Chapter 49: Powerful and Resilient Civil Man

Duke Zheng’s pupils trembled slightly, and he thought to himself, "Is she really being this direct?"

Demanding someone become a kept male consort on the spot was far too impatient, not to mention deeply disrespectful. After all, the young man came from a respectable family.

Duke Zheng furrowed his brow, feeling somewhat displeased.

Still, the trend of keeping male consorts was indeed widespread. From initially wringing his hands in despair and sighing over the moral decay of the times, Duke Zheng had gradually grown accustomed to it.

Fortunately, his third daughter was still quite sensible. Though she was usually disobedient and always talked back to him, she had never picked up such habits.

As for her circle of close female friends...

Duke Zheng clicked his tongue twice.

---

Hearing these words, Jiang Hexuan was, of course, utterly furious. He had purely acted out of good intentions to help her, only to be met with such light-hearted insult and humiliation.

He turned and flicked his sleeves to leave, but was blocked by the woman.

"I will give you only two choices: agree or nod." The female general stood before him with her sword drawn, her tone cold and rigid.

Duke Zheng twitched the corner of his mouth.

Was there any difference between the two? How could those possibly be two choices?

---

Naturally, Jiang Hexuan refused. Yet the woman completely ignored his thoughts, subdued him in just a few moves, used strips torn from her own robe to bind his hands and feet, and dragged him back to her estate.

The estate’s steward came forward to welcome Su Qishan. Seeing her carrying a man like a sack, the steward asked in astonishment, "General, who is this?"

Su Qishan replied, "A new strategist."

Jiang Hexuan was filled with extreme shock. He had never expected this woman to be the renowned female general of the Northern Frontier.

Word had it that she came from a military lineage, having practiced martial arts with her father since childhood. When her father set out on a campaign, she had secretly disguised herself as a camp cook and followed the army. By the time her father discovered her, it was already too late, leaving him no choice but to take her along to battle the enemy. Later, she repeatedly rendered distinguished service and was exceptionally conferred the title of female general by the Emperor.

It was rumored that she had long possessed a virtuous reputation, loving the common people like her own children, and that the soldiers under her command maintained strict military discipline, never plundering the populace. During that intensely brutal battle against the Xiongnu three years ago, she had achieved a sweeping victory, rescuing the precarious thirteen border cities.

He had originally held favorable impressions of her, believing her to be a heroine who was by no means inferior to any man.

Who could have imagined that meeting her in person shattered his initial impression completely.

What heroine?! She was clearly a female bandit, and he was firmly resolved never to submit to anyone.

Jiang Hexuan considered himself lacking in unyielding backbone, but he certainly wasn't someone willing to suffer abuse and humiliation without putting up a fight.

Duke Zheng watched while breaking out in a cold sweat. If the argument continued, he wondered if the young man's life would even be spared. The woman possessed great power and authority; if she truly decided to seize him by force, crying out to the heavens would yield no response, and pounding on the earth would bring no salvation.

This young miss was quite a heroine, seemingly far superior to his own third daughter in more ways than one, but why would she ever resort to such a deed?

Appearances could truly be deceptive!

Then again, it somehow seemed normal. He had a few colleagues who were fearless and unstoppable on the battlefield, facing life and death without a flinch. Yet their back courtyards were currently an absolute mess, with several wives and concubines constantly vying for favor and spreading malicious gossip, while their official spouses paid no mind and simply watched the spectacle with amused grins.

Since ancient times, even heroes have found it difficult to pass the trial of beauty—regardless of whether they were men or women.

---

The steward said with heartfelt distress, "General, even if... you must still live well and cherish yourself. How can you be so indiscriminate?"

Su Qishan’s expression turned icy. "Do not speak of this again."

Jiang Hexuan was locked inside a room and tossed onto the bed. He adopted a posture of preferring death over submission.

Yet the female bandit made no further moves; she merely stood quietly by the bedside, staring down at him with a dazed expression.

After a long while, she finally reached out a hand to stroke his cheek.

