The General Says She Won't Marry - Chapter 36 Part 2

She had eaten almost everything except for the untouched wine.

Sitting in the tavern too long would draw attention, so after finishing her meal, she had no choice but to pay and leave.

As she walked, she continued to replay the situation in her mind, wondering if she had overlooked something.

She took unhurried steps through the main hall toward the entrance, covering a distance of about a hundred paces. Just as she exited the tavern, a carriage rolled in from outside and came to a steady stop at the entrance of the manor. Yet, even when Lin Aoxue reached the doorway, no one emerged from the carriage.

She had been subtly observing her surroundings and found the carriage’s presence rather odd. She paid it extra attention but quickly averted her gaze as she neared, pretending not to notice anything and continuing forward as if indifferent.

Just as she was about to pass by the carriage, the curtain was lifted from within. The person inside smiled at her.

Lin Aoxue’s steps came to an abrupt halt.

It felt as though a thunderclap had exploded in her mind, leaving her frozen in place. She stared in disbelief at the person inside the carriage, her eyes betraying an irrepressible shock.

Fortunately, the brim of her hat concealed her expression; otherwise, her reaction would have been immediately noticeable.

The person inside the carriage beckoned to her.

Lin Aoxue had intended to feign ignorance and walk away, but just as she turned to leave, she caught sight of something slipping from the person’s sleeve—a plain white jade token, unmarked by any inscription.

She had an identical one.

Beichen He had given it to her the last time she assisted in capturing an intruder who had broken into the prince’s residence at night.

Lin Aoxue’s pupils contracted.

For a moment, it felt as though all the air had been sucked from her lungs, and a surge of heat shot straight to her head. She clenched her fists tightly, forcing herself to stay calm. Swallowing down her emotions, she suppressed the trembling of her heart and the pounding in her ears. Then, mustering all her composure, she took a slow step forward and approached the carriage.

Each step felt unbearably heavy.

She stepped onto the carriage shaft and entered, seating herself to the side. The moment she settled in, the carriage began to move, its wheels rolling smoothly as it departed from Lianyun Manor.

Even seated inside, Lin Aoxue found it difficult to regain her composure. The shock in her eyes had yet to fade, and she deliberately turned her gaze away, avoiding looking at the person beside her. She feared that any crack in her façade might reveal the turmoil within her.

“Lord Wang is on duty today. If you wish to find him, wait on his return route after sunset.”

The woman beside her spoke in a calm tone, her expression impassive. A faint smile lingered on her lips, polite yet distant. The depth in her gaze was unfathomable, making it impossible to discern her true emotions.

Even though Lin Aoxue knew this person well, the woman before her now was like a stranger.

A cold unease spread through Lin Aoxue’s heart, creeping up her spine until she felt chilled to the bone.

Her hands, resting on her lap, trembled slightly of their own accord. She fought the urge to clench them into fists, forcing herself to remain rational. The most important thing right now was to focus on the situation at hand.

The carriage traveled for about half an hour before stopping outside an old residence.

“You should hide here for now. Once everything is settled tonight, return to this place. I will come to escort you out of Fudu.”

Lin Aoxue stepped down from the carriage, hearing the familiar voice of the woman beside her, though her tone was unfamiliar—calm, detached. After finishing her words, the woman casually lowered the curtain of the carriage door.

Lin Aoxue listened as the carriage started again, its wheels rattling as it sped away into the distance.

Her legs trembling, she stepped into the old residence. The courtyard was clean, evidently maintained by someone who regularly tended to it, yet it was completely empty. Lin Aoxue entered a random room and stood there for a long time, staring blankly, lost in thought.

Her shoulders slumped, her back hunched; she looked utterly exhausted.

“Why is it like this?” she murmured to herself, her eyes rimmed red.

Why was the person in that carriage Yun Yan?

Even though Yun Yan had disguised herself, even though a veil covered her face, Lin Aoxue knew her too well. Those eyes—she recognized them in an instant.

Nearly an hour had passed since their shocking reunion, and the carriage had long disappeared into the distance, yet Lin Aoxue still couldn’t collect herself. She couldn’t adjust to the abrupt and devastating revelation.

