Chapter 1 A Stone Stirs Up a Thousand Waves

江辰's proposal silenced the entire palace instantly.

After a long pause, Duke Dingguo regained his voice and said with some difficulty, "Your Majesty, I appreciate your kindness."

"But you are the Son of Heaven, busy with state affairs every day. I wouldn't want to trouble you with my family matters."

Ignoring Jiang Mu's terrified eyes and Duke Dingguo's polite refusal, Jiang Chen said calmly, "Duke, you know better than anyone how important your Zhao Family Army is to Great Wei."

"The Church of the Fire Worship is eyeing the Central Plains, the aristocratic families in the south are also showing signs of unrest, and there are foreign tribes watching us covetously beyond the pass. In such a situation, can you really spare the energy to teach Jiang Mu?"

"Moreover, as the only heir to the Zhao family, are you not afraid of him meeting with an accident if you bring him into the military camp and expose him to the enemy's sight?"

"If I remember correctly, several of your sons died young because they were assassinated by enemies... Are you really confident that you can protect Jiang Mu, your only remaining heir?"

The old scars were ripped open, and Duke Dingguo's face turned pale instantly. His upright body began to tremble almost imperceptibly.

Seeing this, a trace of compassion flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by calmness: "To put it bluntly, if I were the enemy, I would definitely kill Jiang Mu at all costs!"

"As long as he dies, not only will your Zhao family fall, but the Zhao Family Army under your command, which has made great achievements in battle, will also collapse, affecting half of Great Wei's territory. It would be killing many birds with one stone."

"Faced with the poisonous hands of multiple forces, can you withstand it?"

Hearing this, Duke Dingguo's straight back seemed to bear invisible pressure, bending visibly, and his tiger eyes darted around, not daring to meet Jiang Chen's gaze.

In fact, how could he, an old general who had been on the battlefield for so long, not understand these principles?

But he was ultimately uneasy about handing over his only grandson to the royal family. As for his own family... the reason why his grandson had become like this was mostly due to his disappointing parents. He absolutely couldn't let them interfere with his grandson's upbringing again.

After thinking it over, Duke Dingguo was half surprised and half helplessly realized that the only person he could rely on was the monarch in front of him, whom his grandson had just offended severely.

Even though he had seen a lot, he found this strange situation somewhat difficult to decide.

Seeing his hesitation, Jiang Chen added fuel to the fire: "Duke, with Jiang Mu as he is now, do you think he can uphold the Zhao family's reputation?"

"If you don't teach him now, his good days will really be over when you pass away!"

"As the saying goes, 'If one's virtue does not match one's position, calamity is sure to follow.' With Jiang Mu's abilities, he will never be able to protect his title and wealth. If you don't want his later years to be miserable, you must make a decision early."

As he spoke, Jiang Chen glanced at Jiang Mu, who was looking dazed on the ground, and softened his tone: "No matter what, he has royal blood in his veins and is considered my relative."

"With this relationship, as long as he doesn't commit a crime that leads to the destruction of his entire family, I won't do anything to him. Just rest assured and hand him over to me."

"I can promise that in just half a year, you will see a completely transformed Jiang Mu!"

"After my teaching, he won't necessarily achieve great feats, but he will be more than capable of maintaining the family's status and won't do stupid things again."

Meeting Jiang Chen's confident gaze, Duke Dingguo wavered.

He said hesitantly, "But, Your Majesty, this grandson of mine has been spoiled rotten and is very unruly. What if his temper flares up and he offends someone important in the palace... or disobeys your orders? What should I do then?"

Duke Dingguo knew his grandson well. He was not someone who would stay put. If he caused trouble in the imperial capital, where dignitaries gathered, he might not be able to handle it.

Hearing the concern in his words, Jiang Chen smiled calmly: "Duke, there is no need to worry. Since I want to teach him, I will naturally tolerate his mistakes appropriately and correct his bad habits little by little. I won't be impatient for quick results."

"Moreover, a ruler does not speak frivolous words. I said I would make Jiang Mu a better person in half a year, and I will definitely do it!"

"Duke, show the courage you had on the battlefield. I don't believe you don't know how to choose."

With Jiang Chen's words pounding on his heart, Duke Dingguo took a deep breath and nodded solemnly: "Alright, this old minister will be so bold as to entrust this good-for-nothing to Your Majesty!"

"If he can truly improve after half a year, this old minister, no, the entire Xu family is willing to serve Your Majesty with the utmost loyalty, even at the cost of our lives!"

Duke Dingguo gritted his teeth and finished speaking, then knelt down again and kowtowed to Jiang Chen, completely ignoring the pleading gaze from his grandson beside him.

How difficult is it to change a person's nature?

He had already imagined that His Majesty would definitely use some ruthless methods to teach him.

Although he couldn't bear it, when he thought of his grandson's useless appearance, he suppressed the urge to stop him and said cruelly, "Your Majesty, this old minister is far away in the military camp and cannot fulfill my responsibilities as an elder. I can only trouble you to do it for me."

"If this boy doesn't listen during the discipline process, you don't need to hold back. Feel free to deal with him. As long as you don't beat him to death, this old minister will accept it!"

Hearing this, a look of astonishment flashed in everyone's eyes, marveling at how Duke Dingguo, as a fierce general on the battlefield, could be so ruthless once he made up his mind, something that ordinary people could not do.

Jiang Chen also admired this attitude and said approvingly, "With these words from the Duke, I can act without restraint."

"However, I am not the kind of cruel and bloodthirsty person. As long as Jiang Mu is obedient and honestly accepts the arrangements, I will not deal with him harshly."

Reassured once again, Duke Dingguo felt much more at ease. He glanced at his grandson, who was slumped on the ground, lowered his head, and said respectfully, "In that case, everything is entrusted to Your Majesty!"

After the monarch and his subject had arranged everything for Jiang Mu, they moved to the Hundred Beasts Garden in the palace.

Compared to appreciating the flowers and plants in the palace, the two men preferred the fierce and powerful beasts.

Surrounded by the dark guards, Jiang Chen led Duke Dingguo on a tour, chatting casually and admiring the animals along the way. It wasn't until the group walked deeper and deeper, reaching a deserted pavilion, that he stopped, put on a serious expression, and said, "Duke, I have had a long and in-depth conversation with you just now, and I have a deeper understanding of the local customs and the changes in the situation in the south, but there is one question that I still don't understand."

"I hope the Duke can enlighten me."

Sensing the change in the atmosphere, Duke Dingguo's expression became stern, knowing that the main event was about to begin.

Putting on an attentive look, he said, "Please speak, Your Majesty. This old minister will definitely tell you everything I know without reservation."

Seeing that he understood his meaning, Jiang Chen said directly, "Have you heard any rumors about the Zhenhai Regional Commander and the King of Jiangzuo?"

Sure enough!

Duke Dingguo's heart finally settled. He had been pondering this matter on the way to the capital, fearing that the emperor would ask about it and his answer would not be to His Majesty's liking.

At this time, he directly brought out the answer he had prepared in advance: "Your Majesty, the two of them have been communicating very secretly, and this old minister has not noticed it, but..."