After a period of calm, the situation in Jianghuai grew tense once again as the weather turned cold and relief supplies ran short. As temperatures continued to drop, the battle at Shanhaiguan remained deadlocked. Nearly 100,000 soldiers from the Twenty-Four Imperial Guard Units protecting the capital had been deployed to the Shanhaiguan front. Yet they still couldn’t decisively defeat Kumor’s army, and could only garrison within Shanhaiguan’s walls, maintaining strict defenses. One thing was certain – if these 100,000 troops failed to hold Shanhaiguan, the capital would lose its last barrier and be exposed to the Jurchen cavalry.
The lights in the Hall of Mental Cultivation remained bright through each night. Since that time I truly began serving as consort, Xiao Huan hadn’t summoned me again. As the weather grew increasingly cold, I stayed in Chuxiu Palace, too lazy to go out.
After about half a month of such days, I was idly poking at the foot warmer in my room when Xiaoshan entered and said, “My lady, someone from Yikun Palace says Noble Consort De wishes to invite you to view antiques.”
“That woman?” I had been too preoccupied to pay attention to Xing Yiyong lately and had almost forgotten about her. I lazily gathered the loose hair that hung over my shoulders. “Help me change clothes later.”
The palace maids arranged my hair in a falling horse-tail bun, dressed me in a figure-fitting pink gauze dress, and then added a red fox fur cape. I then let the maid from Yikun Palace lead the way out.
I had wanted to bring Jiaoyan along, but for some reason, Xiaoshan couldn’t find her after searching everywhere. Thinking she might have gone to find Ying again, I didn’t worry about it.
Xing Yiyong was a calm woman with ambition – this was always my assessment of her. When someone is calm, their actions aren’t easily swayed by emotions. When someone has ambition, they become particularly cautious. Based on this, I felt at ease about Xing Yiyong. So when her little palace maid said halfway that Noble Consort De had changed the meeting place to Yanchun Pavilion, I merely touched the flexible sword hidden at my waist before following her.
Yanchun Pavilion was close to the Imperial Garden. Apart from occasional gatherings of consorts to appreciate flowers, it was usually quiet. Entering the square hall of Yanchun Pavilion, my eyes briefly blurred while adjusting to the sudden darkness. In that instant, pain shot through my waist, and then my hands were grabbed and twisted behind my back. By the time I tried to look back, my cheek was already pressed against the cold floor.
At the same time, several muffled cries came from outside. Blood splattered on the floor and bodies fell with dull thuds – most of the eunuchs and maids I had brought were likely already dead. The boxwood doors of Yanchun Pavilion quickly closed. Two pairs of shoes appeared before my eyes – very different pairs. One had satin uppers embroidered with blooming peonies, adorned with bright red tassels. The other was hemp-soled cloth shoes without any decoration.
“See? I told you her martial arts skills could be easily subdued without wasting my incense.” This voice was sweet and crisp, with an underlying chill like colliding icicles.
“I just wanted to be thorough.” It was Xing Yiyong’s voice. Following those elaborately embroidered shoes upward, I saw her expressionless face.
Though being looked down upon wasn’t pleasant, I still smiled at her: “Good morning, Elder Sister Noble Consort De.”
“Silence!” Xing Yiyong’s usually calm face suddenly turned vicious as she accurately kicked my abdomen. “You worthless thing!”
She must often use this move to abuse the little palace maids in her palace. The kick made me hiss in pain.
“I told you such unnecessary actions were pointless. You women are always so tedious.” The one in hemp shoes was indeed Ying. She bent down to look at me: “We meet again, Empress.”
Ying hadn’t changed into thicker clothes, still wearing that thin white garment. She narrowed her bright eyes and smiled: “Actually, I’ve thought before – it would be better if you weren’t the Empress.”
“So even if I weren’t the Empress, whatever woman who is Empress would still be in trouble today?” I caught the opening in her words, swallowed some salty blood, and smiled as I spoke.
“That’s one way to put it. Finding my brother’s favored woman was too troublesome, so we simply decided to target his wife. After all, having his wife kidnapped would achieve the same result.” Ying spoke candidly, following the conversation. She surprisingly referred to Xiao Huan as ‘brother.’
