“Do you know that Northern Wei’s treasury is empty? Without Great Zhou’s support, we can’t hold off the barbarian enemies in the south. Not only that, we want to form a marriage alliance with Great Zhou, we want to borrow their warhorses and military equipment.
And you! You, a Princess of Northern Wei, used such absurd and vicious means today to cross Great Zhou’s noble and royal family’s bottom line! You should be thankful that the Qin lady saved herself. If she had died today, even taking your own life wouldn’t be enough to make amends! Tuoba Wu, do you even know you’re a Princess of Northern Wei?! You’ve disappointed me terribly! I shouldn’t have agreed to bring you along in the first place!”
Tuoba Hong was furious, almost wanting to slap Tuoba Wu again. However, Tuoba Wu had followed him since childhood, and though they weren’t blood siblings, they were as close as real ones. He couldn’t bring himself to deliver a second slap, but he was too angry. Western Liang was already eyeing them like a tiger watching its prey, and with Tuoba Wu here, not only was she not helping, but she kept making mistakes. How could he be lenient?
Tuoba Wu stared blankly at Tuoba Hong, stunned by the slap and shaken by his words. She had been accustomed to acting without restraint in Northern Wei, and her coming to Great Zhou was purely for personal reasons. She didn’t know or care about Northern Wei’s situation—weren’t these matters for Father Emperor and her Royal Brother to handle? What did they have to do with her?!
Even so, she didn’t want to be the villain.
Being slapped made her feel wronged and angry, but after hearing those words, she couldn’t talk back.
She truly hadn’t intended to kill Qin Wan today. She had only wanted to see what was so special about this frail woman that made Yan Chi like her. Yan Chi—he was the Young Commander of the Northwestern Army! A god-like figure of high status. If it was just noble ladies like Qin Wan, Great Zhou’s capital had plenty. Besides her good looks and manner, what else about this Qin Wan had attracted Yan Chi?! She didn’t believe Yan Chi was someone who would fall for mere appearances!
She wasn’t a vicious person, nor was she unaware of her status. To her, tormenting Qin Wan was like sneaking out of the palace to play—improper, yes, but with her status, how could it be considered a serious offense?!
Tuoba Wu felt wronged and angry inside, but after Tuoba Hong’s words, she felt as if she had made an enormous mistake. She gritted her teeth tightly, looking at Tuoba Hong with reddened eyes, unable to say a word, her face deathly pale.
Tuoba Rui shook his head beside them, “Today there was supposed to be an archery competition. Elder Brother had planned to use the opportunity to discuss borrowing military equipment, but now, the Emperor of Great Zhou won’t even let us participate in the archery—”
At these words, Tuoba Hong gave Tuoba Wu one last disappointed look, then swept his sleeve and mounted his horse, galloping away with a crack of his whip.
Tuoba Rui remained unperturbed, watching Tuoba Wu’s extremely frustrated expression like a spectator at a show. He chuckled lightly, “Royal Sister, try to be more understanding of Elder Brother. Being Crown Prince isn’t easy for him.”
After speaking, Tuoba Rui mounted his horse and headed toward the main camp.
With both Tuoba Hong and Tuoba Rui gone, Tuoba Wu stood frozen in place, finally unable to hold back her tears. The maid beside her had also turned pale with fright, not daring to say a word.
Tuoba Wu cried silently for a while. Soon, a Northern Wei guard came riding from the direction of the main camp. Tuoba Wu didn’t know his purpose, but the guard galloped up to her and said, “Your Highness, the Crown Prince orders you to return to your tent immediately. Without his command, you are not to step one foot outside. Later, after the competition, you will go with him to the Empress Dowager’s main tent to apologize to Miss Qin.”
Tuoba Wu’s eyebrows twitched, but the guard continued, “The Crown Prince said this is an order, which you must not disobey.”
Having delivered the message, the guard didn’t linger, turning his horse and leaving.
Tuoba Wu’s eyes grew wet again as she started crying. The maid beside her couldn’t bear to watch, “Your Highness, let’s go back first, otherwise the Crown Prince will be angry again. He’s not just your brother, he’s also the Crown Prince of Northern Wei.”
Even the maid understood this reasoning, but Tuoba Wu couldn’t comprehend it at the moment. She turned to look at the fallen white horse in the distance. One of her horses was dead, and the other had galloped to the far end of the grounds, still not returned. Tuoba Wu’s heart ached, wanting to search for her horse, but thinking of Tuoba Hong’s angry and disappointed expression, she didn’t dare.
After standing for a moment longer, Tuoba Wu turned and began walking dejectedly toward the main camp, one step at a time.
The maid led the remaining two horses, following quietly behind Tuoba Wu.
