Chapter 27: Negotiating a Deal is the Worst Possible Strategy

Jiang Nian felt a moment of dizziness. The dagger had only pierced her skin, yet the pain was already this intense; had it truly struck her heart, she would have certainly met the King of Hell on the spot.

She slowly raised her eyes, locking them once more onto Meng Yingying’s gaze. This was the critical moment of negotiation, and she could not afford to retreat. Once she begged for mercy, her death would be certain.

Steeling herself, Jiang Nian feigned a defeated smile. "Meng Yingying, kill me then. If I die, you will never know the truth behind General Meng’s death for as long as you live!"

"Do you think I dare not?"

"You have already dragged me here; is there anything you would not dare to do?" With those words, Jiang Nian closed her eyes and tilted her head back, seemingly waiting for the blade to fall upon her throat.

Meng Yingying’s fury burned ever brighter, yet she found herself increasingly unable to strike. The matter of the letter, as Jiang Nian had described it, was enough to convince her that Jiang Nian knew the inner secrets of the past.

But she was unwilling—why should she be manipulated by Jiang Nian yet again?

Before her, Jiang Nian wore an expression of calm resignation. Threats against the Jiang family or further physical harm were clearly useless; she had no choice but to compromise.

A moment later, Meng Yingying pulled the dagger away and threw it to the ground.

Hearing the metallic clang, Jiang Nian breathed a sigh of relief, only for a wave of intense, pervasive pain to wash over her.

She doubled over. "Go to the Lake Pavilion. I must ensure that Green Wax is unharmed!"

"Jiang Nian! Do not push your luck!"

"Go to the Lake Pavilion!"

From the moment Meng Yingying had compromised, the power dynamic between them had shifted. It was no longer Jiang Nian begging to live; it was Meng Yingying desperate to know the truth.

Jiang Nian persisted: "Either we return to the Lake Pavilion to find her, or you can just stab me to death right now!"

"You!" Meng Yingying’s voice trembled, her face flushed red with rage.

She immediately raised her hand and struck Jiang Nian across the face. Seeing Jiang Nian curl up in pain, she finally felt a small measure of satisfaction.

"Fine, as you wish! But if you dare to deceive me, I will make you pay a price a hundred times more painful than this!"

Jiang Nian did not care about the slap; she only wanted to save Green Wax.

In the next instant, her eyes were blindfolded again. The rope around her ankles was cut, but her hands remained bound behind her back.

Someone yanked her arms with brutal force, forcing her to stand.

As she was dragged out of the main gate, she tried to calmly determine their direction based on the layout, but before she was pushed into the carriage, someone grabbed her shoulders and spun her around several times.

By the time she was inside the carriage, she was dizzy and disoriented, unable to tell north from south.

Jiang Nian regretted her own arrogance. Relying on her knowledge of the original book’s plot, she had underestimated Meng Yingying. None of the main characters were fools!

After the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, Jiang Nian heard someone outside the carriage say, "Miss, we have arrived. There is no one at the Lake Pavilion."

Meng Yingying said coldly, "Go and find that girl."

After waiting for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the maid returned in a hurry. "Miss, the boatman is a simpleton! A woman selling tassels by the lake said that the boatman brought the girl back to the shore. He was grumbling about how he thought he could earn some silver, only to end up tangled in this mess. The girl had already woken up before we arrived and ran away!"

"Damn it! Turn back immediately! She must have gone back to report this!" Meng Yingying was exasperated. Turning her head, she saw tears streaming down Jiang Nian’s face.

She was slightly stunned. Had she known Jiang Nian cared so much for the maid, she would have captured her as well.

Now, not only had she failed to threaten Jiang Nian, but she had also let someone escape to raise the alarm.

"Jiang Nian! Now that your maid is confirmed to be safe, you should tell the truth!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nian nodded. If she had caused harm to Green Wax, she would never have found peace. She was immensely grateful that the boatman was a good person.

Her heart finally settled. "Untie my hands; I need to wipe my tears."

The next moment, a handkerchief was used to wipe her face with rough, forceful strokes.

Jiang Nian calculated silently. From Meng Yingying’s hideout to Sun-Moon Lake was only a short journey; as long as the authorities were notified, she would be rescued soon. But… she dared not guarantee that Lady Jiang wouldn't harbor the same thoughts as her second aunt—refusing to report the incident for the sake of "reputation."

Meng Yingying was losing patience. "Speak!"

"Fine, I will speak. The letter was soaked not because the messenger had nowhere to hide from the rain. He deliberately said he did not want to disturb your mother, but he insisted on waiting for you in the rain outside the estate—he never intended for that letter to be seen by anyone else."

Meng Yingying felt as if her heart had been struck by a heavy blow. For so many years, she had lived in guilt and self-reproach, yet Jiang Nian claimed the letter had not been ruined because of her own childish carelessness.

Her voice was hoarse. "How did you come to know this? You and I are of the same age; that year, you were but a child..."

"I tell you this only because Green Wax is safe. If you want to know more, let me go."

Meng Yingying could not hear her; her eyes bloodshot, she pressed down on Jiang Nian’s shoulders. "If your Jiang family had nothing to do with my father’s death, how could you possibly know such inner secrets!"

A immense force pressed down on her shoulders, making the pain in Jiang Nian’s chest even worse. She gasped, retorting, "If my family had been involved in such a grave matter, why would we not have risen to greatness by now?"

"Then how do you know! Tell me!"

"Let me go." Jiang Nian knew that the more she said, the fewer cards she would have left to play.

Hearing this, Meng Yingying assumed Jiang Nian meant for her to release her grip. She slowly withdrew her hands. Just then, the carriage stopped, and Meng Yingying began to regain her composure.

She personally dragged Jiang Nian into the house and shoved her to the floor in a fit of frustration.

Let her go? Did Jiang Nian truly know more secrets? The Jiang family were nobodies, surely not confidants to any powerful figures. She could not be certain if Jiang Nian was merely deceiving her to save her own life.

"Jiang Nian, do not play games with me! What else do you know!"

Jiang Nian struggled for a long time before managing to sit up. "You managed to kidnap me once; do you think there won't be a second time? If I were to lie to you, do you think you would let it go?"

She knew clearly that negotiating with Meng Yingying was a desperate, last-resort strategy. She had already been pulled into the plot, and now, with the matter of General Meng involved, Meng Yingying would be latched onto her for good.

"Meng Yingying, don't you want to know the truth?"

"How can you prove that this is not something you fabricated?"

"Whether this is true or false is not hard to verify. Although so many years have passed, as long as the messenger is still alive, there must be traces to follow. For you, finding him should not be difficult, right?"

"You must know more. Speak! Jiang Nian, tell me everything you know. You have no other choice!"

"Let me leave this place." Jiang Nian insisted.

Meng Yingying remained silent for a few moments. Crushing Jiang Nian would be as easy as crushing an ant; she could indeed let her go, but she was unwilling.

Sitting on the floor, Jiang Nian, with the black cloth still covering her eyes, relied entirely on her sense of hearing.

But now, Meng Yingying was silent, and there seemed to be someone whispering nearby.