QT: The Rescue Of The Miserable Bigshots-Chapter 310 - 10.11

"Your Highness, he..."

Mu Qingfeng raised his hand and pointed at Jiang Jiamian, instinctively trying to speak in his own defense.

Unfortunately, the moment his gaze met Xiao Jinan’s icy, piercing eyes, all the words lodged in his throat. His face drained of color, his limbs went cold, and his body stiffened as though frozen in place.

He had followed Xiao Jinan for many years.

He knew far too well what that look meant.

It was the gaze the King of Huainan wore when his fury had reached its peak, when killing someone was no longer a thought, but an intention.

But today, that gaze was not directed at Jiang Jiamian, the person Mu Qingfeng had believed would unquestionably bear the brunt of the punishment.

It was fixed on him.

Nothing had gone the way he expected.

"Guards."

Xiao Jinan’s voice was calm, devoid of emotion. His eyes lowered slightly to the servants kneeling on the ground as he spoke.

"Mu Qingfeng disrespected the Queen Consort. Worse still, he acted two-faced and disobedient, making decisions on his own and violating my greatest taboo. Take him away and beat him to death."

Beaten to death?!

Mu Qingfeng’s eyes widened as disbelief flooded his face. He stared at the man who had uttered those words so coldly, his rationality finally collapsing.

"Your Highness!" He shouted hoarsely. "I’ve served you for eight years! Eight years of unwavering loyalty, without a single thought of betrayal! Are you truly going to execute me today for an enemy, someone who opposed you at every turn for four years?!"

Not only execute him, but have him beaten to death!

Mu Qingfeng knew well that Xiao Jinan often personally punished his subordinates, to intimidate them, to assert dominance, to relish the act of killing with his own hands.

But this time, Xiao Jinan did not even deign to do that.

Was it disdain?

Or indifference?

The difference between the two was immeasurable.

Yet Mu Qingfeng had no time to dwell on it. His ears rang, his mind blank except for one terrifying truth... Xiao Jinan intended to kill him.

To kill him for a prisoner who bore the title of Queen Consort.

For eight years, he had served faithfully.

Could he truly be worth less than an enemy who had once blocked the king’s path to the throne?

And besides... he had only wanted to make things difficult for Jiang Jiamian to vent his anger.

The steward of the Huainan King’s residence, who had rushed out after hearing the disturbance at the gate, could not help but step forward.

"Yes, Your Highness, Young Master Mu has served you for many years..."

"Anyone who pleads for him will be beaten to death."

Xiao Jinan’s cold words cut through the air before the steward could finish. His gaze alone forced the man to swallow the rest of his plea.

The steward retreated at once.

Didn’t he see that the king’s expression was already terrifyingly grim? At such a moment, speaking further would only court death.

Xiao Jinan lifted his hand slightly.

The servants no longer dared to hesitate. Several of them rushed forward and seized Mu Qingfeng.

"Don’t blame me for being ruthless." Xiao Jinan said coldly, watching Mu Qingfeng struggle. "Blame yourself for using my name to satisfy your selfish desires. I do not need subordinates who act without permission."

His voice grew colder with each word. "You dared to humiliate the Queen Consort while I was away today. If I let you live, who’s to say you wouldn’t secretly collude with the enemy tomorrow? I absolutely cannot keep someone like you."

"I... I didn’t..."

Mu Qingfeng looked up, desperately wanting to explain, but no words came.

He wanted to say he had misjudged the king’s intentions.

But it was true, Xiao Jinan had never ordered him to target the Queen Consort.

He wanted to say he had only been venting his anger on the king’s behalf.

Yet deep down, he knew that his resentment toward Jiang Jiamian, this enemy occupying the Queen Consort’s title, had mixed into his actions.

"Take him away."

Xiao Jinan had lost all patience.

"And as for all of you..." He continued coldly, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling servants, "I am the master of this manor. Did I ever say you could obey Mu Qingfeng’s orders in my absence? Just because he claimed responsibility, you dared to disregard my authority? Mu Qingfeng will be beaten to death. You will all be fined half a year’s salary."

The servants dared not argue. They repeatedly thanked the king for sparing their lives before hurriedly dragging Mu Qingfeng away.

Silence gradually returned to the entrance.

Only then did Xiao Jinan turn and take Jiang Jiamian’s hand.

He announced firmly, his voice carrying through the courtyard, "From this day forward, Jiang Jiamian is not only my Queen Consort, but also my general."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

"He stands as my equal. Whether in the Huainan King’s manor or in the military camp, seeing him is seeing me. Anyone who dares to disrespect him again will die."

Jiang Jiamian: "..."

Good grief.

He had spent so much effort staging an act, only for this man to steal all the spotlight at the end.

How annoying!

Hmph!

He would punish him tonight, starting from the wedding night.

"General?!"

At Huainan Pass, Zhang An’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the dust-covered figure riding into the military camp.

When the guards had reported the general’s arrival, he had thought they were mistaken.

After all, he had already heard everything over the past few days, the execution of Old General Jiang, the death of General Jiang Qingshan in prison, and the forced marriage of the young general to the King of Huainan.

