Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 31

“Betray the army?” Lin Chu frowned and repeated the words before letting out a cold laugh. “Do you think my husband is a coward like you?”

“Insolent woman!” Li Jianye’s face darkened as he ordered his men, “Tie her up! And find that dark-skinned woman—search the entire house!”

Immediately, the soldiers began rummaging through the place. But rather than searching, they were practically smashing everything in sight, breaking whatever they got their hands on.

Not long after, a soldier who had been searching the other rooms came to report, 

“General, we’ve turned the whole place upside down, but there’s no sign of any dark-skinned woman.”

Li Jianye impatiently waved him away, then personally started going through the room. The places he searched looked like they’d been looted.

Lin Chu was furious. As two tall soldiers approached her, she knew that, with her current body, there was no way she could fight them off. Behind her was the cupboard where Han Xiaobao was hiding. She had no idea if these soldiers would harm a child if they found him, so she didn’t dare make any reckless moves. Instead, she glared at Li Jianye and snapped, 

“You accuse my husband of betraying the army—where’s your proof? If not, then while he’s risking his life on the battlefield, this is how you treat his family?”

Li Jianye had already searched the room and, finding nothing of value, looked annoyed. Hearing Lin Chu’s sharp words, he let out a mocking laugh. 

“Not only is the beauty good-looking, but she’s also got quite the sharp tongue…” His gaze turned lewd as he stepped closer. “But I heard your husband has a dark-skinned concubine. Where is she?”

He looked Lin Chu up and down, then suddenly sneered, 

“Now that I look at you properly, you and that concubine are about the same size…”

Lin Chu’s heart tightened.

Just then, sounds of fighting erupted outside the courtyard.

Li Jianye’s face darkened as he turned toward the door. 

“Who else dares cause trouble here?”

Before he could step out, a soldier was suddenly thrown through the doorway, crashing into him and knocking him to the ground.

Cursing, Li Jianye struggled to push the soldier off and get up. The two soldiers who were about to tie Lin Chu up were also caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events. One of them even reached out to help Li Jianye up.

But Lin Chu reacted faster. She grabbed a heavy ceramic vase from the table and—BANG!—smashed it against the back of Li Jianye’s head.

She was already quite skilled at sneak attacks. She had originally wanted to buy a delicate white porcelain vase, but it was too expensive. This coarse ceramic one, though clunky and heavy, was much cheaper—and at this moment, it worked perfectly as a weapon.

Li Jianye, who had just started getting up, slumped down again, clearly dazed by the impact.

Lin Chu quickly followed the same trick she used when she kidnapped Jiang Wanxue—she picked up a sharp piece of the broken vase and pressed it against Li Jianye’s neck, threatening the soldiers who wanted to step forward. 

“Take one more step, and we’ll see what happens.”

No one knew Li Jianye’s true nature better than his own men. They hesitated, afraid to act rashly.

But Li Jianye suddenly let out a crazed laugh. 

“It’s you… You were the one on the city tower that day…”

He tried to turn his head to look at Lin Chu. Alarmed, she pressed the sharp ceramic shard harder against his neck, drawing bl00d.

Yet, Li Jianye seemed completely unbothered, as if he had fallen into some kind of frenzy. Ignoring the danger he was in, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Chu’s wrist, squeezing it so hard she felt like her bones were about to break. The strength difference between a man and a woman was too great.

Just as Li Jianye was about to turn the tables, Jing He, who had finished dealing with the soldiers outside, strode in and grabbed Li Jianye by the collar. She lift him off the ground before slamming him down hard.

Li Jianye curled up like a shrimp, struggling for a while before he finally let out a wretched scream.

“Madam, are you alright?” Jing He helped Lin Chu up.

Lin Chu shook her head, still fuming. She kicked Li Jianye twice while cursing, 

“You scum, you waste air when you’re alive and waste land when you’re dead. You can act so arrogantly in Yaocheng, but why don’t you go into battle and kill two barbarians?”

The two soldiers inside had been stunned by Jing He’s overwhelming presence, but when they saw Lin Chu furiously kicking Li Jianye, they finally moved to help.

However, before they could take a step, Jing He swung her left arm and tossed them both out of the room. They landed in the courtyard, groaning in pain, unable to get up.

“You wretched woman, just wait until I get my hands on you—” Li Jianye spat out through gritted teeth.

Lin Chu gave him a sinister smile, then grabbed a rope from the room and threw it to Jing He. “Tie this bastard up!”

Jing He didn’t waste any words—she grabbed the rope and tightly bound Li Jianye. With her incredible strength, even though Li Jianye was a grown man, he struggled like a weak chicken in her grip.

