Chapter 750: To Give the Emperor an Eye-Opening Experience

Qian Fugui is a very stylish young master.

This is the first impression countless people have of Qian Fugui: an outstanding temperament and an easygoing manner.

But as soon as anyone gets a little closer, they instantly discard that impression.

This guy, to Chen Wuji, feels like a slippery loach that's hard to hold.

Sometimes he's despicable to the point of death, sometimes recklessly brave, and sometimes like a petty villain.

Once familiar, few can see any solemnity or dignity in him.

They simply don't exist.

A general of an army, in front of so many people, acted coquettishly toward Chen Wuji.

Who could do that?

Even Qin Zhanhong wouldn't dare!

But Qian Fugui not only did it, he did it completely naturally.

"Speak properly, or I'll break your teeth!" Chen Wuji warned helplessly; this guy's few words gave him goosebumps.

Those around, including Chen Wu Yin, burst into laughter.

Qian Fugui remained calm: "My lord's love is deep, his reproof profound; as deputy general, I am moved."

"Shut up!" Chen Wuji shouted.

He really couldn't take it anymore.

"Yes!" Qian Fugui straightened his body, puffed out his chest, and spoke loudly.

Chen Wuji glanced, then stepped into the prince's residence.

After turning the screen wall, the courtyard was deep as the sea.

At the front stood a great hall named Bearing Fortune.

Before the hall, coiled‑dragon gold pillars rose two zhang four chi; their bases were carved from a single slab of Qing Tian stone into lotus pedestals.

In the center of the caisson hung a seven‑treasure glazed lamp; beneath it, a sandalwood table carved with chi dragons bore the imperial prince's golden register.

This sight gave Chen Wuji a slight shock.

In Songzhou, Yu Ren could stir up such a scene, showing his ability.

This prince's residence looks like it was prepared for his imperial ambitions; everything is properly arranged.

Even more outrageous, he forged the imperial prince's golden register.

This thing ought to give his pen friend far away in the capital an eye‑opening experience.

"Take down that golden register, put it in a box, and wait till I have time to show it off to His Majesty the Emperor!" Chen Wuji said with a grin, "What talent, truly a talent!"

Xu Zengyi asked, puzzled: "Songzhou is poor; where did Yu Ren get all this gold and silver? With such a prince's residence, he even sends gold and silver to the Qiang people—I really can't imagine where he gets the silver."

"Songzhou does have a gold mine, but Yu Ren seems unaware of it."

Hu Bu Gui said: "Sir, perhaps you've forgotten—Yu Ren's troops don't consume silver. Apart from the three guards, the rest of the units bring their own rations, and even have to offer gold and silver to Yu Ren; in other words, the entire populace of Songzhou supports Yu Ren and his three guards."

"Exactly, exactly." Xu Zengyi nodded in realization.

"Sucking the lifeblood of the whole populace just for a prince's residence, the three guards, and his dream of becoming emperor—this guy is truly addle‑headed."

"Without the people, what kind of emperor could he even claim to be?"

Chen Wuji walked slowly inward, saying: "This is our view, but in Yu Ren's opinion it's probably not so; perhaps he shares the same view as the Qiang people."

"In the Qiang people's eyes, the folk of Lingnan Six Commanderies are just their wild pasture; they round up a batch this year, and in a few years another batch will stubbornly regrow on this land."

"But he's still an idiot!" Xu Zengyi shook his head.

"What he's doing is essentially exterminating the populace, leaving them no chance to breathe; no matter how tenacious they are, they likely have no room to survive."

Chen Wuji nodded: "Indeed, he's an idiot; the people aren't weeds on a wasteland."

"We govern by letting the people rest and recuperate; their strength is hard to restore quickly. If his methods succeeded, we wouldn't need to do anything at all."

"Yu Ren is ambitious and capable, but frankly he's just a petty man with underhanded tactics; the trouble is, dealing with such an opponent is extremely difficult."

Those on all sides nodded in agreement.

"My lord need not worry; all we need do is hold Zhuque City. Yu Ren can only bark madly; he cannot do anything, and he has no chance to capture this city!" Xu Zengyi said confidently.

When Chen Wuji gave up attacking and switched to defending, this old man suddenly brimmed with confidence, as if he completely disregarded the alliance of Yu Ren and the Qiang people.

"Fugui!" Chen Wuji called out.

Qian Fugui hurried forward, "My lord!"

"You said the servants in this residence are still here, right? Go ahead and prepare a banquet; today we've entered the city, a rare moment of leisure—I'll set out drinks for everyone." Chen Wuji ordered.

"Yes sir!"

After arranging the evening feast, the officers dispersed.

They still needed to find lodging, station the troops, and set up camp defenses.

Upon first entering Zhuque City, they still had much to attend to.

When idle, it was probably just Chen Wuji and Xu Zengyi.

However, Xu Zengyi also left with the crowd, wanting to stroll the streets to observe local customs.

He was sure to stay with Chen Wuji, but he wasn't picky about lodging; he simply asked Chen Li to find a courtyard and tidy it up.

Chen Wuji later wandered the entire prince's residence, broadening his horizons, then arranged for the rear quarters to be cleaned and had Qin Zhanhong and Lu Wanwan settled there first.

The prince's residence is huge; Chen Wuji spent over an hour just walking through it all.

After looking around, he chose the Lotus Garden as his office for handling affairs.

The Bearing Fortune Hall is too vast and empty; Chen Wuji doesn't like it.

The Lotus Garden is exquisite and delicate, with little bridges and flowing water everywhere, lotus blossoms encircling it, and the rear garden even has a few hot springs—quite nice. According to the servants, this is a garden Yu Ren specially made for admiring lotuses; of equal standing are the Plum Garden and a Bamboo Garden.

This bastard caused the people's families to be destroyed and left them homeless, yet he seems to enjoy it quite a bit.

Chen Wuji entered He Yuan and ordered his documents to be moved in.

At that moment, Qian Fugui hurried over, saying, "My lord, should we arrange for the servants of He Yuan to come in?"

"Arrange it." Chen Wuji said offhandedly, staring at the carp that had swarmed up at his feet because someone was coming.

If there are servants, use them if they can be used.

It's better than having Chen Wuyi and the others do everything.

Qian Fugui gave a mysterious smile and then vanished in a puff of smoke.

A perfectly good military commander, when not on the battlefield, shows no trace of a great general's bearing.

He's simply a lackey.

People like to call someone like him a slanderous minister.

Not long after, Qian Fugui personally led a large group of women over.

Each wearing light gauze and thin skirts, with graceful poses, one could tell at a glance that they had been carefully selected.

Looking around, they were all lively beauties, basically around twenty years old.

"He Yuan has this many servants?" Chen Wuji asked, frowning.

Qian Fugui stepped forward and replied, "My lord, He Yuan is different from other courtyards; the servants are indeed somewhat more numerous."