Chapter 94: Attitude

While the Chen brothers were speaking in low voices, General Geng, clad in silver robes and mingling with the young men, suddenly raised his right hand and commanded, "Slow down—we'll fall to the rear!"

At his command, the thirty riders halted at once and replied in unison, "Yes, sir."

By saying he would fall to the rear, he meant to remain at the back of the convoy. The excuse was reasonable enough, but was it not also a clear statement of discord with the nobleman?

The young men held their breath, quietly weighing the matter in their minds, while their ears strained to catch any sound from that direction.

There was no sound from there—not until General Geng and his men vanished into the rolling dust and reappeared far behind the convoy. Even then, the nobleman remained as languid as ever.

After savoring a few sips of wine, he waved his right hand.

Soon, the guard in blue robes rode up to his side.

With his eyes closed, the nobleman drawled lazily, "Hmm, did I not recently take on a new advisor, one Lu Wen of the Lu family? Have him come over and keep me company."

The blue-robed guard raised his head, glanced at his master, then clasped his fists and replied, "Yes, my lord."

Before long, he rode toward Lu Ying's donkey cart.

Though Lu Ying appeared to be reading at this moment, she was merely putting on a show—how could she actually focus on the words? So the moment the young guard approached, she grew alert.

Sure enough, under the watchful gazes of the crowd and amidst the natural hush that fell around them, the guard reached Lu Ying's side, clasped his fists, and said, "Lu Wen, my lord summons you."

"Yes."

Lu Ying acknowledged the order and signaled the driver to move closer.

That driver was but an ordinary carter from the countryside of Hanyang, hired by Lu Ying for a fee. What had he ever seen of such men or such scenes? He glanced back at the nobleman, and at the oppressive mass behind him—a uniform array of black armor, black spears, and black-clad soldiers—and upon hearing that they were to go over, his legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

Seeing that the driver had cracked his whip several times yet the donkey cart remained where it was, and vaguely catching the sound of mocking laughter, Lu Ying said in a low voice, "Enough, stop here. I'll go over on my own."

"Yes, yes."

The donkey cart came to a halt.

Lu Ying jumped down from the cart and strode briskly toward the nobleman.

Watching Lu Ying slowly catching up to the nobleman's carriage in the sunlight, the crowd, which had just been convinced that this nobleman was exceedingly indulgent toward Lu Ying, now overturned their assessment once again... With a man of his power, even a flick of his finger could bestow boundless wealth and honor upon this woman of the Lu family. Yet she remained destitute, unable even to afford a donkey cart. What, then, was the true nature of their relationship? Could it really be that of advisor and lord?

Before long, Lu Ying had caught up to the nobleman's carriage.

Fortunately, the procession was not moving quickly. Walking at a brisk pace, Lu Ying could just barely keep pace.

When she reached the carriage, she made a deep bow and called out clearly, "Lu Wen greets my lord."

It seemed this name would not be changed this time.

The nobleman turned his head and cast a glance at Lu Ying, whose cheeks were flushed from walking so quickly. He suddenly said, "Lu Wen."

"Here."

"I wish to ask you something. If you saw a wildcat—sharp of tooth and claw, with nails grown long—would you trim them?"

In the sunlight, the nobleman's somewhat narrow eyes shimmered with light, as if smiling.

He had asked the question with complete seriousness.

Lu Ying looked up at him.

She, too, looked seriously.

After a moment's deliberation, Lu Ying replied earnestly, "I believe it is best to let nature take its course."

"Oh? How so?" This man's voice truly was pleasing to the ear. Every syllable seemed to scratch at one's heart, stirring an itch that made it pound.

Lu Ying lowered her gaze. Her steps keeping pace with his carriage, she said decisively, "I believe that a wildcat is, after all, a creature of the wild. Some untamable wildness is only natural. If one were to forcibly trim its claws and pull its teeth, would it not become just like the common chickens one sees everywhere? And are there not already enough chickens in this world? What interest would there be in adding one more?"

The nobleman seemed inclined to laugh. He nodded, stroking his chin, and said, "That is what I think as well."

Sure enough, the moment these words left his mouth, Lu Ying let out a hidden sigh of relief.

Just as she relaxed, however, the nobleman commanded, "Halt."

The carriage came to an abrupt stop.

Then, the nobleman's magnetic, gentle voice drifted down from above her, "As luck would have it, the journey was hasty and I am short one servant. Fortunately, Wen is here. Come up. Tasks such as pouring wine and burning incense—you know how to do them."

What?

He wanted her to serve him at close quarters?

When everyone knew she was a woman, he wanted her to serve him at close quarters?

Suddenly, Lu Ying regretted her decision. Had she known he would do this, she would simply have presented herself as a woman. Given his mischievous nature toward her, he would surely have only wanted to tease her for amusement, not to bring her into his tent and transform her from a wildcat into a common chicken.

This time, she had overplayed her hand.

Regret though she might, things had already come to this pass, and Lu Ying had no choice but to comply. With a wooden expression, she climbed slowly and deliberately onto the nobleman's carriage. The moment she ducked inside, she distinctly heard the startled gasps from A Ti, Wen Qing, and the others.

