Becoming the Protagonist's Short-Lived Fiancé (GL) - Chapter 4

Even after the celebration banquet concluded, Wen Fei was still somewhat dazed.

She walked out of Chengde Hall clutching two imperial edicts, barely reacting when someone bumped into her. It wasn’t until another person nearly collided with her, and a hand suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, that the dazed Wen Fei finally snapped back to reality.

Looking up, she saw she was being glared at again—it was the young gentleman who had secretly glared at her earlier. She still had no idea what the grudge was between them.

Before Wen Fei could figure it out, a low voice spoke next to her: “Are you back to yourself?”

The three words roused Wen Fei, and she remembered being pulled away. Turning her head, she saw that the person holding her was none other than the young general’s uncle, the Grand Commandant. Instinctively feeling a sense of closeness, her expression relaxed, and she called out, “Uncle.”

The middle-aged man in the dark official robe had a straight back, and his soldierly demeanor was difficult to conceal even with wide robes and large sleeves. His stern face softened with a hint of tenderness when he saw Wen Fei. He raised his hand, patted Wen Fei’s shoulder, and smiled at her: “This battle was fought brilliantly, and His Majesty favors you greatly. You should be happy, so why do you look so crestfallen?”

Wen Fei wanted to say, Given my true identity, how can I marry a wife? But with ears and eyes everywhere in the Imperial Palace, she dared not speak out. Moreover, after holding back the words that nearly slipped out, she immediately realized how inappropriate her previous reaction had been. Her true identity was unknown to others, but her uncle, the Grand Commandant, who personally helped her conceal it, knew perfectly well.

In an instant, a layer of cold sweat broke out on Wen Fei’s back. She quickly blinked and tried to cover up her state: “It’s nothing. Although this battle was a great victory, many soldiers died. While we return victorious to the court, receiving titles and ranks, those fallen soldiers were wrapped in horse hide and can’t even return home…”

She was only looking for an excuse at first, but as she spoke, Wen Fei genuinely felt a little sad. Although she had never truly been on the battlefield, the memories of the young general made her vividly aware of the brutality of war, leaving her deeply regretful for the losses.

The Grand Commandant Qi had only intended to remind his niece. Hearing her words, he couldn’t help but sympathize. He sighed and said, “I still have some money saved. You can take it later and distribute it as compensation to the families of the fallen soldiers.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Fei refused immediately, waving her hand: “There is no need, Uncle. His Majesty bestowed many rewards upon me; I will just use those to distribute.”

As they spoke, their demeanor gradually became natural, and when they left the Palace side by side, there was no longer any sign of unusual behavior. It wasn’t until they stepped out of the Palace gate that Wen Fei finally couldn’t resist asking: “That person who glared at me earlier, does Uncle know who he is? I don’t recall having any animosity with him.”

The Grand Commandant Qi’s expression became complicated for a moment. He looked deeply at Wen Fei before saying, “That is Chu Ang, the sixth son of the Chu family.”

Wen Fei was stunned at first, then subconsciously lowered her head to look at the imperial edict in her hand—the newly received marriage edict stated that the young lady she was to be married to was a daughter of the Chu family. Could that Chu Ang be the brother of her fiancée?

Thinking this, she looked up at her uncle, whose eyes clearly told her she had guessed correctly.

This made Wen Fei feel a bit awkward. She raised her hand to rub her forehead, wanting to say something but not knowing where to start. It wasn’t until she mounted her horse and rode alongside her uncle that Wen Fei finally mustered the courage to ask: “Uncle, can you tell me about this Miss Chu?”

The Grand Commandant Qi maintained a calm expression, looking straight ahead as he rode: “I don’t know about the affairs of young ladies, but the Chu family is not easy to provoke.” His tone was slightly serious as he slowly recounted what he knew.

The Chu family was an esteemed aristocratic clan that had held official positions since the previous dynasty, making them incomparable to a newly risen imperial in-law family like the Qi family. Moreover, the Chu family was related to the imperial family: the matriarch of the previous generation was a Royal Princess, and the current matriarch was also a Royal Princess. It could be said that the Chu family was already bound to the imperial household. Combined with the talent found throughout the family, they truly held a vital position in the court.

