Chapter 213: Chapter 213: Tit for Tat

Lou Shixun looked quite smug. Too lazy to waste his breath on them any longer, he waved his hand. "Alright, don’t just stand there. Pass on my orders: the entire army is to retreat forty miles and set up camp."

Forty miles? Wouldn’t that mean retreating all the way to Ye Yang?

Everyone blanched in dismay. Were they really going to yield the territory so willingly, even before reaching an agreement?

Lou Shixun turned a blind eye to their reactions. He simply tilted his head to look at his attendant, brimming with arrogance. "Go inform that whatever governor in advance. I want to reward the soldiers of the three armies, so tell him to prepare good wine and meat!"

Was Pingzhou City going to be handed over just like that? It had to be known that the Zhou Country harbored wild ambitions; how could they possibly be satisfied with just one Pingzhou City?

In the war between the two armies, Daqi had always been at a disadvantage, only managing to hold on until now by gritting their teeth. Although it was unclear why the Zhou Army hadn’t chosen to press their advantage and instead showed signs of withdrawing troops at this moment, their relentless grip on Pingzhou City was clearly a fallback plan for staging a future comeback.

Having fought against the Zhou Army for so long, how could they not see through this?

Suffering a sneak attack and being forced to abandon the city made them appear to be at a disadvantage, but in reality, it was a move to preserve their strength and avoid total annihilation. It also served as a perfect smokescreen to confuse the Zhou Army.

The battlefield was ever-changing. The Zhou Army was likely relaxing and celebrating at this very moment. Launching a counterattack right now would catch them completely off guard. Furthermore, they were intimately familiar with the layout of Pingzhou City. As long as reinforcements arrived in time, they could completely turn defeat into victory and reclaim Pingzhou.

But now, not only were they abandoning their only chance to counterattack, but they were also retreating to Ye Yang. This was simply—

The crowd exchanged glances, shaking their heads and sighing. By missing this golden opportunity today, any future engagements would only lead to a steady retreat.

"What, did hearing this news make you dumb with joy?" Lou Shixun asked, his nose in the air. He didn’t even look them in the eye, seeing them merely as a filthy, reeking bunch of lowly commoners.

"I advise you to think this through carefully," said the tied-up man, not even bothering to lift his eyelids.

"Oh? Advising me? What do you think you are right now? Still think you’re a Great General or a Grand Commandant?"

Lou Shixun strolled over leisurely, stopping a few paces away from Lu Xiu. He looked him up and down, clicking his tongue in marvel. "I’m not trying to lecture you, but you come from a Gate Valve Aristocratic Family, anyway. Making yourself look this pathetic is truly a disgrace to us scholarly families!"

He let out a cold snort. "Take him away and keep a close eye on him! He must be escorted back to Jinye without fail. If anything goes wrong on the way, you’ll lose your heads!"

Turning his head, Lou Shixun glanced at Wang Tingyue. "I’ll leave the task of escorting Lu Xiu to you. Colluding with the enemy and treason are capital offenses, so you’d better be careful!"

With that, he lifted his foot to head toward his carriage.

"You cannot retreat!" Liang Wan took a few quick strides and blocked his path.

Suddenly having his way blocked, Lou Shixun looked somewhat surprised. Greatly displeased, he scoffed.

"Liang Wan, I am the commander of the three armies. Don’t think that just because you’ve sought refuge with His Majesty, you have the right to interfere in military affairs! Besides," he cast a sidelong glance at Lu Xiu before his eyes landed back on Liang Wan, sneering coldly, "to him, you were nothing but a concubine. What kind of important figure do you think you are to His Majesty?"

Liang Wan slightly raised her chin and looked at him. "I won’t be anything, but as for you, that’s hard to say." Her tone was icy.

"You—" Lou Shixun was so furious that the powder on his face practically flaked off.

Liang Wan had no intention of arguing with him. She gave a small smile. "I’m only doing this for your own good. The peace negotiations will likely require your presence. Ye Yang is fifty miles away from Pingzhou. Are you sure you want to travel back and forth in a carriage every single day?"

Lou Shixun stared at her with deep suspicion, raising his eyebrows. "You’re that kind-hearted?"

Liang Wan blinked and chuckled lightly. "Of course not. Frankly speaking, I’m doing this for myself. The sooner the peace negotiations are concluded, the sooner I can return to the palace. Or do you perhaps enjoy living in such a filthy place every day?"

"Return to the palace?"

