Volume One, Chapter Two: The General's Misunderstanding

As soon as Li Xuan finished speaking, the weathered face of General Xiao Yuan twitched involuntarily. He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the Crown Prince before him once more.

"A brand-new Li Xuan?" Xiao Yuan sneered coldly, his voice dripping with unmasked sarcasm. "Your Highness’s tongue is even sharper than the rumors suggest. You can call death life, black white. Does Your Highness truly believe that a few polished words can erase the crimes you committed against my daughter?"

Though he had restrained his murderous intent, the pressure in his words intensified. This was a commander who had clawed his way out of blood-soaked battlefields, his resolve unshakable—not someone to be persuaded by mere words. He had merely calmed his impulse to kill and was now calculating how to secure the greatest benefit for the Xiao family while exacting the harshest price from the Crown Prince.

Li Xuan sighed inwardly—these seasoned old foxes, steeped in the game of power for years, were indeed as cunning as ghosts.

"You misunderstand, General," Li Xuan shook his head with a faint, bitter smile. "I never intended to deny my guilt. The facts are facts. I—or rather, the man I once was—did commit unforgivable errors. I speak not to excuse myself, but to propose a way to resolve this problem."

"Resolve the problem?" Xiao Yuan’s brows knit tightly. He was curious to hear what shocking solution this spoiled Crown Prince could possibly offer.

Li Xuan did not answer directly but asked instead, "General, how do you think today’s matter should best be resolved?"

Xiao Yuan snorted coldly. "Tie you up, escort you to the palace, and leave it to His Majesty’s judgment! I don’t believe the emperor is above the law—if he breaks the law, he must answer like any commoner."

"And then?" Li Xuan pressed.

"Then your status as Crown Prince will be stripped, you’ll be demoted to commoner, and confined for life!" Xiao Yuan ground his teeth fiercely.

"That sounds satisfying," Li Xuan nodded, surprisingly agreeing, which momentarily stunned Xiao Yuan.

"But," Li Xuan shifted tone, his gaze sharpening, "if I am deposed, who benefits most?"

Xiao Yuan’s pupils contracted sharply.

"Is it my eldest brother Li Yuan? The seemingly refined second brother Li Zhan? Or the brave third brother Li Bao?"

Li Xuan’s voice was low but carried a piercing power that cut to the heart. "They will thank you for clearing the biggest obstacle to their own ascension to Crown Prince. They will praise your integrity before the emperor, but behind your back, they will ally with those civil officials who have long despised you, slowly eroding your military power and nibbling away at your influence."

"You and I, our families, will be left battered and broken. The imperial dignity sullied, the General’s household disgraced—who benefits in the end? Those hiding in the shadows, eagerly awaiting our downfall!"

These words were like a bucket of icy water poured over Xiao Yuan from head to toe. The last ember of his anger was snuffed out.

Indeed, how had he not considered this? He had been so focused on avenging his daughter that he overlooked the tangled struggle for the throne behind it all. Though Crown Prince Li Xuan was a wastrel, he was still the legitimate eldest son, bearing the mantle of righteousness. As long as he lived and was not stripped of his title, he stood as a mountain before the other princes.

If Xiao Yuan himself toppled that mountain, would he not be paving the way for his political enemies?

Xiao Yuan’s expression flickered uneasily; his knuckles cracked from gripping his sword so tightly. He realized he had been cornered by the very Crown Prince he had long despised—a predicament with no easy escape.

The atmosphere inside the private chamber was stifling, suffocating.

In a shadowed corner, Xiao Ningshuang’s beautiful eyes never blinked as they fixed on Li Xuan. Her heart was already in turmoil. Raised on history and politics under her father’s influence, she was not ignorant of court affairs. Li Xuan’s sharp, ruthless analysis of the stakes was precise and penetrating—words perhaps even her father’s advisers could not articulate so clearly.

Could this really be the same unlearned Li Xuan?