Yun Yan’s words from just yesterday still echoed in her ears, comforting and reassuring. Lin Aoxue had thought that, in some distant or perhaps not-so-distant future, they would inevitably stand on opposite sides. But she never imagined that day would arrive so soon.

Yun Yan had said she was merely a pawn of Beichen Ling. If Beichen Ling was at odds with Beichen He, then why was she in Beichen He’s carriage today, acting as his informant, helping Lin Aoxue complete this mission?

Countless voices roared inside Lin Aoxue’s mind, leaving her unsure of which to believe.

Yun Yan’s identity had once again become an unsolvable enigma in her heart.

She wanted to trust Yun Yan. She truly did.

But it was so, so difficult.

She didn’t know how to face this version of Yun Yan. She could only retreat inward, afraid that if she let her emotions take control, they would drag her into an abyss from which she could never return.

Lin Aoxue clutched her chest tightly. It felt as if a chilling wind was seeping in from all directions, flooding her heart with cold. The pressure made her old shoulder wound ache, but even that sharp, searing pain couldn’t compare to the suffocating emptiness and disappointment swelling within her chest.

She despised this distrustful version of herself.

She despised the unpredictable future.

She despised the ever-changing, unfathomable relationships between people.

Taking several deep breaths, she forced herself to steady her thoughts and regain control.

Lin Aoxue remained in the old residence until the sun dipped below the western hills. When the last trace of sunlight faded and night fell, a gray, oppressive sky loomed not only over Beichen but also over her heart, extinguishing the last flicker of warmth and hope within her.

***

The night wind blew past, carrying a bitter chill.

Lin Aoxue left the residence and went to wait along Wang Dongfu’s route home, just as instructed. She lingered at the street corner, watching as the crowds gradually thinned. Shops hung their lanterns by the door, and before long, a lone figure swayed unsteadily as he approached from the distance.

Wang Dongfu was drunk. Utterly intoxicated.

He had heard that the imperial envoy would arrive in Fudu in two days to investigate the illegal private sale of official salt. The matter was set in stone, beyond any chance of reversal. Knowing that his end was near, he had already made all the necessary preparations.

Someone wanted to use his entire family’s lives to buy evidence of his secret dealings with the Prince of the First Rank. He had no way to struggle, no means to resist—he could only resign himself to fate.

After finishing his duties for the day, he went straight to a tavern, ordered the finest wine, and drank heavily. Perhaps if he got drunk enough, he could forget his pain, forget his fear, and face death with more composure.

As he staggered through the street, his foot slipped, and with a heavy thud, he collapsed to the ground. His vision blurred, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

Regret crashed over him—bitter, overwhelming regret. He hated himself for his selfish greed, for all the things he had done over the years. If he hadn’t been so arrogant and reckless, how could he have invited such a disaster upon himself?

Just as he fell, a pair of unfamiliar shoes appeared before him. Before he could react, someone grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up. In an instant, the world around him shifted, and he found himself shoved into a nearby crate. A stranger loomed over him, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, their face concealed beneath the hat’s shadow and a mask that looked eerily like a vengeful ghost.

Terror drained the color from Wang Dongfu’s face. For a moment, he even thought that the ghosts of his sins had finally come to claim his life.

“Where is the ledger for the illicit sale of official salt?” Lin Aoxue gripped Wang Dongfu’s collar, fingers tightening around his throat as she cut straight to the point.

Upon hearing this, Wang Dongfu, though terrified, regained a sliver of clarity. He widened his eyes, trying to get a clear look at Lin Aoxue’s face, but the mask completely obscured her features.

His eyes remained fixed on her, but instead of answering the question, he asked his own, “Are you an imperial envoy?”

Lin Aoxue stared at him coldly and repeated, “Where is the ledger?”

Seeing that she refused to reveal her identity and was only pressing for the ledger’s whereabouts, Wang Dongfu’s fear eased slightly. He let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head. “Just kill me. If you’re not an imperial envoy and don’t have the emperor’s decree, I won’t tell you anything.”

