The Sickly Regent Prince Who Was Abandoned as a Substitute Bride

"No! That's not how it is!" Zhao Xuan suddenly looked up, the veins on his forehead throbbing, his voice hoarse with urgency. "Your Majesty, this is a trap! Someone is framing me! Since I joined the army at a young age, I have fought in over a hundred battles, large and small, over the past fifteen years. I have countless scars on my body, every single one of which was left for the Great Qi and for Your Majesty. My loyalty to Your Majesty is unwavering, heaven and earth can bear witness, and I have absolutely no intention of treason!"

As he spoke, he abruptly ripped open the cloak over his shoulder, revealing a deep, bone-revealing wound on his left arm. The blood had congealed into a purplish-black color, and the edges were still swollen and red. "Your Majesty, please look! This is the wound I sustained today while trying to seize this item. Three of my personal guards died protecting it! If I truly intended to rebel, why would I have caused my brothers to die in vain?"

But the Emperor seemed not to hear his words, nor to see his injuries. His face was ashen as he stared at him, his eyes filled with anger and a hint of disappointment that Zhao Xuan couldn't decipher. "Take him away!" The Emperor waved his hand sharply, his voice as cold as ice in the dead of winter. "Put Zhao Xuan in the Imperial Prison. No one is allowed to visit him without my order! I will investigate the truth before deciding on his fate!"

"Yes!" A squad of imperial guards rushed into the hall, each clad in gleaming armor, hands on long swords at their waists, their steps perfectly synchronized, exuding a chilling aura. Without a word, they stepped forward, their rough hands grabbing Zhao Xuan's arms, the iron chains snapping shut around his wrists, the icy touch instantly spreading throughout his body.

Zhao Xuan struggled, but was held down even tighter. He turned to look at the wooden box on the ground. The eerie jade tablet and the grotesque characters flickered in the candlelight, like a mocking face. Why? Who orchestrated this scheme? From the secret box in the enemy's granary to the tip-off from the military spies, and now the Emperor's reaction, everything was interconnected, like a long-woven net waiting for him to stumble into it.

Just then, his fingertips inadvertently touched the hard object in his pocket—the jade pendant tucked inside the package. The cool jade pressed against his heart, and he was suddenly reminded of his mother's appearance before she died. At that time, she lay on the bed, her breath weak, but she tightly clutched this jade pendant and said, "Xuan'er, no matter what happens in the future, you must guard your true self and distinguish right from wrong."

But now, he can barely protect himself, so what good is a jade pendant? Can it stop axe and sword, or refute slander?

The imperial guards shoved him out, the iron chains dragging on the gold bricks with a grating sound. As he passed Eunuch Lu, Zhao Xuan caught a glimpse of a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips, a smile as sharp as a viper's hiss, sending chills down Zhao Xuan's spine.

The moment he stepped out of the Qianqing Palace, the night wind, carrying a chill, swept over him, clearing his head somewhat. He glanced back at the majestic palace; its glazed tiles gleamed coldly in the moonlight. This place, once a symbol of supreme glory, had now become a cage trapping him.

"I, Zhao Xuan, hereby swear—" He abruptly stopped, his voice not loud, but carrying a resolute determination that pierced the night, "If there is a future, I will find out the truth, find the mastermind behind it all, and clear the name of this injustice that has been smeared on me! I will make my brothers who died unjustly rest in peace, and restore justice to this upside-down world!"

The imperial guard kicked him impatiently, and he staggered forward, but his spine remained straight. The iron chains on his wrists were still clanging, but his heart was harder than iron. No matter how dark the prison was, it could not restrain his thoughts; no matter how heavy the crime, it could not break his spine.

He knew that from the moment he stepped through the palace gates, he faced not just imprisonment, but a life-or-death struggle. But he was not afraid, for behind him were three hundred loyal soldiers who had died for their country, his mother's dying wish, and the most inviolable quality of a soldier—integrity.

The cold, hard iron shackles fastened to his wrists, each step accompanied by a heavy dragging sound, echoing dully on the bluestone slabs of the palace path. Zhao Xuan lowered his head, his disheveled hair obscuring most of his face, revealing only his eyes, which had once struck fear into the hearts of the enemy, now churning with turbulent waves hidden in the shadows.

He had escorted the late emperor countless times along this road to the imperial prison. Back then, the palace lanterns shone brightly, and the cold glint of the imperial guards' armor reflected the new green of the weeping willows on both sides. But now, only the blood-red setting sun cast his long, thin, and lonely shadow. The scene in the Golden Palace three days ago was still vivid in his mind—the mountain of "secret letters of treason," the deputy general's accusation of defection on the battlefield, and His Majesty's utterly disappointed "Take him down!" Every image was like a poisoned needle, piercing his heart.

