The General Is No Longer Up to the Task

Chun Mu Zhao

After a long absence from the capital, General Qi Yan returned in triumph after a major victory. At twenty-three, he had barely arrived before his elder brother started pressuring him to meet the young lady of a marquis’s household.

The young lady had been raised in a grand, secluded household. She was a refined young woman, poised and gentle.

Qi Yan was used to living freely out in the world. Like a wild horse that had broken loose, he refused to be led into a stable. Even after he’d been beaten until there wasn’t a single patch of unbruised flesh on him, he still wouldn’t give in. “Either cancel the engagement, or beat me to death!”

Madam Qi’s heart ached for her son, so she sent someone to deliver a message that very night. Somehow, the messenger misunderstood.

“He got a little hurt” became “He’s no longer up to the task...”

No longer up to the task...

When Wan Yu heard, her eyes trembled. She couldn’t help sighing, feeling sorry for the general she had never met.

And so the meeting was called off.

For some reason, the news that Qi Yan was “no longer up to the task” spread like wildfire. When Qi Yan found out, he was furious for a moment, but then he thought it was rather convenient. It gave him a perfectly reasonable excuse to turn down the match arranged by his family, so he never corrected the rumor.

But who could have known that when Qi Yan really met Wan Yu, he would fall for her at first sight? Behind her gauzy curtains, Wan Yu was like a bright moon. The fragility in every frown and smile made Qi Yan’s heart melt. But he wasn’t the one meeting her this time. It was the newly risen top scholar of the imperial examinations.

When the young woman noticed him, there seemed to be a hint of pity in her eyes...

For the first time, Qi Yan learned that regret could keep you awake all night.

In the middle of the night, he kicked in the door to the main house, fell to his knees, and declared that he would marry no one but her.

The next day, he sent a letter to the marquis’s household. Before Wan Yu could even see it, her brother, who knew the “inside story,” sent it back, not forgetting to tactfully imply that Qi Yan had a hidden affliction and should not lead anyone on...

Qi Yan stared blankly at the letter in his hand, bitterness on his tongue. He had learned all too well what it meant to shoot himself in the foot.

But this was private. He couldn’t exactly explain it in front of the young lady...

Extra scene

Wan Yu went to a temple to pray. She had only paused for a rest beneath the tree of fate when she heard two people talking behind it.

A young man asked, “How is my condition?”

Someone replied, “The young general is strong and robust, with a powerful physique. He has no ‘hidden affliction’ whatsoever!”

The young man asked again, “So you mean I’m in excellent shape!”

The other person replied, “Exactly. Better than anyone!”

Beneath the tree of fate, Wan Yu frowned tightly. In the end, she could no longer keep quiet and gently spoke up. “General, I’ve heard this eight times already this month. Rest assured, I’ll keep that matter a secret. You don’t have to...”

Then she fled as if her life depended on it.

Qi Yan: “...”

What should he do? It seemed like the more he explained, the worse it got...

One-on-one pairing

Blurb saved on 22.9.23

Theme: There are always two sides to everything. Look on the bright side