Volume 1, Chapter 23: Beneath the Moonlight!

These words were seamless. They not only explained his presence there but also showcased his filial piety and courage in protecting the Emperor, while conveniently attributing his miraculous skills to "ancient texts" and "sheer luck."

"Good! Good! Good!"

Li Chengye dismounted and strode over to the giant bear’s carcass. Looking at the fatal wound under its arm and then at his son, the Emperor was overcome with joy, his laughter ringing out like thunder!

"Hahahaha! Confounding the mind with sound! Striking the void with precision! What a magnificent 'striking the void'! My son possesses not only a benevolent and filial heart but also the courage to subdue dragons and tigers. He is truly the unicorn of our Great Zhou!"

He patted Li Xuan’s shoulder, his eyes filled with a level of admiration and pride never seen before.

The surrounding ministers flocked forward, their praises pouring in like a rising tide.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is peerless in courage; he is truly the pillar of our nation!"

"Such martial prowess is unimaginable. His Highness is a heaven-sent prodigy!"

Li Zhan stood among the crowd, listening to praises that should have been his, yet each word felt like a slap to his face. He clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his palms, yet he had to force a congratulatory smile onto his face: "Third Brother is truly courageous; I am filled with admiration."

Li Xuan looked at him, smiling as warmly as a spring breeze: "It was all luck, mere luck. I must also thank Second Brother for your concern in bringing Father here so quickly."

Li Zhan’s face turned a shade paler.

The Emperor waved his hand, high-spirited: "Someone! Carry this bear back! This is an auspicious omen hunted by the Crown Prince for our Great Zhou! Tonight, I shall hold a grand banquet for all ministers to celebrate the Crown Prince's victory!"

When the news reached the observation deck, the entire audience erupted.

When Xiao Ning-shuang heard the attendant loudly proclaim that the Crown Prince had "slain the mad bear with his bare hands and the power of thunder, rendering meritorious service in protecting the Emperor," she froze.

She looked up toward the hunting grounds, and in those eyes that had been frozen for so long, it was as if thousands of stars had been ignited in an instant.

At that moment, what flashed through her mind was not the old, debauched Crown Prince, nor the politician with whom she had struck a covenant, but a towering, radiant hero of unparalleled brilliance.

The frozen lake of her heart shattered completely.

...

The victory banquet was held in the temporary palace within the hunting grounds. Bonfires blazed, and the aroma of wine permeated the air.

Li Xuan was undoubtedly the brightest star of the night. His shocking battle from earlier that day had already spread throughout the grounds. Now, whether it was royal relatives or civil and military officials, their gazes toward him were filled with awe and wonder.

Toasts flowed incessantly.

"His Royal Highness is heroic! I toast to you, Your Highness!"

"Removing this omen for the country is a blessing for our Great Zhou!"

Li Xuan navigated the crowd with ease, conversing with wit and charm. He responded to every compliment with a modest smile, appearing increasingly unfathomable. The eldest prince, Li Yuan, was already dead drunk, slurring nonsense at his table. The second prince, Li Zhan, maintained a gentle smile, but beneath it lay a darkness no one could fathom.

...

After three rounds of drinks, Li Chengye summoned Li Xuan to his imperial tent.

Inside, the noise from outside vanished, leaving only the father and son.

"Xuan'er, sit." Li Chengye gestured to a silk stool and poured him a cup of tea himself.

"Thank you, Father." Li Xuan sat down, his posture respectful.

"You must be very happy today, right?" Li Chengye looked at him, his gaze sharp enough to pierce the soul.

"Being able to relieve Father's burdens and bring glory to the Great Zhou—naturally, I am happy."

"But I," Li Chengye set down his teacup, his voice deepening, "am not entirely happy."

Li Xuan felt a jolt in his heart, though his expression remained calm: "I am dull-witted and do not know how I have displeased Father."

"You did nothing wrong. You performed well—so well that it... exceeded my expectations." Li Chengye said slowly, "That bear was targeting you, wasn't it? Do you really think I am blind to your Second Brother's schemes?"

Li Xuan did not speak, only lowered his head.

"Xuan'er, you must remember: the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind." Li Chengye’s tone was filled with imperial authority and warning. "A ruler must have not only the courage to subdue dragons and tigers but also the capacity to contain all things. Today you are in the limelight, but what will your brothers think? Blind strength will only make you the target of everyone's arrows."

