Becoming the Protagonist's Short-Lived Fiancé (GL) - Chapter 8

Wen Fei ultimately did not recall that the girl who nearly hit her with a watermelon from the second floor on the day she returned to the capital was Chu Xi. After watching Chu Xi’s carriage disappear, she felt a profound sense of relief, and even the hooves of her horse seemed lighter on the way home.

Since the matter was settled, Wen Fei first made a trip to the Grand Commandant’s Manor.

Unlike Wen Fei, who was currently idle after returning from war, the Grand Commandant Qi, who managed the nation’s military affairs, was very busy. When Wen Fei went, he was not home, reportedly inspecting the Chang’an garrison. Wen Fei was not worried. She took advantage of the free time to see her young cousin, Qi Jun, and even took him riding for a while, delighting the child.

It wasn’t until dusk that the dusty Grand Commandant Qi returned to the manor. He was quite pleased to find Wen Fei waiting for him at home. He undoubtedly kept Wen Fei for dinner, and only after the meal did the two of them discuss official business.

The news of Wen Fei blocking the Chu Manor gate had already spread like wildfire across Chang’an City. Some people even questioned the Grand Commandant Qi about it, but he had dismissed them by citing Wen Fei’s youthful exuberance. After waiting a few days, he was finally happy to see Wen Fei call on him and asked straightforwardly: “Well, is there finally a result from the Chu family? Did you meet Miss Chu?”

The uncle and niece never stood on ceremony. Wen Fei replied: “I met her today. I told her that the imperial marriage was inappropriate, and she had no objection, only asking me to petition His Majesty to withdraw the decree.”

Grand Commandant Qi felt this was strange and couldn’t help but ask, “She didn’t say anything else?”

Wen Fei thought for a moment, then shook her head very seriously: “We barely exchanged a few sentences in total.”

Fine. Grand Commandant Qi understood Wen Fei. She had been immersed in the military camp for so many years and had truly become a bit rough. She likely didn’t know how to exchange pleasantries, which must have annoyed the young lady, prompting her to be so direct. On the other hand, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for Wen Fei. After all, the Chu daughter was highly cherished; if she was unwilling, the Chu family would be even more resolute in abandoning the marriage.

This was what the uncle and niece had previously discussed. If both families shared the same goal, resolving the imperial marriage would be much easier. However, after hearing Wen Fei’s account, Grand Commandant Qi still asked: “Since you’ve reached a consensus, what do you plan to do?”

Wen Fei, relying on the Emperor’s favoritism, didn’t overthink it: “I will go and speak to His Majesty. He will be understanding.”

Grand Commandant Qi was always composed and cautious, and he couldn’t help but feel speechless: “An imperial edict has been issued. Don’t rely on His Majesty’s grace to act so willfully.” After admonishing his niece, he earnestly added, “The heart of a sovereign is unpredictable. Don’t sow the seeds of future trouble.”

This was very sound advice, and only a close uncle would speak so plainly. Wen Fei understood the principle, but she felt that at her young age, a bit of swagger was acceptable. Moreover, given the Emperor’s temperament, he probably preferred her youthful recklessness to her uncle’s maturity and caution. As for whether the Emperor would change his mind and bring up old grievances in the future, that was a problem for another day.

On this issue, the uncle and niece could never fully convince each other, so Grand Commandant Qi said no more after the reminder—in his view, Wen Fei, in her early twenties, was already an adult. Since she could command the army, she could handle her own affairs independently.

Wen Fei had her own way of solving problems, and Grand Commandant Qi didn’t plan to interfere too much. However, after scrutinizing Wen Fei, he still couldn’t help but worry: “Ah Fei, you have passed the age of Ruoguan. Marriage is inevitable. Even if you can refuse the Chu family marriage this time, such matters will continue to arise. You must make plans soon.”

An uncle always sees his niece favorably, especially since the young general was already so outstanding. She was a rare military talent, favored by the Emperor, and was already highly sought after in Chang’an before returning to the capital. In terms of looks and character, Wen Fei had no flaws other than her slightly arrogant temper. Due to her being a woman, her appearance was less rugged, but extremely handsome.

To put it frankly, a family that produced a commoner Empress must have had outstanding looks. And even if Miss Chu didn’t care for Wen Fei’s “straightforward” temperament, there would always be others who favored it.

