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After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth] Chapter 92

As soon as Li Chanxiu finished speaking, everyone present was stunned. Zhou Kai, in particular, could not hide his surprise, his peripheral vision quietly glancing at him.

Li Chanxiu’s expression did not change; his gaze remained smiling as he looked at Lu Zhi.

Previously, he had always hesitated over whether to recruit Lu Zhi. First, because he had not yet recovered his identity at the time, if he wanted to recruit the other party, there were some things he could not state openly; second, because their relationship had not yet been this deep; third, because Lu Zhi’s goal was to attack the Hu people and reclaim the northern lands. Now that the northwest had not fallen as it had in the dream, if the other party went to the southwest, then for the short term, there would likely be no opportunity to attack the Hu people. This ran counter to Lu Zhi’s goal, so the other party would likely not agree.

However, times were different now. At present, his identity had been restored, so he could recruit openly; secondly, he and Lu Zhi had cooperated for so long that their relationship could be considered fairly deep; thirdly, since the northwest was not in chaos and the court had not issued a recruitment order, even if Lu Zhi wished to reclaim the northern lands, there would be no opportunity for the time being.

In fact, if the matter of smuggling salt had not been discovered, Li Chanxiu would not have spoken. But now, the matter of salt trafficking had been detected by the border army, and Lu Zhi and the others had nowhere to go, was this not precisely the right moment to persuade them?

Most importantly, uprisings by displaced people were occurring everywhere, and the court was exhausted dealing with them. Li Chanxiu guessed that sooner or later, just like in the dream, the court would issue an edict allowing various regions to recruit troops on their own to help suppress the rebellions.

But by that time, Lu Zhi would be like in the dream, nominally having submitted to the court. If later their southwestern rebel army were to face off against the court, would that not mean one more formidable enemy?

Of course, given Lu Zhi’s character, as well as his relationship with him, he believed the other party would try to avoid becoming his enemy, and might even refrain from attacking him. But the southwestern rebel army was not composed of him alone, Lu Zhi might not oppose him, yet could still oppose others.

Most importantly, for such a capable general, why should he not recruit him, but instead let him fall into the hands of Liang Wang and his son?

In the dream, that new emperor, now Liang Wang Shizi, clearly had two pillar generals, Pei Zhen and Lu Zhi, who could hold back the iron hooves of the Hu people for the court, yet he failed to use them well. Especially Lu Zhi, because he came from the northern lands, belonged to no faction, and had outstanding military achievements, he was suspected and suppressed by various court factions. They restrained his northern campaigns, tried to strip him of military power, and in the end caused him to die of illness with lingering regrets.

Since that was the case…

Li Chanxiu’s gaze turned upright and clear as he looked at Lu Zhi and said sincerely, “I know Young Master Lu’s lifelong wish is to recover lost territory. However, the one in the palace at Chang’an now is obsessed with balancing power, allowing factions and noble families to fight among themselves, and has no ambition for a northern campaign. Whether you remain in Yongzhou or go elsewhere, for the time being you will likely have no chance to head north and attack the Hu people. Moreover, in recent years disasters have been constant across various regions, yet officials conceal and fail to report them, causing uprisings among the people to break out everywhere. The court is gradually losing the people’s support, the one in the palace is no longer a wise ruler.”

“On the contrary, Crown Prince Li Xuan, from early on, had the reputation of being benevolent and virtuous. When he toured the southwest on behalf of the Son of Heaven, he comforted and guided the people, governing the region well, and was deeply loved by the populace. Now that he has just risen in rebellion, although his strength is still weak, with the support of the people of the southwest, he will sooner or later accomplish great things. Moreover, he harbors great ambitions and grieves over the division of the realm; one day he will surely lead troops north to recover the lands that the Founding Emperor once secured for Great Zhou.”

By the end, his gaze was especially bright, and his tone could no longer conceal its firmness.

At the side, Zhou Kai and the others who had always been loyal to the Crown Prince could not help but be stirred, their eyes reddening, almost unable to restrain themselves from shouting on the spot, “Long live the Crown Prince, long live the Little Highness, may Great Zhou flourish forever!”

