Generаls аrе hеrоes who havе survivеd countlеss battles, living оn thе еdgе оf blаdes. Thеy burn with a fervent passiоn fоr their сountrу, сlаd in аrmor аnd mоuntеd оn wаrhorsеs, their might and valоr аwe-insрiring. How cоuld they bе defiled bу thе lоwlу соurtеsans of this рlеasurе quаrtеr?!
Mаma Jin fеlt а bit awkward. Аftеr all, whеn it came tо lowliness, no оnе in hеr estаblishment was much bеttеr оff. She hаd оnlу intеndеd tо crеаte а gimmick tо attraсt pаtrоns, nеver ехреcting this young mаster to be so seriоus, putting her on thе spot right thеn and thеrе.
Thе room fell silent for a moment, and the maid holding the armor didn’t know what to do.
Feng Yue watched, slowly rising from the soft couch. Blinking, she asked, “Does the young master not wish this humble one to perform?”
“Yes.” A single word, resolute and commanding, filled with authority.
Feng Yue giggled softly. “That’s troublesome. The play was prepared by Mama Jin half a month ago, and many nobles have been invited. Several lords have specifically requested to see it. What do you suggest we do?”
Yin Gezhi glanced at her calmly and said, “They won’t come to watch.”
So certain?
Mama Jin grew indignant. Flicking her handkerchief, she laughed, “Young master, you shouldn’t speak so boldly. Although I don’t know your status, even the emperor himself cannot forbid his subjects from seeking a little relaxation. Besides, the guests who come here are all people of significant standing. Could you possibly block the entrance to keep them out?”
Without another word, Yin Gezhi stood up and left.
“Huh?” Mama Jin was displeased. She stood on tiptoe, watching him walk out and descend the stairs before muttering, “Who does he think he is? Does he really believe he’s so important? He looks frail and scholarly, nothing like a general. Why meddle so much?”
Once the door closed, Feng Yue let out a long sigh. After a while, she chuckled softly and said, “He is indeed not a general.”
“I thought so, with that frail appearance…”
“Have you heard of the Battle of Nanqi?” Feng Yue tilted her head and asked.
Mama Jin paused, waved the maids away, and sat down beside Feng Yue. Lowering her voice, she asked, “Why bring this up now?”
Feng Yue was from the Wei Kingdom, Mama Jin knew that. She seemed to carry many, many stories behind her, which Mama Jin had never inquired about. Unexpectedly, today, Feng Yue herself brought up matters of the Wei Kingdom.
The Battle of Nanqi was a famous battle where the few triumphed over the many. Five years ago, the Wei Kingdom, with only ten thousand troops, ambushed and annihilated thirty thousand elite Qi soldiers at the Nanqi border between Qi and Wei, shocking the King of Qi and astonishing the neighboring kingdoms. Mama Jin was from the Qi Kingdom, so she naturally knew of that battle. It was widely discussed among the people, saying that the Qi Kingdom had learned of the Wei Kingdom’s grain transport route and planned to intercept the supplies, only to unexpectedly encounter Wei’s reinforcements.
In such a narrow encounter, the side with greater numbers should have prevailed. Yet, the Wei forces reacted swiftly, leveraging the terrain of Nanqi and the Qi army’s unpreparedness to turn disadvantage into advantage. Fighting valiantly, though they lost seven thousand soldiers, nearly all of Qi’s thirty thousand elite troops perished.
After that battle, the bloodshed at Nanqi lingered for three months without dissipating. From then on, the Qi Kingdom began sending envoys to negotiate peace with the Wei Kingdom. Relations between the two countries eased, and the people along the Qi-Wei border enjoyed over two years of rare peace and stability.
“If not for that battle, the Qi Kingdom would have later allied with the Wu Kingdom to attack Wei,” Feng Yue said. “The Wei Kingdom today might not have merely ceded territory—its very survival would have been in doubt.”
