Pei Xian was escorted to the golden tent where the khans and nobles of the grasslands had already seated themselves to hear the trial.
The Great Khan looked at Pei Xian with an icy expression and asked those around him: “This is the person who wanted to assassinate me?”
Pei Xian raised his head, glanced at the Great Khan, and said expressionlessly: “You executed my brother, so naturally I wanted to avenge him. The people who assassinated you tonight were all sent by me, but all this was my own doing, unrelated to the Pei family. Please, Great Khan, do not vent your anger on them.”
The Great Khan sneered: “On the grasslands, the rule is that one person acts, one person bears the consequences. Since you have the courage to admit it, it means you accept the punishment.”
A trace of imperceptible resolve flashed through Pei Xian’s eyes. It wasn’t that he didn’t fear death, but his death alone was better than dragging the entire Pei family down with him. Li Weiyang’s move was truly too ruthless. If Pei Xian hadn’t spoken up just now, the person stepping forward to take the blame would probably be his second brother Pei Hui. Pei Hui was the Pei family’s leading figure—he absolutely couldn’t fall here. Pei Xian understood this very clearly, so he stepped forward without hesitation. But now that the moment had come, he still felt the fear of approaching death.
At this moment, the Crown Prince couldn’t stand watching any longer and said loudly from the side: “Great Khan, there are still mysteries in this matter. Please give me a chance to prove it to you.” He had only said half his words when Prince Jing Yuan Ying picked them up. Yuan Ying smiled faintly: “Crown Prince, before everyone’s eyes, that assassin ran into the Pei family tent. If the Pei family had no guilty conscience, why would they execute the assassin yet refuse to hand him over? What is this if not silencing witnesses? If the Pei family had honestly handed over the assassin when the Guo family went to search just now, that would prove their innocence. Now the evidence is conclusive. I advise Your Highness the Crown Prince not to speak for them anymore, lest people suspect…”
The Crown Prince’s eyebrows stood on end: “Suspect what? Are you saying I’m also an accomplice in assassinating the Great Khan?”
Prince Jing Yuan Ying merely smiled slightly and said slowly: “Your Highness, you’re overthinking it. That’s not what I meant. It’s just that you’ve always been close with the Pei family, and the Pei clan is your maternal family. No matter what, you cannot let personal matters override public duty and disregard the Crown Prince’s dignity.”
The Crown Prince had a high hat slapped right on his head and couldn’t say a word. Indeed, everyone present could plead for Pei Xian, but his words would seem improper. The Pei family was certainly important, but nothing compared to his own reputation. Thinking this, he instinctively glanced at Prince Jing, his heart filled with extreme hatred for this younger brother.
Seeing this scene, Prince Qin smoothed things over: “All right, all right, you two need not argue over this. Since Young Master Pei has already admitted to everything, he can only be disposed of by the Great Khan.”
After capturing the Pei family people, the Emperor of Yuexi returned to his tent to rest without concern. At this moment, the golden tent was mostly filled with grassland nobles who naturally detested anyone who dared assassinate the Great Khan. Combined with what had just happened with Pei Bai during the day, the Pei family appeared increasingly hateful in their eyes. Immediately a khan stood up and said loudly: “Great Khan, please execute this person according to our grassland customs! Otherwise it will be difficult to quell public anger!”
The Great Khan narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly: “Since everyone has no objections, let’s proceed according to our old rules.” Guards in the tent quickly stepped forward. Though Pei Xian was resolved to face death, his expression still changed. He didn’t understand the grassland’s rules, nor did he know exactly how regicide was punished, but he had already made up his mind—whether he stretched out his head or shrunk it, it was still one blade. Since he was shouldering this crime for his family, what did he have to fear?
Pei Xian glanced at Pei Hui beside him, who was forcibly suppressing his fury, bit down hard on his teeth, and said not a word.
Pei Xian was led out of the tent while the Yuexi nobles watched him depart. Whispers spread through the crowd: “How will the Great Khan dispose of this person?” “Who knows? The grassland people’s rules are different from ours in Yuexi.” “Yes, in Yuexi, the crime of regicide means exterminating nine generations of the family, and the person himself would be executed by slow slicing. What punishment does the grassland have?” Everyone’s faces showed curious expressions. Of course, some felt it wasn’t worth it for the Pei family and felt regret for this noble young master Pei Xian. Among the crowd, only the Crown Prince’s gaze was gloomy, remaining silent. Pei Hui took a step to rush forward, but his vision went black and he suddenly fainted.
