unedited

Chen An was full of smiles. “Go or not?”

From his implied smile, Meng Huan slowly stood up and understood. This should be an excuse that Lin Bozhou made.

Meng Huan coughed twice. “Mm, I can go.”

Zhu Dong refused to accept it. “Why don’t you let me go? Changshi Chen, I can also serve food and pour wine.”

Changshi Chen said, “I don’t want to bother Young Master Zhu with such hard work. It’s better for my nephew to go.”

“……”

Although Meng Huan was told to serve dishes and pour wine, he guessed Lin Bozhou would give himself special treatment.

He tried not to show any emotion on his face. With a miserable look, he entered the tent, washed his face, and cleaned up. He followed him through the trench camp, walked through the continuous tents, and finally reached the middle army tent where Lin Bozhou was.

Heavily armed soldiers stood at the entrance with long swords at their waists, wearing armor and helmets, with a terrifying presence. There was movement inside as someone lifted the curtain, and Meng Huan glanced inside.

The atmosphere in the army was utterly different from that of the prince’s residence. Lin Bozhou held his knees with one hand, lifted his hem, and brought his wine glass to his lips. And the seat was full of generals, marquis, and counts with good military arts, all strong and bullish, with scars on their rough muscles, all sitting around drinking wine and eating meat.

–They reminded Meng Huan of some violent maniacs.

But the youthful Lin Bozhou didn’t lose any momentum in this group and even had a sense of oppression that the world was in his hands.

Meng Huan approached cautiously from a side path, went to Lin Bozhou, sat down on his knees, and picked up the wine jug on the side.

Lin Bozhou glanced at him and said nothing.

He was as cold and distant as if treating an ordinary servant.

[Hubby?]

[Hubby, Hubby, Hubby ~]

Meng Huan’s heart inexplicably called out to him.

What would happen to Lin Bozhou’s ascetic and stoic expression if he really called out? For sure, his disguise would crack, and his deep, misty, narrow eyes would look at him with repression and loss of control.

Meng Huan thought so but did not dare say it aloud and blinked, only to feel a different sense of excitement again.

He played the role of a wine-serving boy and stayed beside Lin Bozhou, close enough to feel Lin Bozhou’s body heat and the heat of the back of his fingers poking out of his sleeves.

They were drinking and having fun inside the tent. However, the capital army’s governor Luo Feng suddenly said from below, “Your Highness, the list of names that were asked to be accounted for a few days ago has been checked. The number of people missing from each battalion is also written in the booklet. Does Your Highness want to check it now?”

Meng Huan raised his face in confusion.

The people drinking and eating meat below had their hands and feet stiffened simultaneously.

He shouldn’t do that. It was reasonable to say that a newly-appointed master should drink and have fun on the first night so that they could send gifts and bribes to them. How could the governor of the capital army be so ignorant and actually let the prince deal with political affairs as soon as he arrived? If the problem was discovered and their gifts had not been sent, wouldn’t it be useless?

Lin Bozhou mused and put down his cup. “Bring it up.”

The people hastily sat up straight with cold sweat on their heads and became nervous.

Chen An took the booklet and held it in front of Lin Bozhou with both hands. He flipped it open and took a look, and his brows gradually tightened. As if a dark cloud suddenly enveloped the sky and wavered before a storm.

He abruptly slammed the booklet to the ground.

“The seventy-two guards of the capital army are reported to have 350,000 people, but there are only 150,000 after checking. There are actually 200,000 names eating empty pay!

Lin Bozhou’s voice was as angry as thunder.

Meng Huan shrunk his ears. He had never heard Lin Bozhou speak in such a tone and merely bowed his head.

Lin Bozhou actually found out about this matter a few days ago but was only angry now, apparently to establish his authority in person.

Below, Luo Feng looked tired. “Replying to Your Highness, yes.”

He was the capital army’s governor, but the capital army’s governor was essentially useless. The three big battalions had eunuchs as governors, battalion officers under the governors, and commanders under the battalion officers, of which there were too many links for embezzlement and operation. After Lin Bozhou’s regency, the order of the capital army was much better, but without encountering war, the deep-seated internal problems had not been taken seriously.

–Of course, no one dared to take it seriously. Most of the small leaders in the capital army were the sons of noblemen, and this official position was too small to offend.

And their calculations were precise. Such intimidating and offensive errands were left to Lin Bozhou as they did not dare to anger the noble class.

Lin Bozhou’s gloomy eyes swept over the middle army tent, raking down his eyelashes; his voice was like a death spell. “The Weizishou Battalion and the Youguan Sheren Battalion have the most missing personnel. Where is the Wujun Battalion’s governor?”

He suddenly called a red-clad high-ranking eunuch at the bottom who was drinking. His wine cup clattered to the ground, and he crawled tremblingly with a frightened expression. “Your, Your Highness–”