No title, no marriage? Do you think I'm some kind of lapdog?

Su Chuang's hand rested on Xu Mengran's waist, the soft touch still warm to the touch.

"Sister Xu".

He lowered his voice, with a deliberately feigned pitifulness.

"You know, it's so cold in northern Xinjiang at night. Why don't we squeeze in together and keep warm?"

Xu Mengran was held in Su Chuang's arms, her ears already bright red.

She pushed him, but not really with force; her fingertips poked at Su Chuang's chest, more like tickling him.

"Don't give me that... Why didn't you complain about being cold when Zilong was here?"

"There are people there."

Su Chuang grinned, his hand moving restlessly an inch upwards until it landed right on her back.

"It's just the two of us now..."

He lowered his head, his nose almost touching Xu Mengran's.

"Um…"

Xu Mengran's eyelashes trembled, but she didn't dodge.

The candlelight flickered on her face, and the blush spread from her ears to her neck, then down to her collar.

Su Chuang's throat tightened.

He was about to move closer.

"Bang bang bang!"

The knocking on the door sounded like a death knell.

Su Chuang froze.

Xu Mengran shrank back like a startled rabbit.

He wriggled out of Su Chuang's arms and hurriedly straightened his clothes.

Su Chuang gritted his teeth, turned around and yelled at the door, "Who is it?!"

"My lord, it is I."

Jia Xu's voice came in flatly.

If you don't come early, you won't come late, but you come at this time.

Su Chuang cursed inwardly, but on the surface he still had to put on that nonchalant attitude:

"Come in."

The door opened.

Jia Xu, dressed in a gray cloth shirt, slipped in silently without even lifting his eyelids, as if he hadn't seen anything at all.

Xu Mengran had already retreated to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), with her back to the two of them, pretending to bend down and tidy up the bowls and chopsticks on the tray.

The tips of her ears were still red.

Su Chuang plopped back down on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), crossed his legs, and glanced sideways at Jia Xu:

"Wenhe, you've come at a really bad time."

Jia Xu bowed and said, "My lord, please forgive me."

"Speak, what is it?"

"Ye Qingyue spread rumors that the lord was escorting 500,000 taels of gold as military pay to the northern frontier and was currently stationed at Wangbeitai."

Jia Xu paused.

"This plan is extremely vicious. Within three days, bandits and outlaws from within a hundred miles will swarm here."

Su Chuang exclaimed "Oh!" and instead of panicking, he laughed:

"Five hundred thousand taels? Gold? She certainly thinks highly of me."

"My lord, this matter should not be underestimated."

Jia Xu raised his eyes, which gleamed coldly in the candlelight.

"I have three strategies: superior, middle, and inferior."

Tell me about it.

"The best strategy is to turn the tables on them."

The lord can secretly spread the word that this batch of "military pay" is actually bait, intended to lure the bandits out of their den and wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

Then, the Imperial Guards would disguise themselves as merchant caravans and spread false information along the way that "the imperial court has sent a large army to ambush them."

Thus, the timid dare not come, while the bold…

A faint smile appeared on Jia Xu's lips.

"We'll also weigh it carefully."

Su Chuang stroked his chin and remained silent.

Jia Xu continued:

"The middle strategy: use someone else to do the dirty work."

"There are three major bandit strongholds in northern Xinjiang: Black Wind Stronghold, Vulture Ridge, and Wolf Fang Gully."

"My lord can have the Embroidered Uniform Guard forge secret letters and send them to three different places."

The letter stated, "General Ye Qingyue is willing to offer ten thousand taels of gold in exchange for your joint efforts to annihilate the rebel army at Wangbeitai. All the spoils will be yours."

"Then secretly leak the time and place of the rendezvous at Sanzhai..."

He paused, then said, "Let them kill each other."

Su Chuang remained silent.

Jia Xu concluded by saying:

"The worst course of action: nip it in the bud."

