C113. Unexpected Destiny.

C113. Unexpected Destiny.

"You heard correctly," Chu Hechao said lightly, "before my mourning period, Lejun and I were already husband and wife."

Yang Zhongfa had already known about their relationship, but the shock he felt at that moment was no less than others.

They were already husband and wife?!

Why didn't General mention this before?!

In shock, Yang Zhongfa also felt a sense of melancholy. He didn't know whether to feel sad or happy. Sad that these two couldn't easily end their relationship, but relieved for the General.

The openness and honesty shown by Yuan Li now made him feel that Yuan Li's desire to be with the General was even stronger than he had imagined.

This brought him some comfort.

Liu Jixin regained his composure and tried to advise, "My Lord, this..."

Yuan Li interrupted him, firmly stating, "My mind is made up."

Guo Mao took a deep breath.

His goal had always been to be the most trusted and favored adviser by Yuan Li's side, and Guo Mao was good at reading people. Yuan Li's words had shown determination, as their lord was always stubborn, and once he made a decision, no one could persuade him otherwise.

Since that was the case, they might as well go along with it, think about how to handle the situation for the lord, and show their loyalty.

Guo Mao pulled Liu Jixin's sleeve and whispered, "My lord being with the General is actually a good thing."

Liu Jixin was puzzled, how could this be a good thing?

Guo Mao explained, "Haven't you always worried about a rift forming between our lord and the Grand General? Now, we can be at ease, the General's subordinates can be at ease, being 'married' means we don't have to be wary of each other.

Liu Jixin furrowed his brows and began to think deeply.

He, like Guo Mao, knew Yuan Li's character very well and understood that once Yuan Li made up his mind, nothing could change it. After the snow disaster, the loyalty of his subordinates to Yuan Li had reached its peak, believing that whatever their lord did was right.

If their lord did something they couldn't understand, it meant they hadn't grasped the meaning behind it yet.

Liu Jixin calmed down and thought about the advantages and disadvantages of Yuan Li being with Chuhechao.

The disadvantages were clear, but there were also many advantages.

One of which Guo Mao had mentioned, the comfort of not being worried like a true married couple. The most important thing... Liu Jixin firmly believed that Yuan Li was destined for something great, and Chu Hechao was a powerful General.

If Chu Hechao had ambitions, their path would be much more difficult. But with Chu Hechao's support, Yuanli would be greatly strengthened, making their success much more likely.

In this light, it was indeed a good thing...

Liu Jixin's eyes flickered, feeling conflicted.

Accepting this just like that was hard to swallow. Incestuous relationships were more harmful for their lord, as Yuan Li was known for his righteousness and kindness. Chu Hechao's reputation was notorious, and if this were to be exposed, it would be worse for their lord.

Some pondered, some were shocked, the study room fell silent.

Yang Zhongfa, worried and anxious, asked, "What about your descendants? General, Prince Chu's only has one son, you!"

Yuan Li's subordinates perked up, indeed.

What about their offspring?

The Chu family only had Chu Hechao as their heir, and their lord also needed offspring to stabilize the people.

This was their biggest concern.

Yuan Li pursed his lips and instinctively held Chu Hechao's hand. Chu Hechao gently patted his hand and looked at Yang Zhongfa, "If I can resolve this matter, will you no longer oppose it?"

Yang Zhongfa took a deep breath and slowly nodded, "If you and Lord Yuan can avoid scandal, avoid being scorned, and have descendants... I... I won't object anymore."

After saying this, Yang Zhongfa slumped in his chair as if all his strength had left him.

He thought with a bitter smile, "Madam, I have tried my best. You asked me to constantly urge the General to get married on the frontier, and I did my best. Now that the General has fallen for someone he shouldn't, I still tried to advise. But the General still doesn't want to change... I just can't bear to advise anymore."

Yang Zhongfa silently hoped, if Yuan Li truly wasn't joking, if Yuan Li could truly be loving with Chu Hechao for the rest of their lives, then Yang Zhongfa would gladly accept even death.

Even after death, he could go and apologize to the Prince Chu's family.

Chu Hechao smiled and casually said, "Descendants? Adoption is fine."

Yang Zhongfa subconsciously asked, "Adopt whose descendants?"

"After the mourning period, my younger sister will marry Yuan Dan," Chu Hechao explained briefly, "Their offspring will have both the bloodlines of the Chu family and the Yuan family, isn't that a win-win situation?"

Everyone suddenly understood.

They had completely forgotten about the daughter of the Chu family.

Yuan Li was briefly startled, then his face lit up with a smile. He discreetly intertwined his fingers with Chu Hechao's.

So you had thought of adopting descendants when you married your sister to Yuan Dan back then.

