Transmigrated as the Villainess, She Made the General Blush - Chapter 91

Chapter 91

On a manor deep in the mountain forests on the outskirts of the city.

Chen Chu arrived carrying Xiao Wangshu’s Golden Toad Jade Seal. The guards watching over the estate looked at the large contingent of soldiers behind Chen Chu, carefully inspected the jade seal several times, and then allowed him entry.

At that moment, Yuchi Yan and Qin Tai also came out to greet him.

“Greetings, General!”

The two clasped their hands in salute before moving to either side of Chen Chu. They gestured with their hands and said, “This way, General.”

Chen Chu gave a slight nod and led his troops into the manor.

The estate looked like farmland, though the roads were significantly wider than typical dirt paths between fields, wide enough for two carriages to pass side-by-side.

In the distance, granaries stood at regular intervals.

The sheer number of granaries made Chen Chu wonder if the grain produced on this manor could even fill ten or twenty percent of them.

He doubted it.

“The Young Lady already informed us that the General would be coming to search for spies.”

“Everyone on the manor is here: craftsmen, farmers, guards, maids, older servants, cooks… If the General is concerned about any omissions, you may send your men to search again.”

Yuchi Yan had gathered everyone at the Altar Square in the center of the manor to await Chen Chu’s inspection.

Chen Chu gave a cursory glance over the crowd and instructed Yang Yumu behind him, “Take some men and check the manor once more. Be gentle; do not break anything.”

“Understood!” Yang Yumu led the soldiers away to check for anyone who might have been missed.

Yuchi Yan and Qin Tai were already familiar with Chen Chu’s temperament, so they weren’t surprised by this.

General Chen was extremely thorough in his work and kept a tight lip. He was a man of few words who followed the rules and remained impartial. It was for these reasons that, at only twenty-four or twenty-five years of age, he was already a trusted military officer by the Prime Minister’s side.

Truthfully, the fact that Chen Chu could show a softer side to his iron-faced demeanor today by telling his subordinates to be gentle was already somewhat beyond Yuchi Yan and Qin Tai’s expectations.

“Men over eight feet tall, form a separate line. Luo Heng, take some men and carefully check their right shoulders. Bring anyone with a scar to me for inspection.” Chen Chu remembered clearly that the spy who shot the arrow that day was over eight feet tall and had a sturdy build; it was unlikely to be a woman in disguise.

If the spy really had been a woman in disguise or a shorter person using lifts to appear taller, they wouldn’t have been able to move so quickly while escaping.

But for safety’s sake, Chen Chu still instructed another officer, “You check the men under eight feet.”

“Understood!” That officer led his soldiers away to inspect the men.

Then, Chen Chu turned to look at the two laundry women he had brought from his residence. “You two go and check the women.”

“Yes, sir.” The two older women withdrew together.

Perhaps because they had spent a long time at the General’s Manor, even though they were over forty, their speech and actions were very efficient, unlike the sluggishness of typical older servants.

Seeing how quickly Chen Chu’s people moved, Yuchi Yan felt a slight pang of anxiety. He stepped forward with a smile. “General, why not sit down and have a cup of tea to warm up?”

It was nearly the twelfth lunar month, and the wind was biting, so everyone was dressed in thick layers.

This was evident from the padded cloaks worn by Chen Chu and his many soldiers.

At Yuchi Yan’s invitation, Chen Chu nodded and walked over to sit under a nearby shed, taking the ginger tea Yuchi Yan offered.

The rising steam from the bowl blurred his vision. Chen Chu’s gaze swept over the crowd on the square, scanning casually until it suddenly stopped in one direction.

Seeing him staring toward Qin Tai for a long time, Yuchi Yan took a step forward, coincidentally blocking his line of sight. “General, is the ginger tea too hot? Should we add some cold water?”

Chen Chu shook his head and took an absentminded sip.

The ginger tea was pungent, sending waves of warmth down his throat and into his stomach.

The steam clung to his eyelashes, obscuring the thoughts in his eyes.

He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion caused by the swirling mist, but as he looked at Qin Tai’s silhouette, he felt it was identical to the spy who had been struck by an arrow and fled that day.
It was simply too similar.

