The wine jug fell to the ground, and he was too stunned to react.
Whether it was that the Commander was a woman, or that the Commander was accused of treason and being escorted to the capital – either piece of news was like a bomb to him. For a moment he didn’t know what to say, and only after a long while did he urgently ask: “What exactly happened? How could there be treason and collaboration with enemies!”
“I don’t really know either. They say she had connections with Xirong. I find this strange – aren’t Da Qian and Xirong allied nations? What’s wrong with having good relations? They also say she’s a woman who disguised herself as a man to deceive His Majesty – I find this even stranger. What’s wrong with being a woman? It’s even more remarkable for a woman to defend the frontier. If I had such a capable daughter, I’d die of laughter. They even stripped her clothes – I really don’t understand how these southern men think!”
Someone laughed: “Probably jealous. After all, a woman was standing above them.”
Another person laughed: “So they couldn’t bear it.”
Everyone burst into laughter.
The Da Qian soldiers were already frozen in place.
Guerrilla Commander Yu sat there for a long while, the fury in his chest burning like flames.
It must all be caused by Ye Ci and the others!
The thing he feared had still happened!
His contact with rebels in Xirong territory, helping Xirong develop Hanli Han Desert – these entanglements, when word reached the army and others seized on them as leverage, how could the Commander explain herself clearly!
He almost wanted to immediately stand up, grab Ye Ci and the others, force them to rush back immediately and explain everything clearly. Even if there was guilt, it should be borne by Ye Ci and his group – how could it all be placed on the Commander’s shoulders!
His head was buzzing, and he barely heard what those people were saying, until that Xirong man suddenly handed him something, saying: “Hey, do you recognize what this is?”
Guerrilla Commander Yu took it in confusion and looked, his whole body tensing.
It was actually a letter from the Commander to Ye Ci!
In the letter, she told Ye Ci about changes in the army, fearing something big would happen soon, and wanted him to return to camp quickly.
Judging from the date on the letter, it hadn’t been written long ago – the Commander had indeed met with trouble.
The Xirong man said casually in his ear: “We passed through Hanli Han Desert and saw a corpse. We kindly wanted to bury him, then found this letter. We can speak Da Qian language but don’t recognize many characters, don’t know what it says or who to give it to, so we kept it with us. Really had no choice but to use it as kindling paper. Now that we’ve met you Da Qian people, we’ll let you handle it.”
With that, he went drunkenly to sleep, leaving Guerrilla Commander Yu and his men staring at the fire in a daze.
They waited anxiously all night, but nothing happened. When dawn was breaking, Guerrilla Commander Yu called his soldiers and quietly set out.
They packed simple baggage, but this time headed in the opposite direction.
On the road, a soldier asked him: “Guerrilla Commander, are we going back to find Ye Ci?”
“Mm.”
“But shouldn’t we immediately return to save the Commander?”
“Yong Ping’s 150,000 troops couldn’t save the Commander – can you and I?”
“Then can finding Ye Ci save her?”
“Yes. Whether he wants to save her or not, he must. This is the mess he created.”
“Then where do we go first?”
“To Huyin’s main camp.”
…
A group disappeared into the depths of wind and snow.
Another group quietly appeared, following behind Guerrilla Commander Yu and his men.
Soon there was yet another group.
A total of three groups followed stealthily behind Guerrilla Commander Yu.
Someone walked out of the tent – it was last night’s Xirong merchant. He stretched lazily and said: “The Grand Minister truly has divine foresight – indeed these people immediately turned back. Do you think they’re returning to Mote Hulan’s main camp?”
“Of course. Didn’t that person from Yong Ping say this Guerrilla Commander Yu should have left Yong Ping camp together with those academy students? Calculating the time, they should have encountered those ragged oasis soldiers. Ever since they joined with the ragged oasis soldiers and Mote Hulan, that side has become arrogant – not only forcing back the God of Wind and Sand, but also making the Grand Minister suffer a loss, forcing him to fall out with the Crown Prince and disrupting his plans. The Grand Minister says nine times out of ten, the problem lies with those academy students.”