"My lord, you may order the Mo Dao Guards to launch a night attack and proactively annihilate the nearest Black Wind Stronghold."

"After the massacre, the heads were hung on a flagpole three miles outside Wangbeitai, and a blood-red flag with the words 'Those who offend me shall die' was planted on it."

"This strategy is the riskiest, but it is the most effective at establishing authority."

There was a moment of silence in the earthen house.

Xu Mengran turned around and looked at Su Chuang.

Su Chuang suddenly smiled.

He shook his head and waved his hand, giving off an expression that said, "How can you be so ruthless?"

"Wenhe, Wenhe," he sighed, "each of your schemes is more ruthless than the last."

Jia Xu bowed: "In chaotic times, severe punishments must be used."

"Severe punishments are necessary, but indiscriminate killing should be avoided."

Su Chuang stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the dark night outside.

"How many of the bandits were ordinary people forced to live because they couldn't survive?"

"How many of them are veterans who were wounded in battle and had nowhere else to go?"

He turned around, the nonchalant smile on his face fading slightly:

"Killing people to establish authority, simple."

"But once the killing is over, the hearts of the people in the northern frontier will be chilled."

Jia Xu remained silent.

"so."

Su Chuang walked back to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and plopped down on it.

"Let's follow your best strategy first: spread the word and scare off a bunch of people."

"As for those who insist on coming to their deaths..."

He grinned, a cold glint in his eyes: "We'll give you a 'warm welcome'."

Jia Xu understood: "Does our lord intend to...only punish the ringleaders and leave the others unpunished?"

"more than."

Su Chuang rubbed his fingers together.

"Once you're here, you're not leaving."

"Those who can be incorporated will be incorporated; those who cannot be incorporated... will be sent to mines and build roads, which will also be a contribution to the northern frontier."

Xu Mengran listened from the side, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve into a smile.

This man, while saying he wouldn't kill indiscriminately, was actually calculating his next move.

Jia Xu bowed and said, "Your subordinate understands. I will make the arrangements immediately."

"Go ahead," Su Chuang waved his hand.

Jia Xu left as quietly as he had come, even closing the door behind him.

Only two people remained in the earthen house.

Su Chuang turned his head to look at Xu Mengran, his roguish smile returning to his face:

"Sister Xu, what do you think of my plan?"

"Isn't he much more benevolent than that old fox Wenhe?"

Xu Mengran rolled her eyes at him:

"You call that benevolence and righteousness? You're treating people like livestock, squeezing out every last bit of value from them."

"Hey, you can't say that."

Su Chuang leaned closer and put his hand on her waist again.

"I'm giving them a way out."

This time, Xu Mengran didn't dodge, letting him hold her, but she looked up at him:

"Chuang, what are you really thinking?"

"What were you thinking?"

Su Chuang lowered his head and brushed his nose against her hair.

"I'm thinking... let's get through this hurdle first, then deal with that bitch Ye Qingyue, and finally..."

He paused, lowering his voice:

"Find out what happened to my parents, take revenge where necessary, and pay back the debts that need to be paid."

Xu Mengran's heart softened.

She reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her face in the crook of his shoulder.

"I'll stay with you," she said softly.

Su Chuang's throat moved.

He pulled her closer, about to lean down and kiss her—

"Report—!"

A sudden, urgent shout came from outside, accompanied by hurried footsteps.

Su Chuang froze.

Xu Mengran quickly let go, her face flushing again.

Su Chuang gritted his teeth and shouted towards the door, "What is it now?!"

A Flying Tiger soldier burst through the door, knelt on one knee, and gasped for breath: "My lord! A group of about a hundred men is coming from the east, carrying black flags. They look like bandits! They're less than five li away!"

Su Chuang was taken aback.

So fast?

He turned to look at Xu Mengran, and the two exchanged a glance.

Jia Xu's plan hadn't even been started when the people arrived?