Chapter 141: Who Would Believe It?

Xiahou Hui swirled the wine in her cup, feeling deeply frustrated. Wei Ba was only a year or two older than her, and he was currently a prisoner while she was practically the host, meaning the initiative should have been in her hands. Yet, after exchanging just a few words, she felt increasingly vexed. The Wei Ba sitting opposite her seemed completely unfazed by her, remaining entirely indifferent to her probings, threats, or inducements. Instead, he maintained the serene and unfathomably smiling composure of an elder looking down upon a junior.

This feeling was thoroughly unpleasant.

Xiahou Hui frowned, set her wine cup down, and crossed her hands. "I admit, you are extremely cautious, leaving almost no flaws."

"So you are saying that I did have a flaw discovered by you, Milady?" Wei Ba asked with an easy smile. "Since that is the case, why doesn't Milady inform the General?"

"My uncle... is very busy right now, and he easily trusts others, so I do not wish to disturb him with this matter." Xiahou Hui offered a faint smile. "Whether you admit it or not, as long as I can separate you from my uncle and prevent you from influencing our army's operational arrangements, my goal is achieved. Master Wei, would you not say so?"

"What you say is true." Wei Ba conceded that Xiahou Hui was right. Regardless of whether he was faking his surrender, placing him under house arrest so he could serve no purpose was a thoroughly sound course of action. Precisely because of this, even though Xiahou Muyu trusted him greatly and was reluctant to let him go, she had still heeded Xiahou Hui's advice. It was easy to understand the mindset of preparing for every eventuality just in case.

However, if this method had been adopted from the very beginning, he truly would have had no recourse. But things had progressed to this point; whether Xiahou Hui placed him under house arrest or even killed him, it would have very little impact on the overall situation.

It was like a boulder on a mountainside: if one stabilized it right at the start to keep it from rolling, that would naturally work fine. But now the boulder had already rolled halfway down the mountain, even reaching the foothills, waiting only for that final impact. To stop it now—was that really so easily done?

Zhuge Liang's army had sortled into Longyou, his master Zhao Yun was not far away in the Baoxie Trail, and his father should also be in the Ziwu Valley. All of Shu-Han's deployments had already been set in motion; they had no need for him to push them along further. Even if Zhao Su were to halt all operations because of his death, Shu-Han's offensive would not stop. It would merely be a question of whether or not they could ultimately occupy the entire Guanzhong region.

"This is a preventive measure, which is a good thing for both you and me." Wei Ba used his wine cup to point toward the Nanshan Mountains. "My master is right there in the Baoxie Trail. If I were to exert myself for the General, I would face the possibility of confronting my master in battle. Now, with a single word from you, Milady, I have been extricated from this dilemma. I am truly endlessly grateful."

Xiahou Hui looked at Wei Ba, offering a faint smile as her gaze slowly drifted to Dun Wu standing behind him. The corners of her lips twitched slightly. "Master Wei, do you not want to hear what flaw I discovered?"

"If Milady is interested, please do share it. Let us treat it as mere conversational material."

Xiahou Hui curled her lip in irritation. The calmer Wei Ba appeared, the angrier she felt. She took a breath and said, "I have heard that Master Wei treats his servants with great benevolence, and that your servants are utterly loyal to you. However, this person by your side—who should naturally be the most loyal of all—is not quite so loyal."

Wei Ba glanced back at the expressionless Dun Wu, somewhat surprised. "Are you speaking of him?"

Xiahou Hui nodded. "Master Wei may not be entirely aware, but the probing into your background was arranged by me from the very beginning—which naturally included those who deliberately approached this fiercely loyal follower of yours."

Wei Ba's eyes shifted, and he grew somewhat tense. He now understood why Xiahou Hui had felt that something was amiss. Dun Wu was the person he trusted most, yet the one who had initially leaked his situation to Xiahou Hui was precisely Dun Wu. Of course, that had been arranged by him, but such an outcome felt a bit rigid and unnatural, which was precisely what had aroused Xiahou Hui's vigilance.