At this point, Grand Commandant Qi wanted to sigh. Looking at this imperial marriage, he knew that His Majesty truly favored Wen Fei, and choosing such a wife’s family was intended to boost her influence. Unfortunately, things rarely go as planned. The more powerful the Chu family was, the more difficult it would be to deal with them.

A divorce or annulment, at the moment, seemed completely impossible!

Wen Fei’s General’s Manor and the Grand Commandant’s Manor were separated only by a wall. In fact, Wen Fei had lived in the Grand Commandant’s Manor until she was eighteen. Her parents died young, leaving her with only her uncle and aunt as relatives. When her uncle found her, her aunt had already entered the palace, and for those years, the two of them depended on each other.

Their uncle-niece relationship was very close, a fact that changed little even after Grand Commandant Qi married and had children. It could be said that Wen Fei was raised and trained by Grand Commandant Qi personally. Precisely because of his personal guidance, Grand Commandant Qi knew exactly how high Wen Fei’s military talent was. So, when Wen Fei revealed her ambition to be extraordinary, Grand Commandant Qi couldn’t bear to confine her exceptional talent to the inner quarters.

Having risen from a commoner to one of the Three Ducal Ministers, Grand Commandant Qi was not a person who adhered strictly to convention. He was ambitious and possessed a heart equally unwilling to be ordinary. Thus, the uncle and niece came together and decided to deceive the world.

The present Wen Fei couldn’t help but think of the two of them as bold, but she was also unwilling to be confined to the inner quarters herself.

The horses’ hooves clicked across the cobblestone streets of the capital, Chang’an. Upon reaching the two adjacent luxurious manors, they agreed to have dinner together at the Grand Commandant’s Manor, and Wen Fei finally parted ways with her uncle.

She went directly back to her General’s Manor. The servants in the manor hadn’t seen their master for over a year and were greatly surprised and delighted to see her return.

A gatekeeper stepped forward to take the horse, and the housekeeper led the servants out to greet her. Wen Fei casually tossed the helmet she was carrying to the approaching servant and then instructed, “Prepare some hot water; I need to bathe.”

In this hot weather, marching and traveling were not only arduous but the daily sweat without a proper wash was unbearable. For the past three days of travel, Wen Fei could only use cool water to wipe herself down when they set up camp in the evening. Although she didn’t smell too much herself, a faint sour smell of sweat always lingered around her. Upon returning home, she ignored everything else; a bath was the priority.

Life in ancient times lacked modern convenience, but fortunately, given Wen Fei’s current status, she was never short of servants to wait on her. Not long after she gave the order, someone came to report that the hot water was ready and she could bathe.

Taking off her armor and stepping into the bath chamber, it was the young general’s habit over the years that no one would interrupt her at this time.

Wen Fei was still slightly uneasy, so she checked the doors and windows of the bath chamber once more before finally removing her clothes and stepping into the tub.

As the warm water covered her shoulders, Wen Fei leaned back relaxedly against the side of the tub. The fatigue accumulated from marching and campaigning seemed to erupt instantaneously. Unknowingly, the person whose mind was set on cleaning herself drifted off to sleep while leaning on the tub.

Wen Fei’s nap was not long, but she had a dream while asleep.

When she woke up, she was still leaning against the bathtub, looking up at the wooden ceiling, momentarily unable to collect her thoughts—She remembered. She remembered Tiger Leap Gorge, she remembered the young General Wen, and she remembered the Miss Chu who had just been granted to her in marriage.

That was a novel she had read before she transmigrated, but the protagonist was not the young general. More accurately, the young general was only a background figure in the story. Even if she was the jewel of the empire and an unparalleled God of War, sadly, her fate was to die young.

She went to war at eighteen, was enfeoffed as a Marquis at twenty-one, and reached the highest office within three years, yet no one envied her. Because after the final great victory over the Northern Barbarians, the young general was assassinated on her way back to the capital. She was ambushed at Tiger Leap Gorge and struck by a poisoned arrow. The poisoned arrow took her life seven days later, and the young general star fell. No matter how much the Emperor mourned her, he couldn’t bring back her vibrant life.

As for Chu Xi, that was another identity. She was the story’s female protagonist, but she wasn’t someone to be envied either. Because Wen Fei, who never read danmei (BL), realized only halfway through the book that it was actually a BL fanfiction!