The rest of them nodded involuntarily; they also wanted to know why Jiang Jingyue had to be brought along.
Master Xu maintained a calm expression. “I have long heard that Miss Jiang is exceptionally talented. Observing her all the way here, she has remained calm and unhurried in the face of trouble, handling everything with remarkable agility. One could truly call her a master of wit and strategy. With Miss Jiang accompanying us, Xu’s heart will feel at ease, and I will have much more confidence in persuading Tong Dongshan to open the city gates.”
He spoke with righteous indignation, and it sounded somewhat reasonable. The crowd couldn’t help but look at Jiang Jingyue once again.
However, unexpectedly, the person who spoke before Jiang Jingyue was Li Chenghuan. “I’m afraid I have to disappoint Master Xu. My sister-in-law’s safety is worth more than my own life. Wherever she goes, I won’t be at ease.”
At this point, anyone who couldn’t see through it would be an absolute fool. This old scoundrel was indeed harboring ulterior motives, and he was aiming straight at the fair-skinned sister-in-law.
“That’s right, our dear little Yue’er is the lifeline of the Li family, and this old woman isn’t at ease either.” Old Lady Li quickly chimed in. The three generations of their family were all counting on Jiang Jingyue; they would never dare let her leave alone with someone else.
Not with anyone, and not going anywhere.
Li Chengle directly stepped in front of Jiang Jingyue, raised his fist, and said, “Whoever wants to take my sister-in-law away must first sever my head, otherwise you’ll have to take all of us along.”
Finally, it was Xie Yuwan, whose tone was gentle yet firm. “Wherever Jingyue goes, we go too. We will never let her go alone.”
Minister Lu heavily sized up Xie Yuwan. The eldest daughter-in-law seemed somewhat different from what he remembered. To be so eager to side with the Li family, did she even remember she was a Lu family wife? Simply absurd.
Master Xu: “…” This family was truly one of a kind; he had never seen such a difficult bunch.
The crowd: “…” They weren’t surprised at all, as these few people clung to Jiang Jingyue like her little tails, wanting to follow her wherever she went.
Jiang Jingyue’s gaze flickered. With these people speaking up, it seemed she didn’t even need to say anything herself.
[The heroine’s darkness value decreases by 5, reward: one Type 92 pistol] Li Chenghuan abruptly looked at Jiang Jingyue, a smile flashing in the depths of her eyes—what an unexpected pleasant surprise!
Moreover, this pistol could hold fifteen rounds of ammunition, and just like the Bison submachine gun, it used nine-millimeter caliber bullets. Not bad, truly not bad.
At that moment, Boss Gu lost his patience and asked Zhou Yuan in a low voice, “Brother, should I pressure her a bit?” Anyway, the Xu kid couldn’t leave yet, and Master Xu, caring about his son, certainly wouldn’t dare act rashly. So they should just let Jiang Jingyue tag along, go early, and gain peace of mind.
Zhou Yuan, however, disagreed. “We cannot.”
Seeing Boss Gu’s bewildered look, Zhou Yuan shook his head. “If Boss trusts me, you should only let Master Xu go.”
Others might not know what kind of friendship Master Xu and Tong Dongshan had, but he knew very well. The information given by the Empress could not be wrong; although Master Xu and Tong Dongshan were schoolmates, their friendship was superficial. It would be very difficult to get the city gates opened based on that friendship alone.
Yet Master Xu insisted on bringing Jiang Jingyue. Zhou Yuan’s gaze turned cold as he thought of Tong Dongshan’s character. If his judgment was correct, Master Xu’s very life had been saved by Jiang Jingyue and the Li family. And yet, this dog-like scoundrel actually wanted to return kindness with enmity.
Furthermore, he felt that to save his own skin, Master Xu would probably even be willing to sacrifice his only son. Human hearts were truly treacherous as hell.
Boss Gu frowned, but ultimately still trusted Zhou Yuan, deciding directly, “Listen to me, everyone. Since Miss Jiang doesn’t want to go, you go by yourself. Hurry up; if you dawdle any longer, I’ll chop your head off with a single blade.”
Master Xu, however, was unwilling to give up, saying with an earnest expression, “I hope Miss Jiang will consider the bigger picture. If you truly cannot trust this Xu, bringing your family along is fine too.”
