Following Yan Xiao's instructions, Zhao Qian had Zhang Kangnian hung up under the city wall.
Anyone passing by could see his miserable state, and it became a topic of conversation among the people of Jiangbei City.
"Two days have passed. Do you think Jiang Xinrui will come back?"
"She definitely won't come back. Defecting to the enemy is a capital offense. How could she possibly return?"
"But Zhang Kangnian was a perfectly good general, and he ended up like this because he helped her. If she doesn't come back to save him, isn't she just making him die in her place? Isn't that too heartless and ungrateful?"
"What are you saying? She's already defected to the enemy, why would she care about the life or death of General Jiangbei? Just like our General's wife said, if she really cared about General Zhang's life or death, would she have gone to General Zhang and asked him to risk his life to let her out of the city?"
"You really can't judge a book by its cover. Who would have thought that such a gentle and frail woman would betray us?"
"A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea; it might just be love turning into hate."
"What do you mean by love turning into hate? I think this is her true nature. All her previous behavior was just an act. You didn't see how she lied through her teeth at the entrance of the General's Mansion that day. It's only because our General's wife is so clever and capable that she would have been ruined by her."
These past two days, similar discussions have been commonplace both inside and outside the city. You can hear them as soon as you step outside, and naturally, there are people subtly guiding the direction of the discussion.
Occasionally, people would stop to watch Zhang Kangnian's current situation from below the city gate, just to know if he was still breathing.
"General Zhang, have some water."
Following Yan Xiao's instructions, Zhao Qian only brought water to Zhang Kangnian, who was barely clinging to life, twice a day, without feeding him.
Even so, Zhang Kangnian did not die.
He felt pain all over his body, and every breath he took was torture. He felt that it would have been better to just die.
But at this moment, his life and death were no longer in his own hands. He seemed to be on the verge of dying, but he just couldn't. He could only continue to suffer the torment of being unable to live or die.
He knew perfectly well that Yan Xiao was doing this to torment him, to make him experience both physical and mental torture.
At the same time, it was also to make an example of them, to show those who had feelings for Jiang Xinrui what their fate would be, and to show them what they were in Jiang Xinrui's heart.
He never expected Jiang Xinrui to come back. When Yan Xiao said those words, he had already been awakened and already knew the answer in his heart.
Jiang Xinrui has already run away. If she hadn't really defected to the enemy, Yan Xiao would have no reason to tell this lie and point directly to Yanyun City.
This kind of lie can't fool people for long. We just need to have our spies check whether Jiang Xinrui is in Yanyun City, and we'll have the answer.
Although he didn't want to admit it, he had to admit that he had indeed been used, because as Yan Xiao, there was no reason for him to risk his reputation to tell such an easily exposed lie.
Hearing Zhao Qian's voice, he struggled to lift his head. After glancing at the water in Zhao Qian's hand, he did not refuse but chose to cooperate and drank it down.
He cooperated so readily because he knew he couldn't refuse. The lady had said he had to live for three days, so he couldn't just live for two. Since that was the case, he might as well be dignified.
After finishing his water, he looked up at the sun in the sky, gave a wry smile, and with difficulty opened his mouth to ask:
"Guard Zhao, what kind of person is the General's wife?"
Zhao Qian had already lifted his leg to leave when he suddenly heard this weak voice asking.
He hesitated for a moment, then, remembering he was already a dying man, he stopped and replied:
"The General's wife is certainly no ordinary person. Apart from General Shen, she is the only person I truly admire."
"Oh, I see!"
Zhang Kangnian gave a self-deprecating laugh, then closed his eyes and lowered his head.
Zhao Qian was a little confused, not knowing what the man meant by asking such a question. Seeing that he didn't intend to say anything more, he didn't stay any longer.
He's now a favorite of the general's wife, her most capable assistant, and he's very busy.
Jiang Xinrui, who had already escaped the city, was now disguised as a man and following Liu Hong, a confidant of Qi Chengfeng.
Her expression was extremely unpleasant, completely devoid of her usual poise and composure.
"Rip~"
She gritted her teeth and tore the carrier pigeon message that Liu Hong had just handed her into pieces, scattering them all over the floor. Her eyes were full of resentment, but she kept her lips tightly pressed together and didn't say a word.
Liu Hong glanced at the note that Jiang Xinrui had torn to pieces, his tone somewhat cold:
"Miss Jiang, it seems that the general's wife is even more formidable than you described? Now that things have turned out this way, it seems your efforts over the past two years in Jiangbei are going to come to nothing."
Jiang Xinrui was already annoyed, and her expression turned even uglier upon hearing this. If Yan Xiao were in front of her right now, given the intense hatred in her heart, she would probably pounce on her and bite her a couple of times.
She took a deep breath, tried to compose herself, and replied with a cold expression:
"Don't worry, as long as you let me see your master safely, I will show you my worth."
Liu Hong looked at Jiang Xinrui with a mixture of disbelief and suspicion. When Jiang Xinrui first found him, he thought he had been exposed and wanted to kill her to silence her.
But the other party said that she came to surrender. Considering that this woman was able to find him and knew his purpose in coming to Jiangbei, as well as his previous identity, he could not underestimate her.
His master had invested a great deal of manpower and resources to find Mo Antong, and this time he even sent more than ten experts. He originally thought it was foolproof, but it turned out to be a step too late.
Madam Shen Muzhi was simply a stumbling block for them. Just as they were about to take action, she coincidentally took Mo Antong's daughter to the General's Mansion for treatment, and Mo Antong was also taken away to make soap molds.
They originally intended to sneak into the General's Mansion, but they discovered that both the General's Mansion and the place where Mo Antong was currently located were guarded by experts, and they could not get close to them at all.
This is Jiangbei, after all. If they're exposed by accident, they'll all perish here. Dying here is a small matter; exposing their master's purpose is a much bigger one.
Regardless of their reasons, their incompetence is undeniable, and if they return empty-handed, they will certainly not have a good ending.
Therefore, he could only place all his hopes on this woman who suddenly appeared, hoping that she could really bring his master a surprise.
"I hope that when Miss Jiang meets my master, she can really produce something of value, otherwise none of us will survive."
"Of course, I only wish Shen Muzhi and Yan Xiao dead even more than your master."
Jiang Xinrui answered with great confidence, her eyes revealing undisguised ambition and hatred. She wanted to reclaim everything that was rightfully hers, and she was willing to pay any price for it.
Whether it's the heartless and ungrateful Shen Muzhi or the drastically changed Yan Xiao, they both deserve to die.
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