After a whole night of commotion, it was already dawn when Zhao Jing brought Jiang Tian back to the general's mansion.

Fortunately, the new emperor, seeing that Zhao Jing had returned victorious from battle, exempted him from the morning court session.

The courtyard was completely silent; apart from Zhao Jing and Jiang Tian, ​​there wasn't a single other living person in sight.

The others were either still imprisoned in the torture chamber or didn't even have the courage to step into Jiang Tian's courtyard.

Fortunately, the beauty bestowed by the emperor did not live in the same direction as Jiang Tian, ​​which saved a lot of trouble.

Even though Jiang Tian was dressed as a man, and Zhao Jing dragged her out of the brothel, threw her onto a horse, and brought her into the general's mansion, the smile in her eyes never stopped.

Zhao Jing, already seething with anger, felt his frustration surge again when he saw Jiang Tian's indifferent attitude.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" he asked in a somber voice.

"What am I supposed to say? The general has already brought me back, what else is there to say?"

Jiang Tian looked up at him and smiled, showing no fear whatsoever.

Zhao Jing bent down and pinched Jiang Tian's face with one hand: "Tell me why you ran away the moment I went to war."

He was impolite, and Jiang Tian was equally impolite; she forcefully pried his hands off with both of hers.

"The general really has no mercy for women."

Before Zhao Jing could even exert himself, she launched into a tirade, her gaze sharp: "We had an agreement. You would manage things in the backyard for me, and I would guarantee your safety. You could leave when things were peaceful. Who gave you permission to run away?"

Jiang Tian said, "I fled because of you. If we were at peace, I could stay here for ten or eight years without any trouble. But you went crazy just because I saw Pei Ziye and Jiang Yuqin, and you kept saying that you wanted to take me as your concubine."

She suddenly stood up, staring at Zhao Jing with resentment and disgust in her eyes: "You abandoned me in the capital to be humiliated by a tyrannical emperor. I barely survived and then severed ties with you. I thought the future was bright, but you actually think that taking me as a concubine is an honor for me!"

"Zhao Jing, you've gone mad! I'd rather die than become your concubine!"

Zhao Jing hadn't been called by his full name in a long time, and when he heard that she didn't want to be a concubine, he just thought that this woman was too ungrateful.

Do you know what kind of life the refugees outside are living? They exchange their own children to eat, there is widespread suffering, and the people are living in misery! Staying with me is the best choice for you to survive.

Zhao Jing's tone was cold.

"Death is as tragic as living! Rather than being sold like an object, I'd rather die by the roadside than live like this!"

Zhao Jing could tell that Jiang Tian was consumed by rage, even mentioning death.

He calmed his anger somewhat: "So you ran away? Do you know that not long ago the emperor summoned me, saying he wanted to hold a palace banquet, and specifically instructed me to take you with me. You ran away, leaving me to clean up the mess. Jiang Tian, ​​don't forget, you and I just made a deal not long ago, I'm barely an ally of yours."

Jiang Tian said disdainfully, "When you abandoned me in the capital, we were still husband and wife in name only. If you can abandon your wife, what's the big deal if I abandon an ally?"

Zhao Jing was rendered speechless by her retort.

After a long pause, he finally said, "Let's both calm down and have a proper talk."

Jiang Tian shook her head: "There's nothing to talk about. As long as you still hold the thought that I married you, I'll be your slave for life. Even if we divorce, I'll still have to obey your orders. We'll never be able to talk properly. You even gave up the position of concubine to win me over. In your heart, you've paid a huge price, haven't you?"

Zhao Jing pursed his lips and denied it: "I just wanted to find a way to solve the problem once and for all, and I was afraid you would cause a big mess. Since you are unwilling, the matter of taking you as a concubine will be dropped."

"Thank you for your kindness, General."

Zhao Jing felt a lump in his throat: "So, can you please be a little more peaceful from now on?"

His patience has its limits.

He didn't sleep all night, and he brought her back, not to hear her scold him.

"I've already been brought back, so whether I behave or not doesn't matter. I'm just a prisoner anyway."

Her slightly sarcastic tone gave Zhao Jing a strange premonition: if he offended this woman again and upset her, she would still leave.

Zhao Jing's mood was worse than ever before.

"You ran away this time because I wanted to take you as a concubine, and also because I trapped you in the backyard, making it impossible for you to move around, which caused you to feel lonely. Am I right?"

Zhao Jing asked abruptly.

Jiang Tian looked somewhat surprised: "General, you are indeed formidable."

“I can’t just ignore your affair with another man,” Zhao Jing stated calmly.

Jiang Tian looked at him calmly: "Then I'll give you two clear paths: one is for you to find a substitute who looks like me and train her for a while, so that person can live in the inner quarters in my place, and you can let me go and never care about my life or death again; the other is to cover for me well, so that no one can find any clues, and don't care who I associate with."

"Of course, the first option is also for you to kill me and then find a replacement."

A look of rage gathered between Zhao Jing's brows.

He had never met anyone as stubborn and inflexible as Jiang Tian.

It turns out that her gentle and virtuous demeanor at the time was all an illusion.

"Then can't you refrain from doing such heinous things?"

Jiang Tian retorted, "Then why should I divorce you? Am I still going to be trapped in the backyard, still going to abide by all your rules? I've worked so hard to plan for so long, just to continue being your slave?"

Sharp-tongued and quick-witted.

Zhao Jing replied to her, "You just need to endure for a few years until the new emperor's fate is exhausted, then I will naturally let you leave."

"I can't stand it, I can't stand it for even a moment longer."

Jiang Tian's shameless attitude caused Zhao Jing to lose his usual composure.

He calmed himself down for a long time before saying, "In a few years, as long as you don't cause any trouble, I will be able to protect you."

"General, are you sure you have no romantic feelings for me?"

Jiang Tian asked the question again.

Zhao Jing's heart skipped a beat, and anger welled up in his eyes: "What is it about you that could bewitch me? I wanted to tell you last time that you are far too arrogant."

"You could have ended this with a single stroke, but instead, so many complicated and troublesome things have been added along the way. I just want to know why."

Training a stand-in does indeed require a lot of effort.

But for Zhao Jing, he had been planning for so many years, so it didn't matter if he spent a little more energy.

But he insisted on patiently negotiating with Jiang Tian.

He clearly held immense power and commanded tens of thousands of soldiers.

The other has nothing and is constantly hampered.

His unusually mild attitude was suspicious.

Zhao Jing was speechless for a moment.

After a long while, he said, "I never kill innocent people indiscriminately. You are doing a good job as the mistress of the house, and I have no intention of replacing you."

“Let’s compromise. As long as you don’t associate with other men, I’ll let you off the hook. I’ll pretend your escape never happened. And I won’t let the servants who helped you escape lose their lives. If you want to leave the manor in the future, just tell me.”