"Since the Duke of Pei was sent here by my uncle, you must be a person of talent. Might I ask if you know what my next move will be?"
Roy leaned back leisurely. Upon discovering that the future High Emperor was actually a woman, he had abandoned his original plans and decided to approach the Chu-Han contention differently.
"General, you must be planning to attack Xiangcheng."
This hardly required any guesswork. Roy's army was stationed in a city adjacent to Xiangcheng, where Qin forces were heavily garrisoned—naturally, he had his sights set on it.
"Since the Duke of Pei knows my objective, and you've come to pledge allegiance, you ought to demonstrate your sincerity. How many troops have you brought with you?"
Upon hearing Roy's words, Liu Ji exchanged a glance with Xiao He and forced a bitter smile. "...In Pei County, I fought repeatedly against the Qin forces under Zhang Han, suffering defeat after defeat. Now, I have only a little over two thousand soldiers left. Though few in number, they are battle-hardened veterans who can surely assist the General in overcoming difficulties."
As she spoke, Liu Ji's expression darkened with reluctance. She feared Roy would deploy her two thousand soldiers as vanguard troops to clash with the Qin army, which would inevitably result in heavy casualties. If that happened, she would truly be left with no forces, and her loyal soldiers would meet tragic ends on the battlefield.
Yet Liu Ji dared not protest. She had come here seeking protection and had already inadvertently offended Roy. She knew that whatever orders Roy gave, she had no choice but to obey.
As the saying goes, "Where there is life, there is hope." Only by preserving her own life could she secure a future. If sacrificing those two thousand soldiers meant survival, then she could endure it.
'When the time comes, I'll find an opportunity to slip away quietly. There will always be a chance to rise again.'
At this point, Liu Ji had already begun thinking about how to flee. After all, she had run countless times since the uprising, and escaping was second nature to her.
Roy watched as Liu Ji, despite her heartache, resolutely chose to abandon her soldiers to save her own life. He sighed inwardly—even with a change in gender, the High Emperor remained the High Emperor, ruthless enough in her decisions.
He could even see that Liu Ji was already considering how to slip away from him. An ordinary person would have chosen to relinquish military power and live as a wealthy commoner, but this Pei Duke was thinking about how to start over from scratch, to rise again from nothing. Just this ambition and willpower alone far surpassed that of an average person.
"Since the Pei Duke only has two thousand soldiers left, and the siege is imminent, I will give you ten thousand soldiers under your command to join me in capturing Xiangcheng."
Roy's words stunned Liu Ji. She had expected him to send her troops to their deaths to vent his earlier anger. Instead, he not only spared them but entrusted her with an army of ten thousand. To be given such responsibility upon their first meeting—even Liu Ji was taken aback.
"This... I have done no meritorious deed to deserve such a reward. I fear I may disappoint the general's kindness."
Liu Ji feigned modesty, though inwardly she was delighted. In these turbulent times, having soldiers under one's command was the only way to feel secure. Wasn't it precisely because she had lost her troops and felt the threat of the Qin army that she had sought refuge with the Xiang clan?
"Haha, Pei Duke, don't be modest. If I dare to entrust you with troops, it's because I believe in you—that you won't let me down."
Roy laughed heartily as he strode to Liu Ji's side and clapped her shoulder with force.
Liu Ji grimaced, feeling as though her shoulder blade might shatter, but she forced herself to endure the pain, offering a smile uglier than tears as she expressed tearful gratitude for Roy's trust.
Truly bold and domineering, enough to win hearts.
Liu Ji marveled inwardly. Just standing there, Roy had, in a few words, inspired such trust that one would willingly follow him. Even she felt the urge to serve him loyally.
She had never been ambitious—rebelling had been a desperate act of survival. If someone could truly offer her a safe harbor, she would gladly pledge her service.
"I dare not refuse your command!" Liu Ji clasped her hands in acknowledgment.
"Good. Then I appoint you as my deputy general. That way, you'll have a legitimate rank and won't face resistance from the soldiers."
Roy waved a hand, and soldiers entered to relay his orders.
Liu Ji and Xiao He exchanged glances, quietly astonished by Roy's decisiveness.
"I feel an instant connection with the Pei Duke. Why not stay and dine with me?"
Roy's sudden invitation left both Liu Ji and Xiao He momentarily speechless.
Liu Ji forced a bitter smile and bowed. "...If the general commands, I dare not refuse."
Roy had just appointed her deputy general and given her ten thousand soldiers. Now, with this request to stay for a meal, Liu Ji had no grounds to refuse. And once she remained, her life would no longer be in her own hands. If Roy changed his mind, he could easily find any excuse to kill her—and no outsider would question it, for she was now his subordinate.
