Xiao Man said angrily, "Third Prince, how rude of you!"

Crack! Caught off guard, a whip lashed out, knocking Xiaoman to the ground. A searing pain shot through her; the whip had barbs, and Xiaoman's back was instantly torn open.

"How dare a lowly servant girl speak to me like that! I don't even respect your masters, let alone a lowly servant girl!"

Tuoba Min was about to crack the whip again when Ruoling moved aside and stood in front of Xiaoman, saying, "Does Your Highness intend to beat my maid to death right in front of me?!"

"Heh." Tuoba Min sneered, "What difference would it make if I killed him?"

“Then you shall step over my dead body!” Although Ruoling’s face was pale, she stood tall and straight in front of Xiaoman, without moving an inch.

"Do you think I, the prince, dare not!" Tuoba Min's face grew even more sinister.

"Heh." Ruoling sneered in return, "I am a princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the Third Prince is the envoy for this wedding. You have the duty and responsibility to ensure my safe arrival in the capital of the Southern Liang Kingdom! If I die here without knowing why, I wonder how the Third Prince will explain this to the Emperor of Southern Liang and the Crown Prince of Southern Liang after returning to the capital!"

"Hahahaha!" Tuoba Min laughed loudly, "I didn't expect that Princess Ruoling, though petite, would be so bold."

"Hmph." Ruoling snorted coldly, "Since Your Highness knows that this princess is not so weak, why not pack your bags and set off back to the capital of Southern Liang as soon as possible? Why waste time here!"

Sitting on his horse, Tuoba Min looked at his subordinates and said loudly, "The people of Great Zhou eat grains and cereals, but when they come to the harsh and cold borderlands of my Southern Liang, they suffer from acclimatization problems and fall ill. Although I, the prince, have sought medical help from many sources, Princess Ruoling is too delicate and weak to withstand it and has died. Do you agree?"

"Yes!" The shouts of more than a hundred people shook the heavens.

Ruoling was so frightened that she involuntarily took a step back. She never expected that the Third Prince would say such a thing.

Tuoba Min shook the reins, and the horse beneath him circled Ruoling and the palace maid lying on the ground several times.

"In that case, even if Father and the Crown Prince blame me, they will at most criticize me for not taking good care of him, and they will only say a few words to me, neither too harsh nor too mild. But Princess Ruoling, you have lost your life for nothing!"

His subordinates burst into laughter.

Tuoba Min rode away, and the wind and sand blew into Ruoling's face.

“Princess…” The palace maid struggled to her feet, ignoring the sharp pain in her back, and supported Ruoling, who was about to collapse.

Ruoling was sweating profusely. This third prince of Southern Liang was a madman. She gripped the maid's hand tightly, trying her best to calm herself down: "I'm fine, let's go back."

Xiao Man nodded.

How are you?

"I'm fine."

"I'll apply the medicine when we get back."

Amidst the swirling sandstorm, two frail women helped each other back to their tent.

...

As darkness fell, torches were lit all around.

Inside the main tent, Tuoba Min, the third prince of Southern Liang, was having a meal. Beside him, a scantily clad woman with a large expanse of exposed breasts, looking weak and boneless, was lying on top of him, feeding him wine with her mouth.

"Your Highness, we just received news that Prince An of Great Zhou has arrived." A subordinate rushed to report, bowing his head and not daring to look at the magnificent sight above.

Tuoba Min, who was cutting meat with a knife, stopped what she was doing: "Prince An of Great Zhou? Is that Zhu Yu, the ruthless demon of Great Zhou who kills without blinking an eye?"

"yes."

"Where are you? How many people did you bring?"

"There are still over a hundred li to go, and about twenty people. They should be able to arrive by tomorrow afternoon at the earliest."

These more than one hundred places require crossing mountains; it would be good if we could arrive by tomorrow afternoon.

Tuoba Min snorted coldly, picked up the dagger that had been thrown aside, cut off a piece of flesh, and threw it into his mouth: "Twenty or so people, thinking they can come looking for this prince? Are they here to die!"

The subordinate whispered, "Third Prince, I've heard that this Prince An is a master of martial arts, and his men are all top-notch fighters."

Tuoba Min glanced at the man: "I have more than five hundred men. How come he has four legs or eight arms? How dare he think he can kill my five hundred men with only twenty of them?"

The subordinate dared not raise his head. If King An of Zhou was truly a brute who only knew how to kill, he could not have defeated the 300,000 iron cavalry of Northern Qi with 200,000 Northern Army soldiers, leaving them with no choice but to submit a letter of surrender and pay tribute.

Tuoba Min pushed the woman off him to the ground, and the woman's hands, like snakes, climbed up the Third Prince's waist.

"Get out!" The Third Prince kicked the woman off him.

Tuoba Min slammed the dagger into the table and walked up to his subordinate: "Even if he wants to make a move, he should consider the strength of the Great Zhou. Can they afford to fight? If they can, why send a woman here for a marriage alliance? The Great Zhou are a bunch of spineless cowards!"

Tuoba Min wiped his greasy hands on his subordinate's clothes: "Don't you dare boost the enemy's morale while crushing our own!"

"yes."

"Get out!" Tuoba Min kicked the man away, then turned around and pinned the woman down.

The woman wrapped her soft hands around Tuoba Min's neck, her breath sweet as orchids: "Third Prince, I've heard that Princess Ruoling of the Great Zhou is extremely beautiful, with bright eyes and white teeth, and a slender waist. I've never seen her before. How lucky is Your Highness to be able to sleep with such a beautiful woman?"

His breath warmed Tuoba Min's ear: "Third Prince, tell me, who is prettier, her or me?"

Just as Tuoba Min was about to take up his spear and prepare for battle, he heard these words. A slight smile appeared on his lips, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. He was itching with desire and threw the woman off his body, heading towards Ruoling's tent.

Seeing Tuoba Min walk out looking like that, the woman curled her lips, pulled her clothes up, and her face turned cold: "Tell His Highness that it's done."

A voice came from outside the tent, which was separated by one layer: "Yes."

It was late at night, and Ruoling lay in bed. The words Tuoba Min had said to her that evening, and the barbed whip he had lashed out at Xiaoman, kept replaying in her mind. She broke out in a cold sweat again.

Feeling sticky and uncomfortable, I got up to wipe myself down with hot water.

Because Xiaoman was injured, Ruoling let her rest in the next tent. Another palace maid offered to serve her, but she refused.

Xiaoman was seriously injured, and worried that she might develop a fever in the middle of the night, so the palace maid was asked to stay and take care of her.

They had been living here for more than half a month. Outside, there were patrolling soldiers from Southern Liang, and the guards they had brought from Great Zhou were also standing guard at the door. No one dared to approach this place.

Therefore, Ruoling was the only one in the tent at this moment.

Aside from not returning to the capital of Southern Liang, the Third Prince never mistreated Ruoling here, granting her any desires she might have.

As it was late autumn, the weather became extremely cold at night, so there was a hot coal burning inside the tent with a kettle on it, so hot water could be obtained at any time.

Ruoling got out of bed, fetched water, and then unbuttoned her clothes to wipe herself.