Chu Hechao grabbed his fidgeting fingers and gave them a gentle squeeze.

This conversation completely resolved the final question, seemingly leaving no reason to stop them. Zhao Ying thought for a moment and respectfully asked, "My lord, by informing us of this matter, do you wish for us to come up with a way for the people to accept it?"

Yuan Li's expression turned serious, "Yes."

"No!"

Guo Mao, Liu Jixin, and Yang Zhongfa's faces turned pale, the three of them stood up and shouted, "This matter must be kept hidden, it must not be spread!"

"This cannot be hidden forever. The General and I are a natural and open couple, why fear others knowing?" Yuan Li remained composed, "This is fate."

Fate?

Still processing everything, Wu Kai was struck once again by a shock, his face turning pale.

How could fate be involved in this?

Chu Hechao couldn't help but rub his forehead in frustration.

He glanced at Yuan Li, waiting to see what further tales his wife could spin.

Yuan Li calmly stated, "You all know I possess some supernatural abilities, being able to predict sudden rains and foresee the snow disaster months in advance. And fate tells me that the General and I are destined to walk hand in hand. Only when we are united in heart can we bring peace to the world. If we were to part ways, the world would fall into chaos and turmoil."

The crowd gasped in shock, exchanging looks as they remembered the miraculous deeds Yuan Li had performed.

The Lord and the General being together, is it truly fate?

Having witnessed Yuan Li's extraordinary feats with their own eyes, they dared not doubt at this moment, accepting these words.

Yang Zhongfa murmured, "So that's it, so that's it..."

If this is truly the case, no one can bear the consequences of separating the two of them.

Liu Jixin slowly calmed down, "Since this is fate, it is only right for the people to know. But now is not the time for the public to be informed about this matter, my lord. This issue needs to be carefully deliberated."

"Exactly," Yuan Li nodded in agreement, "That's why I need your advice. This matter is difficult to hide from close ones, so it's better to tell you directly, to prevent speculation and surprises later on."

This way, they could be better prepared sooner, Yuan Li believed in the wisdom of his advisors to come up with a foolproof plan.

The people began pondering deeply.

Chu Hechao spoke calmly, "As long as our positions are high enough, who in the world would dare to say anything?"

Everyone involuntarily looked at him.

"Throughout history, the royal family and powerful noble houses, who hasn't had such situations?" Chu Hechao turned to Yuan Li with confidence, a smile tugging at his lips, "As long as we have enough soldiers, no one would dare speak ill of our relationship."

Chu Hechao was a general, he knew better than anyone the power that came with having troops and horses. In times of turmoil, military strength spoke volumes, they had both territory and an army, if there were dissenting voices, they would crush them.

This was his method of openly being with Yuan Li.

Being powerful and ruthless to the extent of establishing dominance.

Yuan Li looked at Chu Hechao's determined and sharp expression, and suddenly felt a surge of excitement in his heart.

A long-lost thrilling ambition awakened within him, sending shivers down his spine and making his scalp tingle.

He suppressed his excitement and smiled, "Having the strength that silences dissenting voices is just the beginning. If we can subtly make the people accept our relationship, that would be the best way."

Liu Jixin couldn't help but sigh deeply, "It's difficult to achieve that... If we want to subtly influence public opinion, it will be a daunting task."

"Not necessarily," Chu Hechao leaned back on his chair, tapping one armrest with his hand while gently stroking Yuan Li's hand with the other, his expression thoughtful.

"I was the one who exchanged vows with Yuan Li, drank the wedding wine, and entered the bridal chamber. We have been intimate, and we have performed the rituals of husband and wife. As long as we gradually spread this news, from the bottom up, letting everyone in the world believe that we are a legitimate couple... when more people believe it, the 'truth' that the rest are saying will naturally become 'rumors' that defame us."

Yuan Li smiled sweetly. "The General is right. We still need to cover our tracks carefully for now, and when the time is right, we can announce it to the world."

After understanding the plan, the others discussed a few more ways to cover up for Yuan Li and Chu Hechao before leaving.

As they stepped out of the room and looked up at the blazing sun, they only then realized what kind of shocking secret they had just learned in that short hour.

But now that things have come to this, we can only do our best to control the aftermath and bring about a favorable outcome.

Liu Jixin looked up and couldn't help but chuckle, "Brother Guo, your back is already soaked."

Guo Mao turned around and looked at his back, his clothes were already half wet. He sighed and pointed to Wang Er and Wu Kai next to him, "These two are also covered in cold sweat."

Wang Er and Wu Kai smiled wryly and whispered, "We were really scared."

Liu Jixin coughed lightly, "To be honest, my clothes can also be wrung out to fill a basin of water."

Everyone laughed.