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"You flatter me, sir," Yu Baizhou said, seemingly oblivious to the sudden tension. "Without your instructions, how could this epidemic prevention campaign have proceeded so smoothly, let alone saved so many lives?"
Governor Lin's expression softened a bit, and he raised his face and extended his hand in an inviting gesture, "Let's not talk about this anymore. It's been a long time since we've seen each other, and I must have a few drinks with General Yu."
"Come, General Yu, please!"
Yu Baizhou reciprocated with the same politeness, "No, please, sir!"
After a few rounds of drinks, Yu Baizhou's face flushed slightly. He propped his head up with one hand and said apologetically, "Lord Lin, I am not a good drinker and I am afraid I must take my leave now."
Governor Lin frowned and looked out at the dark sky. He suggested with concern, "It's getting late, and traveling at night is dangerous. Why don't you stay the night, General? I've already prepared rooms for you and your soldiers."
He smiled, but his two dark eyes seemed to see right through Yu Baizhou's expression and movements, while his right hand kept rubbing the hilt of the dagger hidden in his sleeve.
"Someone, take General Yu to rest."
Yu Baizhou stood up to say goodbye, his eyes still clear, but his movements were somewhat slow.
Governor Lin stood at a distance, watching the person walk away thoughtfully. Su Duan, who was at the door, saw this and came forward, "Sir, have you discovered anything?"
"This General Yu is completely unguarded with me. If he's not an extremely pure and sincere person, he must be incredibly cunning." He seemed confident. "Do you think he can be won over?"
Su Duan paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Does Your Excellency mean..."
His eyes flickered slightly, and he said calmly, "It's nothing. It's getting late, my brother, you should go back and rest."
Shortly after Su Duan left, Governor Lin summoned his trusted confidant and ordered, "Find someone clever to deliver it."
"In addition, keep a close eye on Su Duan."
Inside the side room
The steam did little to relieve the fatigue; instead, it exacerbated the dizziness and heatiness caused by the alcohol.
Yu Baizhou scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on his face. Before he could ponder his actions that day, he suddenly heard a faint, furtive sound coming from the doorway.
"Who!" Seeing no response, he suddenly opened his eyes and threw something next to him at the person who had entered. Immediately, a woman exclaimed in surprise.
With a furrowed brow, Yu Baizhou grabbed a nightgown from the side, leaped out of the water, put on the clothes, picked up a sword, and stepped out from behind the screen.
"Who are you?"
He held the sword to the woman's neck. The woman trembled as she clutched her shoulder where she had been hit. "I...I am a servant of the governor's mansion. I was ordered to serve the general."
A servant girl? What kind of servant girl would be so terrified in such a situation as not kneeling, and yet wear such expensive fabric?
Yu Baizhou sneered inwardly. They really know all sorts of tricks. "Guards!"
"No!" The woman cried out in terror, immediately kneeling down. "General, please forgive me!"
“My daughter is the seventh young lady of the governor’s mansion. My father threatened me with my aunt’s life to force me to serve the general. I dare not disobey.”
"Please, General, do not call for help... Otherwise, my daughter will have no face to live in this world."
She pleaded painfully, tears streaming down her face as she spoke.
"Oh? If that's the case, then you may leave."
The woman suddenly froze on the spot, not noticing the strangeness in his tone. She felt that at this moment, shouldn't the general be taking pity on her and keeping her here? Why was the general acting out of character?
"General... please have mercy on me..." The woman blushed and fell towards Yu Baizhou as if she were boneless and weak.
The expected embrace did not appear. Instead, the sword sheath pressed against her collarbone, and a tremendous force struck her, causing her to fall to the ground.
A strange woman who appears out of nowhere; whatever she says is absolutely unbelievable.
After all, a honey trap can be deadly.
Moreover, aside from the occasional moments when he is in Song Ling's presence and is a little dazed and unable to keep up, if he is otherwise brainless, how can he secure his position as the commander-in-chief of the Southwest Army?
"Ha," he sneered, "Your reputation is a reputation, but my reputation isn't?"
Having said that, he coldly sheathed his sword and shouted sharply, "Guards!"
A candlelight shone in the front yard, accompanied by a cacophony of noise, as Governor Lin hurried over.
The woman was originally wearing a thin nightgown, but Yu Baizhou couldn't bear to see her like that and casually tossed her a cloak that someone had left lying around.
The woman, huddled in a corner of the courtyard wrapped in a cloak, showed a moment of fear when she saw Governor Lin. Then, she moved forward with some trepidation.
"Father……"
"Smack—" The girl was slapped to the ground, her cheek instantly swollen and red, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, mixed with tears streaming down her face, making her look extremely terrifying.
"You wretched child!" Governor Lin raised his arm, about to slap Yu Baizhou a second time, when Yu Baizhou was suddenly stopped.
"Master Lin——"
His raised arm froze for a moment, then he put on a smiling face, completely unaware of the hatred and resentment in the woman's eyes in the shadows.
"Could you please explain all this to me, Lord Lin?" After experiencing this, even the most drunk person would sober up eventually. Yu Baizhou demanded an explanation with a stern face.
"This..." Governor Lin had clearly never encountered such a situation before. This tactic had always worked wonders in the past; which official hadn't left his residence the next day with a beautiful concubine in his arms, completely satisfied? Why was Yu Baizhou so rigidly bound by the rules?
"Is the general dissatisfied?" Governor Lin thought for a moment, perhaps General Yu had unusual tastes. "My mansion has all kinds of beauties, please feel free to make any requests."
