Chapter 89

When under someone’s roof, one has no choice but to lower their head.

The slaughter that came out of that wooden chest made Nie Qinglin even clearer about what kind of ruthless and venomous man Ge Qingyuan truly was.

So, when she saw that Ge Qingyuan seemed to have set aside his mocking demeanor, she forced herself to endure and walked over.

He lightly grasped her slender white wrist and pulled her into his embrace.

Ge Qingyuan gently breathed in the sweet fragrance that wafted from the woman in his arms.

He reached out and lifted the soft cloth covering a small table beside the felt mat.

That little wooden table must have been moved inside by Ge Qingyuan from outside the tent when she was cleansing herself.

On it sat several clay-fired bowls: one filled with a whole piece of cooked lamb, another with white goat’s milk, and another with a stack of yellow-tinged milk skin.

Ge Qingyuan sliced the lamb into thin pieces with a small knife and placed them on the dish in front of Nie Qinglin.

“The people here are not skilled with chopsticks. I ask the princess to use her hands to eat.”

If the situation were at ease, Nie Qinglin would certainly have lamented on behalf of herself and her eighth imperial sister who had married off, that one truly would not know the harshness of the northern lands until they arrived here.

Though the lamb was fresh and tender, it was only sprinkled with coarse salt.

There were no spices to mask the heavy mutton odor.

How could an emperor’s tongue, accustomed to refined palace cuisine, tolerate such a taste? As for the goat’s milk, after only two sips she discovered several fine white hairs floating within.

Nie Qinglin, unwilling to provoke the sinister man behind her, forced herself to take two more sips before carefully setting down the bowl, large enough to cover her small face, and said that she was already full.

A faint smile curved Ge Qingyuan’s lips.

This tent was already the finest among the tribe, yet it still looked crude and shabby.

As for the food, even if carefully prepared, it amounted to nothing more than mutton and goat’s milk.

The beauty’s robe too was nothing but ordinary cotton, newly stolen from a frontier market town.

After washing, the fabric had inevitably faded and wrinkled.

Even his own younger sister could not endure the rough customs here.

When she had first arrived, she refused to touch such food, insisting only on expensive vegetables and fruits brought from the border markets, yet even so she often complained to him.

But this little emperor, though clearly unaccustomed, forced herself to swallow cautiously.

Even when wearing ill-fitting old clothes and eating meat with bare hands, she could not conceal her air of noble elegance.

He had long known she was unlike vulgar women, yet each time she still managed to surprise him.

Just as now, though only just recovered from unconsciousness, after such upheaval, within a crude tent, dressed in coarse robes, she still carried the composure and grace as though she were in the palace.

After she wiped her hands clean with a damp cloth beside her, he spoke.

“The sky is already bright. The princess has been jolted on horseback the whole night and must be weary. Rest here in the tent. But if you entertain other thoughts and leave without permission, those barbarians outside, upon seeing the beauty of the princess, it is hard to say what they might do.”

Nie Qinglin knew Ge Qingyuan’s words were not empty.

She also knew that wearing only a robe without even trousers beneath, she had no way to slip out of the camp.

After a moment’s thought, she decided to test his intentions.

“Lord Ge, you have endured hardship to bring me here. What is it that you plan? Lord Ge is a capable man. In only a few days you have subdued and revived the broken Moerha tribe. Why not settle down and rule it well, instead of opposing Great Wei with such determination? You must know that beyond the home lies the country. If you truly ignite war between the northern frontier and Great Wei, it will not be the people of Li county alone who suffer.”

Hearing her words, Ge Qingyuan sneered.

He lifted her delicate chin with his finger and said, “Since Your Majesty is so compassionate, why not become a Bodhisattva who sacrifices herself to feed the tiger? Willingly remain in the north with your husband, manage this harsh land together, and bear children in this icy wilderness. If Your Majesty agrees, then I will abandon all thought of marching into the Central Plains and return its people to peace. What does Your Majesty think?”

Nie Qinglin fixed her gaze on Ge Qingyuan’s eyes.

Those deep eyes were so dark that no bottom could be seen.

With what could they be filled?

“If these words of Lord Ge were sincere, then you would not be the same Lord Ge Qingyuan who stirs the storms of the south and north.”

She answered faintly, but before she could finish her words, he pulled her back into his arms, forcing open her lips to accept his wild and savage kiss.

After the kiss, he continued, “You truly understand your husband. Even if you were willing to stay in the northern lands, how could I let my woman suffer such hardship? Whatever grand feasts and splendid clothes Wei Lenghou could give you, I, Ge Qingyuan, can give you the same. So…”

At that, he suddenly pressed Nie Qinglin down onto the bed.

