Chapter 91

Xiu Tuhong raised his brows in surprise.

How could he be here? At once he called out, “I do not know what official business brings the Marquis of Dingguo of Great Wei here?”

Wei Lenghou naturally heard the wariness in Xiu Tuhong’s words, but he smiled slightly and said, “If General Xiu Tuhong is waiting for reinforcements, then I must ask the General to stop waiting. I fear you have already fallen into a trap without realizing it. I came here personally to remind you of this. I wonder if the General is willing to let me in and allow me to explain the details.”

Xiu Tuhong hesitated inwardly, afraid that this was Great Wei coming to profit like a fisherman from the Xiongnu’s internal strife.

But after weighing it carefully, in the end, the boldness of a man prevailed.

He laughed loudly and said, “This general believes that a man who can drink his fill and return in high spirits is no treacherous villain. Since you come as a friend, how can I turn you away at the gate?”

With that, he ordered the camp gate opened and let the Grand Tutor and his men into the barracks.

When the two came closer, Xiu Tuhong was stunned.

This Grand Tutor, who was usually so graceful, had bloodshot eyes and looked utterly exhausted, as if he had rushed day and night to arrive.

The Grand Tutor had no leisure for pleasantries with Xiu Tuhong.

He went straight to the point and said, “Please put aside your suspicions. I came to the northern frontier for the same reason you once trespassed into Great Wei—both were for the sake of the one we hold dear. That Ge Qingyuan abducted my madam and I am desperate to rescue her. I have no intention of taking advantage of your plight.”

Xiu Tuhong was no fool.

After a few thoughts he understood that even if Great Wei wanted to profit as the fisherman, it would not be at a time when the Wei court was beset by troubles both inside and out.

As for a man of the Grand Tutor’s high rank, he had no need to risk his own life.

Judging by his expression, the abduction of his madam seemed to be true.

Xiu Tuhong had not expected that the princess rumored to have an affair with the Grand Tutor would be kidnapped.

He knew well that the Grand Tutor had many concubines and was not one to pity women.

Perhaps some concubine had once had an affair with Ge Qingyuan and eloped with him.

Such a cuckold’s misfortune was not something he could question further.

He only gave the cuckolded Grand Tutor a sympathetic glance and thought to himself that the Grand Tutor was even worse off than he was.

His woman had merely fled out of longing for her homeland, but the Grand Tutor’s woman had run off with another man.

Thinking of this, he asked an urgent question, “What do you mean by saying we should not wait for reinforcements?”

The Grand Tutor stood at the high camp gate, gazing at the distant sparks of fire and said, “The reinforcements you requested from the Chanyu should not be counted on. Xiu Tulie will not send troops to support you.”

With this, he briefly explained the military intelligence that Great Wei’s secret agents had gathered in recent days.

In the end, this son-in-law of Great Wei had fallen into the snare woven together by his own king and that traitor Ge.

Unless some unforeseen event occurred, this battle would end with not a single bone left behind.

Xiu Tuhong’s face changed.

He had been uneasy before and so had sent a secret letter to the Chanyu.

The Chanyu had ordered the troops stationed near Moerha to act as the situation required and to coordinate in encircling the enemy.

But the reinforcements that should have arrived tonight had still not appeared.

It was hard not to believe the Grand Tutor’s words.

“Since this place has already become a land of tigers and wolves, why would the Grand Tutor risk his life to come here?”

Even if it was merely a concubine eloping, for the Grand Tutor to risk his life in a frenzy of anger was beyond comprehension.

Wei Lenghou sneered inwardly, hating Ge Qingyuan all the more.

According to his earlier plan, the Xiongnu Chanyu and his right-hand man Xiu Tuhong would have turned against each other, which would have been wonderfully perfect.

But that thief Ge had spoiled everything and had even taken his beloved  Guo’er as hostage in this perilous place.

He could not let Ge have his way, and so he could only first support this Prince Xiu Tuhong, rescue Nie Qinglin, and then make further plans.

