It doesn't matter what the lord is.

Xiang Zhehua was stunned for a moment, then reacted, stood up and slammed the table, saying in shock and anger:

"you dare!"

Five or six knives were instantly placed on Xiang Zhehua's neck from different directions.

Xiang Tiange exhaled and said to Xiang Zhehua:

"I can't tell whether what my niece said is true or not. But it doesn't matter. If my niece is on our side, she will understand what I am doing now. If what my niece said is true, then Li De wanted to attack the City Lord's Mansion anyway, and the reason doesn't matter. But if what my niece said is false, it means that you and Li De have colluded long ago, and I don't think Li De would ignore my niece. Only after confirming Li De's next move can I arrange the troops boldly, so please bear with me, and I will naturally apologize to Mr. Ge Ling when I get back."

52. Choice

When Li De heard that Xiang Zhehua was detained in the City Lord's Mansion, he had actually already reached the dungeon where Jiang Yuesheng was imprisoned.

The number of masters here is indeed much greater than he imagined. Lid once thought that if the purpose of the pro-war and pro-peace factions was really to seize the power of the Nanchu lord, then they would definitely deploy heavy troops to guard Jiang Yuesheng, but he really didn't expect the number to be so high.

When Li De counterattacked Yunyang, he had fought with Yunyang's guest officials and defeated many masters. But Yunyang was in a precarious situation at that time, and only one in ten masters were willing to work for the Yunyang lord. In addition, Yunyang's own foundation was far behind that of Nanchu, so Li De did not feel too much pressure at that time.

But now he is in the second largest territory in the world, Nanchu. Most of Nanchu's foundation lies in the nobles. Now the nobles want to seize power, and you can imagine how much they have invested. Apart from other things, neither Xiang Linglong nor Xiang Tiange, who are fighting with Li De this time, are strong on the outside but weak on the inside. Xiang Linglong runs Jinxiu City like a rock, and Xiang Tiange detained Xiang Zhehua under pressure. This cannot be done without some scheming and skills.

The moment he arrived near the dungeon, Reed figured out one thing.

It is possible for him to rush in and kill Jiang Yuesheng.

However, this and rescuing Xiang Zhehua are two things that cannot coexist.

After killing Jiang Yuesheng, Li De must have been seriously injured. In this situation, it was already very difficult to deal with the assassins in Yutai Mountain, not to mention breaking through the defense line of the City Lord's Mansion to rescue people. But saving Xiang Zhehua first was also a dead end, because once he went to save Xiang Zhehua, Li De's relationship with Xiang Zhehua would be exposed instantly, and Xiang Tiange would guess that Xiang Zhehua's real purpose of deceiving him was to buy time for Li De. By then, Li De would not only face the ambush of the City Lord's Mansion, but Xiang Tiange would also quickly send reinforcements to the dungeon, basically declaring that Li De had lost his last chance to assassinate Jiang Yuesheng.

There seemed to be only one way left for Reed.

That is to assassinate Jiang Yuesheng and then escape immediately without caring about Xiang Zhehua's life or death.

He could comfort himself that Xiang Zhehua was Xiang Geling's granddaughter after all, and Xiang Tiange would not dare to really kill her. But he also knew very well that Xiang Tiange might not dare to do so, but Xiang Zhehua would eventually be sent back to Xiang Geling, and then Xiang Geling would definitely kill her.

Because killing Jiang Yuesheng would not really put an end to everything, it would only make the pro-war and pro-peace factions hastily rise up without being fully prepared. And whether for the sake of winning over the people, appeasing the people or giving an explanation to the pro-war faction, Xiang Geling would definitely kill this granddaughter who betrayed him, not to mention that Xiang Geling didn't like this granddaughter that much.

Of course, Xiang Tiange also has his own flaws in thinking, for example, he thinks Li De will go to save Xiang Zhehua.

But to Li De, to the Prince of Nanchu Xiao Hei, and to the Lord of Nanchu, Xiang Zhehua is really not that important.

Not to mention that Li De and Xiang Zhehua have never slept together, even if they have, what would it matter?

