The Great General and the Eldest Princess - Chapter 1

The autumn rain was drizzling, and Di Shengyue raised her head, looking out through the broken bars of the prison cell. The gray sky, combined with the sound of the bleak autumn wind, made her heart feel equally desolate.

She twitched the corner of her mouth, revealing a sorrowful smile.

Her entire life seemed like a joke. The victorious general of the Xiao Kingdom, with countless achievements on the battlefield.

But all of this was still no match for the Eldest Princess’s simple declaration of love.

Thus, with an order from the Emperor, she was forced to become the live-in son-in-law of the Eldest Princess, Xiao Yinxue.

In the Xiao Kingdom, a live-in son-in-law could not hold office.

Her military power was taken away, and she could only be confined to the Princess’s Manor, like a gilded cage.

And now, she was locked up in this dark, miserable prison cell, like a stray dog.

Raising private troops, conspiracy to commit treason—what a heavy crime.

The Di family had been loyal subjects for generations, but now everything was ruined by her hands.

Lost in her thoughts, Di Shengyue couldn’t help but feel a wave of grief, and a tear slowly traced a path down her cheek.

She considered herself extraordinarily clever, and presumptuously plotted to secure the throne for the Fourth Prince, waiting only for him to ascend to restore everything she had lost.

Yet, she never expected to be so thoroughly schemed against and end up in this state.

The Emperor determined that she had harbored private troops and, in a fit of rage, threw her into the imperial prison, ordering her execution on a selected date.

The Princess’s live-in husband raising private troops meant that the Eldest Princess, regardless of her knowledge, would also be charged.

At this time, when she should have been protecting herself, Xiao Yinxue disregarded everything, constantly pleaded for her, and was punished with twenty heavy strokes by the Emperor.

Upon this realization, a pang of guilt arose in Di Shengyue’s heart.

Xiao Yinxue had always been frail, and she didn’t know if she could endure such a punishment.

She had always hated Xiao Yinxue, only ever mocking and ridiculing her. She had even thrown the late Empress’s relic into the lake and made Xiao Yinxue search for it all night long in the water.

She had treated Xiao Yinxue so terribly, yet Xiao Yinxue was the only person willing to stand by her side at this moment.

“Yinxue…” Di Shengyue softly called out, her heart feeling acutely bitter.

A few sounds of chains rattling came from the wooden door, and the heavy wooden door was opened by the jailer.

Xiao Yinxue, dressed in a white, pale moon-colored long robe and carrying a food box, slowly stepped in. She walked very slowly, her forehead covered in sweat, and her pale face devoid of any color.

Di Shengyue was stunned when she saw the person who came.

“You…” She wanted to ask why she was here, and if her injuries were any better. But the words caught in her throat, and she couldn’t utter a single one.

It seemed she had never had a proper conversation with Xiao Yinxue.

“General.” Xiao Yinxue slowly walked toward her; her haggard face marked by weariness.

Xiao Yinxue’s voice was very pleasant, soft and gentle, like a light breeze sweeping across the heart.

“I have come to bring the General a farewell drink.” Seemingly accustomed to her silence, Xiao Yinxue didn’t mind and placed the food box on the broken wooden table, taking out a wine pot and cups. Clear wine slowly poured into the cups as she moved.

“Please, General.” Xiao Yinxue raised a wine cup and offered it to Di Shengyue.

Xiao Yinxue looked at her, her beautiful eyes calm, seemingly without any emotion, though in their depths, a trace of extremely faint attachment was subtly hidden.

Di Shengyue stared at that pair of eyes, momentarily lost in thought.

She vaguely remembered their first meeting, when her bright eyes were full of spirit, captivating and mesmerizing.

When did they start to become so calm and lifeless?

“Very well.” Di Shengyue took the wine cup and drank it in one gulp. “With a farewell drink, the journey to the Yellow Springs won’t feel cold.”

“Yes, after drinking this wine, it won’t be cold.” Xiao Yinxue took out another cup, poured herself a drink, and a hint of tears flickered in her eyes.

“General, do you still remember the hunt ten years ago?” Xiao Yinxue put down the cup and looked at her.

“I remember.” Di Shengyue nodded. She couldn’t recall many other things from that year, but she remembered a horse suddenly going mad and charging toward the Emperor’s location. She shot an arrow, killing the horse, and received the Emperor’s commendation for it.

“That day, I was pushed under the horse’s hooves, and I thought I was going to die,” Xiao Yinxue said with a self-deprecating smile. “You saved me. I still remember the way you looked at me; in that instant, your figure was deeply imprinted in my heart, never to fade. It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? Knowing that you didn’t love me, I still forcibly bound you to my side.”

So, Xiao Yinxue’s affection for her began so early?

