Chapter 516: Lu Ping'an's Intentions

This humble one, Shen Chai, has seen General Chen.

When the woman named Shen Chai saw Chen Wuji enter the side hall, her eyes seemed to fix on him, her gaze full of charm and heat, looking at him directly and boldly.

Chen Wuji waved his hand, "I'm not a general; I'm just a Provincial Soldier Captain now. Call me Captain, don't elevate my status; I don't like those empty titles."

If this woman hadn't said that, he would have almost forgotten about Lu Ping'an's old wall lamp, and without informing him, they gave him some sort of 'Suppressing Bandits General' title.

He definitely wouldn't accept that title.

He was still thinking about plucking some wool from the court; how could he possibly accept this utterly useless empty title and turn himself into a real rebel?

More importantly, it would also put Lu Ping'an's label on him, which would be even worse.

"Miss, my knowledge is shallow; in my eyes, a colonel is a general. Moreover..." Shen Chai smiled lightly, "In this world, there should be few colonels who command ten thousand troops; anyway, in my humble view, anyone who leads ten thousand troops is a great general."

"You only have this much insight; how did Lu Ping'an drag you out of your house to be an envoy?" Chen Wuji sat in the main seat, "Just say why you came; don't flaunt your insight before me—I can see your insight is indeed lacking, so don't embarrass yourself."

Shen Chai was choked badly.

She had never met such an unromantic man before.

In the commandery, any man who had contact with her would bow down under her pomegranate skirt, willingly serving her as an ox or horse.

Perhaps we just met; chatting a few more sentences should fix it.

Shen Chai thought this, quickly adjusted her posture, letting the charm in her expression become more natural, then she said with a smile, "General Chen, why be so impatient? Let's talk slowly about the matter; how about I ask you for a cup of drink and we chat while drinking?"

"Are you free? But I'm busy. So if you have any gas, just let it out quickly—I don't have any good wine to share with you!" Chen Wuji retorted without mercy.

This dead woman is still pulling this act in front of him, as if he's never tasted any good dishes.

With her affected, artificial charm, Qin Zhanhong could overwhelm her with just a glance.

Innate charm and affected charm are fundamentally different.

It's not an exaggeration to say there's a heaven-and-earth gap between them.

Someone who hasn't seen this before, upon looking, would go 'Wow, so alluring, I can't take it!'

But Chen Wuji, after being repeatedly toyed with and trained by Qin Zhanhong, frankly speaking, he's almost sick of this stuff and now leans more toward purity.

Shen Chai was completely dumbfounded.

This scoundrel man, is he really impervious to persuasion?

She took a deep breath and decided to change her approach.

She retracted the deliberate charm in her demeanor, her gaze turning serious; Shen Chai straightened her posture and said, "Since General Chen is busy, I'll make it brief."

Actually, I've never served as an envoy; before coming to Hezhou, I was just an ordinary woman. My family has old ties with Lu Jinglve, so he entrusted me to come see General Chen.

I know the general and Lu Jinglve had some unpleasantness before, but in my view, these are just minor squabbles; the general shouldn't hold a grudge.

Chen Wuji looked up and saw Yan Qiushui appear at the side door, gesturing for her to bring two cups of tea.

Although he disliked this woman intensely, as the host he still had to offer a cup of tea as courtesy; otherwise he'd seem petty.

When Yan Qiushui entered carrying the tray, Shen Chai's eyes once again fixed on her.

After a comparison, she suddenly understood why Chen Wuji disliked her manner.

It turns out he's been eating this well all along.

No wonder Lu Ping'an repeatedly said Chen Wuji is fond of beauty, telling her to put more effort in this area.

Before leaving, Shen Chai had thought Chen Wuji's liking for beauty was merely liking whoever he saw, but seeing Yan Qiushui now, she realized his taste had a certain standard.

Thinking this, when Yan Qiushui came over with the tray, Shen Chai immediately rose, bowed, and said, "Shen Chai greets the lady; thank you for personally bringing me tea."

Yan Qiushui was stunned, quickly saying, "You've mistaken me, sir; I'm not the lady, just a maid in the colonel's residence."

Shen Chai froze, her face turning red and somewhat dark.

Is this a maid?

With such bearing and demeanor, a maid?!

Flustered for a while, Shen Chai gave an awkward laugh and sat down.

She suddenly felt that Lu Ping'an spends his days eating coarse grain.

Look at Chen Wuji's meals.

If the maids are this lovely and graceful, what must the lady be like—a heavenly beauty?

Looks are innate, but temperament must be cultivated.

Chen Wuji stared speechlessly at Shen Chai, "Miss Shen, as an envoy, couldn't you have a bit more composure? You keep spacing out when speaking; your perception is terrible."

Shen Chai suddenly felt like dying.

Is this scoundrel's mouth poisoned?

Forcing herself to steady her shaken mind, Shen Chai put on what she thought was a natural smile and softly said, "I mistook the general's maid for the lady of the manor; I'm a bit embarrassed..."

"Don't be embarrassed, just speak." Chen Wuji cut her off, "Lu Ping'an sent you here—what exactly do you want? If you keep babbling, I'll send your head back to Lu Ping'an."

Shen Chai was genuinely startled by Chen Wuji's words.

She knew Chen Wuji really dared to do that.

Because he'd done it before; doing it again a second time would be no problem.

"Lu Jinglve wants to cooperate with General Chen to seize San Guan Jun!" Shen Chai, not daring to be presumptuous, hurriedly stated plainly the purpose Lu Ping'an had sent her for.

First pacify this hot-tempered man; other matters can come later.

"Lu Ping'an wants to attack San Guan Jun?" Chen Wuji frowned slightly.

Among the Lingnan Six Commanderies, besides Nan Jun, the only one he's familiar with is San Guan Jun.

It is Nan Jun's southern neighbor and currently a barrier in front of Nan Jun.

At this critical juncture, Lu Ping'an actually wants to attack San Guan Jun.

Has his brain been squeezed by a door, or is he colluding with the Qiang people to launch a pincer attack on San Guan Jun, even trying to drag him in?

This bastard; calling him a dog is not an exaggeration at all.

Shen Chai gave a slight nod, "Yes, Lu Jinglve indeed means that. San Guan Jun is suspected of leaning toward the Qiang people; Lu Jinglve worries that if San Guan Jun is completely destroyed, it will affect Nan Jun, so he decided to send troops to San Guan Jun, first to resolve the internal troubles there, and then to keep the Qiang people outside San Guan Jun."

Chen Wuji: ……