A match?
Among the Xiongnu, no decision was ever reached through discussion—it was never a matter of whoever had the better argument speaking loudest!
Rather, it was whoever spoke loudest, whoever won in a fight, who held the power to decide!
Since this was a dispute between Minhan Mude’er and the Empress of Eastern Qin, then naturally, it was the two of them who would have to fight it out!
The moment he said this, Minhan Mude’er sprang to his feet at once, brimming with spirit, radiating dominance!
There wasn’t the faintest trace of shame at the idea of a man bullying a woman—to him it was simply natural, simply the way of things!
The Empress of Eastern Qin could hardly believe what her eyes were seeing and her ears were hearing. Just how far did this wild brat intend to take this? Did he even know where he was? Did he even know what moment this was?
And did he even know their respective standings?
Fight! Fight how?
At the mere mention of fighting, Minhan Mude’er seemed positively delighted, immediately rolling up his sleeves, utterly unconcerned with whether the other party was an empress, a woman, or even an elderly woman!
To his Xiongnu people, none of that mattered in the slightest!
Among the Xiongnu, aside from infants, everyone settled matters through force. Which meant, generally speaking, women had no right to speak in Xiongnu society—they had nothing but obedience, obedience, and more obedience. Aside from some slight difference in standing compared to slaves, there was no real difference at all!
If a woman wished to have a voice, to hold high standing, there was only one path—she had to fight her way to it herself!
And so, to Minhan Mude’er and the generals and guards around him, it seemed nothing but perfectly ordinary for the Empress of Eastern Qin to come out and accept the challenge!
But in the Central Plains—never mind Da Zhou, that most ceremonious of nations—even in Eastern Qin, a true man would never lightly raise a hand against a woman.
The Empress of Eastern Qin was so furious she was gasping for breath, at a complete loss for words for a moment.
Minhan Mude’er, however, was brimming with enthusiasm. “Empress of Eastern Qin, shall we go bare-handed? Or with swords? Or, how about wrestling?”
The Empress of Eastern Qin shook her head firmly. She had already been humiliated enough today—if she were knocked to the ground on top of it, she truly would have no way of remaining in Eastern Qin any longer!
The Empress of Eastern Qin took deep breath after deep breath, her sharp eyes turning coldly toward Jun Beiyao, who had remained silent and unmoved this whole while!
At a moment like this, Jun Beiyao, as the envoy between the two nations, ought to have already stepped in to speak!
At the very least, when he had persuaded Minhan Mude’er to come to Eastern Qin, he should have explained Eastern Qin’s customs and etiquette to him beforehand!
Jun Beiyao was clearly doing this on purpose—deliberately humiliating Eastern Qin, deliberately fanning the flames of Minhan Mude’er’s arrogance!
Facing the Empress’s scrutinizing gaze, Jun Beiyao no longer bothered playing the meek subordinate. He met her look openly, with disdainful ease.
No one knew what price he had paid among the Xiongnu to get close to Minhan Mude’er, to earn his trust!
He wanted the Xiongnu to destroy Eastern Qin, to destroy Da Zhou!
At this point, not having actively incited Minhan Mude’er further was already more than the Empress of Eastern Qin deserved from him—how could he possibly speak up in her favor?
Minhan Mude’er’s patience had its limits. Seeing the Empress of Eastern Qin hesitate, he said impatiently, “Empress of Eastern Qin, if you haven’t the courage to accept the challenge, then hold your tongue. As for the matter of withdrawing troops, this prince will decide it.”
“This is Eastern Qin, not the Xiongnu! These are my Eastern Qin’s troops, not your Xiongnu troops! Minhan Mude’er, if you want to withdraw, at the very least wait until your Xiongnu troops arrive before doing so. My Eastern Qin troops are not yours to command however you please!”
At last, the Empress of Eastern Qin’s anger broke free.
This clearly caught Minhan Mude’er off guard. He glanced casually toward Jun Beiyao, who was just about to speak, when suddenly a slave burst into the tent, rushing straight to Minhan Mude’er and prostrating himself on the ground!
