As the words trailed off.
Li Buyan also wiped his eyes, which moved Yu Mengzhi.
Li Zhiqing and Li Buyan, this pair of fated father and daughter, finally reached a reconciliation after twenty years of cold war. More importantly, Li Buyan was the first to want to reconcile, which made Li Zhiqing sense a hint of unease, making her wonder if something was wrong with Li Buyan's health.
She didn't ask directly; even if she did, Li Buyan wouldn't tell her.
Li Buyan helped his daughter up from the ground and said with emotion, "My daughter is my pride, and she was the pearl of the capital back then. She was too lucky to have that kid from the Yu family."
Li Zhiqing asked weakly, "Father, did you find Jiang Yangping for me?"
Li Buyan grunted in affirmation.
"Jiang Chengxi and Jiang Yangping have conflicting philosophies. Jiang Yangping wants to seize this opportunity to elevate his family's status, which is why he agreed to cooperate with me. Your smooth progress in Yuezhou Province before was inseparable from his help."
"But you don't need to feel indebted to him; I just made a fair deal with him."
Li Zhiqing bit her lip and said somewhat aggrievedly, "So that's how it is. I always thought I was very capable, able to win over the forces in Yuezhou Province. Turns out it was Father helping me in secret."
Li Buyan chuckled, "Even without my help, your achievements wouldn't have been much less."
The atmosphere between them grew increasingly harmonious, as if no conflict had ever occurred.
Seeing this, Yu Mengzhi also breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, she really didn't know how to ease the relationship between them; her position was also quite awkward.
Just as she was lost in thought, Li Buyan suddenly beckoned to her, "Mengzhi, come here."
"Ah? Oh..."
Yu Mengzhi followed closely and walked to Li Buyan's side.
Li Buyan looked at his daughter and granddaughter and couldn't help but sigh, "You look so much like your mother, exactly like her when she was young. No wonder that kid from the Qin family has his eye on you."
In fact, there was another reason for Li Buyan's affection for his younger daughter.
It was that Li Buyan's wife had died shortly after giving birth to Li Zhiqing, and Li Zhiqing bore a striking resemblance to her mother. After his wife's death, Li Buyan had no intention of remarrying, so he lavished all his affection on Li Zhiqing. This was also why Li Buyan was so enraged when Li Zhiqing later defied him.
At that time, he could not tolerate Li Zhiqing saying no to him.
"Mengzhi, quickly call me Grandpa," Li Zhiqing said.
Yu Mengzhi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Grandpa..."
Li Buyan nodded, very satisfied.
He then said to Yu Mengzhi, "Are you satisfied with Chen Jinzhao? If you're not, your grandpa can order him to stay away from you."
Yu Mengzhi quickly said, "No, he's very good to me."
Upon learning Yu Mengzhi's feelings, Li Buyan couldn't help but chuckle, "That kid surnamed Chen is not bad. He's already become China's youngest general, worthy of my granddaughter, Li Buyan. If he bullies you in the future, you can tell Grandpa."
"Thank you for your concern, Grandpa," Yu Mengzhi replied.
Li Buyan grunted, then said to Li Zhiqing, "You should return to the capital in a few days. Bring that kid from the Yu family along and get your marriage certificate, otherwise, your daughter is already so grown up and you still haven't gotten married, wouldn't that be a joke?"
Li Zhiqing's face turned red, and she nodded in agreement.
"Father, you actually knew all along that Mengzhi was my daughter, didn't you?" she asked.
Li Buyan did not deny it.
In this country, there was almost nothing that could be hidden from him.
He also said, "I was waiting for you to make a move, so I didn't interfere in Mengzhi's affairs. I initially deduced that you would make a move when Qin Fengwu married Mengzhi. If you hadn't made a move then, I would have. I just didn't expect Chen Jinzhao to appear halfway through."
Li Zhiqing suddenly understood.
In this way, many things made sense.
The three chatted for over an hour before Li Buyan said, "Call Chen Jinzhao in, I have something to discuss with him."
Yu Mengzhi's expression instantly became nervous. Li Buyan chuckled, "I just want to chat with him about some work-related matters, I won't make things difficult for him."
"Go."
The two nodded and left the Buddhist hall together.
A few minutes later, Chen Jinzhao entered the Buddhist hall and immediately saw Li Buyan sitting upright.
Due to Li Buyan's special status, Chen Jinzhao respectfully saluted and greeted the leader upon seeing him.
"Greetings, sir!"
Chen Jinzhao's voice was full of vigor.
Li Buyan waved his hand, signaling Chen Jinzhao to dispense with formalities, and asked him to sit beside him.
Chen Jinzhao obediently complied.
Li Buyan was the head of the Li family in the capital, as well as the head of China's military. He was one of the three top leaders of the military. However, because Li Buyan's father had also been the head of the military, Li Buyan had immense prestige in the army, which was incomparable to Xu Hanchen, another of the three top leaders.
"Truly a hero emerging from youth. To have reached this position at such a young age, your future is limitless," Li Buyan said calmly.
"You flatter me, sir. I am but one in a million in the military, not outstanding," Chen Jinzhao responded earnestly. Li Buyan chuckled, "You are quite eloquent. But no matter how you deny it, you are the most outstanding among the younger generation. Even Tiannan of our Li family is far from your match. Your victory over Su Zhenhan a few days ago surprised many."
Chen Jinzhao knew that Li Buyan surely had more to say, so he sat obediently on the chair, waiting for Li Buyan's next words.
As expected.
Li Buyan continued, "A valiant general like you should display your skills on the battlefield, become a shining star in history, and stand shoulder to shoulder with famous generals of the past like Wei and Huo."
Chen Jinzhao quickly said he dared not accept such praise. These two were both legendary generals in history, how could he be worthy of comparison?
"You have the potential," Li Buyan stated.
"Tian Ce has tried to recruit you before, hasn't he? I also hope that you can lend Tian Ce a helping hand. The two of you working together will surely contend for supremacy under heaven."
Hearing Li Buyan's words, Chen Jinzhao couldn't help but be greatly shocked.
Li Buyan's status was special, and having such an ambition was dangerous. No wonder Xu Hanchen had previously told Chen Jinzhao to stay away from Li Buyan.
One wrong step, and he could be led astray by Li Buyan.
Chen Jinzhao took a deep breath and asked with confusion, "Sir, you are already the head of the military. Isn't it just a matter of your word to do whatever you wish? There's no need to specifically recruit me."
Li Buyan shook his head, "It's not time yet. We are not fully prepared. I just feel that I may not have much time left, and I want to find someone to protect Tian Ce."
"And you are the most suitable candidate."