Chapter 90

An Qiao’er, kneeling at the side, saw the newcomer and her heart instantly shrank into a tight knot.

She had already been held in the Moerha tribe for several days, so how could she not know of the notorious reputation of the tribal chief, Xiu Tuyu? Any woman in the tribe with even the slightest beauty had been taken into the chief’s tent.

With such a lecher, how could he possibly let the young master, with her peerless beauty, slip past his grasp?

Seeing Xiu Tuyu charge forward like a hungry wolf, An Qiao’er stood up at once and threw herself to clutch his thigh, yet in the blink of an eye she was kicked aside like a leaf blown by the wind.

The Xiongnu maidservant kneeling nearby dared not intervene at all.

With just a few steps, Xiu Tuyu reached the felt mat and stretched out his large hand, ready to seize Nie Qinglin.

Just at that moment, someone shouted loudly, “Stop!”

Ge Yun’er turned her head and her expression immediately changed.

How had her elder brother, who had gone out on patrol, returned so soon? The tall figure of Ge Qingyuan appeared in the tent.

He bent down respectfully and saluted Xiu Tuyu.

“This general did not know that Your Highness was coming to my tent. Is there some urgent matter to discuss?”

Xiu Tuyu was breathing heavily.

He pointed at Nie Qinglin lying on the bed and said, “General Ge has captured such a beauty, yet only sends the unworthy ones to my tent. Shouldn’t she now be sent to my camp so I can properly enjoy her?”

Ge Qingyuan slowly cast a glance at Ge Yun’er who stood at the side, then said in an unhurried tone, “I would not dare to hide anything, but this woman is not a captured prisoner. She is my lawful wife, lost to me in the chaos of war. After much hardship, we finally reunited. I beg Your Highness to forgive this matter.”

Xiu Tuyu widened his eyes, and the face already flushed with drink and lust revealed a glimmer of surprise.

“Wasn’t it said that General Ge married the sister of the Emperor of Great Wei? Could it be… she is the true princess of Great Wei?”

Turning back to gaze upon the delicate flower lying on the bed, his desire grew all the stronger.

He had long coveted his father’s tender young wife, but unexpectedly that silent Persian bastard, Xiu Tuhong, had seized her first, helping Xiu Tulie usurp the throne and then dragging his own charming stepmother into his tent to defile her.

Yet that consort, though tender, was still not as incomparable as the one before him.

So what if she was Ge Qingyuan’s legitimate wife? Since he had given the brother and sister shelter in their downfall, offering them a place to live, even sharing his wife for a few nights would be a form of filial respect to the chief.

Sleeping with the wives of his subordinates was nothing new for Xiu Tuyu.

With that, he reached out and grabbed Nie Qinglin, scooping her up together with the bedsheet into his arms, intending to carry her out of the tent.

Ge Qingyuan subtly shifted his body aside, as if acquiescing to the chief’s outrageous demand to take away his wife.

Nie Qinglin, her face pale, turned her gaze toward Lord Ge.

Lord Ge, though I did not truly believe your words yesterday, you have gone back on them too quickly.

What is to be done now?

When Xiu Tuyu left the tent laughing loudly with the deathly pale-faced Princess Yongan in his arms, only then did Ge Qingyuan slowly turn to look at his younger sister.

“Yun’er, you have truly disappointed me.”

“Brother, it was… it was His Highness who heard the rumors and insisted on seeing for himself. Yun’er could not stop him…”

Ge Qingyuan raised a long finger and lightly pressed it against her lips full of lies.

Then, like a brother still showing affection for his sister, he gently stroked her head and said, “What should I do with you? As a younger sister-in-law, you could not get along with your elder brother’s wife, and instead you provoked outsiders to come and humiliate her…”

Ge Yun’er’s heart was filled with jealousy and hatred.

“Brother, with your status, what pure woman could you not take as a wife? Why must you fixate solely on that ruined flower, that withered willow?”

Hearing Ge Yun’er’s words, Ge Qingyuan gave a faint smile.

“There are very few things in this world that can truly captivate me. By chance, she is one of them. Anything I truly desire, even if it takes my entire lifetime, I will hold firmly in the palm of my hand. If it is covered in dust, I will carefully wipe it clean. How could one ever abandon such a priceless treasure?”

At this, Ge Yun’er sneered inwardly.

Brought into the tent, clothes surely torn apart and legs forced open to be taken, a treasure? She would probably soon be tortured until she wished for death rather than life.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside the tent.

The sound of killing and clashing came closer.

