Chapter 107: Refusal

Chapter 107: Refusal

The royal order.

That thing Su Ya and Mu Ziyue had long sought, but Mu Mingrui had always made excuses not to hand over.

After hearing this, Su Ya chuckled again.

She laughed almost hysterically, and she was led out of the palace laughing all the way. It was at this moment that she finally admitted for the first time that she truly regretted the decisions she had made.

She had been too overconfident, underestimating Shen Tingyu and the whims of fate. Her early successes had been effortless, giving her the confidence to think she could firmly grasp everything.

After all, how tough could the son of a woman she once defeated really be?

Looking back now, she felt that Mu Ziyue had been right. Shen Tingyu was indeed a curse, and she should have killed him back then. She couldn't fathom how Shen Tingyu had uncovered all the secrets meant to stay hidden, despite her supposedly flawless planning.

Sadly, Su Ya would likely never unravel the mystery.

Everything was the culmination of Shen Tingyu's relentless pursuit through years of hardship.

"So? Is Su Ya dead?"

Xu Qingran, stationed far away in Tianlong, preferred getting the details and updates straight from Shen Tingyu rather than through the news.

"Not dead," the man in the communicator replied.

"Now we're preparing to send her to the Temporary Prison at the Silver Dragon Base. Once the empire's crisis is managed and the situation stabilized, and the Tower of Evil is better improved, she will go through court trials and other procedures. If all current charges hold up in court, she will be incarcerated."

With events unfolding this way, Shen Tingyu, deeply involved, was overwhelmed with a flood of emotions.

Indeed, Su Ya's confidence wasn't unfounded.

According to her original ideas and plans, she could indeed lead Mu Ziyue to success. After all, in her previous life, she had done it. She had gradually poisoned Mu Mingrui until his death, and supported Mu Ziyue to become the ruler of the empire.

She and the Su family had once again achieved their former glory.

Everything seemed flawless.

Until Mu Ziyue made another misstep, handing Shen Tingyu over to the devil clan's leader.

This gave him the opportunity to reverse his fortunes.

In his past life, Shen Tingyu was nothing short of a lunatic.

He spared no one, gradually extracting secrets from those he sought to avenge. Including Su Ya and Mu Ziyue, they were all confident, and until their deaths, they never considered the possibility of something as absurd as reincarnation.

So, under his questioning, they told him everything.

This enabled him to covertly track their actions in this life, changing what could be changed in time, and for what couldn't, he followed the path he had taken in his previous life to rediscover those answers and evidence.

This had been his ultimate goal while biding his time under Mu Ziyue.

"For the time being, this is truly the only option," Xu Qingran said.

He then inquired, "Is the empire finally going to reform the Tower of Evil?"

The 'Tower of Evil' is a relatively new concept, essentially merging a prison with a mental hospital.

The old system was indeed flawed, but for a nation housing criminals like Ming Hai, its existence remains essential.

"The Golden Wing Administrative Affairs has already started drafting a new proposal," Shen Tingyu replied. "We plan to engage in deeper discussions with the Silver Dragon Battalion soon. Once the final proposal is ready, we'll conduct a public opinion poll. If we get over 70% approval, it will be sent to the Government Affairs Cabinet for review."

"Once approved, we can implement the new policy."

Xu Qingran was brewing coffee in the kitchen, phone to his ear as he spoke with Shen Tingyu.

He stirred his coffee absently before breaking the sudden silence: "The king and queen are dead, and the top contender, Mu Ziyue, has been disgraced and is out of the picture. You brought up the palace cabinet... so you're planning to keep the current system running?"

Xu Qingran hailed from a world free of imperialism. He couldn't fathom a monarchy-dominated nation. But here, it was ultimately the locals who called the shots. So if the royals had to stay, he wouldn't put up much resistance.

Still, he felt compelled to offer his two cents.

Otherwise, we might just get another Su Ya and Mu Ziyue situation down the line.

Shen Tingyu paused for two seconds before saying, "Kai'an's royal tradition goes back a thousand years. Despite changes in ruling families and bloodlines, it has continued since the ancient founding period. It can't be toppled overnight, but I'm thinking of proposing to scale back royal authority in military and government matters."

"I'm not sure the old guard will go for it, but I think this is a great opportunity."

