MTSAMAPOC Chapter 4

She watched as Ying Wutu struggled, but in the end, nothing happened.

The water in the bathtub had already cooled.

The drug’s effect had worn off.

Ying Wutu shivered in the water, his hands crossed over his chest, with only his head above the surface. His eyes were bloodshot, glaring at the woman in front of him with hatred.

“What a pity.” Jiang Shouzhu stood up, dusting off her hands, and casually tucked Ying Wutu’s short sword into her belt. She gestured towards the table with her eyes and commanded, “Put these on.”

On the table was a set of clothes, thin and barely enough to cover his body.

Ying Wutu saw that the woman had no intention of looking away. Gritting his teeth, he climbed out of the water.

The wound on his chest, soaked in water, was red and painful, but he endured it without a sound.

Just as he was about to step onto the ground, there was a commotion outside the tent.

Jiang Shouzhu had been staring at him openly, but hearing the noise outside, she knew the urgency and immediately went to check.

Ying Wutu seized the opportunity, quickly darting to the table. He found not only clothes but also a cloth towel. He hastily dried himself and put on the clothes.

However, the shoes were missing, so he had to step barefoot on the ground. Just as he was about to sneak out, the woman lifted the curtain and came back in.

Ying Wutu had intended to slip away, but she returned so quickly that he ran into her. Instinctively, he threw a punch…

Jiang Shouzhu caught his punch with one hand.

Her palm enveloped Ying Wutu’s attacking fist.

In the struggle between the two, Ying Wutu was, of course, no match for her.

“Such disobedience, trying to bite as soon as I look away.” Jiang Shouzhu grabbed Ying Wutu’s wrist, lifted him, and threw him back onto the bed.

Ying Wutu was momentarily dazed from the impact.

“Lock yourself up.” Jiang Shouzhu gestured towards the head of the bed.

There were four chains, thicker than the ones that had previously bound him, impossible to pry open this time.

“Don’t make me do it myself. If I have to, it won’t be this simple.” As she spoke, Jiang Shouzhu glanced towards the door, still mindful of the situation outside. But she had to come back and lock up this cunning little rabbit first, to prevent another escape.

Ying Wutu realized something was happening outside. Though he hated her and wished to kill her, his current resistance was futile. Injured, half-frozen, and drugged, he couldn’t even land a punch on her. So, for now, he decided to comply.

Besides, it seemed she wasn’t planning to do anything at the moment.

With a few clicks, Ying Wutu locked his wrists and ankles to the bed’s headboard.

Jiang Shouzhu turned and left.

The commotion outside had settled.

Earlier, three prisoners had escaped and were spotted by the patrolling soldiers.

Two of them moved quickly, running several dozen meters before being shot dead by arrows. The third one, slower, was captured alive.

This was Jiang Shouzhu’s order: if prisoners attempted to escape, they were to be executed immediately without reporting.

Escaping was a serious matter. Even soldiers in her Jiang family army who deserted were executed on the spot.

The emperor’s order was to bring back only two survivors, so she had to spend her own funds to feed these 3,000 prisoners, and couldn’t report it to the emperor.

The third prisoner, bound hand and foot, was thrown to the ground. Knowing her fate was sealed, she cursed at Jiang Shouzhu, who stood in front of her.

With a wave of Jiang Shouzhu’s hand, someone stepped forward and gagged the prisoner with a cloth.

The deputy looked at Jiang Shouzhu, waiting for the general’s order to execute the escaping prisoner according to military regulations.

But Jiang Shouzhu suddenly had an idea.

“Everyone, step back,” Jiang Shouzhu ordered, grabbing the prisoner’s shoulder and leading her away.

She actually recognized this prisoner.

This was one of Ying Wutu’s lieutenants. During a siege, she had stood at a high vantage point, aiming her bow at Ying Wutu. Her shot was accurate, but this lieutenant had turned and taken the arrow for him.

Unexpectedly, the lieutenant was still alive. It seemed that the arrow had injured her, so during the escape attempt, she couldn’t run far with her injuries.

Jiang Shouzhu hadn’t expected anyone to be quick enough to block her arrow, so she had a deep impression of Ying Wutu’s lieutenant. She admired talent, but given their opposing stances, that person had to die tonight.

Dragging the deputy to the entrance of Ying Wutu’s tent, Jiang Shouzhu wondered what the little rabbit was up to now.

But this time, he was securely locked up and couldn’t escape again.

As she lifted the flap, the sound of chains rang out.

Ying Wutu looked towards the entrance, startled to see someone coming. Recognizing the person at the door, he struggled to sit up.

“Lieutenant Yao, you…” Ying Wutu began to speak but didn’t dare to continue.

Seeing Lieutenant Yao bound and gagged, brought in by that woman, he had a bad feeling.

Jiang Shouzhu knew she had recognized the right person. She pressed Lieutenant Yao to the ground, at a perfect distance for Ying Wutu to see clearly but out of his chains’ reach.

Jiang Shouzhu pulled over a chair and sat down, chuckling as she noticed Ying Wutu’s neck wrapped with a piece of cloth, torn from his sleeve.

Even in this situation, with his entire body already seen by her, he still cared about his privacy. Didn’t he worry about freezing his arm?

Jiang Shouzhu pretended not to notice this detail. She took out Ying Wutu’s short sword and asked, knowingly, “Do you recognize this person?”

Ying Wutu didn’t dare answer directly. He averted his gaze from Lieutenant Yao, glaring fiercely at Jiang Shouzhu, “What do you want to do?”

