The wind blew across the grasslands as swiftly as rumors spread. Li Weiyang and Guo Cheng made their way through the heavy crowds toward the golden tent. People stared at the Guo family members with strange looks. Just one day ago, everyone had been eagerly anticipating today’s arrival, hoping to make a grand showing at the hunting grounds and bag more prey. No one had expected such an earth-shattering event to occur in the blink of an eye. By now, people knew this matter involved Miss Guo, and they couldn’t help but cast sidelong glances at her.

Guo Cheng positioned himself in front of Li Weiyang, shielding her from most of the stares. Li Weiyang, however, maintained a calm expression, clearly unconcerned with others’ judgmental looks. If she had cared about public opinion, she would never have survived this long—such things had never mattered to her. As they approached the golden tent, they discovered it was packed with people. Judging by their attire, the nobles of Yuexi stood on the left, while the khans and generals of the grasslands occupied the right.

When the curtain moved, everyone turned their attention toward her. Li Weiyang stood to one side and looked toward the center of the tent. The Emperor of Yuexi sat on the left, while a middle-aged man occupied the tall throne draped with furs on the other side. The pelts were magnificent and extraordinarily rare—clearly this was the Great Khan of the grasslands. He appeared to be in his forties, wearing a tall hat encrusted with gold, silver, jade, and emeralds. Beneath the felt cap, several small braids of black hair hung down, specially adorned with many deep red or jade green beads. He wore Yuexi brocade robes, obviously gifts from the Yuexi people. Unlike others, he wore a scimitar at his waist with a golden scabbard and ivory handle. His appearance was extremely solemn and imposing, with particularly fierce eyes and deep wrinkles between his brows, all revealing his valor and ferocity from younger days. He sat there quietly, yet possessed an undeniable aura of kingship.

Li Weiyang observed them discreetly while people whispered among themselves upon seeing her. They already knew what had just happened—Prince Batu’s sudden death was a matter significant enough to shake the entire grassland. Now they had abandoned the hunt and were summoned to this golden tent, anxiously awaiting the judgment’s outcome with worried expressions.

The Great Khan looked at the young woman kneeling on the ground and sneered coldly: “How exactly did my son die? Speak clearly, or I will never spare you!” His voice was extremely cold, carrying the sound of a chilling blade wind.

Li Weiyang followed everyone’s gaze to the young woman. She was barely twenty years old, beautiful as a flower, but her skin had already grown rough. One of her originally lovely eyes had been blinded, covered by black hair across half her face, creating an eerie appearance. Li Weiyang immediately realized this must be the Princess Xiangyun they mentioned, daughter of the Prince of Jiangxia.

Princess Xiangyun wept mournfully: “Great Khan, yesterday evening the Prince returned injured and summoned the shaman physician to treat him. Seeing his injuries were severe, I carefully attended him at his side, not daring to leave for a moment.”

The Great Khan glanced at the black-robed shaman standing nearby: “Is what she says true?”

The shaman nodded and said loudly: “The Princess speaks truthfully. Prince Batu had two wounds—one on his left buttock, one on his right arm, both arrow wounds. Though not fatal, they were quite severe. When the Prince returned, he developed a high fever. I did everything possible to drive out the evil spirits and brewed herbal medicine. I instructed them to carefully watch over the Prince. I wanted to report to the Great Khan, but it was already late, and you were in discussion with His Majesty, so I dared not interrupt rashly.”

With the shaman’s confirmation, the Great Khan’s expression darkened: “Continue.”

Tears streamed uncontrollably from Princess Xiangyun’s intact eye. If not for her blind eye, this grief-stricken appearance would truly evoke Li Weiyang’s pity. Unfortunately, no matter how beautiful a woman might be, missing an eye made her look quite terrifying. The Prince of Jiangxia watched from the side, unable to bear it and looking away. In his view, such a lovely daughter married to such an ugly, crude, and discourteous grassland man was truly too pitiful. Now something even worse awaited her—the fate of widowhood.

Princess Xiangyun continued in a low voice: “At midnight, the Prince’s fever worsened. I was about to summon the physician again when a guard suddenly arrived, saying Prince Xu Yuan Lie had sent a box of excellent Bodhi medicine for arrow wounds because he felt guilty about injuring the Prince during the day. He urged me to apply it to the Prince, promising that within an hour, the inflammation would subside and the fever would break. I believed him and applied the ointment to the Prince’s wounds…” Her voice broke as she sobbed: “Who knew that before I could react, the Prince shouted ‘Prince Xu has harmed me!’ and then died.” As she spoke, she wept sorrowfully, concealing the deep unease and guilt in her eyes.