“Why didn’t you say so sooner?” Di Shengyue asked.

“If I had, would you not have hated me?” Xiao Yinxue smiled sadly, a flicker of sorrow crossing her eyes.

Di Shengyue was instantly speechless. She had lost her military power because of Xiao Yinxue; how could she possibly stop hating her for such a reason?

“General, you are skilled in deploying troops but not in understanding the human heart. Please do not trust others so easily again.” Xiao Yinxue raised her wine cup and drank it down. “After today, our relationship as husband and wife is severed. General, I have never regretted marrying you. If there is an afterlife, I…”

Listening to Xiao Yinxue’s words, which sounded like her last testament, Di Shengyue felt her eyelids growing heavier and soon lost consciousness.

She didn’t know how much time had passed.

Consciousness returned, and Di Shengyue sat up, only to suddenly realize that her body was still lying on the floor.

She reached out in surprise, but her hand passed directly through her own body!

Di Shengyue stared in shock at herself, then looked at the cup fallen on the ground, and suddenly realized something.

She knew it—how could Xiao Yinxue still love her?

So be it. Dying by Xiao Yinxue’s hand could be considered retribution.

She had hurt Xiao Yinxue and implicated her; she deserved to die by her hand.

But just then, Xiao Yinxue’s voice suddenly interrupted Di Shengyue’s thoughts.

“I hope this feigned-death drug can save the General’s life.” Xiao Yinxue gazed lovingly at Di Shengyue lying on the floor, her voice as soft as a whisper.

Feigned-death drug?

Di Shengyue was utterly astonished, but then heard Xiao Yinxue slowly say, “General, Yinxue knows you hate me for forcing you into this marriage and taking your military power.” Xiao Yinxue seemed unaware of the ghostly state of Di Shengyue, speaking only to Di Shengyue’s body.

She gently stroked Di Shengyue’s sleeping face and softly said, “Do you know that Yinxue did all of this for you?”

Those eyes, which had been so lifeless, suddenly sparkled with spirit, so bright that one couldn’t look away.

A intense love, almost drowning the observer.

“I understand Father Emperor; he is extremely suspicious.” Xiao Yinxue tucked the lock of hair by Di Shengyue’s temple behind her ear, tidying her appearance. “General Di has achieved great merits, earning the praise of the common people, unmatched for a time. You were only concerned with the joy of victory, but have you forgotten the fate of those whose achievements overshadow their sovereign throughout history?”

Di Shengyue froze instantly. She wasn’t a fool; as soon as Xiao Yinxue said it, she understood.

Her accomplishments overshadowed the Emperor—how could the Emperor tolerate her!

She suddenly recalled the continuous waves of assassination attempts she faced on her way back to the capital. She had thought they were the work of a neighboring country, but now it was clear that the Emperor himself wanted to eliminate her!

“Making you my live-in husband was the only way to save your life.” Xiao Yinxue cupped Di Shengyue’s face and slowly said, “Only by stripping you of your military power could Father Emperor let you go. Father Emperor is extremely suspicious; if you had given up your power yourself, he would have suspected you were maintaining private troops outside. Therefore, this role of the villain could only be played by me.”

Xiao Yinxue’s words were like a knife, sharply cutting a crack in her heart.

She had always believed Xiao Yinxue was selfish and willful, forcibly making her the live-in husband for her own desires, yet she had never considered that Xiao Yinxue did all of this for her.

A torrent of guilt surged from the bottom of her heart.

“General, Yinxue doesn’t like being overbearing.” Xiao Yinxue said, “But for your sake, I had to put on a show one more time.”

Xiao Yinxue spoke with determination in her eyes.

She stood up and looked toward the prison door.

Just as Di Shengyue was wondering, the imperial prison door opened once again.

The person who entered was wearing a bright yellow robe—the current Emperor.

Eunuch Wei saw Di Shengyue fallen on the ground, immediately went to check for a pulse, and finding her breath completely gone, promptly reported to the Emperor.

“Wretch!!” The Emperor’s face instantly darkened. He heavily swung his bright yellow robe and savagely slapped Xiao Yinxue, the force of which knocked her to the ground, scattering her hairpin and making her look utterly disheveled and miserable.

Xiao Yinxue was already injured, and this fall made it difficult for her to get back up for a moment.

Xiao Yinxue raised her head, looked at the Emperor, a streak of blood leaking from the corner of her lips, her white clothes stained with dirt, making her look completely wretched.

“Father Emperor, why are you so angry?” Xiao Yinxue looked directly at the Emperor, curled her lips, and asked.

“How did I not discover that you had such intentions before? When the Third Prince told me, I still didn’t quite believe it.” The Emperor raged. “You would even attack the one you love the most. I thought you were different from your mother, but it turns out you also hide her ruthlessness deep within you.”