Jiang Jingyue slowly shook her head. Knowing full well there was a pit ahead, how could she possibly jump right into it?
Master Xu’s expression shifted as he turned around helplessly. He and Tong Dongshan were merely nodding acquaintances; what kind of friendship could they possibly share? Everything he had told Jiang Jingyue earlier had been embellished after learning that Youlong County was in turmoil.
In reality, the former magistrate of Youlong County had indeed died of a sudden illness. It was true that he had caught a chill while going to Youlong County to investigate the case, but the part about Prime Minister Wu intercepting the news was entirely false.
The world was not in total chaos, but minor upheavals were indeed occurring endlessly. At the time, he had judged that the chaos would inevitably expand, so ever since returning to the capital, he had claimed illness and stayed indoors to observe the situation. He never expected to be dragged down by Wang Yue through a twist of fate.
The sky grew increasingly dim, and cold winds began to blow in gusts. Master Xu looked at the city gates not far away, a heavy weight pressing on his heart.
Tong Dongshan was cowardly and feared death; he had neither the intention to rebel nor the courage to do so. With the gates of Youlong County locked tightly right now, there was only one possibility.
A major upheaval had broken out elsewhere—meaning someone really was raising troops in rebellion. Given Tong Dongshan’s temperament, once he sensed that the world was about to descend into chaos, he would undoubtedly只想 (only want to) protect himself and remain detached, sealing off Youlong County and watching the spectacle from the sidelines.
As for why he wanted to bring Jiang Jingyue…
Master Xu’s footsteps grew heavier and heavier. Tong Dongshan was extremely lecherous and had once let slip drunkenly, “If I could win the favor of the capital’s number one beauty, I would die without regrets.”
In other words, the person truly capable of knocking open the gates of Youlong County wasn’t him—it was Jiang Jingyue.
Yet Tong Dongshan also valued his own life; no matter how lustful he was, he wouldn’t rashly let over a hundred people enter, allowing at most a few individuals inside.
Master Xu had originally planned to use the pretext of offering up Jiang Jingyue so that at least he and his son could enter the city together, but reality had outpaced his plans.
Behind him, the crowd watched him walk away. Boss Gu couldn’t help pressing Zhou Yuan, “Brother, why did we stop them?” Wasn’t it a good thing if letting Jiang Jingyue tag along increased the chances of entering the city?
Zhou Yuan glanced at Jiang Jingyue, weighed his options, and said, “Let’s talk over there.” How could one do a good deed without leaving a name? They had reached a desperate impasse, and he had to try every possible means to survive.
Earlier, he had witnessed with his own eyes how Jiang Jingyue and the Li family used medicine to bring Master Xu back from the brink; they indeed possessed some skills. Compared to the other prisoners who had lost their wits, Jiang Jingyue remained calm and composed throughout, perhaps holding some trump card to save their lives.
Every man for himself, and heaven and earth will destroy those who aren’t. Zhou Yuan was struggling to save his own skin now and could no longer care about the Empress’s secret decree. Even just to protect Wang Yue, he had to stay alive first, so he would take a gamble.
Just as the two of them walked closer—before even reaching Jiang Jingyue—Li Chenghuan took Jiang Jingyue by the hand, pulling her back and wearing a guarded expression.
Seeing this, Old Lady Li mustered her courage and asked, “What business do you two officers have?”
Li Chengle and Xie Yuwan still stood protectively in front of Jiang Jingyue, saying nothing, but their attitude was crystal clear: unless things were made clear, they wouldn’t let anyone pass.
Boss Gu ground his teeth. Damn it, who was actually calling the shots in this group? Weren’t these people afraid of the blade in his hand?
Zhou Yuan motioned for him to put the weapon away before looking at Jiang Jingyue and speaking. “As far as I know, Master Xu and Tong Dongshan share only an ordinary friendship. Tong Dongshan is a man who will by no means remember any past sentiments, but he has one weakness: he is lustful and loses his composure the moment he sees a beauty.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd understood. So Master Xu wanted to bring Jiang Jingyue along with this intention in mind.
Zhou Yuan surveyed the expressions of everyone present and continued, “Tong Dongshan is selfish and cowers before death. Even if he lusts after Miss Jiang, he will never let the rest of us enter. If Miss Jiang had gone along just now, I’m afraid she would never have returned.”
