Chapter 581

Translation...

We must not add any extra commentary.

Let's translate line by line.

The part Sir cannot understand is that Snake Staff Weng has made so many arrangements; just who is he scheming for? Chen Wuji asked.

Thus for the nickname "Snake Staff Elder" we will output the raw term in pinyin as "Snake Staff Weng"? Need to decide on spacing. Usually pinyin for a two-character surname? Actually "Snake Staff" consists of two characters, not a surname; it's a nickname. We could write "Snake Staff Weng". But we need to be consistent: maybe "Snake Staff Weng". However we could also write "She Zhang Weng"? But we should not include tone marks. Usually pinyin without tones: "Snake Staff Weng". Let's adopt that.

But we need to check if any other personal nicknames: Chen Wuji is listed in the glossary as Chen Wuji. Gu Wenjie is listed as Gu Wenjie. Zhe Chong is listed as Zhe Chong (though it's actually a title? In the glossary they have Zhe Chong -> Zhe Chong). Also Negotiation Colonel is listed as Negotiation Colonel. So we will use those.

According to the glossary: Tang Yu corresponds to Tang Prison; Wenjie corresponds to Wenjie; Fierce General corresponds to Fierce General; Negotiation Colonel corresponds to Negotiation Colonel; Emperor corresponds to Emperor; Strategist corresponds to Strategist; His Majesty the Emperor corresponds to His Majesty the Emperor; Nan Jun Jinglue Shi corresponds to Nan Jun Commander; Third Rank Official corresponds to Third Rank Official; Nan Jun corresponds to Nan Jun; Lingnan Six Commanderies corresponds to Lingnan Six Commanderies; Hezhou corresponds to Hezhou; Liu Jun corresponds to Liu Jun; Lingnan corresponds to Lingnan; San Guan Jun corresponds to San Guan Jun; Tianlao corresponds to Tianlao; Hongde City corresponds to Hongde City; Big Tent corresponds to Big Tent; Zi corresponds to Zi; Court corresponds to Court; Snake Staff corresponds to Snake Staff; and Bīngmǎ corresponds to the term for troops (with diacritics as Bīngmǎ).

Now we need to translate lines.

Let's go line by line.

The part Sir cannot understand is that Snake Staff Elder has made so many arrangements; just who is he scheming for? Chen Wuji asked.

Translate: "The part the master cannot understand is that Snake Staff Elder has made so many arrangements; just who is he scheming for?" Chen Wuji asked.

We need to keep quotes? The Chinese includes quotation marks around the spoken sentence. We should preserve them? The instruction: translate faithfully, never skip, summarise, or merge paragraphs. Keep punctuation. So we should keep the quotation marks as they are. So output: 【1】 "The part the master cannot understand is that Snake Staff Elder has made so many arrangements; just who is he scheming for?" Chen Wuji asked.

But we need to decide on "先生": master? Could be "Sir". In context, Xu Zengyi addressing Chen Wuji as "先生". Could translate as "Sir". But we need to be consistent. Usually "先生" as honorific for teacher or mister. Since Xu Zengyi is speaking to Chen Wuji, "Sir" works. Let's use "Sir". So: "The part Sir cannot understand is that Snake Staff Elder has made so many arrangements; just who is he scheming for?" Chen Wuji asked.

But we need to keep the quote marks around the spoken sentence. The Chinese has 「... 」 around the spoken sentence. We'll keep English double quotes.

Thus line 【1】: 【1】 "The part Sir cannot understand is that Snake Staff Elder has made so many arrangements; just who is he scheming for?" Chen Wuji asked.

Now check if we need to include the colon? No.

Xu Zengyi nodded, saying, "By rights, he should be doing all this in preparation for Gu Wenjie, but after dealing with this old and young pair for so long, I'm increasingly convinced that the Snake Staff Old Man isn't genuinely assisting Gu Wenjie; he must have another motive."

"But if there truly is someone else behind the Snake Staff Old Man, now would be the time for them to show themselves, yet we haven't seen any trace."

Chen Wuji's brain was also racing, but he really couldn't figure it out.

The Snake Staff Old Man's plans are meticulous, yet they appear rather chaotic.

The meticulous part lies in his complex, deeply hidden methods; yet such a deep scheme gives no hint of his ultimate goal, leaving people baffled.

"Since we can't see through it, let's just take it step by step," Chen Wuji said.

"Next, our army will attack the remaining prefectures of Nan Jun; even if the Snake Staff Old Man doesn't want these schemes to surface, he must take some countermeasures, otherwise all his painstaking calculations will come to nothing."

In the face of absolute military strength, these sneaky schemes of substituting the crown prince and replacing the peach with the apricot will have no effect; regardless of whether they are swapped, this beating must be endured first.

Xu Zengyi nodded, "That's fine, but my lord also needs to keep an eye out and not be careless."

"With you here, do I still need to worry about this?" Chen Wuji laughed.

Xu Zengyi chuckled, "My lord dare not place such high hopes on me; know that one's skills eventually run dry, and the Snake Staff Old Man is sinister and crafty—who knows when one might fall into his trap."