Before long, Ge Qingyuan’s trusted aide Ge Zhong entered and said, “My lord, the brothers in ambush at His Highness’s tent have succeeded. Xiu Tuyu has already been cut down.”

Ge Yun’er’s eyes widened in shock.

Her brother had actually sent assassins to kill Xiu Tuyu? One had to know, though Xiu Tuyu was addicted to wine and women, he was still the valiant son of the late Chanyu, not someone an ordinary fighter could kill easily.

Such an arrangement was clearly not a hasty decision but something planned long in advance.

Why had her brother never hinted at the slightest sign?

“Has the Princess been frightened?”

Ge Qingyuan, seated calmly in the round chair inside the tent, asked.

“No. The moment she entered the tent, smoke of stupefaction was released. They all fell unconscious,” reported Ge Zhong, just as a burly Xiongnu maid carried the still-slumbering Nie Qinglin back inside, whole and unharmed.

Ge Qingyuan carefully received the princess into his arms.

“Tell those Xiongnu generals to prepare themselves. Tomorrow, we will support Xiu Tuyu’s young son to inherit the throne in the royal camp. As for Xiu Tuyu’s wives and concubines, the young and beautiful ones shall all be given to the Xiongnu generals who participated in the killing. Those unwanted can be sent to the Sky Dome.”

Ge Zhong glanced toward Ge Yun’er.

“And the young lady…”

Placing Nie Qinglin gently back on the bed, Ge Qingyuan would not spare his sister another glance.

“Yun’er has been weary of heart lately. She never remembers her elder brother’s words. It would be best for her to rest in peace and quiet. Let her go to the Sky Dome to recuperate. When she has mended her ways, I will naturally come to fetch her.”

“No! Brother, how can you treat me this way?” Ge Yun’er let out a wailing cry upon hearing this.

The so-called “Sky Dome” was actually the place where the Xiongnu disposed of the useless or those deemed guilty.

Because the land was vast and people scarce, every laborer was precious.

Yet within the royal clan, kinship ties were thin.

So each tribe’s “Sky Dome” was merely a small cluster of tents and wide grassland.

The exiled elderly, women, and children were still required to labor daily, herding cattle and sheep.

Their food they had to provide themselves, lessening the burden on the tribe.

That her brother would exile her to that desolate Sky Dome for the sake of that seductress…Ge Yun’er could hardly believe it.

She cried out as she was dragged away.

From beginning to end, Ge Qingyuan never once looked at her.

He ordered An Qiao’er, who had just gotten up, to fetch a basin of fresh water.

Seeing that her young master was safe for the moment, An Qiao’er quickly went to the stream outside the tent to draw water.

As she came out, she saw several concubines whose bodies had gone out of shape after childbirth, along with Xiu Tuyu’s aged mother, all being thrown onto a cart.

Watching their tear-streaked faces and hearing their wails, An Qiao’er felt a deep pang of sorrow.

To be born a daughter, never marry into the imperial house.

That family which seemed so glorious and resplendent was nothing but a graveyard for beauties.

After drawing the water, An Qiao’er was also sent out of the tent.

Ge Qingyuan used the clean water to wipe Nie Qinglin’s face until she slowly woke.

Remembering the scene she glimpsed before losing consciousness,several strong men rushing at Xiu Tuyu inside the tent…Nie Qinglin faintly guessed the truth.

Lord Ge was truly a wolf that could never be tamed.

No doubt Xiu Tuyu was now doomed beyond saving.

Soon after, the maidservants carried in several chests.

From their fine craftsmanship alone one could tell their value.

Inside were clothes made of the most precious silks of Great Wei.

Another chest held household wares, among them a white porcelain tea set trimmed with gold, a thin-walled masterpiece from the imperial Laiyang kilns.

When Ge Qingyuan saw Nie Qinglin staring at these items in a daze, he knew she had noticed something.

“The Princess’s wisdom has not diminished. Have you discerned anything?”

“Congratulations to Lord Ge for climbing to yet another lofty branch. Only, I wonder what was traded for these treasures?”

Nie Qinglin gave a bitter smile.

From the fact that these gifts were still unopened when brought into the tent, one could see the sender’s utmost sincerity.

Those items were from two years ago, when the late emperor negotiated peace with the Xiongnu.

They were carefully chosen tribute chests, even the seals on them carried that year’s reign title.

At the time, over a hundred such chests were transported, all sent as annual tribute by the late emperor in his flattery of the Xiongnu chanyu.

Ge Qingyuan burst into loud laughter, his gaze toward Nie Qinglin filled with admiration.

If only this little woman were a man, what accomplishments would she not be capable of?

