Everything had been prepared, yet Ashina suddenly relocated Xie Yuzhang at the last moment, throwing everything into a commotion.

Fortunately, the people of Mobei were highly capable with their hands, and only Xie Yuzhang’s sleeping quarters needed to be dismantled and rebuilt from scratch — the rest was simply requisitioned as-is. Chiguxie marked out an area not far from Zadayali for Xie Yuzhang: a space designated for Xie Yuzhang, her maids, and her servants to live in day to day.

During the day, Xie Yuzhang first rested in a tent temporarily cleared out for her, and by evening, her personal quarters were already in order.

The guards and dowry personnel required no specially vacated space — a large swath of land was simply enclosed for them on the outer edge of the residential area.

Ashina had issued the order before their departure, and now that he had returned in triumph with his bride, that stretch of open ground had already been set up with row upon row of newly erected felt tents — this would henceforth be the “home” of those who had accompanied the dowry procession.

Everyone shouldered their belongings and moved straight in, which was actually even more straightforward than the arrangements made for Xie Yuzhang.

That evening, the royal tent held a family banquet, and within the great tent were gathered all of Ashina’s family.

His consorts alone filled the space in a sizable crowd, with princes and their wives on top of that, along with those princesses not yet given away in marriage.

Xie Yuzhang donned her wedding garment once more and was formally introduced to everyone. All women who held a recognized status were, in theory, Ashina’s wives, and everyone was equal in standing — rank depended solely on the power of one’s family behind her. Da Zhao had not yet fallen; Xie Yuzhang was still a princess of Zhao, her status noble, and she was under no obligation to bow to anyone.

It was rather those “sons” and “daughters-in-law” who still had to address her as Khan Consort.

Princess Zhao, Xie Yuzhang, was beautiful and quick-witted. For every significant person whose name Ashina mentioned, she committed it to memory on the spot, and could distinguish among so many who was who — leaving a profound impression on everyone present.

Because today she was meeting everyone as a new bride, she sat at Ashina’s side within the great tent.

As the Khan Ashina sat with his arm around his slender young Khan Consort’s waist, beaming and in high spirits, drinking bowl after bowl of wine, the impish little Khan Consort tugged at his sleeve and in a lowered but fiercely scolding voice said, “You must not get drunk again!”

Ashina met that reproachful look in her eyes, and the old face flushed red: “I will not, I will not.”

And at the banquet he generously gifted his new wife a thousand head of cattle, a thousand sheep, and a hundred slaves as wedding presents.

Everyone in the tent was clear-eyed and perceptive. Seeing the fond, indulgent expression on the old khan’s face, they understood that from this day forward, the person the khan cherished most would no longer be Khan Consort Gullin, but this Khan Consort Baohua.

Moreover, by word of mouth circulating among the guests at the banquet, with a tacit and unanimous understanding, the title of “the grasslands’ foremost beauty” was stripped from Khan Consort Gullin’s head and bestowed upon the newly arrived Zhao princess.

Once the banquet dispersed and everyone returned to their own tents, a white-haired old Khan Consort laughed in her tent to her aged maidservant: “Did you see the color of Gullin’s face? Ah, she is still too young. What woman was not beautiful in her youth? I, too, was once the foremost beauty. Only there are always younger women coming in, one after another, without end.”

The old maidservant also laughed: “That is the truth of it.”

Her white hair was even more abundant than the old Khan Consort’s, and when she smiled, her face was full of creases.

She, too, had once borne Ashina a child — but the child had not survived, dying young and early.

And within Zadayali’s tent, the servants helped the drunk Wuwei lie down properly on the bed, then removed his outer garments and shoes before withdrawing.

Zadayali steadied Wuwei into a sitting position, took the water from the maidservant’s hand, and fed him a few sips.

Once the maidservant had withdrawn, Zadayali also removed her outer garments and lay down. Wuwei turned over and buried himself against her full bosom like a nursing child, rubbing his face against her with contentment.

He was powerfully built and clearly much taller than Zadayali, yet now he curled himself up and tried to press himself into her embrace like a small child.

This had been a habit of long years. From the age of five or six, Wuwei had been held in Zadayali’s arms just so, coaxed to sleep.

Zadayali had barely closed her eyes when she heard Wuwei murmuring and calling to her: “Zadayali, Zada…”

Zadayali did not open her eyes. With eyes still closed: “Hmm?”

