Bu Xun nodded, then waved for his attendants to stop and not follow. It seemed he wished to speak with Hu Yan Wuhen alone.
Hu Yan Wuhen understood and likewise waved for his guards to halt. However, the steward Cha Hu paid no heed and continued following.
Bu Xun glanced back, knowing that Cha Hu would follow Hu Yan Wuhen even into the palace. He was Hu Yan Wuhen's absolute confidant, so there was no need to worry about any secrets being leaked.
After moving away from the others, Bu Xun sighed. "Commander-in-Chief, you defied the imperial decree. His Majesty is somewhat displeased."
Hu Yan Wuhen said, "Displeasure is better than the kingdom being destroyed. Those earlier upheavals were plainly a Jin Kingdom scheme. How could our army allow the Jin Kingdom to lead us around by the nose? If we truly did that, then by the time the rebellion was put down, the Jin Kingdom would likely have already dealt with the Wei Kingdom thoroughly. The Jin Kingdom clearly intends to delay our army's aid to Wei. I refuse to believe His Majesty cannot see that."
Bu Xun said, "His Majesty naturally understands the Commander-in-Chief's painstaking intentions. But does the Commander-in-Chief understand His Majesty's painstaking intentions?"
Hu Yan Wuhen said, "Please enlighten me, Chief Steward."
Bu Xun said, "I saw the Commander-in-Chief's memorial in the palace. In the Commander-in-Chief's eyes, five hundred thousand rebels are nothing more than a rabble. The words in your memorial to His Majesty were quite relaxed—you merely asked His Majesty to mobilize troops within the kingdom to encircle and suppress them. But the Commander-in-Chief should know what people are like. Certain people show up for work but do not put in the effort. Every one of them hopes someone else's troops will do the