Chapter 232: Faked Death

Zhang Jiaqi gave no one a chance to explain; she slammed the wine cup onto the ground, startling everyone. The spilled wine turned black instantly, bubbling with foul-smelling foam like a mass of rotting flesh. Every person present felt a chill, as if they had witnessed the arrival of Death itself.

Poison! The thought flashed through everyone's mind.

She said without expression: "When I trained in the mountains, I studied many toxins with my master. I noticed something wrong with this wine, so I interrupted Yi Fei."

Her tone was flat, as if describing a trivial matter. Yet the information she revealed shocked everyone.

Jiang Mingyu heard this and felt a cold sweat crawl down his back. The wine had been barely an inch from his lips; had Zhang Jiaqi not acted in time, his life would have ended right here.

Jiang Mingyu clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his flesh. He forced out two words through gritted teeth: "Who?"

His voice was icy, his eyes brimming with lethal fury. He looked like a caged beast ready to explode. The guests instantly paled, sensing Jiang Mingyu's rage had reached its peak.

Zhang Jiaqi frowned, scanning the room, observing every face and subtle movement, searching for the mastermind. She knew this poisoned wine was no accident—someone was manipulating events, and the target wasn't just Jiang Mingyu. She felt a growing sense of danger: she wasn't sure she could protect Jiang Mingyu, or even escape this trap herself.

Jiang Mingyu stared at the guests with bloodshot eyes, his expression terrifyingly volatile. His mind swarmed with confusion and rage—he couldn't understand why someone wanted him dead, or how to uncover the truth. All he knew was this: he would not let any suspect go free.

The entire scene sank into unbearable tension and awkward silence. Everyone silently speculated: who had poisoned the wine? Who wanted Jiang Mingyu dead? It was a riddle—and a deadly crisis. Whoever solved the riddle would escape the danger; whoever failed would die.

"Who did this?!"

Jiang Mingyu smashed his fist onto the table, fire blazing in his eyes. The guests fell silent, each privately wondering: had someone grown fearful of Jiang's growing power and decided to eliminate him as a major threat?

"Guards! Search the entire compound! Capture the assassin—do not let him escape!" Jiang Mingyu barked. The retainers immediately scrambled, searching every corner.

At that moment, the martial woman Zhang Jiaqi stepped forward, frowning: "This blend of toxins cannot be the work of servants. Someone powerful is behind this."

"Blend of toxins?" Jiang Mingyu frowned. "What do you mean?"

Zhang Jiaqi spun the wine cup in her hand and whispered: "The wine is not poisoned. The cup is not poisoned. But together, they form a deadly toxin. A cruelty beyond ordinary understanding."

Jiang Mingyu fell silent for a moment, then his face darkened: "Could it be that bastard Fei Hou playing his tricks again?!"

"Fei Hou!" Tukuslu roared, "I'll peel his skin off myself!"

Zhuge Yu also exploded in rage: "Master, we must guard against Fei Hou's assassins using poison again!"

Jiang Mingyu's expression grew grim: "They come unseen and vanish without a trace. Preventing these assassins is nearly impossible..."

Jiang Mingyu paused, then ordered sharply: "Bring every servant, supplier, and cook from tonight's banquet—find where the poison entered!"

Zhuge Yu shook his head immediately: "No. That will alert the enemy."

Jiang Mingyu frowned tightly: "This won't work, that won't work—what do you suggest?"

Zhuge Yu's lips curled into a sly smile: "I have an idea. It might lure the enemy out."

"What idea?" Jiang Mingyu pressed.

Zhuge Yu whispered two words: "Faked death."

"Faked death?" Jiang Mingyu frowned.

Zhuge Yu explained: "The enemy's target is the rebel leader. If you 'die,' the assassins will come to confirm it. Then I'll set a net inside the compound and capture them all—at no risk to us."

Jiang Mingyu's eyes lit up: "Excellent! Immediately begin mourning. Spread the word that I died from poison. Order the family to keep it secret—anyone who leaks it will be executed along with their clan."

The news spread. The festive banquet hall transformed into a solemn, silent funeral.

Grief and desolation filled the Jiang compound.

The grand hall was swept clean. Bright decorations were removed, replaced by vast sheets of white hemp cloth, covering every inch of space.

Dozens of white silk banners hung from the eaves, fluttering in the wind, bearing mournful inscriptions: "Lord Jiang Has Passed." Retainers in coarse hemp robes and hemp hoods moved silently back and forth, faces heavy with sorrow.

In the center of the hall stood an empty coffin. Zhuge Yu, Tukuslu, Liu Yifei, and others sat around it, dressed in hemp, faces hollow with despair. They whispered mournful chants, weeping over the coffin, sometimes collapsing onto it, wailing in anguish.

"Lord Jiang, you died before your time—how heart-wrenching!"

"How shall we ever repay your kindness, brother?"

Their agonized cries echoed through the empty courtyard, thunderous and raw, as if trying to release boundless grief from this sudden tragedy.

Had anyone observed closely, they would have seen the sharp glints in their eyes, the hidden signals exchanged. This mourning was merely a stage in the faked death plan—to lure the assassins into the trap.

Under the hazy night of Xiangcangzhou, a secluded courtyard glowed faintly with a swaying candle.

The veiled woman sat quietly, serene yet sorrowful. She wore a plain long dress, her face hidden by a veil, revealing only faint brows and eyes—her expression pained, yet tinged with anticipation.

Light footsteps approached. The door opened, and Tang Youli stepped in, radiant: "Master, I'm back. Jiang Mingyu is dead—the compound is in mourning!"

The veiled woman froze, her eyes flickering with complex emotion. She murmured softly: "So you finally died..." Then she burst into wild laughter, her voice trembling with tearful triumph.

Tang Youli stared, confused. She saw tears glistening in her master's eyes, her slender frame trembling. She could not fathom it—her master and Jiang Mingyu must share an unbridgeable blood feud.

As Tang Youli lingered in thought, the veiled woman regained her composure, her voice cold again: "Go see for yourself. Jiang Mingyu is cunning. Do not underestimate him."

Tang Youli snapped to attention. Jiang Mingyu's death was too suspicious. She nodded sharply: "Understood. I'll investigate again—I won't fall for his trap."

She pulled her veil back over her face and vanished into the night. Her heart burned with one purpose: revenge. She would kill Jiang Mingyu for her father.

The veiled woman watched her retreating figure, her gaze complex—part pity, part sorrow. She sighed: "Child, I hope you don't follow the same path... choose a different one..."

Under the vast night, Tang Youli crouched in the shadows beside the high wall of the Xiangcangzhou government compound. She watched ahead, alert for guards.

Just as she prepared to move, six black-clad figures surged from the wall's base, surrounding her. In the moonlight, their long blades gleamed coldly, encircling Tang Youli in a ring of steel.

"Damn! We've been tricked!" Tang Youli thought. These men were clearly Jiang Mingyu's ambush.

The six advanced, blades closing in. Tang Youli drew her hidden short sword and fought alone against the six. Steel clashed endlessly as she parried one blade, but another seized her opening—cutting straight for her throat!

Outnumbered, Tang Youli was soon overwhelmed and captured.

Soldiers dragged Tang Youli roughly into the compound. She looked up—and saw Jiang Mingyu standing at the head, wearing a mocking smirk.

"Zhuge Yu, your plan worked perfectly. Only a short while passed, and our guest has walked right in." Jiang Mingyu nodded in satisfaction.

He stepped forward, yanked the veil from Tang Youli's face, revealing her fierce beauty: "Ah, it's you. We meet again."

Then his voice turned icy: "Speak. Who is your master?"