Everyone now turned to look at Prince Xu Yuan Lie, their gazes filled with fury. A khan from the grasslands stood up, shouting angrily: “Prince Xu! First you injured our Prince, and now you sent someone to poison him! You are truly audacious! Do you really think our grasslands can be bullied at will?”

Yuan Lie’s handsome eyes remained bright and his demeanor elegant and composed. He merely sneered contemptuously, interrupting the whispers: “Yesterday when I returned to my tent, I was exhausted. Moreover, Prince Batu was discourteous first—my injuring him was justified. Why would I send him medicine?”

“You…” Princess Xiangyun whipped her head around, glaring furiously at Yuan Lie. But as a delicate woman in public, she couldn’t openly rage. She could only say quietly: “You killed my husband and now you’re shamelessly accusing him. Have you no shame?”

Yuan Lie merely glanced at her, his eyes flashing with mockery: “Princess Xiangyun, I advise you to think carefully before speaking. Did that person last night truly claim to be sent by me?”

Princess Xiangyun grew angry: “I have never told a lie in my life. The great gods of the grasslands can bear witness—if I speak even half a falsehood, may wild wolves tear out my heart and scatter my bones.” She had never done anything wrong—this was to survive! She silently prayed in her heart for the gods’ forgiveness while taking this poisonous oath, staring at Yuan Lie with her single eye: “That person definitely said Prince Xu Yuan Lie had sent healing medicine. I’m simple-natured and didn’t suspect otherwise. Moreover, having grown up in Yuexi, I’m quite familiar with many palace remedies and had heard that Bodhi ointment is indeed effective for treating external injuries. It’s right here—you can examine it.” She placed the fragrant medicine box on the ground.

The Emperor of Yuexi said calmly: “Imperial Physician Liang, go examine it.”

Imperial Physician Liang was the accompanying physician on this journey. He emerged from the crowd, approached Princess Xiangyun, took the medicine in the blue and white porcelain box, and examined it carefully before saying: “This medicine is indeed Bodhi from the palace, used for treating external injuries. However, there’s a scent of rust—identical to the poison in Prince Batu’s body. This is our dynasty’s deadliest poison, red crane crest.”

Upon hearing this, everyone’s expressions changed drastically. The grasslands had no such palace secret medicines—it was the Yuexi people who brought their poisons here. The grassland’s heir had died at the hands of Yuexi’s Prince Xu—this was absolutely no small matter. Immediately, many grassland nobles angrily shouted: “A life for a life, a debt for a debt—Prince Xu must pay in blood!” “Batu was our Prince, the hero who would inherit the grasslands—how could he die so miserably!” “Right! Seize Prince Xu, cut off his head, and avenge the Prince!”

The grassland nobles were extremely agitated. If not for the Yuexi Emperor’s presence, they would have immediately rushed forward to kill Yuan Lie on the spot. In fact, many had already drawn their blades, waiting only for the Great Khan’s command to charge forward and hack Yuan Lie to pieces.

Seeing the crowd’s fury becoming uncontrollable, the Great Khan looked at the Emperor and said coldly: “Your Majesty, what do you say?”

The Emperor glanced indifferently at Princess Xiangyun and smiled slightly: “You lived in Yuexi and grew up in the palace—you should be very familiar with these medicines. Why didn’t you stop Prince Batu from using the medicine last night?”

Princess Xiangyun froze, then replied: “Your Majesty, please allow me to explain. Red crane crest is a palace secret poison after all—ordinary people have never seen it. Even I am not very familiar with its properties. Moreover, it was mixed with Bodhi—I could never have discovered it… I suppose I was too careless. If I had asked someone to carefully examine the medicine at the time, the Prince might not have…” Before she could finish, Imperial Physician Liang said: “No, even if the ointment had no poison, the Prince would still have died.”

Everyone was even more astonished. They watched as Imperial Physician Liang slowly looked around at everyone: “I’ve already examined Prince Batu’s body and found the arrow wound on his right arm particularly strange. The arrowhead was clearly poisoned. The killer originally intended to take Prince Batu’s life, but unfortunately the arrow’s toxicity wasn’t sufficient. Fearing he couldn’t kill him with one strike, he sent this medicine box.”