“I ask you to forget everything of your past. From this day forward, you can only be the wife of Ge Qingyuan, the traitor of Great Wei. When your husband holds glory, then one day you will return to the palace. But if you persist in helping outsiders…

“Ask yourself, does that proud and lofty Wei Lenghou have a heart as broad as mine, one that would tolerate an unclean woman? To him, you were no more than a stepping stone. Even if you were to return to his side, would he truly cherish you? And the whole world knows how wanton Lord Wei is. Even now, as a mere Grand Tutor, his residence is already full of concubines. Once he ascends the throne, even if he makes you empress, what fate awaits you when you, the former empress of the previous dynasty bearing the surname Nie, grow old and lose your luster? True, the palace now may be peaceful and comfortable, but for you, Lin’er, it is no more than a dangerous palace. That is why, seeing that the thief Wei harbors the intent to seize the throne, I painstakingly arranged to rescue you.

“As for my earlier words about forsaking the world, you did not believe them. But there is one thing that truly comes from my heart. For all my life, whether I become an emperor or a rebel, I, Ge, will marry only you. We will grow old together, till death, never wavering.”

Nie Qinglin, her long black hair scattered, lay on the felt mat, gazing at the man who pinned her down and spoke so earnestly.

She could not help but give a bitter smile.

Ge Qingyuan’s greatest strength was not his ruthless nature or his frightening talent for learning, but rather this ability to read hearts and strike at weaknesses.

With such depth and cunning, paired with his sharp tongue, it was no wonder he could rally so many to die for him.

Just as now, in dissecting her ties with the Grand Tutor, every word of his struck precisely at her most vulnerable point.

If it were another woman, would she not weigh his words carefully and reconsider her stance?

“Elder Brother Ge’s sincerity, Qinglin has never doubted. Yet my life has been one of hardship, unlike the young ladies of inner chambers with idle thoughts of romance. Both Elder Brother Ge and Grand Tutor Wei are men of greatness that Qinglin has no fortune to enjoy. Whenever I see you both, fear rises before anything else. However… Elder Brother Ge’s words, Qinglin understands. I only… hope Elder Brother Ge will not, like that thief Wei, press and force me without end.”

Her words were half true and half false, spoken to follow along his line of reasoning, hoping to stir in this “Elder Brother Ge” a sense of rivalry with the Grand Tutor, a thought to prove himself more tender, thereby easing the peril of the moment.

But how could someone as shrewd and dark-minded as Ge Qingyuan not see through her small scheme?

If not for the reports he had once received as an official in court from the Imperial Medical Bureau’s spies, that this little emperor’s health was not robust, that medicines and tonics were never absent from the palace…and if not for his concern that she had just awoken from days of unconsciousness, her body still weak and having just come into her monthly bleeding, he would have long since devoured her completely.

Just then, outside the tent, some Xiongnu soldiers chattered noisily in their tongue.

Ge Qingyuan fixed her with a deep gaze for a moment, then rose and left the tent.

When he stepped outside, she could hear him giving instructions to the guards at the entrance.

After waiting for quite some time without seeing him return, Nie Qinglin finally let out a slow breath.

Although she had been unconscious for a long while, now that the effects of the medicine had worn off and she had spent the whole night exposed to the cold wind on horseback, her head throbbed dully with dizziness.

On top of that, the bleeding beneath her made her feel utterly drained.

Even if Ge Qingyuan had not threatened her with words and left her unguarded, she would still have had no strength to get up.

What to do? Those three words pounded in her aching head.

Let alone that the Grand Tutor did not even know she had been taken north, even if he did know, he could not possibly reach her now.

The political situation in Great Wei was as fragile as an eggshell, and he could not leave even for a moment.

If he truly knew that Ge Qingyuan had abducted her, then he must also know her innocence would not last much longer.

Ge Qingyuan’s words were poisonous, but not without truth.

When she thought of that pair of phoenix eyes filled with disdain, her breath suddenly turned hot and suffocating.

The one she could most hope for now was her Xiongnu brother-in-law.

But what could she really hope for there?

Before she could think it through, her forehead burned hot, and she slipped into a haze of feverish confusion.

In that state she faintly heard sharp female quarrels outside the tent, mixed with the coarse shouts of Xiongnu warriors trying to hold someone back, but none of it roused her to open her eyes.

The one quarreling outside was Ge Yun’er.

Thinking of the person in her brother’s arms, dressed in men’s clothing and resembling Princess Yong’an, how could she sleep peacefully? When the chief began to snore, she quietly rose, dressed herself, and walked out of the royal tent.

It was already the early hours before dawn.

The command tent of the tribe was still lit with fire, her brother certainly inside leading the tribal generals in discussing military matters.

The one he had seized was not in the wooden stockade where prisoners were kept.

With that thought, she led her maid toward her brother’s tent.

Unexpectedly, the path that usually let her pass freely was blocked today.

Ge Yun’er grew even more suspicious that her brother was hiding something from her.