Nestled in that familiar embrace, Wuwei said with eyes shut, “Khan Consort Baohua is really, really beautiful…”

Zadayali said, “Yes, truly beautiful.”

Wuwei said, “Zadayali, what am I to do when I look at her and cannot breathe?”

Zadayali said, “Endure it.”

Wuwei said, “I cannot endure it — she is too beautiful.”

Zadayali opened her eyes.

“Your father is very old. Once he dies, you can have the beautiful Zhao princess.” She stared up at the roof of the tent and said, “But while he still lives, if you dare touch the woman he cherishes, he will kill you — just as he killed Prince Shabie that year.”

Prince Shabie was older than Wuwei, and in the year Ashina put him to death, Wuwei was already eighteen. He remembered clearly the manner of that brother’s death, and the beautiful woman who died alongside him. To obtain that woman, his father the khan had wiped out an entire tribe.

A shiver ran through him.

“His authority cannot be defied.” Zadayali said. “So you — endure it.”

Her words, before Wuwei, also brooked no disobedience.

Yet it was not until the following day that everyone learned the truth: last night, Ashina had in fact slept in Gullin’s tent.

Everyone was bewildered, and went to ask Zadayali — who had accompanied the old khan on the wedding journey — what had happened. Only then did they learn that this Zhao princess, Xie Yuzhang, had reportedly refused to share a bed with the khan until she turned seventeen.

“These Zhao people truly make so much trouble.” The aged maidservant who had brought this news to the old Khan Consort clucked her tongue. “She is already fourteen. Were you not also fourteen when you bore children for the khan? And yet she insists on waiting until seventeen before sharing a bed. Tsk, tsk.”

The old Khan Consort’s understanding ran a little deeper: “She is, after all, a princess of Da Zhao, and that country was so prosperous — one cannot help but envy it.”

Xie Yuzhang opened her eyes and saw above her the familiar canopy of the tent. The fabric both blocked the light and allowed air to pass through. The exquisite embroidery on it — one glance and anyone could tell it was palace-made.

Still hazy with the grogginess of first waking, Xie Yuzhang thought for a moment about where she was. Ah, yes — the Khanate, the royal court encampment.

She turned her head and saw Lin Fei’s sleeping face, as lovely as a crabapple blossom. From the moment Lin Fei had appeared, they had always shared a bed and never been apart.

Xie Yuzhang’s heart settled with a sense of ease, and she smiled.

Restlessly, she pressed close and wriggled into Lin Fei’s arms. Lin Fei was thus roused into wakefulness by her antics.

“What time is it?” Lin Fei rubbed her eyes and called out.

A maidservant outside answered, then asked if they were rising now. Lin Fei looked at the lazy, little-piglet-like Xie Yuzhang nestled in her arms and smiled: “Let us wait another quarter-hour.”

She let Xie Yuzhang lie in a little longer, and then the two of them rose and washed up. After the morning meal was finished, Xie Yuzhang asked, “Where is Yuan Ling?”

A maidservant answered, “She has not yet arrived. Shall this servant go and invite her?”

Xie Yuzhang waved a hand: “No need. Yesterday there was much to attend to — Yuan Ling must be exhausted. Let us wait a while longer.”

She asked further, “Have the guards outside changed shifts yet?”

The maidservant answered, “They changed at daybreak. Those who kept watch last night have already returned to rest.”

She added, “During the night, Captain Wang came around to inspect the watch.”

Xie Yuzhang nodded: “Good.”

Outside her great tent were smaller tents for those on overnight duty. The guards on watch could sleep in the small tents, with the company divided into rotating shifts. The guards’ main encampment was on the outer edge of the residential area.

After the morning meal, Xie Yuzhang watched as Lin Fei and Nanny Xia led the maidservants in opening trunks and chests to put things in order. Yesterday, only the most frequently needed items had been taken out first; there were still a great many of Xie Yuzhang’s everyday belongings that had yet to be unpacked.

The young women busied themselves, and very quickly the sleeping quarters were arranged with a familiar and lived-in feel. Surrounded by all these familiar objects, one might have thought oneself back in the palace of old — had only the walls, the ceiling, and the floor been different.

Yuan Yu arrived somewhat later, coming together with Ma Jianye and Wang Zhong, all of them looking a little abashed: “We overslept.”

“You have all worked hard yesterday.” Xie Yuzhang said. “Has everyone settled in properly?”

Yuan Yu said, “The khan prepared the felt tents on the basis of ‘household’ units. But among our people, some households consist of a single man with no family, while others have wives and children in tow, with many children at that — inevitably it is not enough room.”