Lin Chu searched the room, looking for something to gag him with. There were no dirty socks, but she found a rag, which she stuffed into Li Jianye’s mouth.

Meanwhile, outside, one of Li Jianye’s officers—probably his deputy—fired a signal flare into the sky.

Lin Chu heard the loud bang of the flare and knew trouble was coming. She immediately took Han Xiaobao from the cupboard and prepared to escape through the back door.

But the reinforcements arrived much faster than she expected. In no time, the entire courtyard was surrounded, sealed off like an iron barrel.

Jing He raised her blade and stepped in front of Lin Chu, speaking firmly, 

“Madam, don’t worry. Even if I die, I will protect you.”

Lin Chu had always known Jing He was loyal, but hearing these words at this moment still warmed her heart. 

She said, “We’re not at that point yet. Don’t talk about dying.”

The leader of the new troops was the deputy general under An Dingyuan, the commander of Yao City. When he entered the courtyard and saw the soldiers lying everywhere, his expression turned grim.

Li Jianye’s deputy crawled over and pointed at Lin Chu’s group. 

“Deputy general, please save Officer Li! Those two vicious women have tied him up!”

The deputy general knew exactly what kind of person Li Jianye was, but since Li Jianye’s father was the Minister of Works and had family ties with An Dingyuan, he couldn’t afford for anything to happen to him. He had no choice but to shout, 

“How dare you attack an officer of the imperial court!”

Lin Chu still didn’t know exactly what was going on with the accusations against Yan Mingge, but based on what she knew about him, he would never betray the army. 

She immediately retorted, “What a joke! My husband is fighting for his life on the battlefield while I worry day and night, and you all come to raid our home instead? Where’s the justice in that? Aren’t you afraid of breaking the spirit of our soldiers?”

Li Jianye, still gagged, glared furiously and made muffled noises that no one could understand.

Han Xiaobao scowled at him, then suddenly jumped forward—THUMP!—landing with both feet squarely between Li Jianye’s legs.

For a chubby little kid, he sure packed a punch.

Li Jianye’s eyes rolled back, and he let out a pig-like scream.

The deputy general looked at the wrecked house, feeling embarrassed. Just as he was trying to figure out how to handle this, he heard Li Jianye’s agonized shrieks from inside. His face twisted in frustration. 

“You’d better watch yourselves!”

He made a gesture, and the soldiers behind him immediately pointed their spears toward the house, creating a tense and hostile atmosphere.

“I could hear the commotion from a street away. What exactly are you all doing here?” A new group of people suddenly entered through the main gate. Leading them was a man dressed in a luxurious robe, with a jade belt and a fox-fur cloak draped over his shoulders. His noble presence was undeniable. The guards following him were all composed, their steady breathing and firm steps revealing their impressive martial skills.

“The humble officer greets His Highness, the Sixth Prince.”

The deputy general clasped his fists and saluted.

The Sixth Prince had been injured when he arrived in Yao City that day, and the deputy general, along with An Dingyuan, had personally gone to receive him. Naturally, he remembered this “ancestor” quite well.

“Commander Yan has gone to the battlefield, and you’re planning to raid his home while he’s away?” The Sixth Prince’s lips curved slightly, but his tone carried an unmistakable hint of sarcasm.

The deputy general immediately caught the underlying meaning—the prince was clearly siding with Yan Mingge. A bead of cold sweat trickled down his temple as he nervously explained, “Your Highness, this is a misunderstanding! The troops sent from Yao City to reinforce Jintong Pass, along with the soldiers stationed there, have all been trapped inside. We haven’t received any news from them at all…”

“So, you’re afraid that the troops from Yao City might betray us, which would implicate Yao City, so you decided to imprison their families first?” The Sixth Prince’s smile remained elegant, yet his sarcasm was even more obvious.

The deputy general knew his position was already awkward and chose not to respond.

The prince continued, “I’ve known Commander Yan for a long time. Even if he dies in battle at Jintong Pass, he would never surrender to the barbarians. Stop with this foolishness and get back to General An to receive your punishment!”

“But… but this was General An’s order,” the deputy general hesitated.

It was the first time the Sixth Prince had encountered someone daring to argue with him. He stared at the deputy general with a dark, piercing gaze before suddenly chuckling. 

“General An is an experienced veteran of the battlefield. He wouldn’t do something as self-destructive as this. But since he supposedly gave this order, I’ll pay a visit to his residence and ask him myself.”

Now, the deputy general felt real fear. When An Dingyuan received the news from Jintong Pass, he had already been deeply troubled. It was only after he had suggested keeping the soldiers’ families under control—to prevent them from defecting—that An Dingyuan had entrusted him with handling the matter.