“Stop wasting words with her.” Xing Yiyong commanded the person in black holding me down in a low voice, “She has a weapon at her waist. Remove it first.”
Do they even know about the sword at my waist?
That person smoothly pulled the flexible sword from my belt, seeming to weigh it in hand before speaking in a cold voice: “So this is the Willow Wind.”
Willow Wind was the name of my flexible sword. My master had given me this sword before passing away, saying it was a legendary famous blade. This person even knew the sword’s name.
I smiled at Ying: “Finding women your brother likes may be difficult, but finding ones he doesn’t like is simple. The one with you now, I dare say, is someone he doesn’t like.”
“Worthless!” Xing Yiyong kicked my abdomen again, her aim never failing, revealing how much hatred she must harbor for me.
“You think I like that man?” After this kick, Xing Yiyong flew into a rage as I had hoped, shouting chaotically: “Who is he? He’s nothing but an incompetent man who can’t even grasp real power. What of their Xiao family’s empire? It will eventually become scorched earth under iron hooves! And you – who do you think you are? Putting on Empress airs before me every day. To hell with the Late Emperor’s edict! To hell with the Cabinet’s First Minister! I’m waiting to see when Great Wu’s dynasty changes hands tomorrow – when that man turns to ash, let’s see if you can still play at being Empress!”
“So… your father Xing Yu has allied with Kumor, planning to betray us?” Finally hearing what I wanted, I drew a breath. This woman had no martial arts training yet kicked so viciously – it seems those who normally speak of poetry and propriety become most terrifying when they turn cruel.
“What good does knowing do you now?” Getting worked up, Xing Yiyong crouched down and grabbed my hair bun, forcing me to look into her eyes. “Empress, aren’t you so clever and calculating? Quick, go tell that man what you’ve learned from my mouth! I’ll tell you plainly – my father has already planted agents in Shanhaiguan, and the gates will soon open to let the Jurchen in. Also, we’re going to kill that man now. Go warn him! Tell him to quickly prepare defenses!”
Ignoring the nearly hysterical Xing Yiyong, I looked at Ying: “You’re going to kill Xiao Huan?”
Ying nodded with an innocent smile: “Yes, my fire-proof robe was finished weaving last night. Once I change into it, we can go kill him.”
Though I didn’t want to discourage them, I still sighed and said: “It won’t work. You can’t kill him.”
“Stop being stubborn.” Being too close, Xing Yiyong’s face became completely distorted in my view, horrifically twisted. “You think saying this will keep that man from dying?”
I turned my face away, avoiding the spittle flying from her mouth: “I’m not being stubborn, I just know you absolutely cannot kill him. Here’s some advice – when things start going wrong later, don’t fight hard, just run for your lives. He won’t pursue to the bitter end, he’ll leave you an escape route.”
“Ha!” Xing Yiyong shook my head by my hair. “Empress, rather than worry about us, you’d better consider your fate.”
“Just two possibilities – either you kill me or someone rescues me.” I smiled. “Is there anything else?”
“You’re so naive, Empress,” Xing Yiyong now laughed particularly wildly. “Haven’t you considered what would happen if we sent you to Kumor’s army camp to serve the Jurchen troops? Don’t you think that would truly destroy the face of the Xiao family of Great Wu? The Great Wu Empress becoming a plaything for all – even Emperor Taizong in the ancestral temple would die of shame!”
“That’s assuming you can transport me out of the Forbidden City. The Imperial Guard isn’t incompetent – do you think you can manage it?” I gave a cold laugh.
“We discussed it and can do it!” Ying said from the side, then spoke to the person in black holding me: “With Little Chang here, taking you out of the Forbidden City will be easy.”
“Mm, perhaps.” The person behind me spoke again, their voice very deep, revealing considerable age, yet strangely possessing a natural refinement. Every sentence seemed to carry a faint, implicit smile. “I just thought – wouldn’t it be better to use your puppet incense to control this woman and make her kill your brother?”
“Really?” Ying seemed to listen to him closely, immediately considering it. “That would indeed save effort, and our chances of success might be higher.”
“It won’t work. Xiao Huan knows I carry a sword and has always been wary of me. It can’t succeed.” I gave another cold laugh.
