binnovel Chapter 174 Response
Chapter 174 Response
In the general's compound, Prince Jing sat upright in the main seat, his expression gloomy. If there was any anxiety in his heart at this moment, it was obvious. However, he didn't show it on his face, coldly watching Qian Lin and his two deputy generals feign an argument.
Prince Jing's anxiety was not for the Li family, but for his wild daughter, Princess Qingning. Shortly after arriving at the military camp, he learned that Qingning had been away from home for several days.
Because of that incident, Prince Jing disregarded Qian Lin's neglect of him. Only after he had arranged his men properly did he set his sights on Qian Lin. However, Qian Lin deliberately acted like a brute in front of him. While he didn't completely obey the two deputy generals and strategists, he didn't object either.
The three men were completely unconcerned about Prince Jing, playing dumb with him without any regard for his dignity. If Prince Jing still couldn't see through their deception by now, he would truly be a fool. Judging from their disrespectful attitude towards him, his title as Prince Jing meant nothing to them.
"If the three of you haven't reached an agreement yet, then I'll have to take matters into my own hands. Don't tell me about any ridiculous rules in your little military camp; I don't even respect the royal rules. You can't stop me from doing what I'm about to do." Sensing the discordant atmosphere, Prince Jing put on his haughty demeanor.
"Your Highness, we're still discussing this. Besides, they're just a few troublemakers; it's not worth Your Highness having to do it personally. Alright, I'll go arrange their food and bedding right away. Your Highness, please have a seat; I'll go and make the arrangements myself." Qian Lin chuckled, trying to brush it off.
When Wei Yu and his group arrived at the general's compound, they happened to see Qian Lin loudly instructing a soldier to quickly deliver food and bedding to the Li family.
"Remember, give them plenty of cornbread. So they don't go hungry and cause trouble. Also, try to prepare enough bedding. Our battalion recently intercepted some enemy stragglers at Beifeng Mountain, and several died, didn't they? Their bedding can be used to send over there." Qian Lin said in a rough voice, as if afraid the soldiers wouldn't hear him.
"General, those bedding have already been distributed to other soldiers, so it's really difficult to get them back," the soldier said timidly.
Although Xiaobing deliberately lowered his voice and appeared quite unsure of himself, in the quiet night, his voice still drowned out the chirping of insects and birds, carrying quite far and clearly.
Prince Jing sat calmly, resuming his usual aloof demeanor, elegantly sipping his cheap, coarse tea. His two lieutenants, though trying their best to appear timid and respectful, had already betrayed their discontent through their distracted and unfocused gazes.
Wei Yu and the others stood outside the courtyard gate, listening intently as Qian Lin feigned difficulty and gave orders to the soldiers: "I don't care about anything else, but you must find enough bedding to send to the forbidden room tonight, or I will deal with you according to military law."
The soldier dared not offer any further explanation and quickly accepted the order. Only then did Wei Yu and his group enter the general's compound under the moonlight. Under the tall locust tree, Qian Lin hid in the shadows, his eyes fixed intently on the group as they entered.
Wei Yu and his men were seasoned veterans, and they completely ignored the scrutinizing gazes. Ignoring Qian Lin, who stood with his hands behind his back under the tree, they strode into the main hall. Inside, the two deputy generals were fidgeting anxiously.
Wei Yu entered first, just in time to see Prince Jing put down his teacup. His little finger, resting under the teacup, twitched almost imperceptibly as it touched the table. Wei Yu gave Prince Jing a sharp glance, then respectfully stepped forward to greet him.
Qi Ji and Sang Moyun naturally stepped forward to pay their respects. Because this was a military camp, filled entirely with men, Sang Moyun had covered her face with a veil before entering.
"Who are you? How dare you cover your face after entering the military camp? Do you know that women are not allowed in this camp?" A handsome, fair-skinned lieutenant general shouted.
Sang Moyun shuddered. They had completely forgotten about this.
“That’s right. Once you’re in the military camp, you have to follow the rules. We won’t pursue the matter of this young lady trespassing. But she must take off that veil. In such an important place as the Military Intelligence Bureau, you have to save face. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, who will we turn to? And who can bear the responsibility?” Another adjutant with triangular eyes, a hooked nose, and dark tanned skin chimed in.
Prince Jing feigned helplessness and raised his hand, saying to Sang Moyun, "Miss Sang, since this is the rule of the military camp, you should follow the rule."
Although Wei Yu's eyes were fixed on the ground, his peripheral vision never left Prince Jing's side. He secretly responded to Prince Jing with hand gestures, communicating with him silently.
"Why can't we bring women in? Didn't you lock up quite a few women today? Are those women considered to have trespassed into the military camp?" Qi Ji asked, feigning ignorance, and reached out to stop Sang Moyun from removing her face mask.
The two lieutenants continued sipping their tea with unperturbed composure. It was top-grade Biluochun, a gift bestowed upon Qian Lin by his superiors. These days, they drank it almost daily. What was Prince Jing compared to them? He drank that coarse tea even the soldiers scorned.
Qi Ji sniffed the aroma of tea wafting past his nose, gave the two men a deep look, and then hid Sang Moyun between himself and Wei Yu. The tea aroma was somewhat unusual; it seemed as if something inappropriate had been added to it.
"Who is this person? Who brought him in? Doesn't he know that this is a military camp, and outsiders are not allowed to enter without permission? It's really strange today. All sorts of random people are trying to sneak into the military camp." The fair-skinned deputy general slightly raised his orchid finger and put down his teacup with a look of intoxication.
Wei Yu glanced sideways at the lieutenant, ignoring his sarcasm. After all, in his eyes, those two were nothing more than two corpses.
Sang Moyun peeked out from behind Qi Ji and noticed that the man's face was unusually flushed, his eyes were unfocused, and he seemed to be in a daze as if he were drunk.
Sang Moyun then shifted his gaze to another lieutenant. With a clatter, the lieutenant's teacup fell to the ground. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed intently ahead. A few silvery beads of sweat glistened at the corners of his slightly parted lips. His expression of rapture surpassed even that of the fair-skinned lieutenant.
Wei Yu, who also noticed the anomaly, quickly walked towards the two men and knocked them unconscious. Qi Ji followed closely behind, using a handkerchief to pick up the broken porcelain shards, still stained with tea, that had fallen to the ground.
Just then, Qian Lin walked in with a friendly smile. Perhaps it was because he had been standing outside long enough, or perhaps it was because he had heard the sound of the teacup hitting the ground.
"Your Highness, I have been very busy with military affairs and have not been able to entertain you properly. Oh dear, what's going on? Have these two gotten drunk from drinking tea?" Qian Lin exclaimed dramatically.
Qian Lin shouted, but the two lieutenants didn't react at all. He frowned almost imperceptibly and turned his gaze to Wei Yu and Qi Ji, who were protecting Sang Moyun behind them.
Prince Jing did not respond to Qian Lin. He merely glanced at Qian Lin casually before staring blankly at the teacup on the table.
Qian Lin looked embarrassed. After all, in this cold and quiet night, an awkward silence seemed even more ironic. But he was used to big occasions and quickly smoothed things over.
"Look at me, I forgot to invite the guests to sit down and have some tea. Come, come, everyone, please sit down here."