"Madam, please save our lives, and we will erect a tablet of longevity to honor you forever, wishing you a long life." The scarred eunuch spoke first, "Please grant our wish!"
Under his lead, everyone hastily kowtowed to Diao Chan, begging her to spare their lives.
But Diao Chan was no longer the delicate young girl she once was. Having learned much strength and skill from Ye Feng, she let out a cold snort, "I'm telling you, if you think you can control me like this, you've made the wrong calculation!"
The scarred eunuch quickly exchanged a look with his subordinates and hurried to say, "We dare not think so. We only hope Madam can knock us all unconscious, which would also preserve our lives!"
"Well done, eunuch. To this point, you still dare to deceive me. You are ungrateful. I have no need to keep you!" Diao Chan reprimanded sternly, "Attack!"
For a moment, the men reopened the wooden door. Seeing the sky-filling volley of arrows about to fly, the scarred eunuch hastily shouted, "Madam, wait! We are all sincere and dare not deceive you!"
Diao Chan paused, cast a glance at the scarred eunuch, and said with a frosty tone, "I find your sincerity very questionable. Tell me, how can you impress me!"
The scarred eunuch frowned and thought for a moment, then finally said, "We can tie ourselves up. Even if we have the will to resist, we will have no strength to do so. Will Madam be at ease then!"
"Good, be quick. Don't make Madam wait impatiently, or who knows what might happen!" Diao Chan threatened, then reclined on a chair, watching them bustle about.
Diao Chan's thoughts had already drifted to the highest heavens. She touched her forehead, lost in thought.
After a while, she heard someone gently call out, "Madam, Madam!"
Diao Chan snapped back to attention, looking at the eunuchs tied together in a line, and couldn't help but chuckle. But the person next to her hurried to say, "Madam, now is a good opportunity. To avoid further complications, why not deal with all these people..."
Diao Chan's brows furrowed, and she began to curse, "With the King of Chu absent, I cannot control you all. How can you do such a thing? Are you truly making me ashamed before the world!"
The deputy general, a shrewd and experienced man, understood Diao Chan's situation. He quickly retorted, "Madam, now is an excellent time for the King of Chu to act. To gain land, extraordinary measures are necessary. We must not be soft-hearted!"
"In that case, I cannot manage you. You decide for yourselves!" Diao Chan flicked her sleeve and was about to leave, but the deputy general grabbed her, "Madam, please give us a plan, or our brothers will rebel!"
"You are full of ideas. What plan do you need now? Do as you please!" Diao Chan berated angrily.
The men tied together rejoiced, feeling they had found an opportunity and were eager to escape immediately.
Only the scarred eunuch stared intently at Diao Chan. He felt an unreality, fearing something big was about to happen. Little did he know, this slight intuition saved his life!
The scarred eunuch looked a few more times and then hurried to Diao Chan. Diao Chan glanced at him and said coldly, "Something wrong?"
"Madam, you are currently in need of a capable subordinate. How about me."
Diao Chan was about to leave but was pestered by the scarred eunuch. Helpless, she yelled, "Guards!"
Instantly, a throng of men surrounded the scarred eunuch. He swallowed hard and hastily said, "I mean no harm. I only hope Madam can spare my life!"
Suddenly hearing cries of agony, the scarred eunuch turned to see that his brothers had all met their demise. The scene was brutal, strengthening his resolve to cling to Diao Chan. Who knew if he would be next!
"Madam, you don't trust others because they are useless. But I, I can help you." The scarred eunuch spoke urgently, "As long as you spare me, I can do many things!"
Diao Chan's interest was piqued. She sized up the scarred eunuch, whose face was still somewhat handsome. "How can you help me," she said, then chuckled, "You are indeed clever, knowing I would not let them go. But do you not harbor any resentment!"
The scarred eunuch's face was filled with nervousness. This was a death trap. If he admitted resentment, how could Diao Chan keep him by her side, leading to his certain demise. Yet, if he showed indifference to his brothers' fate, who would dare to employ such a person.
After careful consideration, the scarred eunuch spoke cautiously, "Madam killed them because they deserved to die and were useless. But I can help Madam, help the King of Chu gather intelligence on His Majesty. The King of Chu will surely not be passive. Moreover, the King of Chu is someone everyone can follow."
"If not for this, I would not have incited everyone to lay down their weapons!"
"You have some brains, but you must understand, if His Majesty knew you defected to the King of Chu, how would he deal with you? You would likely face great hardship!" Diao Chan said meaningfully, "I am offering you a way out. Think carefully!"
