Ever since the embarrassing misunderstanding outside the city gates, Hu’erhan had become rather awkward whenever he saw Nalan Xuan. Unfortunately for him, news of the incident somehow spread without wings until it was known throughout the streets and alleys, becoming a joke and a piece of idle gossip for old people and children over their meals. Nalan Xuan himself did not care. His thoughts were elsewhere, so whatever he heard went in one ear and out the other. Hu’erhan, however, had dominated battlefields for more than a decade and had never encountered this sort of social crisis. He immediately lost all idea of how to deal with it. A huge, broad-shouldered man now turned into a bashful little wife whenever he stood before Nalan Xuan, shifting awkwardly without knowing where to put his hands or feet. A strange flush that could almost be called blushing hovered constantly over his handsome wheat-colored face. Nalan Xuan could ignore it with a perfectly clear conscience and had originally intended to wait until Hu’erhan gradually grew accustomed to him. Instead, leaving the situation alone only made matters worse. Now Hu’erhan did not even dare lift his head. The instant he entered the room, his head drooped as though he had done something wrong and was waiting to be punished, making him look absurdly pitiful no matter how one viewed him.
Just like now. A servant had announced that Hu’erhan had something to report, yet after entering and offering his initial greeting, the man simply stood there without saying another word. Even without Hu’erhan raising his head, Nalan Xuan could imagine exactly how uncomfortable he looked. The man might be tall and broad enough to provide some genuine shelter from wind and rain, but his mind was as straightforward as a child’s. He spoke plainly and never circled around an issue. If something displeased him, even if the person involved were his direct superior, he would blurt out his objection regardless of time or place. Nalan Xuan had no intention of forever enduring Hu’erhan’s protective gaze or being branded as some fragile creature who needed constant protection.
During a military training session one day, Nalan Xuan had therefore proposed, in front of all the officers, that he and Hu’erhan exchange a few moves. The expression that appeared on Hu’erhan’s face had been nothing short of horrified. He looked as though he were already imagining Nalan Xuan collapsing beneath a single attack, his expression carrying all the tragic resolve of a warrior about to sacrifice himself. Nalan Xuan knew perfectly well that ordering him to use his full strength and not underestimate his opponent would accomplish nothing. So when Nalan Xuan struck with lightning speed and dropped Hu’erhan to the ground in a single move before everyone could even blink, not only Hu’erhan but every soldier and officer watching stared with mouths hanging open in disbelief. At the same time, Nalan Xuan successfully established his authority within the army.
Although everyone had now seen—and in Hu’erhan’s case personally experienced—the difference between Nalan Xuan’s appearance and his actual strength, ideas ingrained since birth were difficult to overturn. Yet straightforward, stubborn men like Hu’erhan were often the most entertaining precisely because of that. They also produced the best reactions when teased.
At the thought, a calculating gleam flashed through Nalan Xuan’s eyes. He set down his brush and paper, stood, and slowly walked step by step toward Hu’erhan. Nalan Xuan knew perfectly well how torturous it could be for an impatient man to sense danger gradually approaching while being unable to evade it, especially when the danger insisted on taking its time. His sharp eyes caught Hu’erhan instinctively drawing his neck inward with every step he took. The smile upon Nalan Xuan’s face grew brighter, yet looked astonishingly sincere and beautiful. When it came to exploiting the face he had been given, Nalan Xuan had long since mastered the art. Otherwise, how could he once have persuaded a dignified princess consort and future mother of the nation to willingly become a pawn in his scheme?
Nalan Xuan was not short, but Hu’erhan was considerably taller. A body raised freely beneath open skies was naturally very different from those pampered young masters confined within noble residences all day. The difference of nearly half a head meant Nalan Xuan usually had to raise his eyes whenever he looked at Hu’erhan. This time, however, Nalan Xuan decided to take matters further. He bent his knees and half crouched, then tilted his head upward, blinking his bright, gentle phoenix eyes that seemed filled with autumn water. The sight was indescribably pitiful.