Yuan Lie glanced at Li Weiyang. In the night, her face appeared especially pale, those slender eyebrows and clear eyes tinged with the gentle glow of moonlight. He smiled slightly and said, “Do you want to go see how they punish Pei Xian?”
Li Weiyang turned her head to look at him: “Is there some novel method?”
Yuan Lie laughed heartily, those amber eyes carrying several parts mystery: “Just come with me.” They walked toward the execution ground. Not only them, but other Yuexi nobles were also very interested in the grassland’s punishments, following in groups of three or five.
Prince Jing Yuan Ying also walked out of the golden tent. He quickly tried to catch up with Li Weiyang when suddenly a young woman blocked his path. The girl wore red robes, was exceptionally beautiful with a slender figure, her eyes looking at him earnestly with an extremely delighted tone: “Prince Jing.”
This was precisely the Great Khan’s daughter, Princess Ali. Ever since Prince Jing had accompanied the Emperor to a hunt three years ago, whenever Princess Ali had an opportunity, she would circle around him—clearly smitten at first sight. Unfortunately, Prince Jing had always been very polite to her but not intimate. Seeing him here now, Princess Ali’s expression showed boundless delight. She stepped forward and grasped Yuan Ying’s sleeve: “I went to your tent looking for you several times, but the guards all said you weren’t there. Are you deliberately avoiding me?” Her eyes blinked as she said this, infinitely aggrieved: “Do I really annoy you that much?”
On the grasslands, Princess Ali was the most beautiful girl and the target pursued by many warriors. She had never been so ignored before. She just didn’t understand why Prince Jing didn’t like her and kept avoiding her.
Yuan Ying gazed at Princess Ali’s bright face, then smiled: “Princess Ali, you’ve misunderstood. These past days I’ve been accompanying Father Emperor, so I wasn’t in the tent.”
Princess Ali froze: “Are you telling the truth?” Without waiting for his answer, she hurriedly said: “You’re really not deliberately avoiding me?”
Yuan Ying naturally shook his head. Actually, he knew Princess Ali was a very good girl, but he didn’t plan to marry into the grasslands. A prince with a foreign wife was equivalent to cutting off the possibility of ascending to the throne in the future. Princess Ali’s status was extremely noble—if she married him, she would definitely be the principal consort. The principal consort’s son would naturally be the heir, inheriting his position in the future. Obviously, civil and military officials would never agree to a child with grassland blood inheriting the throne. Thinking this way, if he married Princess Ali, Yuan Ying’s chips in pursuing the throne would decrease by three parts. So this was the fundamental reason he avoided Princess Ali.
But now he couldn’t explain all this clearly, because Ali was a simple and kind girl. Yuan Ying didn’t plan to hurt her, so he would rather keep a respectful distance, hoping she would give up on her own. But he underestimated Ali’s persistence—this young girl had thought of him constantly for three years, valuing him greatly.
Yuan Ying glanced at the direction Li Weiyang had disappeared, couldn’t help but feel somewhat anxious, and took two steps forward. Princess Ali quickly blocked his path: “Where are you going? To chase that Miss Guo? Why do you like her? Is there something I’m not doing well enough?”
Ali was different from Pei Bao’er. Pei Bao’er spoke with three parts jealousy and indignation, making her expression fierce. But Ali wore a purely innocent expression. She was just puzzled, just didn’t understand. In her view, she thought she was quite good—everyone liked her too. So why didn’t Yuan Ying like her?
Yuan Ying smiled bitterly: “She’s my cousin. This time I came out, my aunt gave me thousands of instructions to take good care of her. That Prince Xu Yuan Lie clearly has ulterior motives, so I can’t let them be alone together. That’s the reason I want to catch up. Princess Ali, please don’t misunderstand.”
Ali raised her eyebrows: “Don’t think I’m a child. You’re always saying the same things Father does to trick me. I know you just like her. Just now in the tent, I saw you staring at her the whole time without looking away!”
Yuan Ying froze. He hadn’t expected Princess Ali’s powers of observation to be so keen. He frowned slightly and nodded: “That’s right, she and I do have a marriage agreement. In the future, I will marry her as my principal consort.”
Ali’s heart grew anxious. She stamped her foot: “Why? If she likes you, why didn’t she even glance at you just now? She and Prince Xu are the real pair! She doesn’t like you at all!” Ali spoke very innocently. She hadn’t thought about the consequences of these words, which were like a knife stabbing into Yuan Ying’s heart. His gaze suddenly turned cold. Ali didn’t notice his displeasure, instead gripping his hand tightly, her voice crisp: “Otherwise, don’t go back—just stay on the grasslands, all right? I’ll accompany you hunting and riding horses. It will definitely be wonderfully happy.”
