Chapter 198: Prison Break

Fortunately, Xing Xing Youli knelt on the ground wailing, tears falling like rain. Jiang Jiang Mingyu was about to pass judgment when a servant suddenly spoke: "Is this not the daughter of Tang Si Ma? How could she be here?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was greatly shocked and pressed the man: "Are you sure?" Now it was as if he had fallen into an ice cellar; if she was indeed Tang Cheng An's daughter, everything made sense!

The servant answered respectfully: "My Lord, this humble one once saw her visit Inspector Wang together with Tang Si Ma. It is indeed her, without error."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's brows knitted tightly, dark clouds gathering; he stared at Xing Xing Youli and demanded: "Is the matter truly so?"

Xing Xing Youli's face turned pale; she could no longer utter a single word.

Seeing her silent as a winter cicada, Jiang Jiang Mingyu already knew the truth. He walked over slowly, his gaze sweeping over Xing Xing Youli like that of a hawk, and said through gritted teeth:

"So that is how it is! You are actually the daughter of that beast Tang Cheng An! No wonder you knew the ins and outs; you had been colluding with Wang Wang Jingchun all along!"

Xing Xing Youli sobbed uncontrollably and pleaded: "My Lord, I am innocent! I have never left the Liu Manor..."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu slapped her across the face and roared: "Still want to argue? Your father's entire family has been executed. Today I will certainly flay you alive to vent my army's hatred!"

Xing Xing Youli clutched her head and screamed in agony. Jiang Jiang Mingyu watched coldly, a raging fire burning in his heart. This woman was actually a daughter of the Tang family, disguised as a maid of the Liu family to infiltrate here. She was sinister and poisonous; she was undoubtedly a spy!

Xing Xing Youli finally removed her disguise and said viciously: "Yes, I am Tang Xing Youli, daughter of Tang Cheng An! You killed my father; I will surely take revenge!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sneered: "What a fine Tang Xing Youli! Pretending to be noble for ten years, only to seek revenge out of resentment!"

Zhu Ge Yu was still out of the loop. Jiang Jiang Mingyu explained: "My previous actions were merely the first step to draw the snake out of its hole. Then I forced everyone to kneel in punishment; the purpose was to wait for the spy to reveal a flaw."

"Innocent people knelt for a day and fell asleep, but only the guilty spy remained alert and looked around, fearing exposure. That is how I caught her!"

Zhu Ge Yu suddenly understood and repeatedly praised his master's divine foresight.

With a stern face, Jiang Jiang Mingyu said to Tang Xing Youli: "I did not expect you to speak of benevolence and righteousness while your heart was extremely poisonous, deceiving the world and stealing fame for ten years! Today I will certainly flay you alive to vent my army's deep blood feud!"

Tang Xing Youli sneered: "Even if you kill me, you cannot hide the truth from heaven and earth! You usurped the throne and rebelled, killing my father and his entire family. The cycle of heaven and earth will surely bring retribution one day!"

Tang Xing Youli mocked: "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, have you finally succeeded? When my father was harmed that day, I could only escape in disguise, secretly nursing my hatred!"

"Later, when you recruited the common people, I took the opportunity to infiltrate the Liu Manor as a maid. I finally learned of your plan to attack Ling Na. I secretly sent the message to Wang Wang Jingchun and set an ambush with him, intending to eliminate you, this calamity!"

Tang Xing Youli's voice trembled, tears bursting from her eyes: "How I wished I could kill you with my own hands to avenge my father! But alas, your life is as hard as iron; you remained unscathed. All my careful planning has come to nothing!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu watched coldly and said nothing.

Tang Xing Youli said in despair: "Forget it. I have only one path left: death. If you want to kill or flay me, just do it quickly!"

Having said that, she suddenly widened her eyes and stared viciously at Jiang Jiang Mingyu, her voice rising and falling: "I, Tang Xing Youli, will never beg for mercy! You, this rebel, will sooner or later face heavenly punishment and see your family destroyed!"

"At that time, my wronged soul will surely haunt you, making your life worse than death!"

Tang Xing Youli closed her eyes, waiting for the judgment of fate. Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked at her, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He remembered the tragic fates of Zhang Zhang Jiani and Tu Tu Kesiluo; a surge of anger could no longer be controlled. He ordered coldly: "Throw this venomous woman into the great prison. Tomorrow, execute her publicly to carry out Zheng Fa for the fallen martyrs!"

Tang Xing Youli was bound with five flowers and dragged away half by force. Jiang Jiang Mingyu's chest remained heavy with pent-up feelings; the twists and turns of fate were hard to predict.

He realized that his rise would inevitably offend vested interests, and more hidden arrows would be hard to guard against. Today it was Tang Xing Youli; tomorrow, who knew who else would come?

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sighed deeply, a thousand thoughts surging into his heart. He understood that to remain single-minded, he must complete his hegemony and unify the world as soon as possible!