After the whole Mu Ziyue and Su Ya debacle.

Xu Qingran laughed: "Hold on, isn't this your big chance?"

"The royals who blocked your return are out of the picture, and the palace is in disarray, leaderless. You're easily the most respected royal left standing. And you just mentioned that Mu Mingrui handed the royal decree to you."

This decree basically made you the king in all but name, with power over the palace guards.

Xu Qingran thought of the question Mu Mingrui had asked him back then and felt a bit annoyed. He even asked what Xu Qingran thought about handing the throne to Shen Tingyu—a son they ignored for years, only to drag him back to fix their mess when things went south?

As he recalled this, he sneered, not noticing that his tone had also cooled a bit: "You could completely take over the entire royal city now and ascend to the throne everyone wants to seize."

"As one of the royal children, wouldn't proposing such a suggestion affect your future power?"

After Xu Qingran finished speaking, the air on both sides seemed to freeze.

He looked down at the coffee he had been stirring for who knows how long, pursed his lips, and before even taking a sip, he could already taste a hint of bitterness in his mouth.

Ambition and a love for power are human nature.

He didn't want to stop Shen Tingyu from pursuing a path that would benefit his future, but he also couldn't stop himself from feeling unhappy.

After a moment, a light chuckle came from the other end of the communication.

The man asked, "Do you want me to go?"

The faint amusement in his tone carried a hint of teasing.

Xu Qingran didn't respond.

He grabbed the coffee cup, took a sip expressionlessly, seemingly trying to use this brief moment to think about how to answer the question.

After laughing enough, Shen Tingyu said, "Xu Qingran, please believe that my attitude has always been consistent with yours."

"That's why we ended up together, isn't it?"

Xu Qingran paused at this.

Shen Tingyu's words were light and smooth, but they unexpectedly struck his heart a few times, giving him the rare experience of being successfully coaxed.

"I don't want to go," Shen Tingyu's voice was deep and pleasant.

"If possible, I'd rather you forget about my royal lineage entirely. I'm just an ordinary guy, one of many in the Shen family."

His stance was crystal clear.

He'd rather stay Shen Tingyu forever than become part of the Mu family.

He said, "When I took Mu Mingrui's royal order, I never expected things to turn out this way."

"I figured it might come in handy someday to push back against Su Ya and Mu Ziyue if needed."

Shen Tingyu lowered his eyes, staring at the golden token in his hand as if it were a worthless stone.

He gave a small smile, "Now that it's all settled, this thing's useless to me."

Xu Qingran was silent for a moment before responding, "Alright, I understand."

"That's it? Just like that?" Shen Tingyu raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with this response, and deliberately pressed further, "I want to hear my boyfriend's honest thoughts straight from him."

Xu Qingran slightly curled his fingers.

He remembered how he used to mess with Shen Tingyu so easily, but now he felt strangely flustered, as if he was being teased by Shen Tingyu instead.

But he still answered, "You got me."

"I didn't want you taking that order and getting tied up with the palace."

Shen Tingyu wasn't about to let him off the hook, "Why?"

Xu Qingran paused.

He took a deep breath and frowned, "Because I'm being selfish."

"I want your life and time to be mine alone, outside of your military work."

"To be just mine."

The more Shen Tingyu heard, the softer his eyes grew.

He couldn't quite keep the smile off his face.

"Alright," he promised, "I agree to that."

When Mu Yesha walked into the reception room, she found Shen Tingyu grinning like a lovesick fool.

She raised her eyebrows, took off her sunglasses, and walked in on high heels, asking Shen Tingyu, who had just hung up the communication, "General Shen, were you talking to your mysterious lover? Your smile's so bright it could make flowers bloom."

Shen Tingyu just smiled, which was answer enough.

Shen Tingyu had been at the Silver Dragon Battalion's main office when he was talking with Xu Qingran.

Mu Yesha was running the place now.

Mu Yesha sat across from Shen Tingyu, looking him straight in the eye without any pretense.

By now, she'd pieced together some of the royal family's old grudges and Shen Tingyu's complicated history with their father. Honestly, the whole truth had hit her pretty hard.

She remembered how they'd joked not long ago about Mu Mingrui having secret kids out there.