“To secure the recognition of the new Xiongnu chanyu, naturally a precious greeting gift is required. Other than the severed head of that fugitive brother Xiu Tuyu, I fear nothing else could move Xiu Tulie’s heart,” Ge Qingyuan said with a smile, handing Nie Qinglin a cup of warm goat’s milk in a fine tea set, while pouring himself a cup of wine.

Nie Qinglin took the teacup, her heart surging.

In an instant she understood Ge Qingyuan’s scheme.

First he supported the exiled Xiu Tuyu, allowing this tribe (meant to be exterminated) to grow stronger and become a hidden threat to Xiu Tulie.

Then, at the right moment, he struck down Xiu Tuyu to win the new chanyu’s favor…

These moves were vicious and sinister, yet they were the most effective way to strengthen his own power and secure his footing.

“When the cunning hare dies, the hound is boiled. I wonder, Lord Ge, after betraying your old master so readily, how will Xiu Tulie treat you once you no longer serve any purpose?”

Ge Qingyuan drained his wine in one swallow, his smile brimming with malice.

“How does the Princess know all the hares are dead? As long as Wei Lenghou lives, these fangs of mine will always be needed!”

The next day, Ge Qingyuan led the Xiongnu generals in holding a simple enthronement ceremony in the royal tent for Xiu Tuyu’s youngest son.

The boy was only eight years old, but since childhood he had been steeped in the wolfish nature of the Xiongnu royal line.

His thirst for power and indifference to kinship meant he felt little grief for his father’s death.

Sitting on the throne, he looked east and west, touched here and there with delight, unable to contain his joy as he eagerly imitated his father’s manner of issuing commands.

Nie Qinglin left the tent, accompanied by An Qiao’er, watching from afar the little boy’s gleeful appearance on the throne.

In her heart she sighed.

So it seems that royal houses of the world, whether north or south, are all cut from the same cloth.

At such a young age already greedy for power, yet it was a pity—his reign would last but a few short days.

Lord Ge’s rehearsal in Wei for supporting a young emperor had now been transplanted to the northern frontier, and once again he carried it off with ease.

A sudden gale swept across the grasslands, bending the tough prairie grass.

The northern sky could not remain clear for long.

Ge Qingyuan knew well that his footing in the Moerha tribe was not yet firm.

Many generals treated him with outward respect while inwardly dismissing him.

But thanks to Xiu Tuyu’s brutality and debauchery, he had secretly lain with many wives and daughters of the tribes, so not everyone in the tribe truly loved and supported this exiled prince.

As a child, his mother had once told him the story of Butcher Ding dissecting an ox—that in any matter, if one grasped the key, the rest would follow smoothly.

While Xiu Tuyu indulged himself in wine and women, Ge Qingyuan had already stirred discontent and subversion among many of the foolish prince’s old subordinates.

He had even anticipated Ge Yun’er’s temperament.

That slap the other day was meant as the fuse, for with her nature she would never let matters rest.

Surely she would scheme to provoke Xiu Tuyu.

On that day he only pretended to be out on inspection, when in truth he was waiting outside the camp with his men for the signal.

That Xiu Tuyu would dare to covet the wife of General Ge, the tribe’s benefactor—this at once roused the indignation of warriors who had suffered similar outrages.

Killing Xiu Tuyu and enthroning the child lord followed as naturally as water flowing downhill.

But next he still had another heavy responsibility entrusted to him by the Xiongnu chanyu.

For even before entering the northern frontier, Ge Qingyuan had already calculated that only Xiu Tulie had the power to help him take his revenge and unite Great Wei.

Thus, after arriving at the Moerha tribe, when he arranged for his sister to serve Xiu Tuyu, he had already decided to offer up Xiu Tuyu’s head as the stepping stone for his rise before Xiu Tulie.

When Xiu Tulie received the secret message from Ge Qingyuan’s confidant, he was intrigued.

He had long heard of Ge’s reputation, and was very curious about the man who had managed to trap Wei Lenghou.

He immediately promised high office and riches.

But to such a cunning Han, Xiu Tulie also maintained vigilance.

How could a single severed head of Xiu Tuyu prove his sincerity?

At present, for the Xiongnu chanyu, the brother he feared most was not Xiu Tuyu who had gone into exile, but that very man who had always been his right hand, Xiu Tuhong.

On the surface, Xiu Tulie treated this brother who had helped him seize the throne with great favor, granting him the best pastures, yet deep down he was extremely uneasy about this valiant royal general who possessed both legitimacy and the strength to inherit the throne.

