The Foolish General's Mute Spouse - Chapter 1

01: The Imperial Marriage Decree

March 15th, an auspicious day for weddings.

Chang’an Street was as bustling as ever. A wedding procession carried a soft sedan chair, moving hurriedly and quietly along the road. It didn’t look like a wedding procession at all—its scale was even less impressive than that of an ordinary noble’s outing.

“Which family’s daughter is getting married? Why isn’t the groom here to fetch the bride?” an old man asked, puzzled.

“Tsk! What daughter? It’s that one from the palace… the Seventh Prince…”

“The one whose difficult birth killed his mother? Wasn’t it said that the Emperor strangled him to death back then? I’ve never even heard of him.”

“Well, even a tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs! He’s tough, that one. Somehow, the Emperor remembered him this time and betrothed him to General Qi, who just returned to the capital.”

“Huh? Isn’t he a mute? And General Qi is also a man…”

“Hmph! General Qi… what a perfect match!” The man shook his head and blinked, his tone full of disdain.

The old man clicked his tongue a few times, his face filled with disgust, and muttered a few more curses under his breath—words like “useless mute,” “cursed loner,” and “utterly disgraceful.”

“Ugh! These people have too much time on their hands! Let me go slap their mouths shut!” The maid, Xiao Zhu, was furious upon hearing the gossip.

Fu Yu’an stopped her with a gesture, a mocking smile curling at the corners of his lips. He lowered his eyelids and touched the bracelet on his wrist, murmuring, “Mother, you’ll protect me, won’t you…”

He kissed the bracelet, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his gaze was cold and distant.

His throat itched, and he coughed softly. Xiao Zhu immediately grew alert and leaned closer to the sedan chair. “Your Highness? Are you alright? Are you running a fever again?”

Fu Yu’an rubbed his heavy head and waved his hand dismissively.

He had merely offended the Crown Prince and was beaten severely, resulting in a high fever that left him unconscious for several days. He had just woken up yesterday when he received the imperial decree betrothing him.

But the person he was to marry wasn’t some noblewoman—it wasn’t even a woman. It was the recently returned General of the Cavalry: Qi Ren.

The outside was eerily quiet, and his heart was filled with unease.

Why would Qi Ren agree to this? I’m known to be a mute, the most despised prince. Why would he agree to marry me? Fu Yu’an couldn’t make sense of it.

The sedan chair stopped at the entrance of the general’s residence. The escort team, having delivered him, turned back, and the musicians stopped playing. Yet, there was no movement from outside.

Fu Yu’an was puzzled and was about to step out when Xiao Zhu’s voice came from outside: “What are you doing? Why are you blocking us from entering through the main gate?”

“Oh! This must be the prince’s maid! Such a pretty little thing! Come here, let me have a feel!”

A lecherous male voice rang out, and Fu Yu’an knew things were about to go wrong. He quickly stepped out of the sedan chair.

Not yet twenty, Fu Yu’an had a strikingly beautiful face, but after his recent illness, he was deathly pale. His frail body was draped in a large red wedding robe, looking as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

The servants blocking the way were momentarily stunned but quickly regained their composure. The leader of the group thumped his staff on the ground and said with a smile, “Don’t make things difficult for us servants. This… this is the master’s order. We dare not disobey!”

Xiao Zhu spat at him, her eyes filled with resentment. “This is an imperial marriage decree! What’s there to hide? The side gate? How dare you, a mere gatekeeper, speak to His Highness like this?!”

Fu Yu’an was gentle by nature, but Xiao Zhu was not. Her sharp words immediately provoked the gatekeeper, who sneered, “Oh, miss, don’t try to scare me with the Emperor. Everyone knows how little the Emperor cares for the Seventh Prince. Even if something were to happen today and the wedding were delayed, the Emperor wouldn’t bother to intervene!”

Xiao Zhu trembled with anger, unable to speak.