He had long anticipated this day. The prince would surely send someone to silence him. But he had already hidden the evidence away. Even if he died, as long as the imperial envoy arrived in Fudu, they would find it. Only then would his family have a sliver of hope to survive.

Lin Aoxue hadn’t expected Wang Dongfu to respond this way. Her expression darkened. This operation was proving far more difficult than she had anticipated. If Wang Dongfu refused to cooperate, retrieving the evidence from him would be an enormous challenge.

What could make a man who no longer feared death refuse to hand over the ledger? Why was he so determined to wait for the imperial envoy?

Lin Aoxue mulled over the question, putting herself in Wang Dongfu’s position. She arrived at two possibilities.

First, he knew that Beichen He had already decided to discard him as a pawn. Out of spite, he had chosen to take Beichen He down with him.

Second, there was another, more pressing reason forcing him to hold onto the ledger and deliver it to the envoy himself.

For a man of his age, what mattered most—aside from his own life—was surely the survival of his family.

Lin Aoxue felt as though she had grasped something. She could see that Wang Dongfu, though heavily intoxicated, was still clinging to a shred of consciousness, holding fast to the one line he refused to cross.

A trace of pity flickered in Lin Aoxue’s eyes. But her expression remained cold as she said, “If you don’t tell me where the ledger is, I’ll head to your residence right now and slaughter your entire household!”

This threat was undeniably effective. Wang Dongfu’s face turned deathly pale in an instant, but the very next moment, his eyes reddened, and he burst into laughter. As he laughed, tears streamed down his face. He looked utterly deranged, as if he had gone mad.

“Ha ha ha… You can’t kill them. My wife and son were taken long ago. As long as I die, as long as the ledger reaches the imperial envoy, they will be released. I beg you—kill me…”

Tears poured down his face as his laughter turned into hysterical pleas for Lin Aoxue to end his life. His frenzied appearance made Lin Aoxue frown deeply—she was momentarily at a loss.

Although Wang Dongfu’s words were disjointed and incoherent, she could piece together the truth. The faction opposing the Prince of the First Rank had taken his wife and son to ensure that the evidence of his collusion with the prince would end up in the hands of the imperial envoy. They had forced Wang Dongfu to keep the secret and deliver the evidence himself.

In the end, Wang Dongfu was doomed to die, but his wife and son would be spared.

This was why he had stopped struggling. He had hidden the evidence, and only his family knew its location. That way, even if Beichen He sent people to silence him, his wife and child could still pass the evidence to the envoy.

He was a selfish man—he didn’t want to die. But knowing that death was inevitable, his conscience had awakened, and he was willing to trade his own life for the safety of his family.

Lin Aoxue felt a deep sense of melancholy. Beneath her cold gaze lurked traces of pity and sorrow. She wondered who was orchestrating this scheme against Beichen He. Could it be someone aligned with Sui Liang?

Right now, Wang Dongfu refused to hand over the evidence, and the only other people who knew where the ledger was had been taken. Lin Aoxue found herself in a difficult predicament. If she failed to locate the ledger, all her efforts would be in vain. But if she did find it, she would disrupt the plan of those working against Beichen He.

Lin Aoxue was inclined to side with the forces secretly plotting against Beichen He. But she still needed to find the ledger that could harm him. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see Beichen He suffer a heavy blow—rather, even if the imperial envoy got involved, it wouldn’t be enough to truly shake him.

Beichen He was like a dormant beast, patiently waiting for the right moment. And when he struck, he never missed.

This was why he left behind so few vulnerabilities. Even though there was constant criticism of him in court, there were always more people standing by his side. The emperor could never truly move against him. If he rashly punished a prince with no military power, it would only make him appear petty and insecure, inviting ridicule from the entire empire.

That was a situation the emperor would never allow to happen.

So, even if Wang Dongfu had indeed been secretly dealing with Beichen He, as long as the offense wasn’t severe and didn’t involve the capital’s political struggles, the worst Beichen He would suffer was some damage to his reputation—nothing truly consequential. This was precisely why Beichen He remained so fearless.