"Why now of all times?" He gritted his teeth, almost crushing them. The smoke of war had barely died down in the north, and before he could even erect a monument for his fallen brothers, he was already a prisoner. Those lurking in the shadows had chosen the most cunning moment and used the most despicable means to not only seize his military power but also to utterly destroy the reputation of his Zhao family for generations of loyalty and virtue.

"General."

A soft whisper suddenly entered his ears, like a gentle stream breaking through the ice in early spring, carrying an almost imperceptible warmth. Zhao Xuan stiffened, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the imperial guards escorting him had suddenly slowed their pace. It was an unfamiliar face, the helmet pulled low, revealing only a slit in the chin, yet the respect in that "General" was something no ordinary soldier could imitate.

"Don't panic, someone will come to your rescue."

A breath brushed past his ear, carrying a faint scent of mugwort. Zhao Xuan looked up abruptly, about to press for an answer, but the imperial guard had already subtly taken a half-step back, resuming his expressionless demeanor, as if everything that had just happened was merely his illusion. Yet, those three words were like a spark, unexpectedly landing in the frozen lake of his heart, rippling out a barely perceptible wave.

Who was it? Was it a former subordinate in the army? Or...? He dared not think too deeply, and could only clench his fist tightly in his palm, letting the sharp edges of the shackles dig into his flesh, leaving several bloody red marks.

The entrance to the imperial prison was hidden in the northwest corner of the palace. When the heavy iron door was pushed open, it made a teeth-grinding creak, and a chilling stench mixed with mustiness and blood rushed out. Zhao Xuan was shoved violently and stumbled into the cell, his knees hitting the damp mud floor hard, splashing up a spray of icy water.

With a bang, the iron door slammed shut behind him, the heavy click of the lock seeming to herald the beginning of despair. He slowly propped himself up and looked around—dark green moss crawled across the mottled stone walls, moldy straw piled in the corner, and several fat rats scurried past his feet, leaving a trail of rustling sounds. Only a sliver of light shone through the iron bars above his head, barely enough to make out the figure huddled in the opposite cell, its fate unknown.

The iron chain was roughly fastened to the iron ring on the wall, and the clanging sound of it being dragged echoed sharply in the deathly silent cell. Zhao Xuan sat down against the cold wall, and a chill immediately ran down his back, spreading from his spine to his limbs. He subconsciously reached into his robes, his fingertips touching a warm, hard object—a piece of warm jade shaped like two fish playing in the water, which his wife had personally tied to him on their wedding day.

The jade still retained the warmth of her palm. Zhao Xuan pressed the jade pendant tightly against his chest, as if he could draw some strength from it. He remembered the way his wife looked when she saw him off to war. She stood at the city gate, her red dress like flames, her eyes red as if they were about to bleed, yet she smiled and said, "I planted a whole courtyard of peonies in the mansion, waiting for you to return so they can bloom."

The peonies should be blooming soon, right? How panicked she must have been when she received the news?

Night spread like ink, the faint light outside the iron bars vanished completely, leaving only deep darkness in the cell. Zhao Xuan closed his eyes, but sleep eluded him. The words of the imperial guards, the lady's smiling face, the slander in the Golden Palace—these images swirled in his mind like a revolving lantern. He could even hear his own heart pounding, heavy and unwilling, causing a dull ache in his chest.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but just as he was about to be swallowed by the cold and despair, a very faint "click" sound suddenly rang out.

Zhao Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, his muscles tensing instantly. The sound came from the lock on the cell door, as if someone was carefully prying it open with a special key. In the darkness, he could clearly hear his own breathing, heavy and labored like a broken bellows.

"Squeak-"

The cell door was pushed open a crack, and a dark figure darted in like a ghost, bringing with it a scent mixed with earth and vegetation. Zhao Xuan abruptly stood up, and despite the heavy shackles, he remained on guard, his sharp eyes, even in the darkness, fixed intently on the newcomer.

The dark figure stopped three steps away and slowly removed the straw hat from his head. Moonlight leaked in through the cracks in the iron window, illuminating that familiar face—it was A-Wu, the captain of the personal guards who had shielded him from an arrow at Yanmen Pass years ago.

"General!" A-Wu lowered his voice, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement, and kicked up a cloud of dust as he knelt on one knee. "Your subordinate has come to rescue you on the orders of the Madam!"

Zhao Xuan felt a surge of heat rush to his head, and his eyes instantly reddened. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat blocked, only able to utter hoarse breaths. He never imagined that in this desperate situation, it was his wife, whom he had always thought was weak, who had orchestrated this life-saving plan.