“I randomly picked one of your lieutenants to give you a little punishment,” Jiang Shouzhu said with a smile.

Lieutenant Yao, sitting on the ground, suddenly raised her head. She knew that being caught after escaping meant certain death, but what was the enemy talking about? Seeing General Ying alive had made her happy, but… Why did he seem so strange? Why wasn’t he in the prisoner cage but locked on… a bed?

“What are you going to do!” Ying Wutu couldn’t maintain his composure. He struggled to get off the bed, but the chains held him in place.

“Of course, I’m going to kill her. You made me angry by disobeying,” Jiang Shouzhu said, drawing the sword.

It was Ying Wutu’s sword.

“No! I beg you, don’t kill her! I’ll be obedient! I’ll do whatever you say! Didn’t you promise not to kill the prisoners!” Ying Wutu, who had been sitting on the bed, now knelt, though the chains made it look like he was lying down.

“The condition for not killing them is that you obey. But have you been obedient? Tell me, what have you done to disobey?” Jiang Shouzhu knew this tactic would work.

“I shouldn’t have tried to escape… Please don’t kill her. I won’t run away again.” Ying Wutu’s heart was heavy with sorrow. Lieutenant Yao had once taken an arrow for him, saving his life.

At that time, Jiang Shouzhu’s arrow was aimed at his neck, swift and deadly, and he hadn’t even noticed the ambush.

“Not just that. What else?” Jiang Shouzhu’s almond-shaped eyes curved into a smile, wanting to toy with him further.

“I… I shouldn’t have resisted. I know you want to humiliate me! I’m willing to do that for you, just don’t kill her!” Ying Wutu steeled himself. To save her, he was willing to endure this humiliation, hoping the wicked woman would keep her promise and spare Lieutenant Yao.

“You really don’t cry until you see the coffin. If you had been obedient earlier, it would have been better. Let’s start,” Jiang Shouzhu said, looking expectant.

But Ying Wutu didn’t move.

Lieutenant Yao, sitting on the ground, was also looking at Ying Wutu, not understanding anything.

What was General Ying bargaining with the enemy for?

How could the enemy possibly let her go? Lieutenant Yao knew her fate was sealed!

So, wasn’t this just toying with General Ying?

“She… she doesn’t know my identity. Can you let her out first? I don’t want her to see me like this. I’m begging you…” Ying Wutu had hidden his identity in the camp and didn’t want his former deputy to know he was a man.

Jiang Shouzhu thought for a moment, then took a tablecloth and covered Lieutenant Yao’s head. It wasn’t because she was listening to Ying Wutu but because she felt Ying Wutu was her trophy, only belonging to her. Letting another woman see the next scene was unacceptable to her.

Moreover, Yao was just an enemy with a different stance. Jiang Shouzhu didn’t feel it was necessary for an unrelated person to be forced to witness the scene, which felt strange.

The sound of chains rattled as Ying Wutu’s hand moved downward. He closed his eyes in despair… but didn’t move.

“By the way, a reminder, be careful not to make any noise. After all, your lieutenant’s eyes are covered, but her ears aren’t blocked,” Jiang Shouzhu thought this reminder was necessary. During the examination earlier, she had barely done anything, and he was already breathing heavily, seeming very sensitive.

“You… you promised me that if I obeyed, you wouldn’t kill her.” Ying Wutu made up his mind, but it was so difficult.

Jiang Shouzhu lowered her voice, “Fine, as long as you obey, I won’t kill her.”

She lowered her voice to prevent her words from being overheard outside.

Outside the tent, soldiers patrolled. If anyone happened to pass by and heard her, as the general of the Jiang family army, saying who to release in the prisoner’s tent, wouldn’t that cause misunderstanding?

Maintaining morale was crucial for the army.

Jiang Shouzhu, as a strong woman, prioritized her country and family. While she could play around, she couldn’t neglect her duties.

Ying Wutu received her promise and closed his eyes tightly, but…

He “couldn’t.”

He was both angry and anxious. How could this happen?

Jiang Shouzhu laughed. Although Ying Wutu had been in the water when he ate the pear, she had clearly seen that he was fine at that time.

“I… I…” Ying Wutu looked at her nervously, not expecting this to happen. Although he had never rewarded himself, as a normal man, he occasionally had natural reactions upon waking up, so he knew about this. But what could he do now?

“Even when given a chance, you’re useless.” Jiang Shouzhu mocked, but she understood what was happening. It was the prince’s drug; Ying Wutu had endured it, so now, he couldn’t do it immediately.

Ying Wutu seemed naive and completely clueless.

“No, no!” Ying Wutu saw her raising the knife and hurriedly pleaded, “Please don’t, give me another chance. Maybe… maybe I’m just broken right now. Tomorrow, the day after, any day, or every day in the future, please! She saved my life. I can’t let her die because of me! Punish me if I’m disobedient. Do whatever you want to me, but don’t kill her!”

Water droplets were scattered around, all from Ying Wutu’s tears. He was trembling, blaming himself for implicating the innocent Lieutenant Yao. If he hadn’t been disobedient and useless, she wouldn’t have been brought here.

Indeed, before his father died, he said that Ying Wutu had cursed his mother, sister, and now him. Now, even innocent people were cursed. He truly felt he was an ominous person.

Ying Wutu was both aggrieved and self-reproachful.

His tearful eyes fixed on Jiang Shouzhu, pleading for her mercy.