The implication was that Tong Dongshan would only let Jiang Jingyue and Master Xu enter the city on the spot, and would never care about the rest of them.
“Won’t he even care about his own son?” Boss Gu blurted out. Xu Xiao was still in their group, after all.
Zhou Yuan did not pick up on that remark; his gaze remained fixed entirely on Jiang Jingyue. “If my guess is correct, those city gates will likely not open. We need to find another way out.”
Jiang Jingyue met his gaze and said calmly, “You have some high insights to offer?”
Zhou Yuan’s expression relaxed slightly. What he feared most was Jiang Jingyue ignoring him; indifference would mean either she had no trump card, or she had one but was unwilling to share it with outsiders. Her response showed that whether she had a trump card or not, she was at least willing to stay and work things out with everyone.
He swept a glance toward Minister Lu, Wang Yue, and Grand Tutor Yu nearby, speaking expressionlessly, “The three of you, please head back first.”
When they were discussing matters, they had deliberately distanced themselves ten or so meters from the rest of the group and kept their voices low so they wouldn’t need to worry about the other prisoners overhearing.
There was no need for those three to listen to what came next.
Grand Tutor Yu sighed, shook his head at Wang Yue, and the two of them turned back first.
Minister Lu, however, looked at Xie Yuwan and said gently, “Eldest daughter-in-law, your mother misses you dearly.”
Xie Yuwan had been sticking close to the Li family, likely because of that incident which had caused a rift between her and Chongli. Now that their Lu family were convicts as well, they held no clout within the group, and preaching etiquette and rules was completely useless.
Only by bringing up his wife could he possibly soften Xie Yuwan’s heart, given that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had previously gotten along harmoniously and shared some genuine affection.
Having dropped those words, Minister Lu sensibly turned back as well. If Xie Yuwan still had it in her heart, she would naturally return to the Lu family, at which point he could ask her what happened. If Xie Yuwan remained heartless, he would simply have to think of another way.
Xie Yuwan acted as though she had heard nothing at all, showing no reaction whatsoever. Although her mother-in-law was a good person, the Lu family was ultimately a den of wolves—whenever trouble struck, they would push her out to take the fall. She wasn’t foolish enough to fall for that again.
Zhou Yuan didn’t care about Xie Yuwan’s affairs with the Lu family. Once Minister Lu had left, he unbuckled his saber and handed it directly to Old Lady Li. “I harbor no ill intentions toward you all, and neither does Boss Gu.”
He could tell that these people’s guards were heavily up, but the Li family and Jiang Jingyue might just be their last hope. At a time like this, they had to show sincerity first in order to earn trust.
Boss Gu stared in dumbfounded shock. What the hell was this kid going crazy for? Why was he handing over his weapon?
Seeing Zhou Yuan continuously signaling him with his eyes, alongside the tiger-like defensive postures of Old Lady Li and the others, Boss Gu twitched the corner of his mouth and handed his saber over as well. “I… I don’t have any ill intentions either. Go ahead, keep talking.”
Only then did Zhou Yuan look back at Jiang Jingyue, open and straightforward. “Things have reached this point, and both of us are completely out of ideas. I wonder if Miss Jiang might have some pointers to offer?”
Boss Gu silently rolled his eyes. Pointers my foot! Could these few women speak flowers into existence or conjure water and food out of thin air? This kid really was clutching at straws in desperation.
To his surprise, the next moment he heard Jiang Jingyue say, “I don’t have any pointers, but I do have a proposal. If the two of you agree to it, we can help with the water and food.”
“You’re serious?!” Boss Gu’s eyes widened. Did he hear that right? These few people could get their hands on water and food?
Zhou Yuan couldn’t suppress his excitement either, asking impatiently, “Really? If Miss Jiang can help find water and food, the two of us will follow your every command.” Hahahaha, I bet on the right horse!
Jiang Jingyue gripped Li Chenghuan’s hand tighter. “Please wait a moment, gentlemen; the truth will reveal itself shortly.” With that, she took Li Chenghuan’s hand and walked toward the mountain forest.
Biding her time, the moment she had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Walking a short distance away, seeing her stop, Li Chenghuan took the initiative to ask, “Sister-in-law, I have over half a bucket of coconut water here, plus a pack of candies and a case of plum wine. What do you plan to do?” That half-pot of sausage-steamed rice had been confiscated, so this was all the food and drink she had left.