Unwilling to suffer such humiliation, Jiang Hexuan turned his head away, only to have his chin gripped and forcefully wrenched back.

Believing she intended to force herself upon him, how could Jiang Hexuan endure such an unprecedented disgrace?

Thus, while endlessly hurling abuses at Su Qishan, he struggled desperately and slammed his head against the wall, hoping to die to prove his integrity.

He thought his life was going to end right here today.

---

Instead, the woman pulled him back and tied all four limbs to the head and foot of the bed so he could no longer struggle.

Duke Zheng covered his face, peering secretly into the book through a gap between his fingers.

Playing things this intensely in broad daylight—surely that wasn't quite proper.

No, no, how could he possibly think such a thing?

Young Master Jiang was currently suffering through tribulations; how could he possibly sit back and watch the spectacle?

After a brief internal self-reflection, Duke Zheng continued his fantasy: if he were forcibly abducted and carried home by someone, what would he do?

Would he refuse to yield even unto death, or pretend to submit for the sake of survival while plotting an escape?

No, wait! With his formidable martial arts skills, how could he ever be easily captured by anyone? Which petty scoundrel would dare covet the great Duke Zheng!

If it were his own wife, though... well, that might not be entirely unacceptable.

Duke Zheng stroked his beard in thought, the cheeks hidden behind his facial hair turning quietly red.

---

For days, Jiang Hexuan refused to eat or drink. When others tried to feed him, he ignored them. The moment his ropes were untied, he would bite people, smash objects, and attempt to dash his head against the wall in suicide.

At this rate, within a couple of days, he would be on the verge of death.

In the end, having no other choice, Su Qishan untied him and let him return home.

Before he left, she dropped a single remark: "You will return."

Jiang Hexuan sneered. "In your dreams. I will never step foot into your estate again."

To let someone go so easily while leaving behind such a meaningful remark...

Duke Zheng furrowed his brow, sensing the situation was far from simple.

Could she be harboring a backup plan?

---

After leaving to gather herbs, Jiang Hexuan vanished for several days, leading everyone in the village to presume he had met with a fatal disaster.

Because his family had always acted with benevolence and kindness toward their neighbors, everyone chipped in to help care for his ailing father while he was gone.

When he suddenly reappeared, everyone was startled and asked where he had been.

He explained that he had tumbled down a hillside, miraculously been rescued by a passerby, and had to spend several days recovering from his injuries before he could return.

The father and son closed their doors once more, resuming their peaceful little life. However, Jiang Father's illness persisted and required medication, quickly exhausting the family's meager savings.

With no other option, Jiang Hexuan took up odd jobs at a merchant's shop so he could earn enough surplus money to treat his father.

Yet after working for only a few days, the employer announced he was letting him go. Having no alternative, he sought out another shop. To his dismay, the next place did the same, dismissing him after working for just a few days.

Driven past his limit, Jiang Hexuan confronted the owner of the final shop before leaving, demanding to know why he was being fired when he had worked dutifully and with earnest diligence.

Knowing his background and feeling sorry for him, the shopkeeper dropped a hint without daring to speak too explicitly, offering only a vague remark: "Have you perhaps offended someone?"

This made Duke Zheng's heart ache with suspense. Jiang Hexuan's life had been going along peacefully; who could have guessed that a single moment of benevolence would drag him into such a catastrophe?

If that Su Qishan truly liked him, why couldn't she marry him through proper channels—no, rather, take him in as a resident husband through proper means? Why on earth did she have to resort to such tactics?

Deploying all these intricate calculations showed that she cared quite deeply about this person. Yet her actual attitude was completely contradictory, treating him with such demeaning disregard; otherwise, she would never have handled him with such cheapening contempt.

---

Jiang Hexuan possessed a pure mind, having spent his past days solely focused on books, with his sole vulnerability being his father.

He had believed that after his father fell ill, he had gradually shouldered the heavy responsibilities of the household and grown mature.

Yet against such devious, calculated schemes, he could only surrender, enduring it all for his father's health.

Thus, he returned to the general's estate and told Su Qishan, "I am here. Do whatever you wish with me."

