At his words, Lu Guanying's face immediately turned the color of pig liver. He wanted to argue, but the sound of Cheng Yaojia's tearful cries from next door last night suddenly rang in his ears, and all his confidence vanished.
Besides, the battlefield had been his wife. No matter who won or lost in the end, he would be the biggest loser.
Seeing him stand there utterly dazed, Song Qingshu took Cheng Yaojia's hand and led her outside. Her body trembled, and hesitation appeared on her face, but she soon let him lead her away.
"Where are we going now?" After leaving the circuit intendant's yamen, Cheng Yaojia suddenly felt much more at ease and could not help asking the man holding her hand.
"To meet someone." Song Qingshu smiled mysteriously. No matter how many times she asked afterward, he merely smiled without answering.
It was not until they arrived at a secluded separate courtyard and she saw the man sitting calmly in control that Cheng Yaojia realized they had come to meet Yangzhou's true ruler—Li Kexiu.
"Could Li Kexiu have secretly joined the Golden Snake Camp?" Cheng Yaojia was inwardly shocked. As a member of the Southern Song delegation, she had met Li Kexiu before and naturally recognized him. Moreover, having been influenced by the delegation, she knew a little about Yangzhou's current situation.
Previously, neither the Southern Song nor the Mongol Empire had regarded the Golden Snake Camp as a real opponent. After all, Li Kexiu controlled territory in Jianghuai comparable to that of the Golden Snake Camp and had one hundred thousand Green Standard troops under his command. In terms of actual strength, he was even somewhat stronger than the Golden Snake Camp. Thus, all sides had unconsciously assumed he would never join the Golden Snake Camp.