Did I say anything?

Zhen Jiang placed the steaming cup of tea in front of Lu Chuan and asked again.

"Does Lord Lu dislike tasting tea in my company?"

"No, of course not."

"If not, why is Lord Lu always so absent-minded? Could it be that I am less pleasing to the eye than Miss Mi?"

Although Miss Mi still appeared in Lu County under the guise of Young Master Yun, her true identity was already an open secret to many. As long as Miss Mi was not present, people did not bother to hide it.

Lu Chuan turned his head and looked at Zhen Jiang with a helpless expression.

"Miss Zhen, if you keep talking like that, I might actually start entertaining some improper thoughts about you."

Even though Zhen Jiang frequently visited Lu Chuan during this period, he still maintained a certain distance from her. The Zhen family was destined to lean toward Yuan Shao in the future, and getting too entangled with Zhen Jiang now would only complicate matters down the road.

Yet Zhen Jiang deliberately provoked him, her words filled with undisguised admiration for Lu Chuan.

"Does Lord Lu mean what he says?"

Zhen Jiang's eyes brightened slightly. "If I could win your favor, it would be my greatest fortune."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Lu Chuan quickly interrupted, finding it a bit too much to handle.

"Miss Zhen, you come to see me every other day—what on earth is it that you want? You can just tell me directly. As long as it is within my power, I will surely find a way for you."

"Nothing at all! I have no demands. I merely wanted to have Your Lordship keep me company for a chat and a cup of tea. But since Your Lordship is always on guard and keeps your distance from me, how can you blame me for letting my imagination run wild?"

"Fine, fine, fine. Let us drink tea and chat then."

Speechless, Lu Chuan picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Putting aside the deeper motives behind Zhen Jiang's actions, having such a beautiful woman keep him company was, after all, quite enjoyable.

"With the Zhen family running such a massive business, do you ever encounter bandits or the like during your travels?"

Lu Chuan asked casually. If Zhen Jiang said yes, and the bandits were not too far away, he would seriously consider dispatching troops to suppress them.

How dare they prey on merchants within Lu County? Were they tired of living?

This was a thoroughly justified reason.

However, Zhen Jiang shook her head.

"In these turbulent times, there is certainly no shortage of bandits. However, our Zhen family's trade routes are well-established, and we have already smoothed things over along the way. Wherever we go, we receive protection from the local authorities. If we must pass through regions controlled by bandits, we negotiate with them in advance and voluntarily offer some valuables to secure safe passage. Therefore, our caravans rarely run into trouble."

"Is that so? Then do you happen to know of any bandits in the vicinity of Lu County?"

Without rushing to answer, Zhen Jiang reached out to refill Lu Chuan's teacup.

"Is Lord Lu interested in bandits?"

"Not particularly interested. Just idle with nothing to do, and looking to take the new recruits out for some practical training. New recruits who never see the battlefield will forever remain green."

"Is that so?"

A thoughtful look appeared on Zhen Jiang's face. "I have heard that there is a band of outlaws over in Dongjun. Their strength is quite formidable; not only do they plunder travelers along the way, but they also frequently pillage the surrounding areas, bringing disaster to the common folk. Would Lord Lu be interested in them?"

"Dongjun?"

Lu Chuan fell into deep thought.

The intelligence reports sent to him by Lu Jin recently had also included news about the bandits in Dongjun.

However, Dongjun was rather far from Lu County, already outside the borders of Chenliu, making it inconvenient for Lu Chuan to directly dispatch troops there.

Furthermore, the bandit forces in Dongjun were genuinely massive, boasting tens of thousands of members, and Lu Chuan could not guarantee he would successfully crush them.

Consequently, even after receiving the intelligence, he had never considered marching all that way for a punitive campaign.

Yet now that Zhen Jiang brought it up again, Lu Chuan could not help but reconsider.

