Chapter 27: with translation of chapter title

A Chou dared not raise his head, just as he had not dared to oppose Chinu in the palace back then.

Back then, everyone took for granted that Chinu was exceptional.

Now, facts have proven that Chinu truly is exceptional.

He only suspected that the nobleman who came to the Xian Xie was Chinu, thinking about how to escape.

Du Shanü was misled by him, pondering how to set up defenses and how to oppose Chinu.

But Chinu could think of more, directly going into the Xian Xie and eliminating the newly appointed county magistrate, thereby delaying this tax increase crisis......

Heaven knows how shocked he was when the village head came to his door and told him everything.

Heaven knows how terrified he was upon arriving here and seeing the two confront each other.

Wrong.

Wrong.

Everything is wrong.

After the truth surfaced, every previous accusation against Chinu became bitterly ironic.

His broken, painful sobs echoed in the secluded forest, like lament and complaint.

Du Shanü could bear it no longer, comforting him in her rural accent:

"Garlic bird, garlic bird, none wear swimsuits......"

Chinu turned his head; his brows and eyes, as if hiding a sharp edge, glanced at her faintly.

That glance was icy cold, yet for some reason, amid the sparse moonlight, it also held a hint of alluring charm.....

Du Shanü said nothing more——

Strange, this person is clearly slender and his features are pure and clear, yet his oppressive presence is so strong?

What was the thinking of Emperor Taizong back then?

This person has nothing in common with the 'slave' at all!?

Seeing her silent, Chinu let out a cold snort and flicked at nonexistent dust on his body.

The blood on his body had stopped flowing, his complexion grew ever paler, but......

Cold.

Chinu, still as cold as ice.

He lifted his foot and stepped, heading toward Du Shanü's thatched hut.

But after taking a few steps, that bloodstained figure halted again; Du Shanü was secretly helping A Chou from behind, and seeing this made her heart leap—not just once, but many times over.

The two resembled thieves, nearly toppling over together.

Fortunately, Chinu did not turn back, merely saying again:

"\"...... Seize the Xian Xie of Cangnan. \""

Just five short words, yet they inexplicably cause alarm.

Du Shanü involuntarily narrowed her eyes for a moment, immediately understanding what he meant:

"\"Is this..... a test? \""

"\"If I can seize the Xian Xie, will you bow to me, sir? \""

That figure let out another cold laugh of indeterminate meaning.

Had this been earlier, Du Shanü would likely have struck him.

But now the situation is clear; this youth probably has this temperament, looking down on everyone equally.

Thus, neither Du Shanü nor the sobbing A Chou paid any heed.

Chinu still did not turn back, only saying:

"\"Speaking of this now is premature. \""

"\"Originally there was a county magistrate and three Chief Clerks in the Xian Xie; I went there last night, fought a bloody battle through the night, and aside from two with divided loyalties, only two Chief Clerks remain. Both are men of practical affairs, one even a banished official, an old acquaintance of mine from years past. \""

"\"They differ greatly from the corrupt officials you have seen before; they cannot be overturned by a sudden stir of public opinion. Bamboo slips and histories mostly teach how to eradicate evil, but not how to conduct a ruler's deed when the other side is in the right...... \""

"\"If you wish to achieve a great undertaking, this is the beginning; let me first see your abilities. \""

A ruler's deed......

Not corrupt officials......

Du Shanü carefully noted his words, and once again slightly concealed her astonishment at Chinu.

His thinking is meticulous, indeed far beyond ordinary; yet in just a few words he reminded Du Shanü of a very important detail——

When the Yin Dynasty pacified the previous dynasty, everyone had long suffered under it, so they naturally responded in unison.

But now the northern barbarians are a formidable foe; the Yin people have retreated southward, feeling stifled yet seeking compromise, and they normally rely on their own folk; unless life becomes truly unbearable, they would not rise in rebellion, let alone be the first to turn against their own.

Moreover, their position is far to the south, almost the last pure land under heaven.

Since the strong enemy cannot reach here, the people also long for stability; given a good official, they would rather slash-and-burn farm than engage in subversion.

Since the Xian Xie is filled with good officials, Du Shanü's chances of victory are even slimmer.

After all, they are the ones who hold the moral high ground.