The Crown Prince watched impassively, his lips curved in faint regret, but deep in his eyes was amusement. Pei Hui smiled coldly, his sharp eyes revealing endless coldness. He thought lightly to himself: Yuan Lie, Li Weiyang—how will you escape guilt this time?

The Crown Prince said coolly: “Prince Xu, we’ve already heard everything. Prince Batu has always been rough and careless—he merely spoke a few words to Miss Guo because he found her beautiful, yet you dealt him such a vicious blow. This is truly chilling and has shamed the entire Yuexi imperial family, damaging relations between our two nations. How will you account for this?” As he spoke these words, he glanced sideways at the Emperor, wanting to know what the Emperor thought of this matter. However, regardless of the Emperor’s decision, Yuan Lie must be executed! His actions had reached a point where the entire imperial clan could no longer tolerate them! A cold smile crossed the Crown Prince’s face.

The Emperor glanced at Yuan Lie, seeing his calm gaze and half-smiling expression, and knew he was confident and unafraid of the interrogation. Relieved, he said coldly: “Prince Xu, what do you have to say?”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Lie acted as if he’d heard something extremely amusing, his smile taking on a cruel edge: “If I truly wanted to harm Prince Batu, I could have killed him with one sword. Why wait until evening to act sneakily? Such concealment would only make people suspect me, since I had a dispute with him during the day. Am I such a fool as to leave others such evidence? Furthermore, knowing I was sending poison yet claiming it was sent out of guilt—when he died the next day and people tested for poison, they would know I killed him. Are there such stupid people in the world?”

The Crown Prince sneered: “Not necessarily. Prince Xu has always been audacious—perhaps you calculated that Father Emperor wouldn’t make things difficult for you over this matter. Or perhaps you grew increasingly resentful of Prince Batu and were determined to take revenge, so you hastily sent the ointment. But without a reason, why would anyone believe you? Naturally you could only claim it was out of guilt. Poor Prince Batu was an honest man who thought you were truly apologizing, never expecting you would do such a thing. It’s truly chilling.”

The mastermind could have arranged for the medicine to be sent under a different pretext, but regardless of who was claimed to have sent it, it would ultimately trace back to Prince Xu Yuan Lie. After all, only he had a conflict with Prince Batu during the day. When Batu returned to camp in a panicked state, and his guards permanently disappeared, everything was already clear to everyone. Perhaps Prince Xu failed to kill him during the day and, regretting it at night, decided to silence him. Especially since the grassland people weren’t so cunning—hearing the Crown Prince speak thus, they believed it, growing even more furious. Some were already quietly brandishing their weapons at Yuan Lie…

At this moment, everyone heard Li Weiyang smile slightly: “Prince Xu is correct, and Princess Xiangyun’s words are also true. Both sides have valid points—it’s hard to know who to believe. However, I’m also involved in this matter. May I say a few words?”

The Emperor glanced at her, seeming to notice her for the first time, and said slowly: “Miss Guo, what do you wish to say?”

Li Weiyang stepped forward. Guo Cheng grabbed her wrist, but Li Weiyang looked at him and shook her head, signaling him not to worry. Guo Cheng released her hand, and Li Weiyang walked over: “Great Khan, may I examine Prince Batu’s body?”

Those nearby glared at her angrily: “What do you want to do to the Prince?”

Li Weiyang looked at them calmly, her voice steady: “Since Prince Xu is to be blamed, I will also be considered a femme fatale. I cannot bear such accusations. As the saying goes, one must have a name to send troops, and guilt must have evidence. Don’t the accused have the right to defend themselves? To defend myself, I naturally must present my own reasoning and doubts. Are you hiding Prince Batu’s body to deliberately conceal something?”

The grassland nobles’ expressions changed. They murmured among themselves: “This woman’s tongue is truly sharp. Let her look if she wants.”

The Great Khan waved his hand, ordering people to bring Batu’s body. Li Weiyang’s gaze fell on Batu’s right arm, which had just been examined for poison. She stared intently for a moment, her eyes cold, then said: “Prince Xu, may I see the prey you hunted yesterday?”