“Oh? I’ve heard that the sword of the Vermilion Bird branch of the Xiao family is called the King’s Wind – an invincible imperial blade. The only sword that can counter the King’s Wind is the heartless blade of Willow Wind. Isn’t your sword the Willow Wind?” That person spoke leisurely.
For him to speak so clearly about this legend known to very few, he might truly be a formidable figure.
“That still depends on who wields the Willow Wind.” I tried to stay calm, giving another cold laugh.
“Regardless of who wields it, such an interesting matter is worth trying.” That person ignored my words, smiling as he spoke. “Little Ying, use the incense on her, make her go kill Xiao Huan.”
Ying nodded with an “Oh” and reached for her pocket.
“Wait! Didn’t we agree? We’re sending this woman to the Jurchen to serve their troops!” Xing Yiyong disliked this proposal, standing up to argue with Ying.
“You’re such a troublesome woman,” Ying frowned unhappily. “I ignored all your pointless talk earlier. No wonder my brother doesn’t like you. If you don’t move aside, I’ll deal with you too.”
Xing Yiyong was furious, suddenly stammering: “You… what did you say…”
Taking advantage of this moment, I glanced at the figure standing silently in the corner of the room, then struck my captor’s ribs with my elbow, grabbed the Willow Wind from the ground, and thrust the sword at that person: “Jiaoyan! I treated you well, why would you do this to me?”
That person who had been turning their face away was indeed Jiaoyan. She hurriedly blocked my long sword with her knife, saying: “No… Empress…”
“I’ll kill you, you little traitor!” I shouted as I thrust another sword strike. Jiaoyan’s martial arts were originally not high, and her knife technique was even more rudimentary. Now with tears in her eyes as she held her knife, she seemed barely able to parry. The other three people, unwilling to interfere in this master-servant grudge, stood by watching with their hands behind their backs.
Just as the Willow Wind reached Jiaoyan’s throat, I suddenly withdrew the force concentrated in the blade. The flexible sword drooped down limply. I tossed aside the Willow Wind, grabbed Jiaoyan’s knife, and violently thrust it into my shoulder.
Xing Yiyong and Jiaoyan cried out simultaneously.
Gripping the blade, I gave a cold laugh: “I’ve thought about killing Xiao Huan one day, but I won’t let you manipulate me into doing it. If he’s to be killed, I’ll do it with my own hands!”
“I never expected you’d do this.” The person who had been holding my shoulders earlier walked closer, laughing. I saw his face for the first time – it was as pale as a ghost’s. Though he was smiling, his face seemed to be crying. “I wonder if marrying such a woman is a blessing or a curse for him.”
“That’s none of your concern.” I laughed coldly. I’m not someone with strong willpower – blood dripped down the blade onto the floor, and my vision was already becoming blurry.
“Empress… I didn’t want to… Master wouldn’t let me tell you… Empress…” Jiaoyan held the knife, unsure whether to let go or pull it out, calling to me through tears.
I smiled at her: “I understand. I don’t blame you. And don’t hate Xiao Huan – though he’s the Emperor, many times he has no choice either.”
“How can you do this? You vain, greedy woman, how can you do such things for him?” Xing Yiyong suddenly ran over and grabbed my shoulder, almost screaming.
In her tear-filled eyes, I saw deep despair – the kind of despair that borders on madness. Had she once hoped, and that’s why she despaired?
She hated me so much because she loved Xiao Huan, didn’t she? She had fallen in love unknowingly, then unknowingly became mad at him.
Was I doing this for Xiao Huan? No, I simply lacked the courage to end everything.
Suddenly, a hand reached from behind and covered my nose. The fragrance was like a sweet dream, instantly capturing my mind.
The last thing remaining in my consciousness was Jiaoyan’s cry: “Empress…”
Don’t call me Empress anymore. Perhaps from now on, I won’t be the Empress anymore.
I awoke to the creaking of wagon wheels. As far as the eye could see, there was endless golden pasture.
Waves of grass undulated in the wind, while a few straight white poplars stood silently on the prairie. The sky was vast, with mountains forming a line at the horizon. At first glance, it had a somewhat desolate autumn feeling.
