Chapter 90 Throwing Himself into Your Arms, the Captives Feed You Wine

"I have never lacked capable generals by my side, but I just can't stand to see talents like you being wasted."

"To put it bluntly, it seems that you were not given important responsibilities when you were in Wu Kingdom. Even someone like Shi Zongji was able to rise above you."

Duan Xuchao was speechless, his deepest resentment having been exposed.

"In my opinion, General's true talents have not been fully utilized. If you were under my command, I would certainly not overlook such a talent. I would definitely give you an important position and let your fame spread far and wide."

Ah Man understood and chimed in.

"Yes, I was originally just a farmer. It was His Highness who said I was strong and suitable for martial arts, so he took me with him and had someone teach me martial arts, which enabled me to go to the battlefield and make meritorious contributions... Last time was my first time leading troops into battle."

The valiant general who had fought her several rounds on the battlefield was actually leading troops for the first time?

Duan Xuchao's pupils dilated slightly; only now did he begin to believe Yuan Yan's words.

This time, she paused for a longer time than before, and her tone also changed slightly.

"Your Majesty is too kind. I am but an ordinary soldier of the State of Wu, and I do not deserve Your Majesty's special regard."

That sounds promising.

Yuan Yan, being such a perceptive person, immediately sensed her softening and couldn't help but smile.

"How many people are in General Duan's family?" Yuan Yan asked unhurriedly.

Why did Your Highness suddenly ask this?

Ah Man was puzzled.

Duan Xuchao had a premonition. Her throat tightened, and the words slipped out unconsciously.

“My mother passed away early, and now there is only my elderly father and my husband and daughter in the family.”

The father is old, the daughter is young, and only the husband can support the family. Although the money left by Duan Xuchao is enough for them to live on, there is no older woman in the household to uphold the family's dignity. If she were to pass away, the family might be bullied in the future.

This is also why Duan Xuchao was worried and did not immediately commit suicide after being captured.

"Does the general have any token?"

“Yes… it’s a sachet.” Duan Xuchao hesitated for a moment before taking the item out.

The sachet on Duan Xuchao's body was sewn by her husband, and it contained strands of their hair, symbolizing their eternal love.

The jailer, finding it worthless during the search, tossed it aside, but Duan Xuchao retrieved it, intending to take it to the execution ground. Unexpectedly, judging from the King of Qin's tone, it seemed he was willing to help her deliver it to her husband.

Hope was rekindled in Duan Xuchao's once desolate heart.

“My husband puts me first in everything. He will understand when he sees this sachet.”

Judging from Duan Xuchao's appearance, he seems to be quite loving with his husband, which explains why he initially refused to surrender. He probably feared that if he surrendered, his husband and father would suffer.

Yuan Yan had the items taken from him and nodded slightly: "I understand, General Duan, please rest assured."

"Xue Lang, help General Duan up. Take her to my villa and ask a doctor to treat her."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Xue Lang immediately stepped forward, helped Duan Xuchao up, and handed her over to the servants behind her.

"General Duan, please come with us." Several servants escorted the wounded Duan Xuchao to the villa.

"Thank you... Your Highness." Duan Xuchao's voice was slightly hoarse as he walked forward and said in a low voice.

[Host, what do you mean, "Don't worry"? What kind of riddle are you playing with Duan Xuchao?] The system seemed to understand but not quite.

"What do you think? Why would I ask about her family situation for no reason?" Yuan Yan replied in his mind, then raised his voice slightly.

"Cheju, go outside and spread the word that Duan Xuchao refused to surrender even at the cost of his life, and that I had him beheaded in a fit of rage."

Che Ju listened to the order but didn't react for a moment. Wasn't Duan Xuchao still alive?

But she responded quickly, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Chase the Shadow, Chase the Wind, Chase the Moon." Yuan Yan summoned three bodyguards in one breath.

"Your subordinates are here." Zhuiying and the others appeared out of nowhere and knelt on the ground.

"During this period, I order you to infiltrate Wu Kingdom, take this token, and bring Duan Xuchao's family back as soon as possible."

[Host, I understand... You want to spread the word that Duan Xuchao refused to surrender and died, and take advantage of this time to secretly bring her family back to Phoenix Kingdom, right?] The system became excited.

If news of Duan Xuchao's surrender reaches Wu Kingdom, Wu Kingdom will certainly not let her family off the hook. At that time, it is hard to say whether Duan Xuchao will give up on Wu Kingdom or become depressed and despondent.

It would be better to take her family back to the Phoenix Kingdom, both as hostages and to ensure she has no more worries and will wholeheartedly submit to the Phoenix Kingdom.

That was Yuan Yan's thought. Hearing the system's words, she smiled slightly and praised, "Not bad, you've made some progress."

[Hehe, of course, look who my host is.] The system rarely received praise from Yuan Yan, so it couldn't help but show off.

After the matter was settled, Xue Lang stepped forward.

"Your Highness, General Liang has come to visit. She and General Zhang and others would like to invite Your Highness to a banquet tomorrow to celebrate this great victory."

Liang Yijiong and Zhang Yu? Yuan Yan understood, knowing that this was a private victory celebration banquet for the generals.

To be fair, Yuan Yan had always been well-liked by military officers. Most of the generals in the court respected her greatly. Liang Yijiong and others who had fought alongside her on the battlefield had become her comrades-in-arms, and their bond had grown even stronger since their return.