Each piece of news had been worse than the last, leaving him anxious and furious, powerless to do anything but worry.

But now, what was he seeing?

The general who had supposedly died was standing before him, alive and well.

And he had arrived at Huainan Pass.

"Zhang An!"

Jiang Qingshan dismounted immediately upon seeing him. "Where is Jiamian?"

Zhang An’s expression darkened. "Young General Jiang, he..."

After hesitating, Zhang An suddenly dropped to his knees.

"General, please punish me! It was my incompetence, I failed to stop the wedding procession. General Jiang Jiamian has already been sent to the King of Huainan’s residence!"

Jiang Qingshan stepped forward and pulled him up. "I already know. Don’t blame yourself. Once he made his decision, no one could have changed it. I only thought he might stay here a little longer before leaving."

"General... you know everything?" Zhang An asked hesitantly. "And... did the Young General rescue you? Old General Jiang, he truly..."

Questions flooded his mind... about the Jiang family, about Jiang Jiamian.

Most of all, was the marriage forced by circumstance, or chosen willingly?

If Jiang Jiamian had no other choice, Zhang An would find a way to ensure Xiao Jinan did not humiliate him.

But if it had been his own decision...

Zhang An smiled bitterly.

At this hour, the wedding ceremony was probably already underway.

Jiang Qingshan let out a deep sigh and turned toward the camp.

"Let’s go inside, we’ll talk there."

Zhang An had followed the Jiang family for many years. Though titled a deputy general, he had practically grown up in the Jiang household.

With the family now facing disaster, his anxiety was only natural.

The Huainan King’s manor.

"Have you decided?"

Red candles flickered, and the bedclothes were a swirl of red. What should have been a romantic wedding night had instead turned into a genuine fight between Jiang Jiamian and Xiao Jinan on the bed.

Literally, a real fight.

They fought with great vigor, and when they were finally lying side by side, panting and exhausted, Jiang Jiamian suddenly asked that question.

It was completely unrelated to the moment, yet Xiao Jinan understood instantly.

Jiang Jiamian was asking about the question he had left unanswered before leaving for the capital, the question of rebellion.

"It’s decided."

Xiao Jinan reached out and wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him into a close embrace. "I have no other choice. Since there’s no other way out, I might as well go all the way. Before, I was alone. Even if the Emperor was wary of me, I could turn a blind eye and focus only on protecting myself. But now, there are two of us. Once the Emperor discovers your true situation in the King of Huainan’s mansion, that it isn’t what he imagined, he will definitely fly into a rage and make things difficult for us."

Jiang Jiamian raised an eyebrow and sneered. "Mm. He’ll assume you brought me here to take revenge, to torture me until I wish I were dead."

Xiao Jinan chuckled. "How could I bear to? Still, it’s not just him who thinks that way, the whole world does. But you’re already here, and the truth will soon come out. Rather than waiting for that dog Emperor to react and stir up trouble, we might as well take the initiative and overthrow his throne first."

Jiang Jiamian propped himself up from Xiao Jinan’s arms, suddenly leaned in, and stole a kiss from his lips.

Tilting his head, he smiled frivolously.

"This is the King of Huainan I wanted! Tomorrow, I’ll have the Jiang family army and your Huainan forces begin preparations together. However..."

"However, what?"

Seeing the troubled expression that suddenly appeared on Jiang Jiamian’s face, Xiao Jinan already had a rough idea, but he still asked.

Jiang Jiamian sighed and sat up. "However, the Jiang family army and the soldiers of the King of Huainan’s mansion have been sworn enemies for four years. They’ve fought and killed each other, and the hatred runs deep. Getting them to truly unite will probably take a great deal of effort from both of us."

Xiao Jinan sat up as well and placed an arm around his shoulder in reassurance.

"There are no permanent friends or enemies. Before, it was simply a matter of differing positions, the Jiang family army was guarding the border under imperial orders. Now that they know what has happened to the Jiang family, they certainly won’t remain loyal to the Emperor. As for the people under the King of Huainan’s banner, don’t worry. I can handle them."

"Mm."

Jiang Jiamian gradually relaxed. "I’m not worried. I’m just thinking that if we fight side by side, there will inevitably be friction and entanglements. So I’ve decided this: strategically, we’ll share the same stance and objectives, but in actual combat, we won’t fight together."

He went on, "Either one of us will act as the vanguard while the other provides support, or one will launch a night raid while the other breaks through elsewhere. In short, we’ll coordinate with each other, but operate independently."

Xiao Jinan nodded. "That is indeed safer."

Jiang Jiamian continued, "You’ll be responsible for the people of the King of Huainan’s mansion. The Jiang family army will still be commanded by my father and me. We’ll coordinate and cooperate."

"Mm. Mm?!"

Xiao Jinan had just finished saying ’mm’ when he suddenly realized something. "Your father? He’s still alive?!"

Then how could the news sent back by his spy in the capital claim that Jiang Qingshan had died of illness in prison, when in truth, he had been poisoned by the Tuojia faction?