Amorous S*ave Girl - Chapter 35
Chapter 35 : Great General Who Guards the Nation
Three days later at court, civil and military officials stood arrayed as Eunuch Lu's piercing announcement rang out:
"His—Majesty—presides—over—court—!"
Ministers knelt in unison: "Long live the emperor!"
The emperor seated himself on the throne. "Rise."
"General Han, step forward for your investiture."
The general knelt at the jade steps as Eunuch Lu unfurled the edict:
"By Heaven's Mandate! The emperor decrees: General Han suppressed the Fifth Prince's rebellion with unparalleled merit. Henceforth named Great General Who Guards the Nation, rank 1B. Reward: one million silver taels, a thousand acres of fertile land, five thousand bolts of silk! His mother Lady Han née Liu, who sacrificed herself for the nation, posthumously honored as First Rank Noble Lady, her virtue eternally revered! So decreed!"
The general kowtowed. "This humble general thanks Your Majesty's boundless grace!"
*Study in the Tong Estate*
Tong Yuan watched Miss Bao'er paint lotuses while recounting: "The Fifth Prince, knowing his crimes were unforgivable, drank poisoned wine. The emperor stripped his titles, forbade royal tomb burial. Were it not for Lord Ningxi's kindness burying him at Western Hills, his corpse would rot unburied."
Kind-hearted Bao'er set down her brush, sighing. "And Tao'er? Was she really hidden in the Fifth Prince's estate as General Han said?"
Tong Yuan flushed. "We searched every property—Langyue Villa, all his villas—nothing. No trace..."
"Subordinate Li Chen requests audience!"
"What's the matter?" Tong Yuan strode to the door and reached out to open it.
At the door, Li Chen reported: "Three miles away from Langyue Villa, we found an abandoned carriage and a purple-clad female corpse—Zijuan, a Fifth Prince maid. Sword wounds covered her body, meridians severed—a fierce battle against skilled opponents. By the carriage..." He produced an exquisite gold peach-blossom hairpin. "From this, we can conclude that it was not bandits who killed for money, but a group of people from the martial arts world!" After saying that, Li Chen handed the peach blossom red hairpin from his arms to Tong Yuan.
Bao'er gasped. "Tao'er's pin! I gifted it for her birthday!" She lunged for the door in tears. "I must find her!"
Tong Yuan caught her. "You can't go!"
"Let me go, I want to save her. Tao'er is so weak. She won't have any ability to resist if she falls into the hands of bad guys! I've no family left—I can't lose her too!" Bao'er struggled wildly.
Holding her tight, Tong Yuan soothed: "Stay here safely. For your sake, for the general's, I'll definitely find her." Miss Bao'er stopped struggling and asked with a sob: "Can you really find Tao'er this time?"
As Bao'er quieted, he gently let her go, and wiped her tears. "Li Chen and I will go find Tao'er now, you stay in the mansion with peace of mind. You have a nanny to accompany you, you must wait for me to come back obediently. Don't run around and make me worry, okay?"
Nodding through tears, Bao'er watched them depart before whispering: "Tao'er...where are you? I miss you so much..."
*Imperial Mausoleum → Qinhua Palace*
After paying respects at the mausoleum, General Han felt drawn to the portrait hall Tong Yuan had mentioned. Finding it unguarded, he entered—and discovered the emperor already there, studying the wall of paintings.
The general knelt hastily. "This general intrudes unwittingly! Begging Your Majesty's pardon!"
The emperor turned, smiling. "Ping'er, none dare come here but me. No ceremony needed. Come—see your mother, Qinhua." After the emperor finished speaking, he turned around again, silently looking at the woman in white in the portrait, his deep eyes filled with infinite affection and longing.
So the emperor knew his parentage. What now? The general remained frozen.
Noticing his hesitation, the emperor approached and lifted him up. "Ping'er, do you resent me for not restoring your princely status? You know I'm your father—why won't you call me so?"
The general answered earnestly: "I resent no one, nor desire princely rank. For the empire's stability—lest schemers exploit my lineage to stir conflict between brothers—I cannot acknowledge you thus. Not even privately. Walls have ears. Should word spread, even if the empress and crown prince took no action, their factions inevitably would. Rumors would force conflict between me and the crown prince."
The emperor's eyes glistened with pride. "Truly Qinhua's son—so principled. Yet how can I atone?"
Gazing at the exquisitely rendered portraits—each stroke radiating profound love—the general felt a surge of emotion. How many women in history had won an emperor's true heart? His mother had been cherished beyond measure. What more could a son ask?
"Your Majesty owes us no debt. Knowing you loved Mother so deeply would make her smile in the afterlife. As for me—you've named me Great General Who Guards the Nation, a warrior's highest honor!"
"But you earned that!"
"Precisely why you can take pride in this son!"
Their shared smile dissolved all barriers between them.
*Crown Prince's Eastern Palace*
The crown prince slammed his book shut. "Grand Tutor, I don't wish to study today!"
The white-haired, kindly old tutor reminded: "Your Highness, as future ruler, you must mind decorum."
The prince sat upright, assuming regal dignity—for all of three seconds before slumping. "I envy General Han! Servants gossip admiringly of him everywhere—he's earned true respect! Unlike me, destined to be crown prince from birth—no one whispers of me!"
"Your Highness," the tutor sighed, "last week you envied the Fifth Prince's charm, Lord Ningxi's grace—now General Han's valor? Rather than coveting others' traits, perfect your own uniqueness. Besides..." He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Discussing royalty risks beheading—who'd dare gossip about you?"
"But they gossiped about Fifth Uncle!" The prince's excitement faded. His favorite uncle had rebelled, and not only killed the queen grandmother, but also wanted to kill him. This made the young prince unbearable and very sad.
Seeing his distress, the tutor said gently: "Pain fosters growth—don't dwell on it. Your path is long. Don't let bitterness trap you in darkness. Compassion and benevolence are sunlight guiding you to joy. Learn to release, to forgive. Only thus can you become..."
"A happy person!" The concept struck the prince like lightning. No one had ever spoken of happiness—only of being a virtuous ruler. His eyes lit up. "Grand Tutor! If I combined Fifth Uncle's charm, Lord Ningxi's grace, and General Han's might—wouldn't people gossip about me then?"
One cannot help but admire the prince's divergent and jumping thoughts. The old tutor twitched his lips and said to the prince with a smile: "Yes! Of course! Even I will talk about the prince loudly without caring about my life!"
The prince's eyes lit up, "Really, Master! Tell me now!"
"Do you really want to listen?!" the old tutor asked in pretended embarrassment.
"Really!" the prince affirmed excitedly.
"Well, Prince, you'd better listen carefully. I will only say this once." The old tutor rolled his book into a megaphone: "Run! A monster approaches!" Feigning terror, he tossed the book and scampered off, laughing over his shoulder.
"Grand Tutor!" The prince gave chase, their laughter startling birds from trees as scarlet sunset clouds bloomed overhead.
***
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