Hanging by a Thread

Hearing that there was actually another juicy revelation, Jiang Nuan immediately perked up.

[What juicy revelation? Guagua, stop keeping me in suspense. Hurry up and tell me!]

[This guard is from Goryeo. It all started over twenty years ago, when rival powers carved up the land and Great Xia had yet to be founded. The people of Goryeo wanted a slice of the pie too.

But they had no idea how little they actually amounted to. They thought the five countries dividing the land were all soft persimmons ripe for squashing, and even dreamed of catching all five in one net.

When they first sent out troops, they happened to run straight into Great General Mao. Back then, he was in the prime of his youth. He had finally secured his elders' permission to enlist and had just begun making a name for himself. He needed a major battle to cement his standing.

Goryeo practically delivered itself to him as a bundle of experience points. The army of a hundred and fifty thousand they sent was beaten to scattered flowers and flowing water by the fifty thousand troops Great General Mao led. After that, Goryeo never dared send troops again.

This guard's original name was Han Xingzhou. He was the only son of the general who led Goryeo's forces at the time. After the defeat, Goryeo's king punished his father, implicating his entire family. They went from standing above others to prisoners everyone cursed and condemned.

Precisely because he could no longer get by in Goryeo, he found a way to come to Great Xia. Through a chance coincidence, he became a guard at Great General Mao's residence. But deep down, he always believed Great General Mao was responsible for his downfall, and he tried every means he could think of to harm him.

He deliberately seduced this concubine too. Every day, watching Great General Mao dote on his son gave him a twisted sense of pleasure. At the same time, he seethed with resentment because he couldn't acknowledge the boy as his own.]

[Ugh, this man really leaves me speechless. But he's actually from Goryeo? You really can't tell.]

Jiang Nuan studied the man carefully. Both his appearance and his accent seemed thoroughly native to the Great Xia people.

[That's because his mother was from Great Xia, and he takes after her more in looks.]

[Oh, so that's why! But surely he hasn't spent all these years hiding in the General's Residence just to put a cuckold's green hat on Great General Mao?]

With both national enmity and a family vendetta at stake, Jiang Nuan thought that if all this man had managed was to cuckold him, he really was hopeless.

When Mao Qiantao heard Jiang Nuan ask the very question he wanted answered, his heart eased a little.

All these years, a venomous snake had been coiled beside him, ready to bite at any moment, and he had never noticed a thing. The mere thought was terrifying.

Although he was now going to deal with the man over another matter, who knew what other sinister tricks he had up his sleeve? The Guagua Jiang Nuan spoke of had first-rate information. Perhaps he could now learn what this man had done behind his back and take precautions early.

[The green hat is just one insignificant part of it. He has all sorts of tricks. Great General Mao nominally has three children now, and two of them are this man's offspring. Doesn't that make the remaining one an eyesore? If that last child disappeared, wouldn't the General's Residence belong to him and his sons once General Mao passed away?]

Rather than spelling it out directly, Guagua guided Jiang Nuan through the juicy revelations.

[So he's definitely going to target Young General Mao! Did he poison him? Try to assassinate him? Or do something else?]

Jiang Nuan offered her own guesses.

General Mao's heart lurched at those words. That was his only son! Nothing could happen to him. Otherwise, even tearing this man into ten thousand pieces would never bring his son back.

[Congratulations, host, you guessed correctly. He gave Young General Mao a slow-acting poison that takes three months to take effect. Young General Mao has already been dosed for two months, but he's now gone off to lead troops into battle, so this guard no longer has a chance to poison him.]

After hearing Guagua's words, Mao Qiantao breathed a small sigh of relief. But very soon, his heart leaped into his throat.

Because in the next instant, Guagua abruptly changed tack:

[Although he only administered the poison for two months, it has already damaged Young General Mao's body. Under ordinary circumstances, if he rested and recuperated properly, there would still be a chance of removing the poison. But now he's gone to war. Between the exhausting journey and the bitter cold, his poisoned body simply can't withstand it!

Oh no, host! I just discovered while digging into the gossip that Young General Mao encountered heavy snow that sealed off the mountain. He and a small squad are trapped in the snowy mountains, and the poison in his body has flared up! His life is hanging by a thread right now!]

Hearing this, Jiang Nuan could not help worrying. Great General Mao and Young General Mao had both rendered great service to Great Xia. She did not want to watch such meritorious men fall.

Yet Mao Qiantao was even more frantic. If only he knew where his son was, he would have whipped a swift horse onward and flown straight to him.

[Guagua, what can I do to save Young General Mao?]

This was nothing like An Yan's situation. An Yan was in the Capital City, where Jiang Nuan could find her, while Mao Zhonglin was far away on the frontier.

Even riding Red Hare nonstop across level ground would take at least three days. By then, the daylilies would already have gone cold—it would be far too late.

Mao Qiantao understood that too, so he could only pin his hopes on Jiang Nuan. There were so many miraculous things about her. Perhaps she really could help save his son.

At that thought, Mao Qiantao could no longer heed Jiang Yunsheng's order forbidding them from discussing Jiang Nuan's inner voice in front of her. He spoke directly. "Ninth Princess..." Please save my son.

The next instant, he felt the words catch in his throat, leaving him unable to breathe.

Only then did he understand. Jiang Yunsheng's warning back then had not been meant to protect the secret of Jiang Nuan's inner voice, but to protect their lives.

Seeing Mao Qiantao's strained expression, Jiang Nuan said to Guagua in her mind:

[What's wrong with Great General Mao? Was the affair too much of a shock? If he knew his son was in danger, he'd probably be even more shaken.]

Mao Qiantao tried to force the words out again, but the suffocating sensation only grew worse. It did not disappear until he gave up trying to speak. He gulped down fresh air in great mouthfuls.

Seeing Mao Qiantao like this, Jiang Nuan grew a little worried and even considered whether she should call a physician for him.

But once he caught his breath, he returned to normal, so Jiang Nuan abandoned the idea of calling a physician. Better to think of a way to save Young General Mao.

[Host, you don't need to worry about Young General Mao anymore. Someone has already rescued him.]

Noticing Jiang Nuan's worry, Guagua immediately spoke up.

Jiang Nuan gave a puzzled "Huh?"

[Yes, a female healer who went up the mountain to gather herbs has already rescued him. And, as luck would have it, she can cure the poison in his body. She even has the precious medicinal catalyst he needs—it's her family heirloom.

What's more, feelings will quietly blossom between them as they spend time together. When Young General Mao returns, he'll bring the healer back with him. In the end, they'll become a match made in heaven, envied by everyone in the Capital City.]