SFS Chapter 163 The Two-Faced Prince of Zhenbei
Chapter 163 The Two-Faced Prince of Zhenbei
The Prince of Zhenbei was meticulous in his approach to warfare. Even though he cared deeply for his wife, he would put aside any personal matters when it came to matters of strategy and tactics, as they concerned the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
Today, his ears were worn out from being worn down by those old scoundrels, and his patience had run out. He was too lazy to waste any more words on them.
Because no matter what they say, he will not budge on sending out spies.
He said, "Bring the letter in."
Upon hearing this, General Qi knew what the Prince of Zhenbei was planning. He simply didn't want to stay any longer and wanted to use the family letter as an excuse to get away.
He and the other generals exchanged helpless glances. The Prince of Zhenbei's temper was truly like a rock in a latrine—stinky and unyielding.
They couldn't help but sigh inwardly, deciding to renegotiate their tactics and strategies.
The soldier entered the tent and sensed that something was amiss. He held his breath and stepped forward, respectfully handing a letter from home to the Prince of Zhenbei.
The Prince of Zhenbei released his hand from his longsword, reached out to take the letter from home, tore open the seal, and pulled out a page of paper.
He saw that it was a letter written by Gu Zongci and glanced at it hastily.
Suddenly, my gaze stopped.
He read it twice from beginning to end, his cold and stern face tightly taut.
Upon seeing this, General Qi knew that the discussion could not continue.
The Prince of Zhenbei put on a cold face, as if the letter contained something extraordinary. How could they dare to keep anyone and try to persuade him to send out spies?
Sure enough, they saw the Prince of Zhenbei stuff the letter into his chest and prepare to make his escape.
"Where were you just now?" asked the Prince of Zhenbei.
General Qi replied instinctively, "Please send out scouts to investigate the enemy's situation."
As soon as he finished speaking, General Qi realized that the Prince of Zhenbei had not left, but was asking about the previous tactical plan.
Could it be...
General Qi's heart stirred, and he probed, "Your Highness, since you came to support the northern border, our morale has soared, as if divinely aided, and we have driven the enemy into retreat. In my opinion, they must be retreating to protect themselves and waiting for reinforcements. They are deliberately creating the illusion that they have set up an ambush for us to enter, in order to discourage us from pursuing our victory."
The Prince of Zhenbei said without hesitation, "General Qi is right. I think your suggestion has merit, but we need to rearrange the troops."
The guess was confirmed, but General Qi still looked at the Prince of Zhenbei in disbelief, wondering if he was too old and hard of hearing and had misheard.
He blurted out, "Your Highness, didn't you already deny it? Didn't you say you didn't want your spies to be sacrificed?"
"I will go myself." The Prince of Zhenbei glanced coldly at General Qi and uttered two words: "Is that not allowed?"
General Qi: "..."
"The northern border is short of food and supplies, and the war cannot be delayed any longer. We need to finish this quickly." The Prince of Zhenbei pressed his large hand to his chest and said in a deep voice, "I will personally go and investigate the enemy's situation."
General Qi watched with a solemn expression as the Prince of Zhenbei stood before the sand table, gesturing confidently, and a thought inexplicably arose in his mind.
He wasn't going to spy on the enemy; he clearly intended to lead an elite force straight to the enemy's stronghold and annihilate them all.
Thinking of this, General Qi became even more curious about what the letter contained, that it could cause the Prince of Zhenbei, who had never wavered after making a decision on the war, to suddenly change his mind.
He even went out personally to spy on the enemy!
He glanced furtively at the Prince of Zhenbei's chest, where the prince pressed the letter against his chest as if it were a precious treasure, as if trying to hide it even deeper.
-
The Duke's Mansion, Lanxue Garden.
Shen Qingtan sat in front of the bronze mirror to do her hair, while Liu Yue stood behind her, putting a gold hairpin on her hair.
A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the window. Shen Qingtan looked up and saw Tingxue running towards her excitedly.
Upon seeing this, Liu Yue said helplessly, "This girl is always so impulsive."
"Second Madam." Before Tingxue even entered the room, her voice came first. Then she stepped into the room and walked towards the inner room: "Second Madam, this servant has heard some wonderful news."
"Oh?" Shen Qingtan finished applying her eyebrows with the black ink, looked at her bright eyes in the dim bronze mirror, and asked cooperatively, "What good news?"
"I heard that the storytellers in teahouses and theaters are still making up stories about your elopement, and even mentioning that you are the second owner of the Qin family business. As a result, the audience wrecked the place and you had to slink away."
Tingxue said with great enthusiasm, "They wrecked the performances of several storytellers, which intimidated others, and no one dared to criticize you anymore."
Shen Qingtan smiled and said, "It is indeed good news."
Many people believe rumors and spread misinformation, but they still have a sense of goodwill in their hearts. After realizing that she had been wronged, they will inevitably feel guilty.
Once a sense of guilt arises, the conscience will be tormented, and the desire to make amends for the mistakes made will lead to a willingness to stand up for her.
After all, there are wicked and petty people in this world, but there is no shortage of honest and kind people as well.
Tingxue said angrily, "This matter must have been spread by the Marquis of Chengen's mansion, otherwise who would have revealed that you are the second owner of the Qin family business?"
Shen Qingtan put down the snail-shaped ink in her hand and said casually, "Even a grasshopper in autumn will always hop around a little longer."
Tingxue pouted: "They are vicious and have committed numerous crimes. It would be best to bring them to justice as soon as possible, so that they won't keep bothering you."
Shen Qingtan paused, holding the small mirror. Now that she was free from the Chengen Marquis's mansion, she no longer needed to worry about the consequences when dealing with them.
Thinking of her parents far away in Liangzhou and the northern border, she only wanted to deal with the Chengen Marquis's mansion as soon as possible.
At this moment, Chun Jiao came in from outside carrying a food box: "Second Grandmother, these are some snacks that you asked the kitchen to make."
"Give the food box to Tingxue to carry," Shen Qingtan said with a smile, smoothing her hair. "Let's go visit Fourth Aunt."
Chun Jiao handed the food box to Ting Xue and then silently left.
The two, master and servant, came out of the house and had just stepped out of the courtyard gate when they were stopped by Shen Mingzhu, who had been waiting for a long time: "Second sister-in-law, Mother sent me to deliver a message to you."