The Noble Woman's Guide On How to Tease One's Husband

Chapter 52 - Awaken

The Noble Woman's Guide On How to Tease One's Husband – Chapter 52

Translated by: Oinkoink

Proofread by: SilkScreen

Chapter 52 – Awaken

Instead of going south to Yuzhou, Chu Jinglan chose Yanzhou which was closer to Northern Land and farther away from Wangdu when he arranged their evacuation route, which fundamental reason can summarize into three words – The Shen-Ce Army.

The matter about this army could be traced back to ten years ago. At that time, billowing smoke filled the borders of Chu Country with upheaval of the Yi tribe in the north and intrusion of the Rong tribe in the west. The late emperor ordered his younger brother, Chu Rong to lead his troops to suppress the foreign invaders. Trudging thousands of miles to the west border, he led the Shen-Ce Army to fight the bloody battles against the strong and mighty Rong tribe for several months. He finally destroyed them and brought the current peace to the west. Henceforth, the impressive reputation of the Shen-Ce Army spread widely and became known to everybody.

Regrettably, Chu Rong was stabbed in the abdominal cavity by the enemy during the battle of Lingxiao Pass and passed away shortly after. Chu Jinglan then inherited his legacy and led the 100 thousand Shen-Ce Army to conquer the capital of the Rong tribe, where he beheaded the savage king to assuage his uncle's soul in heaven. After the battle, he personally transported his uncle's coffin back to Wangdu, thousands of miles away, and the Shen-Ce Army followed the lead of Chu Jinglan ever since then.

Everyone thought the Shen-Ce Army achieved divinity in one battle, but nobody knew the price they had to pay was not small either. Out of the 100 thousand troops, only over 60 thousand survived death, injuries or illnesses. A group was later reassigned because of a shortage of soldiers in Northern Land and only 30 thousand remained in Wangdu. After Chu Sanghuai falsified the imperial decree and ascended the throne, he and his family immediately joined forces with Wang Xie to massacre these 30 thousand soldiers in the name of treason; hence, the once invincible Shen-Ce Army died just like that in the hands of their own people, which was extremely tragic.

When Chu Jinglan first heard this bad news, his grief was unbearable that he vomited blood on more than one occasion. After he buckled up, he started to secretly contact his old subordinates. Fortunately, a group of the Shen-Ce Army was transferred to Northern Land and although they were scattered, they are still right under his nose. His effort was at least not wasted and he took upon himself to secretly train his troops under the pretext of shielding in Northern Land.

And the one who shot Deng Tianguan was among them.

Though there were merely a few thousand people this time, it was difficult to sneak them into Jingzhou from Northern Land; thus, Yanzhou–situated in between–played a decisive role. This is the fiefdom of Chu Rong's son, Chu Zhenghe. From the provincial governor to the county magistrates, none dares to offend him. So, he secretly sent the Shen-Ce Army to Jingzhou.

All these years, he seems to be an idler in Yanzhou but in reality he is just as aggrieved as Chu Jinglan over the annihilation of the Shen-Ce Army. He doesn't want his father's painstaking efforts buried, so he supported Chu Jinglan's actions in secret by supplying provisions and funds to the Shen-Ce Army, as well as doing all the necessary cover up.

At this moment, he is sitting inside Chu Jinglan's study with his legs crossed and one foot poised in mid-air.

"Look at you. It's not easy for you to make a trip to my place, yet you're always showing a deadpan face. Haven't the problems in Jingzhou been resolved? The remnants of Deng Tianguan's troops and Chang Xin are fighting in full swing, so just let them fight. The royal court will dispatch troops to clear them up once you have reported to the royal court when you return to Wangdu. So, what are you zealously worrying about?"