I thought it was Xu Qingran, but in the end, not only did the joke turn out to be true, but that person was actually Shen Tingyu, which is just beyond ridiculous. Mu Ziyu was stunned for a whole day after learning about this and still can't bring himself to face Shen Tingyu directly.

"General Shen, what brings you to me today?" Mu Yesha asked, mustering her composure.

Although it's common knowledge that Shen Tingyu is Mu Mingrui's child—something everyone knows but no one talks about—until it's officially verified and confirmed, Mu Yesha doesn't plan to change the way they address each other.

—Besides, Shen Tingyu himself doesn't seem to want to acknowledge this identity.

Shen Tingyu pulled out a platinum token from his pocket.

He set it down on the table between them and slid it over to her: "The task is completed. I'm here to return the palace item."

As an imperial princess, Mu Yesha naturally recognized what it was.

She had heard that Shen Tingyu had led a group of Golden Wing guards under the royal decree and mobilized the palace guards to control the remaining guards at Su Ya's place. She was pretty shocked that the royal decree was in his hands, but later, considering it from Mu Mingrui's point of view, she understood.

However, she never expected Shen Tingyu to willingly hand over this item.

Mu Yesha didn't accept it immediately.

For her, it was also a symbol of power and responsibility, and she dared not touch it lightly.

Curiously, she asked, "Aren't you keeping it?"

"Since father gave it to you, it means he considers you a trustworthy person. With this decree, you can rightfully take over the entire empire, handle the cases of Su Ya and Mu Ziyue, and wield great power—isn't that good?"

Shen Tingyu crossed his legs, his hands clasped on his lap.

After a while, he asked back, "Is it good?"

"I think the answer to this question differs for each person."

"My ambitions are elsewhere, and I never planned to accept it. He gave it to me, but now that he's dead, isn't it up to me to decide how to handle it?"

Mu Yesha was still taken aback.

She had always believed that someone like Shen Tingyu, who had worked his way up in the military and openly flaunted his ambitions, was after power. Yet, this position that so many had fought fiercely for, he just said he didn’t want it?

Mu Yesha scrutinized him but found no hint of struggle or hesitation in his eyes.

Shen Tingyu added, "I’ve given it a lot of thought."

"I don’t know who will take the throne in your royal family in the future, but for now, I believe you’re the most fitting guardian."

At this, Shen Tingyu even cracked a smile.

He added, "Of course, if you want to hold onto it for life, that’s fine by me."

Mu Yesha was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

Shen Tingyu said, "As a royal, you’ve been raised and educated by the palace since childhood. Now that trouble has arisen in the palace, I believe you and your siblings should step up and resolve the matters as quickly as possible."

"That way, you’ll have the bandwidth to address the suggestions and demands from us common folk about reforming royal authority."

This statement was very clear.

Shen Tingyu not only wanted to turn down the throne but also had no plans to rejoin the royal family.

Mu Yesha was not the type to force someone against their will.

Besides, since Shen Tingyu doesn't want to take over, it is indeed necessary for the palace's items to return to the hands of the royal family.

"I understand."

Mu Yesha nodded: "Thank you, General Shen, for making this trip. I've got the items."

"The palace has been too laid-back for too long, and there are indeed many areas that need to be fixed."

"However, for now, I hope we can focus on the split between the two camps and the affairs of the demon army, to quickly get the two camps working together again and stabilize the Celestial and other star systems."

"No problem," Shen Tingyu stood up, "I'll take care of Golden Wing as soon as I can."

"As for the Silver Dragon, it might be a hassle for the Second Princess and the Third Prince."

Mu Yesha thought for a moment before responding.

After he finished speaking, Shen Tingyu prepared to leave without any intention of lingering. Mu Yesha, just before he opened the door, suddenly remembered Xu Qingran, whom she had seen at the family palace banquet with Mu Ziyu, and inexplicably connected some dots.

"Wait," she said, like she'd just uncovered a big secret, and widened her eyes at Shen Tingyu, "Your secret lover, it's our Silver Dragon's Colonel Xu, isn't it?"

Shen Tingyu listened, then smiled again.

Still avoiding a direct answer, he gestured politely to her and then opened the door to leave.

Leaving Mu Yesha alone in the room, completely confused.

Shen Tingyu walked out of the building, and as he checked his phone, he noticed that Xu Qingran had sent him a few more messages later.