Princess Ali’s face was snow-white, her gaze clear and transparent. Such innocent and carefree expressions were absolutely impossible for the reserved noble young ladies of Yuexi to possess. If Yuan Ying didn’t want to inherit the throne, he might seriously consider this matter. But looking at Ali’s face, his mind flashed with that plain, indifferent countenance. His heart trembled as he shook off her hand and said coldly: “Princess, please hurry back. Don’t follow me anymore.”
Princess Ali said urgently: “Why are you sending me away?” As she spoke, tears fell. “I know you haven’t put me in your heart at all. When we first met, you smiled at me. I thought you had at least a little favorable feeling toward me…” She couldn’t continue.
A trace of impatience flashed through Yuan Ying’s heart, but he could only say gently: “Princess Ali, I’m not a good match for you. There are plenty of warriors on the grasslands who like you very much.”
Princess Ali’s tears rolled down: “But I only like you. If you don’t want to stay on the grasslands, I’ll go back to Yuexi with you, all right? I just want to be with you.” Her face was very innocent. In this grassland girl’s heart, there was only what she liked and didn’t like—she couldn’t think of other complex interests and relationships at all. She didn’t know Yuan Ying had never thought of bringing her back to Yuexi, had never thought of marrying her. This was determined by their identities. So even though Princess Ali’s expression was very sorrowful, Yuan Ying still pushed her away and said indifferently: “I should go. I’m sorry.”
Li Weiyang and Yuan Lie arrived at the grassland’s execution ground. In her view, it was a very strange place. The grassland people had made a huge fire plate from iron sheets. Below this plate was suspended space filled with dried branches and straw. They drove Pei Xian onto the fire plate and lit the fire pile below. Li Weiyang watched this scene, her gaze becoming somewhat strange. She turned to ask Yuan Lie: “What are they doing?”
Yuan Lie had conducted research on the grasslands, so he knew very clearly what they were doing, but he merely smiled slightly: “Keep watching and you’ll know.”
Li Weiyang’s gaze once again fell on that fire pile. The fire had been small at first but gradually grew larger, the temperature gradually rising. Though they stood very far away, they still felt the scorching heat the fire brought. Pei Xian’s gaze became terrified. On the iron sheet, he kept switching feet left and right, constantly sweating. As the temperature rose, he even began running continuously, his entire person panting as if his whole body was soaked with sweat. Just as the Yuexi nobles’ gazes all showed astonishment, guards on the watchtower beside the iron plate poured down several buckets of cold water. That water gathered and fell like a waterfall. Then the guards used a rope to lasso Pei Xian’s neck like catching livestock, pulling him down onto the iron plate. Everyone was completely frightened by this eerie scene. They only heard the sound when flesh contacted the red-hot iron plate—an extremely heart-rending scream, followed by a sizzling sound. Then barefoot guards rushed up and flayed off an entire human skin alive, their movements clean and efficient, no different from skinning a sheep.
Li Weiyang only heard a sound more horrifying than a pig being slaughtered. She couldn’t help but instinctively step back. She turned her head and looked at Yuan Lie in surprise: “Why are they doing this?”
Yuan Lie’s smile was warm, his voice also pleasant: “They’re flaying human skin alive. The flayed skin will be used to cover drums. Oh, right, the leg bones will be made into horns, and the skull will be made into a skull bowl. Have you seen skull bowls?”
Li Weiyang shook her head. Yuan Lie’s eyes sparkled, his smile becoming even warmer: “When we came, we once saw grassland skull bowls at the market. They were inlaid with gold and silver, some embedded with jewels. Do you remember? One skull bowl cost exactly ten thousand taels of silver. These will all become collectibles for grassland nobles. Of course, the grassland people’s original purpose in making these wasn’t to sell them, but only to make ritual implements. Those shaman physicians you saw just now—they rely on these ritual implements to cure illnesses and save people. Also in temples, everywhere are ritual implements made from human bones. Their origins are all prisoners who committed extremely evil crimes.”
Among the Yuexi nobles, those timid ladies and young misses seeing this scene were all frightened unconscious. They hadn’t imagined that in this world, people still used such terrifying methods to flay human skin alive. This was even more frightening than those punishments of execution by slow slicing—truly hair-raising!
Li Weiyang sighed lightly: “This death method is truly quite interesting. This Great Khan is just killing the chicken to show the monkey.”
Yuan Lie curved his lips and nodded: “Grassland people have always been brave and barbarous. Those who dare commit regicide naturally won’t have a good end. For Pei Xian to receive this is already exceptional mercy.”
