"Thank you, General!"

Wu Ya pretended to be calm and spoke, her voice a little weak: "This great victory is thanks to your strategy. I toast to you."

Xie Yunqi didn't even raise his eyelids, and said coldly: "No need."

He was holding a purse in his hand, which contained a lock of a woman's hair. It looked like it had been there for some time and the purse was already half worn.

The smile on Wu Ya's face froze.

He suddenly remembered the rumor that Qi Che had mentioned earlier.

"I heard that General Xie has a sweetheart in Da Chu, who seems to be a princess."

Wu Ya took another step forward unwillingly: "I know I offended you last time, but this time I really mean it..."

Before she could finish her words, Xie Yunqi's gaze shot towards her like a sharp blade.

"Princess, please respect yourself."

The soldiers around seemed to notice the awkwardness here, and the chatter and laughter gradually subsided.

Wu Ya's face flushed red, and the cup in her hand was almost crushed.

Seeing Xie Yunqi leave, she turned around abruptly and disappeared into the darkness outside the crowd.

However, after Xie Yunqi walked away, a hunched figure quietly followed Wu Ya, who was alone and worried.

"Princess, why are you doing this?"

Seeing Wu Ya sitting alone in the corner wiping her tears, Qi Che walked over and pretended to be concerned, "Princess, don't be sad. General Xie may have just been confused for a moment and failed to see your good side."

Wu Ya raised her head and looked at Qi Che with tears in her eyes: "Why? What's wrong with me? Why does he hate me so much?"

Wu Ya didn't understand.

In terms of appearance, she was the most beautiful woman on the grassland, and even her grandfather had praised her in person before.

They said she was more beautiful than the moonlight on the snow-capped mountains.

In terms of status, she is a member of the royal family of the Western Regions with noble blood. The sons of many tribal leaders are lining up to marry her.

But why?

However, Xie Yunqi always avoided her.

Qi Che looked at her distraught appearance, sneered in his heart, but his face was full of sympathy.

"Princess, this isn't your fault."

"It's not my fault?" Wu Ya choked up and looked up at him blankly, "Then whose fault is it?"

"Xie Yunqi is blind."

"He's been so obsessed with the princess of Da Chu that he can't see your good qualities. He doesn't know how to cherish a pearl like the princess. It's his loss!"

Wu Ya listened in a daze. Qi Che's words were like a life-saving straw, giving her a glimmer of comfort.

She sniffed, "Is that really the case?"

"Of course it's true."

"However, in my humble opinion, Princess, there's no need to give up just yet. In the Central Plains, there's a saying that once a man has physical contact with a woman, he must be loyal to her for life. Even if he has feelings for someone else, he still has to take responsibility."

Wu Ya's face flushed instantly, her eyes instantly panicked, and she subconsciously shrank back: "You...what nonsense are you talking about! How can this be possible!"

"Princess, don't be so quick to refuse."

Qi Che waved his hands quickly, his tone sincere.

"I'm not asking you to do anything out of the ordinary. I just want you to fight for yourself. Think about it, if General Xie were involved with you, would he still be as indifferent to you as he is now? Even if he has someone else in his heart, he still has to consider your existence. Over time, he will naturally see the good in you."

Seeing the confusion in Wu Ya's eyes, Qi Che continued to persuade her patiently.

“This is actually a sign of loving someone.”

"To keep the one you love, what's a small sacrifice worth? Besides, you like General Xie so much, don't you want him to stay with you?"

"C-Can I?"

These words echoed in Wuya's ears like a spell, and her heart beat rapidly.

She thought of Xie Yunqi's handsome face that looked like a banished immortal, and his cold eyes.

The resentment and obsession in my heart grew wildly like weeds.

But when asked to take the initiative to do that kind of thing, she still felt ashamed and resisted.

Qi Che noticed her hesitation, took out a paper bag from his sleeve and handed it to Wu Ya.

"This is a kind of medicinal powder I accidentally found. It is colorless and odorless. If you put it in wine, it can temporarily make people lose their strength. Princess, if you have made up your mind, use it to buy yourself a chance.

If you don't want to, just pretend I never said these words."

He stuffed the paper bag into Wuya's hand and stood up. "The choice is up to the princess. I'll take my leave."

Wu Ya held the small paper bag and felt it was hot.

Reason told her that she should throw it away and spill it immediately.

But there was a string in my heart pulling at me.

What if?

What if what he said was true?

The bonfire in the distance reflected on Wuya's face, revealing the hesitation, struggle, and a hint of madness that was gradually growing in her heart.

Finally, she held the paper bag tightly, with a flash of determination in her eyes.

——

It was night, late and quiet.

The celebration banquet lasted until midnight. The soldiers drank to their heart's content and returned to their tents in groups of three or four.

Wu Ya returned to her tent and carefully drew her eyebrows and lipstick in front of a bronze mirror. She even added a dot of crimson cinnabar to her forehead and donned the clothing only worn by women from the Central Plains.

She was wearing a bright red skirt with a pattern of birds paying homage to the phoenix embroidered with gold thread. The belt was tied just right, barely covering the pair of full breasts.

"How's it going? Are you okay?"

She asked Qi Che who was in the corner.

This makeup and the skirt were all found by Qi Che, who said that this would definitely increase the possibility of success.

On the side, Qi Che's eyes suddenly widened when he saw Wu Ya in front of him.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!