Chapter 1025

Qin Zhanhong: Person name. We'll output pinyin: Qin Zhanhong? Or Qin Zhanhong? Let's see pattern: For two-character given names they often combine: Xiu Er → Xiu Er (they kept space). Actually Xiu Er is two characters: Xiu Er (space). For three-character names? Not present. For Zhang Xiuer they gave Zhang Xiuer (they combined Xiu Er as Xiuer). So they treated the suffix er as part of the given name and combined. For Qin Zhanhong, three characters: surname Qin, given name Zhanhong (two characters). According to pattern, they might combine the given name as Zhanhong (no space). So output "Qin Zhanhong". However they gave Zhang Lao → Zhang Lao (two characters surname + title? Actually Zhang Lao is surname + Lao (old). They kept space: Zhang Lao. So for surname + title they kept space. For surname + given name where given name is two characters, they combined? For Zhang Xiuer they combined given name (Xiu Er) as Xiuer. So yes.

Thus Qin Zhanhong: surname Qin (Qin), given name Zhanhong (Zhanhong). So output "Qin Zhanhong". We'll capitalize each word: Qin Zhanhong.

「For a lord, having or not having an heir is a very important matter. My husband is still young now; this matter doesn't seem that important yet, but if a few more years pass and my husband still has no heir, people's hearts will likely become chaotic. 」

Kong Jianshi

Zhi Xu Daozhang

Lu Wanwan

「Put bluntly and worldly, it's simply to change one's background and achieve a leap in social class. 」

「If he never has an heir, everything he builds will surely be a fleeting mirage, like a cereus blossom that appears only momentarily. 」

Cao Lin: Person name. Surname Cao (Cao), given name Lin (Lin). Two-character given name? Actually given name is one character Lin. So we have surname + given name (one char). According to pattern: Li Yu → Li Yu (surname + given name, two characters given name? Actually Yu is one character. They gave Li Yu (two words). So they kept space for one-character given name. So we should output "Cao Lin". Two words.

Yuan Lao Liu: Person name. Surname Yuan (Yuan), then Lao Liu (Lao Liu). This is surname + nickname? According to pattern: Lao Kong → Lao Kong (they treated Lao + surname as two words). So for Yuan Lao Liu, we have surname Yuan (Yuan) then Lao Liu (Lao Liu). Should we output "Yuan Lao Liu"? Three words. However we need to check if they'd treat Lao Liu as a single word "Laoliu"? In Lao Kong they kept two words: Lao Kong. So they treat Lao as separate word. So for Lao Liu, we would have Lao Liu (two words). So overall: Yuan Lao Liu. We'll output three words.

「Chen Wuji gave it some thought, then said: "Let's still hand it over to Third Master and them to have a look; some things cannot be hidden, you know how sharp their ears are. We've been like this for so long with no movement; they couldn't fail to notice something is wrong. 」

She Zhang Weng (or maybe we need to decide based on rule? The explanation says we should output pinyin: She Zhang Weng. So we output that.)

She Zhang Weng (again duplicate)

But we need to check if they'd combine the first two characters as a word? In Lao Kong they kept Lao Kong (two words). So they treat Lao as separate word. So for She Zhang Weng, we would have She Zhang Weng (three words). However note that Snake Staff is two characters; they might treat it as one word "Snake Staff"? In Lao Kong they treated Lao as separate word, but Lao is one character. For two-character noun, they might keep as one word? Example: Mountain Doctor Divination they translated meaning, not pinyin. Not helpful. For Zhi Xu Daozhang they gave Zhi Xu Daozhang (they treated Zhi Xu as Zhi Xu (two words) and Daozhang as Daozhang (one word)). So they split the two-character word Zhi Xu into two words, and combined Daozhang into one word. So pattern not consistent.

Given the uncertainty, I'll output as three words: She Zhang Weng.

Ciji Zhai

Diétàn yíng

Diétàn yíng

Mountain Doctor Divination

Snake Staff

「The old Daoist priest didn't elaborate, just mentioned in passing that he has a worthless disciple he wants to entrust to my husband for training. 」

「Chen Wuji chuckled, "The old Daoist priest's gourd seems to still be selling other medicines; what could I possibly make of his disciple? Sending me a capable assistant would be about right. 」

Luoying Camp

「No doubt, that's certainly the case. 」 Chen Wuji gave a faint smile, 「I do know a little about Mountain Doctor Divination, but the little I know, the old Daoist priest could crush me with just a finger. Having me train his disciple is practically asking for trouble. 」

「Qin Zhanhong laughed, "My lord, don't be so modest; I, your concubine, believe you are the most talented person in this world. 」

Yan Zhou

Chen Wuji bent over, staring at Qin Zhanhong's bewitching eyes, his palm lightly stroking that face so delicate it could be shattered by a breath.

