Chapter 98 War Begins

Zhao Hong once again returned to the governor's mansion and lived in the luxuriously built Fuxiang Garden. There was a high bed with soft pillows, plenty of wine and meat, and servants to serve her. She had everything she wanted, including clothes and food.

I couldn't help but sigh in my heart, mining is simply not a job for humans, this is the life he should live!

As for the useless nonsense that Gu Yunmei kept whispering in his ears, such as "Princess Fuguang is the murderer of your father", "As the son of King Yue, you must never belittle yourself", "Endure the pain for a while, you will surely make a comeback in the future", "If you go to Xiqi, everything will be over", etc., he didn't take it to heart at all.

His mother didn't think about it. His father had an army of 10,000, but they were all slaughtered by Princess Fuguang. He had nothing. What could he use to go against Princess Fuguang?

He who knows the times is a hero.

If he stayed in Yuzhou, he would surely die. Since he couldn't resist, he might as well take this opportunity to go to Xiqi. If he could gain the favor of the King of Xiqi, perhaps he could continue to live a life of wealth and glory.

This is what Zhao Hong values most at the moment.

After a comfortable night's sleep in Fuxiang Garden, Zhao Hong woke up the next day and was stretching when she saw Qiushi leading a few servants and pushing the door open with clothes and jewelry in their hands.

"Young master, you're awake. Hurry up and get dressed. The convoy to Xiqi is ready and we'll set off today." Qiushi said with a smile, while directing his servants to put the things in their hands away.

"So soon?" Zhao Hong was a little surprised. He thought he could enjoy himself for a few more days in the governor's mansion.

Looking at those things again, there was a set of bright red embroidered robe with gold woven flowers, hanging on the ebony hanger by the wall; a brocade box filled with various jewelry, and several bottles of rouge and powder, all lined up on the dressing table.

Could these be all for him? Zhao Hong's face suddenly turned pale.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard hurried footsteps at the door. He looked up and saw Gu Yunmei walking in quickly.

"Hong'er..." She called out to Zhao Hong first, then looked at the things in the room and suddenly became angry, "What do you want to do to him?"

Qiu Shi smiled and said, "Since you are marrying into the Western Qi Kingdom, you must dress up nicely to please the King of Western Qi, right?"

Gu Yunmei's face flushed red. "You, you are simply humiliating me! How can you use these women's things on Hong'er?"

As he said that, he grabbed Zhao Hong's arm and said, "Let's go. We would rather go to the mines to dig than be insulted like this!"

Qiushi's face turned cold, and he crossed his arms over his chest. He said in a cold voice, "What's the difference between women and men? Don't we all have the same head and body? Why is it normal for women to wear makeup, get pierced ears, wear high buns, and wear long skirts, but for men, it's considered an insult?"

She has been with Zhao Mingyue for so many years, and has been influenced by her. She is no longer the little girl who could only swallow her anger when facing Zhao Chun's bullying. She has long understood these principles.

She rarely wears these dresses anymore. Her casual clothes on weekdays are similar to Zhao Mingyue's, with a flat scarf, narrow sleeves, long pants and short boots, whatever is neat and tidy.

Gu Rumei was stunned by her retort and retorted, "That's nonsense. How can women be the same as men?"

Qiu Shi snorted coldly, "Of course that's different. Women are nobler than men. People like you who despise yourself are a disgrace to us women!"

She looked Gu Rumei up and down with contempt in her eyes. "The princess is now the sovereign, and you and Zhao Hong are just captives, not even as strong as one of her fingers. Don't think that just because I address you as Madam or Young Master, you are superior to others. If you dare to disobey my order, I will report to the princess right now, and you will be beheaded!"

Gu Rumei's face turned pale instantly, her lips trembled, she wanted to say something but didn't have the courage to speak it out loud.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Hong suddenly shook her hand away and sternly accused her, "You old stubborn man, you really don't know what's good for you. If women can do it, why can't men do it? Can't I wear a skirt and put on makeup to make myself look better?"

Gu Rumei was stunned by the scolding and couldn't say a word, tears welled up in her eyes.

Oh my God, what did she do wrong? Why did these people treat her son like this!

