After the conclusion of the Ise battle, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were granted a half-month leave.0

That was because the pair had used the Twin-Sword Union three times in succession, an immense burden that caused them to suffer backlash. They needed time to recover, and no one could dispute this. There was a less public reason that they were put on leave. During Li Changge and Yao Pei’s absence, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had achieved too many merits and had upset the balance among the four. Naturally, things had to be evened out, or at the very least, the gap had to be narrowed so that the other two would not fall too far behind.0

In short, this was a reasonable form of discreet sidelining. No one could diminish or take away their achievements, but this would deny them further opportunities to earn merit.0

At this stage, with the overall situation settled and manpower plentiful, such an arrangement became all the more feasible.0

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu harbored no real resentment because they genuinely wanted some rest.0

Since entering...0