Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 1026 - 639: Mental Disability

Chapter 1026: Chapter 639: Mental Disability

Leaning against the gray stone-brick wall, Xu Yuan silently listened to the voices coming from the front courtyard. His lowered gaze made it difficult to discern his expression.

From the moment her cutting words fell, silence had enveloped the other side of the wall.

So silent that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.

Li Junwu seemed to have temporarily stabilized the high-ranking generals, but this stability was unlikely to last long before it crumbled.

"Commandery Princess, please stop being so willful! You’ve already killed Commander Zhan due to the lies of traitors. Must you persist in making mistakes?!"

"Commander Zhan is dead and cannot be brought back to life. Now that the deed is done, we should first focus on subduing that scoundrel!"

"Your cultivation is not sufficient to control such a Great Formation. Please, have mercy on your body!"

"If you are truly insistent there are Saints attacking the city, we old folks can assist you in defending it. But regarding Commander Zhan’s matter, we implore you to think thrice before acting!"

"....."

Listening to the deep entreaties from the other side, Xu Yuan let out a faint sigh.

Tian Ye’s voice drifted in quietly, carrying a trace of mocking amusement: "Judging by your expression, it seems you’re not at all surprised by these people’s reactions."

Xu Yuan snorted softly:

"Human nature has always been like this. What’s there to be surprised about?"

Tian Ye leaned against the gray stone-brick wall alongside Xu Yuan, arms still crossed, lightly tapping her index finger:

"Your predictions about this woman were spot on, I must say."

Xu Yuan shook his head and replied:

"Li Junwu’s overall direction isn’t wrong; it’s just her execution that has gone awry."

"What do you mean?"

"She shouldn’t have chosen to prove herself."

"Oh?" Tian Ye’s interest was piqued.

Xu Yuan chuckled softly and said:

"These subordinates come demanding answers with their positions already set. No matter how much you say or how irrefutable your evidence is, they can always use their own stance as the excuse to discredit your actions."

Tian Ye’s golden eyes flickered as she smiled and asked:

"Then what do you think she should’ve done instead?"

Xu Yuan let out a sly laugh:

"Instead of proving one’s innocence, it’s better to defame others. Per the Zhenxi Army’s hierarchy, the Commander and the subordinate generals are tightly interlinked. Whoever dares to speak out would immediately be accused of having colluded with Zhan Xian’an and the Qin Family."

"..... Truly, you never disappoint."

Tian Ye paused briefly, then laughed even more delightedly: "Still, these generals sure dare to openly defy their superior."

Xu Yuan’s expression carried a hint of peculiarity, but reflecting on Tian Ye’s experiences, he just shook his head lightly:

"Given your background, you wouldn’t understand. After all, you were probably raised to be the Jiantian Pavilion Master from the moment you were born."

"And what of it?" Tian Ye tilted her head slightly.

"Authority."

Xu Yuan sighed faintly once more:

"It’s something intangible, but when you aim to overstep limits, it’s what allows those around you to accept your actions. Li Junwu underestimated Zhan Xian’an’s importance in the eyes of these generals and overestimated her standing within Zhenxi Prefecture."

The Commandery Princess may hold the legitimate claim of Zhenxi Prefecture by name, but she has long been removed from the Western Frontier. To these old soldiers, on one side is a comrade-in-arms they’ve shared life and death with for over a decade, and on the other is a flower that has spent most of its life in a greenhouse.

Imagine if this were the Prime Minister’s Mansion,

What Li Junwu is doing now is akin to Xu Yuan himself first executing someone like Commander Zong Qingsheng or Lou Ji of the Black Scale Army without prior notice, then turning around to declare them traitors.

Authority is indeed crucial.

Be it Shengshan County, the Northern Frontier, or the Western Frontier now, the reason his father entrusted Xu Yuan with overseeing major affairs was to allow him to quickly accumulate a substantial amount of authority, thereby compelling the high-ranking officials of the Prime Minister’s Mansion to submit.

But the authority Li Junwu commands is insufficient to justify her act of killing Zhan Xian’an.

The reaction from those below was, naturally, predictable.

"...."

What Xu Yuan spoke of hadn’t crossed Tian Ye’s mind due to her inherent way of thinking. After savoring his words for a moment, she glanced toward the direction of the courtyard and chuckled lightly as she asked:

"So now, what do you think should be done? At this rate, these generals might very well rebel."

Xu Yuan pondered briefly, then said in a measured tone:

"Let’s wait a bit longer and see how Li Junwu plans to handle it. Perhaps she has her own considerations."

Tian Ye seemed slightly surprised and responded:

"I thought you’d step in immediately to smooth things over."

Saying so, she grinned slyly and poked Xu Yuan’s side with her finger:

"You keep saying you don’t trust her, but in the end, you still have to rely on her."

Xu Yuan swatted her hand away, his expression calm as he replied:

"If everything requires me to step in, how can Li Junwu ever be capable of bearing Zhenxi Prefecture’s responsibilities in the future? Besides, my solution might not even be the best one."

"So what’s your solution?"

"Kill, purge. Drastic measures for chaotic times. Especially in moments of life and death like this, we hold absolute violence within Zhenxi Prefecture City. Anyone who doesn’t obey, kill them all—kill until they no longer dare to make a sound."

"...." Tian Ye.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing. Just thinking, Xu Yuan—seems like you’ve really changed a lot."

"Oh? You act as if you know me so well."

"Of course I do."

Tian Ye snorted lightly: "In the Illusionary Realm of the Charming God, I watched every little thing that happened to you after you escaped from the Qionghua Sect. Very closely."

"Those were Jiatiange’s projections, weren’t they?"

"Mmhmm."

"..... You’ve got far too much free time."

"I’ll do as I please~"

"..."

"Clang!"

As the two bantered, a piercing sound of a blade being drawn rang out from the front courtyard, immediately drawing the attention of both Xu Yuan and Tian Ye.

With the sound, the clamor among the generals in the courtyard suddenly came to a halt.

Li Junwu had drawn her waist knife, its blade reflecting a chilling light under the distorted sunlight.