Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 32

After the soldiers left, only two guards remained stationed at the entrance.

Lin Chu signaled Jing He to close the courtyard gate. As she did, Jing He let out a heavy snort.

The two guards stood like statues, showing no reaction.

Lin Chu crouched down to check on Han Xiaobao¹. Seeing that he hadn’t suffered any injuries, she finally felt relieved. She pinched his cheek and said, 

“Baozi², don’t try to act tough in the future. You’re not strong enough to fight those bad people yet. If you provoke them, they’ll only hold a grudge and come back even worse. Sometimes, you have to endure things for now. When the day comes that you’re strong enough, you can make them pay for everything. As they say, ‘A gentleman’s revenge is never too late.’ Do you understand?”

Han Junye kept a blank expression, pretending to be clueless, but inside, his thoughts grew heavier. This woman looked reckless and bold, but she was actually much smarter than he had expected. She knew that since Yan Heng wasn’t in Yao City, she couldn’t openly confront Li Jianye and his people. So instead, she was maneuvering within limits, choosing to endure for now in exchange for temporary stability.

But what kind of person would she become when she finally gained enough power?

Lin Chu didn’t expect the child to fully understand her words. Seeing Han Junye remain silent, she simply rubbed his head affectionately.

She glanced at the mess in the house and asked Jing He, 

“Did you hear anything in the streets?”

Although she had already pieced together most of the situation from the conversation between the Sixth Prince and the deputy general, she still wanted more details.

Jing He replied, “I heard that the barbarians have surrounded Jintong Pass from three sides. The civilians inside have long since fled south, and now the pass is completely cut off from food and salt. If reinforcements don’t arrive soon, it’s only a matter of time before Jintong Pass falls.”

Lin Chu’s heart clenched in fear, and she hurriedly asked, “Have there been any updates about my husband?”

Jing He shook her head, looking grim. “The troops sent from Yao City to Jintong Pass were fewer than a thousand. The soldiers transferred from Qiang City were all sent to the front lines. The General of Yao City said those troops have more experience dealing with the barbarians, so they should know how to fight them… But on my way back, I saw soldiers storming into civilian homes. Many women were crying and cursing as they were dragged away. Their husbands had also been sent to Jintong Pass. I was worried something might happen to you, so I rushed back as fast as I could.”

Lin Chu quickly put the pieces together. The General of Yao City feared that the soldiers at Jintong Pass might surrender if they couldn’t hold out, so he decided to detain their families as hostages—of course, under the excuse of ‘protecting’ them.

Li Jianye, the General’s nephew, had already held a grudge against Yan Mingge over the ‘dark-skinned concubine’ incident. Once he caught wind of his uncle’s intentions, he took the chance to use this as a personal vendetta.

The only reason there were just two guards left outside the residence was because the Sixth Prince had intervened.

No matter what the prince’s true motives were, Lin Chu was still grateful.

After tidying up the house with Jing He, Lin Chu saw that the basket of vegetables Jing He had bought earlier had been scattered all over the courtyard during the fight with the soldiers. Some were still edible, while others were completely ruined.

She instructed Jing He to go to the entrance and see if the soldiers would let them out under the pretense of buying groceries.

The answer was a firm no.

Lin Chu had already been contemplating an escape plan, and upon hearing this, she marched straight to the gate and started throwing a tantrum, cursing the two guards so fiercely that they were left dumbfounded. Eventually, their superior came over. Knowing that the Sixth Prince had just spoken in favor of Lin Chu, he didn’t dare to be too harsh. He informed her that while she and the others were not allowed to leave, they could call out to passing vendors in the morning and buy food at the gate.

Lin Chu gave the officer a thorough scolding to vent her anger before slamming the gate shut.

Back inside, Jing He was still fuming. “This is obviously house arrest!”

Unlike Jing He, who was furious, Lin Chu remained unusually calm. She went straight to the east wing, where Yan Mingge usually slept, and pulled out a map, spreading it across the table. She studied it carefully, as if she hadn’t just been outside yelling at the soldiers.

Jing He ranted for a while, but when she saw Lin Chu staying silent, she moved closer out of curiosity. Even though she couldn’t read, she could still recognize mountains and rivers on the map.

“Madam, you can read maps?” Jing He was surprised and suddenly felt even more admiration for Lin Chu. As expected, the person the master chose was no ordinary woman.

Lin Chu traced a path on the map with her delicate, jade-like fingers. 

“This is where we are now, and this is Jintong Pass. If we cross these two mountains, we can reach the pass faster than taking the official road.”

Han Xiaobao, who had been listening, tiptoed over to look at the map as well. When he saw the route Lin Chu had chosen, his brows instinctively furrowed.

Jing He’s eyes widened. “Madam, are you planning to go to Jintong Pass?”

Lin Chu shook her head. “Not necessarily, but we need to find a safe place to stay first. At the very least… if something really happens at Jintong Pass, we can’t fall into someone else’s hands and become a burden to my husband.”

Hearing this, Jing He felt even more admiration for Lin Chu.

Lin Chu then casually added, “If only we had more people on our side.”

Jing He’s eyes lit up as if she was about to say something but then held back.

Lin Chu, however, felt even more confident in her guess. As expected, someone as cautious as Yan Mingge wouldn’t have left her without a backup plan.

There’s a saying: A centipede doesn’t die easily. Even though the Yong’an Marquis Manor had declined, it was still a prestigious family with a century-old foundation. The power it accumulated over the years was not to be underestimated. The fact that Yan Mingge had been able to hold his ground outside the pass for so long had already made Lin Chu suspect that he had a private army from the Yong’an Marquis Manor under his command.

