Chapter 91: with translation of chapter title

After she said that, the air at the city gate grew tense again.

The constables' hands gripping their spears were shaking, not to mention the few civilians huddled against the wall, already curled up as tightly as they could.

Qian Youde's aged, wrinkled face beaded with large drops of sweat, he panted continuously, finally belatedly struggling to get down from the sedan to pay his respects.

Du Shanü, however, gave him no chance.

She took in everyone's expressions, straightened up, and tightened the reins half an inch in her palm where no one could see—

It was time to go.

She knew in her heart that the bluff wouldn't hold for long.

The investiture was fake, the edict was fake, and everything she had said when receiving the edict in Cang Cheng was false.

Qian Youde is currently taken in by the bluff; once he comes to his senses and sends someone to check Cang Cheng, he'll see there is no reception hall there, nor any edict to be enshrined.

So, we cannot enter the city.

Entering the city would be walking into a trap; every extra moment spent there increases the risk of exposing our weakness.

What she should do first is muddy the waters, causing Qian Youde to lose his own footing.

What she wants is a great chaos in Ju Cheng.

What will a muddled old magistrate do after being publicly humiliated at the city gate in front of his subordinates and slapped with a "contempt of the imperial house" charge?

Most likely he will be restless, tossing and turning, thinking—

What if the princess really files an imperial complaint? What if the imperial court really hands down punishment?

The more he thinks, the more afraid he becomes; the more afraid he is, the more likely he is to go to extremes.

If he raises troops, that would be perfect.

Whether he flees to save his life or seals off the city, he will be charged with contempt of the imperial house and rebellion.

She has a righteous pretext: raising troops from Cang Cheng to suppress the rebellion, making Ju Cheng hers for the taking.

If he does not raise troops, that's even better.

A frightened, useless magistrate who doesn't even know how to resist will, once she forges the edict, obediently retreat, and his office will naturally be gone.

By then Ju Cheng will be leaderless, and she can step in as a royal relative, a natural succession.

No matter what, Ju Cheng will be hers.

She gathered her thoughts, flicked her wrist, and gave the reins a light tug on the horse's neck.

The horse stepped forward, turning toward the outside of the city.

Only two steps.

Du Shanü suddenly felt something was off.

There was no sound of hooves behind her.

Chinu's horse had not kept up.

Du Shanü pulled back on the reins, turned her head, and saw that Chinu was still stopped where he was.

The horse stood still; he sat on its back, one hand loosely holding the reins, the other hanging at his side, his posture relaxed as if he were sipping tea in his own courtyard.

His gaze, unusually, was not on her but drifted vaguely elsewhere.

Following his line of sight, Du Shanü saw Chinu watching with interest the actor standing beside Qian Youde.

That one, the man dressed as a woman?

Du Shanü's brow twitched slightly; Chinu seemed to sense her gaze, turned his head, and glanced at her.

That glance was faint, the corner of his mouth even hinting at a barely-there smile...

How should one describe that smile that sends a chill down the spine?

According to Du Shanü's way of putting it, it seemed as if in the next instant Chinu could falsely accuse a dozen loyal ministers and generals in one breath.

Du Shanü could faintly sense that he was surely harboring ill intent, but before she could speak, Chinu nimbly swung down from his horse.

He was slender and gaunt, shoulders straight, posture tall and slender, stepping forward unhurriedly, with a certain grace.

He walked until he was about three paces from the sedan, stopped, and spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"I am Liu Wenyuan, the magistrate of Cang Cheng."

As he spoke, his right hand slipped into his sleeve, produced the copper seal, held it in his palm, and gently pushed it forward.

The seal was square, about two inches on a side, and in the sunlight it gave off a dull, dark sheen.

The seal's knob was a crouching xiezhi, archaic and simple, with rough lines—a proper regulation for a county magistrate.

Qian Youde sat in the sedan, his cloudy eyes fixed on the official seal for a while, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he wanted to say something but didn't know what.

Chinu did not wait for his reply.

He slipped the seal back into his sleeve, unhurried, as if putting away a worthless trinket.

Then he lifted his gaze, looking past Qian Youde to the person standing not far to his side.

Liu Er lowered her eyes, her water sleeves gathered before her, still appearing coy and delicate, though her shoulders tensed ever so slightly.

Chinu's gaze fell on Liu Er, and he spoke in an offhand, conversational tone:

"Although I was selected by the Princess to serve merely because of my good looks, and she granted me this Cang Cheng magistrate's seal, I wonder whether I can actually perform the duties of a magistrate..."

"I will certainly record the truth and report today's events to the Imperial Court!"

He pronounced the two characters "county magistrate" so softly they were almost inaudible, yet everyone present understood his meaning—

A county magistrate's post, to the Princess, is nothing more than a casual trinket she tosses out.

This undoubtedly raised Du Shanü's status another notch.

Qian Youde's sagging cheek twitched, and Liu Er's frame trembled imperceptibly.

Having finished speaking, Chinu relaxed his posture and turned, as if intending to leave.

But whether intentionally or not, as he passed Liu Er he inadvertently let slip a muttered remark:

What a foolish county magistrate—this time he got into a quarrel and beheaded someone, not knowing how many people he'll implicate.

Fortunately I'm clever; when I initially served others with my beauty, I found someone who could afford the 'price'... this lifetime I needn't worry.

Chinu finished saying this, then gave a faint smile.

Liu Er's hand clenched tightly beneath her water sleeves.

The knuckles turned white, the nails dug into the flesh of his palm, but his face showed nothing, merely lowering his eyes, his eyelashes trembling a few times.

Chinu, finally satisfied, withdrew his gaze, remounted, clamped his legs around the horse's belly, and caught up with Du Shanü.

The two horses rode side by side.

Ju Cheng's city walls gradually shrank behind them; after walking a stretch, Du Shanü finally couldn't help but laugh.

It was light, brief—like a small stone tossed into calm water, the ripples vanishing before they could spread.

Chinu turned his head to look at her, but she did not look at him, instead fixing her gaze on the road ahead.

Du Shanü's mouth still bore the trace of that earlier smile, slightly upturned, carrying a ease she herself wasn't aware of:

Haonunu pulls out the official seal to verify my 'identity', and even sows discord among that actor...... have you finally decided to follow me?

Chinu's brow twitched slightly, but he didn't answer right away; instead he remained silent for a moment.

The horses' hooves stepped tap-tap on the dirt road, the pace neither hurried nor slow, as if keeping time for his silence.

After a few breaths, Chinu finally lifted his eyes; his gaze skimmed over hers and lingered long on the smile still lingering at the corner of her mouth.

He spoke, his voice and posture lowered to the extreme, as if they would sink into dust the next moment:

Not so.

This time I help you, only hoping...... you could also give me a kiss.

?? Chinu: Don't give me a step down! Then, seduce a little~