Lu Zhi and Xuanping were also shaken by these words, but even more shocked by Li Chanxiu’s boldness.

Xuanping in particular felt dazed, thinking: Miss Shen… Young Master Shen really dares to say such things.

The level of disrespect in these words, if anyone other than him and Lu Zhi had heard them, they would probably have been scared out of their wits. But then again, since Young Master Shen intended to go join the Crown Prince who had risen in rebellion in the southwest, it didn’t seem so strange that he would say such treasonous words.

But Young Master Shen’s husband, Pei Er, was a border army officer… wait, no, hold on, putting together “Young Master Shen” and “husband Pei Er” somehow felt a bit strange?

…He really should still call her Miss Shen!

Meanwhile, Lu Zhi had already fallen into serious contemplation. What Li Chanxiu said was correct, their destination was still undecided, and as for the court…

Lu Zhi frowned slightly. On his way back, he had already heard about how Wuding Pass had been besieged and even briefly breached.

After meeting Xuanping, he learned more detailed information, the reason the Hu people were able to break through Wuding Pass so quickly was because the Emperor had transferred more than sixty thousand defending troops to Chang’an to protect himself. And when the Hu people attacked, the prefect of Yongzhou at the time, Yan Tonghai, had done nothing. In the end, it was only thanks to timely support from the Bingzhou army that the invading Hu forces were barely repelled.

With such a court, could one truly expect them to launch a northern campaign to recover lost territory?

But to go and join that Crown Prince who had been imprisoned for eighteen years would be no different from rebellion. If they succeeded, they would become meritorious founders of a new dynasty; if they failed, they would be traitors and rebels.

To go or not to go, this required careful consideration.

After all, he was not alone. He still had dozens of brothers and subordinates who had fled with him from the northern lands, and now had recruited and trained over two thousand men.

These were all living lives, not pieces on a chessboard that could be freely used to test and discarded.

Lu Zhi’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter. For a long time, he said nothing, sinking into deep thought.

Li Chanxiu also knew that for such an important matter, making a decision in a short time was unlikely.

But his time was also pressing, and he truly could not stay long. So he cupped his hands and said, “Young Master Lu, forgive me, I still have urgent matters and cannot stay long. You can consider what I said just now at your leisure. If you are willing, I will be in Liangzhou waiting for you at any time.”

Forget it, Liu Bei visited the thatched cottage three times; if he couldn’t persuade him once, he could try a few more times later. Right now, his father was waiting for him in Qinzhou, and he needed to hurry to meet him.

Thinking this, Li Chanxiu was just about to turn his horse when Lu Zhi suddenly spoke, his tone calm yet carrying a hint of deliberation, “Young Master Shen, forgive my boldness in asking, may I know what identity you hold in the southwest…?”

Connecting Li Chanxiu’s earlier meaning with the planning he had shown when they discussed cooperation at the restaurant, linking everything together, it was not difficult for Lu Zhi to realize that the person before him was not an ordinary exiled woman, he was likely from the Crown Prince’s remnant faction from the very beginning, and his status was not low.

Li Chanxiu’s hand tightening the reins paused. Hearing this, he turned around, and after a moment, suddenly smiled frankly and said, “His Highness the Crown Prince is my father.”

Lu Zhi was stunned upon hearing this.

“Young Master Lu, think it over carefully. I will be waiting for your reply at any time.” Li Chanxiu cupped his hands toward him once more.

After speaking, he cracked his whip and urged his horse forward, leading the group out of the valley.

Zhou Kai was shocked upon hearing this, not expecting Li Chanxiu to suddenly reveal his identity. But before he could even begin to worry, he saw the Little Highness had already left, and quickly spurred his horse to catch up.

For a time, the sound of hooves echoed continuously in the valley, shaking loose several clumps of fine snow from the branches.

Lu Zhi stood frozen in place, letting the cold snow fall against his neck. He had never expected the other party to have such an identity.

