The Slender Waist-Chapter 590 - 425: Every Move Forcing the Enemy

When Li Zongxun was in a state of frantic disarray up at Shangtang, Feng Yun followed Pei Jue to observe the Red Armor Army training in the grand military camp.

Pei Jue came to inspect the camp, and Ao Qi along with the soldiers of the Red Armor Army were all keen to put on a show of strength, but Pei Jue only briefly observed a few troop formations before ordering them to rest.

Some of them had just returned from the battlefield, and he did not wish to tire them further...

Hou Zhun watched with great interest, even feeling somewhat unsatisfied when it ended.

Having fought against the Northern Yong Army for nearly a year, close contact inevitably gave rise to the desire to probe deeper.

Pei Jue made no secret of their methods, just as he had allowed Wen Xingsu to tour the campsite before, he shared everything with Hou Zhun openly.

Feng Yun watched from the side, always finding this move quite unusual, yet she could not pinpoint the reason.

Did Prince Pei truly regard Hou Zhun as one of his own?

In Pei Jue’s presence, she smiled and said, "When we return to Huaxi, General Hou could also ’draw a gourd from the model’ and train the Meiling troops..."

Hou Zhun laughed heartily, "If the Princess doesn’t mind, I shall certainly follow orders."

He agreed cheerfully, but Pei Jue looked at him with an intense gaze.

Feng Yun’s eyes met his in midair, and her eyebrows lifted inadvertently, "Does the Prince disapprove?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Pei Jue said, "I do not interfere in your affairs."

Feng Yun gave a shallow smile.

This man truly said one thing and meant another; he claimed not to interfere, but his expression clearly showed that he was worried about her...

-

The setting sun dipped below the horizon.

The carriage traveled until sunset before finally hurrying back to Huaxi.

Feng Yun felt as if she were about to fall apart from the hasty journey, and with injuries on her body, she was very tired.

The maids prepared water, and just as she was about to wash up and rest, Ren Rude returned to the village with Jin Ge.

When they encountered bandits, Hou Zhun sent a small detachment to escort Ren Rude away first, and then they got separated.

Upon meeting again, the originally refined and scholar-like Mister Ren’s clothes were disheveled, his hair unkempt, and even the well-maintained beard on his chin seemed to have gathered dust, looking dusty...

Feng Yun received him in the guest hall, dispensing with pleasantries and straight to the point.

"Why has Mister Ren returned at this hour? Is there any news of the coal shipments?"

Ren Rude sighed, lifted his sleeve to salute, his expression revealing a restrained stiffness mingled with anger.

"I have failed the trust of the Princess. The coal was plundered, and there has been no news of it to this day..."

The smile on Feng Yun’s face visibly faded at a perceptible speed.

She fixed her gaze on Ren Rude.

She stared so intently that he began to feel uneasy, before she finally sighed.

"It is fortunate that Mister Ren returned safely, without falling into the hands of bandits. There is no need for self-reproach."

Losing such a large shipment of coal, her broad-mindedness made Ren Rude admire her even more...

Not to mention the womenfolk, even men in the business world would flare up over such matters...

Yet Feng Yun quickly regained her composure and considerately inquired.

"Judging by Mister Ren’s appearance... you are not hurt, right? Shall I send for Doctor Yao to have a look?"

"It’s nothing serious," Ren Rude replied, his gaze lowered and sighing.

"This time, I almost didn’t make it back. Thankfully, Jin Ge and the others protected me with their lives. I wasn’t injured; I just took a fall on the way back and ended up quite disheveled, causing the Princess some amusement."

Feng Yun’s eyes swept over Jin Ge, who stood behind Ren Rude, nonchalantly.

His arm was bandaged with torn strips of cloth, appearing to be injured.

Without changing her expression, she gently shook the teacup in her hand and asked:

"Does Mister Ren have any idea about the origins of these bandits?"

Ren Rude had pondered this question repeatedly on the road and immediately responded upon hearing it:

"Based on what I observed, could it be linked to the Yecheng Army causing trouble at Wenchang Palace?"

Feng Yun had been waiting for him to say this.

She looked surprised for a moment, then slowly asked with hesitation, "Zheng Shoushan is a trusted confidant of Li Zongxun; he would have no reason to rob his own people."

Ren Rude sneered lightly, "Before the goods reach Zheng Shoushan’s hands, they are not his, but belong to Changmen..."

Feng Yun nodded as if enlightened, "But wouldn’t that still offend Zheng Shoushan? Bandits causing trouble within Chuzhou and stealing goods purchased by the Military Governor—it’s Zheng’s reputation at stake too..."

Ren Rude scoffed scornfully, "The Princess should not forget, this deal was done in secret, unbeknownst to others; Zheng Shoushan won’t lose face. Besides, who’s to say he wasn’t in cahoots with Li Zongxun?"

"In cahoots?" Feng Yun mused.

Ren Rude said, "Li Zongxun steals the goods, and with the Princess bound by the deposit accepted from Zheng Shoushan, and your high regard for promises, if Zheng seeks compensation, won’t you have to replenish the goods? Paying the price of one shipment for two, indeed a well-played move..."

Perhaps because the fall was too harsh, Ren Rude left no room for speaking on behalf of Li Zongxun or Zheng Shoushan and seemed almost to be grinding his teeth...

Feng Yun was silent, contemplating him for a moment.

"If it is as Mister Ren says, then don’t blame me for turning my face and refusing to recognize anyone."

Ren Rude choked up.

In a moment of loose lips, he had confirmed what he said.

This little lady is quite formidable.

She appears unassuming,

but in reality, every move she makes is oppressive.