Over there, the guards had actually flayed Pei Xian’s skin alive, then cut off the skull from the brow bone, leaving extremely even marks. Then that guard was seen sending the sawed skull portion to the grassland shaman waiting at the side, while his four limbs were also all severed to serve as future materials for making ritual implements. Such punishment was not only cruel but also barbaric, yet no one dared speak out to stop it. Because when those grassland guards did all this, they murmured incantations in their mouths, appearing very solemn and mysterious, clearly very devout. In everyone’s eyes, this punishment had a kind of slaughter-like mysterious beauty, more like a magnificent living sacrifice.
Li Weiyang didn’t want to watch anymore. She sighed, turned, and walked in the opposite direction. Yuan Lie followed her, watching her expression, couldn’t help but ask: “Do you think this punishment is too cruel?”
Li Weiyang gently shook her head, her breath fragrant: “It’s all his own doing. If he hadn’t harmed people first, why would I need to treat the Pei family this way? Him killing me is justified, but my resistance is wrong? Moreover, the grassland people did this with their own hands. My hands haven’t been stained with a drop of blood.”
Yuan Lie smiled slightly and nodded: “It’s good you haven’t softened your heart.”
Li Weiyang continued walking forward. She hadn’t softened her heart, but she felt somewhat nauseated. The grassland people’s punishment methods were three parts crueler than hers. Just then, Li Weiyang saw Princess Ali. She was alone crying very sadly not far from the golden tent. Li Weiyang wanted to pretend she didn’t see, but Ali looked up and saw her, quickly running over, her gaze piercing as she looked at Li Weiyang, her eyes carrying several traces of sorrow. Li Weiyang was somewhat surprised. She truly couldn’t figure out what the recent execution of Pei Xian had to do with Princess Ali. Why would she cry so sadly?
Ali sobbed: “Prince Jing… Prince Jing…”
She didn’t finish her words, but Li Weiyang understood. Yuan Lie smiled slightly and stepped back several paces, leaving the space to these two women. He believed Li Weiyang would definitely make Princess Ali understand, because her words were always sharp and showed no mercy.
Li Weiyang looked at Princess Ali, her gaze revealing a trace of indifference: “Has Your Highness the Princess been rejected by Prince Jing?”
Ali froze: “How did you know?”
Li Weiyang thought, if not for this, why would you cry so sadly? But her face wore a faint smile: “Princess, the warriors of the grasslands are most suitable for you. No matter who you marry, you can live very happily. But if you go to Yuexi, I’m afraid you won’t be able to obtain your beloved, and will instead put yourself in a difficult situation.”
The Princess looked at Li Weiyang uncomprehendingly. She had no deep hostility toward her, but always felt a bit sour when facing Li Weiyang. Seeing through her thoughts, Li Weiyang merely smiled faintly: “Although Prince Jing’s manor doesn’t yet have a principal consort, in order to maintain bloodline purity, even if Prince Jing married you, he could only wrong you to be a side consort. At that time, you won’t be the proud princess of the grasslands, but a woman waiting for Prince Jing’s favor in his manor, your status lowered by a rank. When he marries a principal consort, she and his son will inherit Prince Jing’s title, while your children will only be of concubine birth. You may not understand what concubine birth means. On the grasslands, every prince has inheritance rights. Although the eldest prince has first inheritance rights, the Great Khan’s other sons also have opportunities to inherit his position. But in our Yuexi, only the principal consort’s children have the right to inherit everything.”
What Li Weiyang said wasn’t wrong. Not everyone could be like Prince Xu Yuan Lie, obtaining the old Prince’s and Emperor’s tacit permission to inherit the title.
Princess Ali looked at Li Weiyang and showed a shocked expression. Li Weiyang knew she couldn’t understand, so she explained softly: “In Yuexi, you won’t only face identity issues, but also customs and habits. Did you see Princess Xiangyun? She didn’t like the grassland’s sheep milk, didn’t like the grassland’s wind and sand, even less did she like the grassland’s crude men. What about you? Will you like the reserve of Yuexi nobles, like their scheming against each other, like their mutual crushing? Once you marry Prince Jing, you’ll have to help him strategize, constantly figure out his thoughts, deal with his enemies, win over his allies. Can you do all this, Princess?”
Ali opened her eyes wide in shock. She hadn’t imagined a marriage could be so complex. Wasn’t marrying just about you liking me and me liking you? Most people on the grasslands did it this way. Why couldn’t it work when it came to Prince Jing Yuan Ying?