But very quickly, he understood that the reason Li Chanxiu had been so frank in telling him was, first, trust, and second, a sincere invitation.

If it were the later General Lu, being recruited in such a way would not have been surprising.

But the current Lu Zhi, though not possessing nothing, did not feel that he had anything particularly worthy of such regard. Especially since the horses, manpower, and funds he now had all relied on Li Chanxiu previously informing him about the salt lake and the method of boiling salt.

Even when he was at his lowest point, it was also the other party who set aside past grievances and helped cure his leg injury.

To be fortunate enough to be recognized by a wise lord, how could he not be moved?

Lu Zhi could not help but let out a light sigh.

 

***

Outside the valley, Zhou Kai spurred his horse and caught up with Li Chanxiu, but respectfully stayed half a horse’s length behind and asked with concern, “Why did Your Highness reveal your identity to them just now? We haven’t even left Yongzhou’s territory yet. If they report us to the authorities…”

Li Chanxiu shook his head and said while riding, “Lu Zhi is not that kind of person. Besides, since we intend to recruit him, we should be sincere.”

Zhou Kai did not know what there was about Lu Zhi that was worth recruiting, but the other party had managed to obtain so many top-quality horses, he truly was a capable horse trader…

While he was pondering this, a muffled thunder-like sound suddenly came faintly from behind. Listening more carefully, it turned out to be bursts of urgent hoofbeats. Judging by the number of them, there were clearly quite a few riders.

Zhou Kai’s heart immediately tightened. After saying, “Your Highness, be careful,” he hurriedly turned his horse around to check, while instructing Yi Xun to protect Li Chanxiu.

Li Chanxiu also reined in his horse and turned to look. He could not help revealing a smile.

In the distance behind them, nearly a thousand people were galloping over on fast horses, kicking up clouds of dust along the way. As the hoofbeats grew closer and closer, the appearance of the person in front gradually became clear, it was Xuanping.

From afar, when Xuanping saw Li Chanxiu stop his horse, he excitedly waved and shouted, “Young Master Shen, it’s me! Xuanping!”

While shouting, he had already almost reached them.

Li Chanxiu quickly told Zhou Kai and the others to put away their blades and said, “No need to be nervous.”

Not long after he finished speaking, Xuanping rode up swiftly.

He pulled his horse to a stop in front of Li Chanxiu. After cupping his hands in greeting, the excitement on his face was hard to hide as he said joyfully, “Young Master Shen, my elder brother says he agrees to go to the southwest together. It’s just that the decision was too sudden, so we weren’t prepared. My elder brother had me bring a thousand men first to chase after you. There are still over a thousand more remaining, once everything is packed up, my elder brother will bring them over as well. But the remaining men don’t have enough horses, so they’ll probably be slower.”

Hearing this, Li Chanxiu suddenly tightened his grip on the reins, his fingers turning slightly red. Even though he had already guessed it in his heart, hearing these words still made it impossible to conceal his joy and excitement.

That was Lu Zhi, one of the two pillars who would later block the Hu people’s iron hooves for the small Great Zhou court. In the dream he had always been too embarrassed to ask, yet now he had actually managed to pull one pillar over to his side!

Perhaps because he had succeeded, he could not help wanting to go a step further. For a moment he even thought, if only he could also pull over the other pillar of Great Zhou, Pei Zhen.

But it was only a passing thought. Pei Zhen was upright and loyal to the court, and he also had a deep relationship with Liang Wang Shizi, the future new emperor. More importantly, the other party held military power and guarded Bingzhou. Unlike Lu Zhi, who had no foundation, he was absolutely not someone who could be easily persuaded.

Besides, it was not good to be greedy for more after gaining; a person should know contentment. He had just recruited Lu Zhi, there was no need to regret not having Pei Zhen as well.

Pei Zhen… if there were a chance in the future, he hoped they could still be half teacher and half friend as in the dream.

Li Chanxiu quickly withdrew his thoughts, suppressing the joy and excitement in his eyes. He cupped his hands toward Xuanping and repeatedly said “welcome.”

