Chapter 134 -
The morning sun broke over the freezing mountains, casting a cold, pale light across the army camp.
Inside the main tent, General Wenzhe was lying on the bed with a thin blanket over his chest. According to the fake rumor spread around the camp, he had been poisoned during last night’s attack and was now severely sick, weak, and unable to move.
Or at least... that was what everyone outside was supposed to think.
In reality, Yueqing was standing right beside the bed with a big, wicked grin on her face. In her hands, she held a large, heavy wooden bowl filled with a pitch-black, horrible-smelling herbal tea.
"Come on, my poor, helpless husband," Yueqing said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "The doctor said you need to drink every single drop of this warm bitter tea to cure your ’poison’. Open wide!"
Wenzhe looked down at the dark, sludgy liquid, his dark eyebrows pulling together in utter disgust.
"Yueqing, I am not actually sick," Wenzhe grumbled, leaning his head back onto the pillow to get away from the smell. "And that tea smells like rotten river mud. I am not drinking that."
"Oh? You won’t drink it?" Yueqing puffed out her cheeks, acting hurt. "But I spent an entire hour boiling this special medicine just for you! Since you are ’bedridden’ and cannot protect yourself, you have to obey your wife!"
[Ha! Take that, you stubborn block of wood!] her inner voice cheered loudly, her internal persona rolling up its sleeves and dancing a little jig. [You walked out on me last night, treated me coldly, and left me shivering! Now you have to drink this nasty mud tea! Revenge is so sweet!]
[System 009: Scanning bowl content... Ingredients: Bitter root, extra dried ginger, and raw vinegar. Result: Completely harmless, but tastes like absolute garbage. Host’s pettiness level: 100%.]
[SHUT UP, NINE! He deserves it!]
"I am not drinking it," Wenzhe repeated, crossing his arms over his chest like a stubborn wall.
"You have to!" Yueqing sat right on the edge of the bed, scooping up a big spoonful of the dark liquid and waving it right under his nose. "Drink it! Or should I shout for the guards and tell everyone the famous General is scared of a little medicine?"
Wenzhe looked at her bright, mischievous eyes and her smug little smile. A low, helpless sigh escaped his lips. He suddenly reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled the spoon straight to his mouth, swallowing the bitter soup in one gulp.
His face instantly twisted at the terrible taste, his jaw locking tight. "Satisfied?"
"Not yet!" Yueqing giggled, setting the bowl down on the side table with a happy splash. "Since you are so ’weak’ and aching, your devoted wife must give you a body massage to help your blood flow!"
Before Wenzhe could protest, Yueqing wiggled onto the bed, straddled his hips, and slammed her small hands right onto his broad shoulders.
She didn’t use soft, gentle motions. Instead, she pinched, poked, and pressed her thumbs hard into his arm muscles with all her strength, trying her absolute best to make him yell out in pain.
"Ow—Yueqing, that is not a massage, you are just poking me!" Wenzhe complained, though he didn’t try to push her off. His hands instinctively reached up to hold her waist so she wouldn’t fall.
"It builds strength!" Yueqing huffed, poking his chest hard with her index finger. "Be quiet and take your punishment, General!"
Outside the tent, standing by the entrance flap, Dong Li and Lu yue could hear every single word of the arguing.
Lu Yue was standing straight with her hand resting comfortably on her sword hilt, but the corners of her lips were twitching as she tried not to laugh.
"Is the General really letting the Young Madam poke him like a pincushion?" Lu Yue whispered, shaking her head softly.
Dong Li chuckled quietly, leaning against a wooden post. "If anyone else tried to force the General to drink bitter vinegar tea, he would have cut them down with his sword. But with the Young Madam? He just sits there and takes it. I have never seen him so helpless."
"She is teaching him a lesson," Lu Yue said with a proud smirk. "He deserves it for making her worry last night."
Suddenly, the funny, peaceful moment inside was interrupted.
The heavy cloth flap at the front of the tent was pushed aside, and Master Chu, a logistics officer, stepped in carrying a small wooden box. Behind him was Li Mei, dressed in her simple maid clothes.
Li Mei had no idea about the fake plan. She truly believed Wenzhe was dying, and her heart was frantic with desperation. She wanted nothing more than to win back Wenzhe’s favor and prove that she was the only one who truly cared for his life.