Yuan Lie smiled and nodded slightly at her: “They’re in my tent—you may retrieve them at any time.”

Before Zhao Nan could move, the Great Khan said: “No need—I’ll send people myself.” He nodded slightly, and soon people retrieved the two or three pieces of prey Yuan Lie had caught yesterday. Since Yuan Lie had focused on capturing the wolf cub, he had only shot one deer and two wild rabbits, all now tossed on the felt carpet.

Li Weiyang crouched down and carefully examined the arrow wounds on the prey, then said to everyone: “Look—the arrows Prince Xu uses are different from ordinary arrows.”

Everyone stood up and looked at the deer lying on the ground. The wound was indeed different from ordinary arrow wounds, as if something with hooks had pierced it. When pulled out, the flesh showed a serrated pattern—very strange. Everyone looked at Li Weiyang with surprised eyes as she continued: “Prince Xu, may I examine your bow and arrows?”

Yuan Lie looked at her, clearly already knowing what she was thinking. He smiled slightly and nodded. A guard brought his bow and arrows. Li Weiyang drew out Yuan Lie’s long arrow—it was a slender, sharp arrow longer than ordinary arrows. What made it unique was its high ridge along the back, with both edges of the blade covered entirely in barbs, gleaming coldly even in the tent.

Li Weiyang pointed at the arrowhead: “Prince Xu’s arrowhead has been modified—it’s covered in barbs. Once it pierces an animal or human flesh, unless the entire piece of flesh is torn, there’s no way to pull it out. The only method is to break the arrow shaft and use a small knife to dig out the arrowhead. I believe the shaman physician treated it this way yesterday.” She looked at the nearby shaman.

The shaman met her gaze and nodded: “Yes, correct. The wound on the Prince’s left buttock indeed…” His expression suddenly changed, and he turned to the Great Khan: “Great Khan, I suddenly remembered something very strange! When I treated the Prince’s wounds yesterday, I couldn’t extract the arrowhead no matter what, and had no choice but to dig it out as Miss Guo described. But removing the arrow from his right arm was extremely easy—it came out with a gentle pull, requiring little effort. Clearly they were shot from two completely different bows.”

At these words, everyone’s faces showed surprise and suspicion. The Great Khan said sharply: “Bring me those arrows.” Immediately someone brought Yuan Lie’s arrows to him. The Great Khan stroked the strange sharp arrow, feeling small barbs prick his hand. Having been on battlefields, he naturally knew this arrow’s fearsome power.

Yuan Lie smiled slightly: “I designed this arrowhead myself—outsiders don’t know about it. From ordinary appearance, you can’t see anything unusual. Only when it actually pierces someone’s body do you feel the difference, but who would normally pay attention? It’s only with Prince Batu’s case that people noticed. Not just me—each of my guards also uses this type of arrowhead.” He stood up, walked to Prince Batu’s body, and gently turned it over, then pointed at the wound on his left buttock: “See? A wound made by my arrow should look like this.”

Everyone looked at the Prince’s left buttock and saw that the wound there was indeed identical to the deer’s wound, while the wound on his right arm was completely different. At this, everyone’s expressions grew puzzled. The Crown Prince’s face changed dramatically—he hadn’t expected Li Weiyang to discover such minute details! He didn’t doubt Li Weiyang’s intelligence, but that she could notice such small things—this woman’s powers of observation must be extraordinary!

The shaman pondered for a moment before saying: “I remember the wound on the Prince’s left buttock had no poison, but the wound on his right arm contained red crane crest poison, exactly matching the ointment that was sent.”

The Crown Prince said coolly: “Even so, this doesn’t prove the arrow wasn’t shot by Prince Xu. Couldn’t he have deliberately changed to different arrows?”

Hearing this, Li Weiyang smiled coldly and said to Princess Xiangyun: “Princess Xiangyun, since you claim you applied medicine, why did you only treat his right arm and not the wound on his buttock? Isn’t this strange? Did you already know something?”

At these words, Princess Xiangyun’s face turned pale. The Prince of Jiangxia immediately spoke loudly: “Miss Guo, what do you mean? Are you saying my daughter knew the ointment was poisoned?”