"Xu Qingran: How is the situation in Celestial?"

"Xu Qingran: I just wanted to stir up trouble for Su Ya and her branch of the Su family. Since the issue has been resolved, I also don't want the place you've been guarding for years to have major problems."

Shen Tingyu was full of admiration, quietly amazed at how kind his boyfriend was.

In his past life, when he lost his mind and all sense of reason, he wouldn't have cared about the lives of others.

Shen Tingyu replied: "Don't worry, the residents' homes have always been kept safe."

"It's just that there was some chaos in the palace recently, and the situation was quite bad. But when I went to stop Su Ya that day, I brought in some fresh troops from Golden Wing to help out in Celestial. I just talked with the person in charge here at Silver Dragon, and Silver Dragon should soon be pitching in with Celestial's defense efforts."

Shen Tingyu glanced at the sky.

It was daytime, and the sky over the Silver Dragon Andromeda system was stunning.

He looked away and went on to send a voice message to Xu Qingran: "However, this disaster was bound to happen."

"It was just a question of when."

"The key is the leading king."

As long as the consciousness of the demon king exists, even if it cannot continue to produce demons endlessly with its new body.

But its consciousness is the command, and the survival of the king means they still have the right to continue to reproduce and survive in this place, and will follow its will to grow and fight. We can only stop them from spreading by taking out this king.

In this way, the Imperial Guards only need to carry out cleaning tasks.

If things go smoothly, we should soon be able to completely annihilate all the demon groups that have invaded the empire. Then, everyone can finally be free from the demons' attacks.

Shen Tingyu stopped sending voice messages to Xu Qingran after saying this.

He typed out a message.

"Shen Tingyu: How are you today?"

By the time the message was sent, Xu Qingran had already left home.

Leading the military guards of the East City to clear out the last few districts of the South Continent.

Once cleared out, the South Continent would also be completely liberated from the hands of the devil army.

"You seem quite talented."

Half of the military guards from the Tianlong system had been transferred, so Xu Qingran now had to get his hands dirty in addition to commanding.

Troublesome as it was, he enjoyed the feeling of moving his body, and as a commander, he fought more fiercely than other guards on the field. By the time he finished this wave, he was already drenched in sweat by the time it was almost dawn.

Suddenly, another consciousness spoke in his mind.

Its sarcastic tone clearly showed dissatisfaction with his eager killing of its people.

When Xu Qingran first approached it, he told it that he held a deep grudge against everyone in this world.

He shared with the devil the past experiences of the original host, the things Mu Ziyue tried to do to him, and the harm he endured in this world and past lives. He used these past events as evidence of his desire to rebel and protect society and the world.

Only then did the devil start to trust him a little.

It believed he genuinely wanted to gain control over the devil race, believing that he would be willing to cooperate with the devil to overthrow the Kayan Empire. Xu Qingran had opened a breach for its army to invade Tianshen, so he also asked for a show of good faith—Yinxing.

The devil gave it.

For it, sacrificing those 'subjects' that could be regenerated at any time was nothing, and what it needed most now was to gain Xu Qingran's trust. However, for Xu Qingran, who took the initiative, it still had some unease, fearing that he might double-cross it.

Xu Qingran raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and said to it, "If you're going to act, you have to commit fully."

"I am still a colonel of the Silver Dragon. If I do nothing, wouldn't that look suspicious? Besides, even if I kill all the existing devils in the South Continent, it should only be a small loss for you."

"I've already lent you half of my body, so don't be so tight-fisted."

The devil was also a liar, and in order to successfully take over Xu Qingran's body, it told him that they could coexist. It sincerely told Xu Qingran that its parasitism would not make him disappear, and both sides could benefit mutually.

Xu Qingran also played along.

The devil certainly did not dare to refute Xu Qingran too much now.

Its invasion process was not yet halfway through, and there was still the danger of being kicked out by Xu Qingran. Moreover, it could only do more after it had taken full control of this body.

Now was indeed not the time to pick a fight with Xu Qingran.

·

Early September, autumn.

Mu Ziyue of the Golden Wing Battalion was missing, and the public had already declared him dead.