If the Lord of Nanchu wins in the end, Li De will become a hero of Nanchu, and Xiang Zhehua will become a martyr who sacrificed his life gloriously for the sake of justice. The relationship between Li De and Xiang Zhehua will be described as a heartbreaking and tortuous story and sung all over the world. The years will be peaceful and everything will be as usual.

Perhaps even Reed himself would not care too much about it, and he would quickly forget about it when he returned to Yuxi City.

Because Xiang Zhehua's going to the City Lord's Mansion was both Lide's arrangement and Xiang Zhehua's own choice.

Reed had confirmed this with her many times.

Any risky action is always accompanied by the possibility of failure. Xiang Zhehua is a mature person and he should learn to bear the consequences of his choices.

Li De leaned against the wall and thought quietly. He had thought about these things very clearly, and he could always figure them out in the first place. But Li De finally sighed and gave up these ideas. He didn't care about the 300,000 disaster victims in Tianyue Mountain because he didn't like the spirit of the dying, but Xiang Zhehua was different.

Like He Yue, Fang Shisan, Xi Luo, Huang Yan and others, she has a rebellious spirit and is incompatible with this numb world. For the future of Nanchu and to give Jiang Yuesheng justice, she can take the initiative to give up the huge interests involving her family and muster up the courage to go to the City Lord's Mansion as an undercover agent. This is what Lid admires about her.

Reed looked at the dark clouds above his head. The sky was gloomy, but he could still estimate the time from the light in the gaps between the clouds.

It was already evening and it wouldn't be long before dark.

A decision must be made.

Lid raised his head silently, and suddenly saw a young man running wildly on the street. He was holding a cloth bag in both hands, and ran towards the dungeon regardless of the heavy rain. Lid looked at his back, and suddenly realized something, and rushed out quickly. Before the young man ran to the entrance of the dungeon, he hit him on the back of the head with a club.

The innocent boy was knocked to the ground before he could even react. He was held up by Reed before his body even fell down, and then he was dragged silently into the alley in the heavy rain.

His cloth bag also fell into Reed's hands.

Lid unwrapped the cloth bag in his hand, and inside was a steaming food box. The pure copper material was extremely round, and inside was fragrant rice and various seasonal vegetables, which looked very appetizing. Although this food box was exquisite, it obviously could not satisfy all the masters waiting inside, so there was only one possibility, that this was a food box for Jiang Yuesheng.

Reed used a little force, and immediately, inconspicuous cracks appeared on the food box.

Then, Reed put the food box back into the cloth bag.

He would not do anything like poisoning, because many people would have carefully checked and tasted the food before Jiang Yuesheng, and any poison would be meaningless under such strict scrutiny.

Lid changed into the boy's clothes and came to the dungeon door with the food box. Someone immediately came up to him and asked:

"Why did you change people today? Where is the original person?"

Lid handed over the lunch box and explained briefly:

"My knees hurt on rainy days, so I'll take over today."

The other party did not ask carefully. Here, almost no one could see Lid's realm. In their eyes, Lid was just a young man who did not know martial arts. The guard at the door took Lid's food box, opened it and took a quick look, and was about to take it in. At this time, Lid stopped him and said to him:

"Wait a moment... I was asked to bring a message from above."

The guard turned around and looked at Lid in confusion.

Lid raised his head, as if recalling for a long time, and then said:

"Tell Jiang Yuesheng that he doesn't need to worry about what's happening outside. Let him stay in prison and don't have to do anything. This is... a great achievement for all eternity."

53. Heroes meet old men

Inside the dungeon.

The cell where Jiang Yuesheng was held was a special cell.

The cell is very clean, without any foul smells or cockroaches. What makes it different is that the walls around the cell are covered with a layer of gold velvet cushions, which at first glance seem to be for warmth, but if you look closely you will find that it is to prevent the prisoners from hitting their heads against the wall and committing suicide.

The cell was empty, so empty that there was only a skinny old man sitting on the ground, staring at the bricks and stones under his feet in a daze.

Jiang Yuesheng is old, this is something many people know.