……
……
Back at the main tent, Yan Huai left Yuan Qing to watch over things before leading the others away.
Though Qin Wan was injured, it wasn’t serious. As Emperor of Great Zhou, Yan Huai had no reason to stay in the tent. After he left, Yan Chi had to leave too, though he lingered at the back until Qin Wan had to urge him with her eyes.
After everyone had left, the Empress Dowager finally erupted in anger, “Such insolence! In all these years, I’ve never seen someone so presumptuous and daring! If that Northern Wei Crown Prince doesn’t give me a proper explanation, marriage alliance? Hah! He can forget about it! Not just my granddaughter, but any noble or royal lady of Great Zhou—Northern Wei can forget about all of them!”
Seeing this, Lady Chen hurriedly said, “Empress Dowager, please calm down. Let’s tend to Nine Miss’s injuries first.”
The Empress Dowager quickly directed Bai Ying and the crying Fu Ling to help Qin Wan change clothes. When the blood-stained dress was removed, they could see that Qin Wan had no serious external injuries. However, as soon as Fu Ling cleaned the blood from Qin Wan’s body, she couldn’t help but cry out. Though Qin Wan had no external wounds, both her inner thighs from hip to ankle were covered in dark bruises, and her waist and back had large areas of bruising from falling off the horse.
Fu Ling couldn’t help crying, “Why did that Northern Wei Princess do this to Miss?! She meant to kill Miss!”
The Empress Dowager also saw the injuries and became even more enraged! She almost couldn’t stand from anger, and only after Qin Wan and Lady Chen persuaded her did she agree to wait in the front hall. Two-quarters of an hour later, Qin Wan finally finished washing and changing clothes, emerging from the back hall.
The wounds on her palms had been cleaned, and seeing the raw red injuries, the Empress Dowager felt even more distressed. Qin Wan had to send Fu Ling to fetch medicine while saying, “Please don’t worry, Empress Dowager. These bruises will heal in a few days, and the wounds aren’t serious—they just need to be bandaged for a few days—”
The Empress Dowager sighed, “You don’t need to comfort me. This time it’s all that Princess’s fault. Everything was fine, yet you suffered such an unwarranted disaster. I always think about how to spare you from suffering, but this time, I couldn’t protect you from this Princess!”
Regarding Tuoba Wu, Qin Wan had no words of plea to offer. She had Fu Ling bandaged her wounds and wrote herself a prescription for muscle and joint relief, which finally put the Empress Dowager’s mind at ease.
Lady Chen said, “It’s so strange! Given Nine Miss’s current status and position, even the Northern Wei Crown Prince wouldn’t dare to slight her. Why would this Princess act so presumptuously?!”
Lady Chen’s puzzlement was shared by others, though on this point, Qin Wan roughly knew why.
Since coming to Great Zhou, Tuoba Wu has only cared about one person. Now that she was acting so outrageously, who else could it be for but Yan Chi?! Though she knew the reason, Qin Wan couldn’t say it.
The Empress Dowager said, “In Northern Wei, she’s someone who would casually sneak out of the palace and not return for months. She’s been spoiled rotten, and seeing how Nine Girl is valued here, she wanted to find someone of significant status to torment!”
Lady Chen was somewhat confused, “But… this still doesn’t make sense…”
The Empress Dowager raised her hand to stop Lady Chen’s words, “Never mind all that for now. At present, I just want to see if the Northern Wei Crown Prince can make that Princess come apologize to Nine Girl. If there’s no proper accounting for this, Northern Wei will think Great Zhou is soft and can be bullied!”
Qin Wan wanted to speak but held back. The Empress Dowager grabbed her hand, “Nine Girl, you don’t need to do anything about this matter. I will naturally seek justice for you. What if they are a Princess and Crown Prince?! Can they possibly override me?!”
If Qin Wan spoke up, the other side might indeed try to use their status to pressure her, but Empress Dowager wanted Qin Wan to stay silent and let her handle everything. The Empress Dowager of Great Zhou was not someone who could be easily fooled!
Qin Wan felt warmth in her heart, and the sharp edge of her anger softened.
In its place came a sense of helplessness. In this world, the disparity in status and position was always fatal. Whether in this incident or in what she wanted to do, status was always the most restrictive factor.
The first day was for small hunting, and the second was for archery competitions. Originally, over fifty warriors from the three countries were to participate, but after Yan Huai suddenly stripped Northern Wei of their right to participate, only thirty-seven warriors remained in the competition. Although Tuoba Hong had no one from his side participating, he still sat in the viewing stands, repeatedly showing goodwill to ease Yan Huai’s anger.
While doing so, he also sent fine medicinal materials and jewels to the Empress Dowager’s tent, explicitly apologizing to Qin Wan. The Empress Dowager saw these things, smiled slightly, and sent them back.
