Chapter 92: Stripped of Military Position

Shen Shilang couldn’t help but laugh as he listened on the other end. As expected, Su Jinshi’s tongue was as sharp as ever.

What Su Jinshi said was indeed quite accurate about Mo Jizong’s current behavior. Even though Mo Jizong hadn’t actually helped Du Jinze yet, he was already treating him like a subordinate.

Du Jinze, on the other hand, felt increasingly frustrated.

“Jinshi, can’t you help me just this once?” Du Jinze pleaded, unwilling to give up.

“Du Jinze,” Su Jinshi sighed as she addressed him, “if you keep putting me in this difficult position, I’m afraid we won’t be able to remain friends going forward.”

“I understand,” Du Jinze’s voice dropped, filled with resignation. “You’re right.”

“As for Mo Jizong…” Du Jinze shook his head, “Forget it. If this deal doesn’t work out, there will be other opportunities. Before he came to the capital, wasn’t I still able to negotiate deals just fine on my own?”

After hanging up, before Su Jinshi could speak, Shen Shilang interjected, “What Du Jinze said at the end is correct. If one deal falls through, he can always pursue another. And it’s not necessary to rely solely on Mo Jizong when dealing with his company. From what he mentioned, Mo Jizong’s department isn’t directly connected to the one Du Jinze wants to negotiate with. So unless Mo Jizong has a very close relationship with them, his involvement won’t make much difference.”

“It would be better for Du Jinze to put in his own effort. That way, if he succeeds, it will be entirely his own achievement, and no one can take that away from him. Otherwise, even if Mo Jizong doesn’t do much, he’ll still try to claim credit,” Shen Shilang explained.

Su Jinshi quickly jotted down Shen Shilang’s words and texted them to Du Jinze.

Du Jinze replied, “I understand that logic too. I just can’t help wanting to take shortcuts sometimes. But you’re right – given Mo Jizong’s personality, even if he can’t really help much, he’ll definitely try to leverage it as a big favor.”

Du Jinze continued, “Jinshi, some of the things I said earlier weren’t very appropriate. I…”

Su Jinshi interrupted, “It’s fine, I know. It won’t affect our relationship.”

Du Jinze responded cheerfully, “Great!”

Naturally, Du Jinze hadn’t expressed any dissatisfaction to Mo Jizong directly. He simply said he had tried his best, but Su Jinshi was quite busy and couldn’t find time for dinner.

After ending the call with Du Jinze, Mo Jizong let out a derisive snort, tossing his phone aside in anger.

“Busy, huh? She’s just angry, isn’t she?” Mo Jizong sneered coldly. “Truly inexperienced. I’ve already rejected her proposal, yet she still refuses to back down.”

Once Su Jinshi’s message expired, she shared the details with Xiaomai, including how Du Jinze had approached her.

Xiaomai replied, “Why has Mo Jizong become so classless? It’s like he’s abusing the little power he has!”

Su Jinshi said, “I expected him to reject me, so I’m not too upset – just find it amusing. But the fact that he actually had Du Jinze come to me, expecting me to apologize and flatter him… It’s ridiculous! He’s really quite confident in himself.”

Su Jinshi laughed in disbelief.

Xiaomai responded, “Disgusting! Just wait, I’ll spread the word about this.”

Su Jinshi replied, “Forget it, I’m just venting to you.”

Xiaomai warned, “Still, I have a feeling this won’t be the end of it. There’ll probably be something even more vile waiting for you. Be careful.”

Su Jinshi said, “More vile? I’m more worried he’ll take my outline and have someone else continue writing it.”

Xiaomai asked, “Can it really get that bad?”

Su Jinshi inquired, “So what do you consider ‘more vile’?”

Xiaomai suggested, “Spreading rumors that you’re playing otome games and treating the male lead as your boyfriend.”

Su Jinshi shrugged it off, “If he wants to spread that, let him. I couldn’t care less.”

She truly hadn’t given that possibility much thought.

Let Mo Jizong spread whatever rumors he wished.

What if she did treat Shen Shilang as her boyfriend? Even if she had to choose an imaginary boyfriend over Mo Jizong himself, wouldn’t that infuriate him?

On Shen Shilang’s side, the battle had raged on for a month, ending in victory for Great Xi.

Shen Shilang’s injuries had mostly healed, and though not fully recovered, they didn’t prevent his return to the capital.

Upon arriving, Shen Shilang immediately submitted the memorial he had drafted regarding Wei Zhaoxian.

Before long, Emperor Jiacheng summoned Shen Shilang to the imperial study.

Bowing low, Shen Shilang’s gaze was fixed on the emperor’s robes and the glimpse of his shoes.

Holding the memorial, Emperor Jiacheng said, “I’ve heard about your deeds in the Northwestern Army, Shen Shilang. You haven’t disappointed me.”

“Even though you’ve just taken office and lack a foundation, you dared to confront the current general. Commendable,” the emperor praised.

“I dare not claim credit, Your Majesty. It’s only because I knew that as long as I remained loyal to you and acted for the good of Great Xi, you would support me,” Shen Shilang replied humbly.

Emperor Jiacheng smiled slightly. “This time you risked your life and nearly lost it. What reward do you want from me?”

Shen Shilang quickly knelt, speaking earnestly, “I wouldn’t dare ask for a reward. My actions were also for my own reputation. I cannot claim credit or request anything from Your Majesty.”

“I have my own sense of what’s appropriate,” Emperor Jiacheng took a few steps and said, “But let’s set that aside for now. How do you think Wei Zhaoxian should be punished?”

Shen Shilang lowered his head even further. “I am young and inexperienced, I wouldn’t dare to speak rashly. I only ask for Your Majesty’s wise judgment.”

Emperor Jiacheng chuckled lightly. “You are indeed young, but I can’t agree that you lack experience. You’ve barely stepped into court service, yet you’ve already mastered the cunning ways of those old officials.”

“Speak your mind. If there’s anything inappropriate, I won’t blame you,” the emperor encouraged. “You’ve been to the Northwest and stayed with the troops, so you must have some understanding of the situation.”

“And since you submitted such a detailed memorial, you must have your own thoughts on how to proceed. Feel free to share them with me,” Emperor Jiacheng added after a pause. “No more beating around the bush; otherwise, your achievements will go unrecognized. I don’t keep idle people around.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Shen Shilang acknowledged.

“Rise and speak,” the emperor instructed.

Shen Shilang slowly stood, still not daring to raise his head, and maintaining a humble demeanor, he said, “I believe General Wei should be relieved of his military duties.”

“Oh?” Emperor Jiacheng frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied. “Such a punishment seems rather lenient. Is this really worth all the trouble you went through, risking your life and submitting such a strongly worded memorial?”