The Enemy General is a Bondservant

A fallen general

After a great war, what was previously the country of Yao was now subjugated to the country of Nanchu.

[Nighttime, the red light district in the Capital]

The most famous brothel house in the Capital, Yixiang Court, was conducting a particularly special auction tonight; the subject of the auction was very famous.

“Thank you, everyone, for your patience. I, Yulan, do apologise for the wait.”

The boss of Yixiang Court, Shen Yulan, appeared on the second floor of the brothel house. His voice was gentle, like the tinkling of a small bell in the faint summer breeze. He wore a plain, long robe in pure white. There was something indescribably tender and charming about him.

Everyone was stunned into silence the moment he appeared.

“Tonight’s auction will begin very shortly. Your patience is greatly appreciated,” Shen Yulan said evenly. He raised his hands and clapped softly twice.

Behind him, two burly men with shoulders like tigers and waists like bears dragged a man out.

That man wasn’t short; he was in fact a whole head taller than Shen Yulan. He had broad shoulders that tapered beautifully into a narrow waist, forming a perfect triangle, and he was clad in a flame-red long robe that was both modest and enticing at the same time.

Zhan Tianbai had refused to raise his head up since he was brought out by those two burly men. He didn’t want to look at the vomit-inducing, leering smiles of the Nanchu men who had caused him to lose his home, his country, and his family. He also didn’t want to let these men see his face.

Clang!

The sound of heavy chains clanking together mixed with the laughter of the gathered guests at the auction.

Zhan Tianbai was chained up. His two hands were fastened securely with great chains to two beautifully carved pillars of white jade.

Shen Yulan now walked down the stairs and stood next to Zhan Tianbai.

“I hereby declare tonight’s auction open! Allow me to first introduce the star attraction, the subject of this current auction…” Shen Yulan said, raising his chin in Zhan Tianbai’s direction.

“And he is… the invincible, infamous Great General of Yao Country, who recently was felled by us Nanchu! The “Red Flame General”, Zhan Tianbai!”

Zhan Tianbai’s hands, which were still firmly chained up, balled up into tight fists, so tight that the veins stood out one by one on the back of his hands. Zhan Tianbai wished with all his might that he could just faint from the fury building in his body, so as not to hear these humiliating “titles” heaped on him.

He shut his eyes tightly, his eyebrows knitting together. In his mind’s eye, he replayed each deadly scene of the war that had just ended, trying to distract himself from the shame and anger that lashed his heart and soul.

However, the real show was just about to begin.

Zhan Tianbai heard the good-for-nothing wealthy young men of his enemy Nanchu start critiquing his appearance.

“Hey, hey, look at this! This Great General has a little tear mole just below his left eye!”

“His face really fits better on a woman, doesn’t it?”

“How did someone like him get to be the Great General of Yao Country?”

“Hahaha! It’s precisely because Yao Country had a General like him that their entire country was exterminated!”

Zhan Tianbai clenched his teeth tightly together. All the small hairs on his body were standing straight now, and his brain was roiling with anger.

A man wearing a gold guan1inlaid with white jade was moving closer and closer to Zhan Tianbai when a voice suddenly roared, “GET LOST!”

Zhan Tianbai’s eyes were blazing with extreme fury.

The wanton noblemen of Nanchu who had been making snide remarks about Zhan Tianbai were immediately rendered speechless, like a bunch of wooden chickens.

However, they came to very quickly. Zhan Tianbai was no longer a Great General of Yao Country. He might have the beautiful face of a woman, but he was courageous, strong and principled – all the makings of a fine general.

Unfortunately, however…

“Huh! He’s throwing his weight around as if he’s still some mighty general!”

“Have you forgotten your place? Or did your brains get addled while fighting battles? My dear Red Flame General, you’re nothing but the lowly newest gigolo of Yixiang Court!”

“A defeated general should act like a defeated general!”

Mocking laughter filled the room. To Zhan Tianbai, that laughter felt like a giant axe cutting into his skull.

Zhan Tianbai had put up a great show of resistance earlier, but this somehow seemed to sap him of all energy. His beautiful dark eyes slowly became empty, and his whole body went limp.

“Announcing the arrival of Li Wangye2!”

A servant’s bright, clear voice suddenly sounded from Yixiang Court’s main entrance. The hands that were reaching out greedily toward Zhan Tianbai suddenly stopped and retracted. A moment later, everyone at the auction fell to their knees and kowtowed.

Zhan Tianbai was deathly pale now, but he raised his eyes slowly to look at the newcomer, and as he did so, the outline of this newcomer’s person imprinted upon Zhan Tianbai’s empty black irises.