Jinzhao's eyes.
For some reason, she felt very happy and a sweet sensation after hearing Chen Jinzhao say these words.
"No matter what, you can't act alone anymore. I want to be your steadfast teammate, not your burden. I think you really should trust us sometimes, trust that we can help you," Shangguan Yu'an said, causing Chen Jinzhao's heart to tremble a few times.
Perhaps he did need to change.
While his approach of taking on everything could reduce casualties, their lives were inherently accompanied by death. Adapting to this rhythm sooner was not a bad thing.
He nodded and said, "I understand. You focus on recuperating, and I'll handle the rest."
Shangguan Yu'an obediently agreed.
Chen Jinzhao left the ward and, accompanied by Xu Yaoyao, went to the department to see a doctor about the residual wounds from last night. The doctor frowned deeply upon seeing Chen Jinzhao's bloody injuries, shaking his head, "It's truly a miracle that you're alive. An ordinary person would have died long ago. What's even more astonishing is that your wounds are already starting to heal. In my many years of practice, I've never seen such extraordinary physical fitness."
"However, I still recommend a full body check-up after treating your wounds, in case of any missed internal injuries."
Chen Jinzhao agreed.
After treating his wounds, he underwent a full body examination and found that he did have minor internal injuries, but they were not serious.
The doctor was again amazed.
After the examination, Yu Mengzhi and others arrived. They took Chen Jinzhao for another full body check-up and were relieved when they confirmed he was fine.
Surrounded by them, Chen Jinzhao couldn't help but laugh and cry.
Even more unexpectedly, Wu Lingyun and Jiang Donghui also arrived.
They looked at Chen Jinzhao with some fear in their eyes because they had already learned of his heroic deeds, especially Wu Lingyun.
Although Wu Lingyun's relationship with Chen Jinzhao had eased, she still didn't understand him well. After learning that Chen Jinzhao had single-handedly brought down two major families last night, she hadn't slept all night, fearing that one day Chen Jinzhao's butcher's knife might be turned on her, and this was a highly probable scenario.
Jiang Donghui was even more so.
The first important figure to kneel outside Xu Hanchen's door last night was Jiang Donghui's uncle.
"Brother Chen, you were incredible last night," Jiang Donghui said, trembling, sounding somewhat insincere.
Wu Lingyun echoed, "Yes, cousin, you are truly amazing. I didn't witness the scene last night, but I heard some news from my elder brother."
Chen Jinzhao found their timid demeanor even more amusing and said calmly, "You can rest assured, I won't lay a hand on you. Even if your families are at odds with me, I'll deal with things on a case-by-case basis and won't extend it to your entire families."
"And Lingyun, you are my cousin, how could I possibly act against you?"
Wu Lingyun patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief, "Cousin, you should have said so earlier. The events of last night scared me so much I couldn't sleep. I rushed over to see you first thing this morning, afraid of incurring your wrath."
Chen Jinzhao laughed heartily, and the atmosphere finally eased somewhat.
Just then.
Yu Mengzhi walked in from outside and said to Chen Jinzhao, "Jinzhao, those two from the Li family are waiting for you outside. Would you like to see them?"
"If you don't want to see them, I'll send them away."