But after passing this checkpoint, when we later unify the realm and encounter officials who treat the people as their own children, should we attack the city or not, and how can we make them submit?

Indeed, now that we are exposed to wind and dew, we shouldn't be thinking so much.

But Du Shanü, who is skilled at scheming all her life, cannot help but ponder further.

Who could have imagined that the first problem Chinu set for her would be this difficult!?

Du Shanü's thoughts surged in her mind.

A Chou, meanwhile, cried in a stifled manner for a while, then opened his blurred, tear-filled eyes and exclaimed in shock:

"\"...... Where is Chinu? (ΩДΩ)\""

Du Shanü paused, only then realizing she had been momentarily inattentive; that slender figure had already stepped away at some unknown time.

Du Shanü looked at A Chou, and A Chou looked at Du Shanü.

The two exchanged a glance, then suddenly spoke in unison:

"Not good!"

"Hurry home!"

The wound on her chest and abdomen tore open again, pain numbing her.

The slender youth walked through the night like a ghost, even weaker than he had been at dusk earlier.

However, to make him fall now is indeed still premature.

Unlike the Young Emperor, who grew up in love.

He......

He feeds on hatred, his bones made of resentment.

Before he has devoured heaven and earth, he will never fall.

He turned back toward the house, the clanging of the small smithy fading; Ouyang An and his father had already rested, now crouching in the courtyard curiously inspecting the water wheel they had finished assembling today.

Seeing him return covered in blood, the big and the small glanced up, then quickly lowered their heads, exchanging a look as if sharing a silent understanding.

The slender youth gave another cold laugh, stepped forward, raised his hand, and slapped one of them——

"Slap!"

"Slap!"

These two slaps, for no apparent reason, left Ouyang Yan and Ouyang An completely dazed.

Ouyang Yan's face, which could be described as lovely and pitiful, immediately reddened and swollen; he could not maintain his usual frailty, wanted to flare up, but was driven back by the slender youth's gaze:

"I've long found your flirtatious, concubine‑like airs unpleasant……"

"You two, hiding your identities as father and son to this extent—do you really think no one knows your background?"

The words "father and son" were bitten especially hard by the slender youth.

The implication might escape casual listeners, but to the attentive it is unmistakable.

The two—big and small—immediately changed complexion; young Ouyang An, least able to conceal things, blurted out instinctively:

"How could you know we aren't father……"

The rest of his words were muffled by a hand swollen slightly from work.

Ouyang Yan's body trembled slightly, yet he gritted his teeth and obeyed:

"We have eyes but fail to recognize Mount Tai; traveling with you, we never noticed everyone hiding their backgrounds… May I ask who you are?"

The slender youth gave no answer, nor another glance, simply turned and, under the astonished gazes of Ouyang Yan and Ouyang An, dragged Leitie out of the smithy and slapped him——

"Slap!"

Leitie was also left dazed:

"I was honestly forging iron, you brat—why hit me!!!"

In response, the slender youth gave another cold laugh:

"Why am I hitting you? Think about it—earlier you kept calling the Young Emperor a blind man, what was that for?"

Leitie's anger froze on his face; he dared not speak again.

Immediately, before everyone's eyes, the slender youth walked back into the house, and then——

"Wah!"

"Who is it?!"

"Why did you lift me up?! Hey… this strength…… Chinu, is it really Chinu?!"

"I've missed you so much——waaaah!!!"

After two breaths, Yu Hen also clutched the money box, stumbled as he was dragged off the bed, and was thrown out of the house!

This time——

Leitie fell silent.

Ouyang An and his father fell silent.

Du Shanü, who had hurried back, also fell silent.

If before everyone had still felt annoyance or confusion, now only a strange sense of relief remained——

"Oh dear."

"This, this is all because of treating everyone equally!"

?? County office: county yamen. Exiled official: a demoted official.

? There's a funny detail: at first the heroine only called the county office 'county office', but after Chinu appeared, she introduced the term 'county office', then changed it… This is not an authorial mistake; it's because Chinu really is somewhat cultured, hahahaha.

? Anyone interested in voice acting? Want to hear everyone dub 【garlic bird garlic bird...】 in dialect, hehe (*^▽^*)