The gatekeeper wasn’t wrong. Back then, the Emperor had been deeply devoted to Fu Yu’an’s mother, but when she died in childbirth, the Emperor was furious and had wanted to strangle Fu Yu’an, the “ill omen” It was only thanks to Consort Jue’s intervention that he survived to this day.

“Besides, since the Seventh Prince has been betrothed to our household, I’ll give you a piece of advice so you don’t get into trouble later!” The servant patted his sleeves and laughed arrogantly. “The one in charge here is the First Madam. After all, she’s not your groom’s birth mother. You’d better figure out who’s close and who’s distant!”

Fu Yu’an felt a tightness in his chest. His nails dug into his palms, but he no longer felt the pain.

The palace was a place that devoured people. There, he was treated worse than the lowest-ranking maid. He had thought that leaving the palace would improve his situation, but now… it seemed he had merely jumped from one abyss into another.

People who curried favor with the powerful were everywhere.

Suppressing the nausea in his heart, Fu Yu’an walked to the foot of the steps and looked up at the servant.

Qi Ren was renowned, yet he hadn’t come to fetch the bride. Whatever the reason, Fu Yu’an couldn’t afford to cause trouble now.

He took out some loose silver from his sleeve and handed it to the servant, clasping his hands in a pleading gesture. The bracelet on his wrist shimmered in the sunlight, catching the servant’s eye.

Fu Yu’an was a “mute” and couldn’t speak, so he could only communicate through gestures.

The servant weighed the silver in his hand and glanced at Fu Yu’an’s wrist, sneering. “This won’t do! You’re of noble status. How can you only bring this much…”

Fu Yu’an shook his head and bowed to him again.

“Hey, that bracelet looks nice! How about…” The servant’s greedy eyes lit up, and without waiting for a response, he grabbed Fu Yu’an’s wrist.

The bracelet was of excellent quality and looked valuable. This would be enough to pay off his gambling debts!

Fu Yu’an hadn’t expected the servant to be so insatiable. He tried to pull his hand back, but the servant was too strong. In an instant, Fu Yu’an was overpowered.

Xiao Zhu was horrified and rushed forward to push the two apart.

That bracelet was the only memento Fu Yu’an had of his mother. She couldn’t let this vile servant take it!

The three of them struggled, and in the end, the bracelet was snatched away.

Fu Yu’an felt a suffocating pain in his chest. His eyes turned red, and without thinking, he lunged at the servant.

The bracelet fell to the ground, shattering into pieces with a clinking sound.

“You cursed mute! No wonder you’re being married off to a fool. You two are a perfect match!” The servant, furious that his prize had slipped away, lashed out with vicious words.

Fu Yu’an, already struggling to breathe, began coughing violently, as if he might collapse at any moment.

“This… this is your own fault! Don’t blame me… Don’t you dare die at the entrance of the general’s residence!”

Xiao Zhu, tears streaming down her face, tried to help him catch his breath, but it seemed futile. Fu Yu’an’s entire body was trembling, yet he didn’t shed a single tear.

The servant continued to mutter excuses, but Fu Yu’an couldn’t bear to listen. He knelt on the ground, his hands shaking as he picked up the shattered pieces of the bracelet, cutting his fingers in the process.

Xiao Zhu, sobbing, knelt beside him and helped gather the fragments.

The pieces were scattered everywhere. Fu Yu’an’s hands were bloody, but he seemed numb to the pain.

He clutched the fragments in his hand, bl00d dripping onto his wedding robe, staining it with deep red spots.

Is this what my life has come to? Bullied and humiliated in the cold palace, and now, even after leaving, a lowly servant dares to treat me like this. I’m unwilling, but what choice do I have?

Suddenly, a force pulled him up from the ground.

His body collided with a warm chest. Fu Yu’an’s heart stirred, and he turned to look, tears nearly spilling from his eyes.

“Are you alright? It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have gone to catch that bird.”

Qi Ren stood there, his imposing figure radiating guilt as he looked at Fu Yu’an.

Fu Yu’an sniffled, holding back his tears, feeling both touched and confused.

Why does his expression seem so… off?