Chapter 125 Did you miss me?

The dungeon was damp and cold, with not even a straw laid out on the ground. Zhu Mingyue squatted in the corner, quietly waiting for the next step.

Just as Zhong Kai finished reporting his important business and left the camp, he was met by a soldier rushing towards him.

Zhong Kai narrowed his eyes. "You mean another spy sent by the Southern Barbarians?"

The soldier truthfully confessed: "Sir, that is indeed the case. This spy looks extremely similar to the man from a few days ago."

He happened to be on duty that day and witnessed General Xie's rage. His face was filled with ruthlessness and murderous intent. On the spot, he cut out the spy's tongue and severed his tendons, causing him to bleed to death. His methods were extremely cruel. Even now, when he recalls that scene, his legs still feel weak.

They couldn't figure out why General Xie was so angry. This time, they encountered the same spy, and no one dared to offend General Xie. They could only ask Zhong Kai to handle the matter.

Zhong Kai pondered for a moment, then started walking towards the dungeon.

Zhu Mingyue had only been there for an hour when footsteps came from the dungeon, growing closer and closer.

He had half his face buried in his arms. Hearing the sound, he opened his eyes and saw a handsome young man standing in front of the prison gate with a soldier.

A moment later, the door unlocked and the young man walked in.

While Zhu Mingyue was sizing up Zhong Kai, Zhong Kai was also sizing him up.

Unfortunately, Zhu Mingyue's face was unclear. He frowned and said in a less than friendly tone, "Look up."

Zhu Mingyue lifted her head from her arms.

Zhong Kai's brow twitched.

It's so similar, it's really so similar.

Their eyebrows, eyes, nose, and even the curve of their mouths are all similar.

I can't think of any other reason for such similar people to be deliberately arranged by someone behind the scenes.

"Who sent you?"

Zhu Mingyue remained calm and composed: "Myself."

"You're completely unyielding!" the soldier threatened, drawing his knife.

Zhong Kai raised his hand to stop him and continued to ask, "Who is the person behind them?"

Zhu Mingyue stared at the sharp blade without saying a word.

Zhong Kai understood immediately and turned his head to command, "Take it back."

Zhu Mingyue then spoke up: "No one is here. I'm not a spy. I'm really here to visit relatives."

Zhong Kai: "What evidence do you have?"

Zhu Mingyue: ...

"It's been taken."

Upon hearing this, the soldier quickly presented the item, saying, "Lord Zhong, this is the evidence he mentioned."

The jade pendant, with its faint luster, was crudely carved, even inferior to the fine workmanship of the pendant from a few days ago.

He twirled the jade pendant in his hand a couple of times, then held it up: "What kind of evidence is this? Forgive my bluntness, but eight out of ten spies who come to the Jizhou camp use jade pendants as tokens." Although there was some exaggeration involved, it was pretty much the truth.

Jade pendants are a top choice for gifts, and most people who give them away don't even remember what they look like. Using a jade pendant as a token of affection can often lead to a successful encounter with the giver.

There was a precedent in the military where someone was killed in front of others because of this incident.

Last time, that person confidently claimed to be General Xie's widowed sister-in-law, who lived far away in Ganzhou. If the general hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been injured by the poisoned needle.

Unexpectedly, the Southern Barbarians were still not giving up. In order to take the general's life, they did not hesitate to send in so many spies.

His gaze was cold and sharp. "Tell me, who is behind this?"

Zhu Mingyue was understandably upset by this undeserved misfortune: "Would you be satisfied if I said I was sent by the Southern Barbarians?"

"Sir, listen! He's confessed!" the soldier shouted.

"Shut up!" Zhong Kai commanded, then stared at Zhu Mingyue: "What exactly do you mean?"

Zhu Mingyue: "I am not a spy, I really came to visit relatives. If you don't believe me, just present this jade pendant to them and they will know."

He helplessly raised the heavy iron chain in his hand and shook it: "I know it's a good thing that you are so vigilant against spies, but you can't so easily judge me as a spy and treat human life so lightly."

He raised an eyebrow: "Don't you think so, Lord Zhong? Come to think of it, I've heard about you from Lord Sun Kan."

Zhong Kai took a step forward, his eyes filled with inquiry: "You said Sun Kan mentioned me to you?"

He had never met the general's widowed sister-in-law at the time, but Sun Kan had gone to the general's house. He casually mentioned to Sun Kan that he should not forget to say a few good words about him to the general's sister-in-law. As for whether he actually said it or not, he didn't know.

Zhu Mingyue nodded and said, "You are handsome and have the bearing of a great general. Speaking of which, I haven't yet thanked Lord Zhong for his help in my case."

Zhong Kai's breath hitched, and a wavering arose in his heart; he was unsure of what to do.

But the soldier was still indignantly whispering in his ear, "Sir, don't be fooled by this guy. Last time, that spy used the name of the general's family to assassinate the general. This southern barbarian is suspicious. He might be hiding poison somewhere. We must not let him meet the general, or his life might be in danger."