Beside her, Xiao He also silently acknowledged Roy's shrewdness. With a helpless smile, he cupped his hands toward Liu Ji. "...Since the general wishes to keep the Pei Duke, we shall not intrude further."
Roy's earlier words had already carried the implication of dismissing them.
The group of people who had followed Liu Ji all left, leaving only Liu Ji, Roy, and Yu Ji in the room.
Liu Ji watched Roy standing there in silence, feeling as if she were sitting on pins and needles. She could only force a smile, unsure of what to do.
She was cowardly—she feared death. At this point, she had already begun wondering whether, if Roy truly intended to do something to her, she should drop to her knees, cling to his leg, and wail about having an eighty-year-old mother above and a starving child below to care for.
Just as Liu Ji was lost in her anxious thoughts, Roy suddenly took two steps forward and, before she could react, plucked the jade pendant from her waist.
"General, you—"
Liu Ji was utterly shocked. In that instant, her mind went completely blank. Though she had been cowardly and afraid earlier, her mind had still been working frantically to find a way to survive. But now that the pendant had been taken by Roy, she could no longer control her expression or emotions.
Without the pendant to conceal her, the hazy, indistinct effect vanished. The Liu Ji before them instantly transformed from a somewhat delicate and handsome young man into a stunningly beautiful woman.
Liu Ji took two steps back, her hand gripping the hilt of the Chixiao Sword, stammering, "...General, h-how did you find out?"
Her voice, too, was different now—soft and alluring, carrying the languid charm of a mature older sister.
"This thing must be a relic of the immortal path that the First Emperor found in Kunlun or Penglai."
Roy ignored her question, instead rubbing the jade pendant in his hand.
Compared to the Chixiao Sword in Liu Ji's possession, this pendant seemed rather ordinary—nothing particularly rare.
Liu Ji let out a bitter laugh. She realized that ever since meeting Roy, she had been doing nothing but laughing bitterly.
"General, your insight is truly sharp. When I was young, I once wandered deep into the mountains and stumbled upon an abandoned palace of the First Emperor. Both this sword in my hand and the pendant in yours were things I found there."
"...After I returned to Pei County with the sword and pendant, I lied and claimed I had encountered an immortal who bestowed the sword upon me. Since the people of Pei County all knew I was originally a girl but had suddenly turned into a boy, they believed my story. Even my parents, for the past twenty years, have treated me as a son, forgetting I was ever a woman."
At this point, Liu Ji had completely surrendered. Without the pendant, even if she went out now and claimed to be Liu Ji, no one would believe her. Moreover, even if her subordinates did believe her, as a woman, she would face countless difficulties in getting things done—her influence would be gone. In other words, Roy now had her by the throat, and she had no choice but to confess everything.
Though this era wasn't as oppressive toward women as the later Neo-Confucianist periods, where women had almost no freedom, it was still true that women held a low social status in these early days of feudalism.
"Then you used the story of encountering an immortal to earn the awe of the people in Pei County, secured yourself a minor official position, and spent your days idling about—occasionally... flirting with widows?"
This did indeed sound like Liu Ji's methods—exploiting the people's superstitions and reverence for the mystical to bolster her own authority, allowing her to easily secure a position or even incite rebellion.
"Exactly!"
At the mention of widows, Liu Ji's expression turned awkward, but she still shamelessly admitted it.
She cautiously glanced at Roy, then at the silent Yu Ji, licked her lips, and declared loudly, "...Since my identity has been exposed, I have no complaints no matter what the General does to me!"
"...I have some confidence in my appearance and am even willing to serve the General in bed. I only ask that you grant me one request."
Roy was taken aback, unsure where this self-proclaimed "Emperor Gao" was going with this, and casually replied, "...What is it?"
"I only wish that when I serve the General, this Lady Yu Ji could accompany us. The three of us could share in the pleasure together. Though I lack experience as a woman, I have experience in dealing with women. I am certain I could bring the General and Lady Yu Ji to the heights of ecstasy."
As she spoke, Liu Ji's face flushed red, yet there was an undercurrent of excitement—her covetousness toward Yu Ji and the shyness of a woman about to actively serve a man for the first time.
"You... want to use those widow-handling tricks of yours on Lady Yu Ji?"
Roy looked at the beautiful woman before him, whose expression had turned lecherous, his tone shifting oddly.
Liu Ji nodded eagerly.
She was quite confident in her beauty and figure. Though she might not compare to this Lady Yu Ji, she believed Roy, now in a position of power, wouldn't let her go. Even if she might lose her chastity, the thought of possibly getting a taste of Lady Yu Ji made it seem worth it.
Not only are you into 'girl-on-girl,' but you're also a 'seasoned veteran'! Straight for the high-difficulty threesome!!
Roy inwardly grumbled.
Meanwhile, Yu Ji stood frozen in shock.