His Composure Cracked

Mao Qiantao's spirits had ridden a wild roller coaster. One moment, he had been worrying that his son would not survive; the next, his son was not only out of danger but had even found himself a partner.

Heaven knew Mao Zhonglin was already twenty-two. Mao Qiantao had lost count of how many noble young ladies in the capital he had tried to match him with, yet his son had refused every last one. If he hardened his heart and forced the issue, Mao Zhonglin would run straight to the army camp and stay there for three years.

Mao Qiantao had even begun to wonder whether his son preferred men, and had been preparing to look into young gentlemen in the capital who shared that inclination.

After learning that Mao Zhonglin was his only son, he had felt certain that the Mao family line was about to end. So Mao Qiantao had gone straight to the ancestral hall and knelt there all night, begging his ancestors for forgiveness.

Yet now, the mountain path had turned and revealed a way forward. In his desperate plight, his son had actually fallen for a female physician. His son liked women! Women! The Mao family line would not die out after all!

Mao Qiantao felt considerably happier, then turned his gaze toward Han Xingzhou, who was being held down on his knees.

His son had escaped danger because he was blessed with good fortune. Mao Qiantao had certainly not forgotten that, without Han Xingzhou poisoning him, his son would never have had to suffer this ordeal.

Mao Qiantao kicked Han Xingzhou squarely in the chest, making him violently cough up a great mouthful of blood.

"It's been a long, long time since I got any exercise. Today, I'll loosen those bones of yours."

Mao Qiantao was renowned throughout the land for his spear, but aside from those close to him, almost no one knew that he was also an excellent boxer.

On the battlefield, every extra inch of reach was another inch of strength. There was no question whether a weapon or bare fists held the advantage. But Mao Qiantao believed that true strength lay in one's own body, so he set aside time every day to practice his boxing.

Now, however, no one understood the power of Mao Qiantao's fists better than Han Xingzhou. The bruises on his face and body said it all.

Only after beating Han Xingzhou to within his last breath did Mao Qiantao feel his anger subside a little.

Mao Yi and Mao Yonghong trembled at the sight. No matter how stupid Mao Yonghong was, even he knew something was terribly wrong. His mother was clearly having an affair with this man.

If Mao Qiantao truly became convinced that they were not his sons, their fate would certainly be even worse than Han Xingzhou's. Besides, neither of them was as sturdy as he was.

At that thought, Mao Yi decided he had to take a gamble. His mother's affair could no longer be concealed, but he absolutely could not let Mao Qiantao believe that the two brothers were not his children. So he said to Mao Qiantao:

"Father, although Mother lost her head for a moment and made a mistake, Yonghong and I are your children! Mother would never have the nerve to muddy the bloodline of the General's Residence!"

The woman also knew that her own fate would probably be grim, so all she wanted now was to protect her children. She hurriedly said:

"General, I was only bewitched by him for a moment. I still love you in my heart! And I swear that Yi and Yonghong are both your children! We can test our blood to prove their parentage!"

The woman spoke with absolute conviction. Back then, she had been unsure whose children the boys were, so she had secretly performed a blood test. Both brothers' blood had mingled with Mao Qiantao's.

[Oh, another blood-mingling test. That thing isn't accurate at all! She sounds so certain. Could all three of them happen to have the same blood type? That's quite a coincidence. Under normal circumstances, they might really have bluffed their way through, but Great General Mao was injured on the battlefield!]

Jiang Nuan did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Seeing the woman and these two bastards still trying to argue their way out made Mao Qiantao's anger flare all over again. But his pride would naturally never allow him to reveal the truth. In the end, he lowered his head and whispered a few words into their ears.

All three instantly felt their hearts turn to dead ashes.

Then the three of them were dragged away, leaving only Han Xingzhou behind.

"You bastard Mao! You son of a bitch! Kill me if you've got the guts!"

Knowing that death was inevitable, Han Xingzhou abandoned his earlier meekness and deference. The hatred on his face was plain to see.

[Why did Great General Mao keep him here? Does he want a constant reminder that he's been made to wear a cuckold's green hat?]

Mao Qiantao's face darkened. He certainly had no such peculiar taste.

He felt that, besides poisoning his son, Han Xingzhou must have done something else he did not know about. He had kept the man here to see whether Jiang Nuan's thoughts might offer any clues.

[Huh? This man is clearly about to die. Why is there still a faint hint of smugness on his face?]

Jiang Nuan stared at Han Xingzhou's face and noticed something amiss.

*[This Han Xingzhou really is something. Those twenty-odd years in the General's Residence weren't wasted. He copied Great General Mao's handwriting and even worked his way into becoming someone the general trusted fairly well. He contacted people from an enemy country while posing as Great General Mao, and their correspondence is still in the study!

What's more, he noticed something was wrong last night and arranged for his people to report Great General Mao for colluding with the enemy. Someone will arrive to investigate in two hours!

In the previous life, he also made all sorts of preparations to kill Great General Mao. But after the death of his only son, the general actually fretted himself to death, so Han Xingzhou never got to use many of his backup plans. He even thought it was a pity afterward.]*

[This man really is talented. Too bad we're on different sides.]

Hearing about Han Xingzhou's schemes, Jiang Nuan rather admired him. Unfortunately, he was from Goryeo, so they stood on different sides.

[But it would be such a shame if Great General Mao were framed and thrown into prison. Maybe I should give him a warning.]

As though merely making an idle remark, Jiang Nuan said, "Great General Mao, this man seems to be quite an important subordinate of yours. Those Storybooks say that when someone like that betrays you, it's very scary. Maybe there's something he left behind in your residence. Why don't you search it, especially the bedroom and study? The Storybooks say those are the two places where people most often plant things to frame someone."

She did not know how to explain why she knew so much, so she simply laid it all at the feet of Storybook.

Han Xingzhou had been wearing a defiant expression, but at Jiang Nuan's childish words, his composure cracked. He almost failed to keep the look on his face.

Damn it! Why was this little brat reading Storybooks? She had nearly exposed his plan!

No, he couldn't panic. Why would Mao Qiantao listen to a little brat?

Han Xingzhou struggled to maintain his expression.

"All right. Thank you for the warning, Ninth Princess. I'll have people investigate at once. Uncle Zhang, take some men and search the study. Zuo Yan, take some men and search the bedroom. You Yu, take some men and search the rest of the General's Residence. Remember, inspect every single corner carefully!"

Mao Qiantao spoke with utmost gravity.

Jiang Nuan was very pleased that he knew what was good for him. If he refused to listen to her, she would let him spend a few days in the Imperial Prison to clear his head before fishing him out.

Upon hearing Mao Qiantao's orders, Han Xingzhou's heart sank to rock bottom.