Chapter 1040

Once we set aside Cao Lin, there's nothing left to do in Yan Zhou.

With Xu Zengyi personally overseeing, the remaining cleanup tasks hardly need Chen Wuji to worry about; if he wants to slack off, he can even skip checking in and just celebrate directly.

"Pacifying Yan Zhou turned out surprisingly smooth, but we still have a big headache on this end!" Chen Wuji muttered lazily, turning his head to look at the bright sunshine outside.

It's winter, yet the cicadas' chirping remains noisy, and the heat waves in the air are still clearly visible.

This isn't winter; this is midsummer.

"The Uyghur King will surely bring overwhelming force this time; whether they care about Li Qichen's life or death is still unknown, but they definitely want your life, Family Head." Chen Li walked around the table, refilled Chen Wuji's cup with steaming fresh tea; as the tea overflowed, its aroma already wafted out.

"Tomorrow, the Family Head must flee; I've already drawn up the Lùxiàn, and later I might need you to carry it."

Chen Wuji sat up straight abruptly, "Shi Yi Shu, the handover is tomorrow—why are you only now letting me carry the Lùxiàn? Isn't that a bit hasty? Shouldn't I have walked it myself first?"

"If you walk it, it won't feel real; these are all places familiar to the Family Head—just a glance at the Lùxiàn makes it clear." Chen Li said, "If you walk the Lùxiàn beforehand, escaping later will easily give you away; my trap isn't at the handover point but along the way."

Chen Wuji nodded, "Shi Yi Shu, that makes sense, but I still feel uneasy inside."

This time's strategy was fully devised by Chen Li; even Chen Wuji only knows the rough outline, not the specific details, and he has no idea how effective this bait will be.

Chen Li chuckled, "I wouldn't gamble with the Family Head's life; I can't guarantee this battle will be flawless, but ensuring the Family Head's safety is the most basic requirement."

"Then strike a little harder; what I want isn't just my own safety—I want the Uyghur People's cattle, sheep, and laborers, and I want victory in this battle as well." Chen Wuji said.

Chen Li smiled gently, like an aunt, "Family Head, rest easy."

……

The next day.

At mid-morning, Chen Wuji summoned Li Qichen and Hu Yuyan out of the wooden hut.

It's surprising that these two, sharing a room for several days, have lived together very harmoniously, without any trouble.

But it's also a pity that there's been no spark between them; they've simply coexisted peacefully.

It was a waste of Chen Wuji's good intentions.

The wooden hut had only two simple beds, yet they managed to feel as if they had separate rooms, each doing their own thing with no interaction.

According to the report sent up by the Personal Guard, aside from a few words spoken in the first two or three days, these two haven't spoken a word to each other these past days.

Having stayed as a guest at Chen Wuji's place for over ten days, the once imposing Third Prince now seems like a completely different person. His skin is sallow, his eye sockets sunken, his lips covered with a white frost—he looks like a living person on the brink of death, as if he might breathe his last any moment.

"Third Prince, you need to perk up today—your reinforcements have arrived!" Chen Wuji said earnestly, "I'm a man of my word; as long as you meet my conditions, we'll definitely send you back safe and sound. As for… why you're not in good shape now, that's not really my fault."

"Your people are playing tricks with me, so I can only exert a little pressure on you; if it weren't for this arm of yours, I don't know when I'd get what I want."

Li Qichen gave Chen Wuji a listless, indifferent glance, "Your nonsense is too much. As a Prisoner of the Steps, I still have some self-awareness—being tormented to death or tortured to death is perfectly normal."

Chen Wuji clicked his tongue in amazement, "Your thinking is so clear? It's somewhat hard to believe. But I have a question: why did you keep this woman? Although she refused your marriage alliance, she risked danger to kidnap me to save you—that favor is no small thing."

"A lone man and woman sharing a room—you shouldn't be so calm about it!"

Chen Wuji, eager to indulge his own mischievous taste, was genuinely anxious.

As for morality.

It's a flexible issue; for now we don't need to consider it.

Even though both a man and a woman want him dead, he still considerately thinks about their feelings and their livelihood—this morality can be considered extremely noble.

"You really are boring!" Li Qichen glanced again, "If you're really that eager to see us two get together, I can actually let you watch."

"Never mind, I'm not interested now." Chen Wuji shook his head and muttered softly, "How do I feel like I've become a twisted, villainous mastermind? Maybe I'm just mistaken."

Chen Li cleared his throat and said solemnly, "The Family Head is doing this to Shìhòu them!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes!"

"Forget it; anyway, I didn't get to see the good show, so just say yes."

Just then, Hu Yuyan, who had been lowering her brows and eyes with no discernible expression, suddenly shouted, "Marquis Zhenyuan, I want to discuss terms with you."

"Speak!" Chen Wuji showed an interested expression.

That's somewhat rare.

After thinking for so long, Hu Yuyan actually came up with the idea to discuss terms with him.

"Please, Marquis Zhenyuan, find a quieter place." Hu Yuyan stared at Chen Wuji with eyes devoid of emotion, her tone calm and unhurried, yet likewise carrying a sense of a living person on the brink of death.

It's worth mentioning that, having recovered her original appearance, she is extremely beautiful.

Her features are graceful and lovely, her bearing dignified and grand—she fully lives up to the title of princess.

Chen Wuji stepped a few paces to the side and turned his head to look at Hu Yuyan.

Hu Yuyan hesitated a moment, then stepped forward and said, "This place isn't exactly quiet."

"As long as I keep away from that brat, anywhere here is quiet; having once kidnapped a woman, I don't have the gall to be alone with you in a room." Chen Wuji half‑joked, self‑mocking, "If you have something to say, make it quick—the scout reported earlier that your main army has already reached the border."

"After finally waiting for your supplies, I don't want to lose this great bounty because of a mere delay; if that happens, I'll surely blame you."

Hu Yuyan raised her eyebrows in astonishment, "You're truly shameless!"

Who exactly is wasting time?

Is it perhaps something else that's blathering on about nonsense over there?

"The Royal Court would never honestly hand over the things you want; sending the supplies is surely just a pretense—their real aim is to take advantage of the situation to attack you!" Hu Yuyan said.

"The Third Prince was indeed the emperor's favorite son originally, and many in the Royal Court supported his succession, but now he's a cripple—avenging him is more worthwhile than rescuing him."