She tried her best to protect her son's dignity, but was accused of being stubborn. It was really heartbreaking!

Zhao Hong didn't look at her at all. She looked at Qiu Shi with a flattering smile, "Sister, hurry up and dress up for me. Don't pay attention to her. She's not smart."

Having said that, he sat down obediently in front of the dressing table and folded his hands on his knees.

Qiushi smiled coldly and waved his hand, and the male servants immediately took action. They first put a wig on him, smeared it with osmanthus oil to make it smooth, then put on a phoenix hairpin and a hibiscus flower at an angle.

Then, she used a thin rope to wring out the sweat hairs on Zhao Hong's face, applied white powder on her face, smeared red rouge on her cheeks, and dyed her lips red.

Zhao Hong looked at herself in the mirror. With her red lips, white teeth and fragrant face, her heart was moved. She really didn't know how good-looking she was until she dressed up!

Even he was stunned by his own beauty. Wouldn't the King of Xiqi be completely captivated by him when he saw her?

Just as he was feeling proud, his earlobe was suddenly pinched. Before he could react, he saw in the mirror that the servant took a silver needle and pierced his earlobe.

"It hurts, it hurts..." Zhao Hong screamed and was about to jump up from the chair, but the servant held him down. The servant pinched his other ear and with a "pop" sound, another bloody hole was made.

The servant wiped the blood off his ears and took the earrings to put on Zhao Hong. The heavy gem beads made his ears hurt more and more, and he felt that his earlobes were about to be torn off. He couldn't help but moan.

Gu Yunmei was watching with great distress and consoled him, "It's okay, it's okay. Your ear will heal in two days."

Qiu Shi said coldly from the side, "All women get their ears pierced like this, it's not painful at all? Stop being so pretentious!"

Zhao Hong bit her lip, put her hand on her cheek, and looked at herself in the mirror. The red gem beads swayed gently under her ears, making her cheeks look even whiter and more beautiful.

Forget it, in order to become beautiful and to gain the favor of King Xiqi, he can endure this pain!

The footman helped him up from the chair, put on his dress and tied it around his waist.

Zhao Hong felt a little short of breathing, and she didn't dare ask anyone to loosen her bonds. She could only sit on the edge of the bed with her mouth slightly open, breathing in small sips.

"Please lift your feet, sir." The male servant knelt on the ground and took off his shoes for him. He held the white silk in one hand and pinched his toes tightly with the other hand, wrapping them tightly.

This person is responsible for wrapping it, and another person kneels beside him, holding a needle and thread, and is responsible for sewing.

This was more painful than having her ears pierced. Zhao Hong felt as if the arch of her foot was stretched and bent, and the pain in her foot was unbearable.

Even after he had wrapped his feet, the servant brought two pairs of embroidered shoes that were only half the size of his feet and forcefully shoved his feet into them.

"No! No! It hurts so much!" Zhao Hong burst into tears.

After finally putting on his shoes, he was completely exhausted. Every time he stepped on the ground, he felt a sharp pain and could not walk at all. He could only fall on the bed, holding his chest and sobbing softly.

Gu Yunmei looked at her son, who was a good boy, and who had been tortured by these people and turned into a beautiful and weak boy. She shed tears and gasped, looking like a pitiful lamb to be slaughtered. Her mood suddenly became complicated, both painful and absurd.

Zhao Hong accepted it well. He thought that as long as he could endure his anger for a while, he could enjoy wealth for the rest of his life. He never wanted to mine iron ore again!

He tried to force a sweet smile and asked breathlessly, "Sister Qiushi, is this okay now?"

Qiushi smiled and nodded, then ordered someone to put a turban on Zhao Hong's headscarf. She was then carried out of the mansion and onto a carriage by a male servant.

Gu Rumei followed him out and watched Zhao Hong's convoy leave. She should have been heartbroken, but when she thought of Zhao Chun's appearance, she felt uncomfortable.

Qiu Shi looked at her and said, "Madam Gu, the young master has left. Do you want to go back to Laoya Mountain or stay in the mansion? I can ask the princess for you."

Gu Rumei shook her head and said bitterly, "I, I'd better go back to Laoya Mountain."