Zhou Kai was even more surprised, not expecting Li Chanxiu to recruit more than two thousand people at once, including more than a thousand horses. With some training, they could form a decent light cavalry unit.

He could not help but glance at him, secretly feeling admiration in his heart. Although he had previously been respectful to Li Chanxiu and asked his opinion on everything, that had been out of respect for Li Chanxiu’s father, a routine courtesy. In truth, deep down he had somewhat regarded the other party as a child and had not expected him to offer any real insights.

After all, Zhou Kai had followed Li Xuan even before he was placed under house arrest, and was now nearly forty years old. In his eyes, was Li Chanxiu not simply a child?

But now he no longer thought so. If anything happened again, he would properly discuss it with Li Chanxiu.

Li Chanxiu noticed this change in him, yet only smiled and said nothing. This was normal, after all, in Zhou Kai and the others’ eyes, he had been confined from birth and had only recently been rescued. He might still be a young man who needed protection and knew little of the world.

Winning people’s respect had to be done slowly. Moreover, Zhou Kai had shown no disrespect, so there was no need for him to say anything, so long as the other party came to respect him in the future.

On the other side, Xuanping was extremely excited and also very curious. Unlike Zhou Kai and the others who because of Li Xuan felt reverence towards him, he did not feel the same obvious reverence toward Li Chanxiu. Although he already knew Li Chanxiu’s identity, when they had first met, they had interacted as ordinary acquaintances.

And since Li Chanxiu had revealed his identity yet still showed no airs, after they resumed traveling, Xuanping rode his horse up beside him and asked quietly with curiosity, “Shen… Your Highness, I want to ask something. If you think I’m being presumptuous, you don’t have to answer, or you can even scold me, but…”

He cautiously glanced at Li Chanxiu, and finally said, “Are you actually a man, or a woman?”

If he had not seen Li Chanxiu before and today was their first meeting, he certainly would not have thought this. After all, although Li Chanxiu was beautiful enough to be somewhat androgynous, after changing into men’s clothing one could still see male traits, for example, his Adam’s apple, his voice, and the fact that when his expression changed, his features seemed sharper than before.

But the problem was that previously the other party had been a woman, and even had a husband.

More importantly, the other party had said earlier that the Crown Prince who had raised troops in Liangzhou was his father. But it was said that Crown Prince Li Xuan had only one daughter, who had died of illness not long ago.

Li Chanxiu: “…………”

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Then he lowered his voice and threatened, “The matter of me having been married here, you must not speak of it.”

After a pause, he added expressionlessly, “I’m a man.”

Was it really that hard to tell? Hadn’t he already removed the fake skin that covered his Adam’s apple? Was his Adam’s apple not obvious, or did his voice not sound enough like a man’s?

Thinking about it made him a little annoyed!

Xuanping: “…!!” So he really is a man? Then does Pei Er know?

Oh no, now he’s even more curious, it’s driving him crazy!

…

After traveling for more than half the day, evening approached. Both men and horses were exhausted, and everyone finally stopped to rest.

Because of the cold poison in his body, Li Chanxiu’s constitution was weaker than that of ordinary people. Especially since he had not yet been treated by the traveling physician from the dream, nor was he yet the later version of himself who led troops in the southwest and trekked through mountains with soldiers.

Although he practiced breathing techniques in daily life, the results were truly slow. Moreover, the cold poison had only flared up not long ago, and today he had spent most of the day jolting on horseback. When he dismounted, he felt as if every bone in his body was about to fall apart, and his legs were rubbed sore as well. Fortunately, winter trousers were thick, otherwise he dared not imagine how badly he would have been chafed.

Li Chanxiu kept a straight face, thinking that night when Pei Er had rubbed his calves wasn’t even… no, why think of Pei Er? More precisely, why think of that matter in particular?

He stiffened for a moment, then forcibly endured the discomfort and put on an ordinary expression.

The group rested at the foot of a mountain.

At this time, the sun was setting in the west, and waves of cawing crows came from the forest.