“Mote Hulan’s main camp is hidden too deep, and there are so many mountains there – really impossible to find. Fortunately these people have fallen out, giving us an opportunity.”
“Mm, when the Grand Minister received the letter from Yong Ping, he had us wait on this necessary route, and indeed we caught them.”
“Once this group leads us to find Mote Hulan’s main camp, the Grand Minister can also take the opportunity to kill those academy students. A bunch of little bastards daring to scheme against our Grand Minister – seeking death!”
…
Two days later, the auction was held as scheduled.
This novel selling method attracted many people. The auction was held in the large courtyard of the most famous restaurant on Antelope Street, separated by curtains, but outside the curtains there were crowds three layers deep, with people even standing on trees and rooftops to watch the excitement.
Tie Ci set up VIP seats on the second floor of the restaurant, forming a circle around the venue with the best view.
Each box also came with a rest room for VIP use.
Namutu came. He had been in a bad mood lately, smashing many things in his mansion, and was persuaded by trusted subordinates to come watch the excitement and relax.
Of course, many of these speaking subordinates were drinking buddies Yang Yixiu had recently befriended.
Zuo Siyan also came with his favored concubine. That general rumored to be brutal didn’t look rough at all, even carrying some scholarly air, except for a pair of crab-like eyes with white showing below the pupils, appearing both violent and gloomy.
Both brought countless attendants, with guards stretching from the boxes all the way outside the courtyard. All people in high places were driven down, and Tie Ci’s group was not allowed to approach either.
The Wuliang sisters came. Tie Ci actually didn’t want much contact with these sisters – being pursued was common in her life experiences, but firmly refusing might cause trouble, so she had to give them a box too. Wuliang Muzhen sat properly, her eyes constantly glancing downstairs, while Wuliang Yunzhu leaned on the railing, asking everyone: “Where’s Wei Ci! Call Wei Ci to accompany me!”
Tie Ci went over, bringing Rong Pu along, brazenly selling out her companion’s good looks. Rong Pu just smiled at Wuliang Muzhen, and that girl blushed to her ears. When Rong Pu poured her a cup of tea, she nearly spilled it all over her dress.
Wuliang Yunzhu giggled and whispered to Tie Ci: “Sister really likes Young Master Rong, just like I like you!”
“Thank you for your affection, Miss, but I still have to return to my homeland – I have a wife there.”
“Just stay here. I’ll give you an official position – wouldn’t that be more pleasant than being a traveling merchant?”
“That won’t do. One cannot abandon one’s wife of humble origins.”
“I don’t understand your scholarly talk. Anyway, if you stay, and your wife dares come looking for you, I’ll kill her. If you dare go back to find your wife, I’ll kill you.”
Tie Ci glanced at the little girl’s fierce big eyes opposite her. There was naive cruelty in her eyes – everything in this world had probably been to her liking before, so she had never considered that the human world actually contained much more that was not to one’s liking.
Tie Ci just smiled and handed her a pastry: “Freshly made – eat quickly.”
Wuliang Yunzhu took this as agreement and happily began eating, crunching the fried snacks loudly.
Watching the two sisters drink and eat, Tie Ci and Rong Pu smiled and took their leave to attend to other guests.
Wuliang Muzhen watched Rong Pu’s retreating figure while sipping tea cup by cup, unconsciously drinking it all. Suddenly she saw her sister take out something like a black fruit from her personal pouch, put it in her mouth and chew it with relish. She couldn’t help frowning: “That thing is no good – why are you still eating it?”
“What’s wrong with it?” Wuliang Yunzhu said carelessly. “Sister, you don’t know – it has old ginseng added. After chewing it I feel especially energetic, and my previous headache problems are gone too. It’s really good stuff. Didn’t the palace physician also say he found no problems and it could treat illness?”
“Father said that anything sent by Qiu Wujiu wouldn’t be good – he forbade us to touch it.”
“I’ve eaten it for so long without problems. I just won’t let Father see.”
Wuliang Muzhen sighed and said no more. After all, since childhood, her sister had never listened to her, instead often mocking her for admiring southern culture and making herself delicate, unlike Xirong women.
