Across the broad harbor, a line of great ships stretched across the entrance, blocking it entirely. Situ Haonan sat leaning back in a chair, a blade of wild grass between his teeth, watching the shouting match with lazy amusement.
On the tallest, most central of the ships, Yelü Qianqian had been trading insults with Chu Feiyan for nearly half an hour now, apparently never tiring of it.
Situ Haonan finally understood why Han Ziqing had asked him to give the southern border garrison a heads-up beforehand — this had been the plan all along, to trap Chu Feiyan here with nowhere to go!
It really did prove her words true — once she decided to torment someone, she’d do it for a lifetime!
Han Ziqing had made it clear: only people of Great Zhou and Nanzhao would be permitted through the southern gate of Nanzhao. Everything else was off the table — and this was clearly aimed squarely at Chu Feiyan.
If this had happened back when Emperor Tianhui still held real power and the Second Prince and Consort Yi still had influence, it would have been simple enough for Chu Feiyan to become a citizen of Great Zhou — marry into the royal family, and it was done.
But now, for Chu Feiyan to pass through Great Zhou’s southern border, there was only one path left: marry into Nanzhao and take on Nanzhao citizenship!
Marry into Nanzhao?
The thought made the blade of grass in Situ Haonan’s mouth stop swaying abruptly. An image of the King of Nanzhao’s bloated, aged face rose unbidden in his mind, and he shuddered, feeling a chill crawl up the back of his neck!
Han Ziqing, oh Han Ziqing… one performance on the qin and the whole game was decided!
Truly, there was no viper more venomous than a woman’s heart! How ruthless!
Meanwhile, the shouting match only grew louder.
“Yelü Qianqian, if you don’t step aside, this princess will make you pay dearly for this!”
“Hmph! Hmph! This princess isn’t afraid of you — go ahead and force your way through if you dare! Come on, then!”
“Don’t think I won’t!”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“I… I won’t waste my breath on you — call out your commanding officer, this princess has words for him!”
“Say whatever you like — this princess can answer for him just fine!”
“Get out of my sight, Yelü Qianqian! Western Chu granting Western Jing the courtesy of a detour through your waters is already more face than you deserve — Great Zhou’s emperor has offered this princess passage countless times, and I’ve never once deigned to accept! Don’t push your luck!”
Yelü Qianqian burst out laughing, leaping up from her seat at once, ready to reveal that it was Han Ziqing who’d told her to refuse passage — but on second thought, she immediately shot back instead, “Western Chu’s face means nothing to Western Jing! So what if it does — if Great Zhou’s willing to grant you face, then go there! No one’s stopping you — hurry up and get lost, don’t block this princess’s view of the sea!”
Chu Feiyan’s face flushed crimson with rage, her chest tight with the urge to lunge forward and tear that insufferable girl apart. But she knew full well that if she did, she’d never make it ashore at this port at all — and the entrances to both Great Zhou and Eastern Qin were simply not an option for her!
Even so, Chu Feiyan kept up her haughty front, saying coldly, “Yelü Qianqian, remember those words — everyone here heard them! This princess will take the Great Zhou route instead. Don’t come crying to me later — you’ll answer for the price of going back on your word!”
“Tsk tsk tsk, Chu Feiyan, I’ve seen shameless people before, but never anyone quite as thick-skinned as you. When you first asked for passage through my Western Jing, wasn’t it your own father sending letter after letter, practically begging my father the emperor for the favor? And now you have the nerve to call it granting us face? Have you no shame at all?”
“You! Watch your mouth!”
“If you can’t take a scolding, don’t stand there being an eyesore. Isn’t Great Zhou’s emperor begging for you to visit? Then go, Chu Feiyan! This princess declares here and now, in front of everyone — if you can actually get through Great Zhou, this princess will kowtow and admit she was wrong!”
The declaration left everyone stunned — where did Princess Qianqian get such confidence?
Chu Feiyan narrowed her eyes, about to speak, when Yelü Qianqian continued, “But if you can’t get through, and you come crawling back to my Western Jing…”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself — this princess isn’t wrong, and there’ll be no admitting anything!” Chu Feiyan cut her off at once.