Initially, Xiahou Hui did not know his character, so she merely sensed something odd without being able to pinpoint where the problem lay. Now, through Peng Xiaoyu, Xiahou Hui had learned that he was very generous to his subordinates and that the people around him were deeply loyal. This stood in stark contradiction to Dun Wu's actions, finally allowing Xiahou Hui to uncover the flaw.

With this flaw, Xiahou Hui could draw further conclusions. After all, everything he had done would yield different results if viewed from different perspectives. If his counterattack today hadn't been so effective—instantly stirring up Xiahou Muyu's resentment, and if Xiahou Muyu hadn't trusted him to that extent—then the issue today probably wouldn't have been mere house arrest, nor would there be chilled fruits to enjoy. The only thing to enjoy would have been brutal torture.

Regardless of how much Xiahou Muyu favored him, the moment it could be proven that he was faking his surrender—even if there was only a sliver of possibility—Xiahou Muyu would flip his face and transform into a ruthless demon king.

Unwittingly, he had already walked a circle around the gates of hell, and the cause was merely a tiny oversight.

A cold sweat broke out across Wei Ba's back. If he hadn't been acting for months and hadn't just achieved a sweeping victory before Xiahou Muyu, he might not have been able to control his emotions at this moment.

Was this young woman human or a demon? No wonder Peng Xiaoyu was no match for her; she was simply a genius among people.

"Is there anything else?"

"Isn't that enough?"

"Obviously not," Wei Ba laughed. "You might as well go tell the General right now and see if this reason of yours is sufficient. Since you haven't told the General, but instead came to tell me, you must still be trying to cast a brick to attract jade, hoping to pry something more valuable out of me, aren't you?"

Xiahou Hui remained silent. Her thoughts had once again been guessed correctly by Wei Ba. This reason alone was indeed insufficient to prove that Wei Ba was faking his surrender. If Xiahou Muyu did not trust Wei Ba, she could have had him thrown into a dungeon right now; after a few rounds of torture, he would likely confess to anything. But right now, Xiahou Muyu valued Wei Ba immensely, so how could he possibly throw Wei Ba into a dungeon based on this single reason alone?

"Lady Xiahou, I can understand your feelings. However, I must tell you, you are far too sensitive." Wei Ba took a sip of wine and said unhurriedly, "Perhaps it is because I defeated Sima Shi, your future husband?"

At the mere mention of Sima Shi's name, Xiahou Hui suddenly flared with anger, stood up, and flicked her sleeves as she walked away. This was the matter she could bear the least. After learning of the dream of three horses sharing the same trough and realizing that she was merely a chess piece, she felt an indescribable nausea toward this betrothal. Yet Wei Ba stubbornly seized upon this point, and Xiahou Muyu had also convinced himself that she wished to exert herself for her future husband's family and poach his assets. If it were in the past, she might have admitted to having had such thoughts, but now, she held not a shred of goodwill toward the Sima family. How could she possibly harm the Xiahou family's interests for their sake?

The problem was, who would believe her?

...

Chen Xiang pondered for a moment and said to Wei Yan, "General, I feel this is inappropriate."

Wei Yan turned his head in surprise, his brow furrowed deeply. "What did you just say? Say it again!"

Chen Xiang felt a bit nervous, but still insisted, "General, I feel that doing this is highly inappropriate."

Wei Yan stared at him fixedly for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. He raised his leg and kicked Chen Xiang. "You little rascal, you really are turning into a carbon copy of him. How many hairs have you even grown, yet you dare to challenge my decision? Let alone you, even if your young master were here, would he dare say my actions are inappropriate?"

