On the western outskirts of the capital, just north of the imperial stables, lay a stretch of forested land ringed by several tall mountains — this was Great Zhou’s imperial hunting grounds.

The autumn air was crisp, the plains vast and open, banners fluttering in the wind. By Great Zhou’s ancestral tradition, the autumn hunt lasted three days, and every member of the imperial family, regardless of gender, was required to attend.

Emperor Tianhui had no daughters of his own, yet every year he invited Ouyang Jingshi to attend in their stead — but this time, not even General Ouyang had come.

Before the assembled court officials, Consort Yi and Jun Beichen’s presence this year felt noticeably diminished.

On the open ground before the hunting lodge, everyone took their seats according to rank, surrounded by fruit, wine, and fine delicacies.

Ziqing sat beside Jun Beiyue, head lowered, her eyes occasionally drifting toward the Seventh Prince not far away — this man looked utterly sickly, and yet he’d still managed to show up!

The Tenth Prince hovered beside the Seventh Prince, asking after him with concern, though the Seventh Prince seemed none too willing to engage. Xuanyuan Lige, treated as an honored guest, sat just behind Chu Tiange and his sister.

The contest of horsemanship and archery would follow the imperial family’s traditional evaluation method — divided into riding, archery, and a combined riding-and-archery round, three trials in total.

“Emperor of Great Zhou, since this is to boost the spirit of Great Zhou’s autumn hunt, beyond competing for the position of Princess of Prince Yao, I’m willing to add another stake!” Chu Feiyan spoke up immediately, clearly having prepared this in advance.

“A stake? How so?” Emperor Tianhui asked, smiling, clearly in good spirits.

“If I lose, I will personally return to Western Chu and gift you ten thousand fine warhorses!”

The moment she said this, nearly everyone present drew a sharp breath. Ten thousand fine warhorses — what a staggering number.

Every year during the autumn hunt, Western Chu’s envoys brought only a few hundred horses. Ten thousand would take who knew how many years to accumulate! And fine warhorses had limited lifespans besides.

Ten thousand fine horses alone could form an entire cavalry division!

Even with victory all but assured, for Chu Feiyan to offer such a staggering stake was remarkable.

Even Emperor Tianhui couldn’t hide his delight. He understood perfectly well — this stake Chu Feiyan offered was essentially part of her dowry. The saying that whoever won Chu Feiyan would win half of Western Chu was no exaggeration at all.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd, and many eyes turned toward Jun Beiyue — or more precisely, toward Ziqing.

With Chu Feiyan offering such a magnificent stake, what would she offer? What could the Han family possibly offer?

Even Chancellor Han, head of the Han family, had to bow and scrape before the Emperor — what could his mere illegitimate daughter possibly put forward that anyone would want?

Ziqing glanced at Jun Beiyue. Today he wore fiery red riding attire, a striking contrast against his ice-carved face — one fiery, one cold, together creating a mysterious, captivating presence. What was he thinking?

She had to admit, ten thousand fine horses were, put simply, ten thousand warhorses. Even Ziqing, a mercenary from the modern world, felt a flicker of temptation at the thought — how much more so for this war god of a man beside her?

Finally, Jun Beiyue spoke coldly. “If Ziqing loses, what would you want?”

Chu Feiyan’s proud gaze slowly turned toward Ziqing. “Her hands.”

“What!”

The Tenth Prince blurted out involuntarily, and immediately afterward, no one dared speak another word. The entire field fell silent, save for the mountain wind whistling past, rustling the banners.

Jun Beiyue’s eyes, cold and sharp as a hawk’s, darkened at once, and the intensity of his gaze made even Chu Feiyan involuntarily step back, her arrogant bearing faltering considerably.

Yet Chu Tiange laughed loudly. “What’s wrong, Prince Yao? Not brave enough?”

“I will not stake my wife’s hands,” Jun Beiyue said coldly.

He had witnessed Ziqing’s riding skill firsthand, and though he was fairly confident she would win, he still refused to agree. He had his principles.

