Princess Promotion

The next day, Duke Li left the military camp with a dark face and a murderous aura.

On that day, everyone noticed that although there were no visible scars on Fu Hongxuan's face, his movements when walking, sitting and lying down were somewhat stiff.

These people, who suffered injuries every day as easily as eating and drinking, could tell at a glance that Fu Hongxuan had been beaten badly.

A few days later, Duke Li returned to his residence at the border.

Madam Cao did not stand at the door to greet him as usual. Duke Li was silent for a moment and asked, "Where is Madam Cao?"

The servant replied, "Reporting to the Duke, the Madam is in the Buddhist temple."

Duke Li nodded, dismounted, handed the reins to the servant, and walked towards the Buddhist hall.

In the Buddhist temple, green smoke was curling.

Mrs. Cao knelt devoutly on the cushion, reciting Buddhist scriptures in a low voice.

Hearing the sound of footsteps pushing the door open behind her, Mrs. Cao knew who was coming without turning around.

Madam Cao said calmly, "I'm back!"

Before Li Guogong could speak, Madam Cao continued, "Give me the divorce papers! I'll take them and leave."

Duke Li was silent for a long time before he spoke: "Madam, if you can sever your ties with the Cao family, I will write a letter to His Majesty to plead for mercy."

Madam Cao sneered, as if she scoffed at everything, and said, "The Duke has such great power. If he can keep me here, why can't he accommodate my family?"

Duke Li felt as if his chest was being strangled, and he didn't know how to speak for a long time.

Li Xinghan walked in from outside and saw his father and mother in a stalemate.

Finally, he couldn't help but persuade: "Father, why don't you ask His Majesty for mercy? As long as you ask His Majesty..."

A loud slap was heard.

Li Xinghan's cheek was slapped to the side, and the next moment the red mark of the palm began to appear clearly on Li Xinghan's cheek.

This slap seemed to have shattered Mrs. Cao's last bit of sanity. She ran to Li Xinghan and looked at the slap mark on her son's face with heartache.

Madam Cao could no longer conceal the anger in her eyes. She widened her eyes and roared at Li Xingxuan with a ferocious look on her face, "Li Xingxuan! You are such a heartless wretch!"

"Over the years, you've always put your sister first. Your sister is the queen of a country. She lives such a wealthy life today thanks to the support of you as her brother."

"She has become the most noble woman in the world, but you feel that she has suffered great injustice all day long." Mrs. Cao became more and more excited as she spoke, and her voice became sharp and piercing, as if she wanted to vent all her anger.

She hysterically enumerated every single thing she was dissatisfied with, saying, "No matter what good things we have, the first person you think of is always your sister, and my family has only received your admonitions and warnings. We can't do this or that, and you won't even let us take care of them."

"If something goes wrong, you start beating and kicking my family, and even want to kill them." When she said this, anger and tears were intertwined in Mrs. Cao's eyes.

"Now, your good niece has ascended to the throne above everyone else. For so many years, I have been working hard in your Li family, bearing children for you and taking care of the inner chambers. Even if I have no merits, I have worked hard. Just because my brother made such a small mistake, you are so heartless. Am I so unbearable in your heart?" Mrs. Cao's voice trembled and tears rolled down her cheeks.

Madam Cao pursed her lips, letting tears well in her eyes as she looked at Duke Li and said, "It was just a palace maid who said a few dirty words. She didn't even lose a hair, and yet Your Majesty wants to kill Ah Jin and even divorce me."

Madam Cao said sarcastically, "You risked your life and property to support your good niece, but in the end, someone else became a commander, rose to power, and became rich, while you are still stuck where you are. My family is ruined, and this is the emperor. She is much more cruel than the emperor."

Mrs. Cao's words were clearly a mockery, but in reality she was saying that Yao Chuguang was no different from the retired emperor, who began to fear his meritorious officials after ascending the throne.

Now it is just the prelude to the abandonment of the donkey after it has served its purpose. First it is her parents' family, and then it will be your Li family.

Duke Li's face turned pale. He slowly turned to look at Li Xinghan and asked, "Do you think so too?"

Li Xinghan lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Sometimes not answering is an attitude.

Duke Li felt his limbs go cold. It turned out that they had been thinking this way all along.

Duke Li looked at Li Xinghan with bloodshot eyes and said, "Your mother doesn't know the truth and blames me. I have nothing to say, but you actually think the same way. You really disappoint me."

There was a flash of struggle in Li Xinghan's eyes, and he felt pain deep in his throat, so he couldn't say a word of rebuttal.