As she thought this, she suddenly felt her vision blur and great fatigue surge from deep within her body. She tilted her head and slumped onto the table.
Wuliang Yunzhu stopped chewing in shock and reached out to push her: “Sister? Sister?” The more she pushed, the lower her voice became, until finally her body also tilted and she slept side by side with her sister.
Someone quietly entered and cleared away all the tea and food from earlier.
They didn’t even glance at the two women.
With Supervisor Rong’s medicine, they wouldn’t wake up.
Therefore they also didn’t notice that after he left the room, Wuliang Yunzhu’s hanging fingers moved slightly.
…
Tie Ci and the Eagle Master stood in a deliberately emptied box on the second floor, directly facing Zuo Siyan and Namutu’s boxes, allowing them to observe the movements in the noble guests’ boxes without appearing obvious.
Seeing that Zuo Siyan, rumored to dislike crowds, had actually come, she was somewhat surprised and smiled: “Didn’t expect that favored concubine was truly so favored.”
The Eagle Master said coldly: “Back in the palace, she was famous for being innocently naive and coquettish, relying on her young age and sweet mouth to act spoiled. Mother… the Queen treated her like a daughter. When fleeing, she was the first one called, and because waiting for her to pack valuables delayed them, they were pursued and killed – otherwise they would have escaped far away long ago.”
Tie Ci looked at the woman leaning against Zuo Siyan opposite and smiled: “Though it’s a blood feud, don’t be too hasty. It would be bad to ruin today’s business.”
The Eagle Master said: “No, I’m not hasty. I hope she dies as slowly as possible.”
His tone was calm, yet seemed to come from between his teeth, making listeners feel chilled.
Tie Ci looked at him again and said: “Revenge is indeed important, but losing your true nature because of it is also a heavy loss. You should be that eagle soaring high in the sky – don’t force yourself to become an evil wolf hiding in caves licking blood and snarling.”
The Eagle Master was silent for a long while before saying: “If I truly fail in revenge and become that wolf licking blood in mountain caves, or even a stray dog licking wounds by gutters, would you still stay with me?”
Tie Ci smiled and shook her head: “Of course not.”
Seeming not to expect such a direct refusal, the Eagle Master bit his lip.
“If you keep needing my help and want to keep me, that’s your incompetence. If you don’t want my help but just want to keep me as spiritual sustenance, that’s your cowardice.” Tie Ci said, “If you want to keep the last respect I have for you in my heart, you must love yourself and understand what it means to truly love someone.”
Finishing, she put on a dashing fake beard, wore rings on all her fingers, and went downstairs to attend to guests, leaving the Eagle Master standing behind the curtain, staring at the opposite box and slowly gripping the railing tighter.
…
Deep in the mountains, the faint sounds of soldiers drilling could be heard. Huyin walked out of her tent, shaking off snow blown onto it by wind, when a soldier reported that several riders were approaching the camp, wanting to see her.
Huyin’s camp was very secretive and had posted multiple hidden sentries. Being able to approach within three li without alarming the camp clearly meant they were friendly forces.
“Did Chana send supplies?” Huyin asked as she walked.
The sky had already darkened, the wind was strong, blowing unmelted snow fragments wildly through the air like broken butterflies.
Her guard captain handed her a piece of dried meat. Huyin took it, casually tore it into strips, distributed them to several passing female soldiers, and rubbed the head of the youngest one, causing the girls to burst into happy laughter.
“Doesn’t look like it – no supply train. They’re companions of those Da Qian people from before,” her guard captain answered.
Huyin stopped walking.
Was it Guerrilla Commander Yu and his men?
Hadn’t they broken with Tie Ci and left? Why were they back?
Huyin frowned. She had very sharp intuition, and her intuition made her somewhat uneasy. However, though these people held some hostility toward Xirong, in her eyes they were Tie Ci’s subordinates. With Tie Ci’s people coming through wind and snow, she couldn’t refuse to see them.
She still kept alert, saying: “Have the drilling troops stop and assemble up front – no hurry to rest. Don’t let Guerrilla Commander Yu and his men enter the camp either. I’ll go out to meet them.”
