“Dead?” The young man blinked in disbelief, shaking his head repeatedly. “No, that can’t be. My father and mother were both healthy—they couldn’t possibly be dead. Khan, please have mercy and release them!”
A’na Ri sneered mockingly: “A bunch of defeated good-for-nothings! They’re all dead. It’s their own uselessness—they followed this Khan out hunting, only to be bitten to death by wild wolves. For such people, this Khan has nothing to say. Step aside, or I’ll throw you to feed the wolves and let you join your father and mother!”
Bitten to death by wolves?
Both young men’s faces turned deathly pale, their gazes vacant, clearly frightened senseless.
The older one stared blankly at A’na Ri, while the younger one craned his neck to look into the formation, obviously straining to find people, hoping that what A’na Ri said was all just a cruel joke.
More and more Tatar common people gathered around to watch, none knowing what was actually happening.
Meanwhile, Qin Yining had already understood everything through Lu Heng’s explanation.
Looking at those two young men who had lost their parents, Qin Yining felt deeply saddened.
A’na Ri was too cruel. In truth, those slaves didn’t have to die at all.
Qin Yining was not someone given to women’s soft-heartedness. She understood that all success was built upon sacrifice—just like the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which was built upon many people’s bones.
If they truly faced a shattered nation with displaced people requiring a decisive battle, and those slaves were sent to the battlefield, then even dying wrapped in horse leather would be the same death, yet one that could inspire admiration. Qin Yining held no aversion to such heroic deaths.
But today these slaves hadn’t died so gloriously—they had simply served as A’na Ri’s playthings. The meaning of their deaths was merely to provide A’na Ri with brief amusement.
What kind of ruler was this? A’na Ri’s absurdity surpassed even the most incompetent tyrants!
Just as Qin Yining was silently criticizing, Si Qin waved his hand to block A’na Ri’s whip that was about to strike again, sighing: “Your father and mother are indeed dead. Live your lives well—after all, the Minuo tribe still has clansmen waiting for you to lead them.”
The two brothers stared stupidly at Si Qin’s eyes filled with compassion. For a moment, grief welled up from within, and large tears began sliding down their faces.
A’na Ri felt irritated and couldn’t stand watching these two cry. Just as she was about to lash out, her wrist was firmly grasped by Si Qin.
The two had just had their conflict, and at this moment Si Qin’s grip showed no relaxation, as if he intended to break her hand, making the anger in A’na Ri’s heart burn even fiercer.
But she didn’t want to lose Si Qin. She had to endure and couldn’t continue to embarrass Si Qin in public.
So A’na Ri simply let Si Qin hold her wrist, making no further attempts to punish those two young men.
Thinking that the Minuo tribe now had only four thousand remaining people, all old, weak, sick, and disabled, without a backbone, the entire tribe would have to depend on her as slaves under her command. A’na Ri was no longer in a hurry to kill them.
Wouldn’t it be better to let them follow along as slaves?
With her murderous intent gone, A’na Ri ordered the march to continue.
The entire formation moved straight forward, simply splitting into two columns to go around when they encountered the two young men.
As Qin Yining passed by them, seeing the tears on their faces and the despair in their eyes, she couldn’t help but feel sad as well.
However, her own situation really wasn’t much better than theirs. Even wanting to help, Qin Yining couldn’t do anything. She was barely protecting herself now, and what she should worry about most was her life back at the palace.
With A’na Ri’s hostility toward her, Qin Yining believed that with just one careless moment, she might very well lose her life.
Returning to the room where she was confined, Qin Yining discovered that all the guards and maids watching over her had been replaced.
A’na Ri was truly cautious. She was just a powerless weak woman who knew no martial arts and couldn’t speak Tatar—how could she possibly escape? A’na Ri wouldn’t even give her the chance to bribe and turn the people around her.
But Qin Yining originally felt indifferent about it anyway. She just became more cautious with her food and drink, and more careful when going out.
Qin Yining had no idea how A’na Ri and Si Qin had talked after returning to the palace. When she saw them on the third day, they had already reconciled and seemed even more intimate than before.
At this moment, what surprised Qin Yining most was not the reconciliation between A’na Ri and Si Qin, but this old friend before her.
Liu the Immortal Maiden, also known as Tianji Zi. She now wore a deep blue Taoist robe and sat smiling on the mahogany chair opposite her. After not seeing her for many days, Tianji Zi hadn’t changed at all—her face glowed with health and she looked spirited, as if she’d been living very comfortably.
Standing behind her was also an acquaintance—Mu Jinghu, who had once protected and rescued her.
Seeing Tianji Zi, Qin Yining felt somewhat wary. But seeing Mu Jinghu, although she knew that while Mu Jinghu was nominally Tianji Zi’s martial nephew, he was actually Tianji Zi’s disciple, and the master-disciple relationship between them was naturally unusually close.
Still, Qin Yining gained a bit more hope for escape.
If Mu Jinghu was willing to help, she could go back. It had been so long now—Qin Yining was truly worried about her family.
Tianji Zi spoke naturally in front of A’na Ri and Si Qin, and had no reservations about talking to Qin Yining. She opened by saying: “Miss Qin, we meet again. My calculations that day weren’t wrong—you truly did have your red phoenix star stirring, didn’t you?”
Qin Yining blushed at these words. If she had been thin-skinned, she wouldn’t have known how to respond at all.
“Long time no see. Liu the Immortal Maiden is still so spirited. I never expected to meet again here.”
“Ha, I’m someone who’s used to freedom—naturally I go wherever life is easier.” Tianji Zi smiled and continued: “Being able to receive the Khan and Prince Consort’s care, I’m living more comfortably in Tatar territory than I did in the Great Yan Dynasty. How about you—now that you’ve become a princess, what are your thoughts?”
“Thoughts?” Qin Yining almost retorted sharply.
She was a prisoner—did she really need to give her a detailed account of her psychological journey after being forced to leave Pang Xiao?
Tianji Zi laughed: “Never mind, if you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t. But you needn’t worry—your fortune is still very good. I imagine you’re benefiting from your husband’s luck, as that good fortune hasn’t run out even now. You should peacefully take good care of your health. Looking at you, you seem much more fragile than when you were unmarried.”
Regardless of her motives, at least this sentence showed genuine concern. They could be considered fellow countrymen meeting in a foreign land, couldn’t they?
The first time she’d met Tianji Zi was when her grandmother had taken her there.
Qin Yining thought of her grandmother’s family far in the south, wondering how that household of women and children was faring.
Qin Yining desperately wanted to return to the Great Zhou, but had absolutely no way to do so.
Seeing Qin Yining chatting happily with Tianji Zi, A’na Ri couldn’t help but feel her heart fill with vinegar as she said: “It seems Tianji Zi is quite familiar with her.”
Tianji Zi smiled gracefully: “We’ve met a few times. Her fate is good—truly a noble and invaluable destiny. Speaking of which, it’s somewhat similar to the Khan’s.”