General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

The sky was already beginning to lighten, and Jiang Qiqi, looking at this curious little girl, decided not to sleep anymore and answered her questions one by one.

“This is my family’s residence. I am Jiang Qiqi, your savior. When I found you, you were covered in blood. If you hadn’t received timely treatment, you might have died. I couldn’t bear to do that.”

The mummy blinked, its tone softening: "Really?"

Of course it's fake. On one hand, she thought it was too troublesome to have a dead person in the yard, and on the other hand, she was very curious as to why this person could still live despite being so badly injured.

but.

Jiang Qiqi nodded and smiled gently: "Of course it's true. Although we are complete strangers, I will not allow you to die in front of me. As for how I found out about your assassination attempt—it's because when we rescued you, someone outside was shouting to catch the assassin."

Thankfully, Xiang'er wasn't there, otherwise this honest maid would definitely have retorted, "Miss, we didn't hear that."

They didn't hear anything about the sparrows eating the food; it was Jiang Qiqi who deduced that there was an assassin.

It's actually quite obvious.

All the wounds on her body were on her back, indicating that she was injured while fleeing.

The weapon she carried was a short sword. Normal people would use a long sword or saber, which has a longer range and is more powerful, whether for self-defense or fighting. Moreover, the power of a short sword is generated in the palm of the hand. People who are used to holding short swords usually do not have calluses on their hands. She was the opposite, which means that she usually uses long-handled weapons.

Midnight, dressed in black, and choosing a weapon with a shorter wind-up rather than the one they are more accustomed to.

All of this indicates that her plan today was a premeditated assassination, but it failed. While being chased, she fled in panic to her courtyard and then fainted.

But that explanation is too complicated; it's simpler to just say that we heard the sounds of pursuit.

Anyway, you can't tell the difference between a mummy and a human.

“I failed in my assassination attempt, but since you heard that someone was chasing me, you shouldn’t have saved me. I will implicate you.”

What a kind mummy.

Jiang Qiqi smiled but did not comment. She simply said, "With your physical condition, I'm afraid you can't leave my room."

Both of them knew the truth, and a moment of silence fell over the room.

The mummy lay on the bed, silently staring at the ceiling.

On the roof, a spider was spinning its web across the middle of the beam, turning in circles as the web grew larger and larger.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew open the window that wasn't properly closed, and the wind blew into the room, scattering the spider, which had been working hard for who knows how long, along with its web, leaving only a single thread hanging in the corner under the roof beam.

She seemed reluctant to look away.

Jiang Qiqi went over and closed the window, and the wind stopped.

The spider continued climbing up the silk, but this time no one looked at it. The mummy's eyes were downcast, filled with sorrow.

After a long while, as if she had made up her mind, she sighed heavily: "Miss, thank you so much for saving my life. I have no way to repay your kindness. Let me tell you a story."

Actually, her story is quite boring.

“My name is Zheng Lin’er. My father was originally Zheng Yanshu, the magistrate of Liyuan County. My father studied and took the imperial examinations for half his life, but he was always a little unlucky. Two years ago, he finally passed the examinations in his middle age.”

“When my father was unable to pass away in his early years, my mother supported our family of three by doing farm work and needlework. After years of hard work, she developed many illnesses, including the inability to have children.”

"Later, my father became an official and took a concubine in order to have a son. My mother was heartbroken and moved with me to the farthest side room. She never saw my father again and just watched the three of them living happily together. She cried every day."

“My father was very good to me. Knowing that my mother didn’t want to see him, he compensated us financially. Gradually, my mother also came to terms with it,” Zheng Lin’er said, her tone flat.

"Father, I aspire to be a good official."

"But it seemed as if fate was against him. In his second year in office, he encountered a severe drought. The county suffered a complete crop failure. The disaster relief grain distributed by the imperial court was skimmed off layer by layer, leaving him with only bran. The people were starving, and more and more people were dying of hunger. He was very anxious and submitted many memorials, but they all went unanswered. He had no choice but to come to the capital in person."