Duke Qi, who had been silent until now, said: “Prince of Jiangxia, there’s no need to rage in shame. Ordinary people applying medicine would naturally treat all wounds on the body, but Princess Xiangyun only treated the right arm while ignoring other wounds. There’s only one reason—she already knew the ointment was poisoned and that just a little would be enough to kill Prince Batu, so there was no need to apply it elsewhere. Of course, there’s another reason.” At this point, everyone looked at Guo Suwang. They saw his eyes were cold as he said: “That is, Princess Xiangyun and Prince Batu’s relationship wasn’t good, or she was extremely disgusted with the Prince, to the point where she didn’t want to touch his other wound.”

Princess Xiangyun froze. Originally she could have had a female slave do this task, but Batu had always been brutal and tyrannical. Even injured, he cursed constantly and ordered her about—she didn’t dare slack off. Moreover, this matter was secret and she didn’t want more people to know, so she had dismissed the female slaves. Only she and Batu were in the tent, so applying the medicine fell to her. She just hadn’t expected Li Weiyang to trace things this quickly. She stared blankly at Li Weiyang, her eye almost showing despair, then threw herself at the Prince of Jiangxia’s feet in panic: “Father, I truly didn’t know, I knew nothing. I only thought Prince Xu was sincerely apologizing to Prince Batu, so I mistakenly trusted the ointment. Batu was my husband—why would I murder him for no reason? I would never do such a thing.”

Yuan Lie laughed coldly, glanced at Princess Xiangyun, and said indifferently: “The Princess was originally a Yuexi woman—it’s not strange that she disliked life on the grasslands. Wanting to take the opportunity to escape Prince Batu is understandable, but why pin this crime on others?” He clapped his hands, and his guards escorted a young woman in from outside the tent. She wore loose robes with a gold earring, knelt on the ground, bowed to everyone, then timidly glanced at Princess Xiangyun. Gathering her courage, she said loudly: “Last night this slave saw a stranger come to see the Princess. Finding it strange, I secretly followed and personally witnessed how familiar they seemed. That person even gave the Princess a jar of ointment. Fearing I’d be seen, I only watched her see that person out, then she entered the Prince’s tent.”

Yuan Lie sneered: “Oh? Was that person a guard I sent?”

The female slave shook her head, looking at Princess Xiangyun with added disgust. She was Batu’s most favored and fierce female slave, who had the opportunity to bear the young prince and rise to the position of mistress. But then Yuexi married off such a delicate woman to the grasslands, forcing her into second place. How could she not hate this? So she had been watching Princess Xiangyun, waiting for her to make a mistake. When Yuan Lie’s people found her, she unhesitatingly agreed to testify. Now she pointed at Princess Xiangyun: “No! I clearly heard that person say that as long as she did this deed, he would take her far away and never return to the grasslands. From the tone, the Princess knew that person—they had already colluded in secret, doing unclean things behind the Prince’s back!”

Hearing this, everyone’s faces turned various shades of pale and green. Li Weiyang smiled faintly: “Princess Xiangyun, you should honestly explain what this is all about.”

Princess Xiangyun sat there stunned. What she had feared had finally happened. She wasn’t surprised, but her heart was bitter to the extreme. Li Weiyang’s words sparked like embers in her heart, instantly igniting a raging fire. She abandoned her delicate demeanor, grinding her teeth audibly, saying with neurotic hatred: “Why should I have to marry such a person? How is he worthy of me? So crude, shameless, despicable! I wanted to kick him, bite him, kill him with a knife! If not for him, I could have returned to Yuexi, to my family. He should have died long ago! Should have died long ago!” Her words were bloody yet filled with hatred, fully exposing her fear and deep resentment of Batu.

The Great Khan looked at her in shock, his nameless fury rising: “You are Batu’s wife! How dare you do such shameless things!”

Hearing this, Princess Xiangyun grew even more enraged, almost jumping up: “It’s all his fault! He forcibly took me as his wife. I could have married my childhood sweetheart—we were well-matched and would have been harmonious. How did I fall to this state!” She suddenly rushed into the crowd, exposing her face like a madwoman: “Look at my eye, look at it! Outsiders say I cried myself blind from homesickness, but the truth is Batu gouged it out alive, just because I glanced at his brother. What did I do wrong? Just for looking at someone, my eyeball was gouged out! If I weren’t a Yuexi Princess, he would have bound me to a horse’s tail and dragged me to death like those female slaves. Why shouldn’t such a brutal person die? Why can’t he die? I hated him—he should have gone to the eighteenth level of hell long ago!”