Zhu Ge Yu pondered for a moment and said: "Master, tomorrow is a good time to send out the troops. Executing Tang Xing Youli will surely greatly boost our army's morale!" A hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes; as long as she was eliminated, it would strike at Wang Wang Jingchun's morale and also avenge his brothers.

"Moreover, Wang Wang Jingchun will never expect that we, having just suffered a crushing defeat, would launch a swift counterattack. Our army will surely catch him off guard and defeat him in one blow!" His tone was firm; he had already arranged everything, waiting only for tomorrow's battle.

Speaking, Zhu Ge Yu's expression became solemn: "More critically, the Six Shangshan Jian army is already approaching. We must seize Ling Na first!" He pointed to a mountain city on the map. That place was a strategic hub of You Beijing; if they could occupy it, they could block the Six Shangshan Jian advance and also leave themselves a retreat route.

After hearing this, a sharp light flashed in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes, and he nodded repeatedly: "Disciple, your strategy is brilliant! In that case, execute Tang Xing Youli tomorrow morning to dedicate the flag before marching out." He patted Zhu Ge Yu's shoulder, showing appreciation and trust.

"I will personally lead Zhang Zhang Jiaqi and others, raise another ten thousand brave soldiers, and absolutely capture Wang Wang Jingchun alive!"

Suddenly, he remembered something and instructed Zhu Ge Yu: "Keep this matter hidden from Liu Liu Yifei for now. Her nature is gentle; if she learns the truth, she will blame herself endlessly."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu could not bear to make her sad. Zhu Ge Yu nodded in understanding, and only then did Jiang Jiang Mingyu feel relieved and withdraw. The two had already agreed: early tomorrow morning, Jiang Jiang Mingyu would raise troops to seize Ling Na! This time, they would surely catch Wang Wang Jingchun off guard, crush him with the speed of thunder before one can cover one's ears, and complete the unification of You Beijing!

Early the next morning, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was already full of energy, preparing to personally lead the great army on campaign. He wore a brocade battle robe, a precious sword hung at his waist, and a golden crown on his head; his bearing was magnificent. He walked out of the tent and saw that thousands of soldiers and horses were already fully equipped and ready to depart, with banners fluttering and horns sounding loudly.

He waved his hand and ordered: "Go to the prison and bring Tang Xing Youli here for beheading!" He wanted to use Tang Xing Youli's fresh blood to mourn his dead friends and also let Wang Wang Jingchun see his determination and majesty.

Not long after, a guard ran back in a panic: "Report, My Lord, Tang Xing Youli has escaped!" His voice trembled; he dared not look directly into Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes.

"What?!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu was greatly shocked, and instantly flew into a rage. He strode toward the prison with the speed of wind, roaring all the way: "Useless trash! You cannot even guard a woman!" He secretly cursed himself for being too careless; he had failed to strengthen the guard, giving Tang Xing Youli an opportunity.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's face changed abruptly. He kicked open the wooden door of the great prison and saw that no one was inside; Tang Xing Youli was already nowhere to be found. He paced restlessly in the cell, rapidly calculating Tang Xing Youli's possible escape routes in his mind. She was a clever and cunning woman; she would surely take advantage of the night to blend into the crowd or change into men's clothing and disguise herself as a soldier. He must send people to pursue her immediately; he could not let her escape alive.

At this moment, a jailer trembled and pointed to the corner. There, a unlucky man wearing a jailer's uniform lay dead, a sharp short dagger stuck in his chest. The hilt still trembled slightly, as if vividly recounting the tragic case that had just occurred. Blood seeped from the wound, staining the ground red.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu narrowed his eyes, examining the dead man's wound. It was deep enough to reach the bone; one could imagine how ruthless and decisive the attacker's strike had been. He squatted down and carefully examined every detail on the dead man's body, hoping to find the key clue to solve this mystery. He noticed that the dead man's clothes had been torn at one corner, revealing a small pocket.

At this moment, a soldier spoke timidly: "Report, report, My Lord. The deceased was the night watch jailer from last night. We found this on his body." Saying this, the soldier solemnly handed over a cloth bag. He could not believe the scene before his eyes; this jailer had been amiable and diligent in daily life. How could he have any connection with Tang Xing Youli?

Jiang Jiang Mingyu quickly opened the bag and saw it was filled with gleaming gold. It turned out that this jailer had accepted a bribe from Tang Xing Youli, planning to open the door last night to let her leave, but was silenced by the ruthless Tang Xing Youli. Jiang Jiang Mingyu angrily threw the gold onto the ground. Gold coins scattered in all directions, making a crisp sound.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu clenched his fists, veins bulging. He regretted his carelessness; he had actually let Tang Xing Youli, this heartless and ruthless woman, successfully escape his grasp. Now he could only set up a net of heaven and earth again, swearing to capture her and bring her to justice.

"Tell Zhu Ge Yu to issue a manhunt for Tang Xing Youli throughout the entire region. She must not be allowed to escape." He ordered coldly. If this woman was not eliminated, she would surely become a great threat in the future.