SWHCBB 44

Chapter 44: The Wicked Little Husband

Jiang Chuang rubbed against him happily. “Kiss me again! Say it again!” As he spoke, he pinched his waist. “Wen Xiao Yu, oh Wen Xiao Yu! How are you this good at acting cute? Makes me want to just fuck you to death right now!”

“Then I won’t kiss you again!” Wen Jue quickly pushed him away, trying to get him to calm down. “We still have serious matters to discuss. It’s still early, and we need to have dinner later! We can’t… ahem… indulge!”

“Then talk! Once we’re done, we’ll go eat, and then pick up where we left off!” Jiang Chuang was already looking forward to the night.

Wen Jue scooted over slightly on the bed until he was pressed up against Jiang Chuang, then declared righteously, “Just a hug. Nothing else!”

Jiang Chuang agreed readily, “Sure, sure, nothing else!”, but his hands had already started to roam sneakily along Wen Jue’s back.

Wen Jue thought for a moment, then began slowly, “After they escaped, I don’t know how, but they went the wrong way and ended up in Jizhou. There, they encountered a group of roaming bandits. Madam Chen was likely killed by the bandits’ blades. Miss Su, being a physician, was of value to them, so she survived.”

So that’s what happened. Jiang Chuang frowned. “None of the guards who were supposed to escort them came back to report they’d lost anyone. That’s outright negligence! As for Madam Chen, once things settle down, I’ll have someone find her body and give her a proper burial…Wait, this female physician Zhuge Qing mentioned… it wouldn’t be Su Zhi, would it?”

Wen Jue nodded. “It is. I originally thought she was only treating the bandits to protect herself, which would be understandable. But I didn’t expect she’d flip the table and take control, using poison to turn the bandits into her puppets.”

“The vagrants outside Jizhou have been going missing one after another. Later, their bodies were discovered dumped at the foot of the mountains the bandits occupy, all killed by various kinds of poison.”

“Su Zhi’s using people to test poisons? What is she trying to do?” Jiang Chuang was horrified. This was no different from the enemy nations that cruelly experimented on the living, brewing poisons at the cost of countless lives.

Wen Jue shook his head, uncertain. “I don’t know. I only found out that the bandits disguised themselves as several different groups and went into the nearby counties to purchase herbs in large quantities, far more than needed for treatment.”

“She’s not planning…” Jiang Chuang’s voice was full of disbelief. “To use poison to seize control of eastern Jizhou and challenge the court?”

Wen Jue replied, “That’s highly likely.”

Jiang Chuang’s heart pounded. How many would die from poison? And Su Zhi was such a skilled physician…

“How could a physician be so ruthless?” Jiang Chuang moved to get up. “No! I have to submit a memorial requesting troops to suppress the bandits immediately! This can’t be delayed!”

“No!” Wen Jue grabbed his arm, stopping him with a stern voice. He spoke fast and steady. “You can’t go! It’ll implicate you! If anyone investigates and finds out Su Zhi came from your estate, this will be pinned on you! If she’s alive, and it’s discovered she led the bandits in rebellion, the blame will fall on you! This isn’t about having a clear conscience. It’s about whether Father Emperor wants to believe you! A man like him, even if he spares you now, once he’s used you up, you think you’ll be safe when he settles old scores?”

Zhuge Qing had said Jiang Chuang should lead troops to wipe out the bandits as a way to test Wen Jue. That was exactly why Wen Jue had stopped him, not to harm him, but to protect him!

Zhuge Qing didn’t know that Wen Jue had never intended to hurt Jiang Chuang. That misunderstanding had led Zhuge Qing to oppose him.

As soon as Wen Jue realized Su Zhi might bring trouble to Jiang Chuang, he began to regret ever provoking her and letting her escape. But Su Zhi wasn’t the type to accept her fate. Even if she had made it to Qizhou, she still would’ve tried to flee.

Jiang Chuang, after listening, was no longer as impulsive, but he was clearly torn, full of guilt. “But those are lives… If she goes on to harm others, that’s partly my fault. If she kills that many innocent people… I won’t be at peace.”

“I know,” Wen Jue gently touched his face, soothing him with soft words. “You’ve fought on the battlefield for years, escaped death more times than you can count, and yet you never sought wealth or honors. You voluntarily handed your military power back to the Emperor, don’t cling to riches or authority, avoid powerful allies. All you want is peace for the land and safety for the people.”

Only someone who had crawled out of the mountains in hardship as a youth would hold the people’s lives so dear once grown. He wasn’t blind to the Emperor’s schemes, but his heart remained pure. He only wanted to protect the country.

When the Emperor asked for his military power, he gave it. When the Emperor was wary and refused to reward him, he accepted it. He had little desire for wealth or power. As long as he was alive and his brothers were safe, that was enough.

A general like him still lived so simply. His estate was modest. The number of servants in his household was fewer than a noble’s concubines.

Prince Yi tried several times to draw him in. Jiang Chuang treated him as a close friend, risked his life for him, and even reclaimed his command to help him vie for the throne. Everyone said he was ambitious, deep, and calculating.

If not for Prince Yi laying hands on Wen Jue, they might never have fallen out.

But when Prince Yi’s men hunted them down, Jiang Chuang saw him clearly and no longer cared about past friendship.

Only in this life did he realize, Wen Jue was the one who understood him best.

Jiang Chuang slowly calmed down. “Zhiyu, you have a plan, don’t you? You’re already stopping her.”

“Tonight, my people will assassinate her before news of the murdered officials reaches the capital. Her body will be mixed in with the poisoned vagrants. No one will know who she was, so naturally, it won’t be linked to you.”

Wen Jue’s voice was calm, as though he were accustomed to killing. When he spoke of death, his usually vacant eyes even glinted with a trace of chilling intent.

Seeing him like this reminded Jiang Chuang of the Wen Jue from their past life, after they had turned against each other, no longer soft or flirtatious, only sharp thorns left.

Jiang Chuang nodded. “With intentions like hers, she shouldn’t be spared. You did the right thing.”

As expected, Wen Jue was stunned for a moment by his agreement. His expression softened. “You don’t find me frightening? I said kill, and so I killed.”

“But the one you killed deserved to die.” And even if he hadn’t, even if innocent lives were taken, Jiang Chuang had already chosen his side. He had no right, nor the heart, to judge right and wrong.

If anyone wanted to make Wen Jue pay with his life, then they could take his life too.

He was willing to atone by Wen Jue’s side.

Hearing that, Wen Jue didn’t react much. He let go of Jiang Chuang’s arm, seeming somewhat unhappy. “The day the officials arrived, the bandits’ lair caught fire. I ordered it. They thought it was a provocation by the court, so in a rage, they killed those officials. How about that?”

As he let go, Jiang Chuang pulled him back and kissed his ear, coaxing him, “You didn’t kill them yourself. Why are you deliberately making me blame their deaths on you?”

Wen Jue shook his head, his voice flat. “I should be blamed. Their deaths were my plan. The ones who sent them to make peace were Prince Yi’s men. I didn’t want to follow his will, so I ordered the fire. When the bandits killed those officials, it played right into my hand. Those men had seen Su Zhi, I didn’t want trouble. But the bandits left one alive as a hostage. Doesn’t matter. He’ll die with Su Zhi tonight.”

Wen Jue turned to Jiang Chuang. “Even after all that, you don’t blame me? You’re not afraid of me? I’m cold-blooded and ruthless, killing for selfish reasons. You’re a saint who saves lives… but you ended up with someone like me.”