Transmigrated as the Villainess, She Made the General Blush - Chapter 79 - Luring the Wolf to Drive Out the Tiger 2

Chapter 79 – Luring the Wolf to Drive Out the Tiger 2

Just as Chen Chu finished asking, Luo Xing and Yang Ping, who had heard the commotion, rushed out from the backyard of Jade Feast Pavilion. They ran all the way to Xiao Wangshu’s side and knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

“Your subordinates failed to protect you, Miss. Please punish us!”

Jade Feast Pavilion had merged two shops, so the backyard was massive. Furthermore, there were many craftsmen inside the shop, making a cacophony of hammering and clanging. They had never expected that in the short time it took to go inside and pour a pot of tea, the street outside would suddenly descend into such chaos.

Chen Chu swept a cold, hard gaze over them. “Dereliction of duty. What use is there in keeping you by the mistress’s side?”

He had gone to great lengths to save them, but it wasn’t so the six of them could live off her for free!

Tuoba Xin felt a bit awkward and waved her hand at Chen Chu with a forced laugh. “Let it go, General Chen. I was the one who sent them to pour tea.”

With her speaking up for them, and considering that Luo Xing and Yang Ping were now Xiao Wangshu’s guards rather than soldiers in the camp, it wasn’t appropriate for Chen Chu to reprimand them further.

Since there was a reason for it, Xiao Wangshu didn’t blame them too much. “I’ll let it pass this time. Get up.”

“Thank you for your mercy, Miss!” Luo Xing and Yang Ping rose in unison.

Xiao Wangshu looked at Chen Chu and asked, “General, could you accompany me to escort Sister Xin back first? The spies came for our alliance with the Tuoba. I brought too few guards on this trip, and I’m afraid we might encounter more assassins on the way. I might not be able to protect her.”

Chen Chu thought about it and realized she had a point.

The reason they had mobilized in full force to kill the spies was to ensure the safety of the Tuoba Chieftain’s three children.

If he were busy hunting spies here while Xiao Wangshu and the others met with danger elsewhere, then what would be the point of the hunt?

“Very well,” Chen Chu agreed immediately.

Tuoba Xin asked, “Wait, what about my two brothers?”

Even though her two brothers were very capable fighters, what if something happened?

“The Official Lodge has already been reinforced with heavy guards. The two princes are there as well. Princess Tuoba can rest easy once she returns.”

As Chen Chu answered, he raised his hand to signal the soldiers behind him to clear a path in the middle of the formation for the three of them. “Please.”

“Alright!” Tuoba Xin took two steps forward, but seeing that Fang Qiluo was still dazed with fear, she turned back and grabbed her to pull her along.

Luo Xing went to bring the carriage around and sat on the driver’s seat with Yang Ping to act as coachmen.

Seeing Tuoba Xin and Fang Qiluo board the carriage, Xiao Wangshu turned back and glanced at the spy on the ground whose head had been pierced by an arrow.

“Miss?” Chen Chu followed her gaze, his fingers on the hand that had just fired the arrow twitching slightly.

Did he scare her?

Xiao Wangshu explained, “Looking at this spy, I find her somewhat familiar.”

Chen Chu felt a sense of relief and wasn’t surprised by her words. He said, “You have actually met her before. She is the spy who went by the name Fei Ying, the one who nearly took you and the young master hostage last time.”

With his reminder, Xiao Wangshu remembered instantly.

“It’s her.”

Now that she was wearing prison garb, covered in blood, and had disheveled hair, she had been difficult to recognize at first.

Chen Chu nodded.

Her curiosity satisfied, Xiao Wangshu didn’t linger. She boarded the carriage with Chen Chu’s assistance.

Yichun and Shuxia followed behind her. The two shared a glance, and the hands they had extended to help Xiao Wangshu were pulled back.

As they watched Xiao Wangshu lift the curtain and enter the carriage, the two of them walked alongside the vehicle like the other maids, both thinking the same thing:

When General Chen helped their mistress, his movements were certainly practiced.

***

Chen Chu first accompanied Xiao Wangshu to see Tuoba Xin back to the Official Lodge, then stayed with her to drop Fang Qiluo off along the way.

Upholding the principle of seeing a good deed through to the end, he escorted Xiao Wangshu all the way back to the Chancellor’s Mansion.

Only after the three of them were safely returned did he lead his troops back to continue the hunt for the spies.

***

Inside the Moonlight Courtyard.

Xiao Wangshu returned to her own quarters and sat in the music room, rubbing her temples with a slight headache.