After tying up the horses, Zhou Kai came to respectfully report, “Your Highness, we’re almost at the borders of Qinzhou. We should be able to rendezvous with the lord by tomorrow afternoon.”

Li Chanxiu gave an “mm” and said, “Everyone is exhausted, set up camp and rest first.”

Zhou Kai nodded and immediately went to make arrangements. However, not long after, he hurried back again.

Li Chanxiu was leaning with one hand against the trunk of an old tree, subtly kicking his legs. Sensing his return, he quickly straightened up, assumed a proper posture, and asked, “What is it?”

Zhou Kai did not know he was trying to maintain his image to avoid being seen as delicate by his subordinates. Hearing this, he quickly reported in a tense voice, “Your Highness, the situation has changed. We just received a message by carrier pigeon, the Liangzhou army has encountered an unexpected situation. The lord had no choice but to leave Qinzhou and go to Liangzhou first.”

Li Chanxiu was stunned upon hearing this.

“However, the lord has left personnel in Qinzhou to receive us. With this, there’s no need to hurry on the road anymore,” Zhou Kai added immediately after.

Previously, their rushed travel was because Li Xuan needed to go to Liangzhou as soon as possible to take command and could not wait too long in Qinzhou, so they had to hurry to meet him.

But now that Li Xuan had gone ahead, it seemed there was no longer a need to rush.

Li Chanxiu frowned, pondering what had happened in the Liangzhou army.

And for it to reach the point where his father had to personally go, could it be that Cai Shu already wanted to split the old subordinates now?

***

Liangzhou, Pingcheng, the government office occupied by the rebel army.

Cai Shu sat boldly in the main seat at the head of the hall, a fierce aura on his rugged face.

Below, a person dressed as a scholar pointed at him, angrily accusing, “Cai Shu, what right do you have to sit in the main seat? You’re far too arrogant! And I do not agree with attacking the prefectural city now. When you first raised the rebellion, you hid it from us, nearly putting the lord in danger. Now you won’t even wait for the lord to return before attacking the city. You only think of taking the city, advance and you can attack Chang’an, retreat and you can defend Liangzhou, but do you think the court doesn’t know this? This will only invite the court’s army to suppress us. Even if we take the city, we won’t be able to hold it!”

Cai Shu let out a cold snort upon hearing this. “The world is already in chaos, uprisings of refugees are happening everywhere. If we don’t rise, are we supposed to sit and wait for those refugees to break into the two capitals? By then, the lord would truly be in danger! Besides, since I raised the rebellion, our army has been unstoppable, taking half of Liangzhou in one stroke. With such merit, why can’t I sit in the main seat? If the lord were here, I would naturally invite him to take the seat. But since the lord isn’t here, if I don’t sit, should I let you, a mere scholar who doesn’t even dare to pick up a blade and kill, sit instead?”

At this point, he sneered and added, “As for attacking the prefectural city, we’ve already taken half of Liangzhou. If we don’t press the advantage now, should we wait for the court army to counterattack, drive us back south, and continue keeping company with those barbarians?”

Among the old subordinates were several like Yi Xun, who came from various southwestern tribes. Hearing this, they were instantly furious, slamming the table and rising to angrily rebuke him.

For a moment, the hall was filled with arguments and accusations, many red-faced and shouting.

Suddenly, more than a dozen soldiers rushed in, drawing their blades in an instant and surrounding everyone.

The arguments in the hall abruptly stopped. Seeing the gleaming blades, the crowd dared not speak out despite their anger.

Only the scholar from before, his face flushed red, continued to angrily rebuke, “Cai Shu, what do you mean by this? Are you planning to kill us behind the lord’s back?”

“Silence! Do not be disrespectful to the general!” The soldier in front of him immediately raised his blade in threat.

Cai Shu sneered, suddenly drew his sword and chopped off a corner of the table, intimidating the crowd as he shouted, “Attacking the prefectural city, I have made my decision. Who dares oppose it?”

“Oh?” A calm, indifferent voice suddenly sounded.