But for many people, especially those who have seen Jiang Yuesheng's elegance when he was young, in their minds, Jiang Yuesheng must be a different old man even if he is old. He must be able to eat a bushel of rice and ten catties of meat in one meal, wear armor and ride a horse, draw a bow and shoot the moon, and be a white-haired strong man with vigor and vitality who is the best in the audience.

That year, Jiang Yuesheng won the battle, resolved the crisis in Southern Chu, and saved the people from dire straits.

On the day of his triumphant return, the ten-mile lotus was as red as flames, and his tall horse passed through the cheering crowd. The prettiest girl in the brothel was also attracted by him, and the famous prostitutes played music in the street, the melodious sound drifted into the distant blue sky. At that time, Jiang Yuesheng was actually no longer young, but the aura of a hero made him look still heroic and extraordinary.

Who could have imagined at that time that his end would be like this?

"It's time for dinner, old general."

The guards outside the door called out, but Jiang Yuesheng, who was sitting on the ground, did not move at all. The people outside were used to it, and they skillfully opened the lunch boxes and asked a few prisoners to come over to test the poison. The prisoners carefully took the lunch boxes, tasted each dish, and then sat beside them, waiting anxiously.

wait to die.

Ten minutes passed, half an hour passed, an hour passed.

Several death row prisoners trembled and got up from the ground, stretching their muscles. Special guards came over and stripped off their clothes and checked them layer by layer. After making sure that there was nothing wrong with them from head to toe, they put shackles on them again and sent them back to their cells.

A guard opened Jiang Yuesheng's cell door and placed the food in front of the old general.

Jiang Yuesheng remained motionless.

The guard stared at him for a while. Jiang Yuesheng's hair was like weeds after frost, and there were scars from his youth on his dry arms. The guard thought for a moment and said to him:

"There's a message for you."

The guard repeated to Jiang Yuesheng exactly what Li De said.

Jiang Yuesheng, who had not responded, suddenly raised his head and stared at the guard in front of him. His eyes were already cloudy, and the secretions from his eyes had stuck the corners of his eyes to his eyelashes. His pupils were gray and his whites were blue. Jiang Yuesheng's eyes were a little dazed at first, but then he suddenly regained consciousness and asked the guard:

"Unparalleled achievement?"

The guard was stunned for a moment. I don't know what he was thinking, but he repeated subconsciously:

"Yes, it is an unprecedented achievement. If the old general can rest well here, it will be a great achievement for Nanchu."

Jiang Yuesheng laughed.

The guard was puzzled, but he still put down the lunch box and left. The old general's hand trembled as he reached out to the food in front of him and put it into his mouth bit by bit. A gentle smile appeared on his face for the first time in a long time. He grinned and looked at the tumor on his leg, and then at the scar on his chest. The pain in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a kind of tranquility immersed in memories.

After dinner, Jiang Yuesheng fumbled with the lunch box for a while and closed his eyes.

After a moment, he raised his head and silently looked at the dark ceiling. With a force on his hand, the pure copper lunch box immediately broke into sharp copper pieces all over the floor. Jiang Yuesheng gently held one of the pieces, smiled with a bit of bitterness, and sighed:

"It's been twenty years... Western Qin has not been settled, and the army is insufficient. It looks good on the outside, but is rotten on the inside. Even if there are great achievements, what's the use..."

City Lord's Mansion.

Xiang Tiange shook the teacup filled with green tea, still feeling a little uneasy in his heart.

He asked a confidant beside him:

"Xiang Zhehua has been put in solitary confinement?"

The henchman nodded.

Xiang Tiange closed his eyes and thought carefully for a while, but he still couldn't get rid of the annoyance in his heart, so he said:

"Punish her. Be careful to keep your hands and feet clean, and make sure the room is soundproof. Block her mouth first, and then torture her. Meanwhile, have all the remaining people stay on guard around me. I still don't trust the other people in the City Lord's Mansion."

The confidant whispered:

"Do you want to use severe punishment on Ge Ling's granddaughter?"

Xiang Tiange drank the tea in his cup and replied in a cold tone:

"Use it. I'll take the responsibility if anything goes wrong. At this point, a person's life or death doesn't matter. Besides, we don't work for Xiang Ge Ling anymore, so saving his granddaughter's life is the limit."

