The next morning, Shen Han rode to the Shen estate before the sun had even risen. When he reached the gates, the servants rushed to bow as he dismounted.
He did not wait to be announced.
The guards recognized him instantly and stepped aside as he strode into the inner courtyard.
Inside the study, Great General Shen was already awake. He sat behind his desk in full armor, although there was no war to fight, reading military documents. He glanced up, startled by the force with which his son entered.
"Father," Shen Han said, his voice as sharp as drawn steel. "I need to speak with you."
He slammed a folded paper onto the desk. "Explain this."
The general raised a brow. He unfolded the letter, and his eyes dimmed as he saw what lay inside.
"Where did you get this?" he asked. Panic seeped into his tone despite his attempt to control it.
"Does it matter?"
"What is there to explain? It is exactly what you think." He put the paper down, sounding so casual.
Shen Han froze. "So it is true."
"Yes," the general said simply. "It is true."
For a moment, Shen Han could not breathe. "You betrayed the Empire."
"I did what was necessary for Hua," his father replied.
"By writing to Tughril's Chancellor? By making promises behind the Emperor's back?"
"The Emperor is a coward who would rather kneel than bleed," the general said, leaning forward.
"Father."
"Listen, Han." His voice cracked like a whip. "Do you remember the war three years ago? How many men did we lose? How many brothers did we bury in the snow because the Emperor ordered us to retreat?"
Shen Han's fists tightened. "It was a ceasefire."
"It was shame!" his father roared. "We were winning, and he gave away two cities to buy peace. Two! Do you know what that did to Hua's pride? To our soldiers' morale?"
He stood, imposing and towering, every inch a commander who once led ten thousand warriors.
"I begged him for reinforcements. He refused. I begged him to let us fight. He surrendered our border instead."
His voice trembled, not from fear but from fury.
"After the battle, the Chancellor of Tughril said to me, 'Your Emperor fights like a child asking mercy from his mother.' That humiliation," he struck his chest with his fist, "I will never forget."
Shen Han's voice cracked. "So you sold your honor to reclaim your pride?"
General Shen's gaze sharpened. "I did it to reclaim Hua's dignity."
"By joining hands with the enemy?"
"The Chancellor despises his own Khan," the general said. "He wants to overthrow him. He promised to return the lands stolen from Hua if I support him. Imagine it, Han'er. Our border restored, our shame erased, and Hua rising as a power again."
Shen Han stared at him, horrified. "And you think treachery will save us?"
"Not treachery," his father corrected. "Strategy. We strike silently until the right moment. When the Khan falls, the balance shifts. Hua gains leverage. Then…"
"Then what?" Shen Han interrupted bitterly. "We become just like them?"
The general sighed. "You are seeing it in the wrong way. We are doing this for Hua, for our land."
Shen Han's expression darkened. "And now what? Princess Lian Yue discovered everything, and she is using it to threaten me. Are you truly fine with that?"
The general walked around the desk and placed a heavy hand on his son's shoulder.
"You are now the Crown Princess's husband. Do you understand what that position means?"
Shen Han drew in a sharp breath. "It means I am bound to her."
"It means," his father said firmly, "you stand one step from the throne. When the Emperor dies, she will become Empress. You, as her consort, will hold the Empire in your hands."
Shen Han stiffened. "When the Emperor… dies?"A subtle chill crawled up his spine. "Father, you speak as if his death is expected. Or planned."
The general did not blink. "He is old, weak, and terrified of his own shadow. Weak rulers do not last long. Court politics will take care of what needs to be taken care of."
"Politics?" Shen Han whispered. "Or your hand?"
"The future of Hua cannot remain tied to a coward. Whether by illness, by misfortune, or by the weight of his own failures… his reign will end soon. And when it does, you must be ready."
Shen Han's pulse throbbed painfully at his temples.
"I do not want this," he said through clenched teeth.
"Then you are a fool."
The general slammed his hand on the desk. The sound cracked through the room.
"You think you can spend your life clinging to memories of Princess Lian Zhi? She is gone. Married off to Tughril like a bargaining chip. This is what the cowardly emperor does. You lost her because of him!"
Shen Han's heart twisted painfully. He would not admit it aloud, but there was truth in his father's words.
"Now you have a chance to gain real power," the general said, his voice steady and convincing.
"Power will not bring her back," Shen Han replied quietly.
"It is the only thing that can bring her back," his father said. "When Hua no longer bows to anyone, you can reclaim her. Make her a second wife if you must. I will even remove Lian Yue for you once the throne is secure."
Shen Han snapped his head up. "Remove?"
His father didn't flinch. "If she becomes a liability, yes. She is useful now. Later, she won't be."
The room fell into a heavy silence.
At last, Shen Han spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "You have thought of everything."
"You are my son. You were born to command, not to serve. Stop letting love chain you." He tightened his grip on Shen Han's shoulder.
Shen Han stared at the hand, feeling duty and revulsion twist inside him.
"If I follow this plan, if I stay by her side and act the devoted husband, what happens if the Chancellor fails? What if Tughril collapses first?"
"Then we adapt," the general said. "We are soldiers. We always adapt."
"And if I refuse?"
His father's eyes turned cold as winter steel. "Then you betray your bloodline."
The words carved into him like a blade.