Transmigrated as the Villainess, She Made the General Blush - Chapter 87 - She's Actually Quite Cute 2

Chapter 87 – She’s Actually Quite Cute 2

“He was just a spy, and a heavily injured one at that. Even if he escaped, he likely wouldn’t be able to cause much trouble. Since you’ve searched so thoroughly and still haven’t found him, General, it’s highly probable he’s already been trampled under the hooves of the cavalry.”

The more Chen Chu listened, the more he felt Xiao Wangshu’s words made sense.

However, a faint suspicion still lingered in his heart. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the man truly wasn’t among the corpses.

“What you say is reasonable, Miss, but I am still somewhat uneasy.

“I wonder if you would allow me to conduct a thorough search of the manor? If that spy has indeed infiltrated the grounds, he would be a significant hidden threat to your safety.

“Once I have searched the place, if there is no sign of him, I will withdraw the troops to camp. You will also be able to rest easy when you visit the manor in the future.”

Xiao Wangshu had talked for quite a while, but she hadn’t expected that he would pivot right back to searching the manor.

For a moment, she felt a bit helpless, yet also found it slightly amusing.

“It’s not that I’m unwilling, General. It’s just that we are currently paving roads and building granaries at the manor. There are timber and bricks everywhere. If you lead your troops inside, I’m afraid you won’t even be able to move.”

Xiao Wangshu’s tone was gentle, almost as if she were coaxing a child. Though she was a young woman not yet twenty, she exuded an effortless, composed charm that seemed to transcend her years.

Listening to her tone, Chen Chu’s ears-which had just cooled down-began to burn again. His words became a bit stumbled as he asked, “I… I will tell the men to be careful. Is it not possible to simply avoid those things?”

“Of course not. Some of the sand and soil must be mixed with water. If the craftsmen are delayed even slightly, the mortar will dry out and become useless.

“With so many of your soldiers entering, the craftsmen would have to stop their work to cooperate with the search. Wouldn’t that delay my construction schedule?”

Xiao Wangshu explained it clearly to him, then made a concession, asking, “How about this? Ten days. In ten days, the craftsmen at the manor will be waiting for the newly built walls to dry, so they’ll have two or three days of downtime. You can bring your troops in to search then.”

Chen Chu furrowed his brows.

Ten days. Even for a man of normal physical build, an arrow wound would be mostly healed in ten days, let alone for a rigorously trained spy.

Without an open wound, how would he identify him? By looking for scars?

But that would involve too many coincidences and could easily lead to a wrongful arrest.

“General?”

Xiao Wangshu looked at him sideways and asked again, “Shall we agree on ten days? What do you think, General?”

Chen Chu pursed his lips, then nodded. “Very well.”

Ten days it is. He could still find the man by checking for scars; he would just have to investigate everyone thoroughly when the time came.

She clearly valued her business, her manors, and her shops. If he delayed her construction, she might get angry. If she got upset, it might affect her recovery, and that wouldn’t be good.

Seeing Chen Chu agree, Xiao Wangshu’s expression brightened into a smile.

The cold wind blew the stray hairs at her temples. Her sickly yet beautiful features were pale and cool, lending her an air of mysterious, almost eerie elegance.

“Are you cold, Miss?” Seeing how pale she looked, Chen Chu turned to look at Yichun and Shuxia behind her.

Shuxia was the first to react, speaking up quickly: “Miss, General, please wait a moment. I’ll go back and get a cloak.”

They had assumed their lady wouldn’t be chatting with General Chen for long, thinking they would return to the courtyard after a few words, so they hadn’t brought anything to ward off the cold.

They hadn’t expected the usually stern and silent General Chen to have so much to say to their lady.

With Xiao Wangshu’s permission, Shuxia immediately hurried back to fetch the cloak.

Seeing that Xiao Wangshu’s face was indeed quite pale, Chen Chu unfastened his own mantle and murmured, “If you don’t mind, Miss…”

Before he could finish, Xiao Wangshu smiled at him and sighed, “The General and I have faced death together, yet you are still so formal with me.”

Chen Chu’s ears turned red again as he awkwardly draped the mantle over her shoulders.

Yichun was about to step forward to help, but Xiao Wangshu raised a hand to stop her, quietly watching Chen Chu’s movements.

At this moment, the blood was rushing to Chen Chu’s head, and he didn’t notice the small interaction between the two women. As he tied the drawstrings, his clumsy movements even caught a lock of Xiao Wangshu’s hair in the knot.

