Тhе musсlеs оn his facе twitсhеd, Yi Guоru turnеd his head awау. "How wоuld you knоw whаt уоur fаthеr did? And what right dо you have to saу I frаmed him?"
"Yоu meаn, mу fаthеr reаllу lеаkеd Wei Кingdom's military sесrets tо you, using the mоst foolish mеthod of lеttеrs, lеаving еnоugh еvidencе fоr pеорle tо cаtсh him? And at thе mоment уour army wаs victorious, уоu didn't sаve him еither, just watchеd аs hе was еsсоrtеd bасk to thе Wеi Kingdоm cаpital?" Рicking аt hеr еar аnd fliсking hеr nаils, Feng Yue smiled сharmingly and pointеd at her own fоreheаd. "Do I lооk like а fool to you?"
Yi Guoru fell silent. The Battle of Pingchang was the most dishonorable battle he had ever fought, and naturally, he was unwilling to bring it up. There was no reason for him to be interrogated here and confess everything he had done in detail.
However, his stomach suddenly began to cramp violently. The pain turned his face pale.
"Was the mung bean cake delicious?" The person outside the bars, like a ghostly messenger from hell, smiled sinisterly. "Do you want more?"
His expression turning extremely ugly, Yi Guoru immediately tried to make himself vomit, but nothing came out.
"You dare poison me?!"
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Feng Yue narrowed her eyes curiously. "You're a general of Wu Kingdom, not Wei Kingdom. Your death has nothing to do with me."
"You!" Now truly panicked, Yi Guoru forced a calm expression, clenched his fists, and said, "Give me the antidote!"
"Easy, easy." Taking out a red pill, Feng Yue grinned. "I'm just curious about how my father got caught in your trap. Explain clearly, and I'll give you the antidote."
"Don't even think about it!"
Her expression darkening at his defiant stance, Feng Yue tossed the pill away.
"Hey!" Yi Guoru panicked, quickly reaching out to grab her sleeve. "Give me the antidote. I'll tell you whatever you want to hear!"
After all, there was no one else in this prison!
Smiling again, Feng Yue took out another antidote pill and waved it in front of him. "Speak."
Enduring the pain, Yi Guoru gritted his teeth. "During the war between Wu and Wei, Guan Canghai was my longtime adversary. As long as he was around, the war would never end within three years. For the sake of Wu Kingdom's people, I had no choice but to resort to this—I kidnapped the family of Helan Changde, the deputy general under Prince Yin, and threatened him to reveal the marching routes and military situation in advance. He said Yin Gezhi and Guan Canghai had secretly plotted all night, and then the army headed toward Shan Guigu. As someone who has studied military strategy, I naturally guessed their deployment. I used a counterintelligence tactic, set up an ambush in advance, and wiped out the tens of thousands of soldiers led by Yin Gezhi in Shan Guigu, leaving him to return with his trusted aides and clash with Guan Canghai."
"I never expected this move to have such a significant effect. Just eliminating Yin Gezhi's elite troops was enough. Who would have thought that Guan Canghai, after being escorted back to the capital, would be executed along with his entire family? The lord you served was not wise. Although the forged letters imitated his handwriting closely, upon closer inspection, flaws could still be found."
As he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the pill in Feng Yue's hand. "I... I'm in too much pain to speak. Give me the medicine first, please?"
Feng Yue seemed somewhat dazed. Her eyes glistened with tears, but she held them back, refusing to cry in front of this old scoundrel. She kept a stern face and handed him the red pill.Yi Guoru took it and stuffed it into his mouth. After swallowing, he seemed to feel some relief from the abdominal pain and sighed in relief, looking at her with full vigilance in his eyes: "Now that you know all this, what can you do?"
"Nothing much. Although I believe my stubborn father wouldn’t do anything wrong, it’s even better to have your personal confirmation." Coming back to her senses, Feng Yue chuckled softly: "But General Yi, you keep saying you do everything for the people, so why did you withhold the food and clothing meant for the soldiers under your command?"
His face stiffened slightly, and Yi Guoru’s mustache twitched. After hesitating for a long time, he spat out two words: "Absurd!"
It seemed he had no intention of admitting it, but Feng Yue wasn’t concerned about that. She had asked what she needed to ask and done what she needed to do. She straightened up, looked down at him with a smile, and asked: "Do you know what was added to the mung bean cake to make it colorless and odorless?"
In this world, there are very few colorless and odorless poisons. Most lethal poisons are bitter or foul-smelling, so when Yi Guoru ate the mung bean cake, he didn’t notice anything wrong, yet somehow he was still poisoned.
"What did you put in it?" he asked curiously.
"A small amount of arsenic," Feng Yue replied with a smile. "Not enough to kill you, just enough to cause unbearable abdominal pain."
"Then…" Then why did she give him the antidote?
Feng Yue reached into her sleeve and pulled out a red pill, smiling as she asked: "Don’t you find this familiar?"
The bright red color looked adorable, but it tasted extremely bitter. Earlier, due to the severe abdominal pain and the need to survive, Yi Guoru hadn’t thought much about it. Now, upon closer inspection, a cold sweat broke out on his back.
"Life-Ending Pill!"
