If people were to misunderstand and think he supported the Second Prince, then even as a high-ranking and powerful Rank Nine Soul Engineer, the Head of Mingde Hall, and the Dean of Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, Jing Hongchen would have a terrible headache.
In Jing Hongchen's view, while Dragon's Might was impressive, it was only truly effective for Soul Engineers below the Titled Douluo level.
For someone of his level, it wasn't exactly useless, but its effect was minimal.
After all, he had already reached the ceiling that a court official could attain. Any further progress would touch upon the forbidden domain of imperial authority.
Even if a prince promised him great rewards before seizing the throne, once he ascended, he would inevitably go back on his word.
After all, it wasn't as if Jing Hongchen could overthrow the Xu family's rule and seize power himself.
Not to mention that Jing Hongchen had no such ambition; even if he did, he lacked the strength for it.
Therefore, he was absolutely unwilling to get involved in the struggle for the throne. Not only he—none of the Rank Nine Soul Engineers wished to interfere.
Getting involved brought little benefit if one won, and endless trouble if one lost.
Moreover, even if he were to get involved, he would only act once the situation was clear and the future emperor was certain. Only then would he place his bet.
Though the reward would be smaller, it was safer and ensured he wouldn't offend the new ruler.
Most other Rank Nine Soul Engineers shared the same mindset. They did not seek merit—only wished to avoid blame.
Therefore, before the princes' struggle produced a clear victor, Meng'er and Wang Chen must not meet again—to avoid being dragged into the imperial power struggle.
Jing Hongchen sighed inwardly.
"Meng'er, Grandpa is doing this for your own good. If you must blame someone, blame that old fool Wang Yan."
"When you grow up, you'll understand the painstaking care behind Grandpa's decisions."
While Jing Hongchen was lost in thought, feeling a wave of melancholy, the butler's voice interrupted him.
"Master, an important letter from Mingde Hall," the butler said as he handed over the envelope.
Jing Hongchen took it quickly and began to read.
[Experiment No. 1 – Sixth-phase test failed... The core array still cannot operate...]
After reading it, Jing Hongchen's expression instantly changed. Experiment No. 1 was the most crucial project in all of Mingde Hall.
Even His Majesty himself had inquired about its progress. Failure was absolutely unacceptable.
Being a man of swift action, Jing Hongchen gave a few final instructions to the butler before leaving: Wang Chen and his dog were not to enter the premises, and all forms of contact or solicitation from any prince were to be refused.
Then, he activated his flying-type soul tool and soared off toward Mingde Hall.
Meng Hongchen's Residence
As Jing Hongchen's granddaughter, her living quarters could only be described as luxurious. To call it a "house" was an understatement—it was more like a palace.
The grounds were vast, spanning thousands of square meters.
She had an entire room just for clothes, a massive cultivation chamber, a storage room for rare metals, and even a laboratory for soul tools.
Beside the main palace were a kitchen for her meals and separate quarters for the servants.
Just the rare metals in that one room were worth more than a hundred Wang Chens—something he couldn't afford even if he sold himself that many times.
In short—she was a little rich lady.
After returning to her room, Meng Hongchen immediately stopped crying.
Pouting, she flopped onto her bed and began punching her pillow with her small pink fists in frustration.
After venting for a while, she rested her chin in her hands, and Wang Chen's handsome face involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
Meng Hongchen had known Wang Chen from a very young age—their first meeting had been when she was only six years old.
At that time, both Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen had awakened their martial souls, and both possessed innate full soul power.
That had made Jing Hongchen ecstatic—he immediately threw a grand banquet of a hundred tables to celebrate his grandchildren's extraordinary potential.
And it was at that banquet that Meng Hongchen first met Wang Chen, who had come along with his family to broaden his horizons.
From that moment, the appearance-obsessed Meng Hongchen had been captivated by the cute and handsome boy.
Ever since, even though she had to train diligently every day, she would often find excuses to visit Wang Chen—sometimes bringing him small gifts.
After all, such a good-looking boy shouldn't be dressed so poorly—it just didn't match.
In short, their relationship could best be described as that of childhood sweethearts—pure and innocent.
As she thought of her "Brother Wang Chen's" handsome face, Meng Hongchen came back to her senses after a long while.
She covered her fair little face with her hands and began thinking hard.
"What should I do? Grandpa won't let me see Brother Wang Chen. But I really want to play with him…"
"Whenever I go out, guards follow me everywhere—I can't sneak away to find him."
"Maybe I can ask my brother for help? No, that won't work. He always listens to Grandpa. He'd definitely report me."
(Elsewhere: Xiao Hongchen sneezes repeatedly!!)
After thinking for a long time, Meng Hongchen groaned and buried her head under the covers.
"No good… I can't think of any way to meet Brother Wang Chen. Everyone in this house only listens to Grandpa."
Just when she was feeling utterly distressed, inspiration struck.
Meng Hongchen suddenly sat up in bed. If she couldn't meet him in person—she could still contact him another way!
"I really am a clever little genius! Hehehe!"
Meanwhile, as waves rippled through the Hongchen family because of Wang Chen…
Wang Chen himself was happily reunited with his family. As for his escort, Shen Kang, he had naturally gone back to report to the family elders.
After all, the guard belonged to the clan, not to Wang Chen personally—unless one day, Wang Chen became clan leader and held full authority over the family.
Compared with Meng Hongchen's lavish mansion, Wang Chen's home was rather modest—a simple two-story house with plain decoration and nothing luxurious.
The Wang family had many members. Although their total wealth wasn't small, when divided among everyone, the average living standard wasn't especially high.
They were still far better off than commoner Soul Engineers without family backing, but compared to the rich second-generation like Meng Hongchen, there was simply no comparison.
"Dad, Mom, I'm home!" Wang Chen called as he entered, smiling brightly.
"My son's home! Come, let Dad see if you've grown taller after being away for a month!"
A handsome middle-aged man, bearing some resemblance to Wang Chen, grinned and opened his arms wide, leaping forward to embrace him.
But before he could, a beautiful middle-aged woman rushed ahead and pulled Wang Chen into her own embrace.
"Son, were there any dangers on the way? Are you hurt anywhere…?"
Father and mother hadn't seen Wang Chen for a month and missed him dearly. They fussed over him endlessly before finally letting go.
That evening, they prepared a table full of Wang Chen's favorite dishes.
However, during the meal, the news Wang Chen heard from his parents cast a shadow over his heart.
Even the delicious feast before him suddenly tasted like wax…