Volume One, Chapter 3: With Such a Grand Display, I Thought My Father-in-Law Was Showing Me Who’s Boss!

Wang Fu’s arrival seemed to freeze the very air within the private chamber.

His seemingly murky eyes swept the room without a flicker of emotion.

When his gaze landed on Xiao Ningshuang’s disheveled clothing and the bloodstains on her neck, his eyelids twitched ever so slightly before settling back into an expression as calm and still as a deep well.

He was like a masterful actor, perfectly concealing all emotions beneath a face adorned with a courteous smile.

“Your servant pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince, and greets the General,” Wang Fu bowed with such precision it seemed measured by a ruler, his voice neither humble nor arrogant.

Xiao Yuan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the storm inside him, and returned the gesture with cupped hands: “Eunuch Wang.”

In the palace, fewer than three eunuchs were addressed by Xiao Yuan as “Eunuch.” Wang Fu was among the most powerful of them. He was the emperor’s eyes and ears; his presence signified the emperor’s will.

Li Xuan also scrutinized this head eunuch. According to the original owner’s memories, Wang Fu was a smooth operator, adept at navigating all sides, offending no one, and never taking a firm stance.

He was the emperor’s most loyal dog, obedient to the emperor alone.

Such a man was the most difficult to deal with.

“Eunuch Wang’s timing is impeccable,” Li Xuan spoke before Xiao Yuan could, his tone calm, even carrying a hint of ease as if encountering an old acquaintance, as though the earlier tension had never existed.

“I was just discussing the matter of Miss Ningshuang’s marriage with the General. I hadn’t expected to disturb His Majesty, truly my fault.”

At these words, Wang Fu’s eyebrows lifted imperceptibly.

Marriage?

Before coming, his spies had reported that the Crown Prince had forcefully violated the General’s daughter, causing Xiao Yuan to fly into a rage and surround the tavern with troops, on the brink of a bloodbath.

How had the Crown Prince turned it into a matter of discussing marriage?

Having survived decades within the palace, Wang Fu had seen all kinds of people.

He instantly recognized this as the Crown Prince’s quick thinking on the spot, an attempt to reverse the unfavorable situation.

Such sharp wit and courage did not belong to the rumored wastrel prince known only for indulgence.

Xiao Yuan’s face darkened instantly. He had not expected Li Xuan’s audacity to be so thick-skinned—to lie brazenly and distort the truth even before the emperor’s envoy.

“Your Highness!” he snarled through clenched teeth, his voice laden with warning.

But Li Xuan seemed not to hear. He smiled at Wang Fu with a touch of youthful shyness and embarrassment, an act performed with exquisite subtlety.

“Eunuch Wang may not know, but Miss Ningshuang and I have long been deeply in love. Today’s incident was merely a small misunderstanding blown out of proportion between young people. I just invited the General here to seek his blessing, when His Majesty’s decree arrived. It seems my little personal affairs cannot escape His Majesty’s discerning eyes.”

As he spoke, he cast a “deeply affectionate” glance toward Xiao Ningshuang.

The look sent a chill down her spine; her stomach churned so violently she nearly vomited on the spot.

She had seen shamelessness before, but never to such an extreme! This man embodied shamelessness to its utmost limit!

Wang Fu’s smile deepened, yet the warmth never reached his eyes.

He bowed and said, “I see. Congratulations to Your Highness and the General. This is indeed a momentous occasion. However, since His Majesty has already issued a decree, I must ask Your Highness and the General to accompany your servant into the palace. His Majesty said that any matters should be clarified before him.”

Though polite, the words “clarify before him” carried an undeniable authority.

Xiao Yuan felt a surge of overwhelming fury, but nowhere to vent it.

He knew any protest now was useless. Li Xuan had already set the narrative of “discussing marriage,” and if he contradicted it openly, it would be to slap the Crown Prince’s face—and with him standing there, it would be an affront to the imperial family itself.

He could only swallow the bitter anger, preparing to settle accounts properly before the emperor in the Golden Throne Hall.