Shen Tingyu's mysterious background remained unexplained, but neither the management nor the people of the Golden Wing had any objections to his temporary takeover of the position of commander-in-chief.

The devil army within the Tianshen system, with Shen Tingyu's return and cooperation with the newly promoted major of the Silver Dragon, Ni Xiaoyuan, finally stabilized the invading devil army, entering a stalemate, giving them a chance to regroup.

From then on, Tianshen, which had always been far from the devil's harassment, also had to live according to the constraints of other disaster-stricken star systems.

There are danger zones that are temporarily off-limits and curfews requiring people to stay indoors after dark. The guards from both factions, who were previously dissatisfied with the palace, have also put national affairs first for now under the mediation of Shen Tingyu and Mu Yesha, and have re-aligned with their faction's plans.

Some were sent to Tianlong, while others were assigned based on the needs of their faction's territories.

The public's discontent gradually died down.

During this period, the reinforcements from Tianlong stole the spotlight.

First, their strength and efficiency exceeded everyone's expectations. While officers from other factions were busy arguing and striking over petty issues, only they stayed focused and worked tirelessly for the people. They became a beacon of hope for the stressed-out residents.

Later, they even sent troops to aid Jinyi during its toughest and most understaffed moments.

They held their ground in disaster zones on the brink of collapse, echoing the cross-faction aid Jinyi's army was known for years ago, seen as a bold move by Yinlong.

In addition, with Xu Qingran's recent live broadcast that sent shockwaves across the empire, Tianlong has now become a galaxy on everyone's lips across the empire, with a strong presence both online and offline.

As the largest capital behind Tianlong, the Mo family's stock price has shot up again.

Mo Chengfei's been swamped with social engagements lately, as everyone has begun to discover the future business opportunities in Tianlong and has started to pick his brain for insider info. If the situation is good, they also want to get a slice of the action.

The devil army, now leaderless and unable to spawn new devils, will inevitably be somewhat affected in its advance speed.

As a result, the once-fierce attacks were finally brought under control by the efforts of all the empire's military guards, entering a relatively stable state. Unlike before, every galaxy in the empire is now on equal footing.

Each one is a disaster-stricken area, and no one can afford to mock or belittle anyone else.

As the national situation temporarily stabilizes, both factions' administrative offices have started cleaning house.

The trial of Su Ya has also been put on the agenda at the urging of the people. Due to her overly special status and the various charges that are truly heinous and unbelievable, her trial is being held in public.

There is even a live broadcast.

On that day, everyone could watch the entire trial process from their home TVs or official online platforms.

Su Ya seemed to have calmed down and accepted her fate.

In the camera, she was still the proud queen, the daughter of the Su family. Even as thousands pointed fingers, she held her head high.

She admitted all the charges in court without any defense.

Among the evidence and cases submitted by Shen Tingyu and others, there were also the death of the sixth prince Mu Zixuan and the framing of the second prince Mu Zisheng. She also admitted to these two things without any explanation.

These two incidents were not revealed in the previous exposés, causing an uproar and anger among the people.

Mu Zisheng can be said to be the white moonlight prince of many Jinyi people.

When his framing of Mu Zixuan was exposed, most Jinyi people were unwilling to believe it. However, at that time, the 'evidence was conclusive,' and the palace had also issued a verdict, so they could only painfully accept this fact.

They never thought that one day the truth would come to light.

Mu Zisheng, who is far away in Tianlong, also did not expect that someone would clear his name many years later.

"Boss! This is good news!"

"Didn't you hear the judge's verdict? They said that because it was a misunderstanding, they will withdraw the charges against you and remove your previous criminal record. You can restore your identity as the second prince of the empire and no longer need to wander!"

"You should be happy, why are you still so gloomy?"

Although Mu Zisheng and his team are temporarily staying in the northern city of Tianlong, most of the time they live and eat on the starship.

Just like today, when they all heard that the notorious Suya was about to face her ultimate judgment day, they gathered in front of the TV in the canteen to watch the entire process. Subsequently, they stumbled upon this unexpectedly good news.

Everyone in the room was cheering, except for the person concerned, Mu Zisheng, who showed no sign of a smile on his face.

It was unclear whether he was surprised, shocked, or simply gloomy.

Everyone was around him, patting his shoulders, happy and celebrating for him.