Li Weiyang’s face was calm, her eyes pitch-black like crystal as she smiled slightly: “You can’t do it, can you? You’ve grown up on these grasslands from childhood. In your view, right is right, wrong is wrong—there’s no middle ground. Someone like you couldn’t survive a year in Yuexi’s imperial family. You’d probably even bring trouble to Prince Jing. Since you like him, how can you bear to bring him trouble? Moreover, being ten thousand miles from home—what does that mean? It means you’ll never be able to return to these grasslands again. At that time, whether you speak or act, people will watch you, making you feel suffocated. Can you truly endure it? Is your feeling for Prince Jing enough to support all this?”
Ali was so frightened she stepped back several paces. Though she wanted to refute, she knew every word the other party said was true. Because she could see that these Yuexi noble young ladies all had thoughts that twisted and turned hundreds of times. Any single sentence could be considered from many aspects. Obviously simple matters would all be made very complex by these people, which greatly confused Ali.
Li Weiyang no longer spoke. Then her skirt hem lightly brushed past Ali’s side. Just as they were about to pass shoulder to shoulder, Princess Ali suddenly called out: “Did Prince Jing ask you to tell me these things?”
Li Weiyang turned to look at Princess Ali’s puzzled face and smiled: “I said these things only because I wanted to. I don’t want to see a free person become a bound puppet, and even less do I want to see an originally cheerful person forcibly change their nature to cater to others.” She didn’t know why she was kind-hearted enough to say these things to Ali. Perhaps she saw someone’s shadow in Princess Ali. When you persistently love, you always want to give up everything, only wanting to give the other party the best, but don’t think about whether others need it or not. Although Princess Ali was simple and easily instigated by Pei Bao’er, she really wasn’t a bad person. Though she felt a bit sour toward Li Weiyang, she had never truly used methods against a romantic rival.
Ali suddenly sighed. She said slowly: “But the grasslands won’t be peaceful in the future either.”
Li Weiyang saw her dejected expression and couldn’t help but feel strange: “What does the Princess mean…”
Princess Ali looked at her silently: “With eldest brother’s death, my brothers will all start competing against each other. Though they’re not as clever and cunning as Yuexi princes, they all fight with their lives. No matter who wins, people will die. So I don’t want to stay on these grasslands anymore. I want to go back to Yuexi with Prince Jing.”
Li Weiyang froze. She hadn’t expected Princess Ali’s persistence toward Prince Jing had this aspect too. Princess Ali’s expression was gloomy as she continued: “I hope third brother can inherit the Great Khan’s position, but he’s the least likely to inherit.”
A trace of something unusual flashed through Li Weiyang’s expression. In her view, Princess Ali’s brother the third prince was very clever and talented enough to inherit the great position. Just from his action today of chasing out of the tent to deliberately curry favor with herself and Yuan Lie, one could see he was a person with hundreds of twists in his thoughts. His proposal to remarry helped Princess Xiangyun, thus naturally arousing favorable feelings from Yuexi nobles and gaining considerable support. But why did Princess Ali say he was the least qualified to inherit the Great Khan’s position?
Seeing Li Weiyang’s expression, Princess Ali sighed: “Because my third brother isn’t the Great Khan’s biological son.”
Li Weiyang was completely stunned. Princess Ali, seeing her surprised expression, hurriedly explained: “My mother is the Great Khan’s side consort, but she was originally my uncle’s wife.”
Li Weiyang suddenly understood. She looked at Ali tentatively: “Could it be the third prince he…”
Princess Ali nodded: “My third brother is a posthumous child. At that time, my uncle raised troops in rebellion and was executed by my father. Later, Father took over all his wives and concubines, including my birth mother. Less than three months later, she gave birth to my third brother. So everyone on the grasslands knows he’s not the Great Khan’s biological son.”
Li Weiyang sighed. On the grasslands, because population reproduction was difficult, men indeed would adopt children who weren’t biologically theirs. This wasn’t strange. However, with the Great Khan having so many princes, for the third prince to want to inherit the throne was indeed very difficult. No wonder he was so eagerly striving, desperately trying to win over Yuexi nobles. She looked at Princess Ali and couldn’t help but ask: “Why is Your Highness the Princess suddenly telling me this?”
Princess Ali bit her teeth: “I just want to tell you that third brother very much hopes I can marry Prince Jing. He was the one who urged me to confess my feelings.”