This was the imperial art of balance. He admired Li Xuan's strength but did not want him to disrupt the court's equilibrium too early and incite a fratricidal war.

Li Xuan looked up, his gaze clear and sincere: "I will take Father’s teachings to heart. I understand that only when brothers are of one mind can the empire be stable. My actions today were not to show off my prowess, but to let those with ulterior motives know that the Crown Prince of Great Zhou is not a soft persimmon to be toyed with. Everything I have done is to consolidate the Eastern Palace and, more importantly, to safeguard the empire you have built with your own hands."

These words were heartfelt, embodying both the responsibility of a successor and filial piety toward a father.

Li Chengye’s tense expression finally relaxed. He looked at his son, his heart filled with mixed emotions. His son had truly been reborn.

"It is a great comfort to me that you think this way." He sighed. "Go on, you are the protagonist tonight; do not keep the ministers waiting."

"Your son takes his leave."

Upon stepping out of the tent, the evening breeze hit him, and Li Xuan realized his back was dampened with a light sweat. Dealing with this brilliant, ambitious father was far more exhausting than dealing with a mad bear.

He did not return to the banquet but walked alone toward a small lake behind the palace.

The moonlight was like water, shimmering on the surface of the lake.

By the shore, a slender figure stood quietly, as if she had been waiting for a long time.

It was Xiao Ning-shuang.

She had changed out of her ceremonial robes into a plain gown, and the moonlight cast a sacred halo around her, making her look unearthly.

Li Xuan walked over and stood beside her.

"Congratulations, Your Highness." She spoke first, her voice cool, yet lacking its usual cold distance.

"Congratulations to you as well." Li Xuan looked at the lake. "Without the Crown Princess's topographic map and guidance, the one lying there today might have been me."

Xiao Ning-shuang was silent for a moment, then turned her head. Her autumn-water eyes were exceptionally bright in the moonlight.

"'Confounding the mind with sound, striking the void with precision'... was that really recorded in an ancient text?" She finally voiced the doubt in her heart.

Li Xuan turned to look at her, their eyes meeting. In her gaze, he saw pure curiosity, not probing.

Suddenly, he did not want to use those grand, hollow excuses to brush her off.

"Perhaps." He smiled, a hint of mystery and weariness in his expression. "Or perhaps, it was something I learned in a very long dream, in a place very, very far away."

This abrupt, cryptic remark startled Xiao Ning-shuang. She did not press him, but retracted her gaze, lost in thought. The secrets this man carried seemed even more numerous than she had imagined.

"You never defend yourself," she changed the subject, her voice very soft. "Whether it was about Vermillion Bird Street or the rumors from the past few days."

"Defending oneself is the rhetoric of the weak." Li Xuan looked at the bright moon in the lake. "When your strength and achievements are sufficiently dazzling, all slander becomes a joke. Rather than wasting effort wiping away the mud spots on your clothes, it is better to simply change into a robe woven from the sun, moon, and stars."

These words struck Xiao Ning-shuang like a thunderclap.

Born into a military family, her father, Xiao Yuan, had always taught her that on the battlefield, strength was king—trust only your sword, never the enemy's words. She had always felt this was too overbearing, but hearing the same logic from Li Xuan, she suddenly understood.

So, the truly strong never deign to engage in verbal warfare.

"My father... often said similar things," she whispered. "I didn't understand it before, but now, I somewhat do."

The night wind grew chilly, stirring her hair and the hem of her dress.

Noticing her thin attire, Li Xuan naturally took off his outer robe and draped it over her shoulders.

Xiao Ning-shuang’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly. The robe, carrying his body heat, wrapped around her, and a strange, masculine scent lingered at the tip of her nose, causing her heart to skip a beat.

This time, she did not push him away as she had in the past, but silently pulled the robe a little tighter.

They stood there quietly, neither speaking again.

The lake reflected the bright moon in the sky, and it also reflected their silhouettes standing side-by-side. The "ice and fire covenant" between them seemed, at this moment, to have been infused with something beyond the contract.

The "ice" in the covenant remained firm—a cold, mutual utility and cooperation.

But the "fire" was no longer just the fire of political ambition. It seemed to have become warmer, more personal, and... more dangerous.

Li Xuan looked at the woman’s exquisite profile in the moonlight, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.

This transaction seemed to be getting increasingly complicated.