Thinking of this, Xiu Tuhong realized that one of the very instigators who had dragged him into such a predicament,the Grand Tutor—stood there with an utterly calm face, clasped his fists, and said, “Your Highness’s deep affection for the Eighth Princess moves Great Wei with gratitude. How could we stand idly by? We will do our utmost to help the General break this deadlock.”

Xiu Tuhong was no fool.

He naturally knew that Wei Lenghou was not driven by pure kindness, yet the situation was perilous.

If this divine general of Great Wei could come up with a good plan to resolve the present crisis, then it would be enough.

At this time, Ge Qingyuan had already wiped out more than half of the elite troops Xiu Tuhong had brought with him, and for the first time he felt assured of victory.

Winning the first battle called for rewarding himself with something heavy, and beauty in his arms was the best comfort of the moment.

Counting the days, the ‘red tide'(monthly period) of Lin’er’s body should already have cleared.

Tonight he would share a pot of good wine with the beauty, and then press that rosy-cheeked woman onto the bed, riding her wantonly.

She ought to see that besides that thief Wei, a battle-hardened man like him could give her even greater pleasure.

Thinking of this, Ge Qingyuan descended the watchtower with a smile and walked toward his own main tent.

Now the tent was far more refined than before.

The triple-layered cowhide canopy was patterned with delicate designs.

Pushing aside the heavy cotton curtains, one would find the scent of jasmine incense burning within.

The physician’s wife had just finished helping Nie Qinglin bathe.

A large wooden tub had not yet been carried out, steam still rising from it.

Spices had been added to the water, giving the blood-and-iron tent a sudden touch of warmth.

The beauty’s long hair was loose.

She wore a yellow brocade robe trimmed with raccoon fur.

The ring of dark fur set off her face, which had been steamed tender by the hot bath, making her even more delicate.

Holding a hand warmer in her pale hands, she sat gracefully at an angle, serene and lovely like a figure from a lady’s painting.

Ge Qingyuan felt a heat rising in his belly as he gazed at her.

He waved his hand, and An Qiao’er left the tent.

“After tonight, Xiu Tuhong will see no reinforcements and will certainly retreat. By then, that Xiongnu general will have no grave for his bones. A pity about your Eighth Imperial Sister—so beautiful, but who knows which man will drag her into his tent, with child, to serve a new husband.”

Seeing Nie Qinglin lower her head without looking at him, Ge Qingyuan felt a surge of irritation.

After a long moment, a cold smile pulled at his lips as he spoke darkly.

Sure enough, the beauty who had ignored him instantly turned pale and stared straight at him.

“Since the Princess is now in the northern frontier, she should follow the customs of the land. You must know that women ought to depend on the strong. The joys of the bedchamber are sweetest when both man and woman are equally satisfied. If the Princess is willing to disrobe herself, soften her body, and grant her husband a night of tenderness, then at that time, your Eighth Imperial Sister’s days will be easier. In the end, at least her life will be spared. I wonder, would Princess Yong’an not show pity for her own elder sister?”

Nie Qinglin lifted her large eyes, her gaze trembling as if frightened by his words.

For the moment she could not argue back.

When he sat down beside the bed, she did not move away, only lowered her blushing face, presenting herself as though ready for him to pluck at will.

Ge Qingyuan finally could not restrain himself.

He pulled her into his arms and began kissing her fervently.

Her fragrant cheeks were smooth as snow, her cherry lips sweet and clinging.

Even the bit of her pale neck seemed coated in honey.

Ge Qingyuan reached to unfasten her jacket, but when he got to the third button he felt a growing numbness in his hand and could no longer lift it.

Ge Qingyuan had spent time in the southern frontier and knew something about drugs.

Realizing he could not raise his hand, he was alarmed and tried to clench the sly traitor beneath him by the throat, but he had no strength at all and collapsed onto her instead.

“What… what did you give me?” he managed.

Nie Qinglin glanced at his state and smiled.

“I smeared something on my cheek and neck that can numb a person. If Lord Ge were a gentleman, he naturally would not have fallen for it, so there is no one else to blame.”

After saying that, seeing he did not move, Nie Qinglin exhaled lightly.