The confidant whispered:

"Then I will do it right away."

Soon after, muffled screams were heard from the small dark room. The sound of whips hitting flesh, bamboo sticks piercing fingernails, and blades cutting cheeks, some of which could be heard outside the room, while others were barely audible. A candle was lit in the dark room, which could only illuminate a small area, and anything further away was already blurry.

The rain in Nanchu continued to fall continuously.

The sky was getting darker and darker, and it was getting closer to night.

A flash of lightning flashed across the sky. Xiang Tiange frowned, stood up and paced back and forth in the room. Suddenly, a soaked man ran in from outside and knelt on the ground without saying a word. Xiang Tiange immediately realized that something was wrong, and his momentum suddenly became fierce. He shouted:

"what happens?!"

The other party's voice trembled, with a hint of tears:

"Jiang Yuesheng... Jiang Yuesheng is dead!!"

Xiang Tiange was struck by lightning, and the expression on his face instantly became ferocious.

He smashed the teacup on the table, his voice chilling to the bone:

"Okay, okay! Xiang Geling's good granddaughter! Pass the order to kill Xiang Zhehua. No... chop off her limbs, pierce her butterfly bone, and send her to me! At the same time, give orders to close the entire city and block the news. No one outside can know about it! In addition, search the entire city for Li De, and tell the assassin in Yutai Mountain that if Li De is killed, the reward will be increased tenfold!"

The person kneeling there not only did not get up, but buried his head even lower.

His eyes became more and more panicked, and his voice became more and more painful, with confusion and panic in his voice:

"Lord City Lord... No one entered the cell. No one entered the cell... Jiang Yuesheng... Jiang Yuesheng committed suicide! There was blood everywhere, but he didn't say a word. When our people found out, it was too late... The gold velvet cushions on the four walls of the cell... were all stained red... There was no trace of Lid at all!"

Xiang Tiange stood there in a daze.

After a moment, he suddenly woke up and shouted:

"Go! Everyone, follow me to where Xiang Zhehua is imprisoned!"

54. Birds in the sky

In the eyes of many Nanchu nobles, Xiang Zhehua is an absolute genius.

At the age of fourteen, she reached the sixth level, which was not the best among the nobles, but it was a remarkable achievement. What made Xiang Zhehua's family proud was that Xiang Zhehua did not devote all her time to martial arts. Sword training was just one of the required courses for her. She had studied countless courses since she was a child.

Xiang Zhehua had high attainments in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, flowers and tea, archery and horse riding, arithmetic and divination... and even in supporting her husband and raising children.

At that time, she was truly the apple of the eye of the family. Like Jiang Yuesheng who had returned triumphantly, she was a very dazzling presence in Nanchu. The first-class and second-class nobles in Nanchu were all working hard, hoping that their children would win the honor and marry this talented girl home.

At that time, Xiang Zhehua didn't understand that her greatest value was to get married.

She just took it for granted that the more she could learn, the more she could do, and one day she could climb higher and see a wider world. Of course, she was very grateful to her family for raising her, and she had great respect for her grandfather, and she was willing to use what she had learned to help her family.

But in fact, this was just Xiang Zhehua's wishful thinking.

It is not necessarily a good thing for a capable girl to appear in a big family. If she is outshined by other males in the family, especially the heir, she will be a little outshined. Xiang Zhehua has been bullied countless times since she was a child, but she is too slow to react in this regard, so she often doesn't even realize it.

It is difficult to have both high emotional intelligence and high IQ. Zhehua is a quick learner, but she is far behind in social skills.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have to wait until she got married to understand why her family had trained her.

At that time, Xiang Geling's wrinkled hand stroked the top of Xiang Zhehua's head, and he looked at her as if he was looking at a ginseng fruit that had finally grown. It was a recognized fact in the family that Xiang Zhehua could be sold for a high price, but no one knew how much she could be sold for. Xiang Geling had many candidates in mind, such as the royal prince Chao Wang, Yunhai Baifeng, and the Nanchu prince Xiaohei, who was also a good choice...