The sudden appearance of Jing He, a trained warrior maid, at the border had all but confirmed Lin Chu’s suspicions—Yan Mingge’s hidden forces were likely stationed near Yao City. But since he had chosen not to mention it, she wisely refrained from asking.

Now, Lin Chu also didn’t ask Jing He any further questions.

That private army might be Yan Mingge’s last trump card. With his unpredictable nature, it was only natural that he wouldn’t reveal it easily.

That night, Lin Chu only managed to draft a rough escape plan.

Unexpectedly, the next morning, just after breakfast, another group of soldiers arrived. This time, they didn’t search the main house. Instead, they stormed straight into the kitchen and, like bandits, emptied every grain of salt from the salt jar into a large sack they had brought with them.

From the moment those soldiers barged in, Jing He had already grabbed a firewood knife and stood protectively in front of Lin Chu.

When the soldiers left after looting the salt and moved on to the next house, Jing He finally realized what had just happened and couldn’t hold back her anger, cursing under her breath.

Lin Chu, however, sensed that something was off. She rushed to the courtyard entrance, only to have the guards there cross their spears in front of her, blocking her from stepping outside.

Across the street, a minor official from Yao City lived with his family. Lin Chu saw the soldiers kick open their door and storm inside. Before long, they came out again. The official’s wife, a plump woman, chased after them, wailing at the top of her lungs. 

“You heartless scoundrels! Even salt, you have to steal?!”

One of the soldiers barked back, “The army has run out of salt! We are acting under the general’s orders to collect it!”

Lin Chu’s heart sank. This event… wasn’t it supposed to happen after spring in the original story?

Where had things gone wrong?

She was desperate to find out, but since she was effectively under house arrest, there was no way to get information from the outside.

In the afternoon, Madam Qin came to visit.

The two guards at the gate tried to stop her. Lin Chu stormed over, hands on her hips, and snapped, “Do you people have no conscience? Did my husband commit a crime? Did I commit a crime? It’s bad enough that you stand here like door gods every day, but now I can’t leave, and no one is allowed to visit me either? Even prisoners in jail are allowed visitors! Did your general specifically say no outsiders are allowed in my courtyard?”

The guards had been scolded by Lin Chu before, and now they got another round of verbal lashing. More importantly, what she said was completely reasonable—this whole situation was indeed unfair. Besides, in their minds, Lin Chu had the Sixth Prince backing her, so they didn’t dare to provoke her. In the end, they reluctantly allowed Madam Qin inside.

“Madam Qin, what brings you here?” Lin Chu led her inside and personally poured her a cup of tea.

Madam Qin’s face and hands were red from the cold. Her eyes were puffy, likely from crying. She cupped the steaming tea in her hands but hadn’t even taken a sip before her eyes welled up again.

Lin Chu was startled. “What happened? Tell me first—don’t cry.”

Madam Qin wiped her tears with her sleeve before saying, “Sister, I see you as one of my own, so I won’t beat around the bush. Do you know anything about Wang Hu and the others?”

At the mention of Wang Hu, her eyes reddened once more.

Lin Chu had a bad feeling. She replied, “Sister, as you can see, I’ve been confined here since yesterday. I have no news from outside. Did something happen at Jintong Pass?”

Madam Qin hesitated for a moment, but then, as if realizing there was no point in sugarcoating it, she sighed and said, “This is a critical time, so I’ll get straight to the point. When I opened my tea shop this morning, I overheard a lot of talk. People are saying Jintong Pass might not hold. The barbarians have an army of 200,000 iron cavalry—even if they have to pile up their dead, they can still climb over the walls.”

She paused before adding, “What’s worse, a squad of barbarians somehow got past Lufu Ridge and ambushed the grain transport. They managed to protect the rations, but all the salt meant for the border troops was destroyed. Now, there’s no salt at all, and the soldiers are going door to door, taking whatever they can find…”

The more Lin Chu listened, the heavier her heart grew.

She knew Madam Qin had come hoping for news—maybe even a letter from Yan Mingge. If Wang Hu could return from the battlefield alive, there might still be hope for him and Madam Qin.

Not knowing how to comfort her, Lin Chu simply said, “My husband and the others are strong and capable. I’m sure they’ll make it back safely.”

Realizing she might have upset Lin Chu, Madam Qin quickly added, “Sister, don’t worry too much. Your husband is an exceptional man. Who knows? Maybe Jintong Pass will hold after all.”

Neither of them was in high spirits, so after a few more words, Madam Qin took her leave.

As soon as she was gone, Lin Chu hurried inside and started packing. She even got Jing He to help in the kitchen, making as many flatbreads as possible.

Even if Jing He was a bit slow to catch on, she could tell Lin Chu was getting ready to escape. Seeing how serious things were, she tried to reassure her. “Madam, don’t worry. Before the master left, he stationed a small squad nearby. If anything happens, their orders are to take you somewhere safe.”

Lin Chu had been waiting for those words. Wrapping the freshly made flatbreads in a clean cloth, she said, “We’re not fleeing south. Find someone who knows the terrain around the border well. We leave at midnight.”

Jing He wasn’t sure why Lin Chu needed a guide, but she obeyed.

Lin Chu had always thought they were on their own, but when she heard Jing He mimic a bird call and got a response from a distance, her eyes widened.

So there really was a secret way to pass messages?

Once the guide was arranged, Lin Chu ran to the study to retrieve the map. But the moment she opened it, she noticed new markings that weren’t hers.

She froze, carefully studying the revised route. The more she examined it, the more surprised she became.

Finally, her gaze locked onto Han Junye.

“You… drew this?”