Yu Baizhou exuded a cold aura, but he had to be polite on the surface, "No need, I thank Lord Lin for his kindness. It's late, please get some rest."
"Very well, since that's the case, General, you should rest early." Lord Lin's face turned cold, and the fat on his face trembled for a moment. He glanced at the woman on the ground and said in an inexplicable tone, "Take her away. Don't let her offend the General's eyes."
With just one glance, the woman trembled as if she were in hell, her voice trembling, "Father... Father... Qing'er was wrong... Qing... sob..."
The front yard was plunged into darkness again.
A gentle breeze drifted in through the cracks in the window, and the candlelight in the room flickered, making people's faces seem both righteous and wicked.
Yu Baizhou sat at the table for a long time before tentatively calling out, "Shijiu?"
The window suddenly opened, and a man dressed entirely in black entered the room, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said softly, "General."
"Can you get a layout map of the entire Lin residence?"
"Furthermore, investigate the true identity of that woman from earlier, and how many other women like her there are in this mansion."
"Alright." The word had barely left his lips when the man in black vanished in a flash.
Yu Baizhou fumbled with the brocade pouch in his palm, a sudden impulse welling up inside him for some reason. He had originally intended to plan carefully. But now, perhaps the plan had to change.
As expected, when Yu Baizhou was about to leave the next day, he was persuaded to stay by Governor Lin, and many more private soldiers and servants patrolled and intercepted him outside the mansion and courtyard.
"What does Lord Lin mean by this?" Yu Baizhou pointed to the guards blocking the door and asked casually.
"I came to visit the governor with sincerity, but I did not expect that you think differently."
"General, you jest," Governor Lin said, his amiable facade completely gone. "Why don't we sit down and talk?"
Yu Baizhou lifted his robe and sat down, looking directly at him with a stern gaze. "My lord, don't forget that I bear the heavy responsibility of guarding the border. The Southern Barbarians are still stirring. If something happens to the commander, I don't know how you will explain it to His Majesty."
"General, what makes you say that?" Governor Lin smiled. "I was merely inviting you to reminisce and have tea for a few days."
He smiled apologetically and handed over tea, saying, "There were some shortcomings in our actions, I hope the general will not take offense."
Yu Baizhou sneered and did not take it. "Say what you want to say directly, sir. There's no need to beat around the bush."
"I know that the general is still unmarried?" Lord Lin slowly took a sip of tea. "The banquet the general held at the Ji residence was called off due to the assassin incident."
"An epidemic broke out not long ago, and the three prefectures have no time to attend to it. Now that the general is getting on in years, it is probably time to put this matter on the agenda."
Governor Lin moved a booklet in front of Yu Baizhou. “I am much older than you, General. Today, I will take advantage of my age to make some arrangements for you. Why don’t you take a look at the various noble ladies in my Shannan Prefecture? Any one of them would be a suitable match for you as a wife.”
And those lined up at the front were none other than his daughters from the governor's mansion.
Yu Baizhou did not make a move, but looked at Governor Lin with some interest, "Could it be that if I do not marry her today, Your Excellency will not release her?"
Between their eyes, lightning and fire clashed.
"General, you really love to joke," Governor Lin said with a smile. "Where would I get the audacity to do such a thing?"
But then he changed the subject, "However, I've heard these past few days that the southern barbarians' supplies have arrived, and General Jimu is currently gathering and training his troops. The general has been keeping his movements secret, so they probably don't know he's not at the border camp... If..."
"You dare!"
Yu Baizhou suddenly stood up, gripping his longsword tightly in his right hand.
"Shuashua——"
The private soldiers in the courtyard rushed in, drew their swords, and pointed them directly at Yu Baizhou.
Yu Baizhou looked around and sneered, "Letting me get married is a small matter; what's important is getting these 100,000 troops."
"I was completely unaware that you harbored such treacherous intentions, my lord."
Governor Lin smiled, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes. "General, you jest. In this world, which noble family hasn't made some preparations?"
Linden has money, power, and land, and he even has a sister who is a concubine in the palace. If those bandits who occupy the mountains can rebel, why can't he compete for that position? Su Duan's arrival is just an opportunity for him to reveal his ambition.
"Put down your swords and escort the general back to the front courtyard." Linden raised his hand and beckoned, "General, there's no rush. I'll give you three days to consider."
“Oh, right,” Governor Lin seemed to suddenly remember something and reminded him, “General, you don’t need to think about sending a message, otherwise the Southern Barbarians’ attack on the city will definitely be faster than your return journey.”
"Shameless scoundrel!" Yu Baizhou's eyes reddened with anger. "These are all people under your rule!"
"General, you flatter me," Governor Lin said without the slightest panic or remorse. "Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles."
"General, you should think this over carefully, otherwise... hah."
After taking a sip of tea, Governor Lin slowly savored the taste, the fragrance lingering on his lips and teeth—truly a fine tea.
The courtyard where Yu Baizhou was located was surrounded by layers of walls, making it feel like an iron barrel, but Shi Jiu was so skilled in martial arts that he could come and go as he pleased.
Inside the room, the anger on his face had vanished. Yu Baizhou listened calmly to the information Shi Jiu had gathered and nodded.
"In addition, the Pavilion Master sent a message saying that everything is ready and asked the General when to take action."
Yu Baizhou looked at the brocade pouch in his hand, his eyes dark and unfathomable. "Tonight, at the third quarter of midnight."
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