He also knew that this situation with the Yan family had been pushed too far by Li Jianye. If this matter reached An Dingyuan, the general would be furious, but he wouldn’t actually punish his own nephew. The one who would suffer the consequences would be him!

“Your Highness… I misspoke… It was my mistake!” the deputy general hurriedly admitted, panic clear in his voice.

The Sixth Prince looked at him as if he were nothing more than an ant. 

“Since An Dingyuan values Yan Mingge, that means Yan Mingge has extraordinary abilities. And yet, here you are, trying to trip him up behind his back…”

The prince let out a cold laugh. “Did you really think such petty tricks could bring him down?”

The deputy general broke out in a cold sweat. He had never expected his true intentions to be seen through so easily. He was left speechless, not daring to utter another word.

Fortunately, the Sixth Prince didn’t pursue the matter further and left.

The deputy general no longer dared to act recklessly. He ordered his men to carry out the unconscious, pain-stricken Li Jianye and left two guards at the entrance before hurriedly withdrawing with the rest of his troops.

On the way back to the post station, Nie Yun saw the Sixth Prince coughing non-stop as the cold wind hit him. He couldn’t help but worry. 

“Your Highness, you heard about the Yan family being targeted and rushed all the way over to help them. But you didn’t even say a word to Yan Mingge’s wife and family. Wasn’t that a wasted favor?”

“If you make a favor too obvious, it stops being a favor… cough cough… and turns into a transaction… cough cough… A subtle kindness is remembered far longer.” The Sixth Prince held onto a hand warmer, still coughing, clearly unwilling to discuss the matter further. He simply added, “You still have a lot to learn.”

Leaning against the carriage wall, he closed his eyes, but deep down, there was a lingering bitterness. These were the very lessons that Lord Bai had once taught him.

Lulu Ridge. This was a crucial passage leading from the capital to Jintong Pass.

The heavy snow had sealed the mountains, leaving everything covered in a vast white expanse. Only a few leafless trees stood in the distant forests, their bare branches laden with snow. The sky was a dull gray, making the entire scene feel bleak and suffocating, as if the boundary between heaven and earth had blurred.

The poem “Endless ice covers the vast ocean, sorrowful clouds stretch for ten thousand miles” seemed to describe this very landscape.

The convoy struggled forward, only to have their carts get stuck in the thick snow again and again. Transporting supplies was proving to be extremely difficult.

Suddenly, the once silent valley erupted with deafening battle cries.

The official in charge of the supply transport turned pale as he watched barbarian warriors charge down from both sides of the mountain, riding tall horses and wielding broad sabers. His legs trembled as he shouted, 

“Hurry! Pull the carts forward!”

The escorting soldiers were nowhere near as fierce as the barbarians, but fortunately, the enemy’s numbers weren’t overwhelming. They still had a chance to fight back.

“Sir! The wheels are stuck again!” A soldier in charge of guarding the grain carts looked anxious, listening to the sounds of battle behind them. The thick snow made it nearly impossible to move forward.

“Damn it! Figure out a way to get them out! If we lose these supplies, we’ll all be executed!” The official was on the verge of panic.

Suddenly, a soldier suggested, “Sir, we could spread salt from the salt carts onto the snow!”

The official instantly lashed out with his whip, striking the soldier across the face. 

“You bastard, don’t say these words to disrupt the morale of the army! What should the soldiers on the border do if they have no salt?”

Despite the fresh wound on his face, the soldier remained firm. “Sir, if we spread salt on the snow, it will melt immediately. That way, we can clear a path for the grain carts! If we keep struggling like this, we’ll lose both the salt and the grain!”

The transport troops had never fought barbarians in direct combat before. At first, they had the advantage in numbers, but soon, the enemy’s brutality began to wear them down, putting them at a disadvantage.

The official knew how dire the situation was. Gritting his teeth, he finally ordered, 

“Move the salt carts to the front! Spread the salt over the snow to clear a path!”

Nearly ten salt carts were pulled to the front. The soldiers slashed open the bags, scattering salt across the thick snow. In no time, the snow began to melt, turning into water.

The soldiers waded through the slush, pushing the grain carts forward with all their strength.

T/L notes:

Dear readers! I hope you’re all enjoying the novel translations. I really wanted to stick to the usual update schedule, but unfortunately, I couldn’t keep up this month. For now, both advance and free chapters will be updated/unlock once a week—every Saturday—just for this month.

I’m really sorry about this! School has been super hectic, and I’m drowning in assignments and oral reports (which I honestly don’t enjoy… huhu 😭).

Despite everything, I hope you’ll continue to support my translations. Thank you for understanding!