This was a slow-moving cart. I didn’t know how long it would take to reach Shanhaiguan at this pace, though Shanhaiguan wasn’t far from the capital – a fast horse carrying battle reports could make the round trip in about a day.
I lay on my side in the open cart. My left shoulder wound no longer hurt, just felt itchy and numb. A hand was gently pressing there, applying the medicine.
I wasn’t in a hurry to see who was treating me, but first looked down to examine my attire: coarse hemp clothing.
Looking up again, the clip-clop of the old horse’s hooves, the endless pasture, the autumn wind – everything was so clear. I had truly left the Forbidden City.
For a moment, I found myself smiling.
“Awake?” It was the voice of the man in black who had kidnapped me at Yanchun Pavilion. He sat at the cart shaft, turning to treat my wound. The old horse pulling the cart had no one guiding it, ambling leisurely along the packed yellow earth of the official road.
“Shouldn’t a young woman scream and push away a strange man who’s opening her clothes and touching her skin?” he asked with a smile as he applied the medicine.
“Why scream? Out here in the wilderness, no one would hear anyway, so I might as well not pretend to be modest. Besides, pushing you away now would pull at the wound – that would hurt. You think I’m that foolish?” I said, licking my somewhat chapped lips.
“Seems you’re quite afraid of pain. Yet you still stabbed yourself despite fearing pain? You didn’t want to harm that person?” he asked with a smile.
“You misunderstand. I simply didn’t want to be killed by his own hands. Did you think such simple tricks could kill him? In the end, I’d just be dying with you all – not worth it.” I spoke casually, half-closing my eyes in the pale sunlight, enjoying this lazy moment.
“He’s just an emperor who knows martial arts and fire techniques, and his constitution is weak. Why are you so confident in him? Is he that difficult to deal with?” He seemed interested as he asked with a smile.
I didn’t know how to answer for a moment: “You’ve wanted to kill Xiao Huan for years now, haven’t you figured out his true capabilities?”
“Some things remain unclear. The Xiao family members are experts at appearing mysterious,” he said with a smile.
“Well said.” I curled my arm to support my head, making myself more comfortable. “Then you must know about the mysterious Xiao Yunzong who made such a sensation in the martial world last autumn?”
“You mean the one who single-handedly took the Evil-Conquering Sword from the world’s greatest swordsman Wen Yuxian, defeated the Four Great Manors of Jiangnan at the Huqiu Assembly, and subdued the Four Guardians of the Spirit Jade Sect, making them sign a twenty-year peace treaty with the Jiangnan martial world? Truly a young hero, dazzling the martial world. Though afterward, this young master Xiao vanished without a trace, leaving only a beautiful tale for later generations to remember. How could I not know? Even now, storytellers in the capital’s teahouses and wine shops still eagerly discuss and analyze this story.”
“That Xiao Yunzong was Xiao Huan’s alias. Before the Huqiu Assembly, countless people wanted his life but couldn’t touch a hair on his head. So do you think you can kill him with just a fire-proof robe and some incense?” I shook my head. “Though I’m surprised someone made the story into a performance piece.”
“Some people are born to be revered. No matter how much they try to hide their brilliance, they will eventually shine,” he said with a faint smile. Having finished applying the medicine, he took out some gauze and carefully bandaged my wound.
I gave a light snort. Having left the Forbidden City, I spoke much more freely: “Who would revere that fellow? He acts so dignified usually, but he’s terrified of suffering – his face turns green at the mere mention of taking medicine.”
“You know him so well? Did you learn this after becoming his wife, or were you familiar before?” he asked with a smile.
“Isn’t it all the same?” I brushed off the question casually, then asked, “Your martial arts seem quite good. Why not join Ying in assassinating Xiao Huan? Wouldn’t that improve your chances?”
“About that,” he smiled, “we two cannot fight each other.”
“Whatever you say.” I lazily yawned, then looked up at him with a smile. “Say, big brother, could you help me? Don’t send me to Kumor’s army as a camp follower. There’s no one else here – you could secretly let me go, then tell the others I killed myself on the way. After you release me, I promise to vanish without a trace. I can take care of myself, and I’ll never show my face in the capital again. How about it?”