Everyone hurriedly turned their heads, only to see that at some unknown time, a tall and slender figure was standing outside the hall.

He wore a black cloak, his features refined, his expression calm, like an ancient well without ripples.

Outside the corridor, a leafless old tree cast twisted, mottled shadows in the sunlight. The interwoven light and shadow fell across him, dim and cold.

However, a moment later, he closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his expression resembled that of a Buddha bearing compassion.

Only then did everyone notice that on his black cloak, sutras were embroidered in dark thread, and on his right wrist he wore a string of green jade Buddhist beads. A few of the beads were being lightly held between his fingers, his expression neither sorrowful nor joyful.

The scholar who had just been rebuking Cai Shu suddenly came to his senses and exclaimed in delight, “My lord?”

Ignoring the blade still at his neck, he quickly bowed and saluted, saying excitedly, “Your subordinate Yun Songquan greets Your Highness, long live Your Highness!”

As soon as he finished speaking, others who came to their senses followed, bowing in twos and threes: “Greetings, my lord/Your Highness.”

Among them, some, like Yun Songquan, were genuinely excited. Others were simply too shocked to react and followed suit.

As the crowd bowed, the soldiers holding blades were suddenly exposed, each looking confused, not knowing who the newcomer was.

Cai Shu, still standing beside the main seat, had a stiff expression, momentarily unsure how to react.

Li Xuan glanced at everyone and said calmly, “Rise.”

Then his tone softened slightly as he added, “You have all worked hard during this time.”

With that, he stepped into the hall, followed by several trusted aides and dozens of black-clad guards.

The soldiers in the hall, seeing this, were about to step forward to block him, but in an instant had their weapons seized.

Li Xuan seemed not to notice the flashing blades around him. His gaze, like that of a compassionate Buddha, moved slowly through the crowd as he walked to the head of the hall.

Beside the main seat, Cai Shu finally came back to his senses and met Li Xuan’s gaze. Though they were eyes filled with compassion, they seemed to reflect blades and bloodshed, inexplicably making him feel a chill and a tingling on his scalp.

By the time he fully came to himself, Cai Shu realized that he was already holding his sword and, just like when he had first followed Li Xuan years ago, was kneeling respectfully in salute.

Li Xuan glanced at him faintly and said, “Rise.”

Cai Shu stood up, inexplicably breaking into a cold sweat, yet also feeling secretly displeased that he had still been suppressed by Li Xuan’s presence.

But when he glanced at those below from the corner of his eye, he also realized Li Xuan’s influence among the old subordinates. On the surface, he said respectfully, “Please, my lord, take the main seat.”

Li Xuan glanced at him but said nothing.

The black-clad guards who had entered with Li Xuan immediately stepped forward, removed the redwood broad chair from the main seat, and brought up an ordinary chair from below.

Cai Shu’s expression stiffened.

Only then did Li Xuan sit down, turning the Buddhist beads in his hand as he asked calmly, “What were you just opposing?”

Yun Songquan immediately spoke, explaining the situation, then added again, “My lord, our strength is insufficient. It is not suitable to attack the prefectural city for now. This matter should be planned gradually.”

Cai Shu hesitated for a moment and was just about to explain.

But Li Xuan, with his eyes closed, gave a soft “mm” and said, “Then we won’t attack for now.”

Cai Shu, upon hearing this, was about to argue, but saw that Li Xuan seemed able to see his movements even with his eyes closed, and raised a hand to stop him: “This matter is settled. No need to say more.”

His voice was warm yet cool, and carried an inexplicable force that made one unable to resist.

Cai Shu froze, suddenly recalling rumors from recent years that their lord, after being confined, had spent eighteen years cultivating Buddhism and had developed supernatural abilities. Could it be that he really… possessed some strange power?

Cai Shu had not read much and was a rough man, already somewhat inclined to believe in such mystical things. For a moment, he was startled by his own thoughts and did not say anything further.

It was not until he dispersed with the others and stepped out of the main hall, bathed in the somewhat dazzling sunlight outside and feeling warmth again, that he finally came back to his senses. Thinking of his behavior just now, he could not help but feel annoyed.

