Marrying a Disabled General and be His Wife

Yan Changfeng entered the room and noticed that Tan Chuyan still wore the veil over his face. The young man stood up, a hint of disgust in his eyes, and opened the window.

The scent was choking, indeed.

The fragrance of powder on Yan Lie’s body was so overpowering, not even the girls in the brothel would dare to perfume themselves this extravagantly.

Yan Changfeng draped a large cloak over Tan Chuyan to shield him from the brisk breeze, protecting the body that had only recently regained some warmth.

Tan Chuyan held the heater in his hands, covering his cold fingers. Seeing Yan Changfeng hesitating to speak, he offered, “If you have any questions, Uncle Yan, feel free to ask directly.”

After a brief pause, Yan Changfeng spoke, “Young master, I don’t know the extent of your relationship with the master of the Purity Sect, but that person is highly dangerous. You must take precautions to ensure your safety.”

“Don’t worry, I understand the situation,” Tan Chuyan assured with a smile. “He won’t kill me; at most, he’ll try to outwit me.”

Tan Chuyan had known Yan Lie for approximately five or six years, and their connection predated his involvement with An-xiang House and Ling-han Pavilion.

Although Yan Lie wasn’t a gentleman in the traditional sense, he would never harm his friends.

His friendship with Yan Lie had been facilitated by Queen Qi.

On that day, Tan Chuyan happened to be leaving King Qi’s Palace to familiarize himself with Ling-han Pavilion, and Yan Lie coincidentally arrived at Ling-han Pavilion to purchase information related to his assassination target.

The person assigned to serve him was none other than Tan Chuyan.

Yan Lie’s target for assassination happened to be Queen Qi herself.

Tan Chuyan didn’t know who had contracted the Queen’s assassination, but this mission to eliminate her had deeply affected Tan Chuyan. He believed that the Queen had brought disaster upon his biological mother and, consequently, his life.

Thus, Tan Chuyan harbored deep resentment.

He was just an ordinary person; it was impossible not to feel anger. He couldn’t let anyone who had harmed him go unpunished.

In his quest for revenge, Tan Chuyan, after obtaining approval from the teacher, temporarily modified his method of trading information. Instead of accepting payment, he imposed a condition – he asked Yan Lie to take him along to complete the mission.

Yan Lie, who was a young man at the time, hesitated for a moment. He regarded Tan Chuyan with his eyes visible through the mask and sneered arrogantly, “You look so frail. Will you be able to handle it?”

In that instant of doubt, Tan Chuyan threw a punch.

The event proved that a man’s best course of action was to fight. The two fought to a draw, and Yan Lie eventually consented to bring him along.

After all, the target of their assassination was the Queen herself, and the deed was to be executed within the heavily fortified palace. One can only imagine the extreme difficulty of the task.

As expected, their initial assassination attempt failed, and they came perilously close to being apprehended.

Had Tan Chuyan not committed the palace’s layout to memory, they might have found themselves trapped.

Having shared life-and-death experiences together, their relationship began to grow.

Yet, Tan Chuyan had never anticipated that the assassination mission Yan Lie accepted was essentially a contract for death, one that would only terminate upon the demise of the target.

Tan Chuyan found himself on this perilous path with no way to disembark. Even without Yan Lie stating it explicitly, betrayal would mean the end for Ling-han Pavilion in the Qi Kingdom.

Of course, he didn’t desire to step off that ship either.

During Yan Lie’s absences, Tan Chuyan attempted to deal with the Queen on his own. However, the Queen was a skilled champion of the palace’s power struggles and remained closely guarded.

Tan Chuyan made various attempts at poisoning, assassination, and subterfuge, but none succeeded. It was the first time he felt truly powerless.

Gradually, he came to accept that not everything in life would proceed as desired.

As for Yan Lie, he appeared to be rather occupied. Furthermore, the Purity Sect was centered in the Jing Kingdom, limiting his time in the Qi Kingdom. Thus, he could only come when he could.