Gasps rippled through the crowd, and many pairs of eyes darted toward the tied-up man. This was her publicly admitting that she was already involved with His Majesty...

Yet, the man in question remained completely oblivious.

"Awan, what are you saying?" Wang Tingyue grabbed her with trembling hands, completely disregarding the distance they ought to maintain in public.

"I will be moving into Hanguang Hall," Liang Wan said nonchalantly, brushing his hand away and looking up with a smile. "At this point, I have no intention of hiding it from you anymore. You would find out anyway once we return to Jinye."

After she finished speaking, she pursed her lips and met Lou Shixun’s gaze. "Therefore, you had best follow my advice. Before the peace negotiations are finalized, continue to station the army at Tongli Town."

Lou Shixun stood there for a long time, his mouth hanging half-open in a daze. He had guessed that she sought refuge with His Majesty, but he never expected her status to directly rival that of the Empress.

Hanguang Hall and Zhaoyang Palace flanked the left and right, situated side-by-side directly behind the Emperor’s Taiji Palace.

The expressions on the faces of the others were much the same, exhibiting visible astonishment.

Wang Tingyue’s gaze swept toward the figure a few paces away. He looked as though he wanted to speak but stopped himself.

Liang Wan didn’t look in that direction. "I must also trouble the Great General to allocate a separate residence for me."

A heavy breath lodged in Lou Shixun’s chest, stuck halfway. He hadn’t even had the chance to flaunt his authority as the Great General, yet she was already putting on the airs of a favored concubine!

He furrowed his brow slightly. Wang Tingyue clearly knew about Liang Wan coming to Pingzhou in advance, but he himself had been completely in the dark. The Emperor was obviously guarding against him!

No, the Emperor was guarding against the Lou Family.

Recalling the instructions his father and uncle gave him before his departure, once he escorted Lu Xiu back and solidified the evidence of the Lu Family’s collusion with the enemy...

Lou Shixun held his temper, offering a fake smile. "Madam is too polite."

Liang Wan faced him openly and flashed a radiant smile. "This camp is entirely filled with men. It’s quite inconvenient to have no one to serve me. The maidservant by your side seems decent enough. How about lending her to me for a few days?"

Lou Shixun’s powdered face turned even paler. What maidservant? That was his concubine!

"You—"

Liang Wan’s eyes curved in amusement. "Don’t be so stingy, General. Later on, I’ll have His Majesty send you a few more. If you like, even if they are from the harem, as long as they catch your eye, it’ll take nothing more than a single word from me."

Hah, what arrogance! Even the Empress had no right to give away the Emperor’s concubines!

Lou Shixun knitted his brows tightly. However, seeing her breezy and unfazed demeanor, he recalled the incident with the rumors. So many people had been thrown into the Imperial Prison because of her. She truly couldn’t be underestimated...

Liang Wan raised a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair, as if she were trying to recall something. "If I remember correctly, doesn’t His Majesty have a Wanhua surnamed Song? She seems to have something going on with the Great General—"

To say such a thing right in front of all the soldiers! Lou Shixun’s eyebrows twitched. His voice trembled as he cried out in panic, "Madam!"

Liang Wan paused and glanced around. The crowd was listening, absolutely dumbfounded.

She looked somewhat remorseful. "Don’t mind me, Great General. It was a slip of the tongue. However—" She shook her head and started laughing again. "Rest assured, the day I return to Jinye will be the very day Song Wanhua enters the Great General Mansion."

Looking as if his soul had been snatched away, Lou Shixun stared blankly at Liang Wan, his face ashen.

Liang Wan raised her eyebrows. "General, I am a bit tired. Will you allow me to go and rest first?"

Lou Shixun nodded numbly.

Looking at the gorgeous woman standing behind Lou Shixun, Liang Wan smiled. "I will be troubling you for this period of time!"

The bystanders might not have known the woman’s identity, but everyone in Lou Shixun’s entourage knew perfectly well. Seeing the woman try to tug at Lou Shixun with a deeply aggrieved expression, her true identity was already self-evident.

Wang Tingyue stared at Liang Wan, frowning. She had clearly seen this concubine at the post house. By demanding that the woman serve her now, wasn’t she blatantly humiliating Lou Shixun?

What on earth was she trying to do?!

Without even turning his head, Lou Shixun said in a stiff voice, "Serve Madam well!"

Liang Wan lowered her eyelashes, a smirk curling on her lips.

Public humiliation? She could play that game, too.

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