Whether it was his height, his build, his shoulder width, or the length of his arms, he was a perfect match for the spy in black from his memory.

“General, I have searched the manor. No one was missed!” Yang Yumu reported back after leading his troops through the sweep.

At that moment, Luo Heng and the others also finished their inspections, returning one after another to report: “General, nothing found!”

In such a large manor, there were bound to be many people with scars. However, despite checking so many people, not a single person had a scar on their right shoulder.

“Has everyone been checked?” Chen Chu asked again.

Luo Heng and the others replied with certainty, “Everyone!”

As soon as they said it, something seemed to occur to them, and they turned their gazes toward Yuchi Yan and Qin Tai.

“Those two haven’t been checked yet.”

These two had come from their military camp and shared a bit of a history with them. Because of this, they had treated the pair as their own and hadn’t questioned them.

Now that they thought about it carefully, they realized these two were no longer Guard Commanders in the army.

Chen Chu’s gaze also shifted toward Yuchi Yan and Qin Tai. He spoke casually, “Since we’re already here, check them both. Once that’s done, we’ll withdraw and return to camp.”

“Yes!” Luo Heng acknowledged and walked over to Yuchi Yan.

Yuchi Yan unbuckled his belt and loosened his collar, revealing his lean neck and shoulders to Luo Heng.

Luo Heng scanned him; there wasn’t a single scar. His originally wheat-colored skin had even lightened after several months of being cared for by the Fourth Miss, becoming as smooth as a young lady’s.

“Alright, put your clothes back on.” Having said that, Luo Heng moved toward Qin Tai.

Qin Tai’s gaze flickered slightly. He placed his hands on his belt, unfastening it as he spoke, “Checking old acquaintances too? This is a bit sudden of you guys.”

His robes fell open accordingly, revealing red and purple marks scattered across his chest.

Luo Heng froze entirely. It took him a good while to process what he was seeing before he stammered out, “You brat… you’ve certainly been living it up since you left the army!”

Though the sight before him was a bit of an eyesore, Luo Heng remained dutiful. He spent a considerable amount of time inspecting Qin Tai’s right shoulder.

Finally, he reached out and poked a very faint scar on Qin Tai’s right shoulder.

“What’s this from? When did you get it?”

Qin Tai’s gaze continued to wander, his voice lacking conviction as he replied, “It’s nothing. Don’t ask. Some candle wax dripped on it… it’s a burn.”

The scar was very faint. Although it was circular, it wasn’t as jagged or gruesome as a typical arrow wound.

Furthermore, it wasn’t just on his right shoulder; Qin Tai had several of these faint scars across his body.

Luo Heng was utterly speechless. He snapped irritably, “Hurry up and get dressed!”

How embarrassing!

Simply too embarrassing!

Qin Tai’s face was flushed red, looking quite bashful as he prepared to pull his clothes back up.

At that moment, Chen Chu, who had been sitting to the side drinking tea, suddenly spoke-

“Wait.”

Yuchi Yan’s heart instantly tightened. Qin Tai’s hand, which was pulling up his clothes, froze in place.

“Is there something else, General?” Yuchi Yan asked.

Chen Chu rose and began to walk. His combat boots thudded against the ground with an overwhelming sense of pressure as he walked straight toward Qin Tai.

Upon seeing the marks on Qin Tai’s body, Chen Chu did not look away. His gaze remained fixed on the scar on the man’s shoulder, and his nostrils flared slightly as he caught a scent.

This scent… it felt as if she had once carried it on her as well.

“Where did you spend the night?” Chen Chu asked bluntly, striking right at the heart of the matter.

Qin Tai instinctively looked toward Yuchi Yan.

Chen Chu followed his gaze.

Yuchi Yan took a silent breath, trying his best to maintain his composure as he answered, “Reporting to the General, the two of us… share a Passion of the cut sleeve.”

Luo Heng: !

Yang Yumu: !

Never mind the shock felt by the onlookers, Luo Heng and Yang Yumu-even Qin Tai himself was left dazed on the spot.

Chen Chu’s expression remained unchanged. He walked over to Yuchi Yan, stopping half a step away, and leaned in slightly to take a sniff from a distance.