This volume ended here.

Oh, for goodness' sake! This little girl was utterly wicked, always cutting off right at this spot!

Duke Zheng gnashed his teeth in bitter resentment.

What on earth was going to happen next?

Once Su Qishan achieved her heart's desire, how would things unfold? Could it be that she gradually came to understand Jiang Hexuan's character, genuinely fell in love with him, and helped save his father's life? And then the two of them would clear up their misunderstandings and live a happy, sweet life together?

Duke Zheng slapped the table, firmly convinced of his own theory: "It has to be this way."

---

The Chang'an branch of the Shanhai Bookstore was simultaneously printing the same books as the Luoyang branch.

Xuhang Yue's serialized tales were among them, though constrained by travel times, the publication speed in Chang'an lagged slightly behind Luoyang.

Unlike the roaring popularity in Luoyang, the storefront of the bookstore in Chang'an appeared somewhat desolate, though the number of customers remained substantial.

Since it had not yet built a widespread reputation among the common populace, the people frequenting the bookstore were primarily servants from wealthy households.

The noble clans of Chang'an were intricately intertwined, with very few families completely devoid of marital or kinship ties.

The same held true for their servants, who formed a massive relational web centered around their masters.

Female servants from strict, high-status aristocratic households also cared deeply about their status; they typically represented their masters' faces and did not casually roam about or expose themselves in public.

Consequently, the maidservants gathered outside the bookstore stood out quite noticeably.

"Sister Hongtang, why would you lower yourself to run such an errand? You could have simply ordered us errand boys to do it," an attendant chimed in, sucking up to the red-dressed maidservant.

The maidservant in red glanced at him sideways. "Since the young miss gave the order, I naturally must take it to heart and deliver it to her at the very first moment."

"Sister Hongtang, aren't you just eager to read it yourself first?" the attendant asked with a wink.

"Get away with you! I reckon you're the one who wants to read it." Having her thoughts hit on the mark, she scolded him with feigned annoyance.

"Sister Hongtang's divine foresight, you saw right through me!" Adept at making people laugh, the attendant assumed an expression of exaggerated astonishment at being exposed.

Chatting idly along the way, the attendant's banter kept Hongtang amused.

Still, she didn't forget her main task; after purchasing the book, she hurried back to the estate without stopping.

The young miss was still waiting for her.

"Young miss, the book has been bought."

"Give it to me, quickly!" Wu Xuan was of an impatient disposition; rather than waiting for Hongtang to hand it over, she rushed forward, snatched it herself, and flipped it open.

As she read, her expression grew focused and intensely engrossed, shifting rapidly from furrowed brows of anger to deep contemplation.

By the time she finished turning the final page, she seemed unable to snap back to reality, her gaze unfocused and a daze blanketing everything she looked at.

There was no particular reason for this other than the fact that she had recently done something remarkably similar to the female general in the book—she had forcibly seized a commoner man.

Of course, Wu Xuan did not feel for a single second that she was in the wrong.

To trace the origin of this incident, it went back to when she had dressed in men's attire and been impeached.

At the time, she had been furious, prompting her to do the exact opposite of whatever that old codger wanted. The more he found something unappealing, the more she felt compelled to do it.

Who was afraid of whom? It was a contest of who could hold out the longest.

Coincidentally, just a few days prior, after that old codger had impeached her, he launched into his stale, predictable impeachment of her cousin, the Grand Princess Anle, accusing her of debauchery, tyranny, oppressing scholarly gentlemen, and breaking the hearts of scholars across the realm.

Being close to her cousin, Wu Xuan knew she wasn't the thoroughly wicked person devoid of moral bottom lines that the old codger made her out to be. Thus, she had specifically gone to ask her cousin what had actually happened.

Her cousin had been equally incensed, joining her in cursing the old codger to high heaven.

Her cousin explained that those men had deliberately put on airs to catch her attention, yet lacked the courage to drop their pride. When her cousin approached to speak with them, they would deliberately put on an unyielding, prefer-death-over-submission act to showcase their lofty and pristine moral character.