The Slender Waist-Chapter 589 - 424: You Plot, I Scheme_2

"Don’t work so hard in the future."

The gentle and husky voice was easily intoxicating.

Feng Yun hummed in acknowledgment, "I have a sense of proportion."

Pei Jue quietly watched her, without saying anything further.

-

When Feng Yun and Pei Jue arrived at Shiguan, Hou Zhun had just returned with a group of his men.

Encountering each other at the city gates, his men saw that Feng Yun was injured yet still came personally; they felt both guilty and helpless. They looked down, their eyes averted, their faces the picture of dejection.

Feng Yun was expressionless, simply asking Hou Zhun,

"Were there any injuries or deaths?"

Hou Zhun’s gaze flickered as he apologized publicly.

"The enemy was numerous and well-prepared. Heeding the Princess’s instructions, at the crucial moment, we chose to save lives rather than wealth and took a shortcut to escape. A few brothers were injured, but no one died..."

He hesitated and then said, "Meeting fierce bandits with our mere ruffians, we have failed the trust of the Princess."

Feng Yun scanned the crowd with her eyes, then spoke indifferently.

"It’s just a batch of coal, Changmen can afford the loss. As long as everyone is safe, that’s all I need to know for my peace of mind."

Her expression and tone conveyed that her trip to Shiguan was not about the coal being robbed, but merely out of concern for them.

Hou Zhun’s fingers tensed slightly, he mumbled a few more apologies, and then led his men back to Huaxi.

He didn’t leave.

Accompanied by two guards, he followed Pei Jue and Feng Yun all the way to the Red Armor Army’s camp.

Only then did he speak softly to Feng Yun:

"I’ve fulfilled the mission. Madam, is your foot injury not serious?"

Feng Yun looked down at her injured foot and then at Hou Zhun’s expression, and laughed.

"The injury on the foot is real."

-

Ao Qi returned at nightfall.

The camp had just been lit with lanterns when he saw the two sitting in the hall. He paused for a moment, stepped forward to greet them, then frowned deeply and said:

"The Yecheng Army has withdrawn from Wenchang Palace and fallen back to Huali Ping..."

He looked tired and glanced at Feng Yun with a hint of guilt.

"We won the battle, but we were unable to retrieve the coal."

"If the coal is gone, then it’s gone. It’s good that we won. Xiaoqi, you’ve worked hard. Go fill your belly, change into some fresh clothes, and then we can talk."

Since leaving the previous night, Ao Qi had only nibbled on half a bread roll. Truly exhausted, hungry, and thirsty at the moment, he acknowledged Pei Jue with a fist salute.

"Your Majesty, please sit a while. I’ll take my leave for a moment."

Pei Jue hummed in acknowledgment, not saying much more, just giving Feng Yun a look that was growing increasingly stern...

He hadn’t said a word the whole time, waiting until the hall was empty before he spoke:

"How much of the coal was taken?"

Feng Yun wasn’t surprised he would ask.

After a moment of silence, she said, "Not much."

Pei Jue said, "Lady Yun, you made a bold bet this time."

Feng Yun looked into his eyes, "I’ve thought it through carefully. Counterfeiting the coal was the most critical part of the plan. First, I can’t bear the thought of providing the enemy with fuel in the dead of winter. Second, only if Li Zongxun seized the counterfeit goods could he struggle to exonerate himself before Zheng Shoushan. Even if he wanted to ease the situation, he couldn’t produce the real goods for compensation, further enraging Zheng Shoushan..."

-

Tangzhou, Shangtang City.

Li Zongxun sat in the hall, sipping tea with an expressionless face, while the water in the stove boiled, emitting a gurgling sound.

The room was comfortably warm, without a hint of cold air.

Half an hour ago, a subordinate had reported that the Yecheng Army had been defeated by Ao Qi’s Red Armor Army and had retreated to Huali Ping for reorganization.

After the defeat, Prime Minister Li, contrary to his usual behavior, didn’t utter a word of blame, and seemed to be in a rather good mood.

The subordinates were baffled, but Tang Shaogong had a clear understanding of the situation.

"This battle dampened the enemy’s morale, and though a defeat, it was still honorable. The next step is to prepare for winter. Prime Minister, are you not planning to engage the Northern Yong Army again?"

Li Zongxun chuckled and, looking at him, said, "It’s Shaogong who understands me."

Ever since he had effortlessly filled the national treasury in Yecheng through the sale of official appointments, Prime Minister Li had tasted the sweetness of effortless gain...

It is better to steal coal balls than to buy them.

He had Zheng Shoushan make indirect purchases.

While having men disguised as bandits to rob them.

Killing two birds with one stone.

As for this battle, it was merely a diversion to distract from the real movement of troops...

Ultimately, Li Zongxun was well aware that with Yecheng’s current strength, there was no certainty of winning a decisive battle against Xijing.

He had always advocated for keeping a low profile and biding his time; how could he lose his composure at such a critical moment?

So, he didn’t sincerely wish to fight.

Tang Shaogong saw his smug expression and lowered his eyes.

"Then should this batch of coal balls be sent to Chuzhou? Prime Minister, Yecheng needs graphite and coal balls even more than Chuzhou..."

Li Zongxun’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Yecheng is indeed short, but I had already agreed with Zheng Shoushan, not giving it to him would be hard to justify..."

Tang Shaogong’s eyes were pitch black, yet his voice was indifferent.

"In my opinion, we could negotiate with Master Zheng and allocate some to Yecheng. After all, with such a large quantity, getting through the winter should not be a problem..."

Li Zongxun was holding the tea cup and had not yet spoken when a Scout came running over hastily, with an anxious look, and knelt on one knee to report with a salute.

"Prime Minister, something bad has happened..."

Li Zongxun scolded lowly, "What’s the panic? What has happened?"

The Scout looked up, "Those coal balls, they’re not coal balls..."

Li Zongxun’s eyes widened in shock, and he stood up abruptly.

"What did you say? Say it again!"

The Scout’s tone was filled with tension, "The coal balls we seized are mixed with slag stones drenched in ink... only the outer layer in the boxes is real coal balls..."

Ink-drenched slag stones?

The batch ordered by Zheng Shoushan contained finished coal balls as well as semi-finished graphite.

After being drenched in ink, the slag stones turned pitch black, somewhat resembling graphite...

"Outrageous!" Li Zongxun’s face changed dramatically, and he grew furious immediately.

"Feng Shi Er Niang is wicked at heart!"

With a smack, he swept the tea cup to the ground, where it shattered into pieces.

Tang Shaogong silently glanced at the pieces, bent down to pick them up, and calmly soothed him, word by word.

"Prime Minister, please calm your anger. The urgent matter now is to inform Master Zheng of this, to avoid any misunderstanding..."

Li Zongxun, chest heaving with anger, was reminded by Shaogong and slowly settled down, closing his eyes.

"You say it was Shi Er Niang who mixed the slag stones, or was it those people at Huali Ping fooling me?"

Tang Shaogong hesitated for a moment, "It could be either."

Saying as if he hadn’t said anything, Li Zongxun looked unconvinced. Tang Shaogong pursed his lips slightly and added, "The business at Changmen is known for its reputation, I’m afraid it would be difficult for Master Zheng to accept the idea that Shi Er Niang is selling fake coal."