Li Weiyang glanced at Princess Xiangyun and sighed inwardly. Somehow, she didn’t find the Princess so hateful. She was merely manipulated by the mastermind to frame Yuan Lie. The most detestable one was the person behind the scenes. Now that Princess Xiangyun had reached this state and Prince Batu was dead, she would be buried alive with him according to grassland royal protocol—even the Yuexi Emperor and Prince of Jiangxia couldn’t prevent it. Princess Xiangyun had been pushed to the extreme, which was why she believed the lie about running away together. If that man truly loved her, he would have taken her away long ago. She had been here for so many years before he thought of her—how was that possible? If Princess Xiangyun hadn’t desperately wanted to escape Prince Batu’s clutches, she wouldn’t have believed him—a man who had already abandoned her, who made her frame Yuan Lie. Li Weiyang deeply detested all men who used women’s deep feelings to do bad things.

At this moment, Princess Xiangyun had collapsed to the ground. She never imagined things would turn out this way. That person had promised her that once Batu died, he would take her far away, leaving this cursed grassland. She hated the people here, the grasslands, and the smell of cattle, sheep, and horse dung. She wanted to leave, return to ordinary life, return to her parents where she’d never hear Batu’s voice again, return to her beloved’s embrace.

Actually, she knew that person had already betrayed her—otherwise why come to her only now? But this was her last lifeline. Her father had abandoned her, no one could save her. So many letters begging for help, yet all that came back were a few empty words of comfort. She could no longer endure Batu’s brutality and cruelty. Now with a lifeline before her eyes, how could she not grasp it like a vine to climb down? She only wanted a chance to escape! Having said all that, she felt utterly ridiculous herself, and could only press her knees against her face and weep bitterly.

Seeing her cry so miserably, Li Weiyang also felt sad. She gently walked to her side, patted Princess Xiangyun’s shoulder as if to comfort her: “Princess, if you reveal who instigated this, I can plead with the Great Khan to spare you.” Li Weiyang looked at the Great Khan: “Princess Xiangyun was merely manipulated by someone. The true mastermind behind this is the one who truly deserves death. Great Khan, don’t you agree?”

According to grassland customs, women who betrayed their husbands must be made into human candles, also called burning human oil wax—an extremely cruel punishment where the criminal was stripped naked, wrapped in hemp cloth, then soaked in an oil vat. At night, they would be tied upside down to a tall wooden pole and set alight from the feet. But given the current situation, if Princess Xiangyun said nothing, everything would be buried in dust. No one would know who the lover was in Princess Xiangyun’s tent that night, and Prince Batu’s death would remain unsolved. The Great Khan glanced at Li Weiyang, his gaze stern: “Can you guarantee she’ll reveal everything?”

Li Weiyang looked at Princess Xiangyun: “If that person loved you, he wouldn’t have pushed you to such an irredeemable situation. I think you already understand in your heart—if you had truly listened to him and framed Prince Xu Yuan Lie, the first person he would kill would be you, because you know too many secrets. He won’t take you away, nor will he let you live in this world. Princess Xiangyun, I believe you’re an intelligent woman. If not driven to desperation, you wouldn’t have believed him. If you reveal everything, I can guarantee you won’t be punished.”

Princess Xiangyun never expected that at her final dead end, someone would extend a helping hand. She looked at Li Weiyang, her gaze revealing a trace of sorrow. Then she grabbed Li Weiyang’s wrist, her crying abruptly stopping. Her single eye gleamed strangely beneath her disheveled hair.

Li Weiyang’s heart jolted. At this moment, Princess Xiangyun looked into Li Weiyang’s eyes—those cold pool-like eyes held not only sympathy but also determination. Why would someone she had slandered turn around and help her? She just looked at Li Weiyang, that single eye revealing an indescribable sadness. She slowly said: “Can you truly guarantee this?”

Li Weiyang nodded: “Yes, I guarantee it.”

Princess Xiangyun suddenly raised her hand, pointing at the young man trying to quietly slip out of the tent. Everyone’s gazes drifted over to see a refined young gentleman in fine silk trying to leave the tent. Several fierce grassland warriors immediately blocked the entrance and seized him. Li Weiyang smiled faintly: “Young Master Pei Bai, I truly never expected—so you are Princess Xiangyun’s lover.” This person was precisely the Pei family’s fourth son, Pei Bai. He was handsome as jade with red lips and white teeth, exceptionally distinguished. No one would have imagined he was Princess Xiangyun’s lover.