But faced with this joyful atmosphere, his expression only grew more somber.

Finally, with pursed lips, he stood up: "I'm not feeling well, I'll go back to my room to rest."

The canteen fell silent at once.

Everyone watched his retreating back, looking at each other, some even froze mid-celebration.

"...What's wrong with Brother Sheng?"

"Isn’t he eager to return? Indeed, he always says what's so good about the palace, it's better to wander outside."

"But how does that relate to clearing his name? The injustice is injustice, his wandering outside doesn't mean he has to continue bearing the blame that isn't his."

Mu Zixuan stared at his second brother's gradually receding back until it disappeared around the corner.

Overhearing his companions debating whether to check on him, he spoke up to stop them: "It's okay, let him be alone for now, I think he really needs some quiet alone time."

As he spoke, his expression showed a hint of helplessness: "After all, not everyone reacts with pure excitement after a decade-long injustice is cleared."

More likely, it's complicated.

Just as Mu Zixuan thought, when Mu Zisheng heard Suya admit all her crimes and mistakes on TV.

Watching Shen Tingyu and the appointed lawyers, with one piece of real evidence after another, wash away the stains on him, his feelings were far more complex than just happiness.

He returned to his room and sat down by the bed.

He gazed at the floor for what felt like an eternity, then raised his hands to cover his face, weeping quietly.

Though Mu Zisheng, in the presence of his supportive companions, always seemed to have long dismissed all this, disdainful of the idea of clearing his name.

He often said, "The truth will out!"

But as the once vibrant second prince, how could he truly be indifferent?

"Second Prince Mu Zisheng?"

"Oh, I know, the one who supposedly killed his younger brother!"

"His younger brother trusted him deeply; they were so close."

—How could he possibly ignore these rumors?

Given Suya's cooperation, the trial process went very smoothly.

Once her crimes were confirmed, she was sentenced to the Tower of Evil, doomed to eternal darkness.

However, since the Tower of Evil is still in an incomplete state, after the trial, Suya was temporarily escorted back to the prison in Silver Dragon.

Xu Qingran has been busy with the planning of Tianlong Silver Star recently, in endless meetings and discussions with management, or traveling across continents and planets, assisting with cleanup operations.

He didn't have time to watch the live broadcast of Su Ya's trial, so he relied on Shen Tingyu for updates during their rest time.

Xu Qingran was more concerned: "When will the new rules for the Tower of Evil be improved?"

"Hmm," Shen Tingyu said thoughtfully, "Golden Wing talked about this last week."

"They believe the rules of the Tower of Evil are secondary—after all, some punishments are meant to severely punish unforgivable criminals."

"The royal family exploits loopholes mainly because of its lack of transparency."

Shen Tingyu said, "I remember when we talked about your past life, you mentioned the prisons in your world."

"One interesting thing was that you allowed family visits there?"

"Yes," Xu Qingran replied.

When he first learned about the Tower of Evil, he thought it was outrageous.

As an official prison, the Tower of Evil, whether it's the serious criminals in Tower 2 or those in Tower 5 under observation or with minor offenses, doesn't allow family visits once someone is imprisoned. The entire Tower of Evil feels more like a secret organization's base than a prison, with no one knowing what the staff is up to inside.

This has also raised objections among the empire's subjects.

But the royal family, holding too much power, believes making the Tower of Evil public would have a negative impact and deter crime. In the end, the debate just died down.

Mentioning such a weird place as the Tower of Evil, Xu Qingran got fired up: "Also, having one royal family member in charge is just baffling."

"There's only one prison in the entire nation. How can fairness and justice be ensured? This rule should be scrapped."

"Plus, even though the Tower of Evil is huge with plenty of cells, I think your staff shouldn't just be stuck doing boring patrols. When I went in, I found many so-called E-type potential personnel brought in for nonsense reasons."

"Is it wrong for a kid to defend themselves at home?"

"And your empire has plenty of police, right? Why do they need the whole nation's police to make arrests, but the Tower of Evil's management is separate? I think the military and police should take turns patrolling and inspecting the place inside out."

"Oh, and the surveillance records need to be transparent!"

"Not public, but at least the inspectors should have access. The government office should set up a department to oversee the Tower of Evil's daily operations, ensuring no experiments like Tower 1's happen again..."