At that moment An Qiao’er hurried in, struggling to flip Ge Qingyuan onto his side, then fetched a damp towel to wipe the face and neck of the other motionless person, Nie Qinglin.

“The ingredients for this sedative are scarce. It took many days to gather enough to make only this small amount. Fortunately the drug is potent. Although the Princess applied it to her skin and was numbed, wiping with this herbal juice should relieve the effect.”

Nie Qinglin smiled wryly.

She had originally intended to put the drug into food, but feared Lord Ge’s suspicious nature might keep him from eating any tainted dish.

That was why she came up with this plan to apply it to her own skin.

Once they wiped the areas clean, An Qiao’er helped Nie Qinglin up.

An Qiao’er had also slipped the sedative into the food for the soldiers outside the tent.

With the camp quiet, Chief Physician Zhang hurried in.

When his eyes met Nie Qinglin’s, his lips trembled slightly.

Ge Qingyuan was jealous and never let other men near the tent.

This was the first time he had truly seen the Princess.

The memory of the beauty rendered him speechless; for a moment he stood stunned.

There was no time for greetings.

He hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, the horses are ready. We should seize this chance to flee.”

He then drew the sword that Ge Qingyuan had placed at the corner of the table, intending to use the thief’s unconsciousness as an opportunity to stab him through.

But a bookish, frail scholar could not drive the sword into that warm body even after gathering his breath for a long time.

“I’ll do it!”

An Qiao’er snatched the sword, gritted her teeth, and tried to recall all the villainy of that scoundrel.

She exerted herself, but even after much effort could not force the blade through.

She inhaled sharply and spun the sword in both hands in place.

Nie Qinglin sighed.

The three in the tent were not men like the Grand Tutor, who would cut off heads as easily as slicing vegetables.

She did not want these two to soil their hands with blood.

“Forget it,” she said.

“Evil people will meet their end in time. He seems to be merely asleep, and that is better. If someone found him dead with a sword in him, we would have far less time to escape.”

After speaking, Nie Qinglin felt her strength return.

She quickly stood up and, supported by Zhang Shiyu and An Qiao’er, walked out of the tent.

Zhang Shiyu, who used to care for horses in the tribe when not practicing medicine, had already saddled three horses early on.

With the Princess mounted, An Qiao’er held the newborn baby in her arms, tied her in front of herself, and prepared to slip out through the small back gate of the camp.

Because the army had won a battle that night, the guards inside the camp were relaxed.

Yet as it was still wartime, even though the back gate’s guards had been drugged unconscious by Zhang Shiyu, the sentry atop the watchtower spotted three dark figures in an instant and shouted in Xiongnu tongue to demand who they were.

The three gave no answer but spurred their horses forward, charging straight ahead.

The watchtower guard, without another word, drew his bow and loosed arrows.

Fortunately, the night was deep and dark; several arrows flew past Nie Qinglin’s side, grazing dangerously close but not hitting, a narrow escape.

Just then, the alarm gong suddenly sounded throughout the camp, as if someone were launching a raid.

None of the three dared look back.

They urged their horses on, galloping headlong into the night until they disappeared into the darkness.

At that very moment, as Princess Yong’an fled with her two loyal attendants, Wei Lenghou led one thousand elite soldiers of Prince Xiu Tuhong in an ambush attack on the camp.

The intelligence he had received was far more accurate than the watered-down reports given to Xiu Tuhong.

He knew precisely where Ge Qingyuan had relocated, and also that Ge Qingyuan had stationed heavy troops to encircle and destroy Xiu Tuhong’s forces once they retreated.

Thus, he had Xiu Tuhong feign defeat, dismantle the camp, and prepare a false retreat.

Meanwhile, he himself led a small strike force to launch this second night raid.

That Xiu Tuhong, despite heavy losses of men and generals, would launch a second lightning-fast raid was something Ge Qingyuan had never even imagined.

In an instant, the Morha tribe’s camp fell into chaos.

Ge Zhong rushed into the command tent, only to find that Princess Yong’an was gone, while Ge Qingyuan still lay unconscious amid the turmoil.

Knowing something was wrong, he splashed water on him to wake him.