Zhong Kai glanced at the soldier, gripped the jade pendant tightly, and when he looked at Zhu Mingyue again, the sharpness in his eyes had not lessened. He simply said, "As you wish, I will present the jade pendant. If there is even a hint of falsehood in what you say, you'll be in for a world of hurt."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Zhu Mingyue quickly stopped him: "I confess, I did lie."

Zhong Kai paused, turned around, and said seriously, "Speak."

Zhu Mingyue pursed her lips, somewhat embarrassed: "I lied to you. Actually, Sun Kan didn't say that you were handsome and had the potential to be a great general."

"Thank goodness he didn't come. That guy may seem meticulous in his speech and actions, but he's actually quite the show-off. He's certainly good at handling affairs, but when it comes to fighting, he's barely half as good as me!"

Thinking of how Sun Kan boasted in front of him that day, and felt at ease putting down his colleagues, Zhu Mingyue couldn't help but smile.

That's it?

"That's all." This time, there was absolutely no falsehood in what he said.

Zhong Kai breathed a sigh of relief for some reason, but his departing figure seemed to be fleeing in panic.

"Sir, you believed his nonsense? That spy just now didn't seem like a decent person."

Zhong Kai reprimanded, "Don't jump to conclusions before everything is verified. I think you've all been living too comfortably, always trying to shirk your responsibilities. When something like this happens, you don't bother to verify it, and you're just being labeled as spies."

"You're right, sir." The soldier nodded and lowered his head in apology, but he was still unconvinced and muttered under his breath, "It's just too much of a coincidence. How could there be two people who look so alike, both of whom came to see the general with jade pendants?"

Zhong Kai snorted coldly: "There are plenty of coincidences in this world."

Upon reaching Xie Pei's tent, Zhong Kai stopped, picked up the jade pendant, glanced at it, and then sighed, "General, I have something to report."

"Enter."

Xie Pei was having lunch. The table was set with simple dishes, just ordinary millet rice and steamed dried vegetables.

"when?"

Zhong Kai nodded: "Reporting to the general, the guards in the camp just arrested a man who looks very similar to the spy from a few days ago. The guards suspect that he is a spy sent by the Southern Barbarians. I went to check, and the man's story is consistent with the previous spy. They both said that they came to visit relatives," he paused and added, "to visit the general's relatives."

Xie Pei had already put down his chopsticks, his face showing a cold and stern expression.

Zhong Kai swallowed hard, his heart pounding like a drum.

He had been working for Xie Pei for quite some time now. Although he couldn't fully understand Xie Pei's personality, he still knew a thing or two about it.

For example, right now, Xie Pei's lips were tightly pursed, his eyes were like a raging storm, and his face was extremely gloomy and terrifying.

Zhong Kai lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze.

He could genuinely understand why Xie Pei was angry.

I don't know what's wrong with that southern barbarian, but he keeps sending handsome men with similar appearances to the Jizhou camp.

Sending a group of men to use their beauty to seduce someone is a ridiculous tactic, and it's not the first or second time.

Don't they realize that General Xie, with his cold-hearted, ruthless, and heartless nature, would never have liked those worthless scoundrels? In the end, they were all dealt with privately by General Xie.

A few days ago, things went even further; they actually dared to impersonate General Xie's widowed sister-in-law, who was far away in Ganzhou.

That's absolutely outrageous.

He gripped the jade pendant tightly in his hand, a hint of conflict flashing in his eyes.

The image of that person calmly facing interrogation in the dungeon flashed through his mind, and remembering his promise, he finally decided to present the jade pendant.

"General, this is that man's token. Would you like to take a look?"

Although he was asking Xie Pei for his opinion, he had already braced himself and placed the jade pendant on the table in front of him.

Almost instantly, Zhong Kai felt a sense of relief wash over him, and the suffocating killing intent surrounding him vanished in an instant.

He mustered his courage and looked up. Xie Pei had already picked up the jade pendant and was carefully stroking it. The fierceness in his eyes gradually dissipated.

Zhong Kai blinked and watched as Xie Pei expressionlessly put the jade pendant into his pocket.

"General?" Zhong Kai was startled and couldn't help but wonder if it was his real sister-in-law who had come this time. He steadied himself and asked cautiously.

Xie Pei stood up: "Where is he?"

Zhong Kai realized what was happening and quickly replied, "He was locked in the dungeon."

Xie Pei frowned and strode out of the tent.

Zhong Kai quickly followed.

The dungeon camp was a full mile away, and Xie Pei's speed was so fast that Zhong Kai, panting heavily, fell far behind.

When they arrived at the dungeon entrance, they were told that they could not enter without the general's permission. Zhong Kai was unsure of what to do, so he could only pace back and forth outside.

Inside the dungeon, Zhu Mingyue was held firmly in Xie Pei's arms.

Xie Pei, panting heavily, placed a kiss on his forehead: "Why did you suddenly come to Jizhou?"

Zhu Mingyue pushed his chest, but he didn't push her away. "The New Year is coming soon, and I want to spend it with you."

Fearing the other party would think he was being unreasonable, he explained:

"I'm not doing this entirely for that reason. I'm thinking of opening a restaurant in Jizhou, so I'm taking this opportunity to come here and do some research."

Xie Pei looked down into his eyes, her tone filled with pleasure: "Missed me?"

