Chapter 161 Prejudice
“It’s about respect…” Mu Xi spoke the truth from the bottom of her heart, “You are the one who deserves the title of ‘General’.”
Bai Su finally looked Mu Xi in the eye, but his expression was blank, making it unclear whether he believed her or not.
Mu Xi, however, had no choice but to ask: "General Bai, Zhu Mingjun has been captured, Dai Rong is under your house arrest, the southern border is leaderless, and the sea pirates are eyeing us covetously. How did you manage to seize military power on your own and hide hundreds of thousands of troops? How long can this situation last?"
Bai Su said proudly, "I alone could not accomplish this. Zhu Mingjun's perverse actions have long been seen as unacceptable by the valiant men of the army, and naturally dozens of generals have stepped forward. It is thanks to their trust that I was able to succeed. As for how to hide the hundreds of thousands of troops, that is because the young master does not understand the art of war. There is no such thing as hiding. The army is right there, but if you don't want certain people to see it, they simply won't."
Mu Xi truly didn't understand, so she dared not ask any further questions.
The strategist inside scoffed, "Hmph, a petty trick. She's just trying to say that the pirates haven't attacked any important passes in the southern border. The situation in the south looks serious, but it's still under her control."
“Oh…” Mu Xi still had questions, “But even so, don’t hundreds of thousands of troops need to come out and move around, eat, drink, relieve themselves, and deal with the issue of food and supplies? The local government in the southern border should have reported this to the higher authorities.”
The strategist replied, "That's why they can't hold out for long. Sooner or later, the rumors spread by local officials and ignorant people will drown them. Doing this will only make them lose out to everyone; they're a bunch of fools."
"So, you think what Bai Su said is true?" Mu Xi mostly believed Bai Su's words, but it's always better to be cautious.
The strategist said, "It's not difficult to find out if what she said is true or false. Just have her produce the military tally of the General of the South. The military tally is more important than life to a military general. Even the general's wife has a hard time getting her hands on it. Even if she wanted to, she alone as a woman couldn't accomplish anything unless an important general was willing to cooperate."
“If there are still officers, how can we know it wasn’t her colluding with Dai Rong’s subordinates…” Mu Xi said, but even she herself didn’t believe it.
Bai Su was plain-looking and burly, which doesn't mean she couldn't be alluring, but she was spirited and righteous, and definitely not the kind of person who would do such a thing.
However, to be on the safe side, Mu Xi turned to Bai Su and asked, "What you said sounds reasonable, but as a prisoner, I also need to verify whether it is true or false."
"Whether you believe it or not is unimportant. Anyway, as of now, it's impossible to determine exactly how we can use you." Bai Su didn't buy into that at all.
Mu Xi was speechless with anger: "How it's not important, I need to know whether what you said is true or false before I can decide whether to cooperate with you and save the lives of you bunch of fools."
"Cooperation?" Bai Su suppressed his contempt for Mu Xi, but his face still betrayed a deep distrust.
Mu Xi said firmly, "That's right. Is there any way out or any way out for what you've done? Since there isn't, isn't there only one way: to cooperate with me? I can find a way to cover up your actions of imprisoning your husband and usurping military power. We must also cooperate to truly eliminate the pirates and bring peace back to the southern border."
Bai Su didn't say anything, but gave him a look that said, "Just look at you, this 'transvestite'."
Mu Xi simply spoke her mind: "Originally, I couldn't understand why you kidnapped me and then treated me so well, but now it's crystal clear. What you did, though your intentions were good, is a dead end regardless of success or failure. What use are these troops now? Without the support of the court and the people, your provisions won't last long. And if you want to declare yourself king..."
Mu Xi deliberately stopped to observe Bai Su's reaction.
Bai Su's eyes indeed flashed.
So you really did have that thought.
So Mu Xi continued, "If I were to declare myself king, putting aside the reputation of being a 'traitor,' how long could I possibly stand up to the court? So you kidnapped me, the heir of the Jin Fang clan, to use me as leverage in negotiations with the court—either to keep my life or to exchange for something else. That's all."
"Heh, nothing more than that..." Bai Su chuckled self-deprecatingly. "In the eyes of you spoiled brats, what we did was indeed nothing more than that. If we hadn't taken this step, we could only have watched helplessly as Zhu Mingjun opened the southern border wide, allowing pirates to ravage the land, and even our brothers' lives would have been lost. But taking this step was merely a temporary preservation of our forces, and these forces ultimately don't belong to us..."
Everyone understands the logic, but Bai Su is in a difficult position and can't explain it.
Mu Xi seized the opportunity to propose again: "That's why I said we can cooperate. That way, you can escape punishment for everything you've done before, and you won't have to bear the stigma of being a traitor or a rebel. Why not? After all, I am the 'Envoy to Pacify the South,' and the news the King received was only that Dai Rong had disappeared, without specifying the reason for his disappearance. When it comes time to report to the King, what will he say? It'll all come down to his words."
“Indeed, it was all based on the Crown Prince’s words.” Bai Su’s expression remained unchanged, even more distrustful. “So why should I believe someone like you?”
"What kind of person am I?" Mu Xi wondered. "Is it just because I dressed up as a woman? It's not some heinous crime, is it?"
Mu Xi has never had any prejudice against certain things that cannot be described. They can do what they want, as long as it doesn't involve her, there is no problem.
Bai Su, however, was struck by a certain nerve: "Do you know why Zhu Mingjun was captured?"
"I heard that pirates stormed into Jiping Prefecture and kidnapped people directly from Zhu Mingjun's residence." Mu Xi hadn't been able to find out many details before.
Bai Su scoffed, "That's the result, not the cause. Zhu Mingjun has been colluding with pirates for so many years, and they've kept to themselves in private. Why would they kidnap him this time and make such a big fuss?"
"Why?" Mu Xi was kidnapped before she even arrived in Jiping Prefecture, and she didn't have time to find out any rumors.
But sometimes, it is precisely the rumors circulating among the people that are most accurate.
"Your Highness should know what Zhu Mingjun is best at, right?" Bai Su's disdainful expression was practically flying to the sky.
Mu Xi, upholding fairness, said: "I know, but if it's just a personal hobby, there's nothing wrong with it."
Bai Su rolled his eyes: "Those pirates also have a taste for that stuff, can you say it's not wrong, Your Highness?"
"Huh?" Mu Xi's curiosity outweighed her desire to gossip. "They all have that kind of taste. Didn't they also abduct many of our women?"
"Women are only there to reproduce, while men..." Bai Su struggled to find the right words, "men are probably used by them to 'add the finishing touch'."
The phrase "adding flowers to brocade" from Shen XX made Mu Xi unable to look at it the same way anymore, but she still had to bite the bullet and ask, "And then? What's the connection between the two?"
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