The guard captain took orders to arrange things. Huyin mounted her horse and rode three li through the snow, seeing Guerrilla Commander Yu and his men waiting with the camp’s hidden sentries.
Both sides faced each other with grim expressions.
Seeing her, Guerrilla Commander Yu said: “General Mote, I want to see Ye Ci.”
Huyin said: “Those who left – why suddenly return?”
“We have difficulties, but we must immediately see Ye Ci. We have urgent business with him!”
“She’s not here…” Before Huyin could finish speaking, she suddenly raised her eyebrows, drew her weapon with her other hand – the curved blade behind her back rose like moonlight, its arc filling the sky as it poured down toward Guerrilla Commander Yu’s head.
Guerrilla Commander Yu looked shocked, couldn’t react in time, and instinctively closed his eyes.
“Clang.” A light sound, and a broken arrow fell beside Guerrilla Commander Yu.
Guerrilla Commander Yu was greatly alarmed. Turning around, he discovered that somehow the distant forest was swaying in the wind, shadows dancing, and the faint sound of horse hooves thundered across the ground.
Before he could react, Huyin was already saying through gritted teeth: “You! Brought! Enemies!”
In a flash of lightning, Guerrilla Commander Yu understood everything, but his regret came too late. Horse hooves thundered like storms, and a cloud of arrows buzzed overhead, blocking out the sky.
Huyin spurred her horse and fled, while simultaneously blowing the horn of battle.
The deep and ancient horn sound instantly penetrated the entire valley. Accompanied by faint earth-shaking sounds, smoke and dust stirred the snow as the army poured out en masse.
A fierce battle began.
…
The auction in the royal city continued.
The Crown Prince didn’t appear today. Tie Ci had wondered whether this auction might attract the Crown Prince – that would make things convenient. However, he indeed didn’t come. Having been mentally prepared, she wasn’t disappointed.
But both Namutu and Zuo Siyan had come, so the Crown Prince would definitely send people to gather information and report back promptly.
Yang Yixiu hosted this auction. He had prepared catalogs distributed to VIP boxes beforehand, and all auction participants had bidding paddles. Besides those two, quite a few chief officials in the royal city and various tribal leaders had also come.
Yang Yixiu was eloquently charming. When Tie Ci went downstairs, the atmosphere was lively. Yang Yixiu pulled her over to introduce her as the leader of the merchant caravan to everyone. Tie Ci smiled and cupped her hands – the ten large rings on her hands were cool and domineering, making everyone stare at her hands and think this boss was indeed wealthy and generous.
Tie Ci also said that for this auction, to show respect for distinguished guests, she had specially brought out various treasures collected with great difficulty. The list was at the back of the catalog – even in Da Qian, these items were worth thousands of gold and hard to buy. She invited everyone to choose for themselves.
Finishing, she left the stage and sat in a box on the second floor. The box had its curtain half-drawn, and people could occasionally see her reaching for tea, the ten rings on her fingers flashing brilliant light from time to time.
In another box, Namutu opened his catalog and saw the last few pages, including one page of ointments for women, which he glanced over.
What caught his attention was the three-piece set on the second-to-last page.
A chest protector, a hair ornament that could launch hidden weapons, and a soft blade that could be embedded in a belt and drawn at any time to kill.
The unusual styles aside, most importantly it was noted they were made of abyssal iron.
Abyssal iron had very high requirements for both production and crafting, with extremely limited output. Da Qian and Liaodong had relatively more, but one controlled resources while the other controlled technology. Neither side would share, resulting in abyssal iron weapons being basically unseen in the market. If Namutu didn’t have high status, he probably wouldn’t even know what such weapons were.
In the past, seeing the high starting bid, Namutu would have given up. But after the humiliation of the wine incident, people began telling him stories about Da Qian’s practices of eliminating loyal dogs after hunting rabbits, destroying bows after catching birds, and fearing those who achieved great merit, making him both resentful and uneasy.
He naturally knew what kind of person his nephew was. After supporting him to the throne, whether he would also learn from those southern monarchs and act ruthlessly was really uncertain.
Under these circumstances, this three-piece set with complete defensive and offensive capabilities seemed extremely important.
