Facing life and death, Wu Ciyun’s reaction was far too calm. She stood in the cold wind, her bearing unyielding and proud, as if she wasn’t about to be beheaded, but had simply come out to admire the snow and the scenery.
The two soldiers assigned to carry out the execution exchanged glances. Seeing that Wu Ciyun showed not the slightest sign of wanting to cry, beg, or kneel for mercy, their blades were raised high, but all they could do was awkwardly freeze in mid-air.
After all, Chu Mingyi had only ordered them to frighten Wu Ciyun, not to actually kill her.
Now, seeing Wu Ciyun so utterly unafraid of death, they worried that if they struck too hard and truly hurt her, they’d have a hard time explaining themselves.
Yet if they just stood there doing nothing, they feared Wu Ciyun would see through their act.
“Why haven’t you moved yet?”
Wu Ciyun lifted her gaze. The wind outside the hall was bone-chilling; the cold pierced through her heavy clothes, and every breath made her chest ache faintly, as if she had returned to that deep winter four years ago.
Back then, she had been the Imperial Court-appointed Execution Overseer, witnessing her mentor’s entire clan executed in the street.
The splattering blood had landed on her face, and what she felt was a coldness that seeped into her very bones.
Wu Ciyun’s expression was so calm, it was almost abnormal. She stared fixedly at the soldier holding the blade for a long time—so long that he began to waver, losing much of his confidence to hold the weapon.
“What are you staring at…”
The other soldier reflexively tried to scold her, but before he could finish, Wu Ciyun suddenly and without warning raised her hand and pressed down on the blade, turning its edge straight against her own neck.
[Wu Ciyun?!]
The System was startled by her action.
[Wake up! Do you know what you’re doing?!]
The soldier holding the blade was also shocked, nearly fumbling the weapon as he hastily withdrew it.
In an instant, cold sweat soaked through his thick winter clothing.
Though Wu Ciyun’s life was not in danger, her sudden move to grab the blade meant the sharp edge inevitably cut her palm.
“What’s wrong? Are you afraid to do it?”
Wu Ciyun stared at the soldiers’ flustered movements, then suddenly, without warning, laughed. Snowflakes fell softly on her face; she reached up and gently brushed them away.
Blood seeped from her palm, mingling with the melted snow as it trickled down, making her look in that moment like a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell.
Her cold, indifferent voice was like a sharp knife, slicing through the hall with the winter wind and cutting straight into everyone’s ears.
“Scheming thieves, yet at your wits’ end; without the courage of villains, you busy yourselves with rats’ work. Truly, these are times without heroes, so that whelps may make a name for themselves!”
Wu Ciyun’s voice was neither too loud nor too soft—just enough for all the Liang Dynasty officers in the hall to hear her clearly.
Everyone looked at each other, then instinctively glanced at Chu Mingyi to see how he would react.
Her words were blunt to the extreme, falling just short of pointing at Chu Mingyi’s nose and calling him a petty, cowardly villain who burns bridges after crossing them.
Chu Mingyi’s brow twitched. Though his expression hadn’t turned ugly, the whiteness of his fingers gripping the edge of the table showed he was deeply angered.
“General, this person must not be killed.”
The Confidant sitting beside him had long known Chu Mingyi had no intention of actually killing her, but fearing he might lose his reason in a fit of rage, he whispered, “The Grand Tutor sent a special message to remind us—he clearly fears this person greatly. If we go too far, who knows what tricks she might have up her sleeve.”
Three days ago, Wen Guanyu, Grand Tutor of the Liang Dynasty, had sent a letter from a thousand miles away, saying: [Wu Ciyun is by nature cunning and vindictive, stopping at nothing to achieve her goals. On your journey south, you must be extremely cautious to avoid disaster.]
When Chu Mingyi first received the letter, he almost thought Wen Guanyu was writing a self-introduction.
Wen Guanyu himself was a crafty old fox; if even he regarded someone as a formidable enemy, that person was surely difficult to handle.
Chu Mingyi had never wanted to make enemies for himself, but this very morning, a Secret Letter sent at full speed from the Duke Protector of the Nation’s Mansion had arrived in his hands.
The writer was his elder brother. On several lengthy pages, more than half were glowing praise for Wu Ciyun, openly stating his long-standing admiration for her, and asking Chu Mingyi to treat her with courtesy for the sake of brotherly affection—and if possible, to bring back some Calligraphy Treasure or a Portrait to comfort his yearning.
This was truly the first time Chu Mingyi realized his own brother was a cut-sleeve.
If his brother had fallen for some noble and upright gentleman, it might have been one thing.
But after entering the city and asking around, Chu Mingyi learned Wu Ciyun kept an unknown pretty boy at her residence, was entangled with the Prince of Pingnan’s heir, and had even taken a handsome Male Favorite away from the Pingnan Prince’s Residence during a banquet.
Such a person, who dallied everywhere and seduced people left and right, had somehow bewitched his brother—how utterly shameless!
The more Chu Mingyi thought about it, the angrier he became. Barely suppressing his fury, he coldly ordered, “Bring that treacherous villain in.”
Wu Ciyun was brought back into the main hall. Her steps were slightly unsteady; she had already exhausted all her strength standing in the snow, and were it not for her stubbornness in refusing to show weakness, she probably wouldn’t even be able to stand.
Chu Mingyi scrutinized her.
Wu Ciyun was somewhat different from what he had imagined. She did have fine features—a slender, pale, scholarly look, like the kind of traveler in a storybook who would be seduced by a fox spirit.
Now, with blood on her face and clothes, she looked even more murderous.
To have the courage to curse people even at death’s door—at least she wasn’t completely spineless.
Chu Mingyi felt deeply uncomfortable.
Killing her was out of the question, but simply letting her go felt too weak.