Lin Aoxue understood this perfectly. She looked at Wang Dongfu coldly and sneered. “You’re truly naive. Do you really think that handing the ledger to the imperial envoy will save your family?”

These words struck a nerve. Wang Dongfu instantly flew into a rage, stomping his feet and shouting furiously, “Why not?! They promised me!”

Because of the alcohol, all of his emotions were magnified at this moment—fear, anxiety, rage, and confusion crashed over him one after another, throwing his mind into complete chaos until he gradually lost all reason.

“Heh… why are you so agitated? You must know in your heart how trustworthy the people who took your wife and child truly are. The prince has protected you for so many years, and yet you repay him with betrayal. That alone is disgraceful enough. But now, instead of seeking his help at the first opportunity, you’ve chosen to collude with outsiders to frame him? Truly despicable!”

“No! I didn’t!”

Wang Dongfu’s mind was a tangled mess, clouded by alcohol and turmoil. Lin Aoxue’s words stirred his thoughts into further disarray, making it impossible for him to distinguish right from wrong. His vision blurred as he stared at the mask on Lin Aoxue’s face.

“You still claim innocence? If you were truly loyal, why didn’t you destroy the evidence that could harm the prince? With the prince’s power, do you really think he wouldn’t be able to protect your family? You are utterly foolish!”

The more Lin Aoxue spoke, the more panicked Wang Dongfu became. By the time she delivered her final remark, he could no longer bear it. He clutched Lin Aoxue’s arm and burst into loud, unrestrained sobs. Tears streamed down his face as he gripped her sleeve tightly, sobbing so uncontrollably that he could barely form words.

The pity in Lin Aoxue’s eyes gradually turned into an indescribable sorrow. She let out a soft sigh and said, “If you have even the slightest self-awareness, you should tell me where the ledger is. I will report this matter truthfully to the prince and tell him that you have sincerely repented. The prince is magnanimous—he will surely find a way to save your family.”

Hearing Lin Aoxue say this, Wang Dongfu became visibly agitated. His eyes widened in disbelief, his mouth opened as if to speak, but it took a long while before he, emboldened by the alcohol, trembled and asked, “His Highness… would really help me?”

Although Lin Aoxue pitied him, she also knew that pitiful people often had contemptible qualities. She had not been wrong in accusing Wang Dongfu of ingratitude earlier. Casting a cold glance at him, she replied indifferently, “You’ve dealt with the prince for years. Has he ever taken your family hostage to force you into obedience? Which side is more trustworthy—do you truly not know the answer?”

By the time she finished speaking, her tone had turned sharp and severe. Beneath her mask, her face was twisted with emotion, though Wang Dongfu could not see it. Every word she used to persuade Wang Dongfu felt like a slow, excruciating cut upon herself.

She never expected that, in order to obtain evidence against Beichen He, she would have to praise him like this.

Wang Dongfu wailed loudly before suddenly falling to his knees, overcome with remorse. He crawled forward on all fours, clutching desperately at Lin Aoxue’s pant leg as he choked out in agitation, “I hid it in a private residence! In the study—third drawer on the left side of the bookshelf…”

Just as Wang Dongfu finished speaking, an arrow suddenly whistled through the air from a distance. Lin Aoxue reached out to catch it, but she was a step too slow. The arrow brushed past her fingers—she only managed to grasp its final feather, while its deadly tip embedded itself directly into Wang Dongfu’s back.

Lin Aoxue grabbed him urgently, but when she checked again, he had already stopped breathing. The arrow had pierced his heart. Even if an immortal descended, they wouldn’t have been able to save him.

The sudden turn of events made Lin Aoxue’s expression shift sharply. She clenched her teeth and, with a swift motion, hurled Wang Dongfu’s corpse into the shadows beneath the eaves. Before anyone could discover the murder, she swiftly withdrew from the scene.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to take his body with her. But now that the secret Wang Dongfu had desperately tried to hide had been exposed, the unseen hand orchestrating everything already knew where the evidence was.

She had to reach Wang Dongfu’s private residence immediately and race against the enemy for the ledger. A single moment’s delay could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

The evidence—must end up in her hands.