She did indeed need a small number of spies to take the fall and serve as a cover for what she planned to do next. However, the escape of such a large number of spies had directly disrupted her plans.
Recently, the walls of the Official Lodge had been lined with armored guards.

Never mind inviting Tuoba Yunxiao and his companions out for a ride; it was likely difficult for them even to step foot outside the Official Lodge.

“What is wrong, Miss? Are you feeling unwell?” Shuxia stepped forward to check on her, then asked, “Should I go and fetch the Household Physician to take a look?”

Xiao Wangshu shook her head and dismissed them. “You two may leave for now.”

She needed some peace to weigh her options.

Seeing this, Shuxia did not dare to press further. She and Yichun both answered with a respectful “Yes” before curtsying and withdrawing.

After they left, a dead silence fell over the music room.

Xiao Wangshu’s fingertips tapped rhythmically against the zither stand-slow, yet possessing a distinct cadence.

During this time, she had repeatedly expressed to Tuoba Yunxiao her desire not to marry and her reluctance to move far from home. She had also proposed various ways to dissolve the engagement without damaging the friendship of their alliance.

And Tuoba Yunxiao, in turn, had repeatedly comforted her, saying there was no need for such trouble and that everything would be fine once they were married.

He firmly believed she would be happy after marrying him, and he was convinced that affection could be nurtured over time. He believed he could protect her and give her happiness.

To that end, he could ignore her needs and disregard her resistance, stubbornly digging in his heels regarding the marriage alliance.

Marrying her was his way of proving to her that he could provide her with a good life.

Tuoba Yunxiao was as stubborn as an ox. No matter how much she said to him, he maintained an “I’m not listening” attitude that was truly a headache.

Xiao Wangshu lowered her head, staring at her reflection in the polished surface of the zither stand. She propped her forehead in her hands, fingers threading through her hair, and murmured softly, “Then do not blame me.”

Merchants were all gamblers at heart.

Even if the methods were a bit underhanded, as long as the goal was achieved, it was enough.

***

A large number of spies who had been imprisoned and interrogated in the military camp had escaped, causing chaos in the Capital.

Xiao Hong was furious. Starting with the traitorous general, he launched a rigorous investigation, following the trail to uncover many of his political enemies.

He would rather kill a thousand by mistake than let a single one go.

Xiao Hong did not spare any official who had even the slightest connection to that traitorous general. He personally led his iron cavalry to drag those people to the Meridian Gate to be executed on the spot!

The scene was so bloody that it reminded people of when Xiao Hong first took command of the military. To keep the Emperor under his control, he had carried out a massive slaughter of opposing factions, leaving the Xuanzheng Hall stained with blood.

Now, more than a decade later, Xiao Hong remained as brutal as ever.

“Colluding with foreign enemies to deal with me-you people certainly have some imagination! What, do none of you know the consequences of inviting the wolf into the house to drive out the tiger?”

Inviting a foreign wolf to drive out a domestic tiger would only lead to even greater disaster!

These fools, whose brains must have been kicked by donkeys-did they really think they had the ability to restrain a foreign enemy?

“You couldn’t even defeat me, yet you harbor delusions of using outside forces? You want to bargain with a tiger without even weighing your own worth! Great Wei hasn’t been destroyed by my hands yet, but it will be destroyed by you self-righteous fools first!”

Xiao Hong scanned the crowd. Everyone his gaze fell upon lowered their heads, feigning death.

At that moment, Lu Xuyang and Chen Chu brought in another group of officials under guard.

Xiao Pingnan stood behind Xiao Hong. His silver-white armor was covered in blood. With a cold and cruel glint in his eyes, he slowly raised his right hand.

Seeing him raise his hand, the executioners immediately readied the guillotines.

Lu Xuyang and Chen Chu led the soldiers to push the officials under the blades, pinning their backs so they could not move.

“Today, I sacrifice my life for the country and for His Majesty! I die for a worthy cause!”

“Xiao Hong! You are a man of wild ambition! You have placed His Majesty under house arrest and coveted the throne! You deserve to die!”

“Today, luck is not on our side and we cannot kill you, but sooner or later, someone will complete what we have left unfinished!”

Hearing these people speak of their folly without realizing it, Xiao Hong let out a cold sneer.

“Bad luck? Incompetence is incompetence; don’t go blaming it on luck! Today, it is you who go to your deaths. If others come tomorrow, I will kill them just the same!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Pingnan’s raised hand clenched into a fist and swung down decisively.

Simultaneously, the guillotines fell.

Crimson sprayed before their eyes, and the pungent scent of iron spread through the air.