Qin Hu felt as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt; he could hardly believe his own ears.
The imperial decree arrived swiftly. In recognition of his ancestors' meritorious service, his death sentence was commuted, though he could not escape punishment entirely. He was to be exiled to Youzhou to serve in the vanguard, his title preserved only to observe his future conduct. However, upon arriving in Youzhou, he was immediately assigned to the front lines—placed under the command of the vanguard tent.
As these events flashed through his mind, Qin Hu realized it was almost certainly a setup. The Duke of Chen had long wanted to annul the marriage. The union between the Qin and Chen families was purely political, both sides seeking to expand their influence. Yet, the Qin Hu they had known was little more than a dissolute wastrel, a man who had brought nothing but shame to the House of the Champion Marquis. Throughout history, the holders of that title had been heroic figures with unparalleled influence in the military, yet this generation had produced a spineless coward who had never even stepped onto a battlefield. While the old Marquis was alive, the Duke of Chen had maintained a veneer of respect, but once the old man died, the Duke turned ruthless, even staging an annulment ceremony in the very funeral hall where the old Marquis lay.
Chapter 1139