She even entertained an absurd thought: had the soul inside this man’s body been replaced?

Li Xuan took in the expressions around him, knowing the moment had come. It was time to reveal his solution.

He cleared his throat, the weakness of his body making the effort palpable. He stepped forward until he was three paces from Xiao Yuan—a respectful yet safe distance, allowing space for reaction.

"General, punishing me will not solve the root of the problem. It will only deepen the chaos, causing pain for loved ones and joy for enemies," Li Xuan said earnestly. "I believe there is only one way now—to preserve both the imperial dignity and the honor of the General’s household, and to turn this great calamity into... a blessing."

Xiao Yuan lifted his eyelids, eyes coldly fixed on him. "Speak."

Li Xuan drew a deep breath, enunciating each word carefully: "General, I ask you to marry Miss Ningshuang to me."

"What?!"

The exclamation came not only from Xiao Yuan but also from the previously silent Xiao Ningshuang.

Xiao Yuan shook as if hearing the most absurd joke in the world, pointing at Li Xuan with trembling fury. "You... shameless wretch! You defiled my daughter, and yet you dare dream I would give her to you? What do you take me for? What do you think of the Xiao family?"

Xiao Ningshuang’s face turned deathly pale, her gaze freezing over with cold hatred once more.

She would rather die than marry the beast who had destroyed her purity!

Yet Li Xuan seemed unfazed by their vehement reactions. He calmly continued, "General, please do not be angry. Hear me out."

"Our families united by marriage can declare this incident as a matter of irresistible love between Miss Ningshuang and me. Though it breaches propriety, ultimately it is a matter of youthful passion, not some heinous crime. This way, the imperial dignity remains intact, as does Miss Ningshuang’s reputation."

"Within our families, I become your son-in-law. Our houses become kin—what benefits one benefits the other, what harms one harms both. My brothers will think twice before moving against you, weighing the weight of this Crown Prince. And you, General, will have a legitimate reason to support me. A Crown Prince backed by the military versus one opposed by it—who weighs more in the emperor’s eyes, you know better than I."

"This... this is a win-win solution, turning swords into plowshares!"

Li Xuan’s voice echoed through the chamber, each word brimming with a captivating power.

Xiao Yuan was stunned into silence, standing like a statue, Li Xuan’s words replaying endlessly in his mind.

Shameless! Utterly shameless!

Yet, ironically, this shameless proposal was the perfect solution at hand.

He had to admit, every point Li Xuan made was spot on. The marriage alliance could transform all disadvantages into advantages. Not only would it resolve the immediate crisis, but it would also pave a broad road for the future.

A new, powerful political alliance was about to be born.

But what was the cost? The cost was his beloved daughter marrying the man who had once humiliated her.

Xiao Yuan’s heart waged a fierce battle between family honor and his daughter’s happiness. A lifetime of warfare and decisive action had never left him more hesitant than now.

At that moment, urgent, light footsteps sounded outside the chamber.

A high-pitched, anxious voice came from beyond the door.

"By imperial decree! Crown Prince Li Xuan, General Xiao Yuan, and Miss Xiao Ningshuang are to enter the palace immediately to pay respects to His Majesty!"

With the words came the swift entrance of a middle-aged eunuch dressed in embroidered robes, face pale and clean-shaven, flanked by several junior eunuchs. He glanced briefly at the scene inside, his eyes narrowing before quickly regaining composure.

This was Wang Fu, the emperor’s most favored personal eunuch.

Wang Fu’s arrival was like a stone thrown into a still lake, instantly shattering the delicate balance in the chamber.

Xiao Yuan’s face darkened severely—the emperor now knew. This matter had utterly slipped beyond his control.

But Li Xuan was certain of his gamble. The stage of this crisis had shifted from this modest tavern to the Golden Dragon Throne, the symbol of the Zhou Dynasty’s supreme power.

And it was here that he would perform a spectacular reversal against all odds.