The sisters in the mansion and the wives of officials now all work under Zhao Mingyue. If she stays, she will only be ridiculed.

Especially Zhao Hong. Whenever people mentioned her, they would say that she had a son who was the concubine of King Xiqi. How could she hold her face up like that?

It would be better to go back to Laoya Mountain and mine honestly.

When she thought that there would be no hope in her life from now on and she would have to spend her whole life in that dark mine, she felt very regretful.

If she had known this would happen, she would not have gone against Zhao Mingyue. Unfortunately, she had no chance to regret it.

Two lines of clear tears flowed from her eyes and her cheeks were cold.

————

Two months later, Zhao Hong arrived in Tangzhou City.

Now, the Xiqi people have completely occupied the city, and the King of Xiqi has even allowed his men to rob and plunder in the city. The people of Tangzhou have been displaced, and those who can run have fled.

King Motuo of Xiqi was sitting in the governor's mansion drinking and merrymaking with his men when a soldier hurried in, "Report! Your Majesty, Princess Fuguang has arrived!"

Motuo's eyes lit up, "Please come in!"

He had been waiting for Princess Fuguang for half a year, and finally she was here.

At the banquet, the other generals all laughed frivolously. "It seems that the king will be the groom again tonight. I just don't know which tastes better, the princess of the Darong Dynasty or the woman of Xiqi."

In their view, even a princess is just an object to be played with and is not worthy of respect at all.

At this time, footsteps were heard at the door. Everyone looked over and saw a woman in red with a headscarf, supported by Darong's attendant, walking in with a frail figure.

Everyone immediately whistled and teased, "Princess, why are you hiding so much in front of the king? Are you an ugly freak who can't stand being around people?"

Zhao Hong tensed up as he listened to the sneers in the room. These damn men, he was the prince of Yue, how dare they be so rude to him?

Just wait, when he wins the favor of King Xiqi, King Xiqi will definitely reward him with an official position. Then, he will kill all those who humiliated him!

Xiqi King Motuo also wanted to see what Princess Fuguang looked like, so he said in a deep voice, "Come here, take off the princess's veil!"

"Let me do it!" A man jumped up from the seat and pulled off Zhao Hong's headscarf.

"Ah——!" Zhao Hong screamed in panic.

Everyone looked at him and suddenly showed a strange expression. What was this?

Motuo's face darkened. "You are not Princess Fuguang, who are you?"

Zhao Hong quickly calmed down. This group of people must have been stunned by his beauty and speechless.

He raised his chin and said arrogantly, "I am Zhao Hong, the crown prince of the King of Yue. Queen Mother Chi felt that sending Princess Fuguang here was not sincere enough, so she specially ordered me to come here for marriage."

Sending a man to marry was an insult to him, and he wanted to chop off the man's head immediately.

However, this incident was so unusual that Motuo felt that something must have happened during this period. Barely suppressing his anger, he asked in a deep voice, "Are you the son of the King of Yue? My general Heihan is in your Yuzhou. Why haven't we heard from him since two months ago?"

Zhao Hong took a deep breath, thinking this was a good opportunity to gain King Xiqi's sympathy. She feigned sadness and said, "Two months ago, my father was killed by Princess Fuguang. Now Yuzhou City is Princess Fuguang's territory."

Everyone was shocked, "What?"

Zhao Hong looked deeply at King Xiqi. "Queen Mother Chi and Princess Fuguang are absolutely despicable. Not only did they kill your generals, they also forced me to marry into the alliance. Please, Your Majesty, make the decision for me!"

Motuo stood up and walked in front of Zhao Hong. Zhao Hong thought that he must be fascinated by her beauty and became even more proud. Unexpectedly, the next moment, Motuo directly drew the sword from his waist and slashed at his waist.

Zhao Hong, who was originally shy, suddenly widened her eyes, then fell to the ground, covering her wound and screaming.

Motuo stepped on his carefully dressed head and crushed it with all his might. "What a Princess Fuguang! How dare you use an androgynous monster to humiliate me? Darong is simply going too far. Do you really think that I, Motuo, wouldn't dare to start a war?"

"Pass on my order, gather the troops, and attack Yuzhou!"

Everyone put down their wine bowls, stood up, and said solemnly, "Yes!"