These letters were all written by the Minister of War to Father. It turned out that the spoils of war escorted back by Zhenxi Grand General had been seized by them together and hidden elsewhere.
Su Liren coveted the enormous treasures and beautiful women.
The Minister of War sought military power.
Poor General became their stepping stone.
In her previous life, before her wedding sedan had even entered the General’s Mansion, the mansion was raided and its inhabitants exiled—all thanks to them.
Su Nuan took a deep breath to calm herself. Not daring to linger, she collected all the letters. When she reached the doorway, she touched the iron door, feeling somewhat unwilling.
“Such a large iron door could forge so many weapons? Even selling it would be worth a considerable amount of silver. How can I take it in?”
Yet as soon as she spoke, half of the iron door vanished.
Su Nuan’s eyes lit up, and she turned to collect the other half as well.
Back in the day, Father was just a poor scholar. The only reason he attained the position of Minister of Public Works was because Mother used her dowry to secure connections.
Therefore, everything in this mansion belonged to Mother. If it weren’t for the fact that buildings couldn’t be taken, she wouldn’t have left even a single tile behind.
Come to think of it, tomorrow the General’s Mansion would be raided and its inhabitants exiled. The journey to the exile location would take nearly half a year—they couldn’t go without food.
Seeing no reason to hold back, she went to the kitchen and took all the grains and ingredients that had just been delivered from the estate.
“Right, we can’t eat without bowls and chopsticks either.”
By the time she left, the spacious kitchen was completely empty—even the slop buckets were gone.
Su Nuan returned to her bedchamber satisfied. When Dong’er saw her, her eyes widened in shock.
“B-Big… Miss, why are you back?”
Su Nuan smiled. “Pack your things, we’re leaving.”
“Ah?” Dong’er thought Su Nuan couldn’t bear to leave her behind and had specifically returned to bring her along. She was immediately moved to tears.
Su Nuan didn’t explain. If she waited until daybreak tomorrow to go to the General’s Mansion, it would be too late.
The General’s Mansion wasn’t exactly wealthy, but it wasn’t poor either—it had considerable assets. She couldn’t let those who would raid the mansion benefit from them.
Moreover, she absolutely had to see the General once. In her previous life, he had died from a sudden rage when receiving the imperial decree.
She needed a word from him to secure her position in the General’s Mansion.
After a while, having collected everything from her own treasury, Su Nuan took Dong’er with her and crawled out through the dog hole.
The two headed straight for the General’s Mansion. When they arrived, Su Nuan went up and knocked on the door.
“Open up! We’re maids from the Su Mansion, here to relay a few words for our young mistress.”
A moment later, the door was pulled open from inside. A handsome young man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding an icy aura, stepped out.
He coldly demanded, “Here to break off the engagement?”
Su Nuan hadn’t expected the one opening the door to be her husband’s younger brother-in-law, Ling Yun. To be honest, Ling Yun was extremely good-looking, but he radiated such a frosty aura that girls both adored and feared him.
Actually, she was a little afraid of him too. But when she remembered how this person who had always looked down on her had, in her previous life, helped collect her body and seek revenge, she became less afraid and even felt somewhat close to him.
Su Nuan bowed and said, “My young mistress isn’t here to break off the engagement. She merely has some words she’d like to say in person to the General, so that he won’t regret it after she marries into the household.”
Ling Yun frowned. “I hope it’s nothing harsh. Come in.”
Su Nuan stuck out her tongue slightly—he was as aloof as he had been in her previous life.
She noticed that Dong’er beside her was trembling with every step and almost laughed. This girl was even more timid than she was.
Yet it was this very timid person who had dared to risk her life to bring her money. She had lost her life because of her.
Su Nuan’s nose tingled with emotion, and she tightened her grip on Dong’er’s hand.
Dong’er looked up with a sweet smile, her body no longer trembling.
The two followed Ling Yun to General Ling Cang’s residence. Before even entering, they could hear Ling Cang’s coughing, like a broken bellows.
Su Nuan sighed inwardly. At least he was conscious.
Ling Yun entered first and said, “Brother, a maid from the Su family wants to convey some words from her young lady. Would you like to hear them?”
“If not, I’ll throw them out of the estate immediately!”
Su Nuan glanced sideways. This man was truly detestable. She thought such an unpleasant man would never find a wife, as no woman could tolerate him.
Ling Cang said weakly, “Let her speak… cough cough… I’ve already wronged that young lady…”
Su Nuan entered and approached the bedside.
Ling Cang’s appearance was unexpectedly plain—not as handsome as Ling Yun—but with thick eyebrows and large eyes that radiated righteousness. Unfortunately, he was now terribly weak, like a candle flickering in the wind.
Su Nuan sighed. He was clearly a great hero who had protected the nation, yet he had been framed by villains and faced family confiscation and exile.
Without beating around the bush, she went straight to the point: “General, I am Su Nuan, your fiancée.”
Ling Cang was stunned. He looked up and carefully studied Su Nuan’s face, his eyes filled with guilt. “I’m sorry… cough cough…”
Su Nuan shook her head. “General, you are a great hero. This humble woman is willing to marry you. However, the current situation is somewhat complicated, and I need to explain matters.”
Ling Cang nodded. “Speak. If there’s anything I can help with, just say so.”
Suppressing his coughs, he listened attentively.
Su Nuan pursed her lips and said bitterly, “I overheard my father telling others that someone has falsely accused you of embezzlement. The Emperor is sentencing your entire clan to exile, and the imperial decree will arrive by tomorrow at the latest. Do you have a counterplan, General?”
Ling Yun’s eyebrows shot up in anger. He grabbed Su Nuan by the throat and snarled, “What nonsense are you spouting? Our Ling family has served with utmost loyalty for generations! How could my brother possibly embezzle?”
Su Nuan struggled to breathe, desperately clawing at his hand and leaving several bloody scratches.
But Ling Cang said heavily, “Let her go.”
Ling Yun shoved her away violently. Su Nuan stumbled and fell onto the bed, where she discovered Ling Cang’s deformed legs.
In disbelief, she pressed on the blanket. The bones in both legs were shattered. Without a doctor to set them, they had healed twisted. Such injuries would have made anyone else wail incessantly from pain, yet this iron-willed man hadn’t uttered a sound.
Su Nuan sniffled, her voice trembling. “General… the Emperor is unjust, and villains hold sway. We must make plans early.”
Ling Cang stared fixedly at Su Nuan. His tiger-like eyes were terrifyingly calm, as if he had already seen through the truth.
“Miss Su, I understand. Thank you for informing me. Rest assured, I will immediately write a letter to break off our engagement.”
Su Nuan quickly stood up and shook her head. “No, I won’t return tonight. From now on, I am your Ling family’s daughter-in-law. Don’t worry—I will take good care of you, grandmother, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law along the journey.”
Ling Cang was stunned, and Ling Yun also looked at her with disbelief and suspicion.
Su Nuan smiled bitterly. “My father wants to seize the wealth my mother left behind and won’t let me live. Rather than stay and be schemed against by them, I’d rather marry into your family. At least you won’t harm me.”
Both Ling Cang and Ling Yun fell silent. They understood—truly loving parents would never send their daughter for Chongxi.
In the end, Ling Cang’s coughing broke the silence. After catching his breath, he took out a Black Iron Ring from his chest.
The black circle looked particularly stark in his pale palm.
Su Nuan’s heart raced with alarm. This was the token of his personal guards—those men recognized only the token, not the person.
Was he testing whether she had come to steal it? In her past life, this very object had attracted countless assassins.
In the end, when she was taken hostage, it was Ling Yun who exchanged the ring for her life!