When Xiu Tuhong welcomed back his charming runaway wife, the dowry procession stretching for several miles truly burned the eyes of all who saw it.

The Wei court had actually treated Xiu Tuhong so generously.

And Xiu Tuhong in turn doted endlessly on his young Wei princess wife, which made Xiu Tulie even more anxious about him, fearing that he might join hands with Wei Lenghou to oppose him.

Thus he had long resolved to eliminate Xiu Tuhong, only that with such a meritorious general of great prestige among the Xiongnu soldiers, he had yet to find an opportunity.

Therefore, when Ge Qingyuan defected to him, he was overjoyed.

He intended to use Ge Qingyuan as the blade to cut down Xiu Tuhong, so from the start he ordered Xiu Tuhong to suppress the Moerha tribe, while secretly leaking his marching deployment to Ge Qingyuan.

Upon receiving Xiu Tulie’s message, Ge Qingyuan could not help but sigh.

He had indeed not misjudged this man.

Only such a ruler of the northern frontier, one so ruthless and decisive, cruel even to his own kin, was worthy of becoming his ally.

For a moment, though they had not yet met, the two of them felt as if they had encountered a long-lost kindred spirit in a foreign land.

As for how to deal with Xiu Tuhong, Lord Ge already had a plan in mind.

One day, Ge Qingyuan was standing inside the command tent, pondering over the map, when a scout hurried in to report that three hundred miles away a large force of Xiu Tuhong’s men had been sighted, numbering over ten thousand.

Ge Qingyuan let out a long breath.

At last, they had come.

He felt his long-suppressed passion roar to life with the arrival of Xiu Tuhong.

This time he had to win, clean and decisive.

If he could not even pass this minor trial, how could he ever speak of destroying Wei Lenghou to avenge his shamed wife and murdered father, or of accomplishing the unprecedented feat of unifying the northern frontier of Wei?

Ge Qingyuan ordered the scout to withdraw and forbade approaching the enemy, only to observe from afar.

At the same time he commanded, “List all the Xiongnu soldiers who still bear resentment against me for assassinating Xiu Tuyu. Send them forward as the vanguard, but do not provide reinforcements. If they are captured by Xiu Tuhong, that would be for the best.”

Ge Zhong obeyed at once and went to carry out the order.

After bringing the Eighth Princess back to the northern frontier, Xiu Tuhong had not received any further commands from the chanyu.

Yet not long ago, after a long silence, Xiu Tulie suddenly issued an order, commanding him to lead his elite troops against the Moerha tribe to wipe out Xiu Tuyu, and even attached a map showing the Moerha tribe’s location.

Xiu Tuhong frowned.

Though he did not wish to cross weapons with his elder brother on the battlefield, the king’s order could not be defied, so he accepted it.

Thus he chose ten thousand of his finest men and, following the map, marched directly toward the Moerha tribal settlement.

As Xiu Tuhong’s army advanced deep into enemy territory, scouts of Xiu Tuyu began to appear sporadically around them.

Xiu Tuhong was an experienced commander.

He knew that in a battle of such scale, at least dozens of riders must be sent in all directions to probe enemy positions, estimate their numbers, and trace their movements.

Yet the scouts dispatched by Xiu Tuyu were only a little more than ten men, utterly incapable of grasping his strength.

Moreover, each one was timid as a rabbit.

At the slightest sign of wind or rustling grass, they fled in panic.

The generals following behind him pointed at the fleeing scouts in the distance and laughed loudly.

“Just by looking at these scouts, one can tell that after losing several battles in a row, Xiu Tuyu has been frightened out of his wits. We have not even begun to fight, and already they seem ready to surrender.”

Xiu Tuhong turned back and said, “The Moerha tribe is, after all, one of the three great tribes. Its strength still remains, and Xiu Tuyu is a capable and battle-hardened commander. You must not take him lightly.”

The generals hurriedly nodded in agreement, though inwardly none of them took his warning seriously.

As they drew near to Xiu Tuyu’s royal court, they encountered several waves of attacks from the Moerha tribe.

But the tribe had been in flight for too long, their supplies and equipment were lacking, and their morale was low.

They were no match for Xiu Tuhong’s troops, who were well armed and full of vigor.

The Moerha warriors were cut down in disarray.

Aside from a few who managed to escape, the rest surrendered to Xiu Tuhong.

From the mouths of the surrendered generals, they learned that Xiu Tuyu was already dead, and that power now rested in the hands of Ge Qingyuan.

This revelation greatly shocked Xiu Tuhong.

