"You, what did you say?"

Yu Dingxing for a moment almost couldn’t believe his ears. Although Yu Mingyue had already spoken nonsense more than once before him, and even before the officials and the Emperor, this time, these words truly shocked him to the point of being dumbfounded. He momentarily forgot to be angry, or perhaps the anger that surged up in an instant had already overwhelmed him, leaving him unsure how to express his fury.

He laughed in extreme anger, "Are noble and high-ranking officials born of a different kind?"

Yu Mingyue clearly understood how shocking this sentence was to him, and more so to people of this era, and she knew before speaking how much anger it would provoke in the other party, so she responded calmly and said lightly, "Why, am I wrong?"

"Are noble and high-ranking officials born of a different kind,"

Yu Dingxing slowly repeated the words again, finally, his eyes filled with the blaze of anger, he said harshly, "Do you know what kind of person says such things, and what kind of person are you?"

"..."

"Do you think you are those peasants and uprisers who rebel with nothing but sticks in their hands?"

"..."

"Don’t forget, your father, I, was personally granted the title of Duke Wushan by the Emperor, which means ’noble and high-ranking official’! Also remember, you stand here, and with just a few words can make soldiers below act on your intentions, charge and fight, all because you are of this ’noble and high-ranking official’ kind!"

"..."

"And don’t forget, you want to become Yu Wenqian’s Crown Princess Consort through the merit of protecting the Emperor, and Yu Wenqian himself is above ’noble and high-ranking officials’!"

Yu Mingyue’s heart was shaken suddenly.

Indeed, the phrase "Are noble and high-ranking officials born of a different kind" has been a slogan of the common people resisting tyranny for thousands of years, an ordinary phrase ingrained in her memory like breathing or heartbeat, yet she hadn’t realized that the reason she had such authority and could make people fight for her plan was indeed because she was in this kind of class hierarchy.

And having enjoyed the privileges of this class yet shouting such slogans was indeed somewhat self-contradictory.

Yu Mingyue’s face flushed red and white, as if she had been slapped, and seeing her somewhat bewildered expression, Yu Dingxing continued through clenched teeth, saying viciously, "Words depend on who speaks them and who listens to them, don’t forget that!"

"..."

"If you continue to be so thoughtless and disrespectful, our Yu family will be doomed because of you sooner or later!"

With that, he turned and walked toward the tent’s entrance.

Although she never truly regarded him as her father and despised this "scumbag" who abandoned his wife and daughter, his reprimand still pierced Yu Mingyue’s heart like a needle. She even found it strange that the words of just a scumbag could make her feel guilty.

Had she also become confused?

But no matter how much she denied this man, her speechlessness and sense of guilt at this moment were undeniably there, and as she watched Yu Dingxing stride angrily towards the tent’s exit, she said somewhat flusteredly, "Father, please wait a moment."

Yu Dingxing was already reaching out to lift the tent flap, paused upon hearing this, but did not turn his head, only responding coldly, "What?"

Yu Mingyue bit her lip and ultimately conceded, saying, "Daughter admits her mistake."

Yu Dingxing still did not turn around, but his breathing softened slightly.

Yu Mingyue immediately said, "Please, father, forgive daughter’s slip of words. But what daughter wants to do will not only be beneficial to myself but also to father’s status and reputation in the court. Father should know this too."

"..."

Yu Dingxing’s breathing became heavy again.

He turned around to look at Yu Mingyue, his gaze devoid of any, or rather, no longer any, fatherly affection or kindness one might have for their own biological daughter, only flickering with interest and a thirst for power—as a matter of fact, from each of this daughter’s looks towards him, he could also discern this kind of shameless intent.

The two of them, rather than being father and daughter, were more like locusts tied to the same vine in the swirl of power struggles.

Thinking of this, he took a deep breath and said, "Then, what do you want me to do?"

Hearing him relent, Yu Mingyue also sighed in relief, and immediately said, "In short, I have arranged everything. In a moment, father shall go to ask for orders from His Majesty and cross the Yellow River to receive Fan Cheng’en’s troops. By then, Jiang Chong’en’s troops should also reach the opposite shore, and His Majesty will be so pleased that he might personally come to the dock to greet them, or perhaps even cross the Yellow River!"

"His Majesty will personally cross the river?"

"If only Jiang Chong’en or Fan Cheng’en returned, His Majesty would not be so happy, but these two represent His Majesty the Emperor’s assurance in taking Luoyang, he certainly will!"

Yu Dingxing thought about it, it was indeed possible, so he asked, "Then what should I do?"

Yu Mingyue said, "When His Majesty arrives at the dock, preferably when he is about to board the ship, the people I arranged will immediately report that it’s because father sent people across the river to investigate the situation early, to ensure His Majesty’s safety, and they discovered abnormalities on the opposite shore. Even if His Majesty is delighted and eager to take Luoyang, he will be cautious in such circumstances and won’t risk crossing the river rashly anymore. Then—"

"Then,"

At this point, Yu Dingxing also quickly understood, "I, as the Left Brave General, ought to protect His Majesty, and in such times must lead troops across the river, arrest the rebels."

Yu Mingyue nodded, "Exactly, this is because of your merit in safeguarding the Emperor."

Saying this, she lowered her voice, "It’s best to take this opportunity to kill Fan Cheng’en amidst the chaos."

Yu Dingxing’s eyes widened suddenly, "Do you mean—"

Yu Mingyue said, "Fan Cheng’en surrendered to Dasheng due to King Qin’s relations. When he returns, he will be King Qin’s force, and he is familiar with the troops of Song and Xu States. After receiving rewards, His Majesty might continue assigning him to guard Song and Xu States with Shen Tu Tai. By then, the opportunity to attack Luoyang might fall into the hands of King Qin."

"..."

"Killing him is akin to severing part of King Qin’s wings."

"..."

"I intend to achieve all success in one stroke."

"..."

This time, Yu Dingxing did not speak again, just looked deeply at Yu Mingyue — in these major matters, he indeed did not have much suspicion towards this daughter, after all, the greatest credit, was also brought to him by her, but this daughter’s reckless behavior, indeed made him feel a indescribable mix of fortune and peril, like walking on a knife’s edge.

He said with a heavy tone, "Ming Yue, I can follow your words to act, but, you’d better think about what I just said."

"..."

"I do not want the Yu family to rise and fall because of you!"