“In this situation, shouldn’t you be begging me to kill you to avoid violation?” he said with a smile.
“One shouldn’t speak of death so easily,” I sighed. “Never mind if you won’t agree.”
He had finished bandaging my wound and turned to take the reins, making the cart move faster.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly smiled: “Though I can’t release you, I still have a way to help you. How about that?”
“Whatever you like.” I narrowed my eyes, letting the vast late autumn scenery retreat before me. This moment of thinking nothing was truly comfortable.
I did hate the Forbidden City. For leaving that place, or rather for leaving Xiao Huan, I felt an indescribable anticipation.
The cart swayed along, reaching Shanhaiguan by dusk.
By rights, when Xing Yiyong made her move into the palace, Xing Yu’s agents in Shanhaiguan should have already led troops to defect to the enemy. But when we arrived at Shanhaiguan, the Great Wu’s red and black flame banner still flew on its majestic walls – it hadn’t been replaced by the Jin Dynasty’s golden dragon flag. In the distance, beacon fires burned continuously at the front of the pass, suggesting fierce fighting was still ongoing.
The man cracked his whip. The old horse, stung by pain, galloped toward the battlefield before the pass.
I quickly called out: “What are you doing? They’re fighting furiously over there – aren’t we just rushing to our deaths?”
“If we don’t cross while the battle is still undecided and both sides are fighting, do you think we can get through the pass once the dust settles?” He gave a long laugh. “Little girl, are you afraid of dead people?”
I hesitated, then quickly said: “No.”
“Good.” Before he finished speaking, a Jurchen cavalry rider galloped over. By now both sides had been fighting for some time. Seeing someone charge in, the Jurchen rider didn’t even question us but shouted and swung his blade.
The horses beyond the pass were strong and spirited. The Jurchen cavalry especially excelled at short-distance charges. In an instant, the gleaming blade was before my eyes.
“Hold tight to the cart!” I was about to duck down and cover my head when he gave a sharp command.
The Jurchen iron cavalry and the decrepit cart passed each other in an instant. Several drops of warm blood splattered on my face, and something rolled under the cart wheels – seemingly a head still wearing an iron helmet.
I quickly looked up. The Jurchen rider’s head had already vanished from his mount, leaving only a torso still gripping the blade. Blood mist shot skyward from the neck, while the body maintained its charging posture, still holding the sword.
“Don’t look – you’ll see plenty more ahead.” The man gave a light laugh, with an eerily pleased tone. In his hand was my Willow Wind sword, still dripping blood.
As he spoke, he cracked the whip again. The old horse pulled the cart forward, wheels rolling over corpses, stumbling and bumping along. Not far ahead, three more riders charged toward us wielding spears. These riders wore dark steel armor – they were Great Wu soldiers.
I hurriedly pulled at him: “These are our Great Wu cavalry – you’re going to kill them too?”
“My little girl, ‘our Great Wu’? Do you still think you’re one of Great Wu’s people?” With a sneering laugh, he suddenly grabbed my waist. “Get ready – we’re changing horses.”
“Who goes there?” Seeing civilians approaching, the three riders shouted first instead of attacking directly.
But in that moment of hesitation, the man’s sword flashed like a screen of light, piercing one rider’s throat. He kicked the rider’s corpse, then leaped up, holding me as he mounted the vacated horse.
Seeing the sudden change, the remaining two riders shouted and charged.
The man didn’t linger to fight. He simply ducked his head slightly to avoid their attack, then galloped away, leaving the two riders far behind.
Afraid he would turn back to kill the two Great Wu riders as well, I quickly grabbed the reins: “We’ve got the horse – let’s hurry and go.”
“Very well, I obey the Empress’s command.” He smiled as he rode. “I forgot to tell you – my name is Gui Wuchang.”
“Gui Wuchang?”
“Yes. The world is impermanent, and the path home is hard to find. I hope you’ll remember this name.” Gui Wuchang said, handing me a blood-dripping blade. “Hold tight, don’t lose it.”
I didn’t know his intention but quickly gripped the sword handle.
As we spoke, we had charged to the front of Shanhaiguan.