Her maid, large and broad, tangled with the guard to distract him, and she slipped inside.

Once she entered the tent, by the dim glow of the ground fire she saw the girl lying on the felt mat, cheeks flushed, hair spread out, looking very much like someone her brother had already thoroughly enjoyed.

Ge Yun’er’s eyes instantly reddened.

She rushed forward to grab the girl’s throat, but a Xiongnu soldier who had followed in caught her around the waist and dragged her outside the tent.

She struggled and screamed relentlessly, only to realize her brother had already arrived upon hearing the noise.

He stood there, eyes dark and cold, watching her silently.

“Brother, since you have already captured that faithless whore, why not kill her? If you cannot bear to do it, I will do it for you!” Before the words had even finished, a loud slap struck her across the face.

“The things I said to you before, Yun’er, have you forgotten them all? Your elder brother has his own plans. Since when did I need you to take charge?”

Ge Qingyuan, expressionless, struck his sister to the ground.

Seeing her stunned, with her eyes rimmed red, he slowly reached down to lift her up, drew out a handkerchief, and calmly wiped away her tears as though nothing had happened.

“You have been wearied these days serving the Chief. I know well. This time I ordered men to seize some beautiful Han women from the border and send them to the Chief’s tent, so he will not harass Yun’er every night in his drunkenness. You have always longed for the days in the capital. But all that we brother and sister are doing now is for the revival of the Ge family, to seize the world. You are the future princess admired by all. How can you not tolerate a fallen former princess? I keep her because she is useful. Does Yun’er not trust her brother?”

Those words only made Ge Yun’er’s tears flow all the more.

Of course she trusted her brother.

She still remembered back when he had rescued her from prison, when he heard of what she had suffered in the imperial dungeon, he had immediately tracked down the wealthy Shandong merchant who had already left the capital.

In that inn room, right before her eyes, her brother had cut off the man’s root, gagged and bound on the bed, and then sliced his flesh piece by piece.

That was the first time Ge Yun’er had tasted the intoxicating pleasure of revenge.

In all the vast world, aside from her brother, who else would truly love and protect her?

Thinking of this, she felt ashamed of her earlier outburst, so she threw herself into her brother’s arms and cried again before finally sobbing her way back to her tent.

Only then did Ge Qingyuan return to his own tent, where he discovered that the precious one lying on the felt mat was burning with fever.

Withdrawing his hand from her forehead, Ge Qingyuan frowned and called to the guard outside.

“Among those prisoners taken the other day, wasn’t there a physician carrying a medicine pouch? Bring him here.”

When the dust-covered physician was shoved into the tent, he first cast a timid glance at Ge Qingyuan seated by the bed, then looked toward the woman lying there.

But since Ge Qingyuan had no wish for another man to look upon the rare beauty he had obtained, he had already draped a cloak over her face before the physician entered.

The physician thought to himself, this man in Xiongnu robe behaves more like a great lord of the Central Plains.

Yet he dared not dwell on it.

He quickly took a square cloth from his pouch, laid it over her pale wrist, and gently placed his fingers upon it to read her pulse.

But the moment he felt it, after a short while, his whole body jolted, and fear flashed in his eyes.

Ge Qingyuan’s sharp gaze immediately caught the change and he asked with a frown, “What is wrong?”

The physician’s lips trembled for some time.

After swallowing a few times, he finally said, “General, from this pulse it seems like the epidemic that broke out on the frontier some time ago… but I must also see the lady’s tongue coating to be certain.”

The physician had thought that upon hearing this, the general who spoke fluent Han speech would instantly cast the woman aside and send her out of camp.

Yet unexpectedly, Ge Qingyuan merely furrowed his brows slightly, then unhesitatingly lifted the cloak from her head, gently raised her chin, and said, “Lin’er, open your mouth and let the doctor have a look.”

Focused only on prying open the lips of the unconscious woman, he failed to notice that as soon as the physician saw her refined and delicate features beneath the cloak, his whole body shook violently.

After much effort, Nie Qinglin’s lips finally parted.

Ge Qingyuan then looked up at the physician.

“Quickly, see what is wrong. If you are careless and delay her illness, be careful of your head!”

The physician barely managed to calm himself.

Examining the color of her tongue coating closely, he said, “Please be at ease, General. It is not the epidemic. It is cold energy invading the body. If not treated quickly, the fever will not subside. My humble wife also knows medicine well. Since the General does not wish a man to be near his lady, why not let my wife tend to her?”

The physician had already been in the tribe for some time, along with his wife and children who had been captured with him.

If not for his medical skill curing Ge Yun’er’s chronic stomach ailment upon arrival, he would already have lost his life, and his wife and children would likely have become slaves.

A battlefield physician from the borderlands and his wife were nothing more than a pair of simple village folk, with no ties whatsoever to the imperial palace.

