Chapter 45: Such Valuable Things Can’t Be Left to That Dog Emperor

No one in the family drank the porridge, and Jiang Wan keenly noticed that the officers brought by Ren Bang didn’t drink it either.

They first ate the steamed buns and discreetly disposed of the porridge while the Xu family wasn’t paying attention.

Before long, everyone who drank the porridge began nodding off, looking like they were about to pass out.

Jiang Wan and Song Jiuyuan exchanged a glance. In silent agreement, they signaled to the rest of their family to play along and pretend to faint— even the officers followed suit.

Shen Qian, who had eagerly volunteered to distribute the porridge, was just about to drink hers when she saw everyone collapse. Holding the bowl, she stood there confused.

“Brother Xu, what’s going on? What happened to everyone?!”

She was frightened, her hands trembling, a wave of unease rising in her heart. Xu Wei smiled gently and reached out to take the bowl from her hands.

“Qianqian, don’t be scared. They’ll be fine.”

“But…”

Shen Qian’s face turned pale from fear. Suddenly, Jiang Wan’s earlier warning echoed in her mind. She hurriedly looked toward Jiang Wan, only to find that Jiang Wan had also fainted.

“Brother Xu, what are you trying to do?”

At this moment, the large threshing ground seemed to hold only Xu Wei and Shen Qian. The village chief had intentionally left a few brief moments just for his precious grandson.

Once Xu Wei dealt with Shen Qian, the villagers would arrive to carry out the real plan.

Xu Wei’s fingers touched Shen Qian’s face, lightly pinching her cheek. His rough fingers lifted her chin.

“You’re different from them. They’re destined to become slaves to our village. But you—you could be my wife. Later, you’ll become the village chief’s wife. They’ll be your servants forever. Isn’t that good?”

To be honest, Shen Qian was tempted for a moment. But remembering the formidable officers, she trembled again. “But… but the officers…”

“Don’t be afraid!”

Xu Wei wrapped his arms around her waist. “So what if they’re officers? It’s not like we haven’t captured any before. Once they’re taken to that place, no one comes out. The court will never find out.”

Xu Wei was confident. Shen Qian trembled, but when faced with his icy gaze, she dared not resist. She just bit her lip nervously.

“What, you’re unwilling to be with me?!”

Xu Wei suddenly tightened his grip on her chin. “You’d rather follow that exiled husband than be with me?”

If Shen Qian didn’t have some looks and wasn’t a government woman, Xu Wei wouldn’t have even considered taking a married woman as his wife.

“N-no…”

Shen Qian didn’t dare argue, and Xu Wei assumed she’d given in. He hugged her and prepared to indulge himself.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wan’s mind was full of questions, but at this point, it wasn’t up to her whether this situation ended or not.

Since Ren Bang was pretending to be unconscious, they just needed to wake up at the same time he did.

As she was brooding, the unconscious Song Jiuyuan’s fingertip landed on her hand, startling Jiang Wan so much she didn’t move.

Where their fingers touched, it felt like something was flowing into her palm. Jiang Wan wanted to pull away from Song Jiuyuan but was afraid a sudden movement would alert Xu Wei.

Then she realized Song Jiuyuan was writing something with his fingertip on her palm.

He was trying to send her a message.

Stroke by stroke, like feathers brushing across her skin, he wrote. It tickled a little, but Jiang Wan focused only on deciphering it.

After one word was complete, Jiang Wan realized he wrote: “Wait.”

Wait…

Wait until these people reveal their true intentions.

Jiang Wan gently tapped his fingertip to indicate she understood. Their sneaky exchange stirred mixed feelings in Song Jiuyuan.

What stirred him even more was how she could understand him with so little effort. Jiang Wan was truly meticulous when it came to him.

Jiang Wan: …

On the other side, Xu Wei kissed the corner of Shen Qian’s eye. Her body trembled even more. Xu Wei whispered hoarsely,

“Be good. Otherwise, you’ll end up just like them.”

“I… I understand.”

Shen Qian was nearly in tears, bitterly regretting that moment outside the ruined temple when she was tempted by the meat Xu Wei was holding.

Xu Wei didn’t care about her feelings. Hugging her slender waist, he waved his hand, signaling the village chief, Xu Lizheng, to bring over a dozen strong young men from the village.

“Same routine—send them to the entrance first.”

Xu Lizheng looked full of energy, nothing like the frail old man who had leaned on a cane when he first arrived at the village entrance. His vigor terrified Shen Qian.

“A government woman with this kind of poise?”

Xu Lizheng scoffed a little, but since his grandson liked her, he’d let him enjoy it for now. When he got bored, he’d swap her out. This wasn’t the first time, after all—Xu Lizheng was quite open-minded.

But Shen Qian was having a miserable time.

Jiang Wan and the others continued to play unconscious. Someone lifted them onto an ox cart, and they were transported somewhere.

Even though Jiang Wan was pretending to be unconscious, her powerful spiritual sense allowed her to quietly memorize the route.

“Little Elf, draw me a map.”

Jiang Wan was testing the system, not expecting it to actually respond.

“Yes, Master.”

Apparently, the system still had many functions she didn’t know about. She would have to explore them slowly.

Including the officers, there were nearly 300 people being exiled. With only ten ox carts, Xu Lizheng and the others had to make three or four trips.

Jiang Wan’s group was right in the middle batch. Once their cart left and they were alone again, she opened her eyes and locked eyes with Ren Bang and Song Jiuyuan.

“Thanks for the heads-up, girl. Otherwise, we’d be screwed.”

“So, Officer, what’s your plan?”

Song Jiuyuan remained calm. They seemed to be at the foot of a mountain now.

The villagers, perhaps too confident, had left them unguarded.

Ren Bang glanced at his awakened comrades and said directly, “I want to see what their true goal is. At the right moment, we’ll flip the tables and report them!”

“We’ll cooperate with you.”

Jiang Wan and Song Jiuyuan exchanged another look. Just then, they heard the sound of ox carts again. The three of them quickly lay back down and feigned unconsciousness.

This time, Xu Wei returned with Shen Qian in tow. Shen Qian looked at the unconscious people on the ground and trembled as she asked:

“B-Brother Xu, where… where are we?”

She still didn’t know the purpose of Xu Wei and the villagers, but she was already scared stiff.

“You want to know what we’re doing?”

Xu Wei smiled. “Since you’re already here, I’ll tell you. Beneath this mountain is a mine. These people were captured to dig for us. If you don’t want to be with me, then go dig with them. Don’t expect to ever leave.”

“M-mine…?”

Shen Qian was dumbfounded. She never imagined this would be the outcome. Locked in a dark mountain to mine for the rest of her life? She absolutely refused.

So she pitifully tugged at Xu Wei’s sleeve. “Brother Xu, I never said I didn’t want to be with you.”

So… she was willing to go with Xu Wei?

Jiang Wan rolled her eyes silently. Wouldn’t Song Chen be furious if he heard this?

But… a mine?

Jiang Wan’s heart stirred. For Xu Wei and the others to go this far, it had to be a gold or silver mine. What else could it be?

Oh. My. God.
Something this valuable can’t be left to that dog emperor!

No way—if they didn’t loot this place, it’d be a waste. Jiang Wan’s brain buzzed as she furiously thought of how to quietly empty out that gold or silver mine.

Xu Wei, holding Shen Qian, laughed smugly. “Don’t worry. Once they’re in, they’ll never get out. As for those Jiang Wan people you hate so much, you can do whatever you want with them, alright?”

Though he said that, he couldn’t help but lick his lips. Once they suffered enough, they’d beg to please him.

Then he could taste the flavor of those women too.