novelraw Chapter 372: Blinded by Greed
Chapter 372: Blinded by Greed
After saying this, he stopped talking.
Only when he sensed that Tang Peizhong was fully awake did Jing Ci divert his gaze to him.
Tang Peizhong already understood the current situation, but he couldn’t fathom why Jing Ci would treat him this way.
They had so many years of affection, and he even risked estranging his own son to save her.
Jing Ci, held in the arms of the Khan, smiled as she clarified to him.
"Pei Zhong, when you rescued me from prison, I was moved, but it was only limited to being moved. If you are willing to join the Dazi, then we can still be comrades afterward."
Hearing this, Tang Peizhong was stunned. Was this asking him to betray his country?
Tang Peizhong could save Jing Ci, but that was out of old affection, not to join the Dazi.
If he wanted to betray his country, there were countless opportunities before where he could have achieved a higher position, rather than now, as if being given a role out of pity.
Even if the Emperor of Dayan was not worthy of respect, he still considered himself a Dayan person and would never betray Dayan.
Tang Peizhong remained silent for a long time, while the Khan laughed heartily, looking at Tang Peizhong with a mocking gaze.
"I told you, there’s no way he’d join our camp. Arrest him. Once we’ve extracted all the information about Dayan from him, we’ll kill him."
Jing Ci’s lips curled into a smile, her eyes carrying a charm within their heroic grace.
"Hold on, Khan."
Tang Peizhong’s heartbeat quickened a bit, thinking Jing Ci wasn’t entirely heartless, that she still had some regard for him, and was about to plead on his behalf.
Jing Ci continued, "Khan, when the two armies clash, we could bind Tang Peizhong to the front lines, so if Tang Zan attacks, he would have concerns."
Tang Peizhong suddenly lifted his eyes to Jing Ci. Seeing the calculation in her gaze, he was almost incredulous.
The Khan was already venomous enough, but Jing Ci was even more malicious.
This was no longer the Jing Ci he knew.
The Jing Ci he once knew was a hero, always thinking of Dayan’s good, but now she was plotting against him and the Dayan people with the Dazi.
After saying this, Jing Ci continued with a smile, "Besides, the Dayan people all believed the War King was dead, but a War King who was executed at court has appeared here. Undoubtedly, Tang Zan attempted a jailbreak."
"With this, his general position wouldn’t be secure. As soon as Dayan replaces the general, our odds of winning significantly increase."
As soon as these words were said, Tang Peizhong couldn’t help but look at Jing Ci.
She wasn’t sparing any old affection at all; she even intended to use him to lead Dayan to defeat and simultaneously implicate Tang Zan.
Once the jailbreak came to light, it wouldn’t just be Tang Zan; the entire Tang Family wouldn’t escape repercussions.
Exile was nothing compared to this; the entire Tang Family would be executed.
Thinking this, Tang Peizhong’s heart ached painfully, the love he went through all the trouble to save was now scheming against him with her Khan.
Tang Peizhong looked up at Jing Ci, feeling as if his throat was blocked, and after a long while, he finally asked a single question.
"Why, Jing Ci?"
Jing Ci was initially taken aback, then looked at him with a puzzled expression, seemingly not understanding his words.
Tang Peizhong repeated, "Jing Ci, you’re also a Dayan person, you grew up in Dayan, and you’ve even shed blood for Dayan. Why now help outsiders against the Dayan people?"
Upon hearing Tang Peizhong’s words, Jing Ci couldn’t help but laugh.
"Tang Peizhong, I married the Khan, haven’t you heard the saying ’marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog’? Moreover, our son with the Khan has already grown up, so why would I leave with you?"
"As for what you said about shedding blood for Dayan, what did Dayan give me in return? Just labels of a traitor stabbing me in the back. Since Dayan isn’t worth it, why should I serve Dayan?"
After saying this, Jing Ci no longer looked at Tang Peizhong but left with the Khan.
As she was leaving, Jing Ci spoke coolly.
"Keep a close eye on him; his martial arts are strong. Don’t let him escape."
At this moment, Tang Peizhong’s love for Jing Ci completely vanished.
The twenty years of waiting and deep affection he thought he had ended up being just a joke.
As for what Jing Ci said about interrogating him and then using him to threaten Zan’er.
His eyes lowered, filled with resolve. He would never allow himself to be used as a threat.
However, he also knew that currently was not a good opportunity to escape; there were too many experts around.
He could only patiently wait for a chance to escape.
After Tang Peizhong was imprisoned, he endured constant beatings.
But he kept his mouth shut, mindful of his family. As long as the Dazi couldn’t extort valuable information from him, his value wouldn’t just lie in being a threat to Tang Zan.
The longer he held out, the less likely his family—his wife, daughter, and sons—would fall into Dazi’s traps.
He now deeply regretted risking a jailbreak for Jing Ci.
But Jing Ci had previously told him that if they married, she would assist the Gulan Military Camp.
He also wanted to lessen Tang Zan’s burdens, otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone this far.
He was truly blinded by affection.
Enduring the punishments, he thought he might still pine for Jing Ci, but he didn’t.
He thought of Liu Xu’s gentle voice and the way she softly applied medicine for him.
Every time after applying the medicine, she would cautiously lift her head and glance at him.
"How is it, does it hurt?"
She was such a frail person, as if his large hands would crush her with a bit of force.
Yet, in these bleak days, all he could think of was her gentle voice, her soft brows and eyes.
Just as when he was tortured in the prison of the Capital.
She was the only light he could think of.
...
Elsewhere, Pei Shu’er clearly noticed that Tang Zan had been under a lot of pressure recently, seemingly worried, as if sensing some impending crisis.
Tang Zan had also dispatched people to recruit soldiers, but even those displaced refugees fled upon seeing soldiers, at the mere mention of recruitment.
In times like these, many would go to great lengths to avoid conscription, so naturally, no one would be foolish enough to volunteer for service.
Pei Shu’er came up with a plan and sat down next to Tang Zan.
"General Tang, shall I share my thoughts?"
Tang Zan raised an eyebrow and looked at Pei Shu’er, pulling the mischievously smiling little fox into his arms, gently pinching her nose.
"Speak."
Pei Shu’er smiled and said, "What is the most unstable factor around here?"
Tang Zan looked at Pei Shu’er, and she continued.
"It’s the displaced people. Because they can’t get enough food or clothing, they can’t enter the towns. Currently, every provincial city does not allow them entry."
"If they go to unclaimed lands, they may still encounter danger. But if they go to an inhabited land, without the means to cultivate, they’d starve either way."
Pei Shu’er continued with a smile.
"How about this: aim your recruitment at those displaced people."