Zhou Sui was very tall. Based on Jiang Jin's estimation, he was around 1.9 meters. After a night's rest, although his strength had not recovered to its peak, it was not bad.
Although Yao Ji was also tall, he had lost so much weight he was out of shape, so Zhou Sui really had no problem lifting him up.
Yao Ji: "..."
As a young general famous since his youth, it was his first time enjoying such treatment. How to say it... it was a bit shameful.
However, he also knew this was not the time to be squeamish. He quickly grabbed the wall with both hands, and Jiang Jin helped him from above.
Soon, Yao Ji slid down the wall. Due to a lack of strength, he couldn't hold on at the very end and fell to the ground.
Jiang Jin took a look and, making sure he hadn't fainted from the fall, left him be.
Zhou Sui used the same old method to get Chen Xi and Xie Nanxiao up the wall, and with Jiang Jin's assistance, they "fell" into the courtyard.
Once Zhou Sui entered the courtyard, Jiang Jin cleaned up the scrape marks and clothing fibers left on the wall before jumping into the courtyard with a thud.
There was no blood in the courtyard, making it relatively clean, but no one had tended to it for over two months. Many weeds had grown, making it look quite desolate.
It was a three-courtyard compound, quite large, but unfortunately, it had been ransacked into a mess, with clothes and broken utensils scattered all over the ground.
After all the tossing around, Yao Ji's vision was going black. Panting heavily, he intermittently gave them directions: "In the inner courtyard... the small kitchen... there's a cellar."
The Governor's Manor, Study Room.
A burly middle-aged man sat in the main seat, with two female slaves gently massaging his legs by his side.
This person was none other than Jiao Liang. He looked at the man standing in front of him with a sinister gaze: "Princess Jinyang hasn't arrived yet?"
The man was Jiao Liang's military advisor, named Guan Jin. He had both Han and Jiao bloodlines.
He lowered his head and replied, "Yes, Captain Jiaohu already went to the city gates to ask this morning."
Jiao Liang revealed a chilling smile: "Tell me, do you think the Princess's meat will be sweeter?"
Guan Jin seemed used to his preferences, his expression unchanging: "It is said that Jinyang is peerlessly beautiful, so naturally her meat will taste more delicious than ordinary people's."
Jiao Liang laughed heartily, revealing his yellowed and blackened teeth: "Haha, I like Han noblewomen the most. Tender skin, soft bodies, and shrill screams."
"Once the Sixth Princess arrives, I'll eat Third Lady Luo and Fifth Lady Chen. I've been playing with them for over two months and I'm already bored of them. I wonder how their meat tastes?"
Guan Jin pulled out a slightly fawning smile: "Great General, before you eat her, could you bestow Third Lady Luo upon this subject? I haven't been able to forget her since I saw her, and I also want to play with her."
Jiao Liang waved his hand carelessly: "Granted."
He then ordered: "Immediately send a squad to check the situation. Ensure that Princess Jinyang arrives today. I can't wait any longer."
Private Courtyard, Cellar.
Jiang Jin never would have thought that the cellar was actually located where firewood was kept in front of the kitchen stove.
Who knew where Zhou Sui got a fire starter, but under Yao Ji's direction, they quickly found a candle and lit it.
Candles already existed in this era, but commoners couldn't afford them; they were only used among the nobility and the wealthy.
The cellar was a little over 2 meters high, and about 4 or 5 meters long and wide.
Several wooden boxes and clay vats were placed in the corners, along with three large hemp sacks stacked together, bulging with unknown contents.
Yao Ji pointed to one of the wooden boxes: "Medicine."
Zhou Sui nodded. After helping Yao Ji sit aside, he opened the wooden box Yao Ji pointed at.
Sure enough, he saw a row of small ceramic jars and a lot of gauze inside. He picked up a bottle and looked; it contained high-quality medicine for wounds.
Zhou Sui picked up a few pieces of gauze and scooped a ladle of water from the nearby vat, preparing to clean the wounds of the three people and apply medicine.
Jiang Jin stopped him: "Use the water from our waterskins to clean the wounds. Use it sparingly."
These things must have been placed in the cellar before the city fell. Judging by the time, they had been there for at least over two months. The water might look clean, but it had likely bred many bacteria.
The water in their waterskins was boiled this morning, so at least it was cleaner than the water in the vat.
Zhou Sui didn't object. He took out a waterskin from his bundle and began to clean their wounds.
Jiang Jin began to inspect the things stored in the cellar.
A box of copper coins, a box of gold ingots, a box of silver ingots, a box of ready-made clothes for both men and women, a box of medicine and gauze, and a box of miscellaneous daily necessities.
There were four clay vats in total: two containing rice, and two containing water.
She touched the three stacked hemp sacks; based on the feel, they should be unhusked rice.
Next to the vats was a pile of weapons: sabers, spears, daggers, swords, halberds, as well as a few bows and quivers.
This must have been a shelter prepared by Yao Chong, but for some reason, it hadn't been used.
"My lady, it's done. I've simply treated their wounds," Zhou Sui said in a low voice.
Jiang Jin nodded: "They need to replenish their physical strength, and we didn't bring enough food."
Besides their injuries, one of the reasons for the weakness of these three people was long-term malnutrition—they were starving.
"Man is iron, food is steel." Jiang Jin felt this saying was spot on, although, of course, the people of this era hadn't invented steel yet.
The two had only brought a few flatbreads when they set out this morning. Although there was rice and grain here, it wasn't suitable to light a fire and cook.
Zhou Sui pursed his lips: "I'll go out and find a household to buy some food from."
Jiang Jin shook her head: "I'll go. You guys stay here."
Yao Ji, who had been silent all this time, spoke up to continue his previous question: "Who exactly are you?"
Zhou Sui frowned slightly: "I am Zhou Sui. We've met before; you should be able to recognize my voice."
Yao Ji did find his voice somewhat familiar, but his appearance really didn't match.
Jiang Jin didn't waste words. She stepped forward and tore off the two thin strips attached above Zhou Sui's eyes. The triangular-eye disguise couldn't be used anymore anyway.
Then she took a semi-dry cloth from the bundle she was carrying and handed it to Zhou Sui.
Zhou Sui took the cloth and wiped his face repeatedly. In a few breaths, Zhou Sui turned back into Zhou Sui.
Yao Ji and the other two were dumbfounded, watching the living person transformation right before their eyes.
Yao Ji was the first to react. His voice trembled as he asked, "You... you're really Great General Zhou? Did we... did our Dingyang really fall? Is our Yan Kingdom... gone?"
Although they had been locked up, from the idle chatter of the servants and the occasional information leaked when Jiao Zhu came to humiliate them, they knew the Yan Kingdom had fallen!
In this chaotic and dark era, many countries could change several emperors within ten years, and neither the commoners nor the officials had much loyalty to such states.
But the Yan Kingdom was a great nation, founded 102 years ago. Countries that could last a century in troubled times were extremely rare. Although they had gradually lost territory, as long as the capital Dingyang and Emperor Yan remained, the kingdom remained!
Therefore, whether it was the citizens or the officials of the Yan Kingdom, most of them still held a certain sentiment for their country.
Zhou Sui fell silent.
Yet, at this moment, the silence was deafening.
