Chapter 221: Do You Think Kong Xiao Can Resist That Man’s Temptation?
“Alright, no problem. The fewer people who go with me, the greater my chances of success, but you have to find someone who’s a bit more obedient. Otherwise, I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist punching someone.” Lin Xin said this while shaking her fair little fist.
Chen Lingyuan: “······”
“Alright, I understand. I’ll arrange a suitable one for you then. When can you set off?”
“Anytime is fine, but I need to check the person you select in advance. If they don’t meet my standards, I won’t take them.” Lin Xin said.
“No problem. Let’s tentatively set the time for tomorrow night. I’ll select the person tomorrow morning.” This wasn’t an excessive request. The two of them working together indeed required mutual trust; otherwise, mission failure would be the least of it, and they might even lose their lives.
“Good.” Lin Xin readily agreed. Seeing that Chen Lingyuan seemed to have more to say to Mo Ziyuan, she returned to her side first.
“What does the general want to say to me?” Mo Ziyuan sat down opposite and asked.
“Where did you go tonight?” Chen Lingyuan asked in return instead of answering.
“We went to Kong Xiao’s camp tent.” Mo Ziyuan told the truth.
“He······ did what?”
“The general knows full well, so why ask unnecessarily!”
“He······ really······”
“Not yet, but it’s close. The spy His Majesty mentioned isn’t him.” Mo Ziyuan knew what Chen Lingyuan wanted to ask and answered very straightforwardly.
Chen Lingyuan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Seeing Mo Ziyuan staring at him, he couldn’t help but give a wry smile. “You’re wondering why I’m so lenient with Kong Xiao, aren’t you!”
Mo Ziyuan was indeed curious, but it was their business, and he didn’t have to know. However, if the other was willing to tell him······ it wouldn’t hurt to listen; after all, Xin’er liked gossip.
Yes, that’s it, no mistake!
“My father was ambushed and gravely injured on the battlefield in the past. He was saved by a hunter in the mountains. After recovering at his home, my father left the only jade pendant he had left on him and departed. When he dealt with those who ambushed him and returned to find the man, he learned that shortly after he left, the hunter had been mauled to death by a wolf pack in the mountains. The hunter’s wife took their one-year-old child and left the village, their whereabouts unknown.
Later, I saw the jade pendant Kong Xiao wore in the military camp. He said it was the only memento left by his parents. I had someone investigate his background and learned he was the child of that hunter from back then, so I’ve given him extra care.” Speaking of this, Chen Lingyuan sighed deeply.
“I see!” Mo Ziyuan didn’t know what to say.
“Moreover, although Kong Xiao’s abilities are average, he’s very hardworking. He always charges at the front in every battle. I wasn’t favoritist in making him my deputy general.”
“So he disregards your life by confining you, arbitrarily changes the military camp’s patrol regulations, and you don’t pursue it—that’s not favoritism?” Mo Ziyuan stared straight at Chen Lingyuan, his voice faintly carrying disappointment and suppressed anger.
“I…” Chen Lingyuan gritted his teeth, glanced at Mo Ziyuan’s expression, and said awkwardly: “Zi Yuan, I’ve promoted you quite a bit in the past too. Can’t you… give him one more chance for my sake? Of course,” seeing Mo Ziyuan’s face turn very ugly, he quickly added: “If he commits an unforgivable mistake again, I’ll handle it impartially and absolutely won’t condone it.”
Mo Ziyuan looked at him fixedly for a moment, then nodded and said: “I can agree to that. If he’s well-behaved from now on, I can pretend the past didn’t happen. But if he really errs again, I’ll report all previous matters to His Majesty one by one—mark my words!”
Hearing his resolute tone, Chen Lingyuan knew this was his bottom line, so he nodded and said: “I understand. Thank you for giving him this chance.”
“Hmph,” Mo Ziyuan sneered. “This chance is for you, so you can see his true colors clearly.”
Chen Lingyuan’s heart skipped a beat. Seeing the conviction on his face, he probed: “Do you know something?”
Mo Ziyuan didn’t answer directly, but said to him: “When a person is always in favorable circumstances, the ugliness in human nature is likely hidden. But once in adversity, those with weak character will do things they never thought they would. Let’s wait and see!”
“…” Though Chen Lingyuan felt he meant something specific, he didn’t have the nerve to press further and could only nod helplessly.
“Then general, you should go back and rest first. This lowly general won’t see you off.” Mo Ziyuan stood up, cupped his hands, and said.
Having been given the order to leave, Chen Lingyuan couldn’t stay longer and stood up to depart.
Mo Ziyuan saw him to the door, watched him enter his own camp tent, then turned and went to Lin Xin’s tent.
Lin Xin hadn’t slept yet either and gave him a knowing look.
“Kong Xiao’s father saved General Chen’s father, so he…”
“So although he’s not a bad person, he’s not suited to lead troops in battle!” Lin Xin interrupted and stated her conclusion.
Mo Ziyuan looked up in surprise. “General Chen is skilled in military strategy and tactics, battle-hardened with no defeats!”
“That only shows he can lead troops in battle, but not that he’s suited to lead troops in battle. His character is too soft, he values feelings too much, to the point of not distinguishing public from private!”
Seeing Mo Ziyuan still full of disagreement, Lin Xin asked him: “Do you think Kong Xiao can resist that man’s temptation?”
Mo Ziyuan shook his head decisively, soon understanding what Lin Xin meant, and said to her: “The general has promised that if Kong Xiao errs again, he absolutely won’t condone it!”
Lin Xin knew it was impossible to convince Mo Ziyuan now and could only let facts prove her right, so she nodded. “Alright then, we’ll patiently wait a few days and see if I’m right or not.”
The atmosphere between them was a bit awkward. They looked at each other and realized their argument just now was over someone else’s business, then both laughed.
“Xin’er, let’s only do this kind of silly thing once. We can’t be silly again; it affects the mood too much!”
“Exactly, we can’t control others; better to manage ourselves from now on!”
Having cheerfully reached a consensus, they excitedly discussed whether Kong Xiao would fall into the man in black’s trap and stab Chen Lingyuan in the back again.
The next day, several deputy generals and Mo Ziyuan gathered again in Chen Lingyuan’s tent. Kong Xiao’s severe panda eyes in the crowd made him particularly conspicuous.
“Kong Xiao, what were you doing last night instead of sleeping? Such big dark circles!” A straightforward deputy general slung an arm around his shoulder and teased.
“I didn’t do anything, just didn’t sleep well.” Kong Xiao felt guilty inside and stiffly dodged the man before saying dryly.
“Deputy General Kong must be missing his wife at home, that’s why he couldn’t sleep, right?”
“Hahaha…” Everyone burst into good-natured laughter.
Kong Xiao: “…”
Mo Ziyuan sneered inwardly, silently moved a few steps to the side, putting some distance from Kong Xiao.