Xie Yuzhang asked, “What is to be done about it?”

Yuan Yu said, “Adjustments have already been made on the spot. The single men have been gathered together to share quarters for now, with priority given to those who have families — that has been largely sorted out. Going forward, we will gradually put up more felt tents. It ought to be the long-term arrangement that even single men have a home of their own.”

Xie Yuzhang gave a slight smile.

Everyone — everyone except her and Lin Fei — believed they were going to spend the rest of their lives here.

No, she thought. This time, I will not only return myself — I will bring all of you back with me.

Xie Yuzhang then asked Ma Jianye and Wang Shitou: “How are things with the guards?”

Ma Jianye, as was his habit, got in before Wang Zhong: “Reporting to Your Highness — the khan has not prepared barracks for us, only residential felt tents. We will have to build our own training grounds and quarters.”

Xie Yuzhang said, “The people of the Khanate are entirely a warrior people. From childhood they grow up on horseback, and their practice of riding and archery comes naturally from herding and hunting — their way of training soldiers is very different from ours.”

Cavalry placed greater emphasis on mobility; infantry relied on formation tactics and coordination — they were indeed quite different.

Ma Jianye said with difficulty, “I await Your Highness’s instruction on what should be done.”

Xie Yuzhang said, “In the past, we were in the Central Plains, and our forces were mostly infantry. But now things are different — we must also have cavalry.”

In his heart, Ma Jianye despised her as a little slip of a girl who understood nothing and was giving orders blindly, yet on his face he remained respectful and said, “Your Highness must understand — it takes four warhorses to field a single cavalryman. Most of the horses we have are pack animals, and even those that can be ridden under saddle, none can truly be called warhorses.” Warhorses were precious strategic resources — even as magnanimous as the Emperor was, he would not have been willing to give Xie Yuzhang proper warhorses for a marriage alliance. Without warhorses, there was no training cavalry to speak of.

Xie Yuzhang appeared entirely oblivious to the implication in his words, saying only, “We can gradually trade and acquire warhorses. The Mobei people breed horses, and originally they are goods that can be bought and sold. There is no hurry — we will do it slowly.”

Ma Jianye, hearing her words, understood her meaning: she intended to gradually purchase warhorses and build up a cavalry force. He turned it over in his mind for a moment.

This would naturally require a great outlay of wealth — but this little princess had money, and she was willing to spend it! And he was the commander of the princess’s guard. If the guard could develop a cavalry force, it would be tantamount to strengthening the power at his own disposal.

Why not?

Ma Jianye’s face immediately broke into a smile as he flattered her: “As expected, Your Highness has great foresight!”

He flattered Xie Yuzhang while stealing a glance out of the corner of his eye at Wang Shitou.

Ever since that wedding day when that detestable Li fellow from Hexi had beaten Wang Shitou to a pulp, he had barely spoken a word. Before, though he had been somewhat foolish, he had at least some spirit; since that day, even that spirit had left him — he deferred entirely to Ma Jianye and no longer engaged in clumsy arguments with him.

Standing there now, dull and slack, he truly resembled a stone.

And he had even renamed himself Wang Zhong — truly laughable.

Yuan Yu still had matters regarding the New Year to discuss with Xie Yuzhang, but unexpectedly, Ashina’s booming voice suddenly carried in from outside.

“Baohua! Baohua!” Ashina kept his oath and did not set foot inside Xie Yuzhang’s tent, calling to her from outside only. “Come, let us go and look in on your people!”

Xie Yuzhang pressed a hand to her forehead.

Everyone else was equally speechless.

Ashina’s standing was, by any reckoning, comparable to that of an Emperor of the Central Plains — yet what Emperor of the Central Plains would carry on with such rough and boisterous behavior?

With no other recourse, Xie Yuzhang said, “Go outside and tell him that I will come once I have dressed properly.”

She paused, then designated by name: “Wanxiu, you go.”

The one called upon — Wanxiu — gave a slight start. The terror that had been left in her heart from that night stirred into being, casting its shadow within her.

She looked up and met Xie Yuzhang’s eyes, which were fixed on her squarely — in that gaze there was encouragement, there was expectation, and there was also the unmistakable force of a command that would not be refused.

On instinct, Wanxiu glanced toward Lin Fei as well.

Lin Fei, who had been directing the maidservants in carrying trunks into the inner quarters, also cast a glance back toward her.

Go. Go and conquer your fear.