2025-11-12 00:38:00Shadows of the Capital
The road to Liwen’s capital wound through golden plains and quiet villages still scarred by war. As Su Yu’s army advanced, people gathered to watch, their faces a mixture of awe and fear. The man who had never lost a battle was returning but not every whisper was in celebration. “Some say he seeks the throne,” murmured an old merchant as Su Yu’s banner passed. “Others say the gods themselves favor him,” another replied. Both were wrong, Su Yu thought grimly. He sought not power, but purpose and Liwen was bleeding from within. By the time the army reached the outskirts of the capital, drums thundered from the city gates. Rows of royal guards stood in formation, their armor gleaming in the sunlight. Yet their faces were cold, their eyes unreadable. The gate did not open in salute but in silence. “Strange welcome,” Mei muttered, riding beside him. “They should be ringing bells, not standing like statues.” “They are measuring us,” Su Yu said quietly. “Counting victories, and deciding whether I’ve won too many.” The soldiers of Liwen entered through the Great Gate of Serpents the same gate through which kings once rode after conquest. This time, no royal heralds came to greet them. The courtiers watched from balconies above, whispering behind jeweled fans. The city that once sang Su Yu’s praises now studied him with wary eyes. That night, the council summoned him to the Hall of Nine Pillars, the heart of Liwen’s power. Massive doors carved with the kingdom’s history opened to reveal a hall filled with nobles, generals, and advisors each one dressed in silk, every smile sharpened like a blade. At the center, the throne sat empty. The old king was gone. The royal banner above the throne hung draped in black the mourning cloth. The air was heavy, not just with grief, but with anticipation. Su Yu stepped forward, his armor polished yet battle-worn, each dent a story of loyalty. The whispers fell silent as he bowed. “My king fought with honor,” Su Yu began, his voice carrying across the hall. “Liwen’s enemies are broken, its borders secure. I have returned not for reward, but to swear my service to the crown, whoever wears it next.” A murmur rippled through the assembly cautious, questioning. Then from the shadows stepped Lord Chen, his left arm in a sling, face pale with feigned exhaustion. “General Su Yu,” he said smoothly, “Liwen thanks you for your… service. Yet troubling news reaches us. Reports speak of a valley burned, of thousands dead and of our own soldiers caught in your flame. Is this the discipline you call victory?” A hush fell. Even the torches seemed to dim. Mei, standing behind Su Yu, bristled. “Those men were traitors,” she said. “They turned their swords against their own! The general saved Liwen from destruction.” But Chen’s lips curved into a serpent’s smile. “So you say. Yet there are those who believe the general grows too powerful. Armies bend to his will. People chant his name in the streets. Tell me, Su Yu does the army serve Liwen’s throne, or does it serve you?” The question hung in the air like a blade between them. Su Yu lifted his gaze, unflinching. “The army serves Liwen,” he said calmly. “It always has. I command it because I must, not because I crave it. The throne may crown a king, but only the people and the sword can defend a nation. You would know this, my lord, if you had ever stood where I have.” A ripple of restrained outrage crossed Chen’s face, but before he could speak, the High Regent, Lady Fen, rose from her seat. She was tall, her robes the color of storm clouds, her eyes like cold glass. “That will be enough,” she said. “Lord Chen, the general’s loyalty is not for you to question. And General, this hall will not become a battlefield of words.” The tension broke, but only barely. Lady Fen turned to Su Yu, her tone deceptively soft. “The court acknowledges your victory at Black Valley. You saved Liwen from invasion and preserved our borders. For this, the crown owes you gratitude.” Su Yu bowed slightly. “Liwen’s safety is its own reward.” “Even so,” Fen continued, “the kingdom needs stability. With the king gone, the throne must not remain empty. His Majesty left no son only his niece, Princess Linxue. She will inherit the crown by right and blood.” Su Yu’s brow furrowed slightly. “Princess Linxue is young.” “Eighteen,” Fen replied. “And untested. Which is why she will need a protector a general whose loyalty is beyond question. The court will decide if that protector should be you.” The implication was clear. His next battle would not be fought with swords, but with whispers. Later, outside the hall, Mei caught up to him beneath the moonlit courtyard. “They’re setting you up,” she said. “Chen wants you accused, Fen wants you contained. They fear you’ll take the crown yourself.” Su Yu gazed up at the palace spires, where golden banners fluttered in the wind. “Fear is the weapon of the weak,” he said quietly. “But they are right about one thing Liwen does need stability. If the princess is wise, I will protect her. If she is not…” He stopped, eyes narrowing. “Then I will protect Liwen from her.” At dawn, Su Yu was summoned to the royal gardens. There, among blossoms still wet with dew, stood Princess Linxue pale, graceful, and far younger than Su Yu had expected. She wore a simple robe of mourning white, and yet her eyes carried something deeper than grief: defiance. “General,” she said softly as he bowed. “They tell me you burned a valley to save the kingdom. They also tell me you defied orders and slaughtered your own men. Which story should I believe?” Su Yu studied her. “Believe neither,” he said. “Believe only what the truth reveals when tested. I do not fight for stories. I fight for the soil you stand on.” The princess tilted her head, unimpressed. “Then you fight for me.” A pause. Su Yu met her gaze. “If you are Liwen,” he said, “then yes. But if you seek to rule through fear or folly, I will fight against you as I would against any enemy.” For a moment, the air between them was charged not with anger, but with recognition. She did not shrink from him, and he did not bow lower than necessary. Finally, she smiled faintly. “Then perhaps, General Su Yu, Liwen will survive after all.” That night, a message arrived sealed in black wax, slipped under Su Yu’s door. He broke it open to find a single sentence written in precise ink: “The crown is not the only thing they plan to kill.” He looked out toward the palace where the young queen-in-waiting slept, and beyond, toward the city gates where his loyal soldiers were camped. Somewhere, treachery was already moving. Su Yu sheathed his sword. If war had ended in the valley, it was only beginning in the palace.
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CHAPTER 96 — THE PRICE OF SURVIVAL
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CHAPTER 94 -THE NIGHT THE CITY HELD ITS BREATH
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