Chapter 766: People's Hearts Divided

The messenger, covered in dust and bearing the battlefield's iron-blood killing aura, strode in.

"Greetings, my lord. General Hu has an urgent military report to present!"

He bowed, clasped his fists, and quickly took from his bosom the military report written by Hu Bu Gui.

Seeing that the military report was personally written by Hu Bu Gui, Chen Wuji's slightly tightened spirit instantly relaxed; the fact that the chief general had leisure to file a report showed it was not a plea for help.

Chen Wuji received the military report and broke the seal.

"On the ninth day of the first month, we met Yu Ren's vanguard army at Station Horse Slope. Their soldiers were sallow and thin, most walking lightly and staggering; when they encountered our troops, most fled in panic, while a few tried to resist by self-immolation—we killed them, beheading over a thousand."

"Afterward, following my interrogation, Yu Ren's troops have had no grain issued for several days straight; the soldiers eat wild greens and gnaw bark, struggling onward. In recent days, his army has erupted in several camp howls, and Yu Ren himself narrowly escaped being killed."

"Deputy General requests permission to temporarily halt the advance and observe developments. Yu Ren's army has long been without provisions; the soldiers live in fear day by day, and most have already awakened from A Furong's control, bearing great hatred toward Yu Ren. Within a few days, his forces may collapse from within."

Chen Wuji picked up his brush and wrote the character for 'approved'.

Without provisions, the more followers Yu Ren has gathered, the fiercer any uprising will be.

Hu Bu Gui's judgment is sound; simply observing the situation is the right course.

Taking advantage of the grain shortage, perhaps we can wean those followers off A Furong's influence and return them to normal life.

With tens of thousands of people, the number of captives will certainly not be small; we cannot simply bury them all alive.

They are merely common folk deluded by Yu Ren, not Qiang people; Chen Wuji worries, but truly cannot bring himself to kill them all.

If those tens of thousands were slaughtered, the northern part of Songzhou might truly become a hundred-li stretch without a soul.

While Chen Wuji was reading the military report, Zhang Xiuer sat quietly beside him, eyes straight ahead.

Only after Chen Wuji finished these tasks and returned the report to the scout did she left‑hand pinch her cuff, right‑hand lift the wine cup, and pour him another drink, saying, "Brother Wuji, I still have no place to stay in Zhuque City—would living here be inconvenient?"

Chen Wuji frowned slightly at the question, and his mood instantly soured.

She had lied again.

"What's inconvenient about staying here?" Chen Wuji countered.

"His Majesty the Emperor sent you to see me; regardless of any other relationship between us, staying here poses no problem—this Rui Wang Fu is spacious, so there's nothing to worry about."

Trying to advance by retreating?

Such a shallow trick—how could Chen Wuji let her have her way?

"I fear there may be gossip," Zhang Xiuer whispered.

Chen Wuji laughed lightly and said bluntly, "Everyone here is my people—what gossip could there be? Just live here in peace. Although Zhuque City is safer than the outside, it is still a time of rising winds and clouds, with fickle hearts and no shortage of wrongdoers."

Zhang Xiuer pursed her lustrous lips, gave a slight nod, and said, "I will follow as you wish."

"You should just follow along; it's you who doesn't want to reveal our relationship, not me. Here the mountains are high and the emperor far away—don't worry so much. Even if he found out, what could he do to me?" Chen Wuji spoke these words arrogantly and with great confidence.

But now he indeed possesses such qualifications.

Imperial authority does not reach Lingnan—that's an old almanac.

And now Chen Wuji can rightly be called one of the hegemons of Lingnan and a feudal lord.

With nearly two hundred thousand elite troops and fierce generals as numerous as clouds, he is more than capable of standing firm—facing north toward Zhongyuan from Nan Jun, looking south to the various Qiang peoples and commanderies, and even farther to Shendu.

He used to be merely reactive to enemies, but now he has absolute confidence to take the initiative against them.

"Eleventh Uncle, arrange a courtyard for Miss Xiu Er and move all her attendants in!" Chen Wuji gave the order, rose, and said, "Miss Xiu Er, we'll talk again tonight—I still have some matters."

Zhang Xiuer promptly rose obediently, gave a gentle salute, and said, "Brother Wuji, go ahead and attend to your affairs."

"Hmm."

Chen Li instructed someone to arrange a courtyard for Zhang Xiuer, then quickly caught up with Chen Wuji's pace.

Leaving He Yuan, Chen Wuji turned a corner and entered the bamboo garden where Xu Zengyi lived.

This garden, with too many bamboo plants, is somewhat gloomy.

The few rooms are hidden within the bamboo grove; you won't notice them unless you go inside.

Yet this place also seems to be a favorite haunt of literati; their poems are scattered everywhere, and Yu Ren clearly enjoys saving face—he often organizes gatherings of scholars.

Surrounded by bamboo, the courtyard paved with fine gravel, Xu Zengyi held wine in his left hand and a scroll in his right, reading intently; whenever inspired, he softly recited a couplet.

"This place truly befits a master; it instantly brings to mind the words 'high person'!"

Chen Wuji entered slowly, picked up a few plums from the table, tucked them in his hand, and sat down on a side bamboo chair.

Crack!

One bite in, his mouth instantly twisted with sourness: "Master, this side dish is a bit overbearing—only an extraordinary person could tolerate it."

Xu Zengyi chuckled lightly, "My lord calls me a high person, so this pairing ought to be out of the ordinary. In fact, this goes well with wine—it truly is excellent; the wine neutralizes the plum's sourness, leaving a sweet aftertaste."

Chen Wuji dumped all the plums onto the bamboo table, saying, "Don't try to fool me—I don't believe it!"

"How dare I deceive my lord? It's truly the case."

"Since you're a high person, you should be the one to drink like this; I'd rather just eat some dishes."

Xu Zengyi smiled, set down his scroll, and asked, "My lord seems to have something on his mind."

Chen Wuji nodded, "You truly deserve the title of master—I really do have a small matter on my mind."

"Is it about Miss Xiu Er?" Xu Zengyi asked.

Chen Wuji glanced over and said, "Master, your information is quite well‑informed."

"I had originally wanted to see my lord to discuss garrisoning and governing Songzhou's lands, but the guard told me a lady named Xiu Er had arrived, so I came back to read." Xu Zengyi said.

Chen Wuji nodded, "Then let's first discuss the urgent matters; we'll talk about Zhang Xiuer later."

"It's better to settle whatever worries my lord has first." Xu Zengyi advised, "When worries lodge in the heart, big or small, they inevitably leave one feeling uneasy."

Chen Wuji let out a light sigh, "I actually never wanted to associate her with those ulterior‑motived people; this woman, I've known her since early on, and her experiences have been somewhat tortuous."

"I don't want unwilling things, yet now it seems to be developing exactly toward the situation I don't wish to see—she entered the city today and immediately met the people of Bu Yi Alley, but she didn't reveal a word to me."

Xu Zengyi listened attentively, and after Chen Wuji finished, he slowly asked, "My lord, what degree of loyalty to the Emperor do you think Miss Xiu Er possesses?"

"Ninety percent!"

Since loyalty can be discerned, people's hearts now have their leanings.