“I understand the reasoning, but why bring this up out of the blue?” Mama Jin looked utterly bewildered.Lowering her gaze, Feng Yue smiled faintly. "Because the one who led Wei Kingdom's ten thousand reinforcements four years ago was that gentleman who just left. At that time, he had just come of age."
Her heart jolted violently. Mama Jin's pupils contracted slightly as she stared at Feng Yue in disbelief!
How could that be possible!
"He isn't a general, that's true, but he has been on the battlefield many times. Each time, he wielded a long blade, fighting at the very front."
Many scenes surfaced in her mind. Feng Yue narrowed her eyes.
Wei Kingdom's battle flags and military robes were deep crimson, but that man preferred to wear silver armor, standing out starkly on the battlefield. Enemy commanders would often shout, "Kill that one in silver armor first!"
How audacious Yin Gezhi was—the more enemies he faced, the more fearless he became. With a crescent-moon long blade, he would charge straight for the enemy commanders' heads. Wherever he passed, blood would spray, splattering across his face, yet his eyes only grew brighter.
"I favor this armor. If you envy it, come and take it!" His voice was cool and clear, yet it echoed across the entire battlefield, ringing like metal.
The enemy commanders indeed wanted to kill him, but unfortunately, Yin Gezhi's martial skills were unfathomable, and his silver armor was incredibly sturdy. Even iron-tipped arrows would only produce a crisp clang upon impact, unable to harm him in the slightest.
What was even more infuriating was that when they painstakingly broke through Wei Kingdom's defenses, hoping to kill its commanders, Yin Gezhi would simply draw his bow. From a distance of thirty meters, he would shoot an arrow straight through the head of their own commander!
Blood sprayed like rain under the sunlight. Amidst the stunned silence, the First Prince of Wei Kingdom remained expressionless, slowly extending his hand and curling a finger toward them:
Come, kill me?
A blood-tinged wind swept past. Beneath the deep crimson battle flag stood the silver-armored god of war, his gaze as cold as frost, radiating silent arrogance.
At that time, Yin Gezhi was the most imposing man Guan Fengyue had ever seen. All Wei Kingdom's people shared one conviction—as long as the First Prince was present, they would never lose.
Indeed, for a long time, in every battle led by Yin Gezhi, there was never a defeat. The people of Wei Kingdom revered him, and the emperor trusted him enough to let him command the army. In battles large and small, Yin Gezhi was the one who truly understood the taste of blood on the battlefield. He was not without injuries—in fact, he was wounded in every battle—but he remained fearless, even using himself as bait to draw enemy fire.
With such a man present, how could Wei Kingdom lose?
Yet, unfortunately, Wei Kingdom did lose. They lost at the Shan Gui Valley of Pingchang, lost because of those letters accusing "General Guan" of colluding with the enemy and betraying the nation.
Her throat tightened slightly. Feng Yue snapped back to reality and looked pitifully at Mama Jin. "My hand hurts so much."
Awakening from her shock, Mama Jin still wore a somewhat dazed expression. Her heavy makeup seemed stiff as she hurriedly said, "I'll have Lingshu bring you some pain-relief medicine. Just bear with it a little longer."
With that, she stumbled out the door.
The room fell silent. Feng Yue turned her head and glanced at the silver armor placed beside her.
She, too, once had a set of armor—silver-red in color, stained with the blood of countless enemies and her own.
But now, wearing such armor again would truly be unworthy of her.
Letting out a low chuckle, Feng Yue shrugged, shook her head to dismiss these thoughts, and eased her mind. She lay down to rest once more.In the following days, Yin Gezhi did not come to Dream Return Pavilion, likely knowing she couldn’t entertain guests and thus had no reason to visit.
Soon enough, it was the day of Dream Return Pavilion’s opening performance. Feng Yue’s hand remained bandaged, though more lightly, allowing her fingers to move and barely grip a prop knife.