Li Weiyang understood even more clearly. So the third prince wanted to depend on Prince Jing. However, he wasn’t a stupid person and should understand very clearly Prince Jing Yuan Ying’s position of not marrying Ali. So why did he do this? There must be some reason. She glanced at the golden tent and saw the Crown Prince and second prince Baru walking out shoulder to shoulder, occasionally whispering. Seeing this scene, Li Weiyang vaguely guessed the truth. Presumably Baru had attached himself to the Crown Prince, which made the third prince anxious to offer courtesies to Prince Jing. In Li Weiyang’s view, the third prince was much more cunning than the second prince, so he was very likely to win the Great Khan’s position. As for bloodline, in fact, before power, it really wasn’t that important.
Princess Ali suddenly said loudly: “I don’t care what third brother’s reasons were for making me do this. I’m not doing it for anything else—I just want to return to Yuexi with Prince Jing. But I still have to thank you for saying all this to me. You’re a good person. In the future if there’s an opportunity, I’ll repay you.”
Li Weiyang saw her expression was so determined and couldn’t help but sigh. In this world, there truly were girls who wouldn’t turn back until they hit the southern wall.
Having said this, Princess Ali turned and ran away. Even running far, she turned back to glance at Li Weiyang. Even a fool would know everything Li Weiyang said today was true. Her original resentment toward Li Weiyang thus dissipated into smoke.
Over there, the Crown Prince said a few words to Baru, then made an excuse to send him away. Then after everyone left, he deliberately waited for half an hour until he was certain no one would see him, then quietly returned to the golden tent. The Great Khan smiled slightly: “Crown Prince, what brings you visiting late at night?”
The Crown Prince cupped his hands: “I wonder what the Great Khan thinks of my proposal from yesterday?” Yesterday he had already presented Empress Pei’s request to the Great Khan. He thought today the Great Khan would take action, but never imagined the Pei family matter would occur. In his view, Li Weiyang was simply unforgivable. Even his best patience had been exhausted. He could no longer tolerate this person’s existence.
The Great Khan smiled slightly, his voice adding a trace of coldness: “Crown Prince, I don’t owe Empress Pei anything. Just because she says something doesn’t mean I do it. Who exactly is the Great Khan of these grasslands?”
The Crown Prince frowned and instinctively stepped forward: “Great Khan, does this mean you refuse to serve my mother?”
“No!” The Great Khan cut him off sharply. “If it were other matters, I would naturally do my utmost for Empress Pei. But this matter is very difficult. When I agreed to you before, I hadn’t thought that Miss Guo of the Guo family would actually collude with Prince Xu. This way, her identity becomes very special! You should know His Majesty the Emperor is very fond of Prince Xu. If I hurt his beloved, he’d be crazy not to fight me to the death.”
The Crown Prince raised his eyebrows: “Is the Great Khan afraid?”
The Great Khan smiled faintly: “I’ve never feared anyone in my life, but it depends on whether it’s worth it. If I became enemies with the Emperor of Yuexi and Prince Xu over a few bolts of cloth, a dagger, and some tea leaves, I’m not that stupid.”
“More than just a few bolts of cloth? Some tea leaves? Mother has given you many benefits.” The Crown Prince couldn’t help but clench his fists. The Great Khan saying this was clearly deliberately reneging! He couldn’t help but step forward again: “Moreover, Great Khan, you already personally agreed. Are you going back on your word now?”
The Great Khan’s smile became even more amiable. He beckoned to the Crown Prince, indicating he needn’t be angry, then said calmly: “Crown Prince need not be anxious. We can sit down and talk slowly about whatever needs saying.”
The Crown Prince was annoyed. What more was there to say? Refusing was refusing. What “talk slowly”? Yesterday it was clearly agreed, now going back on it—was he afraid of Li Weiyang? The Crown Prince couldn’t help but think that if the Great Khan wouldn’t act, he didn’t want to do it himself, and even less did he want to be stained with blood or invite disaster. The Crown Prince pondered for a moment and softened his tone: “Great Khan, your alliance with my mother hasn’t been just a day or two. Have I done something improper in etiquette that angered you? I apologize to you, but this matter is truly very important. If the Great Khan is willing to do this for us, I can supply the grasslands with one thousand sets of iron armor annually. How about that?”
The Great Khan smiled slightly: “That won’t do. I have hundreds of thousands of troops. With one thousand sets a year, when would they all be fully armed? You Yuexi people have a saying about not worrying about scarcity but about inequality. How would I explain to the nobles who don’t get armor?”
The Crown Prince gritted his teeth: “If armor isn’t enough, I can offer the iron-smelting technique. The Great Khan should understand that Yuexi’s iron-smelting technique is the most advanced. I can send specialists to teach you.”