Mentioning the Empress, Xiao Yinxue’s eyes suddenly sharpened: “Ruthless? Mother fought for the nation on the battlefield, and in Father Emperor’s eyes, that’s ruthlessness?”

“I’ll ask you one last time, was Di Shengyue’s treason instigated by you?” The Emperor looked coldly at Xiao Yinxue. “Were the private troops raised by you?”

“No, your daughter knew nothing of it.” Xiao Yinxue curled her lips, looking fearlessly at the Emperor, and said every word clearly.

Although Xiao Yinxue was thoroughly disheveled, her eyes were exceptionally bright.

It was the first time Di Shengyue had seen such an overbearing Xiao Yinxue, and her heart felt heavy.

She suddenly understood everything; Xiao Yinxue was going to take the blame for her!

She had never known that Xiao Yinxue’s love for her was so profound, so profound that she was willing to die for her!

She wanted to grab Xiao Yinxue’s shoulders and make her stop talking, but her ethereal arms passed right through Xiao Yinxue’s body.

“Di Shengyue is dead, and dead men tell no tales.” Xiao Yinxue wiped the blood from her lips, sneered, and provocatively looked at the Emperor. “What can Father Emperor do now?”

It was the first time someone had provoked him like this. The Emperor narrowed his eyes, a murderous glint flashing within. He signaled to Eunuch Wei.

Eunuch Wei quickly had someone bring Xiao Yinxue a cup of wine.

“It only takes a single word for me to want you dead.” The Emperor said coldly.

“Heh.” Xiao Yinxue sneered. “Father Emperor was like this when he gave Mother the poisoned wine, wasn’t he?”

“Wretch! You were indeed plotting to avenge your mother all along!” The Emperor was furious.

“Yes,” Xiao Yinxue said. “It’s a pity Father Emperor discovered it. The winner takes all; your daughter has nothing to say.”

As she spoke, Xiao Yinxue picked up the wine cup from the tray.

Di Shengyue panicked instantly. Xiao Yinxue’s words were clearly a deliberate attempt to seek death!

She knew exactly what words would most provoke the Emperor’s murderous intent and deliberately kept poking at his sore spots, all to make the Emperor resolve to kill her.

Di Shengyue repeatedly tried to snatch the wine cup away, but her transparent hand passed through it every time.

Di Shengyue had never hated her own powerlessness as much as she did at that moment.

She wanted to stop Xiao Yinxue, but could only watch helplessly as Xiao Yinxue drank the poisoned wine.

She cried out silently, feeling as if her heart was being torn apart.

“General.” With the poison in her system, Xiao Yinxue was already gasping for breath.

She leaned down beside Di Shengyue, tightly holding her hand, and laboriously intertwined their fingers.

Having done this, it seemed to have used up all her strength.

A faint smile appeared on Xiao Yinxue’s lips.

This was the first time Di Shengyue had seen Xiao Yinxue smile, bright like the winter sun, dazzling and radiant, making her unable to look away.

Accompanied by a few coughs, dark red blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. “This is the last thing Yinxue can do for you.”

Di Shengyue stood beside Xiao Yinxue, already dissolved in tears.

Any apology now was futile.

Di Shengyue frantically threw herself at her own body, attempting to regain control of her unconscious form.

She stubbornly crashed into it again and again, refusing to give up even when her very soul felt exhausted.

Perhaps her persistence had an effect; a tremendous suction suddenly came from the body on the floor, and Di Shengyue felt herself being violently ripped apart by a huge force, returning once again to her body.

Feeling gradually returned to her body, and Di Shengyue opened her eyes.

She looked at Xiao Yinxue, lying lifelessly beside her, her eyes welling up with hatred.

She picked up the hairpin that had fallen to the ground and recklessly lunged toward the Emperor.

At this moment, nothing else mattered in her mind; she only wanted revenge for Xiao Yinxue.

“Guard the Emperor!”

Accompanied by Eunuch Wei’s shrill shout.

Di Shengyue felt a chill in her heart, and a cold blade pierced through her chest.

She looked at the Emperor, who was within arm’s reach, but she couldn’t thrust the hairpin forward. All her strength seemed to be instantly drained, and she softly collapsed onto the ground.

Through her blurring vision, she saw Xiao Yinxue’s delicate profile and the trace of a smile that had not yet faded.

But those eyes, full of affection, were now deeply closed.

She used her last ounce of strength to crawl to Xiao Yinxue’s side.

She gently kissed those slightly cold lips.

“I never thought our first kiss would be in a place like this.” Di Shengyue’s voice grew fainter. “Yinxue, I failed you. If there is an afterlife… I will definitely spend my whole life making it up to you.”

She only wished for a lifetime without regrets in the next life.