“Alright, let’s invite Yuan Shi and A Man as well, so the sisters can have a good get-together.” Yuan Yan mounted his horse and agreed.

...

Qingyun Tower.

Outside the building, bright red lanterns hang from the upturned eaves, swaying lively in the night breeze, as if echoing the laughter and chatter inside.

High up in the building, the carved door outside the private room opens and closes.

Yuan Yan led his men inside and, greeted by a group of generals, took the seat of honor.

"Your Highness, the defense of Pingcheng and the expulsion of the enemy are entirely due to Your Highness's brilliant strategies... This humble general admires you and offers you a toast." Zhang Yu stood up, raised his wine cup high, and spoke in a loud voice.

"This victory is due to the concerted efforts of all the soldiers. I have only done my part." Yuan Yan raised his wine cup, smiled, and drank it down.

“Your Highness is being modest again,” Liang Yijiong said.

"If His Highness had not personally led troops in a night raid to infiltrate Ji City, creating chaos to open the city gates and coordinating with us from within, how could the enemy have been defeated so quickly?"

"I have followed many generals and commanders over the years, but I have never seen a general as wise and brave as Your Highness."

Her words immediately drew echoes of agreement from everyone at the table. Not only her confidants like Aman and Xue Lang, but even the other generals looked at Yuan Yan with reverence.

"If Your Highness leads us soldiers into battle, we will surely be able to wipe out the enemy and fulfill the long-cherished wish of our ancestors in due time." Zhang Yu's eyes gleamed with admiration.

"Greetings, gentlemen. We, your humble servants, have come to present our report."

As everyone was talking, the carved door creaked open. The man at the head of the group greeted them and then waved gently.

A group of men dressed in pale yellow, peach pink, and emerald green filed in, carrying moon lutes, pipa, sheng, and xiao. They lined up in front of the private room and began to play music.

Liang Yijiong was slightly taken aback, then turned to ask the young officer beside him, "Did you call these musicians?"

"No, someone else must have called it." The young general was stumped by the question and looked at the others.

"General, you must say, this tune is really beautiful. Listening to it makes me want to drink a few more bowls of wine."

"Do you like listening to music? I think you just like looking at beautiful women." Liang Yijiong shook his head and didn't think about it any further.

Accompanied by music, the generals drank heartily, and some of them gradually became drunk.

"My lord, let the captive pour you some wine," came a soft, coquettish voice.

A man dressed in light blue robes approached Yuan Yan and offered to pour her wine.

The male musician was too close, and the scent of perfume wafted over, mixed with a faint, sweet fragrance.

It's too greasy.

The smell made Yuan Yan frown immediately.

Yuan Shi noticed the prince's expression and knew that the prince probably didn't like men getting close to this kind of place, so he immediately spoke up to stop the male musician.

"You don't need to serve me here, just play your music," Yuan Shi said.

"Oh dear, the officials have spoken. Lüqi, why don't you step down quickly?"

The leading man quickly stepped forward with a smile to smooth things over, saying in a light tone that the man in the light blue clothes should leave now.

The man named Lü Qi looked at Yuan Yan, who was so close, and a hint of regret flashed in his eyes. But after someone spoke up, he reluctantly turned and left.

"Wait a minute," Yuan Yan said, suddenly stopping the man amidst the surprised gazes of the others.

"Come here and pour me some wine," she said, pointing at Lü Qi.

[What's wrong, host? You've taken a fancy to this young man playing the pipa?] The system clicked its tongue in amazement.

It's rare to see someone lose control like this...

The system was still talking, nodding its head, when Yuan Yan abruptly interrupted it.

"Didn't you notice that this man's scent smells somewhat familiar?"

"What's that scent? Isn't it just the usual smell of cosmetics? The men here should all have that!" the system wondered.

However, Yuan Yan did not answer it this time.

"My lord, the enemy has come to offer you wine."

After being called back, Lü Qi seemed to think that His Highness the Prince of Qin was interested in her, and kept leaning against Yuan Yan.

His hands were soft and white, and he wanted to press them against Yuan Yan's chest, but Yuan Yan pressed them down with one hand.

"Behave yourself." Yuan Yan said calmly, without showing any emotion. In fact, he secretly used some internal force to control Lü Qi, rendering her unable to move.

Lüqi opened her mouth, trying to break free, but she couldn't overcome her strength.

Even the system noticed something amiss and quickly asked, "[Host, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with this person?]"

You'll find out soon enough.

As Yuan Yan spoke, he continued talking to the remaining generals without making a sound, and drank them all under the table.

"I'm also drunk, let's stop here for today." Yuan Yan stood up.

She was still clutching Lüqi in one hand, and it seemed she was preparing to take the person with her.

The leading man's heart skipped a beat. Seeing this, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Oh, sir, our musicians are not allowed to return to the mansion with guests."

"Oh, really... You ask him yourself if he wants to come with me." Yuan Yan pulled Lü Qi forward, letting him speak to the man himself.

With her back to Yuan Yan, Lü Qi stared at the leading man and shook her head almost imperceptibly, signaling him not to interfere.

"I am naturally willing to gain the favor of such an important person," said Lü Qi.

The leading man seemed hesitant, but seeing that Lüqi spoke up herself, he seemed to have thought of something and didn't say anything more.

Yuan Yan snorted inwardly and led Lü Qi into his carriage.

After the two were in the same room, the fragrance became even stronger.