On each visit, he used the carrier pigeon provided by Tan Chuyan to send a message in advance. At that point, Tan Chuyan would disguise himself to meet Yan Lie and conspire for their next attempt.

Finally, two years ago during the autumn hunt, they collaborated and successfully eliminated the Queen.

The price of their success was that Yan Lie became a fugitive in the Qi Kingdom, forever forbidden to enter its borders. If he dared to return, he would face execution.

Not to mention Tan Chuyan almost revealed his true identity.

Although Queen Qi had perished two years ago, their friendship had run deep, and they had grown to understand one another.

However, only the two of them, along with the late Tan Hongchen, knew about Tan Chuyan and Yan Lie friendship.

Thus, their relationship was a closely guarded secret.

Yet, after Yan Lie’s actions today, their relationship was no longer shrouded in secrecy and would soon be known to all.

.

At this point, Yan Changfeng shifted the conversation and remarked, “Perhaps it’s a good thing that young master and the owner of the Purity Sect have established acquaintance. Master Yan’s sect holds a formidable reputation in the Jing Kingdom. Even the royal family holds some trepidation regarding him.”

There was the added layer of protection due to Yan Lie’s presence. Few would dare to recklessly provoke Tan Chuyan under such a cover.

The premise was that Tan Chuyan had consistently presented himself as Young Master Yan. If he were to reveal his identity as Tan Chuyan, it would be a different story.

— It would have been ideal if Baili Ronghua hadn’t sought out the Purity Sect to buy his head.

Yet, Tan Chuyan didn’t enjoy living under the facade of Young Master Yan, Yan Chu. It felt more like an artificial persona crafted by others. He desired to be true to himself and was willing to reveal his identity as Tan Chuyan, even if it came with risks.

This decision implied that he must seek protection for his “Tan Chuyan” identity, and after careful consideration, only the eldest princess seemed suitable.

Tan Chuyan felt a touch of weariness from the conversation. He yawned and rose, heading back to his room.

“Uncle Yan, please go check on Chu Yiheng and Chu Yiling once more. I’d like to rest for a while.”

Yan Lie had displayed evident disdain when discussing Chu Yiheng and seemed to look down on the prince. However, public perception generally painted Chu Yiheng in a positive light for his diligence in state affairs.

So, was the information he had reliable, or Yan Lie had the correct information?

If Yan Lie’s claims were accurate, where did he have this information?

This was something Tan Chuyan couldn’t ascertain with certainty.

After pondering the matter for a while, Tan Chuyan opted not to dwell on it any further. He was weary after all, and the dynamic between him and Yan Lie was indeed complex.

They may assist each other, but they could never truly align their objectives.

The identity concealed beneath Yan Lie’s mask was not of paramount importance to Tan Chuyan. What mattered most was resolving the predicament of being on the run from his family while aligning himself with Chu Qingyi’s faction.

In truth, if he hadn’t made a promise to his teacher, he might have simply wandered the world after fleeing his parents.

However, he valued commitments and believed that only by honoring them could he pursue what he truly desired.

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Yan Changfeng respectfully saw Tan Chuyan off, and as he closed the window, he paused for a moment. He never would have envisioned that Tan Chuyan, who had spent considerable time in the palace, could have formed an alliance with one of the world’s most renowned assassins. How did they come to meet?

Was it fate or divine providence?

It was indeed quite perplexing.

Yet, these two individuals—one holding the world’s information network and the other controlling countless assassins—had the potential for cooperation that could benefit everyone.

The Purity Sect could safeguard Ling-han Pavilion, while Ling-han Pavilion could provide an abundance of information to them. Their partnership would not wane but rather thrive together.

Yan Changfeng had his own thoughts on the matter.

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Yan Lie left Ling-han Pavilion, concealed himself in the shadows, silently scaled the mansion’s wall, and entered a room with a minimal yet grand decor.

“General, you’re back,” Ji Bei, who was attired in a general’s uniform and seated in a wheelchair, pretending to be Feng Chilie, stood up upon the arrival of a visitor.