Thus, Tuoba Hong spent the entire day as if sitting on pins and needles. Finally, as sunset approached and the competition ended, he rushed to Tuoba Wu’s tent. No matter what, he had to drag Tuoba Wu to personally apologize to resolve this matter!
Tuoba Hong burst into Tuoba Wu’s tent in a fury, only to find it empty except for one maid—where was Tuoba Wu?
“Cr-Crown Prince—”
Tuoba Hong’s eyes bulged, “Where has your Princess gone?!”
The maid lowered her eyes in panic, “Crown Prince, the Princess will return before midnight.”
Tuoba Hong stepped forward and kicked the maid to the ground, “Speak! Where did Tuoba Wu go!”
The maid no longer dared to cover for Tuoba Wu and cried out, “Her Highness went to look for Yueya!”
Yueya was Tuoba Wu’s chestnut horse, her true companion of many years. Tuoba Hong took a deep breath and frowned severely. In normal times, he would understand Tuoba Wu’s actions, but at this point, Tuoba Wu was still being so presumptuous! She truly treated his orders as nothing!
The maid trembled as she lay on the ground, not daring to look up for a long while. Suddenly, Tuoba Hong stepped forward and sat down in a chair. The maid was slightly surprised to see him sitting there with an angry face as if entering meditation while waiting for Tuoba Wu.
……
……
Qin Wan had been kept by the Empress Dowager’s side all day. The Empress had visited, and other palace ladies like Feng Ling Su had come too, but the Empress Dowager had sent them all away. When Qin Wan wanted to leave, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t allow it, saying, “You’re injured, just stay here and wait. With this incident, I want to see how others will handle it.”
Qin Wan’s heart jumped at these words. Others?!
The Empress Dowager continued, turning to look at Qin Wan, “I need to see the Emperor’s intentions.”
Qin Wan relaxed and didn’t dare mention leaving again. However, since Qin Wan couldn’t leave the Empress Dowager’s side, Yan Chi didn’t know how she was doing. By afternoon, Yan Chi couldn’t wait any longer and came to the Empress Dowager’s tent.
Seeing Yan Chi arrive, the Empress Dowager wasn’t surprised, “Come to see Nine Girl?”
Yan Chi nodded, directly examining Qin Wan beside her, “How are Nine Miss’s injuries?”
The Empress Dowager said, “They’re not visible on the surface, but underneath there are some serious injuries, and her hands are hurt too.”
Yan Chi had already noticed the bandages on Qin Wan’s hands, and his eyes darkened further at these words. Qin Wan said, “Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. The injuries aren’t serious, they’ll heal with some rest.”
The Empress Dowager spoke angrily, “What do you mean not serious? Even if you lost a single hair, it would still be Princess’s fault. She’s truly outrageous! I don’t know what madness possessed her to dare treat Nine Girl this way. My temper now is already considered good—otherwise, she’d deserve a harsh lesson.”
As Yan Chi listened to these words, his gaze seemed glued to Qin Wan. Before the Empress Dowager, Qin Wan couldn’t help but give a light cough. Yan Chi looked her up and down several more times before the Empress Dowager couldn’t stand it anymore, “Enough, you can’t do anything about this matter. Wait for the Northern Wei Crown Prince’s response. Don’t stay here any longer. I heard the great hunt begins tomorrow?”
Yan Chi finally withdrew his gaze and merely nodded without speaking.
The Empress Dowager said, “You can’t miss the great hunt. Go prepare early, and remember, safety first.”
Yan Chi paused for a moment, glanced at Qin Wan once more, then turned to leave.
Qin Wan sat beside the Empress Dowager, her palms breaking out in sweat.
After Yan Chi left, the Empress Dowager said, “Yan Chi has an explosive temperament too. Having received Princess Tai Chang’s instructions, he probably wants to avenge you. But since the other party is a princess, who knows what he’ll do.”
Qin Wan’s heart relaxed slightly, but she began to worry, “Empress Dowager…”
The Empress Dowager patted Qin Wan’s hand, “Don’t worry, he knows his limits.”
Qin Wan didn’t know what to say, but her heart was in suspense.
……
……
As the sun set in the west and night enveloped the entire camp, the Empress Dowager waited but Tuoba Hong and Tuoba Wu didn’t come. Soon, Lady Chen reported that Tuoba Wu had disappeared.
The Northern Wei Princess was missing—normally, the Empress Dowager would certainly be concerned for the Princess’s safety, but in this case, she merely smiled faintly, “This Tuoba Wu is stubborn. We needn’t wait any longer. Let’s see how the Northern Wei Crown Prince handles this…”
While the Empress Dowager urged Qin Wan to take her medicine and retire early, in Tuoba Wu’s tent, Tuoba Hong continued to wait.
