Vol 10 Chapter 10 (1/2)
Chapter 10
VOLUME 10 CHAPTER 10: DON’T TELL ME THIS IS THE CALM AFTER THE BATTLE OF FAN CITY (10)
Meng De POV
“Un. But no matter what, we still lost the battle in the end.” Ben Chu said after thinking for a while.
“… Yes.” I said, as there was no way to refute this. Faced with Ben Chu acting like this, I had no choice but to forcefully change the topic, “Ah… How is Shen Pei doing?”
“Un? What do you mean how?” Ben Chu replied as she frowned. Seems like she is not too keen on replying me.
“Didn’t Shen Pei return ahead of the rest?”
“Hai,” Ben Chu sighed but did not seem to be very agitated about this and sank into silence for a while before she replied, “She is indeed back and is currently being consoled by Feng Ji. They are quite close and it just so happens that Feng Ji came over to Xuchang to do some work here.”
“Console? What for?”
“Because of the defeat.”
“But… Based on the reports I received, Shen Pei shouldn’t have done anything wrongly.”
Be it her suspicions of the fake defections or that brilliant forest ambush, I would say that Shen Pei did very well, more so than the 2 generals I had sent. She seemed so talented that I even had the notion of stealing her away from Ben Chu.
“I thought the same as well but to her, a defeat is a defeat and she did lose the city after all.” Ben Chu said as she stroked her hair, “I didn’t say anything about it but it did seem to be quite the setback for Shen Pei.”
“I suppose.”
If Shen Pei is like this, I can only imagine how Li Dian and Cao Ren must feel. Though it’s heartrending to know that so many troops lost their lives, I would still forgive Li Dian and Cao Ren. Not myself though.
“Alright, I’ll get the matter with Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang settled. After I’m done with the draft paperwork, I’ll send it over to you and you can let me know if there’s anything you’re unsatisfied with.”
“Un.” Ben Chu grunted and seemed to be more energetic as she looked at me, “Many thanks for this.”
“No, they deserve it. This battle was too difficult for them after all.”
“Yes,” Ben Chu said as she sighed yet again, “But I suppose it all worked out anyway. They once told me that their greatest wish was to die in battle for me. I didn’t take them seriously then but it actually came true.”
Yes, it did. At the very end, they died in combat and had to be buried in a foreign land. As someone with the bigger picture in mind, they did not contribute much. At the very least, Shen Pei who was able to come back alive despite the defeat was more useful. But as a lord, they answered the call of duty and more. Especially when their opponents were this strong.
Of course, I have some suspicions about this which I have to clarify with Li Dian and Cao Ren. There are many questions I have after reading their reports which only they can answer.
“Ah.”
Un? What’s the matter, Ben Chu?” I asked when Ben Chu let out a small cry just as we were leaving the palace. I looked in the distance and realised why.
Right in front of us, at the end of the bridge, was a girl with messy hair standing with her hands in her sleeves and seeming rather timid. This was the strategist called Shen Pei who was clearly waiting for Ben Chu.
“…” I looked at Ben Chu with interest but her expression was the same serious one with a hint of sadness. As she continued to walk forward, I could also sense that she was suppressing her emotions.
After we were halfway
across the bridge, she took out her folding fan and opened it as she began fanning herself, “Meng De.”
“What is it?” I asked though I already knew what she wanted to say.
“Forget what I said before. Do not ever mention it to Shen Pei.”
“Alright, I got it.”
Ben Chu is the same as ever huh?
After several more steps, I saw that Ben Chu had her usual cold, aloof and arrogant expression on.
“My lord, Imperial Chancellor.” Shen Pei hurriedly bowed and greeted us when we neared. I smiled and raised my hand while Ben Chu remained silent as she looked at Shen Pei.