The generals, however, looked down even more on the Moerha tribe, for it was led by nothing more than a frail Wei scholar, beset by internal and external troubles.

All that was needed was for their army to march forward, and the tribe would surely collapse.

Two days later, Xiu Tuhong led his army to within twenty miles of Xiu Tuyu’s royal court.

At that time, one of his generals offered a plan.

“Ge Qingyuan is a man of Wei. He only rose to power because his sister was favored by Xiu Tuyu, and he is not trusted by the tribesmen. If we dispatch a surprise force to attack their camp and kill Ge Qingyuan, then with Xiu Tuyu already dead, the Moerha tribe will surely surrender without a fight.”

Xiu Tuhong was stirred at heart by these words.

He questioned a few of the surrendered generals again, and their responses were nearly identical, all saying that Ge Qingyuan lacked popular support.

He recalled how the chanyu Xiu Tulie had previously told him that the Moerha tribe had suffered heavy losses in their battles against the Wei army, and their remaining forces were already few.

When sending him out, the chanyu had even suggested that ten thousand troops would be sufficient.

At first, Xiu Tuhong had worried that his own numbers were not enough, but now his heart was at ease.

He ordered his bravest general, Tuo Buya Cha, to lead five thousand men in a night raid against the Moerha camp.

That very night, guided by several surrendered generals, Tuo Buya Cha and his men charged into the Moerha encampment under the cover of darkness.

But once they entered, they found the camp utterly silent and empty, not a soul within.

At once they realized something was wrong.

Just as they prepared to withdraw, suddenly flames flared up outside the camp.

Around the encampment, piles of dried wood soaked in butter had been laid in advance.

The wind fanned the flames into towering walls of fire that terrified the horses, which ran wild and screamed within the camp.

Chaos broke out among Tuo Buya Cha’s men.

Then countless fire arrows rained down from outside, setting the tents ablaze.

Each tent had also been filled with firewood, and in an instant the entire camp was engulfed in flames, burning countless soldiers alive.

The few who managed to escape the inferno were met with volleys of arrows, riddled like porcupines.

Tuo Buya Cha roared in fury, charging desperately with his trusted men, until at last they found a spot where the fire burned less fiercely and broke through.

But just as they rushed out, the ground beneath them suddenly gave way with a loud crash.

A large section collapsed, and Tuo Buya Cha with his men fell straight into a pit.

Countless Moerha soldiers rushed up to the pit’s edge and shot arrows down into it.

And so, the fiercest general under Xiu Tuhong’s command perished in such a bewildering and tragic manner.

Not far from the camp, atop a mound, fifty stalwart Moerha cavalry guarded Ge Qingyuan.

Even Ge Zhong, who was usually expressionless, now revealed a look of joy and said, “My lord’s strategy was flawless. The enemy raiding force has been destroyed.”

Meanwhile, Xiu Tuhong and his generals had been waiting in the command tent for news.

When they saw flames rising from the Moerha camp, they rushed out and saw the sky lit up in the distance.

At once they knew something was wrong.

He quickly ordered the generals to return to their units and hold their soldiers steady, forbidding any rash action without his command.

Then he and a few attendants hastily climbed to the main gate of the camp to watch the scene in the distance.

Not long after, they heard a great clamor, and several hundred routed riders galloped back.

They shouted from outside the camp gate, “We have fallen into an ambush. Quickly open the gates and let us in.”

Xiu Tuhong anxiously called out to ask about General Tuo Buya Cha.

The riders wailed, “The general has already been killed. Only we remain.”

Ten thousand elite soldiers had in the blink of an eye been reduced to only five thousand.

Xiu Tuhong was greatly alarmed.

Just then, from afar came the sound of a troop of riders approaching.

Suspicion rose in Xiu Tuhong’s heart.

He did not dare open the camp gates rashly, so he ordered his men to see if they recognized the riders in the distance, but all said they did not.

Xiu Tuhong reached for his bow and arrow and shouted loudly toward them, “Who goes there, why do you not raise your banners, quickly report your name!”

But that troop of riders did not slow their pace.

Xiu Tuhong suspected they were men sent by Ge Qingyuan to attack, so he shot out a signal arrow.

Yet the man at the front easily caught it in one hand and called out in a clear voice, “It has been several months since we parted in the capital. General Xiu, have you been well?”

By the firelight from the burning camp, Xiu Tuhong saw that the newcomer was dressed in a fitted black outfit, sitting tall and steady upon his horse, with phoenix eyes and bold brows.

It was none other than the storm-commanding Flood Dragon of Great Wei—Wei Lenghou!