"Husband, won't you try a taste?" Qin Zhanhong tilted her head, the corner of her mouth curling into a smile that swayed one's heart and spirit.

Zhang Xiuer, who had been sitting hunched to one side as if crashed, suddenly rolled over and very violently pressed her kiss onto Qin Zhanhong's lustrous lips.

Chen Wuji froze.

Qin Zhanhong also widened her eyes in an instant; immediately, the heat in her eyes ignited, turning into a water-like smile.

The docile little lamb actually began to fight back.

……

Although it was a brief indulgence, Chen Wuji did not miss the hour.

At dawn, when the first ray of morning light bathed the earth, the wind at Luoying Camp had not yet stirred those sand and pebbles.

This military camp, just half-built, had already finished the bustling preparation of meals and began to muster and march out.

One after another, the Yíngzhù were dismantled and loaded onto vehicles, winding out of Luoying Camp and slowly setting off toward the northern Lingshouzhou.

Chen Wuji, after inspecting the camp, climbed into the carriage.

Today he still had plenty of official business to handle, so he needed a more comfortable place.

The restless Qin Zhanhong was playing around with Zhang Xiuer, a smile constantly playing at the corner of her mouth, her face flushed.

As a gorgeous, bewitching woman, Qin Zhanhong is more of a rogue than ordinary men.

Whenever she idles, she seems interested only in this sort of thing.

Even dressing and grooming are almost done casually.

This is probably the willfulness innate to a naturally beautiful woman.

"Husband, how should we handle the matter of Yan Zhou? You still haven't given me a concrete answer!" Qin Zhanhong had one hand hidden in Zhang Xiuer's clothing; seeing Chen Wuji enter, she immediately spoke up.

She had kept this sentence in mind from when she set out at dawn until now, fearing she might forget it.

"Let Lao Kong go first with these nails, for now don't act rashly, avoid excessive movements lest we arouse their suspicion!" Chen Wuji glanced at Qin Zhanhong and Zhang Xiuer and said, "That old fellow with the Snake Staff is most skilled at these tricks; tell Lao Kong he must be careful and cautious—this step we're taking now is crucial, and once the opportunity arrives we might be able to strike in one go and quell the turmoil in Nanyue Jun."

"We could try opening another line, openly contacting the mid- and lower-ranking officers under Li Yu and Cao Lin, to confuse their sight and drive a wedge between them."

Qin Zhanhong gave a slight nod, "I'll take charge of this line, while Lao Kong continues to watch those secret threads; husband, what do you think?"

"Yes, but the specifics you two should discuss." Chen Wuji earnestly instructed, "The Intelligence Camp wants to be fully formed; there's still a long way to go. This requires the two of you to work together, transforming the network originally laid out by the Ciji Lodge into our own, and our soldiers must also learn to become brothers-in-arms with the people of the Ciji Lodge—this is very important."

"Before, I told Wanwan that if you two remain like this, I must consider removing you both."

Qin Zhanhong pulled her hand from Zhang Xiuer's clothing, puffed out her cheeks, and said proudly, "Husband, rest assured, we will certainly not disappoint you, and we will certainly not let you succeed."

"It's not that I intentionally want to pressure you; publicly, what you're doing now is indeed not satisfactory, and privately I also don't want you to take such great risks." Chen Wuji sat cross-legged, speaking in a deep, solemn voice, "We have already left Nan Jun; the challenges ahead will be greater, and the Intelligence Camp will be the vanguard that reaches the battlefield earlier than the Xùhòu yíng."

Qin Zhanhong composed herself, instantly resembling the icy beauty they first met, "Husband, Wanwan and I both enjoy this duty; rest assured, we will surely manage. Given this opportunity, if we fail, we will not delay but immediately step aside and yield the position."

Chen Wuji nodded, "I respect your choice."

If it weren't for seeing Qin Zhanhong and Lu Wanwan sincerely enjoying this duty, he would have already sent Kong Jianshi and Yuan Lao Liu up, why go to this trouble?

When Zhang Lao handed these two over to him, he must have had this in mind.

However, Zhang Lao probably never explicitly told Kong Jianshi and Yuan Lao Liu about this, so the two themselves remain unaware.