Chapter 645: Reliance

Under the absolute violence, the truth of facts had ceased to matter. Lu Bozhu's three accusations, brought forth in a bid to force the palace, were swiftly sealed by the upper echelons of the Second Garrison.

The source of the report about the Saint's siege was traced back to the Imperial Prefecture.

The White Wolf Demon is not a Linn Wolf, but rather a war relic ancient beast procured by the Imperial Prefecture.

The woman within the city, exuding the distinct aura of Tachao's special martial arts, is not the Desert Goddess, but a concubine brought by the Imperial Prefecture's legitimate heir.

The lower-ranking soldiers were momentarily caught off guard by this sudden shift in public sentiment, yet their dissent was swiftly and systematically suppressed by the mid- and lower-level officers.

No further questions were raised—neither by the soldiers nor by Lu Bozhu himself.

Thus, the palace intrigue ended in haste.

The military formations on the parade ground were disbanded, and the mid-ranking officers led their troops in batches out of the camp, heading toward the city walls for preparations.

The senior commanders, who had previously remained neutral, exchanged brief greetings with Xu Yuan before departing with their respective retinues.

They were well aware that, now that the storm had settled, the time had come for reckoning.

Lu Bozhu, though he had failed in his coup, was still the commander of the Xuanjing Army—after all, decades of comradeship deserved at least a measure of dignity preserved for him.

Within just two short hours, the Xuanjing Army camp fell silent. The entire training ground now contained only four figures: Xu Yuan, Li Junwu, the elderly general of unknown surname, and Lu Bozhu, now stripped of his office and power.

Unlike the generals of the Zhenxi Prefecture who bowed and departed in respectful farewell to Xu Yuan, this elderly man, after sheathing his sword, immediately knelt half-bow before Li Junwu:

"Your Grace, I am unworthy, and it is my fault that this rogue Lu has dared to commit such an offense."

...

The low voice echoed across the vast training ground, lingering and fading, until Li Junwu seemed to finally awaken from a trance.

She stared at the old general for a moment, her long, elegant eyes turning toward Xu Yuan—filled with quiet inquiry.

An inquiry into whether this man, so aged and weathered, could be trusted.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan slowly approached, reaching out to lift the old man, only to find he would not move.

The armored elder lay half-bent on the ground like a stone of immense weight—his gaze fixed upon Xu Yuan, filled with gratitude, yet laced with suspicion.

Xu Yuan raised a hand, rubbing his head, and smiled lightly.

"Perhaps I've overstepped my bounds."

The demeanor of the generals from Zhongxi Prefecture had momentarily caused him to forget his outsider status.

As he spoke, Xu Yuan awkwardly stepped back, giving a subtle nod toward Li Junwu, who remained stubbornly still in place.

Li Junwu murmured softly, bowing slightly and reaching out to help lift the elderly general named Jin:

"General Jin, please rise—this is not your fault."

.

Watching the subtle gestures between them, the elderly general's expression beneath his helmet grew conflicted. Rising slowly, he cautiously added:

"Madam, could you—forgive past grievances and still place trust in an old man?"

At this, Li Junwu instinctively glanced toward Xu Yuan, who was idly playing with a human skin mask in his hands.

Xu Yuan carefully chose his words, smiling and said:

"General Jin, you're being too playful. The palace siege incident was a decision made jointly by all the officers of the Second Garrison. You were part of it, and thus had little real choice. Whether you intervened earlier to save Junwu, or your recent words matched mine, both have proven your loyalty to the Marshal of the West."

"Third Prince."

Xu Yuan's words failed to ease the general's expression, and he spoke in a low, serious tone:

"Earlier, my question was directed at the Princess."

"..."

Silence fell abruptly.

Recalling the earlier reactions of the woman by his side, Xu Yuan instantly grasped the meaning behind the old man's words.

Upon hearing this, Li Junwu slightly furrowed his brow and murmured, "General Jin, Changtian has been my closest friend since childhood. This plan was specifically devised for me."

The general took a deep breath, his weathered voice laced with weariness:

"May I ask, my Lady, though the third young master may devise strategies for you for a moment, can he do so for a lifetime?"

"."

Struck momentarily dumb, Li Junwu blinked her eyes and looked toward him at her side.

Seeing this reaction from his good brother once again, Xu Yuan directly rolled his eyes in exasperation, turning his head away and ignoring her.

The elderly general surnamed Jin watched Xu Yuan's reaction, a slight sigh of relief escaping his heart.

Fortunately, this Young Master Changtian before him did not seem to have any intention of manipulating the princess.

Though the current Zhenxi Mansion was riddled with a thousand holes, that was merely a superficial rot; whether it was the sects or the newly entered Prime Minister's Mansion, as long as the Marquis remained, there was still a turn for the better, but if a problem arose with the princess, the very roots of Zhenxi Mansion would be utterly destroyed.

Silence fell upon the Xuanwu Platform.

Li Junwu became aware of the subconscious dependence she had developed toward Xu Yuan.

And within this awkward atmosphere, the elderly man surnamed Jin spoke no further, bowing respectfully to take his leave.

She had no idea how to manage the situation below.

She didn’t know how to respond to the deliberately stirred public sentiment.

She didn’t know how to clear the accusations laid upon her.

She was at a loss.

Yet she forced herself to remain composed.

She tried to imagine herself as Princess Li Qingyan, to picture how Li Qingyan would act in such circumstances—but her blank mind left her thoughts nearly frozen.

In that moment, she regretted her own foolish actions from before. If she had been more restrained then, perhaps she wouldn’t have faced such a violent backlash. But the world has no remedy for regrets—everything had already become useless.

The overwhelming, crushing pressure nearly crushed her to dust.

And so,

she gave in.

She felt certain that the man would find a way, that he was capable of helping her break through the deadlock.

And in truth, her intuition proved correct.

After she had been driven to no choice but to unveil her array in public, his figure appeared in the military camp—exactly as she had hoped.

At that moment, Li Junwu felt the pressure upon his shoulders like a dam releasing its floodwaters, dissolving into a kind of hollow, weary relief.

What had once been the central figure in this dramatic siege had now become mere background. Since Xu Yuan had appeared, everyone’s gaze had shifted entirely to him.

Original

Her thoughts halted there, and Li Junwu suddenly became aware of himself, his slender eyes holding a touch of self-mocking melancholy.

Having spoken, she turned around—but did not immediately depart. She stood silently, motionless in place.

Her chest rose and fell several times, several times ready to speak, yet when the words reached her lips, she could not find the beginning of them.

In this silence,