usenovelgroup Chapter 2 Who said I had to follow your script?
Chapter 2 Who said I had to follow your script?
Cheng Xiao's idea was very simple.
The system only said to increase the princess's favorability, but it didn't say that you have to follow its storyline.
Successfully escaping with the princess and preventing her inevitable death will increase your favorability rating.
What if he directly helped her become an empress?
Wouldn't that increase the favorability score even more?
Cheng Xiao cultivates the path of ruthlessness, and his heart is already devoid of the seven emotions and six desires; falling in love is not his forte.
If he had simply followed the system's instructions, he might not have been able to win the princess's favor.
But it would be easy for him to assist an empress in this small world.
Chu Ning stared blankly at the tea in front of her for a moment.
If this were in the palace, she would definitely have someone test it for poison first before she could drink the tea.
The Great Chu Kingdom was in decline, and there were many assassins, so she was always very careful.
But in the young man's calm gaze, she couldn't muster even the slightest thought of resistance.
Chu Ning picked up the teacup with trembling hands and drank it all in one gulp.
The warm tea instantly dispelled the chill from my internal organs.
"Sir..." Chu Ning put down his teacup, his voice pleading.
"The fate of the Great Chu is sealed; you're too late." Cheng Xiao didn't look at her, but casually picked up a black piece from the chess basket and placed it in a dead corner of the chessboard.
"What...?" Chu Ning was struck dumb.
Cheng Xiao's gaze remained fixed on the chessboard.
"Three days ago at midnight, your father's old illness relapsed, and he coughed up blood and fell into a coma; the day before yesterday morning, the garrison commander of Shaoguan surrendered, and the Great Yan broke through the pass without losing a single soldier; today at noon, the Great Chu's frontline supplies should also have been cut off."
With each word Cheng Xiao spoke, Chu Ning grew increasingly desperate.
These are all top-level military secrets of the Great Chu, some of which she only learned about right before her departure!
The sickly young man in front of me, who never leaves his house, recounted the events as if he had witnessed them firsthand, even specifying the exact time!
"Seven days."
Cheng Xiao looked up, and their eyes finally met.
He saw the despair in the princess before him in his calm gaze.
"In seven days at most, the enemy's iron hooves will crush the gates of your Great Chu capital. A single victory will change nothing. Are you begging me to come out of seclusion now to collect the corpses of Great Chu?"
Chu Ning completely broke down.
All hope was utterly crushed by the young man before them.
Cheng Xiao looked at the princess in front of him with great satisfaction; this was exactly the state he wanted.
Only when an ordinary person is in complete despair will they desperately try to grasp at any straw in front of them.
He looked at the little princess sobbing on the ground, picked up a clean white silk handkerchief to cover his lips, coughed lightly twice, and then slowly spoke:
"I have no interest in wasting my energy on things like assisting a dying old emperor or taking over a court riddled with problems."
Faced with such a heartless rejection, Chu Ning was almost in despair.
But she didn't give up. Instead, she knelt on the ground again, her voice choked with emotion, "Please, sir, come out of retirement!"
She was willing to give anything to get this opportunity.
"but......"
Cheng Xiao gently placed the white piece between his fingers on the chessboard, in the heart of a black piece that was originally doomed.
"If you are willing to become my disciple, I will help you seize the throne. Not only the throne, but the entire world will be yours. I just don't know if you have the courage to do so."
Upon hearing this, Chu Ning looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief.
She was a useless princess in the palace, bad at studying and with low cultivation. People respected her on the surface, but they all said she was not smart enough.
Even if her father had no sons and only had her as his daughter, the throne would not be hers.
The royal family would naturally adopt a child to ascend the throne.
But this person she had only met once was willing to believe her, take her as his apprentice, and help her ascend the throne.
Cheng Xiao finally stood up from his chair.
He walked over to Chu Ning and gently patted her shoulder.
The room was clearly very hot, but Chu Ning felt a coolness from the young man's palm.
"As long as you dare to shoulder the responsibility of this world, I will ensure that your Great Chu Kingdom will last for ten thousand generations."
The wind and snow outside were still howling wildly, but the despair in Chu Ning's heart disappeared at this moment.
She looked at the pale and sickly young man in front of her.
A fear I had never felt before arose in my heart.
Listening to his words, it was as if the world was nothing more than a plaything in his hands.
Chu Ning didn't know why he wanted to take her as his disciple, nor what he wanted to get from her.
But none of that matters anymore.
She had nothing, and nothing to lose. She was willing to give up everything she had.
Chu Ning did not hesitate.
She bent down deeply, pressing her forehead heavily against the cold blue bricks.
"Student Chu Ning... pays respects to the teacher."
......
Even after leaving Falling Star Valley, the wind and snow continued.
The ancient Chu was once the most powerful country in the world, where people lived in peace and prosperity.
The surrounding countries were wary of the power of the Great Chu and dared not make any rash moves.
But now, the once bustling scene can no longer be seen on the official road leading to the capital of the Great Chu.
All I saw along the way were destitute refugees and frozen skeletons.
The bark of the dead trees by the roadside had been completely eaten away, and wild dogs were tearing at the rotting corpses.
Chu Ning sat in the car, looking at the scene before her, her eyes gradually reddening.
When she saw a starving mother clutching a frozen baby in her arms, the little princess finally turned her head away, her shoulders trembling violently.
"They are all subjects of the Great Chu. It is my father and I who failed to protect them." Chu Ning's voice was filled with sorrow.
Cheng Xiao sat opposite Chu Ning, dressed in spotless white robes, a stark contrast to the hellish surroundings.
His gaze swept over the skeletons, his eyes showing no pity.
Cheng Xiao handed Chu Ning a snow-white silk handkerchief, his tone completely flat.
"Your Highness, tears cannot save the dead. If we cannot allocate food and supplies to stabilize the refugees within ten days, next year's spring planting will be completely abandoned. At that time, Great Chu will collapse without a fight."
Chu Ning took the silk handkerchief and bit her lower lip tightly.
She noticed that the teacher's eyes never showed any emotion or fluctuation.
Nothing he sees can affect his mood.
"I know, I will report to my father when I get back."
After several days, the two finally entered the capital city.
An inescapable aura of death hovered above the palace.
Inside the Golden Palace, the charcoal fire burned brightly, yet it could not dispel the chill in the hearts of all the civil and military officials.
On the dragon bed, the King of Chu was like a withered tree, each breath extremely difficult to take.
Below the steps, the civil officials, led by the prime minister, lowered their heads and exchanged glances in secret.
The letter of surrender from the Great Zhou Kingdom has been placed on the Prime Minister's desk. They are all waiting for the King of Chu to take his last breath before opening the city gates to meet the enemy.
Even if they just won a big victory, it doesn't change anything.
"Your Majesty! The eldest princess, the eldest princess has returned!" The eunuch's shrill announcement from outside the palace broke the deathly silence.
Chu Ning followed Cheng Xiao and slowly stepped over the high threshold of the main hall.
All eyes instantly focused on the two of them.
All the officials in the court saw the pale-faced young man who coughed softly from time to time.
A glint flashed in the King of Chu's cloudy eyes. He forced himself to sit up and stretched out his withered hand, trembling, "Ning'er...you...have found the old immortal?"
"Father! This is Master Chengxiao of Falling Star Valley. He has agreed to come out of seclusion and save the Great Chu!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell into an eerie silence for a moment, followed by a burst of undisguised snickers.