Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 1035 - 645: Dependence

Chapter 1035: Chapter 645: Dependence

Under absolute violence, the truth of the matter was no longer important. Lu Bozou’s three accusations in his palace coup attempt were quickly decided upon by the leadership of the Second Town.

The information about the Saint’s attack on the city originated from the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

The White Wolf Demon was not the Qilin Wolf, but a War Ancient Beast procured by the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

The woman inside the city who carried the aura of a Tatar Chao cultivation technique was not the Great Desert Goddess, but a concubine brought by the Prime Minister’s legitimate son.

The soldiers below the hierarchy were caught off guard by this sudden shift in public opinion, but their objections were swiftly suppressed by the organized efforts of the mid- and lower-level military officers.

No further doubts were voiced, including from Lu Bozou himself.

This palace drama ended abruptly.

The military formation on the drill ground was disbanded. Mid-tier officers took their troops in batches out of the barracks and moved toward the city walls for battle readiness.

The high-ranking generals who had previously hesitated to act greeted Xu Yuan briefly before leaving with their old troops.

They understood that now the dust had settled, it was time for reckoning.

Even though Lu Bozou remained the commander of the Xuanting Army, and his coup attempt had failed, his decades of camaraderie with his peers still granted him a shred of dignity.

In less than two quarter-hours, the Xuanting Barracks returned to silence. The drill ground was now left with only Xu Yuan, Li Junwu, General Jin, and the now-deposed Lu Bozou.

Unlike the Zhenxi Prefecture generals who had bid farewell to Xu Yuan earlier, the elderly General Jin sheathed his blade and approached Li Junwu, then abruptly went down to one knee:

"Commandery Princess, this old servant was powerless, allowing this rogue Lu to act so offensively."

"......"

The deep voice echoed across the vast drill ground, dissipating only after some time. It was as though Li Junwu had just awakened from a dream.

She stared at General Jin for a moment, before glancing at Xu Yuan, her slender and captivating eyes holding a trace of inquiry.

She was asking him whether the elderly man before her could be trusted.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan walked over slowly, attempting to help the old man up, but found he could not move him.

The armored elder knelt like an immovable boulder, his gaze toward Xu Yuan carrying both gratitude and guardedness.

Xu Yuan raised a hand to rub his head, laughing:

"I suppose I’ve overstepped my bounds."

The behavior of the Zhenxi Prefecture generals earlier had caused him to momentarily forget his identity as an outsider.

As he spoke, Xu Yuan awkwardly stepped aside and gestured toward Li Junwu, who remained standing motionless in place.

Li Junwu softly uttered an "Oh," and bent down to extend her hand, attempting to help General Jin up:

"General Jin, please rise first. This matter is not your fault."

"....."

Picking up on the subtle interaction between the two, General Jin’s expression became conflicted as he rose to his feet, hesitantly speaking:

"Commandery Princess, will you not bear past grievances and entrust your faith in this old servant?"

Hearing this, Li Junwu instinctively glanced at Xu Yuan, who was casually fiddling with the human skin mask in his hand.

Xu Yuan chose his words with slight deliberation, then smiled and said:

"General Jin, you’re joking. The palace coup drama just enacted was a collective decision made by all the generals of the Second Town. You were caught in it without much choice. Be it saving Jun Wu earlier or your cooperation with me just now, you’ve already shown your loyalty to the Marquis of Zhenxi."

"Third Young Master."

Unmoved by Xu Yuan’s reassurance, General Jin replied in a firm tone:

"The question I asked pertains to the Commandery Princess."

"....."

When his words fell, the air suddenly turned quiet.

Recalling the reactions earlier from the woman beside him, Xu Yuan immediately understood the elderly man’s implied concern.

Li Junwu frowned slightly at those words and spoke in a low voice: "General Jin, Changtian has been a close childhood friend of mine. He came specifically to offer advice for this matter."

General Jin took a deep breath, his aged voice laced with weariness:

"May I ask, Commandery Princess, the Third Young Master can advise you for now, but can he advise you forever?"

"......"

Rendered speechless for a moment, Li Junwu blinked as she glanced at Xu Yuan by her side.

Seeing this familiar reaction from his dear friend, Xu Yuan rolled his eyes in irritation and turned his head away, choosing not to engage further.

General Jin observed Xu Yuan’s reaction and let out a small sigh of relief inwardly.

Thankfully, it seemed that this Changtian was not trying to manipulate the Commandery Princess.

Although Zhenxi Prefecture was riddled with visible rot, whether it be the sects or the newly entered Prime Minister’s Mansion, as long as the Marquis remained in power, all could still be salvaged. But if the Commandery Princess, as the heir, had any issues, Zhenxi Prefecture’s very roots would be utterly doomed.

There was a silence atop the Xuanwu Platform.

Li Junwu realized her subconscious dependence on Xu Yuan.

Amidst the awkward atmosphere, General Jin did not say more, instead bowing respectfully and taking his leave.

Yet before retreating,

He saw a trace of powerless desolation reflected in the Commandery Princess’s eyes....

...

...

...

The moment Lu Bozou staged his coup, Li Junwu’s heart had already been thrown into disarray.

She didn’t know how to manage the situation below.

She didn’t know how to contend with the deliberately stirred public sentiment.

She didn’t know how to clear her name of the accusations against her.

She was at a loss.

Yet she forced herself to remain composed.

She tried to imagine herself as that Princess Li Qingyan, imagining how Li Qingyan would act in such circumstances, but her blank mind left her thought process at a standstill.

In that moment, she regretted the foolish actions she had committed in the past. If she hadn’t acted so recklessly, perhaps she wouldn’t be facing such attacks now. But there was no medicine for regret; everything was already beyond her control.

The crushing pressure engulfed her like an unstoppable tidal wave.

And amid this overwhelming helplessness—

She thought of him.

So,

She let go.

She believed that he would come up with a solution, believed that he would definitely be able to help her turn the tide.

And reality proved her speculation correct.

When she was forced to activate the formation publicly in desperation, his figure, just as she had hoped, arrived in the barracks.

In that moment, Li Junwu felt the weight of pressure on her shoulders dissipate as though a dam had burst, replaced by a deep sense of relief and exhaustion.

She, who should have been the protagonist of this palace coup drama, became its backdrop. Ever since Xu Yuan’s arrival, everyone’s attention had naturally converged on him.

She had watched him kill a Confucian Scholar atop that towering platform. She had watched him confidently arrive before the military formation alongside the Qilin Wolf. She had watched him brazenly depose the troublesome Lu Bozou before everyone’s eyes.

Everything was handled flawlessly by him, and the entirety of Zhenxi Prefecture City transitioned smoothly into battle preparation.

The pests who had once opposed her swiftly changed sides, now aligning themselves once again in support.

Realizing this, Li Junwu snapped out of her daze, her slender brows carrying a touch of self-mocking melancholy.

She glanced at his slightly awkward demeanor and, with a cold tone, said:

"I’m heading back to the government office, and also... I... I will change."