He frowned and waved his hand. “Take him away and lock him up for a day and a night.”
Wu Ciyun said nothing, allowing the soldiers to escort her out of the main hall.
Chu Mingyi had ordered her detained, but hadn’t specified where she should be held.
Wu Ciyun, after all, was not one of those Ning Prefecture Officials they had rounded up. Moreover, she was extremely weak; if she were locked in a drafty woodshed, she might really freeze to death.
After some thought, they found an empty servant’s room for her. The conditions weren’t good, but at least she wouldn’t be tormented to death.
Wu Ciyun had been out in the cold wind for too long. She felt chilled to the bone, her head pounding. Not caring whether she got dirty, she managed to find a chair to sit on, then hastily wrapped her wounded palm.
[Host, you have a fever.]
The System was more anxious than ever, its tone grave: [The plot has suddenly deviated; you need to get out quickly.]
In the original plot, Wu Ciyun had not faced such difficulties. She was supposed to arrive at the governor’s office without trouble, where Chu Mingyi would treat her with courtesy, they would discuss how to seize Yongzhou, and then Wu Ciyun would return to her residence to recover, with everything ending happily.
Before, the System knew Wu Ciyun could not die, so even when she was gravely ill, it never worried.
But now the plot had suddenly changed, Chu Mingyi was making things difficult, Wu Ciyun’s fever wouldn’t subside, and the System could no longer be sure she wouldn’t be in real danger.
[Just yield to Chu Mingyi for now, let him release you so you can go back and treat your illness.]
The System coaxed her gently: [For the sake of the Allied Army, he won’t let anything truly happen to you. Let’s bide our time and wait for the right moment…]
Wu Ciyun ignored the System. She rubbed her throbbing temples, and weakly asked: [What time is it now?]
The System answered honestly, [It’s the third quarter of the hour of the dragon.]
[Then let’s wait a bit longer.]
Wu Ciyun replied slowly: [Chu Mingyi will come to find me himself.]
***
The affairs of Ning Prefecture were complicated. Chu Mingyi had locked up Wu Ciyun merely to vent his anger for the moment, not to truly make enemies with Prince Rui’s faction and risk delaying important matters.
As the main Marshal of the Liang Dynasty, he had been ordered to assist the Sheng Dynasty in suppressing the rebels.
However, before setting out, he had already received an Imperial Edict—after entering Ning Prefecture, he was to ally himself with the rebel army led by Prince Rui.
Wu Ciyun was one of Prince Rui’s people.
In other words, they were all in the same boat, and the so-called “colluding with the enemy” was utter nonsense.
The King of Sheng was cruel—he favored eunuchs and killed loyal ministers. Officials lived in luxury while the common people starved in the streets.
The Imperial Court had long since lost the support of the people.
As the saying goes, follow the Way, not the ruler. Prince Rui was a rare loyal and virtuous man, deeply loved by the people.
It was no wonder Wu Ciyun had chosen to serve a worthy lord and seek a better future.
Although Chu Mingyi still felt aggrieved for his brother, for the greater good, he decided to relent for now and ordered that Wu Ciyun be sent back safely.
The attendant was about to leave to carry out the order, but just then, the Lieutenant General rushed in and stopped him.
He handed a thin letter to Chu Mingyi, saying urgently, “General, this was found in the Pingnan Prince’s Residence.”
At the mention of the Pingnan Prince’s Residence, Chu Mingyi’s brow furrowed deeply. He opened the letter and quickly scanned its contents—his expression changed drastically.
It was a Secret Letter Wu Ciyun had written to the Prince of Pingnan seven days ago. The contents were simple, just twenty-two characters.
[This subject requests the Prince’s instructions regarding the Plague in Ping Su County. If reporting to the Imperial Court, what should be disclosed?]
So there was already a Plague in Ning Prefecture!
Most of the Liang army’s main force had now entered Ning Prefecture. If any soldiers became infected, it would spread rapidly. Had they not just walked straight into a deathtrap?
Was this Wu Ciyun and Prince Rui plotting against them, or was Wu Ciyun only pretending to serve Prince Rui, but in truth loyal to the King of Sheng…?
Chu Mingyi had no time to think further. He went straight to the room where Wu Ciyun was held, kicked open the tightly closed door, and grabbed Wu Ciyun from her chair as if she were a chick.
Wu Ciyun, delirious from fever, could barely keep her eyes open.
When she managed to focus and saw Chu Mingyi’s face, she suddenly let out a light laugh.
“General Chu.”
Wu Ciyun’s voice was hoarse from the fever, but she spoke without surprise: “Are you planning to let me go now?”
Chu Mingyi’s face was ashen.
He asked coldly, “There’s a Plague in Ning Prefecture—what’s going on?”
“A village in Ping Su has had an outbreak. To keep the rest of Ning Prefecture safe, the Prince of Pingnan ordered the gates of Ping Su City sealed. Right now, all the corpses are piled up, not yet buried.”
Wu Ciyun answered every question, then added, “Although it’s winter, if those bodies were thrown into the wells or rivers, all of Ning Prefecture would be in danger.”
“You’re insane!”
Only now did Chu Mingyi understand why Wen Guanyu said Wu Ciyun would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.
Her mind was so vicious that words like ‘despicable’ and ‘base’ weren’t enough to describe her.
He gripped Wu Ciyun’s throat, gritting his teeth: “Wu Ciyun, do you want the whole city to die with you?!”
“Who ordered you to do this—the King of Sheng, or Prince Rui?”
“That’s not important.”
“General Chu, if I live, everything will be fine. But if I die…”
Wu Ciyun, struggling to breathe, still smiled faintly.
“Either you all come down to accompany me, or those left alive won’t have it easy, either.”
“Now, could you please take your filthy hand off my neck?”
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