"I agree!" The scarred eunuch's face darkened. He drew a dagger and stabbed himself fiercely in the leg.
"I led men to attack the King of Chu's mansion, but my plan failed, and I was captured alive. Fortunately, I escaped death, and this leg injury will allow me to report to His Majesty. He will surely believe me!" the scarred eunuch stated solemnly. "Now it depends on Madam. If Madam agrees, this matter is settled!"
"Why must you do this?" Diao Chan sighed heavily. "I already told you, I can offer you a way out!"
"Because I want to kill Zhang Rang. He killed my master," the eunuch tore off a strip of cloth to bandage his wound. "I beg the King of Chu to assist me!"
"How can you prove you can gain His Majesty's trust!" Diao Chan touched her earring. "My King of Chu's mansion does not harbor the useless!"
The eunuch fumbled and produced a letter. "This is a letter that Zhang Rang intended to give to Sun Jian. They have formed an alliance. If the King of Chu is not vigilant, His Majesty might also side with them!"
Diao Chan's grip on the letter tightened. This was no trifling matter. If they truly allied, Ye Feng could be betrayed at any moment, and being attacked from all sides would be disastrous.
"Is this true?" Diao Chan asked urgently, trying to find any clue on the eunuch's face.
"It is genuine! Madam can open the letter and see for yourself. I will explain then!" the eunuch replied without hesitation. This was his only path to survival.
"Alright!" Diao Chan casually opened the letter. Her expression immediately became tense. The eunuch breathed a sigh of relief; his life was saved.
Diao Chan handed the letter to the eunuch. The eunuch carefully placed it over a brazier. After burning off the unimportant parts and resealing the letter, he hastily said, "Some damage during combat is unavoidable!"
The eunuch hobbled away. The deputy general took a couple of steps forward, but when Diao Chan gave him a look, he released the sword he had been holding. Still puzzled, he asked, "Madam, do you really trust him? If he is deceiving us, then..."
"No, I trust my intuition. One day, he will be of help to us!" Diao Chan stated firmly. The deputy general had nothing more to say.
After walking a few steps, the eunuch breathed a sigh of relief and knelt on the ground. "Song Jingang greets Madam. Thanks to Madam's care, I have escaped death."
Of course, Song Jingang did not forget to throw the bottle he was holding. Instantly, a green liquid appeared on the ground!
"This was given to me by the noble families' alliance. If captured, I was to use this to perish together. But if there is a path to survival, who would choose to die at the hands of others!"
Song Jingang's words filled the deputy general with trepidation. If he had acted just now, the three of them would be dead. Realizing this, he looked at Diao Chan with even greater respect.
Diao Chan was oblivious. She smiled and instructed, "Since you have chosen the King of Chu, serve him loyally. Rest assured, you will not be shortchanged."
The deputy general watched Song Jingang leave, then wiped the sweat from his brow and hastily flattered Diao Chan, "Thanks to Madam, otherwise we would all have perished here!"
"I wonder how the King is doing," Diao Chan mused with a worried expression.
"The King has immense fortune, he will naturally turn misfortune into fortune and meet with good luck!" the deputy general quickly replied.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ye Feng was surrounded by over a dozen family heads who were yelling at him.
"King of Chu, what exactly do you want? If you want land, just ask, and we are willing to give it to you. But doing this, are you trying to sever the roots of the noble families!"
Ye Feng gently placed his teacup on the table. "What are you all shouting about? You couldn't convince Lu Zhi, so you've come to my place to make noise."
"Moreover, who is the traitor in the entire Han Dynasty? You all know in your hearts. Do I have to spell it out for you clearly?" Ye Feng said coldly.
"You, Ye Feng, we will never tolerate you!" a family head cursed, his face flushed with anger.
"Patriarch, Patriarch, bad news! Down below, down below, there are rebels!"
One of the family heads suddenly stood up and cursed, "Rebel! Rebel! What do they want to do? This is not the Han Dynasty's realm! They are all servants, and they dare to act! Quickly find someone, quickly find someone to deal with them!"
"Mas... Master, we are looking for someone, but... but our men are blocked on the road and cannot advance at all. Master, please think of a solution, otherwise, those ruffians will burn everything!"
"Who exactly is blocking our men? I... I will definitely report to His Majesty and make sure he has no place to be buried!" The family head clutched his chest tightly. His losses this time were too great.
"Servant, servant does not know!" the messenger replied cautiously.
"Useless wretch, what good are you to me!" the family head roared.
"Perhaps I know who it is!"