And indeed, Lin’er did need someone to care for her.

So Ge Qingyuan allowed the physician to summon his wife, who was washing clothes in the camp, to attend to her.

In her groggy state, Nie Qinglin faintly felt a prickling pain across her body as though needles were piercing her, and she could also sense a pair of familiar hands constantly pressing cool cloths against her forehead.

The faint scent of calming medicine lingered in her breath.

Struggling to open her eyes, she found herself as if back in the days when her mother was still alive.

Back then, the palace was never without the fragrance of medicine.

When old Imperial Physician Zhang prescribed remedies for her mother, he would also write out a formula to nourish her own blood and energy.

In the palace, the small stove she had set up always kept a medicine pot warm, the herbal aroma drifting endlessly, while An Qiao’er would sit by the bed and softly call to her: “Fourteenth Prince, wake up, it is time to drink your medicine…”

Just like now: “Open your eyes, wake up and take your medicine… wake up quickly…”

Nie Qinglin turned over and mumbled, “Qiao’er, let me sleep a little longer…”

The next moment, a somewhat rough hand brushed against her cheek.

“Wake up, wake up!”

After sleeping for so long, she finally opened her eyes, only to find that the person she thought was a figure from her dream appeared before her in reality, looking haggard.

The once bright and gentle eyes now bore faint wrinkles, and tears streamed down as they gazed at her.

“…Qiao’er, it is you? How could you be here?”

Nie Qinglin looked around in confusion.

Wasn’t she still inside the tent of the Moerha tribe? How could An Qiao’er, whom she had not seen for so long, appear here?

There was also a Xiongnu maid in the tent, but she did not understand Han language and was dozing off in laziness.

An Qiao’er lowered her voice, weeping with joy.

“You are finally awake. Your Majesty, this servant wanted to ask you the same, how did you end up here in the northern lands?”

Weakly, Nie Qinglin reached out to touch An Qiao’er’s face.

The damp chill of her skin proved this was no dream.

With a bitter smile, she said, “I have dreamed many times of meeting you again, yet none of those dreams were as extraordinary as this. Never would I have thought, not even in death, that I would see you here.”

Seeing her little master so frail, yet still able to joke, An Qiao’er felt both joy and urgency.

She quickly recounted her own misfortune of ending up in this place.

In the end, it all came down to one thing—Grand Tutor’s petty-mindedness.

Back in the temporary palace, how could the Grand Tutor not notice dragon pearl’s envious look toward that dog physician’s courtyard? Though he had previously promised dragon pearl to spare their lives, whenever he thought of that wretched man lingering about the palace, eyeing something he could never attain, resentment gnawed at him.

Finally, he gave the order to drive Zhang Shiyu and An Qiao’er to the frontier to garrison the border.

At first, with no battles in the borderlands for years, settling in a small town was peaceful enough.

She gave birth to a baby girl, and Zhang Shiyu resumed his old trade in town.

Who would have thought that turmoil would erupt within the Moerha tribe, war flaring repeatedly along the frontier? Just as they had packed their belongings to move elsewhere, they were captured on the road by Moerha patrol soldiers and dragged back.

“That General Ge went out to inspect his territory and will be back soon. Does he… know of Your Majesty’s identity?”

Nie Qinglin knew this moment of peace was precious.

She quickly told An Qiao’er of all that she had endured, then added, “You and Brother Zhang must conceal your identities well. Do not reveal anything before others, or else Ge Qingyuan will not spare your lives.”

An Qiao’er nodded through her tears.

The late Emperor of Great Wei had no virtue, and yet he raised a whole brood of traitors and villains, and now all the retribution had fallen upon her little master’s head.

Such a pitiful, delicate girl—how could she possibly endure trial after trial like this?

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent.

An Qiao’er knew that thief Ge must have returned.

She quickly wiped her tears, shook the maid awake, and knelt by the entrance to wait.

But the one who entered was not Ge Qingyuan, but Ge Yun’er, and beside her was a tall, powerfully built man.

As soon as he stepped into the tent, his eyes immediately fell upon Nie Qinglin, lying on the bed.

Though her hair was disheveled and her face bore the marks of illness, it could not conceal her fresh and unworldly beauty.

A man of the northern lands, how could he have ever seen such a peerless face? For a moment, he froze in place, eyes wide, swallowing his saliva again and again.

“Chief, did I not say that the woman my brother captured was no ordinary beauty? My brother has kept her in the camp for two days already, no doubt he has tasted her charms. Would you not like to try this peerless beauty of Great Wei as well?”

Ge Yun’er leaned against the already impatient Xiu Tuyu, her smile sweet but her gaze upon Nie Qinglin venomous.

Since her brother insisted on sparing the woman’s life, so be it.

She would obey his words…but she would never allow this seductive fox to have an easy time of it!