He knew exactly what he had done. When the general's wife had the arrest warrant for Jiang Xinrui posted this morning, he was actually a little panicked.

But when he thought of Jiang Xinrui's tearful words to him when she found him, he realized that Yanxiao hated her to the bone simply because she had once admired Shen Muzhi, and that she would never let her go.

She said she had to leave the city overnight and begged him to do her a favor, otherwise she would die if she was even a step too late. That's why he disregarded the city's regulations and secretly created an opportunity for Jiang Xinrui, a military officer, to leave late at night. Now it seems he only thinks he did the right thing.

The fact that Yan Xiao had issued a warrant for her arrest, regardless of whether she was alive or dead, said it all. If he hadn't let Jiang Xinrui leave the city, such a beautiful and kind girl like her would have been killed by that poisonous woman, Yan Xiao.

But he never expected that Yan Xiao would post such a notice, falsely accusing Jiang Xinrui of treason.

To avoid suspicion, he did not personally escort Jiang Xinrui, but instead created opportunities for her to leave at any time and place.

Even though he didn't see Jiang Xinrui leave with his own eyes, he didn't believe that a woman like Jiang Xinrui would collude with the enemy. If this mudslinging was thrown at her, Jiang Xinrui, who had fled to save her life, would have no way to defend herself.

But this general's wife has completely absolved herself of any responsibility. How ruthless is she? I don't know how the general could be so blind as to choose this poisonous woman over Doctor Jiang.

Zhang Kangnian became increasingly resentful, and coupled with Yan Xiao's arrogant and domineering behavior, he, who already harbored many grievances against Yan Xiao as the general's wife, decided to go all out.

He forcefully shoved aside the two guards who were trying to subdue him, and glared angrily in Yan Xiao's direction, saying:

"May I ask what crime I have committed to deserve such humiliation? No matter what, I have followed the general through life and death and made military achievements."

If the lady treats meritorious officials this way merely to vent her personal anger, it will likely chill the hearts of many soldiers, and even if the general returns, he will find it difficult to tolerate you then.

"Heh~, are you threatening me?"

Unmoved by Yan Xiao's words, she gently put down her teacup, slowly rose, and walked out from behind the screen.

Zhang Kangnian had heard of this lady's appearance, and that she was ugly and unworthy of being in a respectable setting, completely unworthy of the general. This was one of the reasons why he felt that Yanxiao was not as good as Jiang Xinrui.

But when he saw the woman who walked out from behind the screen, he was completely stunned.

The woman was stunningly beautiful with alluring eyes, yet her flamboyant demeanor prevented her from appearing vulgar in the slightest.

"You, how could you...?"

Zhang Kangnian stared at Yan Xiao, stuttering slightly, completely unable to connect the person in front of him with the vulgar and ugly general's wife he had imagined.

Yan Xiao didn't give Zhang Kangnian any time to think. She walked up to him in a few steps, kicked him to the ground, and then looked down at him coldly, cursing:

"You bastard, do you think you're incredibly smart and that you can get away with anything without anyone noticing? Are you secretly pleased with yourself, thinking you've played the hero who saved the damsel in distress?"

"What did that bitch Jiang Xinrui give you to make you do something like colluding with Yanyun City and betraying Jiangbei City? Could it be that she offered herself to you and had a fleeting affair?"

Zhang Kangnian was still shocked by Yan Xiao's appearance when he realized that Yan Xiao had kicked him so hard that he was completely stunned when he was knocked over.

The series of provocations had left his mind in a whirl, and the next moment he heard Yan Xiao's insulting words towards Jiang Xinrui. He couldn't take it anymore and retorted without thinking:

"Madam, please don't slander Miss Jiang and ruin her reputation. I released Miss Jiang from the city only because..."

As he said this, his heart skipped a beat, and realizing he had spoken out of turn, he quickly shut his mouth.

But it was too late. With just that one sentence, he had essentially admitted that Jiang Xinrui was the one he had released from the city.

A bead of sweat immediately appeared on his forehead, and he hurriedly tried to cover it up:

"It is true that I released Miss Jiang from the city last night, but what is wrong with that? Miss Jiang is the military doctor of the Shen family army, who has treated countless soldiers of our army. She just had urgent business and wanted to leave the city. What is wrong with me doing her a favor?"

You can't convict her arbitrarily just because of this, much less label her a traitor without any evidence.

Yan Xiao was quite satisfied with the answer she wanted and lost interest in arguing with him further. She looked at Zhao Qian and said:

“Come, remind this city-guarding general what the duties and regulations of the city-guarding army are, and what crime he has committed.”

Zhao Qian looked at Yan Xiao with nothing but admiration and worship. He had seen all kinds of interrogation scenes, even the bloodiest ones, but he had never seen anyone confess so easily with just a few words.

Upon hearing Yan Xiao's instructions, he immediately looked at Zhang Kangnian and briefly explained the rules and regulations of the city garrison, then said:

"General Zhang, if I remember correctly, according to the city's rules, the city gates should be closed at the beginning of Hai hour (9-11 PM)."

No one may leave the city after the gates are closed without the general's written order. You are especially not allowed to let anyone pass. If you encounter any suspicious persons, arrest and question them. Am I correct?"

Zhang Kangnian was naturally aware of this rule. Upon hearing Zhao Qian's question, he had nothing to say and could only continue to emphasize that Jiang Xinrui had absolutely not colluded with the enemy, nor had he betrayed them. He had simply been reluctant to let Jiang Xinrui leave the city.

Yan Xiao wasn't interested in any of that. All she knew was that this bastard had disregarded military regulations and let her most dangerous enemy escape, which was simply unforgivable.

Now that he has confessed, there's no need for her to waste any more words arguing with him.

Making mistakes requires paying the price; otherwise, anyone will dare to disregard military regulations for Jiang Xinrui's sake, which will only bring her more unnecessary trouble.

Yan Xiao waved his hand impatiently, looked at Zhao Qian, and coldly ordered:

"What are you still standing there for? Now that you've confessed, beat him to death according to military regulations."

However, there's no need to give him any face at all. Let him make some contributions before he dies. Just hang him at the city gate and beat him.

"Let those who have feelings for Jiang Xinrui take a good look and clear their heads, lest they inadvertently follow in General Zhang's footsteps."

"Hit, kill?"

Zhao Qian was stunned, unsure if he had misheard.

"What? Is there any problem with following military regulations?" Yan Xiao narrowed his eyes, clearly about to lose his temper.

"No, no, I obeyed!"

Zhao Qian dared not say anything more, and then gestured for the two men to take away Zhang Kangnian, who was already dumbfounded.

Zhang Kangnian seemed to come to his senses only after being dragged a few steps. Struggling, he turned and glared at Yan Xiao, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"How dare you? I am a third-rank city garrison commander personally appointed by the general. How dare you, a woman confined to the inner quarters, arbitrarily participate in political affairs and decide my life and death? I am not convinced. I will wait for the general to return and uphold justice."

"You, you vixen! With you in Jiangbei City, chaos is inevitable! Vixen..."

No matter how much he shouted, Yanxiao completely ignored him.

Seeing that he was going too far, Zhao Qian, with a dark face, stuffed an unknown rag into his mouth, leaving him only able to make muffled sobs.

Seeing that he was still not behaving even after being gagged, Zhao Qian slapped him on the back of the head and cursed:

"You're about to die, so shut up. You don't really think the general will protect you now that he's back, do you?"

"Don't even mention that the general wouldn't protect you; even if he really wanted to, given his wife's temper, his influence might not be enough."