What was there to fear? He originally had great merit and held heavy troops. Even if it was the lord, he could not do anything to him now, right? Otherwise, just now, when the other party had clearly heard his disrespectful words outside the hall, hadn’t he pretended not to hear them?

Thinking of this, Cai Shu regained his composure, snorted coldly, and strode away.

Inside the hall, the scholar Yun Songquan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with lingering fear, “Luckily the lord returned in time. Otherwise, today, Cai Shu would have taken his troops and broken with us.”

Li Xuan still kept his eyes closed, turning the Buddhist beads in his hand without speaking.

Seeing this, Yun Songquan did not dare to say more.

However, Li Xuan was not as calm as he appeared. Everyone said that after being confined, he spent his days cultivating Buddhism, developing a peaceful temperament and having all his sharpness and spirit worn away.

But no one knew that only by repeatedly reciting the sutras and feigning compassion could he conceal the killing intent, hostility, and bloodstained past in his heart.

At that moment, a black-clad guard entered from outside and reported, “My lord, Yan Wang Shizi, Pei Zhen, has lifted the siege of Luoyang and is now continuing to march toward Chang’an. He is likely coming to attack us.”

Suddenly, the fingers turning the Buddhist beads stopped.

Li Xuan opened his eyes and expressionlessly repeated, “Pei Zhen?”


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After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth]

After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth]

Status: Ongoing
When Li Chanxiu was exiled to the frontier, he married the amnesiac Pei Zhen. As the Crown Prince’s only child, he was confined together with his father from the moment he was born. In order to survive, he was raised in women’s clothing, concealing his true gender. Later, under his father’s careful planning, he used exile as a means to leave the capital. At first, marrying Pei Zhen was merely a temporary expedient. The man was taciturn, injured, and suffering from memory loss, surely someone honest and easy to handle. Li Chanxiu planned to use him as cover for his identity. Once his father’s old subordinates found him, he could slip away and pursue greater ambitions. But after the marriage, he discovered that this man was neither honest nor well-behaved. Every day, Pei Zhen guarded him like meat in a bowl, keeping him firmly within his grasp. Later, he became increasingly impossible to coax, and the look in his eyes grew darker with each passing day. *** Pei Zhen, heir to Yan Wang, once rode north to repel invading enemies, spirited and full of youthful vigor. Yet in a single careless moment, he was gravely wounded, lost his memory, and ended up stranded in a remote northwestern border town. When he regained his memory, he discovered that not only was he already married, he had also disgracefully grown attached to the comforts of beauty, spinning in circles at the coaxing of his delicate and lovely young wife. Pei Zhen: … *** Not long after, foreign enemies invaded, and war beacons blazed across the land. Li Chanxiu’s father raised an army in the southwest. An urgent imperial decree ordered Yan Wang Shizi to suppress the rebellion. Pei Zhen hesitated, then lied to his little wife: “There’s no rice left at home. While I’m on leave, I’ll be away for a while to trade furs and earn some money.” Li Chanxiu, who was also nearly unable to keep up his act: “…Very well. I’ll return to my maiden home and borrow some grain and silver to get us through.” Both secretly breathed a sigh of relief. One month later— Pei Zhen led his troops into confrontation with the rebel army. After several rounds of battle, neither side gained the upper hand. Until both commanding generals personally appeared on the battlefield— Li Chanxiu fell into silence. Across from him, mounted on a fine steed, face cold as frost, stood Yan Wang Shizi… who looked suspiciously like his poor husband who had supposedly gone off to trade furs. Seeing the rebel commander dressed in crimson robes and silver armor, sitting tall on horseback with jade-like bearing and refined elegance, Pei Zhen likewise fell into silence. If he wasn’t mistaken, that appeared to be his gentle and beautiful wife, who had gone back to her maiden home to borrow money and grain. Notes:
  1. The protagonist (shou) cross-dresses as a woman in the early part of the story.
  2. Ancient-setting, male–male version of the “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” trope.

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