The battle before the pass was brutal. Corpses littered the ground before the half-open gates, and inside the pass, bodies were piled half a man’s height. Blood and floating corpses had dyed the moat water crimson.
Gui Wuchang paid no attention to the fighting forces on either side, spurring the horse straight through a gap toward the front of the pass.
Great Wu soldiers still held Shanhaiguan’s towers. Seeing someone approach, they loosed arrows like falling stars. Gui Wuchang wielded the Willow Wind in a circle of light, deflecting every arrow without letting a single drop through.
But however skilled in his martial arts, he could only protect himself and me. Before we reached the city gate, our date-red warhorse cried with pain and collapsed to its knees. Our momentum threw us forward.
I landed on a corpse, sticky blood coating my hand. Looking up, I met the helmet of another corpse, its hollow, deep gaze reflected in my eyes.
I cried out in shock. Before I could get up, Gui Wuchang pushed me aside: “Find a way to protect yourself.”
Bringing me to this hellish place and telling me to protect myself? Before I could curse him, I raised the blade in my hands. Catching a flash of steel from the corner of my eye, with no time to think, I swung horizontally to meet it.
The blades met with a clang, striking against the heavy weapon, numbing my arm. The wind whistled in my ears. I looked up to see a pair of eagle-like grey eyes gazing down at me.
Now arrows were deflecting all around me. Before me stood a pure black warhorse. Atop it, a young man in golden armor wielded a long blade, casually deflecting the rain of arrows while looking down at me.
Under the steel helmet, his face was sharp-featured, his lips thin as a sword edge, curled in a somewhat mocking smile. His thick eyebrows swept into his temples. This man exuded an undeniable authority – just smiling there amid the flying arrows, he seemed as if the world already lay beneath his horse’s hooves.
“Great Khan, this is Great Wu’s Empress.” Gui Wuchang had jumped to the city gate, casually smiling as he dodged arrows.
Great Khan? Could this young man be Kumor? I had always imagined him as a grizzled old man, but he was so young – judging by his face, he couldn’t be much different in age from Xiao Huan.
“The Han Emperor’s woman?” Kumor bent lower, seemingly interested, his smile deepening. “Woman, your blade work isn’t bad.”
“Great Khan,” an officer rode closer while deflecting arrows, saying to Kumor, “We’ve lost over half our troops, and night is falling. Should we continue the assault?”
Kumor’s eagle-like eyes suddenly narrowed: “That fox Qi Chengliang – we’re done here.” As he spoke, he reached down and grabbed my arm.
I tried to break free, but just his grip on my arm left half my body painfully immobilized.
Pulling me onto his horse, he gave a long laugh. “At least we didn’t leave without catching some prey. Withdraw!”
The officer acknowledged the order, took out a horn from his waist and blew several uneven notes. The fighting Jurchen cavalry began turning their horses to retreat.
Gui Wuchang also mounted a warhorse, following the Jurchen withdrawal. Though retreating, the Jurchen cavalry maintained perfect order, showing no signs of defeat.
Trapped on Kumor’s horse, watching Shanhaiguan’s walls grow more distant, I truly realized that I had now left Great Wu.
Before I could think more, the Jurchen main camp appeared before us. White tents dotted the valley like scattered chess pieces. It was dinner time – campfires glowed between the white tents, with wisps of cooking smoke rising into the air.
At a glance, this Jurchen camp sprawling through the valley seemed endless. It appeared their claimed force of 400,000 troops was no empty boast.
Kumor’s command tent stood protected in the center of the camp, spacious and magnificent. Still gripping my hand, he dismounted and dragged me into the tent, throwing me onto a wolf skin rug.
Removing his helmet, he didn’t look at me but sat in the tiger skin chair at the head of the tent and smiled at Gui Wuchang: “Following Master Gui’s strategy this time, we had hoped to take Shanhaiguan in one stroke. Unfortunately, the Han were prepared – that spy was discovered by Qi Chengliang before he could defect. Though we attacked the walls during their internal chaos, we still couldn’t take the pass.”