"There are no secrets in the world. Soon the news that my father was going to the capital spread, and pressure came from all sides. But my father was a rigid and stubborn man. Once he set his mind on something, he was determined to do it. When the higher-ups saw that they couldn't stop him, they simply had someone kill him on the way and made it look like a robbery and murder."

"I was outside when the bad news reached my home. By the time I got back, it was too late. My mother had hanged herself."

"My mother was illiterate and only left me a painting."

Jiang Qiqi took a piece of paper out of her sleeve.

"Is this the one? I found it in the lining of your shoe. Don't worry, I didn't look at it."

"You put it in your shoe because it could have been soaked in blood on your chest and back. It must have been very important to you. Unfortunately, it was already partially soaked in blood when I found it."

Zheng Lin'er moved slightly and took the paper: "Thank you."

With her hands wrapped in gauze, she struggled to unfold the paper, her hands trembling slightly.

There is a river on the paper. In the river, two people holding hands are waving to the shore. On the riverbank, there is a child whose body has been stained with blood.

“My mother told me that she and my father had gone to the afterlife together, and that I should live a good life.”

At this moment, all words of comfort seemed pale and powerless, and Jiang Qiqi could only remain silent.

"During my parents' funeral, the concubine claimed that her son was my father's only heir and wanted to kick me out of the house. That's when I remembered that my father had a concubine."

“But my father was already dead, and according to custom, she, as a concubine, should be buried with him. So I killed her and her son, but considering that my mother didn’t like them, I could only throw their remains into a mass grave.”

"Later, I left home and investigated extensively in order to avenge my parents. I finally found out that the person who embezzled the most disaster relief funds was Wang Liang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. So I studied martial arts under a master for a year and decided to kill him to avenge my parents."

After Zheng Lin'er finished speaking, she sneered and looked at the person next to her, "How about that? Did I scare you, Miss?"

But instead of the pale, helpless face she had imagined, the man was smiling happily.

"Miss Assassin, you are even better than I imagined." Jiang Qiqi originally thought that she only had exceptionally high defensive attributes, but now that she sees how decisive she is in handling matters, her emotional intelligence is not low either.

She loves it.

"What are you planning to do next, Miss Assassin? Continue assassinating your enemies?"

Zheng Lin'er fell silent for a long while, then shook her head.

“I oversimplified things. His family has many guards; I can’t possibly succeed. I will go back and kill my father’s superior, Cui Zhi, the governor of Longcheng, and use his head to offer sacrifices to my parents.”

Jiang Qiqi was waiting to hear those words.

"How about this, let's make a deal: I'll help you get revenge, and you'll stay by my side and protect me."

"The other party is the Vice Minister of Revenue. Are you confident that you can help me get revenge?" Zheng Lin'er asked suspiciously.

“What if I said I was the wife of the General Who Protects the Nation?”

Clearly, the title of "wife of the General Who Protects the Nation" is more convincing than that of the eldest daughter of the Minister of Revenue, who is not well-regarded.

Everyone knows that there is only one General Who Protects the Nation in the current dynasty: Shen Luo.

"What! This is the General's Mansion?" Jiang Qiqi watched as the person opposite her turned pale in an instant, like a chameleon.

"The future general's wife."

"Oh." The chameleon changed back to its original form.

“If you are the wife of the General Who Protects the Nation, then I will believe you.”

Since arriving here, Jiang Qiqi has not met anyone other than Xiang'er. She never expected that the title of General Who Protects the Nation would be so useful, as the other party believed it without even verifying it.

She had prepared a whole bunch of persuasive arguments, like employee benefits including meals and accommodation, and social insurance and housing fund contributions.

"General Zhenguo is a great hero of our Nanyue. In recent years, the Northern Ming has repeatedly used this as an excuse to start wars. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have the life we ​​have today. The general is so amazing. As the future general's wife, you must also be a heroine, a dragon among men."

Jiang Haojie Qi Longfeng Qi: "Ah, yes, yes, yes."