Madam Cao stood in front of Li Xinghan, biting her lips tightly, and said in a deep voice: "Yao Chuguang is now an emperor. How can anyone force her to do something she doesn't want to do? She simply looks down on my Cao family, thinking that we are a poor family and unworthy of being with the royal family..."

Duke Li raised his voice and roared, "Shut up!"

The sudden loud voice startled both Madam Cao and Li Xinghan.

Duke Li's blood rushed to his head, and he took a deep breath for a while before regaining some of his rationality.

Duke Li's eyes revealed deep fatigue as he spoke, "You asked me why I have been so partial to Ah Chu and the others for so many years. I always thought you could understand, but you never considered that you only see their superficial glory. Have you ever considered the hardships behind them?"

"Achu and the others hold high positions and can be said to be the most respected women in the world, but have you ever thought about what they have sacrificed?"

Duke Li's voice trembled as he said, "That was what they sacrificed their lives for. Now, you're asking me to sacrifice your brother's life in exchange for the prosperity of your entire family. This is truly heartless. What then is the sacrifice Ah Ying made back then?"

Duke Li pointed outside and said, "You keep saying that Ah Chu gave the command position to Fu Hongxuan. Do you know why he gave it to him?"

"Look at Fu Hongxuan. He and my Li family both command a large military force and are feared by the Emperor. All the men in his Fu family's family, including his father and uncles, have perished, leaving only him as the sole heir. And yet our family is still intact. Is it because the Emperor Retired is more merciful than the former Zhou Emperor?"

"Why was Fu Hongxuan able to become famous at such a young age, and known throughout the Central Plains? It was because all the male members of his family had died, leaving only him as the only man left. When there was a shortage of food, weapons, and men, he fought against the barbarian invasions several times, and never lost a single battle!"

"And when has our Li family ever lacked food, fodder, and weapons?"

Duke Li sneered coldly, "Don't tell me you're all so naive as to believe that the Emperor Retired didn't do this because resisting foreign invaders is the foundation of the nation. The Former Zhou Emperor was even more incompetent than the Emperor Retired, so he did something so unpopular that it would make him lose the support of the people."

"In the eyes of the emperor, the gains and losses of a city and the lives of tens of thousands of civilians are just like the cats and dogs around him. If they die, they are dead."

"Doesn't the Emperor want to suppress the Li family the same way Emperor Zhou suppressed Fu Hongxuan?"

Duke Li stretched out two trembling fingers and made the sign of eight. "When Ah Chu was eight years old, Concubine Liang, the most favored concubine in the harem, tried to eliminate the Empress and murdered Ah Chu by poisoning her!"

Whenever Duke Li thought of Ah Chu, who looked like a dying kitten with a pale face, he felt so heartbroken that he couldn't breathe.

"Luckily, I saved my life, but I was injured and can no longer practice martial arts. I also have a fear of cold."

Duke Li saw resentment in Madam Cao's eyes for the first time, and he gritted his teeth and said, "What was Cao Shijin doing at that time? He was living a life of debauchery and seizing women, and then he handed his evidence to Concubine Liang, and had the imperial envoy impeach the Li family for enriching themselves and allowing their relatives to run rampant."

"There was already a famine that year, and the court was going to cut military spending. After Cao Shijin's disturbance, the emperor had an excuse to replace the procurement of military supplies with Concubine Liang's people."

Giving one's lifeline to the enemy, even a fool would know that Concubine Liang would never miss such a golden opportunity.

Concubine Liang could just make up a few excuses, saying that there was a famine and food was in short supply, and no one would pursue the matter if it dragged on for ten days or half a month.

But for soldiers who are really hungry in a war, it is no different from committing suicide if they encounter an enemy attack.

Mrs. Cao murmured to herself, "I... I don't know, my brother..."

Duke Li sneered and said, "You only remember that time when Cao Shijin had his legs broken by Ah Chu and was almost castrated."

"Achu collected all the evidence with great difficulty and could have exposed Concubine Liang, but...but she endured it for the sake of the soldiers at the border..." As he spoke, Duke Li burst into tears.

After taking a deep breath, Duke Li continued, "She used the evidence to strike a deal with Concubine Liang. She traded her life for rations for the soldiers at the border. That... that year she was only eight years old."

Duke Li burst into tears. Ah Chu was so young back then, not even as tall as his knees, yet he risked his life to protect his useless uncle.

How could he not feel sad? He owed Achu so much in this life that even several lives would not be enough to repay him.

Duke Li's voice trembled uncontrollably as he spoke, "Over the years, whenever the Grand Emperor wanted to attack the Li family, it was Ah Chu who stopped them all. Why was Ah Chu attacked the moment he arrived at the border that year?"

