"As for Xiao Yibo, I only told him that his ambition, his aspirations, and his appetite don’t even qualify him to dine at our table."
"It’s one thing for a little loli to act cute, but a dwarf doing it is genuinely disgusting."
"Oh dear, so you’re starting to despise me now, huh? Haha! Damn it, I’m genuinely worried that one day, if you sell me off, I’ll still be blissfully counting the money for you."
"Every person has desires. All we need to do is offer a little guidance. Also, I’m quite surprised. Regardless of the era or place, there’s never a shortage of intelligent people. As long as you give them a chance, they truly won’t disappoint you."
"Are you referring to those two, or My lord?"
Blind Bei sidestepped the question. He pointed down below and said, "Could you please go down and lend a hand? The sooner this place is dealt with, the sooner this fort will belong to the Zheng family. Tonight, Siniang should be reading the first letter I left for My lord. He will know that his home has been upgraded. This way, My lord should be able to sleep more pleasantly tonight."
"Hehe, alright, alright, I’ll go down. If you find me so damned annoying standing here and ruining your moment of self-satisfaction, just say it to my face."
"Alright. You’re too tall; you’re blocking my view."
After taking a few steps inside, Xue Three suddenly thought of something. He turned his head to look at Blind Bei and shouted, "What should we do about the third son of Mei, who was persuaded by Xiao Yibo to cooperate with us and let our people in?"
"He’s no longer useful. Just erase him."
"’Erase’? Isn’t that a bit too cold-hearted?"
"Oh, is it? I just thought that since he helped us, saying ’kill’ would be a bit too cruel. Using ’erase’ feels gentler."
Xue Three scoffed and said, "Your damned conduct is more villainous than any villain’s! Be careful; villains usually don’t meet good ends."
"But in reality, there’s no rule that good people are guaranteed a long life."
"Since you were already planning to take over their fort, why didn’t we make a move earlier instead of giving them time to perform?"
Blind Bei sighed and said seriously, "It was they who, upon seeing the perfume, harbored evil intentions and wanted to make a move on us. We were merely defending ourselves legitimately."
"Eh, what’s the difference?"
"The difference is significant."
"Why do I feel is just making things unnecessarily complicated?"
"Stop pretending to be so mature. Don’t look at my short stature; I might not actually be younger than you."
"It’s normal for you not to understand this. It’s probably the difference between why my manga was banned and yours was left incomplete."
"Any more questions?"
"Alright, final question. Your acting with Xiao Yibo was superb, especially having him send his wives and concubines to your carriage to serve you. That self-torment gambit was played masterfully."
"What’s wrong?" Xue Three asked.
"The truth is, after I got into the carriage and asked, only then did I find out that those two women were his wives and concubines."
At this moment, Hongba rushed upstairs in a panic. He knelt down in front of Mr. Bei and said, "Mr. Bei, some patrol riders from the North Border Army have appeared outside the fort!"
It’s common for the various forts to fight over development, interests, and the annexation of populations for mergers. But this place is too close to Tuman City and also within the defense perimeter of the North Border Army. It was hardly surprising that the disturbance here attracted the attention of the North Border Army patrol riders.
Blind Bei remained calm. He simply took out a document from his robes, along with a silk banner embroidered with a black Pixiu, which was also the banner of the North Border Army.
"Give these two items to the North Border Army patrol riders and tell them this: Just say that a blind man and a dwarf, two disabled people, are struggling to build a business. Yet they were ambushed by the treacherous Mei Village. You are here, under orders, to execute these villains and restore peace to the trade route."
"Under orders?" Hongba asked in confusion. "Under whose orders?"
Blind Bei gave a slight smile. Word by word, he said, "Zheng Fan, Commerce Protection Captain of Zhubing City, under the North Border Army, personally appointed by the Princess of the Earl of North Border’s Mansion of Great Yan!"
Hutou City, in the hot spring pool of the rear residence.
"Alright, Siniang, that’s enough massage for today. You should go rest early. I need to rest too."
"No, My lord. Tonight, I must share a bed with you. With them gone, I must ensure your safety at all times and cannot leave your side for a moment."
"Is it very dangerous here?"
"Before, when Radar... no, when Blind Bei was here, we didn’t have to worry about danger. At the very least, we didn’t have to worry about any unexpected accidents happening unknowingly. But now, I really can’t guarantee it. If Xue Three were still here, with his astuteness and perception, he could also predict or sense things. But I’m not skilled in that, so..."
"This way, wouldn’t it be too hard on you?"
"My lord, are you suggesting I should sleep on the floor by your bed? Do you dislike me that much?"
"That’s not it, haha. Alright, I won’t be coy about it. Let’s share a bed then. Actually, I’m quite willing."
Siniang nestled her body against Zheng Fan. Her crimson lips brushed his earlobe as she gently blew a few soft, warm breaths against it,