Lu Tu became interested upon hearing this: "Such a boastful tone?"
Ma Bocai smiled smugly and said, "Lord Lü, do you not understand the significance of the Minister of War? Promoting you to the position of Commandant of Wuchuan is just a matter of a word."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Lü Tu raised his hand and slapped Ma Bocai hard across the face, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.
Looking at Lü Tu with a blank expression, he asked, "Lord Lü, why did you hit me?"
Lu Tu looked at him disdainfully: "I'm not saying the Minister of War has a big mouth, I'm saying you're just a lackey, how dare you speak so arrogantly in front of me? Don't believe me, I'll skin you alive?"
Ma Bocai exclaimed in shock, "Lu Tu, you know perfectly well that I was sent by Lord Jiang, yet you still dare to threaten me? Do you know that if I send out the message by carrier pigeon, not only your small village, but the entire Wuchuan will tremble in fear!"
Lu Tu smiled contemptuously, then stepped on Ma Bocai: "Don't try to fool me. Do you think I'm easily scared? You're just one of the people who came out to look for Jiang Wanyu. Whether you live or die is not important. Even if I kill you now, I will still be fine. Who will know that you were here?"
Upon hearing this, Ma Bocai regretted revealing his secrets too quickly. He had thought that Lü Tu was so eager to make a name for himself that he was a greedy person who was desperately trying to climb the ranks, but he never expected that Lü Tu would actually kill him!
Ma Bocai repeatedly kowtowed and apologized: "My lord, I was wrong. I was just referring to Lord Jiang's previous instructions. I could have simply not filed a complaint."
Lu Tu certainly wouldn't reveal his intention to kill him so quickly; there were still so many things he hadn't managed to extract from him.
After letting go of Ma Bocai's foot, Lu Tu continued to ask, "Tell me, what is so important about Jiang Wanyu that Jiang Lingfeng sent so many of you to kill her?"
Ma Bocai's eyes darted around as he quickly considered how to survive. But after a brief eye contact with Lü Tu, he desperately realized his predicament. If he didn't tell the truth in his next sentence, he might not even live to eat dinner, let alone achieve his previous success.
He then knelt on the ground with a thud: "I dare not conceal anything, but I beg you, sir, if I tell you everything, could you spare my life?"
Lu Tu nodded: "I can consider it, but it depends on your performance and my mood."
Upon hearing this, Ma Bocai seemed to have grasped a glimmer of hope: "Thank you, sir!"
Seeing Lu Tu glare at him, he quickly began to explain: "Actually, neither I nor the adults really wanted to inform on him, because if I did, Jiang Lingfeng would definitely kill me to silence me."
Lu Tu's interest grew even stronger: "How so?"
"Actually, when Jiang Wanyu came out of the refugee crowd and volunteered to be your maid, I was in the refugee group. If she had kept it a secret, I wouldn't have found out. But for so long, you see, I haven't told anyone, have I?"
Lu Tu slapped him across the face: "You don't want to tell on me? You just haven't found the right opportunity to do so! Keep talking, stop trying to fool me!"
Ma Bocai was almost in tears after being slapped twice. When facing Lü Tu, he felt a faint sense of fear, just like he had felt when facing Jiang Lingfeng.
This sense of oppression from those in power, coupled with their complete insight into people's hearts, left Ma Bocai with nowhere to hide his ulterior motives and crooked ideas.
Ma Bocai took a deep breath, as if making a decision against his ancestors, and solemnly said: "Sir, let me tell you the truth, Jiang Wanyu actually lied to you that day!"
Lu Tu narrowed his eyes slightly: "What did you lie to me about?"
Did she lie to you and say she was a member of a collateral branch of the Jiang family?
Lu Tu nodded noncommittally, but then he remembered that Ma Bocai wasn't there when he asked Jiang Wanyu about these things. How did he know so much about them?
Ma Bocai received confirmation from Lü Tu's expression, which made him even more confident: "She really did say that, but in reality, Jiang Wanyu is not only not from the collateral branch, but is also the legitimate daughter of Lord Jiang Lingfeng!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Tu frowned. If what Ma Bocai said was true, then Jiang Wanyu really couldn't be allowed to live!
After all, Song Yuxi had already confessed to Jiang Wanyu that day about the blood feud between the Song family and Jiang Lingfeng. If Jiang Wanyu really was Jiang Lingfeng's biological daughter, once she found an opportunity, or was sent back to the Jiang family by someone else, she would be in danger.
If Song Yuxi's thoughts were revealed even slightly, Jiang Lingfeng would surely kill her without mercy!
It's conceivable that the reason Jiang Lingfeng let Song Yuxi go was probably because she was just a woman, and he figured she might not be able to reach the Six Towns of the Northern Border alive.
Moreover, as a former soldier, Jiang Lingfeng understood best what it meant for a woman to end up in one of the six border towns, especially a beautiful woman like Song Yuxi. Forget about turning her life around; she might never be able to escape this vast northern land.
Lu Tu lowered his voice and said, "Continue!"
Seeing Lü Tu's cold expression, Ma Bocai carefully considered his words, afraid of accidentally angering Lü Tu. He had seen Lü Tu when he was angry; he would torture people to death before he would stop!
"My lord! Jiang Wanyu is not only Jiang Lingfeng's biological daughter, but she also has a relationship with the current emperor. She is someone the emperor personally requested!"
Lu Tu's eyes shone brightly. He clearly sensed that Ma Bocai was not lying, after all, Lu Tu's threat to him was undeniable.
Why did the emperor want Jiang Wanyu?
Ma Bocai chuckled and said, "You're a man yourself, how could you not understand a man's feelings for a woman?"
"Are you saying the emperor is only attracted to Jiang Wanyu's beauty? Or does he want to keep Jiang Wanyu by his side to restrain Jiang Lingfeng?"
Ma Bocai gave a thumbs up and said, "Sir, you are truly brilliant. You can figure out the key points in just one thought! Back when the Emperor was still a prince, he was very close to our Jiang family. At that time, I was just a servant in the mansion, and I saw the prince more than twice."
Moreover, Jiang Lingfeng was quite satisfied with this marriage, but it was opposed by the old emperor. After they plotted a rebellion, Jiang Wanyu escaped, claiming to be pursuing some kind of happiness. It's incomprehensible how she acts. If she had obediently followed her family's arrangements, she would definitely be a concubine, if not an empress. She's never satisfied with a life of comfort and wealth. I don't know what she's thinking.
Lu Tu said in a deep voice, "You've gone too far!"
Ma Bocai quickly stopped him: "Sir, I've told you the whole truth. Actually, whether you release Jiang Wanyu or not, keeping her here is never a good thing!"
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