"How could you let that old thing's spirit get to you? Anyway, I have complete confidence in you." Chen Wuji rose, picked up the kettle gurgling and boiling on the tea stove, and poured Xu Zengyi a cup of tea.

Xu Zengyi shook his head with a wry smile, "If my lord says that, I'll feel pressured."

"Where does any pressure come from? By the way, you earlier said Guangyuan Prefecture lacks officials, and I just thought of something." Chen Wuji changed the subject, "His Majesty the Emperor previously wrote, planning to exile all those criminal officials from the Tianlao to Hezhou; can we make use of these officials?"

Xu Zengyi was dumbfounded again.

"Has the Emperor really done this?" he asked in disbelief.

"He really has, and if we calculate the time, the first batch of exiled officials should soon arrive in Hezhou," Chen Wuji said.

Xu Zengyi gave a helpless chuckle, "I suddenly find this world hard to comprehend—civil officials no longer speak of benevolence and righteousness, yet such vicious schemes can actually garner collective effort."

"The Emperor isn't even properly being an emperor, instead engaging in aiding the enemy—is this something an emperor could do? What on earth is he thinking? This…"

He didn't even know where to spit this old grudge—truly unimaginable.

Such a thing that could never happen actually appeared out of the blue.

"You shouldn't say that—I can't figure it out either," Chen Wuji laughed, "but after thinking, this doesn't seem to be a bad thing for us. As long as it's not bad, I don't care how the Emperor acts."

"How could this possibly be a bad thing!" Xu Zengyi said with sudden excitement, "In the past, those imprisoned in the Tianlao would certainly be corrupt officials; even if given to us for free, we wouldn't want them—pure waste of food and space."

"But nowadays, nine-tenths of those detained in the Tianlao are loyal officials, the pillars of the court. Moreover, the lowest rank held there is at least a third-rank official."

"This isn't exile; the Emperor is essentially sending officials to my lord—big officials capable of holding down a region!"

Having said this, Xu Zengyi's brows suddenly furrowed sharply, "My lord, could the Emperor have been driven mad by being forced by powerful ministers? He's not properly being an emperor, preparing to throw caution to the wind."

"But why would he smash the pot at my place?" Chen Wuji retorted.

"How great could my reputation be? I'm completely behind figures like Yang Yu and Lu Ping'an; even in the Lingnan Six Commanderies, I'd have to talk to each person individually before anyone might notice me."

"Back then, I even wondered if this damned emperor had some plot, wanting to send these officials to Hezhou to undermine me, but after thinking, it seems unnecessary to go to such trouble."

Xu Zengyi nodded, "That possibility is indeed small, but we should still guard against it a bit."

"These veteran officials are the mainstays of the court; they certainly have some pride, and may not easily submit. If my lord wishes to employ them, those beneath must be our own people."

Chen Wuji nodded, raised his teacup, and said, "First, let me offer you a cup of tea; tonight I'll welcome you and wash away the dust, celebrating your conquest of Guangyuan Prefecture with one hand and your forthcoming splendid achievements."

After this battle, Xu Zengyi's name will surely rise again in the great clamor of Da Yu.

With a lone ride into Guangyuan, in just a short month, he could turn clouds and rain with a flip of his hand, pacifying Guangyuan.

This achievement is worthy of being called splendid!

Xu Zengyi laughed and waved his hand, "My lord, please don't put this pressure on me—fame is burdensome. If possible, I'd like to quietly handle things for you."

"This is truly the ultimate humblebrag!" Chen Wuji exclaimed with a laugh.

Chen Li appeared at the entrance of the Big Tent at that moment, "Commander, Tang Yu has arrived!"

"Please come in!"

"Here!"

Xu Zengyi asked softly, "My lord, who is Tang Yu?"

He has been detached from Chen Wuji's central army for some time now, and many things remain unclear.

"The Negotiation Colonel stationed at Hongde City by Yang Yu." Chen Wuji first introduced Tang Yu, then told Xu Zengyi in detail about his alliance with Yang Yu, leaving no detail unmentioned.

Xu Zengyi pondered for a moment, then said, "My lord, I suspect Yang Yu has some reservations about us."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I've heard the name Tang Yu many times in relation to Hongde City, and I have a slight understanding of his achievements." Xu Zengyi said solemnly, "He can be considered Yang Yu's foremost fierce general; his role in recovering the San Guan Jun for Yang Yu is truly a feat of great merit."

"There are rumors that their private relationship is extremely close, like father and son."

Chen Wuji rubbed his brow with his hand, "Why couldn't it be to guard against Lu Ping'an?"

"Has my lord ever regarded Lu Ping'an as a threat?" Xu Zengyi countered without answering.

Chen Wuji said, "He certainly is—after all, he's the Nan Jun Jinglue Shi, commanding tens of thousands of Bīngmǎ and controlling more than half of Nan Jun's land; how could I not take him seriously?"

Xu Zengyi gave Chen Wuji a deep look, "My lord, I'm asking in earnest."

"The truth is, I have let him go, but I only give him ordinary attention." Chen Wuji laughed.

After his forceful troop buildup, Lu Ping'an no longer poses any threat.