World's First Traitor System (396)

Chapter 396 - An Imperial Matchmaking

Fan Li was certain Empress Yao Guang had been in Peng City since the battle began. Her delayed intervention wasn't about weakening the Chu army, he suspected, but about seizing an opportunity.

Fan Li didn't particularly care. Great Chu, with the Fan Clan’s resources and the unwavering loyalty of its people, didn't rely on outside help. But Yao Guang’s sudden appearance was a blatant power play.

“Emperor of Chu.” Yao Guang descended from the sky, her bearing regal, like a celestial being.

“Y… Your… Your Majesty…” Xiang Chong stammered while trembling.

Though nearly her height, he instinctively bent his knees, maintaining a posture of deference. He gazed up at Yao Guang, interpreting her expression as one of approval and encouragement. A surge of excitement coursed through him.

He raised his voice. “Soldiers! Thanks to Empress Yao Guang’s support, we have achieved victory!”

The officials and soldiers exchanged uneasy glances. Whose support? Whose victory?

Xiang Chong, oblivious to their disapproval, continued, his voice rising in a crescendo of adoration, “Long live Empress Yao Guang! Ten thousand years!”

His cries echoed across the silent gatehouse. He was alone in his enthusiasm. An awkward silence descended, and just as he opened his mouth to demand an explanation for their lack of enthusiasm, Fan Li leaped onto the wall.

“Victory!” he shouted. “Glory to the Chu army!”

“Glory to the Chu army!”

“Glory to the Chu army!”

Two hundred thousand voices roared in unison. The officials, roused by Fan Li’s enthusiasm, joined the chorus.

Yao Guang smiled, maintaining a facade of indifference. But a cold glint, like a venomous serpent’s strike, flickered in her eyes.

Within the city, the anxious citizens, hearing the cheers, poured into the streets, their fear replaced by jubilation. They brought food and wine, offering it to the passing soldiers.

Fan Li laughed and said, “Behold! The people welcome their victorious army!”

Xiang Chong’s face darkened. Victorious army? Everyone knew the garrison troops were Fan Li’s private force. If they were the “victorious army,” then what was Fan Li? The true Emperor?

The Chu officials, however, no longer concerned with Xiang Chong's bruised ego, showered Fan Li with praise. “Duke Jin, your wisdom and courage have saved our kingdom!”

Public sentiment was a powerful force. Yao Guang, witnessing this display of loyalty, frowned. Perhaps, she thought, she should have intervened earlier, claimed the victory for herself. But the cost, the expenditure of her own cultivation to destroy the mechanical beasts it wasn't worth it.

“Petty displays of power are ultimately meaningless. True authority is forged through strength.”

Her plan to gain the people's favor through a small act of charity had failed. She prepared to depart. Just then, three figures approached the gatehouse.

“We, Su Qingfang, Chen Shishi, and Qin Hongyu, having fulfilled our duty, have come to bid farewell to Duke Jin and General Fan.”

The three courtesans, no, the three former courtesans, now restored to their status as commoners, bowed deeply before Fan Li. Their faces were pale, their lips stained with dried blood, their bodies weakened by the strain of inspiring the garrison troops. Even Xiang Chong felt a flicker of sympathy for them.

“Please, rise,” Fan Li said quickly, “Your contribution to this victory… I am eternally grateful. You deserve no less than my deepest respect.”

“Such talent… wasted in prostitution.” A jarring voice interrupted them. Empress Yao Guang. The three women had made no mention of their past, yet Yao Guang had instantly recognized their former profession.

Fan Li sneered inwardly. She had been observing them all along. He felt a surge of anger. She was, once again, manipulating public perception, subtly suggesting that the women's misfortune was the fault of men. He wanted to retort, but the women had been wronged. He hesitated, unsure how to respond.

Yao Guang, sensing his discomfort, pressed her advantage. “Great Ci is a sanctuary, a haven for women who have suffered. Come with me. You will enjoy a life of peace and prosperity, far exceeding anything Chu can offer.” She was openly recruiting them. She recognized their talent, their potential. She even dared to belittle Great Chu publicly.

But the women shook their heads.

“Is this Empress Yao Guang?” Su Qingfang asked. “Suffering is a part of life. True virtue, however, lies in righteousness and integrity.”

Chen Shishi added softly, “We know who wronged us, and who showed us kindness. We are not fools, blinded by empty promises. A single person's actions do not taint an entire kingdom.”

Qin Hongyu spoke last. “A single flaw does not diminish a jade’s beauty. The moon may wax and wane, but its light still shines upon us all. If Great Chu has its shortcomings, then as its citizens, it is our duty to strengthen it, not abandon it. To leave our homeland would be… shameful.”

Yao Guang was speechless. For the first time, her rhetoric about saving women had been challenged, refuted.

Fan Li, too, was astonished. Their courage and eloquence shamed even the most outspoken men. He silently applauded them, but he also saw the murderous glint in Yao Guang’s eyes.

“I offer you sanctuary and you refuse? Do you truly believe you can defy me?”

Fan Li knew an Emperor’s pride was easily bruised. Yao Guang could kill them on the spot, and no one, not even the rulers of Wei, Han, or Wu, would dare criticize her. He couldn’t allow that to happen.

He stepped forward, shielding the women. “Empress Yao Guang,” he said, forcing a smile, “It is not that they are unwilling to accompany you, but that they cannot.”

“Cannot?” Yao Guang’s voice was sharp.

“Indeed.” Fan Li turned, gesturing towards the women, then towards his brother. “I have decided… to offer my brother’s hand in marriage. Today, in celebration of our victory, I propose this union. If these ladies deem him worthy, they will become members of the Fan Clan. They cannot belong to another kingdom.”