Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 309 Joke

Nianyao, a member of the Dahe Gang, believed in fighting if you could win and running away if you couldn't. She considered the kind of reckless fighting on the battlefield, knowing it would lead to certain death, to be foolish.

Xue Yunfan received formal military training, and in his eyes, Nian Yao's behavior was not only a fruitless return but also a retreat without a fight.

Now that Xu Sheng had pointed to Xue Yunfan, he stepped forward without hesitation and said, "This humble general accepts the order."

Before Nianyao could say anything more, Xu Sheng interrupted, "That's settled then. The Second Young Master will be the commander-in-chief, and Lord Xue will return to his post as military supervisor."

Xue Yunfan redeployed his troops, no longer dividing them into three groups, but setting off together for a tough battle.

Nianyao couldn't say anything to his face, so she waited until everyone had left before turning to Xue Yunfan and saying, "Xu Sheng isn't incapable of leading troops, why did you take this job?"

Xue Yunfan asked in surprise, "Sister, it was arranged by the Prince, not something I stole."

There was no point in reasoning with Xue Yunfan, so Nianyao simply turned around and left.

Xu Sheng leaned against a pillar, gazing at the distant sky, lost in thought.

Nianyao felt that having been in the underworld for so long, she understood people's thoughts to some extent, including the arrogant and awkward Luo An, but Xu Sheng was an exception. She found it difficult to guess Xu Sheng's thoughts, wondering if he was too good at hiding them or if his thoughts were simply beyond the reach of ordinary people.

After waiting a while and seeing that Nianyao didn't speak, Xu Sheng turned his head and greeted her, "Lord Xue, is there something you need?"

Nianyao approached him: "How could you entrust the online army to Xue Yunfan?"

Xu Sheng said, "If Xue Yunting is gone and Xue Yunfan cannot take his place, won't the title of General Who Guards the Nation, passed down through generations of the Xue family, end with him?"

It sounded like she was really thinking of the Xue family. Nianyao said, "He's still young, what's the rush!"

Xu Sheng said, "You also have the surname Xue. You're not young, but you can't win, can you? If you could beat Yan Zeyu and bring some honor to the Xue family, I wouldn't have had to let Xue Yunfan take your place."

In the end, is it her fault?

Seeing her resentful yet helpless expression, Xu Sheng said, "You are a married woman who doesn't fight on the battlefield but flirts with the enemy general. This will be a strange event recorded in history."

Nianyao raised an eyebrow: "Your Highness, I was just joking."

Xu Sheng said, "You'd be better off coming to me than Yan Zeyi, joking around."

Nianyao sat down on the flower bed opposite Xu Sheng, picked a bougainvillea from the flower bed, and said casually, "It's just a joke, what good would it do?"

Xu Sheng: "Lord Xue, others may not understand you, but don't I understand you? You just want these rumors to reach Luo An's ears, so he'll know that you've become a general and are going to fight."

Nianyao raised an eyebrow: "You know me? What makes you think you know me? I just like to joke around, it has nothing to do with Luo An."

Xu Sheng didn't believe it at all: "I'm quite curious, what result do you want to get from him? Do you want him to worry about you and come looking for you, or do you want him to go to An Liangchen to stop the war?"

Nianyao denied it very decisively: "Neither."

Xu Sheng sized her up, seemingly weighing the truthfulness of her words.

Nianyao seemed somewhat disinterested, and after a while she said, "To tell you the truth, I didn't do it for the sake of the rumors reaching Luo An's ears."

Firstly, Luo An trusts me, and secondly, I don't want him involved in the war; it would put him in a difficult position. I hope he can enjoy his life as a doctor in the Heavenly Palace and not get involved in these messy affairs.”

Xu Sheng sat down next to her: "You're very considerate."

Nianyao said, "I couldn't win anyway, so I just joked with Yan Zeyu, trying to sow discord between him and Crown Prince An. Crown Prince An is very suspicious; he doesn't even fully trust Nanfei, let alone Yan Zeyu."

Xu Sheng said, "Then you underestimated An Liangchen. His suspicion wouldn't be focused on something like this."

Nianyao said, "Does suspicion vary by location?"

Xu Sheng said, "He doesn't trust Nan Fei because the combined power of the Nan and Yuan families is too great, which makes him feel threatened. But he also gives General Yuan and Nan Fei a lot of authority."

The same logic applies to Yan Zeyu; since he now employs Yan Zeyu, he will naturally trust him completely. After the war is won, An Liangchen, not wanting the general to become too powerful, will find a way to reduce his military authority.

Nianyao immediately understood: "Not everyone is as insightful as you. Even if An Liangchen completely trusts Yan Zeyu now, it doesn't mean that Yan Zeyu will believe that An Liangchen completely trusts him."

The words were a bit awkward, but Xu Sheng understood them: "What impact will that have on the war?"

Nianyao said, "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. It is only natural for a subject to be wary of his monarch. If we shake Yan Zeyu at this time, Yan Zeyu will be more cautious when using troops."

Xu Sheng nodded: "Yan Zeyi has to be somewhat wary of Luo An. You're not worried that the news will reach Luo An's ears, but he is. Lord Xue, you've studied military strategy quite well."

A general with a grand vision, if overly cautious and hesitant, will have an impact on troop deployment.

It was rare for Nianyao to receive praise from Xu Sheng, so she didn't stand on ceremony: "Your Highness is too kind."

Xu Sheng smiled and said, "You actually..."

"Sister, Your Highness." Xue Yunfan and Hailuo came over together, and Xue Yunfan greeted them politely.

Hailuo wore a magnificent moon-white brocade robe, with white fox fur trim around the collar, and intricate dark patterns embroidered with gold thread on the lapels and cuffs, which shimmered with light as he moved.

Xu Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly: "These clothes... belong to the second young master?"

Hailuo said, "Yes, I begged Yunfan for a long time before he agreed to lend it to me. Does it look good?"

Ever since Xue Yunfan rescued her from the tree, Conch has felt that Xue Yunfan is better than Xu Sheng, and she likes to seek out Xue Yunfan whenever she has a spare moment.

Conch was naive and ignorant of etiquette. After thinking he was familiar with Xue Yunfan, he ransacked Xue Yunfan's room on his own.

He found this outfit, liked it very much, and insisted on trying it on. After trying it on, he thought it looked good and didn't want to take it off.

This outfit was a gift from Xue Yunting to Xue Yunfan; it cannot be given away.

Xue Yunfan could only say, "I can only lend it to you. You have to return it to me after you're done wearing it."

Xu Sheng smiled faintly and tilted his head slightly to ask Nian Yao, "Lord Xue, do you think the Second Young Master's clothes are nice?"

Nianyao was certain she smelled sourness: "It looks great, it's very handsome, Your Highness, would you like to try it on?"

Xu Sheng raised his hand and gestured: "I'm afraid I can't fit into the Second Young Master's clothes."

“Yunfan is still young, he'll grow taller.” Nianyao realized her mistake as soon as she finished speaking. Challenging Xu Sheng at this moment was unwise, so before Xu Sheng could reply, she quickly interjected:

"Your Highness, you just said that I actually... what did I actually do?"

“You’re actually… quite stupid.” Xu Sheng said, then turned and left, leaving the three people present looking at each other in bewilderment.

Xue Yunfan comforted her, "Sister, the prince was just joking with you."

Nianyao glanced at the conch shell: "He's not joking with me, he's joking with you."

Xue Yunfan didn't understand their thoughts, nor did he refute Nianyao. He chuckled and said, "Sister, if we win this battle, it will be a perfect wedding gift for Brother Qi. He will be very happy."

But wars are never so easy to win!