The moment he said this, Ziqing felt an inexplicable jolt in her chest, and she instinctively turned to look at the man beside her — his profile sharp and resolute, radiating an unyielding, commanding presence.

“Then what stake does she have to offer?” Chu Feiyan snorted coldly, emboldened now by Chu Tiange’s support.

Jun Beiyue was about to speak when Ziqing spoke up instead. “My lord, this is a contest between the Princess Imperial and myself — the stake should naturally be mine to offer. I am willing to wager my own hands against the Princess Imperial, to help boost the spirit of Great Zhou’s autumn hunt!”

Jun Beiyue hesitated, but Ziqing continued, “Princess Imperial, since you’ve taken the initiative to raise the stakes, I’d like to add one more myself. I wonder if the Princess Imperial dares accept?”

“Hmph, say it. There’s nothing in this world this princess wouldn’t dare accept!” Chu Feiyan snorted coldly.

“If I lose, I’ll give you my legs as well,” Ziqing said flatly. The moment the words left her mouth, Jun Beiyue turned his head sharply. From his profile, one could see — how could a face so gentle and docile carry such stubbornness?

Had this woman gone mad? No matter how skilled her riding and archery, there was no such thing as a hundred-percent guarantee.

“Ha, how laughable — what are your legs even worth? What use would this princess have for your legs?” Chu Feiyan burst out laughing, nearly grinding Ziqing into the dirt with humiliation.

But Ziqing simply countered, “And wasn’t it just as laughable when the Princess Imperial demanded my hands?”

This single line silenced Chu Feiyan completely. Furious, she snapped, “Then what do you want?”

Indeed — what did she want? Everyone was curious.

“I want your Western Chu troops to withdraw from the Three Realms Territory in our Great Zhou’s Youyun lands,” Ziqing said flatly. Though her voice was calm, every word rang clear, and every word struck the assembled crowd like a hammer blow.

What exactly was the Three Realms Territory?

It was precisely the land of Great Zhou’s seven Youyun provinces, bordering both Western Chu and Eastern Qin, and thus known as the Three Realms Territory. Years ago, when the Youyun provinces had rebelled, Western Chu had seized the opportunity to advance troops. Though Jun Beiyue had ultimately repelled them, a cavalry unit remained stationed in the Three Realms Territory to this day. Because of this, land that had once belonged entirely to Great Zhou had become a contested territory where the two nations’ forces remained locked in a standoff.

Jun Beiyue had repeatedly petitioned Emperor Tianhui to send troops and drive them out, but the Emperor, ever timid and fearful of reigniting conflict, had refused.

Everyone knew this was Jun Beiyue’s deepest, most painful grievance.

Under the strange, weighted gaze of the crowd, Ziqing kept her earnest eyes fixed on Chu Feiyan. This was exactly what she wanted.

She was someone who repaid every debt in full — a wrong done to her, she returned a hundredfold; a kindness shown to her, even the smallest, even a single word of true care, she repaid in kind.

Just for that one sentence Jun Beiyue had spoken — “I will not stake my wife’s hands” — she was determined to win this martial trial, no matter what.

Jun Beiyue looked at Ziqing, and for the first time in his life, something caught in his throat, refusing to come out. This woman… after the autumn hunt, no matter how many secrets she carried, no matter what she truly thought of him, he was determined to be honest and open with her.

No matter how arrogant Chu Feiyan was, no matter how favored she was by the Western Chu Emperor, the Three Realms Territory was not hers to decide.

That was Chu Tiange’s domain! That was the essential passage Western Chu needed to conquer Eastern Qin!

Chu Feiyan too was stunned by Ziqing, utterly unable to understand where this woman found the nerve to say such a thing!

Now it was Ziqing’s turn to counter. “Prince Xiang, what’s wrong? Not brave enough?”

“How could I not be brave enough? As long as you can win, I’ll order the withdrawal at once!” Chu Tiange agreed at once, arrogant as ever. He glanced casually toward Jun Beichen nearby, a wild, unrestrained smile curving his lips.

Soon, two fine warhorses were led forward. For the first time, the contest of horsemanship was about to begin!