It was the Life-Ending Pill, a poison he had personally ordered to be developed and hidden in a mechanism in the guest room, to be used only when necessary. This poison was extremely potent—after ingesting it, one would bleed from all seven orifices and die within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
How could it be in her hands!
"No, impossible. You must be trying to scare me," Yi Guoru shook his head repeatedly, his face pale. "I am a general of the Wu Kingdom! I’m also the only one who can prove your father’s innocence. Don’t you want me alive? If I survive, maybe your father’s case can be overturned…"
"Overturned?" Feng Yue laughed, her shoulders trembling with mirth. "What good would that do? Can they come back to life? No, and they might even be harassed by those who once killed them, weeping and wailing. Why bother? It’s enough for you to die."
"General Yi, if I hadn’t come, you could have waited here for the Wu Kingdom’s royal family to grant you mercy, allowing you to return to the battlefield with gratitude and serve the royal family once more. Years later, this storm would pass, and no one would remember that you once had an affair with your own sister, nor would they remember your rebellious intentions. Time would wash it all away, and you would once again be the beloved general."
His pupils contracted. Yi Guoru glared at her with hatred, finally roaring out her name: "Guan Qingyue!!""I'm right here." Swaying her waist with a laugh like silver bells, Feng Yue sighed with seductive eyes: "What a pity, precisely because I'm here, the Grand General's future is completely ruined. You'll have to die in this sunless prison, bleeding from all seven orifices, utterly miserable. So what if you command thousands of soldiers? Now that you're about to die, who can save you? When you descend into hell, who can hold you back?"
The sensation of ten thousand ants gnawing slowly swept over his entire body. Yi Guoru collapsed on the ground, eyes wide open, staring unwillingly in Feng Yue's direction.
He was a grand general who strategized from within a command tent; he had many methods at his disposal, many people he could use. How could he die here like this? Impossible! He must be having a nightmare!
"Does it hurt? Are you in despair?" The woman's delicate laughter lingered beside his ears. Yi Guoru desperately wanted to cover them, but then he felt a sudden warmth beneath his nose, and his throat began to ache as if cut by knives.
"Enjoy yourself, won't you? This is the last stick of incense you'll be alive for. Oh dear, Grand General, you look truly dreadful!"
Gasping for breath, Yi Guoru struggled, his eyes turning white. He spoke haltingly: "How... could there... be someone like you in this world."
How could she act so unpredictably, coming directly to kill him? If he died, the Wu Kingdom would be thrown into turmoil, and powerful enemies would surely take advantage to attack Wu...
Oh... she wasn't from Wu, she was from Wei...
The sound of his heartbeat thundered through his mind. Yi Guoru mumbled incoherently, unable to form clear words anymore, just muttering and writhing, the light in his eyes slowly fading.
Watching the blood flow onto the ground, Feng Yue felt an immense sense of satisfaction. She turned and walked away with graceful steps, slowly exiting the prison cell amidst the dying man's wails.
The moonlight at the prison entrance was extremely bright, so bright it dazzled her eyes.
"Qingyue!" A booming roar pierced the quiet of the Guan family estate. The sound grew closer, and in no time, the entire Guan residence seemed to come alive.
Guan Canghai, his face framed by a full beard, chased after her while brandishing a wooden stick, scolding: "How can a young lady drink! Do you still want to get married in the future!"
"I won't marry, I won't marry! I'll accompany Father in fighting battles for a lifetime!" Running at full speed while pouring wine into her mouth, Guan Qingyue turned back with a smile, darted past the rockery, and pulled a passing maid in front of her, shouting: "Second Brother stole a drink too! Why chase me and not him!"
"Rascal! How can men and women be the same! If outsiders see, won't they say the Guan family failed to teach their daughter properly?"
"Whoever says that, I'll tear their mouth shut!" Guan Qingyue laughed heartily: "But Father, are you really still going to hit me? This last mouthful of daughter's wine, I'm about to finish it!"
This was the wine Guan Canghai personally buried when she was born, intended for the wedding banquet when she married!
Guan Canghai was so angry his beard twitched, his eyes wide as copper bells. Moving swiftly, he snatched the wine pot from her and hugged it like a treasure, roaring at her: "You rascal!"
"Father never knows how to speak properly. Not only can't you say nice words to the Emperor, but even when scolding your daughter, you only have this one word!" She stuck out her tongue at him, then vaulted over the wall and flew out.
"Mind your manners! A young lady!!"
I know, I know! A young lady! Must be dignified! Must marry into a good family in the future! So Mother won't worry.Feng Yue let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head as she did so. Before her eyes, she saw the gates of the Guan family estate, but as soon as she stepped forward, the steps of the gate shattered, and then the entire Guan mansion cracked apart, dissolving into nothingness.
Panic gripped her heart. She reached toward the sky, trying to grasp something, but the night was heavy and dark. When she opened her hand, only a single moon hung high above.
The jailers at the prison entrance watched her back with confusion. Some had already gone into the prison to check on the prisoners, while others approached, wanting to ask what was wrong with this maid.
Before Feng Yue could regain her senses, she suddenly felt a tight grip around her waist. Someone descended from above, lifted her, and vanished into the darkness.
"My moon!"
"Shut up!" Yin Gezhi’s expression was grim as he carried her swiftly back to their lodgings.
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