What on earth was going on?
By Xiongnu custom, a slave would never approach his master so carelessly—least of all Minhan Mude’er!
Unless…
“What’s going on?” Minhan Mude’er said, startled. Jun Beiyao, too, was taken aback, the smug gleam that had filled his eyes a moment ago instantly clouding over.
The slave, prostrate on the ground, not daring to lift his head, called out loudly, “Your Highness, the Great Barbarian Witch has come to visit, and is nearly at the camp!”
The moment these words were spoken, there was almost no one present who wasn’t shocked!
The Great Barbarian Witch!
The Xiongnu worshipped the Wolf Totem, the Great Barbarian Faith, and the Great Barbarian Witch was the high priestess of that faith, holding a status equal to the emperor himself—even the crown prince had to treat her with the utmost respect!
The Great Barbarian Witch was always chosen from among the women of the imperial clan, and the current generation’s Great Barbarian Witch happened to be none other than Minhan Mude’er’s own aunt!
She was the only woman among the Xiongnu who held such noble standing!
Minhan Mude’er seemed to hold this Great Barbarian Witch in considerable awe—his domineering, arrogant bearing visibly deflated. Without another thought for his quarrel with the Empress of Eastern Qin, he shot Jun Beiyao a glance and strode swiftly out of the tent!
And everyone else—whether Xiongnu guards or slaves—all followed close behind him!
Whatever business this witch had come here for, given her grand arrival, Minhan Mude’er had no choice but to receive her with the utmost respect!
Jun Beiyao was about to follow him out when the Empress of Eastern Qin suddenly seized hold of him and cursed viciously, “Jun Beiyao! You wretch!”
Just how furious would one have to be, to hurl the word “wretch” at a man.
Yet Jun Beiyao didn’t seem to mind in the least, smiling with a strange, mocking air. “Esteemed Empress, you’ve only spent a short while among the Xiongnu, and already you’re turning savage yourself. How can you speak so harshly!”
“What exactly are you trying to do!” the Empress of Eastern Qin demanded furiously. She could see clearly enough that, however clever Minhan Mude’er might be, he was still, at heart, a blunt and straightforward Xiongnu man. The one truly playing games with her was Jun Beiyao!
It was Jun Beiyao, behind the scenes, who had been inciting Minhan Mude’er all along!
By rights, Minhan Mude’er would never have been so stubbornly insistent on withdrawing troops!
“I only want… to catch them all in one net!” There were hidden meanings behind Jun Beiyao’s words. Having said this, he flung his arm out sharply, breaking free of the Empress’s grip, and strode away!
The Empress of Eastern Qin was so furious she could barely stand—had the guards beside her not held her up, she would surely have fallen!
Yet even so, at this moment, she had no choice but to go out and receive the Xiongnu’s Great Barbarian Witch. She had never once laid eyes on this witch before, but she knew well enough that this witch’s temper was not something an ordinary person could withstand!
Outside the camp, a procession could be seen approaching from a distance—not large in number, but with no small display of grandeur. Banners fluttered, ritual instruments rang out, incantations murmured in low tones—everything about it appeared both grand in scale and solemnly dignified!
At the center of the procession of disciples of the faith, front and back, was a great carriage—not drawn by horses, but pulled by several slaves acting as horses. The curtain of the carriage was raised, and there sat the Great Barbarian Witch, her posture perfectly upright, seated as composed as a Buddha statue. Every detail—from her clothing to her jewelry—was steeped in the thick, distinctive style of the Xiongnu’s sacred faith!
And atop her head, draped over her, was a fierce wolf-head hood—the single most eye-catching thing about her!
But what Eastern Qin’s people were staring at wasn’t any of this—it was the witch’s face itself. Long brows sweeping up into her temples, sharp phoenix eyes—though she sat within the carriage, it was as though she stood high above on the clouds, looking down upon all living things beneath her.
However great her power, however exalted her status, the Great Barbarian Witch’s duties were confined to matters of ritual sacrifice alone—so what business did she have coming to a battlefield?