From the afternoon until midnight, Tuoba Hong didn’t see Tuoba Wu return.
Time ticked by minute by minute, and Tuoba Hong lost all patience. He turned his eyes to the maid kneeling on the ground—she had knelt as long as he had waited. He sat in the chair while she knelt on the ground, now almost prostrate. Tuoba Hong watched coldly, his eyes growing increasingly frigid.
“Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has retired for the night.”
With the Empress Dowager retired, they had lost their chance to apologize today. Not going tonight meant they had lost their best opportunity.
And all of this was thanks to Tuoba Wu.
Tuoba Hong nodded but didn’t rise. No matter what, he would wait for Tuoba Wu.
When the candles in the tent were almost burnt out, Tuoba Wu finally returned with her most trusted maid. They hurried back to the tent, and upon entering, saw the maid kneeling on the ground and Tuoba Hong sitting there.
Tuoba Wu froze in place.
Compared to his fury in the afternoon, Tuoba Hong now seemed calm.
“Where did you go?” he asked, his voice steady.
However, this only made Tuoba Wu more uneasy. She bit her lip and said, “To look for Yueya.”
Tuoba Hong nodded, “Yueya is your beloved horse. I can understand that.”
At these words, Tuoba Wu’s heart jumped again. Sure enough, Tuoba Hong continued, “But you seem to have forgotten my orders, and forgotten what we were supposed to do tonight.”
Tuoba Wu’s lips pressed tightly together, “I… Yueya has been with me for many years, I had to find her… I searched for so long, upstream and downstream, but still couldn’t find her. Brother, I didn’t mean to disobey. You know what Yueya means to me. I remembered your words, that’s why I hurried back, but… but I had gone too far in the afternoon and couldn’t make it back in time…”
Tuoba Wu looked even more disheveled than in the morning. Tuoba Hong knew she spoke the truth, but could he let her off just for that? Of course not. Tuoba Hong nodded, “Fine. Now, go kneel in front of the Empress Dowager’s tent.”
Tuoba Wu froze, her stubbornness showing on her face again. She hadn’t even planned to apologize, and now he wanted her to go kneel before the Empress Dowager’s tent. Seeing her expression, Tuoba Hong didn’t show anger, just asked, “You don’t want to go?”
Tuoba Wu neither nodded nor shook her head, still standing stubbornly at the entrance. Tuoba Hong nodded, “Very well. Guards—”
As soon as he spoke, Tuoba Wu immediately became wary. She had thought the guards would seize her and force her to go, but instead, they grabbed her two maids. Tuoba Wu’s eyes widened, “Brother! What are you doing?!”
The guards took the two maids outside. These two knew their princess had made a grave mistake and didn’t dare even cry out in protest. Tuoba Hong rose calmly, “Go kneel now. If I don’t see you kneeling and apologizing when I wake up tomorrow morning, I will have these two executed and get you new maids.”
Tuoba Hong walked toward the door. Tuoba Wu panicked and grabbed him, “Brother! They’ve been with me for so many years! They’re like Yueya! Brother! You can’t!”
Tuoba Hong forcefully shook off Tuoba Wu’s hand and walked out without looking at her.
Tuoba Wu tried to chase after him but was blocked by the guards, forced to watch as her two maids were taken away.
Tuoba Wu stood blankly in the tent, her mind completely blank. Yueya hadn’t been found, and now her two most trusted people had been taken away. What should she do now?! Did she have to go kneel?
Tuoba Wu stood there like a fool, not knowing how long had passed when suddenly footsteps sounded outside the tent.
“Your Highness.”
The unfamiliar male voice startled Tuoba Wu. She instinctively walked out and saw Bai Feng standing in the night. She recognized him as Yan Chi’s guard and froze.
But Bai Feng walked forward with a smile, “Your Highness, this is a gift from our Young Master.”
Bai Feng held a small box. Looking at it, Tuoba Wu suddenly had an ominous feeling. Yan Chi wouldn’t send her gifts—she had hurt Qin Wan, and Yan Chi surely hated her now. Though thinking this, she still dazedly accepted the box. As Bai Feng released it, he said, “Your Highness, the Young Master says that although you are of noble status and represent Northern Wei, you must still take responsibility for your actions. He hopes you will accept this gift, and if you find it too light, he has greater gifts to send.”
Having said this, Bai Feng stepped back and left.
Bai Feng walked away leisurely as if waiting for something. After he had taken more than ten steps, he suddenly heard the sound of a wooden box falling to the ground, followed by Tuoba Wu’s anguished cry of “Yueya” and her heartbroken sobbing…