He assisted Feng Chilie in removing his cloak and inquired, “Did Young Master Yan truly come to the Jing Kingdom?”

Feng Chilie removed his mask and handed it to Ji Bei, saying, “Yes, he’s here, still a businessman, unchanged.”

Seated in the wheelchair, he continued to feign a disabled demeanor, commenting, “He didn’t appreciate the scent of incense. He thought I had the stench of blood; I used an incense before meeting, but he also felt as if I was choking him. This man is truly hard to please.”

Ji Bei hung the cloak on the coat rack without uttering a word. After all, his general was notably upright and might not understand the intricacies of the phrase “too much is not enough” in this context.

Feng Chilie had come back from the cold and snow, and he was understandably somewhat chilled. He requested Ji Bei Wen to fetch a pot of strong wine.

After sipping a glass of wine, Feng Chilie’s body felt the warmth, but his countenance remained composed.

Ji Bei refilled his empty glass, and couldn’t help but inquire, “General, how should we handle this assignment…”

“I didn’t receive the payment, so I have the liberty to act as I see fit,” Feng Chilie swirled the wine glass, “Moreover, didn’t you observe when Baili Ronghua dispatched someone? She made it plain that she intended to exploit her royal status to coerce me into committing assassinations for free.”

Feng Chilie picked up the wine glass and, tilting his head, drained it. A glistening droplet of wine traced down from the corner of his lips, meandered over his Adam’s apple, and was caught by his fingers before it could reach his collar.

He dabbed at his fingers with a handkerchief, then sneered and remarked, “Serving the royal family is indeed an honor,” and “a reward of one hundred thousand taels of gold,” he scoffed, “Does she even possess such wealth? Those are just empty words, who would believe her?”

“General,” Ji Bei continued to refill his glass with wine. Seeing that Feng Chilie showed no inclination to silence him, he added, “Hardly anyone knows about your connection with Young Master Yan. However, after today’s events, everyone knows about it.”

“Moreover, the assassination of Queen Qi two years ago caused quite a commotion, and the royal family of King Qi has been making efforts to determine who leaked the topographic map of their palace to you.”

“And Young Master Yan appeared to be a native of the Qi Kingdom. He resided there during his early years and controls Ling-han Pavilion. It’s improbable that King Qi’s royal family isn’t considering him.”

Ji Bei paused for a moment, then continued, “In this situation, Young Master Yan might never return to the Qi Kingdom.”

Feng Chilie languidly reclined in his wheelchair, remarking, “What I desire is for him to never return to the Qi Kingdom. I want him to remain in the Jing Kingdom and be of use to the eldest sister.”

Chu Qingyi moved to the general’s mansion when she was just seven years old. In an effort to make her feel at home, the old general paid little heed to formalities within the household. He instructed his children to address Chu Qingyi as “eldest sister,” and Feng Chilie was no exception.

Feng Chilie had grown up accustomed to calling “eldest sister.”

Even when Chu Qingyi was taken back to the palace to reside there at the age of fifteen, the palace’s etiquette tutors tried to correct her title repeatedly, but the habit persisted.

Eventually, the old general personally conveyed the matter to the king. Since the king was still mourning the late queen and believed that Chu Qingyi should maintain close ties with her relatives, he consented to the title.

They were indeed family, but Feng Chilie had no interest in getting embroiled in the power struggle for the crown prince.

The dynamics within the royal family were immensely complex and convoluted. Moreover, the world was fraught with uncertainty and peril. A misstep could prove disastrous.

He preferred to remain a rogue assassin and retire to the world of shadows after achieving his personal goals.

This was the reason he had staged his fall from his horse on the battlefield—so he could carry out his operations under the guise of Yan Lie and facilitate his mission.

Nonetheless, this didn’t mean he would simply stand by and watch Chu Qingyi struggle alone. He would have the world’s foremost advisers at her disposal.

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Note:

Lol from the moment I noticed Yan Lie, I was so sure it was Feng Chilie playing around. There was no way a man could be that close to Tan Chuyan except the husband.