Chapter 282: with translation of chapter title

Qin Zhanhong's face flushed suddenly. "You last night... seemed to have taken a wrong turn."

Chen Wuji:?

This is impossible?!

How could something like this end up on a different road?

Qin Zhanhong flushed, face and ears red, and waved his hand. "It's fine, don't worry about it—I'm just a bit uncomfortable. Maybe I'm mistaken."

Chen Wuji stared blankly at Qin Zhanhong's long legs. "Maybe it's just a muscle strain from posture. Taking a wrong turn—that sounds really unlikely."

This is the only possibility he could think of.

"Alright, alright, no need to worry about it." Qin Zhanhong hurriedly interrupted Chen Wuji, looking furtive, afraid anyone would hear.

When it's just the two of them, Qin Zhanhong can be as wild as he likes, but with others present he's even shyer than Huo Sanniang.

Chen Wuji, however, was uneasy: "Don't keep feeding me moves; let's talk later. You're already like this—why are you still thinking about giving me more moves? Let me massage you; I know a bit of medicine, it might help."

"No need, I'm really fine—just a bit awkward." Qin Zhanhong said.

"If something were wrong, I'd definitely tell you—I'm not the type to suffer in silence and just go along with things, being all awkward."

Chen Wuji thought the same, so he gave up trying to persuade him, sat down beside Qin Zhanhong, and asked, "You've been in Yunan City for so long—have you gathered any information about the various factions there, like Hengtong Business Business Business?"

Qin Zhanhong shook his head. "Just dealing with the Zhang family has me overwhelmed—where would I get the manpower or energy to investigate others? What's wrong with Hengtong Business Business Business? A single merchant house couldn't possibly be in big trouble, could it?"

Chen Wuji thought to himself, I don't know if it's a big deal, but they can casually muster a thousand troops.

If we talk about real strength, the Zhang family would probably have to humbly play the junior brother in front of them.

"It's not a big deal—I just sold the Guoyi Commandant to the son of Hengtong Business Business Business." Chen Wuji said.

Qin Zhanhong snapped his head around, eyes widening. "No, are you crazy? The Guoyi Commandant—how could you just sell it to anyone? You're selling official positions, which could get you beheaded."

"But he offered a price of 100,000 dan of grain—I really couldn't refuse." Chen Wuji said.

"Yunan is short on grain; the supply issue will inevitably become the top priority going forward. Hengtong Business Business Business's willingness to lend a hand at this time is rare—everything is premised on winning the battle at hand."

"By the way, as far as I know, Hengtong Business Business Business can also muster a thousand able-bodied fighters!"

Qin Zhanhong's features twisted together; though still handsome, he looked grave. "A merchant house easily mustering a thousand able-bodied fighters? Is it a business or a rebel army?"

"Who knows? Anyway, they've always been honestly doing business." Chen Wuji said.

Actually, the Chen clan is pretty much the same.

If the various branches win people's hearts, not only a thousand but even two thousand able-bodied fighters could be mustered.

Qin Zhanhong furrowed his brow, lost in thought, then suddenly asked, "You just asked if I had information on other factions in Yunan City—are there more powers like Hengtong Business Business Business?"

Chen Wuji nodded. "Yunan City is a mix of good and bad; such powers are not few."

Will they hinder your upcoming military operations?

It's uncertain, but there are plenty here who disguise their ambitions as passivity.

I've been replenishing my forces lately and am taking a temporary rest; I'll send people to investigate this. Qin Zhanhong made a swift decision.

Chen Wuji didn't stand on ceremony with her, just teasingly asked, "Does this count as using public resources for private gain?"

"Not at all—I stayed behind to resist the Qiang people; I already reported this to the Emperor, who approved it." Qin Zhanhong gave a faint smile. "As my man, I've already let you use what I have—what's wrong with letting you use a bit of my strength in secret?"

Chen Wuji coughed twice from being rebuked—this remark...

Beautiful!

He just likes this kind of crude and direct manner.

Qin Zhanhong slung his arm over Chen Wuji's shoulder, looked left and right, gave a heh laugh, and said softly, "From now on, perform well—you use it more, I'll use it more. After all, we're the Imperial City Department; letting the Imperial City Department long-term assist the Military Office will also bring me trouble."

Chen Wuji couldn't help but laugh. "Is this not earnest enough?"

"Hmm… that's enough; keep it up, and if you can be more earnest, even better." Qin Zhanhong's cheeks flushed subtly, his earlobes glistening like pink gems.

Chen Wuji laughed and agreed, made a couple of jokes, then steered the conversation back: "Getting back to the point, I'll send people to contact those factions in the city for now; keep your forces focused on gathering intelligence, don't alert them. If they unite, it'll be big trouble for us."

Okay!

Qin Zhanhong acknowledged, paused, then said, "Selling that office was a good deal—I won't say more; the court won't find out. Now that I'm a married woman, I naturally have to look out for myself a bit."

Still, we need to be extra cautious in case they have other motives. These local magnates I've dealt with—none are truly obedient; from the moment they raise their own retinue, their aims aren't pure.

"Of course, I wasn't referring to you and your group." She added belatedly.

Chen Wuji laughed: "What if I also have ulterior motives?"

"Don't ask me such profound questions—I don't understand these things; I'm just a woman who knows how to wield blades and spears." Qin Zhanhong flicked his hand, walked to a nearby open space, drew his long sword, and said, "Come, let's exchange moves."

Chen Wuji's gaze deepened, he smiled and picked up a broadsword.

She knows full well.

It's just that this is hard to say, and also a bit premature.

Chen Wuji and Qin Zhanhong sparred for about half an hour; afterward, Xu Zengyi sent Licentiate Yuan in to tell Chen Wuji that he had woken up and could pack up and leave early, so Chen Wuji took a bath and had breakfast with Xu Zengyi.

After the meal, Chen Wuji's group headed back into the mountains.

On the way, Chen Wuji took a moment to tell Xu Zengyi about Qian Fugui again, seeking his opinion.

Xu Zengyi bluntly said this was a good thing, then gave his reason: "The Qian family has long wanted to return to the ranks of the aristocracy; these years they've exerted considerable influence in the Nan Jun officialdom, throwing around huge sums of silver each year. But the Qian clan's case was mentioned by the late emperor in his last edict—who would be blind enough to touch that poisoned chalice?"

Chen Wuji:...

"So I'm the blind one?!" He instantly felt terrible.