“Is everything ready?” Seeing the time was almost right, Mama Jin called out from behind the stage in the main hall. “We’ll be opening to guests soon—don’t mess this up!”
“Yes,” a group of young performers curtsied in response. One sharp-eyed girl spotted Feng Yue in the corner and exclaimed softly, “Why haven’t you changed yet?”
Sitting in a chair in her everyday clothes, Feng Yue gazed toward the entrance and murmured, “Don’t you find it strange?”
“What?”
“Usually by this time, there would already be many sedan chairs outside,” Feng Yue said. “But today, aside from a few loiterers, there’s nothing out there.”
Only those with sedan chairs had status, and Mama Jin’s performance was specifically prepared for such people. Hearing this, everyone panicked and rushed out to look.
Flamboyant Street was bustling as usual in the evening, and Dream Return Pavilion wasn’t entirely without guests. However, the usual array of luxurious and elegant sedan chairs was nowhere to be seen today.
“This…” Mama Jin was stunned. After a moment’s thought, she glanced at Feng Yue with a look of sheer terror.
She knew that man was influential in the Wei Kingdom, but this was the territory of the Wu Kingdom. She had invited all the prominent and respectable families—how could it be that, as he had said, not a single one showed up?
Feng Yue was also puzzled. Yin Gezhi’s status in Wei was unquestionably lofty, but in Wu, he was merely a hostage. How could he still wield such power?
Too curious to resist, Feng Yue ignored everything else. She thrust the prop knife into Lingshu’s hands, then hurried upstairs to change, climbed over the wall, and headed straight for the Envoy’s Mansion.
As mentioned before, Yin Gezhi had been captured by General Yi and brought back as a hostage. Yet, for reasons unknown, the Wu Kingdom did not imprison him. Instead, they treated him like an envoy from Wei, allowing him to reside in the Envoy’s Mansion, providing him with fine food and drink, and imposing no restrictions on his freedom.
If there was ever a hostage who lived this lavishly, it was probably Yin Gezhi.
Outside the Envoy’s Mansion, there were indeed many sedan chairs—not just sedan chairs, but also numerous carriages adorned with bronze tigers and cranes on their roofs. Hiding nearby, Feng Yue watched as these people, bringing their entire families, filed into the mansion.
What was going on? Was this some kind of market day?
Utterly bewildered, Feng Yue glanced at the people behind her, then simply blended in, pretending to be a maid. She kept her head down and followed the crowd inside.
The Envoy’s Mansion had no attendants, and there were no servants or maids in sight. This gathering of high-ranking officials and nobles all seemed to know their way, heading voluntarily toward the main courtyard. Feng Yue scanned the crowd—many familiar faces, regular patrons of Dream Return Pavilion, but also many she had never seen before.
The main gate was wide open. Yin Gezhi sat in the host’s seat, with banquet tables arranged all around. As everyone entered, regardless of their rank or age, they clasped their hands and bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Your Highness.”
Feng Yue’s lips twitched.
Last time, when the Crown Prince of Wu addressed him as “Your Highness,” she thought it was merely a gesture of courtesy. Who would have thought that even the civil and military officials of Wu would address him the same way?
Had they lost their minds?
“I only sent out three invitations,” Yin Gezhi nodded in acknowledgment. “I never expected all of you esteemed officials to come. You honor me greatly.”"It is we who have disturbed you." A plump man at the front spoke with an apologetic smile: "We really shouldn't have come knocking on your door so shamelessly, but we heard that Your Highness has the intention of taking disciples... My son wishes to join the military and hopes to receive Your Highness's guidance."
"My son has also admired Your Highness for many years. If he could become your disciple, I would be eternally grateful!"
"I am An Shichong. I have long heard of Your Highness's esteemed reputation and hope for Your Highness's instruction!"
Everyone in the room instantly began pleading to become disciples, startling Feng Yue, who stood at the back of the crowd, into a shiver.
Was Yin Gezhi insane? He actually wanted to take disciples?
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