“Great Khan need not worry. The Han have grown soft from peace, having lost their edge long ago. Great Khan taking Shanhaiguan and striking at the Han capital is only a matter of time. If not this time, we’ll surely succeed next time.” Gui Wuchang spoke casually from the side. He seemed highly respected by Kumor – even before other officers, he didn’t bow to Kumor and maintained a casual attitude.
“Master speaks truly.” Kumor laughed heartily, showing no concern for this defeat. “We didn’t come away empty-handed either. Master has brought us the Han Emperor’s woman, so tonight we’ll make her a slave girl for our Jurchen warriors to enjoy. We can humiliate that Han Emperor and vent our anger.”
Tonight? So soon? Just as I was about to despair, Gui Wuchang smiled and said: “Great Khan, I think it would be better not to make this woman a camp follower.”
“What does Master suggest?” Kumor quickly asked, showing great regard for Gui Wuchang’s opinion.
“The Han claims to rule through culture and learning and place great importance on status and rank. This woman is an empress, of the highest status. If Great Khan makes her a common camp woman, when the Han learn of this news, it may inflame their anger and make them fight even harder.” As Gui Wuchang spoke, he glanced meaningfully at me.
Having been held by Kumor for so long without daring to resist, I was already angry and shot him a fierce glare.
“Then how does Master suggest we handle this woman?” Kumor asked with a smile.
“Why doesn’t Great Khan take her as a consort? Playing with her would be an even better way to humiliate the Han Emperor,” Gui Wuchang answered with a smile.
This was how he meant to help me? Making me Kumor’s consort? I almost wanted to die – how was this better than being a camp follower? Only having to serve Kumor was supposed to be better?
“Not a bad idea.” Kumor had already walked down from his tiger skin chair with interest, brushing aside my disheveled hair and lifting my face to meet his eyes.
If Xiao Huan’s bottomless eyes always left me feeling uncertain, then Kumor’s eagle-like grey eyes made me somewhat nervous. Fighting down my unease, I gave him a bright smile.
Seeming surprised by my smile, Kumor laughed: “Truly a woman like a rose. Master Gui, I like this suggestion.”
You might like it but I don’t! While desperately resisting the urge to slap his hand away, I caught Gui Wuchang’s expression – he looked like he was enjoying the show.
I suddenly understood his intention in giving me the blade and pushing me into the arrow storm. When he pushed me away, he must have seen Kumor nearby – from the beginning, he had planned for Kumor to notice me in the chaos!
Thinking this, I threw my arms around Kumor’s neck, softening my voice: “Great Khan, I’m so tired from the journey, and my shoulder is injured.”
“You’re injured?” Kumor touched my shoulder, seeing it was indeed bleeding, then lifted me and ordered a nearby attendant, “Chiku, have Hedu bring some medicine.”
The officer who had asked Kumor about retreating at Shanhaiguan had been by his side since then. Now receiving orders, he withdrew – this Chiku was Kumor’s trusted aide.
Kumor’s great tent was divided by a curtain. Behind it was his living quarters with bedding. Kumor carried me inside and placed me on the large bed in the center.
I clung to his shoulders with a coy smile: “Great Khan, you’re so good to me. Look, I’m injured – you won’t make me accompany you tonight, will you?”
Kumor suddenly chuckled, bringing his mouth to my ear: “You’re clever, woman. What you Han people call ‘knowing how to read the situation.’ After teasing me like that earlier, did you think you’d get off so easily?”
His breath tickled my ear. I put my arms across my chest, blocking his body, forcing a smile: “How can Great Khan say that? Would you rather see me crying and threatening suicide?”
“We Jurchen have an old saying – to hunt a tiger, you must be able to wait for the tiger.” Kumor suddenly moved his mouth from my ear to my cheek, kissing my lips. “I want to hunt a tiger, so I can wait.”
Several coughs came from behind the screen as an old military doctor with a goatee entered carrying a medicine box. Kumor rose and sat in a round chair to the side.
I lowered my head, feeling my face burning hot – I must be blushing now. I who had never blushed when kissing or making love with Xiao Huan was blushing now.
I quickly glanced up at Kumor. The young Khan sat with his arms crossed, his eagle-sharp eyes fixed on some distant point.
I wiped my kissed lips with the back of my hand. Strange – I didn’t dislike the feeling of kissing this foreign man.