Ren Rude relaxed his expression a bit, "The above is just my speculation, and cannot be taken as fact. We still need to wait for the truth to be clarified before making a final judgment."

Feng Yun seized the opportunity and, with a straight face, seriously said, "Then I must trouble Mr. Ren to send a message to Chuzhou to inquire of my cousin-in-law Zheng Shoushan, whether the goods were truly lost on Chuzhou’s territory, and whether the thief can be found or not?"

She paused, then hinted meaningfully.

"Mr. Ren, since you have saved his life, I assume he will not burn his bridges and trap you in an unjust situation, right?"

Ren Rude once again felt a lump in his throat, as if it were clogged with fluff.

The connection with Zheng Shoushan was one he had made, originally to ingratiate himself with Feng Yun and draw closer to her.

He was the intermediary, relying on his own reputation. Now that something had gone wrong, and it had happened in Chuzhou, who could he turn to if not to himself?

Ren Rude, caught between a rock and a hard place, could only bite the bullet and bow with his hands together, "Exactly. I ask the Princess to grant me some leeway to see how they will explain themselves."

-

When Zheng Shoushan of Chuzhou received the news from Li Zongxun that the coal balls had been faked, his reaction was exactly the same as what Tang Shaogong had said.

Flying into a rage.

He simply would not believe it.

There was no real affection between him and Li Zongxun to begin with, nor a solid trust established, relying solely on geographical relations and the mediation of Li Zongxun’s cousin-in-law Ge Pei.

Essentially, Zheng Shoushan’s Chuzhou Army was still a warlord faction.

As the cold front approached and Chuzhou faced a resource shortage, the difficulties became increasingly glaring.

Before Dajin was divided, Chuzhou could trade with various places and would not have its trade routes cut off by the Red Armor Army. Never before this year had they faced such pinching poverty.

Therefore, the line that Ren Rude connected for him, allowing him to obtain high-quality coal balls from Changmen, was like sending charcoal in snowy weather, something he was eagerly seeking.

Li Zongxun’s shameless "clever plan" initially did not receive Zheng Shoushan’s approval, but due to face, he did not explicitly object, only making it clear that he did not want the action to take place on Chuzhou’s territory. If they were to pull a stunt, it would have to be on Xijing’s turf...

Li Zongxun naturally agreed right away.

Yet, even though he dispatched a large army to harass the border, his men still couldn’t find the opportunity to cross over to Wenjing Palace’s territory to rob Changmen’s merchandise.

In the end, without any other options, he took action after the goods were delivered to Chuzhou...

From this point on, Zheng Shoushan was already livid.

But on second thought, as long as the coal balls arrived, resolving Chuzhou’s urgent needs, he was willing to let bygones be bygones...

Who would believe that the coal balls were faked?

"Li the old thief, what a vicious scheme," he said.

At this juncture, there was no need for others to stir up trouble; Zheng Shoushan could come up with countless conjectures all by himself.

"Chuzhou borders Wenchang, he must be wary of me, afraid that I would defect to Xijing, and thus took this opportunity to profit. Not only did he swallow my coal, but he also made me harbor resentment against Feng Shi Er Niang, cutting off my path to Xijing..."

He huffed heavily as he spoke.

"Maybe, he will even feign goodwill and offer some of the coal from the stolen shipment as a gesture of appeasement..."

Before Zheng Shoushan could finish speaking, a subordinate reported.

"Reporting to the Military Governor, the Prime Minister has sent two carriages of coal balls through an intermediary, claiming to be the remainder from the shipment..."

This was a decision Li Zongxun had made after much pondering.

The coal balls Feng Yun used for show, when gathered together, just happened to fill two carriages.

In order to avoid animosity with Zheng Shoushan, he did not keep a single one to himself and had them all sent to Chuzhou, accompanied by a letter elaborating on the incident, before uncharacteristically taking a step back.

"Younger brother need not worry; this old man will certainly do everything within my power to ensure Chuzhou is protected and not let younger brother face difficulty. The best course of action now, brother, is to find the intermediary immediately, to argue the deposit was paid but the goods not delivered, and to make Feng Shi Er Niang cough up the coal she has swallowed..."

Calling each other brothers was new for them.

However, Zheng Shoushan was in no mood to appreciate the gesture.

Seeing the neatly arranged two carriages of coal balls, his anger reached a pinnacle, and like a frantic beast, he slammed the table violently.

"Two carriages, and he thinks he can dismiss me with that? Am I, Zheng Shoushan, a beggar or a mendicant? What audacity from Li the old thief, such excessive bullying, as if I’m like those nobles in Yecheng, who allow him to mold and rob me at his whim?"

In a fit of rage, Zheng Shoushan threw a significant tantrum.

But he quickly calmed down and realized that the last sentence from Li Zongxun was indeed correct.

If he didn’t go to Feng Shi Er Niang for the coal, what would he do this winter?

For heating, they could manage with wood charcoal, but what about the rest? Without graphite, all of Chuzhou’s smelting would come to a halt, and his troops lacking weapon replenishments would be a big problem...

Before Zheng Shoushan had a chance to seek trouble with Feng Shi Er Niang, his nephew came to him in tears, pleading.

"Brother-in-law, please do something. Mr. Ren has saved my life before. He was willing to help and broker for us to solve our difficulties. But now, as soon as the goods arrived in Chuzhou, they were gone, and many were injured. If you don’t take a stand, I will no longer be able to be a man. I might as well crash into the wooden pillar in the front hall and do as I say..."

The nephew was beside himself with anger, almost grabbing him and throwing a fit...

His wife, upon learning the cause, cried and wailed beside them.

Zheng Shoushan, on the brink of collapse, clenched his teeth.

"Bring me the ink and paper."