To her surprise, Yelü Qianqian only laughed scornfully. “Chu Feiyan, all I meant to say was — even if you crawl back here and kowtow in apology, this princess won’t even bother to acknowledge you!”
“You—!”
Chu Feiyan nearly choked on her own fury, her hand pressed hard against her chest as she paced back and forth across the deck, trying desperately to calm herself. She had to stay calm.
But Yelü Qianqian was only just getting started. Never in her life had another woman dared to trade insults with her like this — she wasn’t about to let the chance slip by so easily.
She glanced at the soldiers watching from the ships lined up on either side, then suddenly raised both hands as if conducting an orchestra. “Chu Feiyan, get lost!”
At once, the soldiers on the ten-odd ships to either side — over a thousand men in all — roared out in unison, “Chu Feiyan, get lost!”
The sound crashed like thunder, deafening!
“Western Jing doesn’t want you here!” Yelü Qianqian shouted, and the soldiers echoed back, “Western Jing doesn’t want you here!”
“Insulting Princess Qianqian, slandering an envoy of Western Jing — Western Jing will never welcome you, get lost!” Yelü Qianqian bellowed again, and the soldiers roared the words right back.
Across the water, Chu Feiyan could not possibly stay calm. When in her entire life had she ever suffered such humiliation? She stamped her feet again and again in fury, nearly cracking the deck beneath her!
“Yelü Qianqian, this isn’t over between us — I’ll have you all killed! Shut up, all of you, shut up!”
She snatched up a crossbow at once, not even bothering to aim properly, ready to fire.
Situ Haonan rose to his feet at once, while the attending envoy at Chu Feiyan’s side, Lord Pi Luo, rushed forward to stop her. “You mustn’t, Your Highness! This is a Nanzhao ship you’re standing on — Nanzhao wants absolutely nothing to do with any quarrel between Western Jing and Western Chu!”
“This princess represents Western Chu! What business is it of yours, Nanzhao? Get out of my way!” Chu Feiyan shouted furiously.
Yet Lord Pi Luo still held onto her arm. “Your Highness, please, I beg you to calm down. If you raise your hand against her, by Nanzhao’s rules, I will have no choice but to escort you off this ship!”
By protocol, Nanzhao’s obligation was only to escort Chu Feiyan this far; once Western Jing granted her passage, a ship from Western Jing would come to collect her. But given the unusual circumstances, Lord Pi Luo could see clearly enough that his king had taken something of a liking to the Princess Imperial, and he didn’t dare simply abandon her here. Still, if Chu Feiyan actually came to blows with Yelü Qianqian — at a border crossing, no less, between the princesses of two nations — the matter could spiral out of control, and he had no wish to bear that responsibility.
“Escort me off the ship?” Chu Feiyan let out a sudden, bitter laugh, tinged with self-mockery. “And go where, exactly, once I’m off?”
Just then, across the water, Yelü Qianqian shouted again, “Get lost, go on, get as far away as you can — don’t block this princess’s view of the sea!”
At once the soldiers on both sides roared the words back in unison, loud and resounding, the echo lingering long after.
Chu Feiyan coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood in her fury, and without warning wrenched her arm free of Lord Pi Luo’s grip!
Immediately, several soldiers on the opposite deck moved to shield Yelü Qianqian, and Situ Haonan had already appeared, standing at the very front.
At the same time, several Nanzhao guards beside Chu Feiyan rushed forward together to restrain her.
Lord Pi Luo climbed back to his feet from where he’d fallen, biting back words he wanted to say, thinking privately that the Princess Imperial had brought this entirely on herself — if she’d known it would come to this, why had she been so needlessly harsh and vindictive toward Princess Qianqian back at the Earth King’s shrine?
Having come here to ask a favor in the first place, why provoke the very person whose goodwill she needed?
“Get out of my way! This princess isn’t going back to Western Chu — I will tear that little wretch’s mouth off first!” Chu Feiyan roared, and with a sharp whoosh, a short arrow shot forth!