"Young Madam! General!" Master Chu bowed low, trying his best to look nervous and helpful. "I found this rare snow ginseng in the crates! It can save the General from deep poison! Please let him take it quickly!"
Yueqing immediately stopped her "massage" and slid off Wenzhe, her eyes turning sharp.
[System Nine, scan it!]
[System 009: Alert! The ginseng is heavily coated in Black Throat Grass poison! It stops the heart instantly!]
Yueqing’s eyes narrowed into icy slits. She looked at Master Chu, her voice turning cool and suspicious. "Master Chu, you are so thoughtful. But since the General is already very weak, we must be extra careful. Why don’t you drink a small cup of the brewed ginseng first to prove it is safe?"
Master Chu froze. His hands began to shake slightly. "Y-Young Madam... this medicine is very rare. Every drop should be saved for the General! How could a humble officer like me drink it?"
"If it is to save the General, testing it is only proper," Dong Li said coldly, stepping inside the tent alongside Lu Yue. Both of them placed their hands on their sword hilts, their sharp eyes locking onto Master Chu.
"Yes, Master Chu," Lu Yue added, stepping closer to block his path. "Drink a small sip first. Unless... there is a reason you cannot?"
Master Chu looked from Yueqing’s calm smirk to Dong Li and Lu Yue’s drawn posture. Realization hit him like a bucket of ice water—they knew. They were testing him because they already suspected him! He was caught!
Panic took over. Seeing that his mission was failed and he was about to be arrested, Master Chu’s eyes went wild. He suddenly pulled a sharp, poisoned dagger hidden in his sleeve, swinging it wildly to cut his way out of the tent!
"Out of my way!" Master Chu screamed, lunging forward!
"Watch out!" Dong Li barked, drawing his blade to strike!
In his desperate, blind panic to break free, Master Chu swung his blade right toward Wenzhe on the bed to create a distraction.
Seeing the sharp, poisoned blade swinging toward Wenzhe, Li Mei didn’t think twice. Desperate to win back his heart and be his savior once again, she threw herself directly in front of Wenzhe, putting her own body between him and the flying dagger!
Puk!
The sharp blade sliced deep into Li Mei’s shoulder! She let out a sharp cry of pain, falling backward straight into Wenzhe’s arms as dark, poisoned blood began to spill onto her dress.
"Li Mei!" Wenzhe yelled, his voice filled with shock. He caught her limp body with his uninjured arm.
At the exact same moment, Lu Yue moved like lightning. With one swift, heavy kick, she shattered Master Chu’s wrist, sending the dagger flying. Dong Li slammed the traitor hard onto the floor, pinning his arms behind his back and pressing a cold sword against his neck.
"Hold him!" Dong Li shouted to the guards outside, who rushed in to drag the screaming traitor away.
Inside the tent, chaos took over. Li Mei lay in Wenzhe’s lap, her skin turning pale blue within seconds as the strong poison rushed through her body.
"General..." Li Mei whimpered weakly, her trembling hand reaching up to touch Wenzhe’s sleeve. "I... I saved you again... See? I am the only one... who will give my life for you..."
Wenzhe’s face turned completely pale. Even though he knew her true colors and her sneaky tricks, seeing her bleed and sacrifice herself for him a second time stirred a wave of heavy guilt and raw emotion in his chest.
"Hold on! Don’t talk!" Wenzhe commanded, his voice shaking with urgency. He scooped Li Mei up into his arms, ignoring his own bandage, and looked up at the guard. "Lu Yue! Fetch the head physician right now! Move!"
"Yes, General!" Lu Yue bowed and sprinted out of the tent.
Wenzhe quickly carried Li Mei over to the side couch, applying pressure to her wound with a clean cloth. His eyes were wide with worry, completely focused on trying to keep her alive.
Standing near the main bed, Yueqing watched the entire scene unfold in total silence.
She looked at Wenzhe holding Li Mei so tightly, his face full of panic and deep concern. The sweet, playful atmosphere from just moments ago was completely gone, replaced by a heavy, painful weight in her chest.
[He... he really still cares about her so much,] Yueqing’s inner voice whispered softly, her mind going completely quiet for the first time all day.
Yueqing slowly pulled her hands back into her sleeves, stepping back into the quiet shadows of the tent as Wenzhe shouted for the doctors, completely unaware of the quiet heartbreak on his wife’s face.