The Great Khan was shocked. Yuexi’s complete set of iron armor weighed only fifteen pounds, adding horse armor made only thirty pounds total. Not only was it very sturdy but also very durable, ranking first among all nations. Such armor couldn’t be bought even with gold in the past—it was tightly controlled by Yuexi officials. Yet this Crown Prince was using iron armor in exchange, even willing to teach them iron-smelting techniques. Was Li Weiyang truly this important? Must she be put to death?
Actually, the Crown Prince originally hadn’t wanted to pay such a great price. But what Li Weiyang did today truly shocked him. He hadn’t expected that with one move, she would make the Pei family unable to return. Today, besides Pei Hui, Pei Bai was cleaved in half, Pei Yang was beheaded, and Pei Xian was flayed alive. Such deaths were too miserable—even the Crown Prince couldn’t help but feel fearful. If things continued developing this way, his turn would probably come. The more he thought, the more afraid he became, involuntarily increasing his stakes.
The Great Khan saw through his urgency and pretended difficulty: “The Crown Prince’s goodwill is appreciated, but iron-smelting techniques are good, yet without iron ore, I’m helpless.”
Iron ore?! The Crown Prince couldn’t help but look at him, his gaze flashing with cold light. This grassland man’s ambition was truly too great.
There was a moment of quiet in the golden tent. The Great Khan seemed to see his difficulty and didn’t seem to mind, finally smiling: “For this very reason, I can only appreciate the Crown Prince’s goodwill in my heart. I truly don’t dare violate His Majesty the Emperor’s intentions. If he knew I did such a thing, he definitely wouldn’t easily let me go. I’m truly still fearful of Yuexi’s million iron cavalry.” As he spoke, he looked at the other party cunningly.
The Crown Prince’s heart grew anxious. He immediately said: “Great Khan…”
The Great Khan waved his hand, his voice overriding his: “If the Crown Prince has no other business, please leave.”
What a promise-breaking old fox! The Crown Prince looked at him resentfully, turned and walked away. But before taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned back, his gaze on the Great Khan, his voice becoming extremely low: “What if I promise the Great Khan that after I ascend the throne, I’ll grant you three cities rich in iron ore?”
The Great Khan looked at the Crown Prince in surprise, his gaze finally revealing a trace of interest: “Oh? One thousand sets of armor annually, iron-smelting techniques, plus iron ore from three cities—the Crown Prince truly makes a grand gesture.”
The Crown Prince gritted his teeth: “This stake absolutely cannot be raised further. If you’re truly unwilling, I’ll find someone else!” He turned to leave.
The Great Khan hurriedly said: “No rush, no rush. Let’s talk it through.” He immediately shouted outward loudly: “Someone, serve wine.”
The Crown Prince’s heart relaxed. He realized the Great Khan had agreed. He quickly sneered, then asked: “When do you plan to act?”
The Great Khan merely smiled slightly, avoiding answering. The Crown Prince cursed this old fox over and over in his heart. Tonight’s trip, the other party had forcibly made him add three conditions. In fact, before Empress Pei came, she had already instructed him not to be tricked by this old fox, squeezed into surrendering so many alliance conditions. This was something the Crown Prince hadn’t expected. If Empress Pei were here, she definitely wouldn’t agree. But the Crown Prince couldn’t care about so much now. Seeing the Pei family’s miserable state truly made him terrified beyond endurance. As long as he never had to see Li Weiyang again, he was willing to pay this price. After all, the last condition required him to ascend to the throne first. Who knew what would happen by then? Once he controlled all of Yuexi’s armies, whether to give or not give would ultimately be his own decision! With Yuexi’s million heroic lions in hand, would he still fear this old fellow wouldn’t listen?
Thinking this, the Crown Prince’s expression couldn’t help but relax. He took the fine wine from the table and toasted the Great Khan: “I’ll drink first, wishing the Great Khan immediate success.”
The Great Khan smiled warmly: “Well said, well said. Your Highness just wait for my good news.”
The two smiled at each other knowingly. The Great Khan thought with a cold sneer—this Crown Prince had cleverness in abundance but insufficient experience. If Empress Pei were here today, she would absolutely force him to agree without bloodshed. The Crown Prince was still too green! In fact, as early as when the Crown Prince mentioned iron-smelting techniques, the Great Khan had considered proceeding with the original plan. He just wanted to raise the price to see what price the Crown Prince would pay. Now he already knew Li Weiyang’s value.
At this moment, Li Weiyang had already returned to her own tent. The maid at the entrance saw her return and immediately greeted her: “Miss, you’ve returned.”
Li Weiyang nodded slightly and entered the tent to find the three Guo brothers waiting for her. They had just finished bandaging their wounds but refused to rest, their expressions showing a trace of excitement.