Seeing his cautious look, as if he were terrified of tying it wrong, Xiao Wangshu discreetly raised her hand and hooked the lock of hair out of the tight knot he had made.
“Let’s walk a bit further,” Xiao Wangshu said before turning to Yichun. “Yichun, wait here for Shuxia. General Chen and I are going to Baoxiang Garden. When she arrives, bring her straight there.”

Yichun looked at Chen Chu, then at Xiao Wangshu, and curtsied. “Yes, My Lady.”

***

“Sister Qiluo, it’s been so long since I’ve left the Official Lodge that I almost forgot the way to the Chancellor’s Mansion.”

Tuoba Xin linked her arm with Fang Qiluo’s, rubbing her face affectionately against the other girl’s shoulder.

Having survived an assassination attempt together, they now shared a bond forged in life and death.

“I rarely came to the Chancellor’s Mansion in the past either. It’s only in the last six months, as my cousin and I have grown closer, that I’ve visited more often. Even so, I don’t know the way very well.”

After saying this, she added in a whisper, “The Chancellor’s Mansion is simply too large. I used to get lost almost every time I came here.”

As the residence of the Prime Minister, it was significantly larger than even most princely estates.

“By the way, Ah Xin, my uncle the Prime Minister said that he won’t force the matter of the marriage alliance. If you’re unwilling, you can return home, and we will remain eternal allies. Do you… want to stay, or?”

Fang Qiluo asked hesitantly.

Selfishly, she hoped Tuoba Xin would stay in the Capital so they would have another friend to spend time with.

But thinking of Tuoba Xin’s perspective, staying in the Capital meant marrying into a distant land without the protection of her parents or brothers. How helpless would she be?

Upon hearing the question, Tuoba Xin seemed to have no concept of the gravity of marriage, still wearing a playful smile.

“I’m planning to stay! Brother Pingnan treats me quite well. He’s busy in the palace most of the time and doesn’t come home much, so I’ll have plenty of leisure time without having to wait on a husband.

“In the future, when the tribes bring their annual tribute, my brothers can take turns as envoys, so we’ll still see each other.

“If I stay in the Capital, you and Wangshu can take me out to play all the time. There are so many delicious foods and fun things here; I haven’t had nearly enough yet.”

The territory of Great Wei was much larger than that of her tribe, and there were bound to be many more interesting places to see.

She had already seen everything there was to see back home, so she wanted a change of scenery.

Besides… Xiao Pingnan really did care about her. Even when she wasn’t injured, he had frequently visited the Official Lodge lately to see her, bringing her little trinkets and treats.

Furthermore, Xiao Pingnan was quite handsome.

He had the looks and the status; she felt he was a good match.

Looking at the men in her tribe, the only ones with higher status than her were her father and her brothers. She truly couldn’t bring herself to look at those beneath her.

If she went back to the tribe to pick a man, she feared she would end up growing old alone.

“You really want to stay?!” Fang Qiluo was overjoyed at first.

However, after carefully considering the strict rules of high-ranking households, the smile on her face faded slightly. She offered a gentle reminder: “There is still time, Ah Xin. You should think it over more.

“Right now, you are an envoy and an unmarried girl, so you can play as much as you like in the Capital. But once you become a lady of a high-ranking house, it won’t be so easy to go out anymore.”

She thought of her grandmother, her mother, and her aunts, then looked at Aunt Qin’er.

Once a woman became the wife of a court official, how could she still go out to ride horses and play with such abandon?

In truth, Fang Qiluo was three years older than her cousin Wangshu, making her an ‘old maid’ that many women in the Capital gossiped about in private. The reason she remained unmarried and stayed at home was precisely because of these concerns.

Yet Tuoba Xin didn’t take her warning to heart.

“Uncle Xiao and Brother Pingnan already said that I can live in the Xiao Mansion just as I did at home. They told me to just treat it as my own house!”

Seeing her so full of longing, Fang Qiluo found it hard to say more. She simply said, “As long as you can be happy.”

As long as she wouldn’t regret it.

“Look! It’s Wangshu!” Tuoba Xin didn’t catch Fang Qiluo’s underlying meaning at all. Her attention was completely captured by Xiao Wangshu and Chen Chu in the distance.

Fang Qiluo looked over as well, freezing for a moment when she saw the cloak Xiao Wangshu was wearing.

Her cousin… had already become this close with General Chen?