The family all looked to Old Master Jiang, curious as to why he wouldn't do this.
Old Master Jiang said in a low voice, "I have never had any loyalty to the Zhao family. I'm merely a merchant; I do only what has to do with profit. First off — though we haven't directly joined the Bao and Cui families' plan, should they succeed, we can simply reap the harvest at our ease; for our Jiang family controls 70% of the Owl Dragon Star System's few interstellar-trade channels as it is! And second, don't the lot of you go forgetting that Eldest Miss of the Zhao family. You surely aren't naive enough to imagine that, just because that Eldest Miss hasn't come back all these years, she's truly severed her ties with the Zhao family? Once that Eldest Miss learns of the Bao and Cui families' treachery, then with her ability, she can well clean out the Bao and Cui families both. And if we've openly thrown in our lot with them, we'll only become a target of the Zhao Eldest Miss ourselves. So the best course for us is to sit and watch how things develop. A clever man always leaves himself a way out."
Having heard out Old Master Jiang's long discourse, they all came round to understanding.
"I heard earlier from Shasha that that good-for-nothing Zhao Chen beat a viscount's son at the academy — with an assembled ship, no less?" Old Master Jiang looked to Jiang Shasha.
Jiang Shasha nodded; the first thing she'd done on returning from the academy was tell her father and grandfather of the matter.
"Just one ship — surely he can't kick up any waves with that. And I've heard the interstellar pirates the Bao and Cui families hired this time are professionals! Every one of them a former professional interstellar soldier!" Jiang's father said with a cold smile, as though he could already see that good-for-nothing baron Zhao Chen struck dead.
"Come to think of it — in past breaks, that Zhao pair, brother and sister, would come back around the same time as you, Shasha. Why haven't they come back even now? They couldn't have gotten wind of the Bao and Cui families' plan, could they?" Jiang's mother murmured from the side.
Jiang Shasha said, "By the word we've gotten, that Zhao Chen and his sister went first to the Arctic Fox system. The report is that his Blizzard Zero needed some repairs at Arctic Fox Starport. But he'll still be coming back this break — only there's no word of exactly when."
Just then a man in the guise of a steward came up behind Old Master Jiang to the dining table and murmured a few words in his ear.
Old Master Jiang looked to his family. "The latest word: our lordship the baron has already set out from Arctic Fox Starport, on his way back to the Owl Dragon Star System. Estimated to reach the Owl Dragon Star System in two weeks; after a brief stay he means to hurry back to the Northstar Starship Military Academy."
"That way, the Bao and Cui families' lot can finally breathe easy," Jiang's father said, in high spirits.
Old Master Jiang eyed this rash son of his with narrowed eyes. "Remember — this time our Jiang family keeps a low profile; no one is to meddle in this business. Call all the Jiang family's direct-line children home, so as to spare our Jiang family any trouble."
"Yes, Father," Jiang's father answered.
——————
Two weeks later, mid-September.
Two ships had crossed the shoreless, boundless star-system edge-space.
Blizzard Zero ship intelligent-system advisory: Blizzard Zero has disengaged from the warp-travel state and reached the designated location; now in autopilot mode.
Zhao Chen's eyes flew open; compared with the last warp voyage, he felt his head a great deal clearer this time.
This ought to be thanks to the T1 Super-Soldier Serum he'd injected.
The hibernation pod's hatch opened; though he'd been steeped in the blue liquid earlier, by now the clothes on his body had automatically dried.
He walked out of the pod, his legs not trembling, his spirits quite good.
"Cap… Captain…" A beast-folk crewwoman beside him, just woken herself, looked in astonishment at the already-risen captain, and noticed his state was extraordinarily good.
Not long ago she'd seen the captain, freshly woken, with his legs trembling under him.
Ordinarily, to grow thoroughly used to a military hibernation pod took three months at the least.
"Let's get to work." Zhao Chen's expression was placid, and he too set about his own work now.
With Charlotte not aboard, there was much Zhao Chen had to see to himself, and he began issuing orders.
"All personnel on the bridge, return to your posts within one minute and check the ship's readings. All personnel aboard, return to your posts within three minutes and stand ready. Communications, try to raise the T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship. Radar, scan the surrounding star region; see whether we can find the T2 Queen Bee."
Just as Zhao Chen was giving his orders, a video window appeared, showing the T2 Queen Bee's bridge requesting a comm.
Zhao Chen patched it through.
On the far side was the bridge of the T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship.
"You're here already?" Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte and Zhao Wan'er, who seemed anything but freshly woken.
Zhao Wan'er said, "We got here half a day ahead of you."
Charlotte added, "Had we not been holding back to match Blizzard Zero's speed, then by the T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship's grade-4 warp engine, we could have arrived a full five days sooner at best."
Blizzard Zero used a grade-3 warp engine.
The T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship used a grade-4 warp engine — and in warp travel, naturally, the gap in speed between the two was large.
Just as Charlotte said, had the T2 Queen Bee not throttled back its speed to keep company with Blizzard Zero, it would have reached the Owl Dragon Star System long since.
"I've reached Jiang Hong. She's terribly anxious over this rash operation of ours, and keeps stressing that we should leave as soon as we can!" Zhao Wan'er put in.
Zhao Chen said, "Did Jiang Hong have any other useful information?"
Zhao Wan'er transmitted over a star-map.
"By the intelligence Jiang Hong obtained, the Bao and Cui families mean to launch their attack on us at this position."
Zhao Chen looked at this star-map of the Owl Dragon Star System.
The attack position was a spot that had to be passed on the way to the planet where the Owl Dragon Star System's Zhao family resided — and they'd cleverly calculated the point at which warp travel would end early.
"The Bao and Cui families have it all planned: the moment their attack on us succeeds, they'll launch an assault on our home planet at once, and put every Zhao child to death!" Zhao Wan'er said, seething. "Our Zhao family has truly reared a pack of ingrates!"
Zhao Wan'er went on, "Jiang Hong also gave me a set of data on the interstellar pirate fleet's ship models, and on the ship models of the Cui and Bao families' private fleets."
"Transmit both sets to me," Zhao Chen said.
As the old saying went, know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll win 100 battles from 100.
Even though Zhao Chen already held full confidence in his heart, one could never, at any time, afford to grow careless.