After the banquet ended, the ministers left the palace for their respective homes. Inside the sleeping quarters, Emperor Zhou Xian was being attended to by several beautiful maidservants as they helped him change.
Looking at the chief eunuch kneeling by his feet, he narrowed his eyes and asked, “Rong Baolin, tell me—this marriage I’ve bestowed upon Chen Ting, is he satisfied with it?”
The fair and plump eunuch lowered his gaze respectfully. “All thunder and rain are blessings from the Emperor. General Chen must naturally be satisfied.”
The old emperor let out a raspy laugh. “Those previous brides were unfortunate. Some even died on the way. This time I’ve given him one who lives nearby—surely nothing will happen again.”
Rong Baolin kept his eyes lowered and remained silent. As the emperor’s confidant, of course he knew exactly how the previous seven brides had really died.
The one who had crafted Chen Ting’s fearsome reputation as a star of death… was none other than the emperor himself.
Chen Ting’s achievements overshadowed the throne. If he were to marry into a powerful family, he would become even harder to control. Emperor Zhou Xian wanted all noblewomen in the capital to fear marrying him, so he could conveniently choose brides from modest families—women who posed no political threat—and send them to Chen Ting instead.
Thinking of Chen Ting’s perpetually expressionless face, the emperor sighed regretfully. “A pity that my dear general always wears a deadpan look. I can’t even tell if he’s pleased with my arrangements.”
Outside the palace walls, several armored officers straightened up the moment they saw Chen Ting emerge. Their casual air vanished as they cupped their fists. “General!”
Chen Ting acknowledged them with a low hum, then swung onto his horse with practiced ease. “Let’s go.”
Chen Hu scratched his head at the general’s stingy use of words. “Go where, General? Didn’t the emperor give any rewards? Should we help carry them?”
Chen Long smacked his foolish younger brother on the head. “Of course we’re returning to Moyun. When have we ever stayed in the capital longer than necessary?”
There was indeed a general’s manor in the capital bestowed by the emperor, but Chen Ting never stayed there more than a few days before being sent back to the northern border. Over time, he simply returned to Moyun the moment his reporting duties ended. The Duke of Rong’s estate was just as much his home.
As for rewards…
Chen Ting’s expression didn’t change. “The emperor has granted me another marriage.”
“……”
Silence fell over the group. Normally, a marriage decree was good news—just not for their general. Not once had any of his previous imperial marriages ended well.
Chen Hu coughed cautiously. “So… which unlucky young lady is it this time?”
“The Xiahous.”
“Xiahou? There’s no Xiahou family in the capital…” Chen Hu slapped his thigh, suddenly realizing, “Don’t tell me it’s the daughter of Prefect Xiahou from our Moyun City? Well, that’s great! She’s close by—there’s no way anything could happen on the road this time.”
Chen Long shot him a look, then glanced at the general uncertainly. They had interacted with Prefect Xiahou many times. The old man was kind, honest, and loved the people like his own children—an excellent local official. But a rank-five prefect… compared to the general’s manor and the Duke of Rong’s estate… was still far too low.
The previous candidates for imperial marriage had been granddaughters of grand tutors or ministers, daughters of high-ranking officials, or at least from third-rank families. Now the emperor had gone straight to a prefect’s daughter…
The emperor’s intentions were painfully obvious.
Even Chen Long was furious on the general’s behalf, imagining how the officials in the capital would laugh behind their backs at such humiliation.
In the faint light of the palace gate, he couldn’t see Chen Ting’s expression clearly, but judging from his relaxed posture—he didn’t seem to care much about whom he was being married to. Just like the previous times, he remained completely detached, as if it were someone else’s matter.
Thinking about how the general was already twenty-eight, yet had no one by his side, how his mind was always on war, how withdrawn and unapproachable he was… Chen Long couldn’t help feeling heartache on his behalf. The general’s family respected and feared him, and every imperial marriage had ended terribly. Even someone like Chen Long felt sorry for him.
“Let’s go.” The man’s deep voice pulled Chen Long out of his thoughts.
Only a few trusted men had accompanied Chen Ting to the capital; the rest of his forces had returned directly to Moyun. If they hurried, they could reach the city by dawn.
Chen Ting had spoken only three sentences since leaving the palace, two of which were “return.” It was clear he was eager to go home.
The sound of hooves shattered the quiet of the night. The battle-hardened General of the State slipped silently out of the capital’s political web of power and ambition—without the slightest reluctance.
The imperial edict arrived in Moyun City almost at the same time as Chen Ting. Shen Wangshu had just awakened from an afternoon nap when a breathless maid rushed into Luoying Courtyard. “Miss, people from the palace are here. You must go to the front hall to receive the decree!”
The Xiahou family had lived peacefully in Moyun for years and had rarely seen an imperial edict. Only the old master remained calm; the other women were terrified as they knelt to receive it.
But once they heard the content of the decree, Madam Xiahou felt as though struck by lightning. Her vision went black, and she nearly fainted.
A marriage decree… a marriage decree! The emperor wanted to grant her daughter, Fu-niang, to that General of the State!
Though she lived far from the capital, she had still heard of the aging general whose seven brides had all died mysteriously. But imperial marriage decrees always targeted noble families in the capital—why had the emperor set his sights on the Xiahou family this time!?
Madam Xiahou trembled uncontrollably. Because no one stepped forward to receive the decree, the young eunuch frowned impatiently. “Are you not going to accept the decree and express your gratitude?”
The old master coughed lightly and accepted it with both hands. “Your humble servant accepts the decree. Long live the Emperor.”
Madam Xiahou finally came back to herself, though her expression was still dazed. The children behind her were confused as well.
Once the eunuch left, Xiahou Fu whispered, “Nian Nian Cousin, I think I heard my name…”
The decree had praised “the Xiahou family’s daughter—spirited, intelligent, gentle, and virtuous…” and many other things Xiahou Fu only half-understood. She only knew one thing: she had been given in marriage by imperial decree.
Shen Wangshu remained silent, listening clearly to Madam Xiahou’s anguished thoughts ahead of them:
“Why Fu-niang?! Why my Fu-niang!?”
“That general is already twenty-eight and fights on the battlefield every day. My daughter has barely come of age. If she marries him, what future will she have? How is this different from being a living widow!?”
“Why must it be our Xiahou family?!”
Her crying grew louder. Then, as she turned and saw Shen Wangshu’s face, her entire body jolted. Remembering something, she lunged forward, screaming and cursing:
“It’s you! Isn’t it you, you jinx!?”
“The emperor must have discovered you were hiding in our Xiahou family—that’s why he pushed my daughter to that star of death! It must be you bringing calamity upon us! You should die!”
Shen Wangshu froze where she stood, tears streaming down her cheeks, just as the old master roared,
“Silence! Da Lang, control your wife’s tongue!”