Chapter 122: I Will Be Your Second-in-Command

"You adopted Xiaowan out of guilt, yet you handed her over to Dayin. You knew full well what Dayin intended to do. How is that any different from killing Xiaowan yourself?"

"Dayin..." A look of unease flickered across Xuan's face. "I never thought she would truly take things to the final extreme..."

"Stop with the hypocrisy!" Kaiming interrupted him angrily, staring straight into his eyes. "You know she would do anything for the sake of Shaozi! You knew it, yet you chose to deceive yourself!"

Xuan smiled bitterly. "Fine, I admit it. I admit that when I handed Xiaowan over, I had already prepared for the worst."

Kaiming scoffed, "Was the bond of father and daughter you shared with Xiaowan for several years not worth even a single word from that woman?"

"Kaiming!" Xuan frowned slightly, locking his gaze onto hers. "From the very beginning, I never intended for Xiaowan to die. My plan at the time was simply to go into seclusion for a while to sort everything out. It was only meant to be a week or two; I was going to retrieve her soon. I truly never imagined that in just a few short days, she would meet such an untimely end..."

"It is useless to make excuses now. Xiaowan is already dead," she said coldly.

"Kaiming!" Xuan reached out for her hand, but she shook him off.

Xuan lowered his head. "It is because so much has happened that I knew you could never find peace, which is why I came to the Eastern Palace to reflect on my mistakes."

"Reflect?" she asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Or were you simply waiting here for me?"

Xuan reached out and caught her wrist, his eyes fixed on her with determination. "Do you know how I have spent every day here as if it were a year? Do you know how many times a day I have been tormented by my conscience? Do you know who I have missed the most every single day?"

"I don't know!" she said, her mind in chaos. "And it has nothing to do with me!"

"It is you!" Xuan did not hide his intense emotions. "I think of you every day. I think of every day we spent together—your every frown, your every smile. I cannot control my longing!"

"What is so good about me!" her heart raced, but she remained stubborn. "I have no beauty, no talent. I say the wrong thing whenever I open my mouth, and my military campaigns are a disaster. What could you possibly find to like about me?"

"Indeed, I wish I knew the reason," Xuan sighed. "You know, human emotions are strange. Even knowing exactly what kind of person you are, I still couldn't help but fall for you... I love your kindness toward Shaozi. I love your bravery when you fought against Feihua. I love the shy way you smile at me. Even when you were covered in mud from rolling around with Chunhua, I loved it all..."

Kaiming listened, stunned, her heart pounding even harder. What was Xuan saying? His expression, his tone—he sounded exactly like a young man completely lost in the sea of love.

"I didn't like those men getting close to you—the strategist, the Commander of Imperial Guards, even the commander of the Fourteenth Team, I didn't like any of them. Love's polar opposite is hate; once that accumulated, it exploded into that terrible incident at the post station. I dare not ask for your forgiveness, but at the very least, you need to know how I feel..."

Love's opposite is hate. Xuan had articulated his feelings so clearly; it seemed that during his time in the Eastern Palace, he had thought everything through completely.

"So, my appearance today is to tell you that from this day forward, I will follow you and never abandon you again," Xuan suddenly declared.

She awoke from her daze. "What?"

Xuan tightened his grip on her hand. "I mean, I want to be with you, forever!"

Forever, together? It felt as if someone had slapped her forehead. She looked at him in utter astonishment. Did Xuan's appearance actually mean the return of her husband?

"The reason I kissed you so boldly just now was to express exactly that," he looked at her calmly. "Whether you dislike me or hate me, I will not leave."

She drew a sharp breath; Xuan had unilaterally decided their future.

Xuan squeezed her hand firmly. "And right now, you need me!"

"Need you? What are you talking about?!" She felt utterly passive and instinctively lashed out.

"You are currently the General of the Central Palace, surrounded by enemies on all sides. You cannot handle this alone. Even if you want to hide, you have nowhere to go. You need me!" Xuan said firmly.

Kaiming felt a slight sense of relief. "Is this the 'need' you were talking about? Are you following me just to help me deal with Dai Yuhang?"

Xuan smiled. "If that is how you choose to interpret it, so be it. I will remain by your side until you change your mind."

Only then did Kaiming relax. Xuan still possessed some rationality and was not forcing her to accept his feelings. If she had a helper like him to deal with Dai Yuhang, it would indeed be a superior strategy. Whether in terms of intellect or martial prowess, Xuan was inferior to no one.

Then, a thought occurred to her: why go back to the Central Palace? She had escaped with such difficulty.

"If I were to spend the rest of my days in the Eastern Palace, would you follow me there as well?"

"That goes without saying," Xuan replied without hesitation.

Speaking of this topic, she felt a moment of hesitation. Although she had fled in haste, she still felt tethered to many people in the Central Palace—she couldn't let go of many things. There was Chunhua, there was Chang Geng, and there was Shaozi.

Xuan sighed, "Since you cannot bear to leave them behind, you should return and fulfill your mission."

She was startled; could Xuan see right through her?

