The imperial decree arrived promptly. In consideration of the merits of Qin Hu’s ancestors, his death sentence was commuted, though he could not escape punishment entirely. He was exiled to Youzhou to serve in the military, allowed to retain his title while his future conduct was monitored.
However, upon arriving in Youzhou, he was immediately assigned to the front lines—as a servant to the Vanguard Battalion.
As these events flickered through Qin Hu’s mind, he realized clearly that this was a trap. Duke Chen had long wanted to annul the betrothal. The marriage between the Qin and Chen families was a political alliance intended to bolster both houses. But the Qin Hu they knew was a pampered wastrel who was good for almost nothing, a man who had effectively disgraced the Champion Marquis Estate. Everyone knew that generations of Champion Marquises had been heroic figures with unparalleled influence in the military; it was only in this generation that a useless parasite who had never even set foot on a battlefield had emerged.
Chapter 451