But that price… he really couldn’t afford it.
When the auction began, Namutu was even more shocked to discover that the prices in the catalog were starting bids – final transaction prices would be many times higher than listed!
Namutu immediately gave up hope.
Xirong people experiencing auctions for the first time also marveled in amazement. The goods brought by Da Qian people were indeed good, but most were ordinary items, some even a bit old. Yet every time they heard that Da Qian merchant’s introduction, why did they feel their blood boiling and ready to act?
“Distinguished guests, please pay attention! Distinguished guests, please pay attention! The next auction item to be introduced… My heavens, boss, how did you even bring out this family heirloom! Ah, I won’t allow anyone to miss the following auction item. Really, missing it will make you regret it for life. Come, our gem-inlaid mother-of-pearl plum blossom and longevity deer pattern vase!”
“Wow, look at these gems, this mother-of-pearl, this delicate, lustrous yet elegant and pure porcelain quality, these uniform, fine crackle patterns that secretly conform to the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, this cinnabar seal at the vase bottom by Master Wang Changhong! Wang Changhong ah – several generations ago a honored guest in Da Qian’s royal palace, every piece from his hand is a treasure in the Chongming Palace Collection Hall! Master craftsmanship, an heirloom treasure!”
“Ah, there’s a crack here. Yes, this is time’s testimony, history’s accumulation, the unique medal that only antiques surviving warfare can possess, containing life’s philosophy and fate’s lingering…”
Tie Ci looked at the rows of spiral-eyed people below, thinking that if Yang Yixiu were transported to modern times, he definitely wouldn’t starve as a live-streamer.
It was just a broken vase with a crack – in Da Qian it would sell for a few taels of silver at most. In his mouth, not buying it would be missing out on billions.
How could Xirong people have seen such tactics? Half-understanding but feeling impressed, they looked at that grayish vase and also felt it was brilliantly radiant – buying it home would surely bring glory to their humble dwellings. But hearing the price, they sucked in their breath.
Poor common people thought: who could afford this?
However, immediately someone started bidding, very enthusiastically, calling higher and higher prices until reaching amounts people dared not hear. Yang Yixiu glowed with pride on stage: “One thousand gold once! One thousand gold twice! One thousand gold thrice!” With a bang he struck the small copper hammer, “Congratulations to the Nate family, please have the Nate family steward settle accounts backstage.”
Someone entered behind the curtain, emerged moments later carrying a brocade box. The steward-like person smiled and chatted with everyone, saying his master was inconvenienced to come but ordered him to definitely bid for this vase. Having completed his task, he would hurry back. With that, he treasured the vase and left.
Everyone knew the Nate family – originally one of the great clans friendly with the royal family. Because they lived far from the royal city year-round, they escaped this disaster, didn’t participate in the power struggle, retained their strength with no one bothering them, and had considerable influence and prestige locally. Seeing their people take the lead in bidding, everyone was immediately eager to try.
Behind the curtain, Tian Wu, watching the excitement, smiled honestly and said to Dan Shuang and Xiao Wu: “The Nate family makes a good shill – didn’t want any other payment, just satisfied with getting a vase.”
Dan Shuang glanced at the Eagle Master standing in the distant shadows. Xiao Wu smiled: “Isn’t this the Eagle Master’s face? In the end, they support him, so they’re willing to play this role.”
Dan Shuang said: “What Eagle Master – hiding his head and showing his tail, isn’t he just—”
Tian Wu and Xiao Wu: “Shh—”
Tian Wu said: “Forget it, he has his difficulties.”
But Xiao Wu sighed: “Actually he didn’t want to hide from us – he practically spelled it out. It’s just that he’s really changed a lot. Such a cheerful person before…”
Dan Shuang was silent for a while but ultimately said nothing more.
When someone’s nature changes drastically, their actions become unpredictable. The Crown Princess was going to great lengths to help him return and reclaim his throne – hopefully she wouldn’t end up helping him into trouble.
…
Author’s Note: This Xirong section has plots that can’t be skipped – after all, building careers is also important. If everyone’s anxious, I suggest saving up a few days to read together.