In all her life, Mu Yunniang had never heard such shocking remarks.
After hearing Yan Xiao's words, her eyes were filled with shock and something indescribable when she looked at Yan Xiao.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but found that she couldn't utter a rebuttal. Not only that, but a small flutter was also sprouting deep in her heart.
Just like Yan Xiao said, the child is her own, and with her current wealth, she can easily raise it. Why should she care whether Situ Nanzhao wants it or not?
If he wants it, that's great; if he doesn't, we can just raise it ourselves.
She was originally a concubine and had no hope of gaining official status through her child. If the child were to be enshrined in the Situ family ancestral hall in the future, it would have to be registered under the name of Situ Nanzhao's future wife or concubine.
Thinking about it this way, it doesn't seem like it would be better to let the father go and keep the son.
As Mu Yunniang pondered this, she fell asleep while Yan Xiao administered acupuncture. Before falling asleep, all she could think about were the words "leave the father and keep the son."
Situ Nanzhao, who had to hurry on his way because he had changed his route to see Mu Yunniang, suddenly felt a chill down his back.
"Whoa~"
He gripped the reins tightly and looked behind him, only to find nothing there, which made him frown in confusion.
The attendants following him noticed Situ Nanzhao's unusual behavior and quickly stopped.
One of them glanced in the direction Situ Nanzhao was looking, and after noticing anything amiss, asked in confusion:
"Sir, is there a problem?"
Situ Nanzhao glanced around one last time, and only looked away after confirming that everything was alright.
"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt a little uneasy. Let's go!"
As he spoke, he continued to gallop at full speed. His attendants exchanged puzzled glances and, not daring to delay, quickly spurred their horses to follow.
After Mu Yunniang fell asleep, Yan Xiao gestured for Qianqiu to stay by her side and wait for Mu Yunniang to wake up.
She then summoned Zhao Qian and told him the news that Mu Yunniang had brought her.
Upon hearing Yan Xiao's words, Zhao Qian's first reaction was whether the news was reliable. However, seeing Yan Xiao's serious expression and thinking about the people behind Mu Yunniang, he wisely chose to keep quiet.
After hesitating for a moment, he cautiously asked:
"Madam, what are your plans next? Should we inform the General?"
Yan Xiao rolled her eyes in annoyance upon hearing this, her tone not very pleasant either:
“Of course I have to tell him. At least let him know that his confidante surrendered to the enemy on her own, not because I forced her.”
Yan Xiao probably didn't even realize that her words carried a hint of jealousy from the "official wife," while Zhao Qian was a master of imagination, able to conjure up a whole romance drama from baseless rumors, let alone something that actually happened.
He silently lit a candle for Shen Muzhi in his heart, and once again felt that after Shen Muzhi returned, what awaited him might not be a happy reunion after a short separation, but a cold face settling old scores.
He'll definitely have to find a way to stay away from the situation to avoid being caught in the crossfire, but that's a matter for later. Right now, the most important thing is to figure out how to handle the current situation in the safest way.
“Madam, please don’t be angry. I will tell the general everything in detail later. This matter was originally caused by Doctor Jiang targeting you first and then defecting. No matter how you look at it, you can’t be blamed.”
When Yan Xiao heard Zhao Qian's words, she wanted to say that she didn't care at all what Shen Muzhi thought, but when the words were on the tip of her tongue, she belatedly realized that the meaning of her words seemed a little wrong.
It felt like she was afraid Shen Muzhi would discover that she was targeting Jiang Xinrui.
She quickly shook her head to clear her head of the irrational thought, trying to regain her composure, and then looked at Zhao Qian and instructed him:
"Writing the letter can wait. Now, post a notice immediately to explain that the reason I suddenly issued a warrant for Jiang Xinrui's arrest, regardless of whether she lives or dies, is not because of personal grudges."
Rather, it was because they had received reliable information earlier that Jiang Xinrui had already betrayed them and joined Qi Chengfeng, the city lord of Yanyun City, and that they had been in contact for some time.
However, I have always believed in Jiang Xinrui's character, and if I think the news is fabricated, I will investigate it carefully and not want to wrong Jiang Xinrui.
The result is obvious: Jiang Xinrui has disappointed me. Yesterday's events have shown that her character is untrustworthy.
As a result, just as I was about to bring her back to the General's Mansion for questioning, Jiang Xinrui's people had already been taken away by the experts sent by Qi Chengfeng, and they have now fled to Yanyun City.
From now on, regardless of whether they have received favors from Jiang Xinrui or have had any connections with her, no matter their status, anyone who dares to conspire with her will be treated as a spy and executed without mercy.
"Your Majesty is wise. I will take care of it immediately."
After hearing Yan Xiao's instructions, Zhao Qian couldn't help but look at Yan Xiao with admiration.
He was initially worried that after news of Jiang Xinrui's defection spread, people would criticize Yan Xiao, thinking that Jiang Xinrui was forced into defection by Yan Xiao and only sought refuge in Yanyun City to survive.
But now Yan Xiao struck first, unleashing a barrage of attacks that cemented Jiang Xinrui's place on the pillar of shame for defection, while also absolving herself of any responsibility.
Regardless of how many people believe Yan Xiao's words now, or how much truth there is in them, as long as Jiang Xinrui appears in Yanyun City in the future, Yan Xiao's words will be the truth.
Jiang Xinrui's previous behavior in Jiangbei, including all her sacrifices and deep affection for Shen Muzhi, became a facade to conceal her undercover identity.
After all, just as Yan Xiao said, if he hadn't betrayed them long ago, how could he have been taken away by the people of Yanyun City right after failing to target Yan Xiao?
Who would believe this wasn't premeditated?
"Wait a minute!"
Just as Zhao Qian was about to leave, Yan Xiao stopped him and asked:
"Who is the current leader of the garrison in Jiangbei City? Summon him to see me."
Upon hearing this, and seeing Yan Xiao's expression, Zhao Qian's eyelids twitched.
"Madam, do you suspect that someone in the city helped Jiang Xinrui escape?"
"Heh~, I didn't say anything."
Yan Xiao gave a cold laugh, his tone full of undisguised displeasure:
"I just want to meet this talented person and ask him if he doesn't want to continue working here, or if he already has ulterior motives and wants to follow Jiang Xinrui to a higher position."
Otherwise, how could he have such a short memory of what happened with the Miao people?
It's one thing to let spies from Yanyun City infiltrate the city, but to actually manage to take Jiang Xinrui away without anyone noticing?
They entered and left the city so casually, yet they didn't notice a thing. Was it because the enemy was too strong, or because their own people were too incompetent?
I'm very puzzled and must ask that person in person, otherwise I won't be able to sleep at night, worried that I'll wake up to find that the General's Mansion has changed hands.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com