Xu Qingran rambled on, only to notice Shen Tingyu had gone quiet.

He realized he might have gotten too worked up and paused, hesitating before saying, "...Shen Tingyu?"

Then he heard Shen Tingyu chuckle.

"Yes, I'm listening," Shen Tingyu replied, clearly pleased by Xu Qingran's enthusiasm.

Xu Qingran fell silent.

A few seconds later, Shen Tingyu said: "What you mentioned is indeed within our considerations."

"However, there might still be some oversights."

"And this matter isn't solely decided by Golden Wing. We will need to bring it up during future negotiations with Silver Dragon. Only by combining both sides' opinions and plans can we finalize the proposal and have it reviewed by the government."

Xu Qingran was puzzled: "Negotiations?"

"Yes," Shen Tingyu chuckled, "The last talks for peace between the two camps fell apart because of a certain little lunatic."

Xu Qingran was silent for a moment.

Shen Tingyu continued, "The empire's situation is currently stable, and both sides need to reorganize their management. There are many collaborative matters to discuss."

"Including adjustments regarding the royal family and military affairs, so the Silver Dragon Battalion and the Golden Wing have decided to hold another meeting."

Xu Qingran hesitated briefly.

Then he heard Shen Tingyu speak in a deep voice, "I’ve heard that Colonel Xu of the Silver Dragon Battalion is quite the remarkable figure. As the acting commander-in-chief of the Golden Wing, I’m really looking forward to meeting him at the meeting."

Xu Qingran instinctively retorted, "What? Meet him at the meeting and take another punch from him?"

Shen Tingyu laughed a couple of times, his voice lowering slightly, whether intentionally or not, "I’d rather taste his fist somewhere else, not at the meeting."

"Maybe in bed?"

Xu Qingran: "..."

He realized that ever since Shen Tingyu had his first experience, he’s been getting more and more daring.

What happened to his once pure and innocent general?

Xu Qingran was both amused and annoyed.

Just as he was about to retort, the office communicator buzzed.

Shen Tingyu tactfully stayed silent for the moment.

He answered the call, putting it on speakerphone, and heard Mu Ziyu’s booming voice, "Xu Qingran! The two battalions are holding another serious meeting at the end of the month. You need to get back here right now!"

"Ah," Xu Qingran exclaimed.

He thought to himself, what a coincidence.

Mu Ziyu sounded genuinely anxious, "This time, their main representative is Shen Tingyu. I really don’t want to face this demon alone!"

Mentioning Shen Tingyu, it was as if Mu Ziyu had finally found someone to vent to after holding it in for days, and he started ranting to Xu Qingran, "You have no idea the shock I’ve been through lately."

"I thought you were my father’s secret child, but turns out, it’s Shen Tingyu!"

"Oh my god, he’s actually my long-lost fifth brother!"

"What kind of twisted fate is this? Thankfully, he wasn’t in the palace all those years, or I would’ve been beaten up by him daily!"

Xu Qingran couldn't help but laugh, "It's not that bad. Shen Tingyu is actually quite gentle."

"Do you not feel guilty saying that?" Mu Ziyu sounded like he was rolling his eyes on the other end, "If he's gentle, then I declare you the kindest and most gentle person in the world!"

"I'm afraid he might just eat me alive at the meeting."

"Like, raw meat with bones and all."

Xu Qingran was laughing so hard his stomach hurt.

He took off the communicator, put Shen Tingyu's voice on speaker, and placed it in front of his desk where Mu Ziyu was connected.

Thus, Mu Ziyu heard the voice from his nightmares.

Speaking in an unusually 'kind' tone, "Don't worry, I only kill people. I don't eat human flesh."

There was a brief moment of silence.

The next moment, Mu Ziyu's comms device disconnected.

Xu Qingran leaned back in his chair and laughed out loud.

Soon after, he got a message from Mu Ziyu on his phone.

It was an emoji of the middle finger.

After a while, another message came through.

"Dumbass third prince: End of the month! The 29th! You better be there!"

Xu Qingran's beautiful eyes crinkled with amusement.

He grabbed the comms device and said to Shen Tingyu in a cool, arrogant tone, "Alright, you wait."

"When I get back, I'll beat you so hard in bed that you'll be begging and calling me daddy."