“Eunuch, please lead the way,” Xiao Yuan gritted out through clenched teeth, sheathing his blade and signaling the guards behind him.

The armored soldiers obediently withdrew their weapons and parted to form a path.

“Ningshuang, compose yourself and come with me to the palace,” Xiao Yuan’s voice was tinged with exhaustion and helplessness.

Xiao Ningshuang nodded silently, stepping aside and turning her back to straighten her disheveled clothes and hair with trembling hands.

Her eyes were rimmed red, yet stubbornly refused to shed tears.

Li Xuan watched her retreating figure, a flicker of pity crossing his heart.

He knew how deeply his actions today had hurt this woman.

But he had no choice. In this game of power, survival came first. Only by surviving could he hope to make amends and repay debts.

The group exited the private chamber in silence.

Downstairs, the tavern’s manager and staff cowered trembling behind the counter, relieved that the ominous visitors were finally leaving, wishing they could bury their heads in the ground.

Li Xuan led the way, with Wang Fu trailing half a step behind, and Xiao Yuan and Xiao Ningshuang following.

Beyond the tavern doors, a chilling aura hit them like a wall.

The street was densely packed with Xiao family soldiers clad in iron armor.

Each held a weapon, their faces stern, sealing off the tavern completely.

The surrounding citizens had long since been dispersed; no bystanders remained on the entire street.

Wang Fu’s pupils constricted sharply at the sight.

Mobilizing troops privately to surround the Crown Prince was a grave crime of treason!

Xiao Yuan clearly realized this too, his face growing even darker.

From start to finish, he had been trapped in a passive position today.

Li Xuan, however, acted as if nothing was wrong. He even smiled at the fierce soldiers before turning to Xiao Yuan.

“General, this show of force really frightened me. Anyone unaware might think you were here to assert your father-in-law’s authority and intimidate me, your future son-in-law.”

He deliberately emphasized the words “father-in-law” and “future son-in-law.”

The armored soldiers exchanged puzzled glances. What was going on? Wasn’t the Crown Prince accused of mistreating the General’s daughter? How had it suddenly shifted to him being the son-in-law?

Xiao Yuan’s face darkened to the point of dripping ink. He felt as powerless as punching cotton.

Li Xuan was slippery as an eel—the harder you tried, the faster he dodged, always finding the most repugnant way to leave you burning with frustration but unable to strike back.

Wang Fu watched from the side, inwardly alarmed.

This Crown Prince was extraordinary!

In just a few words, he had defused what could have been a disastrous mutiny.

Not only that, he had skillfully bound himself and the Xiao family tightly together.

This intelligence, this strategy—he was no longer the rumored wastrel prince.

It seemed the skies over the capital were about to change.

They boarded a carriage long waiting outside. The imperial carriage was spacious and smooth, yet the atmosphere inside was colder than the biting wind outside.

Li Xuan closed his eyes to rest, replaying strategies in his mind for what lay ahead.

He knew the true test still awaited: the confrontation at the Golden Throne Hall, which would decide his fate.

Xiao Ningshuang sat in a corner, head bowed, silent.

Her hands clenched the hem of her clothes so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Her heart brimmed with humiliation, anger, resentment, and a bewilderment even she could not understand.

Xiao Yuan was like a trapped beast, radiating danger.

He spent the journey contemplating how to speak before the emperor.

Should he tear off his mask and accuse the Crown Prince? Or should he reluctantly accept the marriage narrative set by Li Xuan?

Each choice carried consequences.

The carriage rolled silently along the stone street, wheels clattering monotonously, echoing the heavy heartbeats of those within.

After some time, the carriage slowed.

“We have arrived,” Wang Fu’s sharp voice sounded outside.

Li Xuan opened his eyes, a flash of sharp light gleaming within them.

He adjusted his robes and was the first to step down.

The majestic palace gates loomed in the morning mist like a silent giant crouching low.

The vermilion walls and golden glazed tiles gleamed coldly and majestically in the dawn light.

Here lay the center of power of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

And here was where he, Li Xuan, would begin his conquest.