"It was because the Emperor Retired realized that as long as Ah Chu was around, he wouldn't be able to harm the Li family that he started the murderous spree. Since it was inconvenient to do it in the palace, he tricked Ah Chu into coming to the border and used the help of foreign tribes to get rid of him."

Duke Li began to sob as he spoke, "Who are the barbarians? Being caught is a fate worse than death. Even in a place like this, Ah Chu chose to stand in front of us alone...to protect my useless uncle."

"Every day you hear those rumors outside, saying that Ah Chu was able to sit on the throne because of me, his uncle who commands a large army. Bullshit!"

Duke Li demanded sternly, "If you hear a lie too often, it will become true. Over the years, whenever we've encountered danger, it's always Ah Chu who's rushed to the front to protect us. Ah Chu doesn't care about these false reputations. How dare you claim that these are your own achievements?"

Duke Li smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, you relied on me to ascend the throne? You are simply courting death. If Ah Chu really wanted to ascend the throne, he should have abandoned me, your uncle, the very next moment. Only if I, your uncle, die, will a princess with only a name but no real power no longer be a thorn in your side but a mole in your eyes."

"With Ah Chu's methods and intelligence, can she not train a completely loyal general to serve her?"

"Achu could have used the Li family as an open target to gain more power for herself, lay low, and then sit comfortably on the throne. Why didn't she do that, risking her life again and again?"

Duke Li's eyes were filled with deep disappointment: "Achu gave her all to protect us, but the funny thing is that all you saw was her sitting on the supreme throne."

"Have you ever thought about what would have happened to Ah Chu if we had lost the battle in Huayang City?"

Duke Li was so excited that his body trembled slightly. He said, "Let me ask you, even if I tell you a method, who would have the courage to go back to the past and lead 13,000 people to fight against an army of 220,000? Who can guarantee that they can win?"

Duke Li took great pains to suppress his emotions, his voice trembling as he said, "Achu's achievements today are all due to herself. We are the ones who have always relied on Achu."

The Buddhist temple fell into deathly silence.

Duke Li pointed at Li Xinghan and asked, "Besides, let's talk about Hui Xueqing. She endured so much suffering and humiliation before she escaped death and returned the information to us."

"Don't you know how many lives we saved because of this information?"

Duke Li was furious and said, "Cao Shijin, that loser who only knows how to play with women all day, what qualifications does he have to point fingers at Xueqing? I ask you, is he worthy?"

"How dare you plead for such a scumbag! Just because he's related to you by blood, you can't tell right from wrong!"

Duke Li's repeated questioning made Xing Hanzhi feel ashamed.

Duke Li felt depressed and didn't want to continue. He looked at Madam Cao tiredly and said, "Wait for me to go back to the study and write the divorce letter for you. Take care of yourself."

After saying that, he turned and left the Buddhist temple.

After Duke Li walked away, Madam Cao fell to the ground, covering her mouth and sobbing silently.

She doesn't want this!

She really didn't think so!

Li Xinghan squatted down and gently stroked Mrs. Cao's back, silently comforting her.

Why did things become like this.

Maybe they really made too many mistakes.

It was wrong from the beginning!

The news of the divorce between Duke Li and Madam Cao spread like wildfire into the military camp and exploded in an instant.

Li Yi's eyes were full of disbelief.

There have been rumors that Duke Li and Fu Hongxuan were competing for one woman and were jealous of each other.

The heroine of this story is Yingge, the only female general in the military camp.

Although Yingge is a tough guy and quite old, he is indeed a good-looking guy.

After three years in the army, the sow looked as beautiful as Diao Chan, not to mention Yingge who was not bad looking to begin with.

She is a flower in the military camp. It's not that no one covets this thorny flower, but they just don't have the courage to do it for fear of being beaten to death.

The most widely circulated and recognized version is this.

Duke Li fell in love with Yingge at first sight, but Yingge rejected him on the grounds that he was already married.

As a result, by chance, Duke Li discovered that Fu Hongxuan and Yingge actually had feelings for each other.

Seeing that the woman he liked was about to run away with another man, Duke Li was immediately furious and went to challenge Fu Hongxuan.

After all, Duke Li is the emperor's uncle, so Fu Hongxuan doesn't dare to fight him with real swords and guns.

In the end, it was Yingge who came out to stop it and told Duke Li that she did not want to be a concubine, intending to make Duke Li give up the idea.

Who would have thought that Duke Li would risk his life for love and actually go back and divorce his old wife just to marry Yingge.

Li Yi was stunned: Duke Li and the Empress are indeed a family, they are both crazy!

Finished!

Is Commander Fu going to have his love stolen?