Chapter 211 Attempting to Cover Up the Truth
The daily expenses of an army of 100,000 are not small. The wealth that Princess Anshun had secretly hoarded was almost gone. Although many wealthy merchants were willing to provide money to the Tiger Flying Army on their way from the capital, the amounts were not high.
Most people just want to spend a little money to ensure their safety and make a small fortune in the future, unlike Du Yuanhua who gambled his entire fortune and went all in.
Du Yuanhua's arrival was a relief to the Tiger Flying Army, so no one in the army dared to disrespect this wealthy man.
Meng Lingge's eyes were bright. "Then I'll go listen."
She had thought that the Du family could only offer around 100,000 to 200,000 taels of silver, but Du Yuanhua ended up giving her a full 800,000 taels, an amount far exceeding her estimate. It seemed that Du Yuanhua's earning power over the past few years was even greater than she had imagined.
She knew that her cousin's willingness to go to such lengths to support Wen Zhiming was not only due to his business acumen and courage, but also partly because of her.
Now that her cousin is away, even if it's just to live up to his trust, she still has to keep a close eye on things for him and make sure the money is spent where it's needed.
Seeing that she agreed, Wen Zhiming briefly recounted what had happened at Dongjing Pass that day.
Then he said seriously.
“My wife, I suspect that the Blue Feather Kingdom general we brought back today is a woman disguised as a man. You are more observant than I am, so please keep an eye out for her tomorrow.”
The military camp meeting would naturally not allow enemy generals to participate, so it seems that Wen Zhiming not only wanted her to hear important military matters, but also planned to take her to meet the enemy generals.
“Su Leyan told me before that a small number of men do not grow beards and have inconspicuous Adam’s apples. Those curses may not only be made by women. However, if this person is a woman, he is truly a very capable person to become the number one warrior of Lanyu Kingdom.”
It is extremely difficult for a man to reach the rank of general, let alone a woman. Moreover, the Blue Feather Kingdom values strength and is somewhat sexist.
Meng Lingge asked with some confusion, "Isn't he going to make a deal with you? What does it matter whether he's a man or a woman?"
In Meng Lingge's view, whether it was a man or a woman, they would treat him as the other side's general and deal with him with caution.
Why care about gender?
Wen Zhiming said, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle. The more thoroughly you understand the enemy general, the greater your chances of victory on the battlefield."
Meng Lingge felt a little ashamed; she had just thought that Wen Zhiming looked down on female generals.
She felt deeply that her knowledge was shallow, and she was even more determined to gain more experience so as to avoid asking such silly questions again.
Wen Zhiming was pleased that Meng Lingge was interested in these things. He was afraid that Meng Lingge would be bored and restless here, and that she would be in a bad mood.
He was even more afraid of being separated from Meng Lingge.
The couple snuggled together, finished their tea, and went back to bed to rest.
To Meng Lingge's surprise, before she could even visit Lan Ying, the general of Lanyu Kingdom, had already run into trouble.
The next morning, when Wen Zhiming and Meng Lingge arrived after receiving a report from the guards, Wen Weizhu was already sitting on Lan Ying's lap.
Their faces were almost touching. Lan Ying held Wen Weizhu's hand with one hand, while the other hand roamed around Wen Weizhu's waist.
Upon seeing the two suddenly appear, Wen Weizhu looked nervous and tried to get up from Lan Ying's body, but Lan Ying remained calm and instead pressed Wen Weizhu down forcefully, trapping her in his arms.
"What are you afraid of? The King of the Northern Frontier is a man of strong character; he won't blame you. Look, doesn't he have a beautiful bride with him? He can't possibly allow himself to have his own pleasures while forbidding his sister from getting married, can he?"
Meng Lingge had her face covered with a veil, while Lan Ying held Wen Weizhu in her arms, her eyes brazenly probing Meng Lingge's body.
Although Wen Zhiming suspected that the other party might be a woman, he was still very uncomfortable. He strode forward and blocked Meng Lingge behind him, coldly looking at Lan Ying.
"General Lan says he wants to make a deal with me. I wonder what this is all about?"
Lan Ying stroked his beard, quite proudly.
"A deal is a deal, but my dashing appearance and imposing presence, and the fact that I have won the admiration of your sister, is a joyous occasion that will only benefit our deal, not harm it."
Wen Zhiming's gaze shifted to Wen Weizhu's face, the invisible pressure causing Wen Weizhu's face to turn pale. She stammered, "Big...Big Brother, I just came to see the guest you brought back, to say a few words, I...I'll be going now..."
Wen Weizhu's situation in the military camp was actually somewhat awkward. The soldiers could all see that the King of the Northern Frontier did not like her and would not see her unless necessary.
She was quite ambitious. Knowing that Wen Zhiming had little affection for her, she wanted to find a capable man in the military camp to marry.
She initially wanted to choose one of Wen Zhiming's three generals, but Cao Ran and Ren Yang were already married, and the remaining general, Liu, did not meet her expectations in terms of appearance.
As for the new generals, she felt they were not worthy of her status, so she had no choice but to stay in the military camp and wait for her opportunity.
So when she heard that Wen Zhiming had brought back a general from an enemy country, her mind started to wander.
She learned that Lan Ying was the most powerful general in Lan Yu Kingdom and that he intended to make a deal with Wen Zhiming.
Wen Weizhu was originally just peeking from outside the tent, but when she saw that Lan Ying was quite handsome, she was somewhat attracted to him. So when Lan Ying invited her in and said he would read her palm, she boldly went in and let Lan Ying hold her in his arms to read her palm.
She knew that Lan Ying's palm reading was a pretense, and that he really wanted to take advantage of her, but she didn't resist.
But right now, it's uncertain whether her brother's deal with the other party will be finalized, and since it's in front of her brother, she has to restrain herself even if she's just pretending.
So after she finished speaking, she struggled and finally managed to break free from Lan Ying's control and "escape" out.
After Lan Ying and the others left, he lingered, sniffing his hands with lingering pleasure. "King of the Northern Frontier, your sister smells so good..."
Wen Zhiming didn't answer, but moved a stool for Meng Lingge to sit down first, and then sat down next to her.
Undeterred, Lan Ying sniffed in Meng Lingge's direction again, grinning widely, "However, the Northern Frontier King's woman smells even better..."
Wen Zhiming's face changed color.
Meng Lingge remained calm and stopped Wen Zhiming in time.
"General Lan must have heard of the idiom 'trying to cover up one's flaws only makes them more obvious.' It refers to someone who, in trying to conceal their shortcomings, only reveals how much they care. General Lan is so eager to present a lecherous image to us; I wonder what you're hiding?"
The smile on Lan Ying's lips faded.
“What do I have to hide? The King of the Northern Frontier has arrived so early, he must also want to discuss cooperation with me. So let all the irrelevant people leave, let’s begin now.”
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