Princess Xiangyun didn’t look at him, only wailing loudly.

Li Weiyang merely sighed: “Young Master Pei, you abandoned the Princess first, then instigated her to frame Prince Xu second. Worst of all, you also killed Prince Batu. How should we settle this account?”

All color drained from Pei Bai’s face. He shouted: “No, it wasn’t me! This woman is falsely accusing me, I absolutely…”

Halfway through his words, the Prince of Jiangxia roared: “Shameless wretch! Years ago, you and my daughter were in love, even saying you’d send someone to propose marriage. I acquiesced to your relationship. Later when Prince Batu took interest in Xiangyun, I had no choice but to repeatedly petition His Majesty, who finally married my daughter to the grasslands. At that time, I begged your Pei family—if you had Empress Pei speak up and think of a solution, my daughter wouldn’t have had to marry this godforsaken place! But what about you? You became a coward, pretending to know nothing, immediately rejecting Xiangyun, even saying you’d sever all ties. You wolf-hearted, dog-lunged wretch—harming Xiangyun once wasn’t enough, you had to harm her a second time!”

At this point, what wasn’t clear? Everyone looked at the Pei family with extremely cold eyes. Pei Hui and the other young masters no longer wore their earlier composure. Pei Hui stepped forward, about to speak for Pei Bai, when the Great Khan said coldly: “The truth is now clear, Your Majesty. What do you say?”

The Yuexi Emperor glanced carelessly at Pei Bai, as if looking at an abandoned dog, his eyes full of contempt: “To dare murder Prince Batu and collude with the Prince’s consort—hand this person over to the Great Khan for disposal.”

“I was wrong! I know I was wrong, Your Majesty, spare me!” Pei Bai fell to his knees with a thud, crawling forward on his knees as if grasping for some hope. But the Emperor remained unmoved, so he immediately threw himself at the Crown Prince’s feet: “Your Highness the Crown Prince, please speak for me, save me!”

The Crown Prince was about to speak when the Great Khan said sharply: “Batu was my son. Whoever killed him must pay with blood.” His voice rose, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

“I know nothing, that woman is falsely accusing me.” Pei Bai waved his hands excitedly. His former noble demeanor had completely vanished. As he desperately tried to defend himself, a flash of white light suddenly descended, and his body was split in half. Blood splattered everywhere, spraying the Crown Prince’s face.

The Crown Prince looked in horror at the person who had just been clutching his robe, now cleaved in two. Behind the split body appeared the Great Khan’s figure holding a long blade. Pei Bai’s body instantly spurted massive amounts of blood. The felt carpet was covered in bloody carnage. The Yuexi noblewomen present had never seen such a gruesome scene—they screamed and retreated. Some of the timid ones had already fainted.

Pei Hui cried out in anguish: “Fourth Brother!” Then rushed forward.

Li Weiyang watched this scene coldly. Not a drop of splattered blood touched her. The moment the Great Khan stood up, Li Weiyang had already realized he intended to kill. No matter how beautiful the body, when struck with such a blade, blood still flew, white bones showed, utterly horrifying.

Seeing this situation, the Crown Prince was extremely nervous, his entire body going limp. Guards nearby reached out to support him. In the entire tent, everyone stayed far from the corpse. Only Pei Hui’s anguished screams could be heard, along with the grassland khans’ raucous laughter. The Great Khan looked disdainfully at the body split in two, arrogantly sheathing his blade. Then he looked at the Yuexi Emperor: “A life for a life. This matter is settled.”

The Great Khan had over ten sons. Without Batu, he could have others inherit his position, so Batu’s death didn’t represent much. However, he couldn’t tolerate having the Great Khan’s bloodline killed so casually. If he didn’t take revenge, even he as Great Khan would be looked down upon. So he had to make the culprit die. This Pei Bai was born into the Pei family, a prominent first-rank clan. His death also meant the end of this matter. Since the Great Khan would pursue it no further, others had nothing more to say.

Li Weiyang smelled the pungent bloody odor in the tent and couldn’t help but wrinkle her brow. Then she saw Yuan Lie quickly walking toward her, his handsome face wearing a slight smile: “Let’s go.”