Overall, Wen Fei’s standing in the marriage market was excellent, so much so that it caused her uncle to worry.

As for asking Wen Fei to give up her current status and return to the “correct path,” Grand Commandant Qi would neither consider it nor mention it. Because from the moment Wen Fei asked him to embark on this path, there was no turning back for her, or for him!

Wen Fei also knew the seriousness of the situation. Several ideas flashed through her mind, but she habitually asked first: “Does Uncle have any method for this?”

The Grand Commandant Qi pondered for a moment, looked at Wen Fei, and cautiously suggested: “I had a subordinate who died in battle years ago, leaving behind a daughter. If you are willing, I can adopt her as a goddaughter, and then she can marry you to conceal your identity.”

Grand Commandant Qi himself had started as a battlefield general and was no less capable of fighting than Wen Fei, which was how he gained the Emperor’s favor and rapidly rose in rank. He was also a man of integrity and loyalty; most of the rewards he received over the years were used to compensate the families of fallen soldiers. He had adopted many orphans, and the one he mentioned now was clearly a highly trustworthy person.

It was a good idea, but Wen Fei frowned slightly and finally shook her head: “No need. Why should I implicate someone else’s life just to conceal my identity?”

The Grand Commandant Qi didn’t try to persuade her, only saying, “Then think carefully about it yourself.”

Wen Fei agreed, planning to go back and consider it. She then changed the subject to lighter topics with her uncle. She casually asked about his inspection of the garrison today, and as they spoke, the conversation turned to Wen Fei’s current situation of being idle at home.

Grand Commandant Qi wasn’t worried about this at all: “His Majesty holds you in high regard and won’t leave you idle for long. You should take this opportunity to rest. After some time, His Majesty might order you to take over the Chang’an garrison.”

Wen Fei was indifferent to this and casually said, “Compared to the garrison, I would rather return to the Imperial Guard (Yulin).”

The Imperial Guard were the Emperor’s close bodyguards, and the Yulin was also where the Emperor cultivated trusted talents. Given Wen Fei’s current rank as a Marquis and General, returning to serve as an Imperial Guard was inappropriate and impossible; it was merely a jest.

While Wen Fei had settled one major concern and was even discussing her future marriage with her uncle, Chu Xi returned home but did not disclose Wen Fei’s intention to dissolve the engagement. As a result, the Chu family almost exploded with worry.

Chu Xi also had her pride. The matter of being blocked at the gate and asked for an annulment was too embarrassing to talk about, so she planned to let it cool down first. However, the Chu brothers, and even their paternal uncles, who knew she had gone out to meet Wen Fei that day, were frantic—they had only this one daughter in the entire Chu family, and they felt all the spoiling in the world wasn’t enough. How could they easily let a wolf snatch her away?!

Yu Dong was the first person summoned by the madam for questioning. Unfortunately, no one else was present in the private room when Wen Fei spoke to Chu Xi, so she naturally knew nothing. If Yu Dong didn’t know what they discussed, the coachman and others knew even less.

The Chu family was deeply worried. Those who already disliked Wen Fei now despised her even more.

The family gathered again, avoiding Chu Xi, to discuss the matter. Compared to the petty schemes of the younger generation, the decision reached by the Chu uncles was to “pull the firewood from under the cauldron” (a drastic move to solve a problem). With a wolf eyeing their daughter outside, preventing Chu Xi from leaving was clearly the worst strategy. Not only was the time they could keep her indoors limited, but the family feared it would make her restless and unhappy. So, they decided to send Chu Xi away immediately!

The Chu family’s ancestral home was in Jiangnan (the region south of the Yangtze River). It so happened that Chu Xi’s grandfather was in poor health this year, so the Chu family used the pretext of filial piety to send her to Jiangnan.

Chu Xi had no reason to refuse. She had intended to tell her family about Wen Fei’s decision, but seeing the high emotions of her family, she felt it was unnecessary. After all, Wen Fei wanted to annul the marriage, and none of her elders and brothers wanted to marry her off to Wen Fei. Whether she spoke up or not made no difference; both sides were heading toward the same goal by different means.

Thus, without Wen Fei knowing anything about it, her nominal fiancée was swiftly sent away by her family. Wen Fei, who, after reaching a consensus with Chu Xi, paid no further attention to news about the Chu family, learned this news many days later, and it was from the mouth of her Crown Prince cousin…