Among the late Eastern Han dynasty bandits recorded in history, virtually all the prominent ones were eventually suppressed, and the bandit leaders in Dongjun actually had names: Yu Du, Bai Rao, and Sui Gu.

Of those three names, Lu Chuan only had a vague impression of Yu Du, while the other two meant nothing to him.

Yu Du, Yu Du...

A flash crossed Lu Chuan's mind, and he finally remembered.

Yu Du, Bai Rao, and Sui Gu gathered a horde of one hundred thousand to attack Wei County and Dongjun, sweeping through with unstoppable force. Later, Cao Cao led his army into Dongjun, defeated the three of them, and was eventually recommended by Yuan Shao to serve as the Administrator of Dongjun.

In other words, according to the original course of history, Yu Du and the others were essentially Cao Cao's stepping stones to gain experience and rapid growth.

That being the case, Lu Chuan suddenly had an idea.

Would it not be even better if he hitched a ride on Cao Cao's coattails and joined the expedition against Yu Du?

According to normal historical progression, Cao Cao alone was capable of wiping out the one hundred thousand bandits led by Yu Du and the others. With Lu Chuan adding his forces, victory would undoubtedly be guaranteed without the slightest difficulty. Moreover, it would give Lu Chuan's newly trained recruits a taste of real combat—it was simply too perfect.

"Lord Lu..."

A hint of helplessness crept into Zhen Jiang's tone once more.

How many times had this happened now? Every time she was in the middle of a conversation with Lu Chuan, his thoughts would drift off to who knows where.

Only someone with her good temper could refrain from getting angry. If Zhen Mi were in her place, she probably would have already pounded Lu Chuan's head with her little fists.

"Ah? What is it?"

"Since Lord Lu is so unwelcoming, I suppose I should take my leave."

Looking profoundly aggrieved, Zhen Jiang stood up as if to depart.

"Oh, right. Go ahead back then."

Lu Chuan did not even bother to stand up and see her off, still entirely immersed in the prospect of tagging along with Cao Cao to suppress the bandits.

This left Zhen Jiang standing frozen in place, unsure whether to leave or stay.

When she said she was leaving, did she actually mean it?

Could Lu Chuan really not tell that she was somewhat upset?

It was simply too exasperating!

How could anyone treat a young woman this way!

Although Zhen Jiang was the eldest daughter of the Zhen family, she was, in reality, only in her early twenties.

"Lord Lu, I am really leaving now."

Hearing the slightly stiff tone in Zhen Jiang's voice, Lu Chuan finally raised his head.

"Well, hold on a moment. I had someone make some mung bean pastries; stay and eat some before you leave. Can't you take a few back for Zhen Mi? Isn't this her absolute favorite?"

"Very well, I shall obey Your Lordship."

Zhen Jiang scurried back to her seat, poured herself a cup of tea, and dropped the subject of bandits. Instead, she let out a deliberate sigh, attempting to recapture Lu Chuan's attention.

As a result, Lu Chuan heard the sigh but showed not the slightest reaction.

Speechless, Zhen Jiang let out another, even louder sigh.

This time, Lu Chuan could no longer pretend he had noticed nothing. He had to ask, "What is the matter with you again? Such a lovely person shouldn't go around sighing all the time; it ruins your looks."

Hearing Lu Chuan praise her appearance, Zhen Jiang felt a secret wave of delight, though she kept it off her face and said, "My mother sent a messenger yesterday. She wants me to return and help manage the family business. I have yet to reply to her."

As she spoke, Zhen Jiang cast a stealthy glance at Lu Chuan to observe his reaction.

Lu Chuan looked rather distracted. "If you want to go back, then go back. It's not proper for a woman to be showing her face outside all the time anyway."

"Is Lord Lu concerned about me?"

Without waiting for Lu Chuan to answer, Zhen Jiang continued, "Actually, I feel that the business here is quite important as well. So, I will write back to my mother right now and tell her I am not returning."

Lu Chuan turned his head, a look of utter bewilderment on his face.

Did I... actually say anything?