Ge Qingyuan opened his gloomy eyes.

After listening to Ge Zhong’s brief report, he understood they must first crush this raiding force before pursuing the treacherous woman who had fled.

He had treated her with sincerity, yet could not win her true heart.

Once he caught that cunning little woman again, he would make her taste his thunderous wrath.

Outside the camp, hundreds of raiding horsemen galloped to the palisade.

They swung iron hooks, whirling them through the air before hurling them onto the camp walls.

The hooks caught on the wooden beams at the foundation, and together the riders spurred their horses, dragging the ropes taut.

Ge Qingyuan stepped out of the tent, saw this, and shouted in alarm.

He rushed to the palisade, hacking at the ropes with his blade.

The soldiers beside him followed suit, but there were too many hooks to cut down in time.

With a deafening crash, the combined force of hundreds of horsemen tore down a massive section of the camp walls.

Many Moerha soldiers were buried beneath the collapsing beams, their screams filling the air.

More riders turned back, weapons raised, and stormed into the breach like a surging tide.

Ge Qingyuan, enraged, let out a fierce cry and leapt from the wall, striking down a horseman in mid-charge.

Rolling aside as he landed to avoid the trampling hooves, he slashed his blade, chopping down several horses’ legs.

Riders screamed as man and beast crashed to the ground.

Though Ge Qingyuan’s Moerha warriors fought bravely, the relentless waves of soldiers pouring through the breach under Wei Lenghou’s command gradually overwhelmed the hollowed defenses.

Ge Qingyuan was all too familiar with such thunderbolt-like tactics.

The moment he caught sight of Wei Lenghou’s figure, he realized the truth.

So he had seen through his ruse and come straight here? Truly, this was the greatest rival of his life.

He whispered a few instructions to Ge Zhong, who understood instantly and hurried off.

Amid the blaze of fire, Wei Lenghou charged at the front, and at that moment his eyes fell on Ge Qingyuan standing outside the main tent.

Enemies meeting, fury flared.

The Grand Tutor glared at Ge Qingyuan, said nothing, but turned, drew a sharp arrow, and loosed several in quick succession.

Ge Qingyuan yanked a nearby guard into their path, and over a dozen arrows struck the unfortunate man instead.

“Lord Grand Tutor, it has been a long time since we last met, and your archery is still so precise!”

Ge Qingyuan yanked forward the woman Ge Zhong had tied up, pulling her in front of him.

The woman was small and delicate, resembling dragon pearl, and she wore a bright yellow dragon robe—the very ceremonial attire Nie Qinglin had been dressed in when she was captured.

Her hair hung loose, hiding her face.

She kept her head lowered, trembling all over, while Ge Qingyuan pressed his sword against her neck.

“For the Grand Tutor to rush all the way here from the capital shows that you are truly tender toward beauties. I wonder, though, will you be willing to put down your weapons and order your soldiers to retreat for this fine lady’s sake? Otherwise, do not blame me for being ruthless and destroying such a juicy flower without mercy.”

As he spoke, he pressed the blade harder.

The sharp edge cut into the woman’s neck.

Her mouth was gagged, and though terrified, she could only stammer incoherently.

The Grand Tutor furrowed his brow.

Behind him, Shan Tiehua swiftly cut down several Xiongnu guards who rushed up, then glanced worriedly at the “emperor” in Ge Qingyuan’s grip.

“Grand Tutor, what should we do? Should we retreat?”

In the sly, confident smile on Ge Qingyuan’s face, the Grand Tutor slowly lowered his bow and threw it to the ground.

Yet as he bent down to unfasten his sword from his belt, he suddenly raised his hand and hurled it straight ahead.

The sword, forged from refined iron, was thin yet strong.

With the full force he had gathered, it flew with even greater strength than a flying sword, piercing directly through the chest of the “emperor.”

The blade’s tip continued forward and stabbed into Ge Qingyuan himself.

Pain made him release his grip, and the woman collapsed lifelessly to the side.

Ge Qingyuan stared in shock at the Grand Tutor.

He had not expected him to show no mercy toward a beauty.

Even Shan Tiehua cried out in alarm.

