Chapter 6 — One Sword Cuts Our Ties

From that day onward, the three of us were inseparable. The two of them constantly bickered over me, leaving me trapped right in the middle, deeply troubled and unable to please either side. One afternoon, while our trio was leading a scouting party outside the city, we unexpectedly fell into a carefully orchestrated ambush. Arrows rained down upon us as thick as a sudden summer storm, leaving more than half of our vanguard wounded or slain. A stray shaft pierced deep into my shoulder. Just at that perilous moment, a heavy crossbow bolt whistled through the air from nearby, heading straight for my heart. Because of the injury in my shoulder, my reflexes were sluggish, and I could not dodge in time. In that fleeting fraction of a second, Pei Ze lunged forward, throwing his own body directly in front of mine. He took that deadly bolt for me, saving my life. Meanwhile, Xiao Jingxing, who had actually been standing closer to me, instinctively sidestepped to preserve himself. After Pei Ze finally regained consciousness from his wounds, I asked him what reward he desired. He offered me a faint, fragile smile.

A life rescued can only be repaid with one's own person.

Xiao Jingxing stood quietly nearby, for the very first time failing to open his mouth in rebuttal. Inside the Imperial Study, Xiao Jingxing offered a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.

Back then, I watched him disregard his very life for your sake, which was why I finally chose to let go.

Yet over these past few years, his treatment of you has grown harsher with every passing season.

Shen Mingtang, I have waited all this time. I waited for you to come and claim the promise I made to you on the day of my grand wedding.

Yet now that you have truly come, I suddenly find myself feeling a deep sense of injustice on your behalf.

My emotions were in utter turmoil, yet I had no words to express the complicated thoughts swirling within me. I could only remain silent. Xiao Jingxing looked deeply into my eyes and suddenly asked:

Did you ever blame me for what happened back then?

I gently shook my head and replied in a soft whisper:

Your Majesty, for the events of those years, this subject has never harbored any resentment toward you.

Back then, he was a revered imperial prince, standing mere steps away from the crown prince's throne. How could he possibly cast aside such a brilliant future for the sake of a woman? Xiao Jingxing fell silent for a long, heavy while, then let out a low, mocking chuckle. He lowered his gaze, staring at the empty palms of his hands.

I am no longer a match for the man he was back then.

He turned slowly and seated himself once more upon the dragon throne.

Yet I am far superior to the man he has become today.

I shall issue an imperial decree for you. From this day forward, the two of you shall share no further ties.

I grant you absolute authority. No matter what actions you take within the Marquis Anxuan Estate, I shall never hold you accountable.

Pei Ze clutched his chest, shaking his head in continuous disbelief. I looked down at him and spoke in a clear, measured voice:

Pei Ze, you saved my life once in the past, which is why I refuse to take your life today.

Yet the deeds you have committed throughout these years truly render you unworthy of being a devoted husband. This single stroke of my sword is merely to vent the wrath buried deep within my heart.

From this moment onward, our paths are severed.

As the last word left my lips, Chief Eunuch Chu, who had been waiting patiently outside to assist me with the aftermath, stepped gracefully into the room. He held aloft a vibrant, brilliant yellow imperial decree and walked directly toward Pei Ze.

An imperial edict has arrived. Let the Marquis of Anxuan kneel and receive the mandate.

Pei Ze collapsed onto his knees at the foot of the steps, his complexion ashen, his entire frame swaying as though about to collapse entirely. The estate servants filled the courtyard, kneeling in dense rows, none of them daring to draw a breath too loudly. Eunuch Chu unrolled the imperial mandate, his high-pitched voice shattering the oppressive silence of the courtyard.

We have heard that the union of husband and wife is the foundation of all human morality. Yet extraordinary individuals must perform extraordinary deeds. General Zhaowu of the Shen family, Mingtang, whose lineage is steeped in loyalty and valor, has rendered great service to the state. In her youth, she offered her pure devotion to another, never imagining she would select an unworthy match. Pei Ze, the Marquis of Anxuan, enjoying the lingering blessings of his ancestors and partaking of the imperial stipend, has nonetheless governed his household without discipline, allowing lowly concubines to usurp the position of the rightful wife. The bonds of affection are thoroughly shattered, rendering him utterly unfit to function as a husband. Having forfeited the virtue of a lordship, he naturally forfeits the title of a husband. Yielding now to the petition of Lady Shen, this is neither a mutual separation nor a simple release. Wielding the sword of the General of Zhaowu and acting by the mandate of the Son of Heaven, Lady Shen Mingtang hereby casts off her husband, Pei Ze.

Eunuch Chu paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over Pei Ze, who knelt upon the earth with a deathly pale face, before his voice rose by another three notches.

From the day this imperial decree is promulgated, the ties of matrimony are utterly severed. Each shall take a new path in marriage, forever unrelated. Pei Ze is hereby stripped of his title as the Marquis of Anxuan, demoted to the rank of the Baron of Anxuan, and docked three years of his official stipend as a stern warning to others. Respect this.

The entire courtyard fell into a profound, breathless dead silence. Even I felt a trace of genuine astonishment. What I had petitioned for today was merely a separation. Yet the decree handed down by Xiao Jingxing was an outright dismissal of a husband by his wife. Pei Ze accepted the sacred scroll with trembling hands, slowly turning his head to look back at me. His eye rims were stained a fierce red, his gaze filled with a dazed, hollow confusion. I averted my gaze, refusing to grant him another glance.

Yunyan, let us depart.

Pei Ze watched the unwavering silhouette of the woman walking away without a single moment of hesitation, and suddenly the world before his eyes grew pitch black as he collapsed unconscious. The surrounding servants scrambled forward in sheer panic.

My Lord Baron!

On the day I departed, the sky was vast, clear, and bathed in brilliant sunshine. Xiao Jingxing came personally to see me off beyond the outer gates of the city. I was clad in a suit of gleaming silver armor, standing tall before him. The faded red tassel tied to the hilt of my long sword fluttered gently in the mountain breeze. Xiao Jingxing looked at me, and a sudden smile broke across his face.

I still vividly remember back at the northern frontier when I told you that women had no business on the battlefield. You glared at me as though you wanted to tear me apart alive and swallow me whole.

He paused briefly, his gaze lingering upon my polished armor, a profound sense of nostalgia coloring his tone.

Back then, I never could have imagined that a day would come when I would cast aside every single murmur of criticism and personally bestow upon you the title of general with my own hands.

I, too, recalled the distant memories of our youth, the corners of my lips curving upward in a gentle smile.