CHAPTER 478: CHAPTER 478: FROM BOUNDLESS GLORY TO A RAT IN THE GUTTER

Some people even threw rotten cabbage leaves at Tao Mingxuan, whose face was turning alternately red and pale, with his eyes showing inexplicable changes.

In this lifetime, even when he was arrested and imprisoned, the citizens of Dayan always respectfully referred to him as "third place."

But now, when he was being treated like an honored guest by Shu’er, he was being pelted with vegetable leaves by these low-ranking soldiers.

Shu’er said, "You should have known this day would come."

Tao Mingxuan bit his teeth: "Isn’t this something you should have taken care of for me?"

Shu’er raised an eyebrow: "What? Didn’t Dayan soldiers die because of your decisions?"

Tao Mingxuan became angry, but just when Shu’er thought he would explode, he deflated like a punctured ball, his face only left with paleness.

He turned around, looked again at the angry faces of the people and the eyes filled with disdain and hatred, pursed his lips, and said nothing.

When they reached the dining area, Shu’er also got a meal for him.

Upon returning to the dining table, she found that Tao Mingxuan, who was waiting there, had already been overwhelmed by the soldiers.

The crowd was filled with righteous indignation, and some even went up to beat him, hitting him quite fiercely.

Every punch landed directly on his flesh.

Yet Tao Mingxuan only staggered slightly and didn’t retaliate, standing straight with a spirit that had become rather deflated.

He had arrived at this day by his own choices.

He chose to become a bandit and, due to his hatred for Shu’er, and to achieve his own goals, he joined the Dazi.

Now that the Dazi were defeated, he had once again turned to Shu’er.

This sort of thing had also happened in the Tazi Camp.

Those people had no particular hatred for him, but the disdain was quite real.

He laughed in embarrassment. He was once a famous third place in the Capital, adored by countless scholars and secretly admired by many noble young women.

He was also favored by the Emperor, becoming the youngest member of the Hanlin Academy.

But, because of Lin Guipin, he became a prisoner, became an exile, and all his halos vanished.

In fact, if he had died on the road to exile, his life would have been cleaner after all.

Yet he didn’t die, his heart filled with hatred pushing him step by step to where he was today.

To the point where everyone cursed him.

He deserved it.

From a third place to a rat hated by all, it was just a fine line.

A single step wrong, every step wrong.

He smiled as he wiped the blood from his mouth, and he heavily coughed out a spittle of blood.

"You do wish to beat me to death. I wish to die too. But if you kill me, you’ll be finished."

After saying this, he grinned again, the smile deep but carrying a hint of something eerie and mad.

"It was your General’s Wife who kept me here."

He always felt like he was set up by Shu’er, so he wasn’t going to be polite.

Right after saying this, Tao Mingxuan was punched again.

Shu’er frowned and walked towards him.

"Stop."

The soldiers parted to both sides, their eyes tightly focused on Shu’er.

Waiting for Shu’er to give an explanation.

But Shu’er merely gave a quiet look around at the soldiers.

Seeing their angry eyes and tightly clenched fists.

Shu’er smiled: "When hitting enemies, one should indeed use this much force, no, perhaps a bit more."

Tao Mingxuan wiped the blood from his lips, damn, are those even human words from Shu’er?

She had just accepted him, now he was being beaten, and she said it wasn’t fierce enough.

Tao Mingxuan frowned: "Shu’er, what do you mean."

The third place indeed lived up to his name, even battered with a bruised and swollen face.

But when he spoke, there was still a certain elegance and handsomeness.

The soldiers saw Tao Mingxuan so defiant towards Mrs. Pei, and they were really displeased, immediately shouting at Tao Mingxuan.

"How dare you disrespect our madam, we’ll destroy you!"

Then they rushed towards Tao Mingxuan.

Tao Mingxuan ground his back teeth, had he known Shu’er was so unreliable, he wouldn’t have followed even if he starved.

Shu’er laughed: "One shouldn’t raise a fist against comrades-in-arms."

The soldiers were bewildered by Shu’er’s words, what does she mean? How could they possibly hit a comrade-in-arms?

Shu’er said: "Everyone think, ever since Tao Mingxuan went to the Dada, hasn’t our military situation started to turn around bit by bit."

Everyone was stunned, and some veteran soldiers really fell into deep thought, then realized, it was indeed so.

Tao Mingxuan: "..."

He was being ridiculed.

Then, Shu’er’s smile deepened: "Also, consider why we could always crumble the Dada’s plots each time."

Tao Mingxuan was taken aback, seeing that Shu’er’s gaze changed from resentful to peculiar, he guessed what Shu’er was going to say next.

Many people looked at Shu’er, then at Tao Mingxuan, eyes light up, they understood something.

More were confused, exchanging looks with each other.

They were just rough soldiers, they could fight wars but to make them think, that truly embarrassed them.

Shu’er gave everyone time to think, and when most of the soldiers guessed it, she smiled.

"Correct, it’s just as you think, Tao Mingxuan was sent by General Tang as an undercover. At the time, General Tang wasn’t a general yet, Tao Tanhua was willing to sacrifice himself to go to the Tazi Camp."

"Otherwise, think about it, with the literary talent of a third place like him, if he was really serious, how could we possibly win every battle?"

Tao Mingxuan: "..."

He was being ridiculed again.

He was truly trying hard to win the war, yet he always felt one step behind, as if his plans were always seen through.

It’s not that he didn’t try, but Shu’er and Tang Zan were too cunning.

However, the gaze directed at him from others had already changed.

Previously it was anger, hatred.

Now, it was admiration, remorse.

The harder they hit before, the heavier the remorse now.

Shu’er also said: "In the Dada territory, he went in alone, wanting to win their trust required utmost caution, he couldn’t afford to take a single wrong step."

"Enemies surrounded him, death could come at any moment."

"Yet, he still took risks, sent us information!

"Still took risks, racking his brains to create strategies for the Dada that looked like victory but were filled with countless traps!"

Tao Mingxuan: "..."

His face hurt, he felt like Shu’er was charmingly ridiculing him!

And, the more Shu’er said,

He... was almost beginning to doubt himself.

Could it be... he really was sent as a spy?

But soon, he shook his head.

What nonsense!

He almost believed it.

With Shu’er’s words, the image of a hero formed in everyone’s minds.

Tao Mingxuan’s once sickly image now gradually rose tall.

The Gulan Soldiers started imagining such scenes, then their eyes reddened.

Those with shallow tear glands even began to cry.

They had wronged their hero of Dayan!

How could they allow a hero to bleed and shed tears too!