"I am already a deserter," she said, hesitating.

Xuan replied decisively, "Dai Yuhang will not kill you."

"Why?"

"He has too much ambition and is currently in need of manpower. You may not have direct utility, but you are involved with the Commander of the Imperial Guards, the Fourteenth Team, and can even influence Dayin. Therefore, he will not kill you." So, the fact that she was still alive was thanks to these people? She felt a bit dejected.

"Being able to influence so many people is also your value," Xuan said with a strange smile.

She gave him a glare. Honestly, even his words sounded sour now. She sighed and said, "Xuan, you have no future following me. I am not a good general. The first battle I fought against Yinghuo was a complete disaster..."

Xuan said softly, "Not everyone’s first battle is a masterpiece. Even Dayin once made a misstep and was nearly captured by the enemy."

"Really?" Kaiming's eyes lit up, unable to contain her excitement. "Even Dayin makes mistakes?"

Xuan smiled. "Moreover, Yinghuo is a courageous and resourceful general of the Palace, and he is skilled in the use of sorcery. It is only natural that you fell into his trap..."

"But his trickery was so transparent that even Chang Geng and Dai Yuhang were suspicious, yet I was foolish enough to be deceived by him the entire time..." As she spoke, her voice trailed off, and she glanced at Xuan with unease.

Xuan’s smile widened. "Do you think Chang Geng and Dai Yuhang are ordinary people? One is a battle-hardened commander, the other is a mastermind of schemes. In terms of military experience, either one of them is superior to you."

Kaiming nodded thoughtfully. "The way you put it, it seems I wasn't really at fault, right?"

Xuan chuckled. "Tell me, how exactly were you deceived by Yinghuo back then?"

"Oh, it was like this," she regained her spirit and straightened up. "Yinghuo used Dai Yuhang as a bargaining chip to force me to charge into three camps..." She recounted the events exactly as they happened, looking at Xuan with expectation, as if he were a wise judge capable of clearing her name.

Xuan blinked and smiled. "With your impulsive personality, sigh, you are hopeless without someone to remind you. In the war against the Northern Palace, having Dai Yuhang serve as the military monitor was a major taboo to begin with. You have a grudge against Dai Yuhang, and Yinghuo has a private connection with you; he understood your personality perfectly. It was only natural that he would use the man surnamed Dai to his advantage..."

Listening to his logical analysis, she nodded repeatedly.

Watching her humble willingness to learn, Xuan continued, "Now you see the difficulty of being a general. You can never let emotion dictate your actions when leading troops into battle. Even if you have personal grievances, you must never allow them to affect the overall situation. You must think thrice before taking any action. As a novice general like yourself, you must listen to the advice of veterans and gather wisdom from all sides..."

Kaiming found him increasingly long-winded. Although there was some truth to his words, she lacked the patience to listen further. "Got it, got it, Lord Xuan."

"See? I say a few words and you react like this. How can you convince anyone in the future?"

"Future?" She pouted and dug at her ear. "Honestly, Dai Yuhang has now become the Emperor of the Central Palace, and his power is extraordinary. If I must continue as a general of the Central Palace, do you have confidence that you can help me deal with him?"

Xuan smiled faintly. "We shall take it one step at a time."

"So, you don't have absolute certainty?"

Xuan said calmly, "Is the Dai Yuhang you have encountered the kind of person who is easy to deal with?"

Kaiming nodded. "Indeed, he is a thorny opponent. Whenever I say too much in front of him, I easily end up letting something slip."

"Kaiming, to deal with a clever person, you must use a clumsy approach," Xuan laughed. "You are not particularly gifted with eloquence; you are fine at banter, but when faced with a grand occasion or someone like Dai Yuhang, the more you say, the more you err. Just speak less, or don't speak at all. This way, he won't be able to catch you or bait you into revealing anything."

"That's true." She touched her chin. "What you say makes sense. The more you say, the more you err—it's better to say less or nothing at all. Hmm, profound!"

Xuan smiled, and she shot him a sideways glance. "But if you run into Dayin, you'll have no solution."

Xuan said blandly, "Are you still planning to deal with General Dayin?"

She rubbed her chin even more vigorously. "There is no major conflict right now, so it is not necessary for the time being. But who knows what might happen in the future? If I ever get into a dispute with her, I just wonder whose side my assistant will be on?"

"Naturally, on my lady's side," Xuan said flatly.

Kaiming frowned. "You are to be my deputy general if you follow me. Calling me 'my lady' all the time is improper!"

"Understood, General Kaiming," Xuan smiled. "Whenever the General acknowledges my status as her husband, I will change the way I address you."

"That's more like it." Having unexpectedly gained a general like Xuan, she felt a surge of joy and naturally patted his shoulder. Their eyes met, and she suddenly remembered the intense kiss from earlier. Her face turned awkward, and she withdrew her hand in haste.

"And one more thing—as my deputy, you are not to do anything without my permission from now on," she said, her voice muffled.

Xuan agreed with a smile, "Yes."