Chen Xiang's face flushed red, and he dropped to one knee. "General, the young master repeatedly stated that seizing Tongguan is the most critical mission. Tongguan has suffered from years of disrepair and is dilapidated. To avoid arousing Xiahou Muyu's suspicion, he could only secretly prepare the timber for repairing the city; he could not openly mend the walls. If we cannot finish repairing the city before Cao Wei's reinforcements arrive, the casualties will inevitably be heavy, and there will be no guarantee of holding Guanzhong. The battlefield situation is urgent, and the General does not have much time to spare. Chang'an is two hundred and sixty li from Mei County and two hundred li from Tongguan; the journey there and back alone takes seven or eight days. Adding the combat time, it will likely take around ten days. General, you cannot afford to waste these ten days."

Wei Yan looked at Chen Xiang in astonishment. He knew that Wei Ba valued Chen Xiang highly. When he and Wei Feng divided their forces back in Shangyong, Wei Ba had left Chen Xiang behind with Wei Feng, and facts had proven that Chen Xiang played a meritorious role in Wei Feng's subsequent successful capture of the Mulan Pass. Because of this, Chen Xiang's father, Steward Chen, had now become a grand steward of the Wei family, standing shoulder to shoulder with Steward Zhang.

Yet Wei Yan had not expected Chen Xiang to veto his plan. He wanted to laugh, but the laughter refused to come. His face darkened as he let out a low roar, "Do you still recognize me as the head of this household in your eyes?"

Chen Xiang dropped both knees to the ground, pressing his forehead against the earth. "The General exaggerates; this subordinate dares not accept such a charge. General, this battle is of monumental importance; truly, no oversight can be permitted. Once Tongguan falls and Cao Wei's reinforcements flood into Guanzhong, not only will the Prime Minister's grand enterprise of the Northern Expedition be affected, but the foundations the Wei family has built over all these years will also be utterly destroyed in a single stroke. Regrets will be useless by then. Even if I die a hundred times, this subordinate cannot refrain from offering remonstrance. Please reconsider, General."

"Nonsense, do you think I don't know these things?" Seeing Chen Xiang put on the posture of remonstrating to the death caused Wei Yan to lose quite a bit of face. He barked in a low voice, "Ziyu is right there in Mei County; although Dun Wu is by his side, once the situation is exposed, how long can he hold out? Even if we conquer the entire Guanzhong, what meaning would it have if Ziyu dies? Get up! If you dare utter another word of nonsense, I'll let you test the sharpness of the Wei family's new sabers."

Chen Xiang grew anxious as well. He abruptly stood up, pulled open his collar to reveal his sturdy chest, and retorted with a flushed face, "General, I came under the orders of the young master to notify you. If the General refuses to obey, the young master will inevitably hold me accountable in the future. Even if the young master does not punish me, if I bungle the grand strategy, I would have no face to go on living in this world. Since that is the case, the General might as well kill me right now."

Wei Yan's temper flared as well. With a *clang*, he half-drew his long saber. "Hah—you stinking brat, losing all respect for superiors, do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?"

Without the slightest trace of fear, Chen Xiang took a step forward to meet him, glaring wrathfully into Wei Yan's eyes. The nearby martial guards saw this and hurriedly stepped forward to pull him away, some shouting rebukes while others pleaded for mercy on his behalf. Wei Yan fumed for half a day before suddenly bursting out in a snort of laughter. He beckoned and called Chen Xiang right up to him. "Brat, since you only have your young master's orders in your eyes and even dare to talk back to me, the head of the family, I'll give you a mission. Do you dare take it?"

Chen Xiang defiantly replied, "As long as the General marches east toward Tongguan, Chen Xiang will not shrink from ten thousand deaths."

"I don't need you to die ten thousand deaths; I just need you to hold Tongguan." Wei Yan raised a hand to signal Chen Xiang to stop talking. "I will give you five thousand men. You are to rush to Tongguan, begin repairing the city walls, and hold Tongguan until I bring back the old General Zhao. Can you do it?"

Chen Xiang hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Wei Yan had made up his mind and that further insistence was meaningless, he could only nod. "Then please have the General hurry to Tongguan as soon as possible."

"You needn't worry about that. Within ten days, I will definitely reach Tongguan." (To be continued)