The moment she boarded the carriage, Lu Ying moved to the other side and firmly rolled up the curtain.

Once both side curtains were fully raised, exposing her own and the nobleman's every move completely to the eyes of the crowd, Lu Ying walked over to the low table and began to burn incense and warm wine.

The procession moved on at a leisurely, unhurried pace.

From time to time, people glanced in this direction.

Lu Ying poured the wine with a blank expression, thinking to herself: I must conduct myself with perfect openness and propriety.

Quietly, she poured a cup of wine for the nobleman, then lowered her gaze. She took an empty cup from the side and set it before herself, then poured a cup for herself as well.

After filling her cup, Lu Ying lifted it and took a slow sip.

All of these actions, Lu Ying performed slowly and gracefully. There was true ease in them.

This display was clearly meant to tell everyone: she was truly nothing more than his subordinate, his advisor...

The nobleman curled his lips. Languidly, he asked, "Lu, what is it that you want?"

What did she want?

Lu Ying raised her head and looked at him with a hint of confusion. She took a sip of wine, then said slowly, "I want to live comfortably. I want to control my own life."

Though spoken low and unhurried, the words were utterly resolute—clearly the voice of her heart.

The nobleman opened his eyes and glanced at her. After a long moment, the corners of his lips curved upward, and he said quietly, "Control your own life, hmm?" He seemed to let out a soft chuckle, then said slowly, "Very well. You may go down now."

Lu Ying lowered her head, made a respectful bow, then called out to the driver to stop the cart and slowly withdrew.

Watching Lu Ying's departing figure, the nobleman wore an enigmatic half-smile. Before long, the blue-robed guard drew close and asked in a low voice, "My lord, shall I bestow a carriage upon the lady Lu?"

His master was clearly interested in her, yet he still allowed her to be pointed at and discussed by others...

"No need." The nobleman closed his eyes and said with a smile, "If she wishes to be a wildcat, then let her be."

"Yes, my lord."

"I have seen the person now. Let us be off."

"Yes, my lord."

Upon receiving the nobleman's order, the blue-robed guard gave a shout toward the rear. In but a moment, several hundred riders spurred forward at once. In the blink of an eye, they churned up a vast cloud of dust, leaving the crowd far behind.

This man—he had come with such fanfare, only to pause for this brief moment?

Even in the end, no one could discern what his true attitude toward this Lu was.

To be so perpetually inscrutable—truly, he deserved his reputation for capricious moods!

The young men muttered among themselves for a while, then also breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, he had not been as unapproachable as the legends claimed; in fact, he had often carried a smile. Yet even so, they had been so overawed by his presence that they had not dared to breathe too loudly, let alone speak.

A Ti was the first to run over. She eagerly pressed close to Lu Ying's donkey cart, poking her head in and asking, "A Ying, what did he say to you?" As Lu Ying turned back, she noticed that everyone had pricked up their ears, listening intently.

Lu Ying's lips curved slightly, and she said in a low voice, "He asked me whether I would rather be a wildcat or a common chicken."

What?

The young men were first stunned, then in an instant, all of them strained their ears even harder.

A Ti hurriedly asked, "And how did you answer?" So eager was she for the answer that her voice carried a shrill note of excitement.

Lu Ying said flatly, "I told him I thought the wildcat was the better choice."

A Ti cried out excitedly, "And what did he say?"

Lu Ying shook her head and replied honestly, "Then he had the carriage stopped, had me pour wine, and after I had a couple of sips, I came back down."

"He said nothing at all?" A Ti sounded rather disappointed.

Lu Ying turned back and smiled at A Ti. "I already answered that I would be a wildcat, and he agreed to it. What more needed to be said?"

A Ti was momentarily lost for words. She pouted and said, "But... but this is just too—" Too what, she couldn't quite articulate. She simply felt that he, just as the legends described, was incomparably handsome, yet carried an even more intimidating presence. And A Ying, who had nothing at all, had behaved so differently in front of him than usual. She truly wanted to know what had passed between them.

Amid A Ti's frustration, Mo Yuan was the first to ask curiously, "A Ying, is this how the two of you always interact?" He gestured with his hands, searching for the right words. "Always so... impossible for outsiders to understand?"

Lu Ying nodded and lowered her gaze.

Seeing that her expression was cold and she clearly did not wish to say more, the young men felt it awkward to press further.

Still, though they refrained from questioning her further, their eyes upon Lu Ying remained full of speculation and whispered conjecture.

Lu Ying knew that everyone here was pondering the nobleman's attitude toward her. One could say that the nobleman's stance would determine how they—and the families behind them—treated her.

But these matters did not interest Lu Ying. She only knew that on this journey to Chengdu, she had successfully made these young men and women from Chengdu owe her a favor.

To her, with such a favor, she could accomplish many things. As for whether to grow closer to the families behind these people—Lu Ying truly had little interest in that. Or rather, though she could easily sense the emotions of others, and could handle interpersonal relations perfectly well if she wished, she simply had no interest in the endless maneuvering, scheming, and guarding against being schemed against that such dealings entailed.