"Is Madam... alright?" He finally managed to squeeze out a few words, his fingertips turning white from the effort.

"Madam is well, but she worries about the General day and night." Awu quickly took out a small key from his pocket, squatted down to unlock the shackles, "She has long suspected that someone in the court is not right, and has secretly contacted several old generals, just waiting to make her move today. Among those imperial guards escorting you, three are our men, and the one who just delivered the message to you was one of them."

The moment the shackles clattered to the ground, Zhao Xuan felt a tingling sensation in his wrists, and the fatigue and grievances accumulated over the past few days erupted at that moment. But he did not fall; instead, he straightened his spine and gripped the jade pendant in his palm even tighter.

"Let's go!" he said in a deep voice, his voice no longer showing any sign of dejection, but only a resolute determination tempered by fire.

A-Wu led him through a maze of passageways, clearly a secret passageway that had been scouted beforehand. Every few steps along the walls, a dim oil lamp illuminated the uneven stone steps beneath their feet. The air was filled with the damp smell of earth, and occasionally, the "tinkling" sound of water droplets falling on the stalagmites could be heard, exceptionally clear in the silence.

"The lady said that the general need not rush to overturn the case, but should first settle in a safe place outside the city." A-Wu led the way, his steps light and steady. "She has already made copies of the evidence those people used to frame the general, and will present them to His Majesty when things calm down."

Zhao Xuan followed behind, listening to A Wu's words, his anger burning ever brighter. He thought of his colleagues who had stood by coldly in the Golden Palace, the greedy smile on the face of the defecting deputy general, and the smugness of the mastermind hiding in the shadows.

“Tell Madam,” he began, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable force, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, “that she saved my life, Zhao Xuan. But I will clear my name myself! Those who harmed my brothers and tarnished the Zhao family’s reputation, not one of them will escape!”

At the end of the secret passage came the rustling of leaves in the wind. A-Wu pushed aside the last stone slab disguised as a rock, and moonlight poured in, illuminating a lush bamboo forest. Zhao Xuan took a deep breath, the fresh air filling his lungs and dispelling the stale air in the prison.

He looked up at the waning moon on the horizon, clutching the jade pendant tightly to his chest. The road ahead might still be treacherous, but the hope in his heart had already ignited. He accepted this conspiracy. And those demons and monsters lurking in the shadows would soon learn just how heavy the price of awakening a trapped beast truly was.

The moment Zhao Xuan stepped out of the bamboo forest, the bitter scent of bamboo leaves still lingered in his nostrils, when a sudden burst of crackling sounds filled his ears. Dozens of torches lit up simultaneously, their orange-red flames scattering like a sudden rain, illuminating an area of ​​ten feet in the distance as if it were daytime. He instinctively squinted, his pupils contracting sharply in the intense light. He saw countless figures emerging from behind trees and crevices in the rocks, their spears and longswords gleaming coldly in the firelight, completely surrounding the narrow mountain pass.

"Not good!" A-Wu shouted, drawing his short knife from his waist. The firelight reflected off the blade, casting flickering shadows on his face.

Zhao Xuan's hand was already behind his back—where the "Breaking the Enemy" sword, which should have accompanied him in battle for ten years, was now just an empty scabbard. He slowly straightened his back, his gaze sweeping across the encirclement like a hawk's, and when he saw the face of the leader, a raging fire instantly rose in his chest.

The man was dressed in brand-new silver armor, with a tiger-head jade belt that should have belonged to Zhao Xuan tied around his waist. He was none other than Zhou Kui, the deputy general who had accused Zhao Xuan of treason three days ago in the Golden Palace. At this moment, Zhou Kui was stroking his mustache, his face plastered with undisguised smugness, as if admiring the prey that had fallen into his trap.

"General Zhao, how have you been?" Zhou Kui's voice, deliberately mocking, echoed in the firelight. "You know, instead of staying in the perfectly good prison, you insisted on coming out to enjoy the mountain winds. Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

Zhao Xuan's knuckles turned white from the force, and a cold laugh escaped his throat: "I wondered who had set up an ambush here, it turns out to be Deputy General Zhou. How about it, does the taste of betraying one's master taste sweet?"

"Insolence!" Zhou Kui's face darkened, and he suddenly raised his hand. The soldiers behind him immediately thrust their spears forward half a foot, the sharp tips flashing blindingly in Zhao Xuan's eyes. "Zhao Xuan, you are now nothing but a prisoner! If you know what's good for you, surrender and I might be able to put in a good word for you before His Majesty and spare your life!"