The Grand Tutor drew a broadsword without even glancing at the woman’s corpse.

His phoenix eyes narrowed, and his handsome face brimmed with killing intent.

With a cold sneer he said, “Lord Ge, you served beside His Majesty for years. When have you ever seen our emperor so terrified in public that she wet her own pants? If you want someone to impersonate her, you should at least choose one with courage, so she will not give herself away.”

Glancing at the woman’s soaked trousers, Ge Qingyuan could not help but feel bitter regret.

Several of his trusted generals, seeing the battle lost, fought to hold off Wei Lenghou.

Ge Zhong urged Ge Qingyuan to withdraw.

Ge Qingyuan mounted a horse and, protected by his guards, fled the camp.

For now, his only course was to pursue the runaway emperor and send word for his forces hidden outside to quickly regroup and move.

Wei Lenghou’s heart was set on dragon pearl.

When he saw Ge Qingyuan escape, he ordered Lu Yuda to take a small party to pursue, while he himself entered the command tent.

Inside, he saw women’s garments strewn in disorder.

Picking one up and raising it to his nose, he caught the unique fragrance that clung to Nie Qinglin.

But the lady herself was nowhere to be found, and his heart sank.

Just then, Lu Yuda bent down to inspect the ground.

Born a hunter, he was adept at reading tracks.

Fortunately, the back of the tent had not been touched by fire, and since it had rained the day before, the small footprints in the mud were clearly visible.

“Grand Tutor, it seems the emperor mounted a horse and rode out of the camp!”

When Lu Yuda had first discovered that the emperor was in fact a woman, his mouth had hung open in shock for an entire night.

But since she was the Grand Tutor’s beloved, he naturally gave his utmost effort to find her.

Wei Lenghou knew that if Ge Qingyuan had not used Nie Qinglin herself as a hostage in his desperation, then there must be more to the matter.

Hearing Lu Yuda’s judgment, he swung onto his horse and galloped out along the trail.

Meanwhile, Nie Qinglin had been jolted on horseback for an entire hour.

Seeing no pursuers behind them, she finally allowed herself to calm.

Then she heard a sudden thud.

Turning back, she saw that Zhang Shiyu had fallen off his horse.

“Brother Zhang!”

Nie Qinglin exclaimed in alarm, as both she and An Qiao’er reined in their horses and leapt down.

When they lifted Zhang Shiyu, they discovered an arrow lodged in his back.

It must have struck him earlier when they broke out of the camp, but along the way he had endured the pain in silence, not wishing to slow them down.

An Qiao’er burst into tears in panic.

Nie Qinglin carefully examined the wound and said, “Judging from its position, it should not have pierced any vital organs. Qiao’er, you have been with Brother Zhang for a long time. Can you treat this kind of wound?”

An Qiao’er, whose mind had been in chaos, steadied herself at Nie Qinglin’s reminder.

She fetched the medicine pouch from Zhang Shiyu’s horse, took out hemostatic powder, gathered twigs and kindling, and struck a flame.

After heating a small knife in the fire until it glowed, she carefully cut open the wound and pulled out the barbed arrow.

She quickly sprinkled medicine powder on the wound and wrapped it with clean cloth.

Nie Qinglin bent close to feel Zhang Shiyu’s breath.

It was growing longer and steadier, which made her sigh in relief.

But just then, the three horses behind them suddenly reared up, hooves pawing the ground as they neighed and stamped restlessly.

“Young master, why are there so many fireflies here?” An Qiao’er looked up uneasily.

Nie Qinglin also raised her head.

In the chill northern night wind, countless specks of blue light had indeed appeared all around them, flickering in the darkness.

Nie Qinglin had once admired the beauty of fireflies, their glow soft and enchanting.

But the clusters of light surrounding them now radiated a murderous aura.

Suddenly, a chorus of howls rang out.

At that moment, Nie Qinglin recalled what Ge Qingyuan had once said—“The smell of blood will attract packs of steppe wolves.”

Her hands and feet turned cold, and she gasped, “Qiao’er, those… those are not fireflies. They are… wolves!”