Zhu Mingyue's face immediately turned bright red. She turned her head away and whispered, "Yeah, I missed you."

Xie Pei's heart softened. He pinched his chin and showered him with a flurry of delicate kisses on his forehead, the corners of his eyes, and his lips...

Zhu Mingyue couldn't take it anymore. He hadn't forgotten that he was currently in a dungeon, and if someone saw him, he would be mortified.

She closed her eyes and let him kiss her for a while, then Zhu Mingyue reached out to push Xie Pei away again, trying to suppress her shyness as she said, "Xie Pei, please don't do it here."

“Alright, not here.” Xie Pei’s voice was low and hoarse. “I’ll take you back to the camp.”

At the entrance to the dungeon, Zhong Kai paced back and forth for nearly fifteen minutes before finally welcoming the person out.

Upon seeing Zhu Mingyue, a thought flashed through his mind: Just as I thought.

Well, not only did he fail to leave a good impression, he also offended someone on their first meeting. Zhong Kai had a headache; he dared not scold anyone, and could only curse Sun Kan, that bastard, in his heart. If he had given him the opportunity to go to the Xie family, this situation would not have occurred.

The good impression was gone, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and make amends. He immediately smiled and respectfully greeted her, "Sister-in-law!"

Zhu Mingyue said jokingly, "Oh? I'm not a spy anymore?"

Zhong Kai took the initiative to admit his mistake, and was particularly sincere: "I was blind and made a mistake." He turned to face Xie Pei, bowed and clasped his hands: "I am willing to accept punishment for my mistake."

Zhu Mingyue looked up at Xie Pei, and one could indeed see a hint of gloom on her face.

Zhu Mingyue's mind raced. He didn't want to cause any rift between Xie Pei and his subordinates because of his own actions. Moreover, in his opinion, Zhong Kai and the guards hadn't done anything wrong in this matter. He asked himself if he would have made the same decision if he were in their shoes.

He smiled at Zhong Kai and said, "Just kidding! You didn't do anything wrong, I was just doing my job fairly."

He looked at Xie Pei: "General Xie, are you right?"

Xie Pei nodded.

Zhong Kai breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the other party did not hold a grudge against him for this matter, and at the same time, his goodwill towards the general's sister-in-law increased significantly.

He had initially been prejudiced, thinking that the person in front of him looked extremely similar to those spies, but now, looking at him again, he felt that they didn't resemble each other at all.

Those spies are not even worthy of being compared to the general's wife.

They were all inferior, low-quality counterfeits; no wonder the general was so furious.

Zhong Kai: "Thank you for your forgiveness, sister-in-law."

Zhu Mingyue corrected herself, saying, "I have done nothing wrong."

Zhong Kai was deeply moved, and he saw that Zhu Mingyue's head was shining with golden light: "Thank you, sister-in-law."

Zhu Mingyue smiled and declined to discuss the matter further.

During the Li Dynasty, generals stationed at the border were allowed to have their families accompany them on military missions.

However, the crisis in Jizhou was not yet resolved, and it was also a harsh and cold place, so few generals would bring their wives and children to this place to suffer.

Now, apart from General Wang of the supply battalion and Deputy General Li of the logistics department, there is no one else in the army.

Cases like Zhu Mingyue's are extremely rare.

Xie Pei ordered his men to build a smaller tent for Zhu Mingyue next to his own tent.

The camp couldn't be set up in a short time, so Zhu Mingyue was first settled in Xie Pei's camp.

With no one else around, Xie Pei started touching him again, rubbing his face and pinching his waist, making Zhu Mingyue wish he could disappear into the ground.

"Xie Pei, don't let them set up tents. I've booked an inn outside."

Xie Pei's lips curled into a smile, and he said seriously, "You can stay in the camp with the army."

Zhu Mingyue swallowed hard: "Our relationship is that of uncle and sister-in-law, which is different." Whether it's accompanying the army or visiting relatives, everyone else is a direct relative, but he is the sister-in-law, which is not proper and will be talked about behind his back.

Xie Pei couldn't stand such words. His face showed deep hatred, and he wished he could dig Xie Hong out and grind his bones to dust in order to vent his anger.

Afraid of frightening Zhu Mingyue, he tried his best to suppress his anger and said gently, "No one will gossip." Even if they did, no one would dare to gossip to his face. As for behind her back, as long as Zhu Mingyue didn't hear a single word, that was fine.

Zhu Mingyue shook her head: "I don't care about gossip, but they will talk about you behind your back, which will have a bad impact on you."

Xie Pei's heart is incredibly soft; how could there be such a kind person who always thinks of him?

Xie Pei couldn't resist, so he pulled the person into his arms and kissed him repeatedly.

Zhu Mingyue's lips were red and swollen from the kisses, her eyes were glazed, and she could only breathe slightly with her lips slightly parted.

Xie Pei's eyes darkened. He wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth and said in a low voice, "Don't worry. After I finish my official duties today, I'll take you to see General Guan. He's wanted to see you for a long time."

Zhu Mingyue had barely regained her senses when Xie Pei's words startled her: "General Guan wants to see me? Why?"