Guo Cheng lay to one side, actually disregarding his injuries, happily drinking wine while shakily peeling peanuts. Seeing Li Weiyang, he immediately stood up: “Little sister, you’re back.” Li Weiyang smiled: “Third brother, you’re so leisurely and content. It made my heart nervous for half the evening.”
Guo Cheng looked at her with a smile: “When have I ever failed to accomplish what you’ve instructed?”
Li Weiyang merely smiled slightly and sat to one side, efficiently peeling a peanut and tossing it into her mouth. Her gaze fell on Guo Dun nearby, her eyes concerned: “Fourth brother, how is your injury?”
Guo Dun waved his hand carelessly: “Just a small wound, no problem! But I chopped off that guy’s head—truly satisfying!” As he spoke, he showed an extremely excited expression.
Only then did Li Weiyang notice that Guo Dao’s expression seemed to hold hidden worries. Li Weiyang’s gaze turned to him, her voice gentle: “Fifth brother, is something the matter?”
Guo Dao sighed: “This isn’t good. Didn’t you see Father’s eyes just now? He clearly blames us for not telling him beforehand. I’m afraid there will be great chaos when we return.”
Li Weiyang’s expression didn’t change: “If you don’t remove the grass by the roots, it will grow again in the spring wind. Father isn’t blaming you for acting rashly, but blaming you for not being able to kill all four Pei brothers.” Her expression was calm—clearly she wasn’t afraid of any punishment. Dare to act and dare to acknowledge it—that was Li Weiyang’s character!
Guo Cheng glanced at her and couldn’t help but shiver. When Li Weiyang first proposed this plan, he thought it was very risky, yet was unwilling to give up such an opportunity. In fact, Li Weiyang originally didn’t plan to involve the Guo family brothers. But if ordinary Imperial Guards went to search, the Pei family people would probably make way. Only with the Guo family people present would the Pei family refuse to endure such humiliation. This subtle change in human psychology—only Li Weiyang could grasp it so precisely.
Guo Dao peeled the peanut in his hand without speaking. He knew Li Weiyang’s meaning. If his actions had been a bit faster today, whether Pei Hui or Pei Xian could have been killed with one blade, eliminating future troubles forever! Now leaving one Pei Hui still left some hidden danger. Either don’t do it, or do it thoroughly—eliminating the Pei family’s elite generation was equivalent to cutting off the Pei family’s retreat!
Li Weiyang merely smiled faintly: “You need not worry. The Guo and Pei families are already mortal enemies. Adding another score makes no difference. Don’t look at their current wealth and glory, with Empress Pei turning clouds with one hand and rain with the other. But eventually that day will come.”
Guo Dao sat right next to Li Weiyang, close beside her. Seeing her speak with sparkling eyes, her face exceptionally delicate and beautiful, his gaze flickered as he gazed at Li Weiyang’s face, then instinctively reached out his hand toward her. Li Weiyang froze and turned her head to avoid it. Guo Dao was startled, then smiled slightly: “Don’t move, there’s something dirty here.” He helped Li Weiyang wipe away black ash that had somehow gotten on her face.
Guo Dun had originally been pouring wine into his mouth, but seeing this scene, he was immediately frightened. The wine didn’t even make it down his throat, flowing straight down to his chest. Li Weiyang’s expression was also very inexplicable. Guo Dao merely withdrew his hand and smiled awkwardly: “What, fifth brother can’t even wipe your face?”
Li Weiyang saw his appearance and felt a trace of strangeness in her heart. But after all, she had never put her thoughts on romantic feelings between men and women, and had never particularly paid attention to Guo Dao as a person. So she just smiled: “Of course it’s fine.”
Guo Cheng at the side watching this scene fell into thought, his gaze carrying a trace of unease and melancholy. He vaguely felt that fifth brother seemed even more infatuated with Li Weiyang than before.
Guo Dun had already reacted. He was a relatively rough and careless person. Seeing this situation, he truly believed Guo Dao’s explanation. Moreover, his mood was very excited today—he wouldn’t think very deeply at all. He slapped his thigh: “Now only Pei Hui and Pei Bao’er are left. But they’ve caused such great trouble. Look at how the grassland nobles look at the Pei family people—their days probably won’t be easy! Hmph, best to eliminate them all in one sweep!”
Li Weiyang’s smile was gentle, her eyes clear and bright: “Yes, it’s easy to dodge an open spear but hard to guard against hidden arrows. Looks like the Pei family people really need to think about how to avoid the grassland nobles’ hostility and return safely to Yuexi.”