“What? Does this prince disgust you so much that you can’t even bear to look at me?” He deliberately softened his voice and even blinked at the end of the question. The expression of someone on the verge of tears did not look remotely unnatural upon his face. If anything, he looked so vulnerable that anyone who saw him would instinctively want to comfort him.
“N-No! This subordinate general… I was only… only distracted for a moment! I have absolutely no dislike toward Your Highness. Your Highness must not misunderstand!”
As expected, Hu’erhan’s temper ignited at the slightest spark. Watching him frantically shake both his head and hands, Nalan Xuan struggled to suppress his laughter. Even the gloom Feng Xuanzhe’s incessant nonsense had brought him over the past few days disappeared without a trace.
“If that isn’t what you mean, then raise your head when you look at this prince. Every day when you see me, you either hang your head or turn around and run. What is it? Do you think this prince is going to eat you?” Now that Nalan Xuan’s mood had improved, the teasing could end. As for whether anyone else survived his entertainment intact, that had never been something Nalan Xuan considered. Selfishness was something he had always taken pride in.
“Didn’t you say you had something to report? Or do you intend to stand there pretending to be an ice sculpture for a while longer?” With a sweep of his sleeve, Nalan Xuan returned to the seat at the head of the room and once again buried himself in the documents spread across the desk.
“Recently, roaming bandits have repeatedly caused trouble around Dihua. They’ve been bullying men, violating women, seizing homes by force, and injuring many local people.”
“Then suppress the bandits. Does something this minor really need to be reported to me? If the local commanders don’t dare make the decision themselves, can’t you decide either? Does everything have to reach this prince?” Nalan Xuan continued examining the plans in his hands without looking up, though his brows drew together almost imperceptibly.
“General Tuxun already led troops to suppress them, but those bandits are far too cunning. They kept fleeing east and west and refused to face our forces directly. General Tuxun chased them around the mountains for several days, and just when everyone was exhausted, those bastards suddenly attacked! Taking advantage of men when they’re vulnerable! Ptui!” By the time Hu’erhan reached the part that angered him most, he was grinding his teeth and spat viciously to the side. Had the bandits been standing before him, he probably would have thrown himself at them without a second thought.
“Taking advantage?” Nalan Xuan gave a cold laugh and slowly raised his head. “I’d say they were conserving their strength while you exhausted yourselves. You’ve all spent years marching and fighting wars, yet this prince still has to teach you something so basic one point at a time? What were the casualties?”
“N-None.”
“None?” Nalan Xuan smiled without warmth. “How strange. You went up the mountain to suppress bandits, yet they apparently decided to play house with you instead. Quite a profitable arrangement.” His gaze turned as cold as ice, forcing Hu’erhan to grit his teeth to keep himself from shivering.
“The bandits only confiscated General Tuxun’s weapons before letting all of them go. And there was one more thing—” Hu’erhan stole an uneasy glance at Nalan Xuan’s expression, clearly uncertain how to continue.
“The bandits told General Tuxun to bring back a message. They said they had heard our forces had recently received a prince as beautiful as a flower, while their stronghold just happened to be lacking a bride to warm the bed. So they released Tuxun without so much as a scratch as a greeting gift. If Your Highness knows what’s good for you and delivers yourself to their doorstep, they said they won’t hold it against you for being a man. They’ll dote on you properly, everything will be negotiable, and they certainly won’t skimp on the betrothal gifts. But if Your Highness refuses to appreciate their romantic intentions, then they’ll have no choice but to use whatever methods are necessary.”
Elio’s Notes: A 壓寨夫人 was traditionally the wife or captive bride kept by a bandit chief at his mountain stronghold. Here, the bandits deliberately cast Nalan Xuan in that role to mock and provoke him.
Hu’erhan repeated the message with such vivid expression and detail that he practically reproduced the speaker’s mannerisms as well, as though he had personally been standing beside the bandits when they said it.
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