Ding Xinwan looked at the chestnut horse with a hint of surprise in her eyes. She had loved horses since she was a child, and she loved riding a horse freely and feeling the lightning speed the most.
Seeing that Xue Jiyan had prepared such a betrothal gift for her, she couldn't help but feel a special kind of joy in her heart.
Xue Jiyan walked over to the horse, gently stroked its mane, and said softly, "I picked this horse especially for Sister Ding. It has a gentle temperament and steady legs, making it very suitable for riding. I hope Sister Ding will like it."
Ding Xinwan nodded with emotion, tears glistening in her eyes. She walked over to Xue Jiyan and stroked the horse with him, saying softly, "I like it very much. Thank you, Master Xue... Master Xue."
Seeing this, Ding Dayong laughed heartily and said, "Great! Great! Ji Yan's betrothal gift really touched Wan'er's heart. It seems that you two really are in sync!"
Hong Yingrong also nodded with satisfaction, and she valued this marriage more and more. She took Ding Xinwan's hand and said affectionately: "Wan'er, Ji Yan will be your support from now on. You two must get along well and support each other."
Ding Xinwan lowered her head shyly and replied "yes". She secretly glanced at Xue Jiyan and saw that he was looking at her tenderly, and a sweet feeling welled up in her heart.
In the front hall, laughter and chatter continued as the two families sat together, discussing their upcoming wedding. Xue Jiyan and Ding Xinwan also exchanged a few words from time to time, gradually closing the distance between them.
As time went by, the sun gradually set in the west. The people from the Marquis' Mansion were about to say goodbye and leave. Ding Dayong and Ding Xinwan reluctantly saw them off to the door.
…
In the tent of King Zuo Xian of Xirong at the border, Princess Li Yunting stared at Zhahemu lying on the luxurious tiger-skin blanket, with a barely perceptible disdain in her eyes.
The old man accidentally fell off his horse while out hunting a few days ago.
Although there were no injuries to his muscles or bones, he had to stay in bed and rest for the next few days.
The Shaman priest entered the tent holding herbs. As the pungent smell of the herbs spread, he began to chant scriptures in a low voice and dance with his hands, as if he was performing a mysterious dance to bless Zhahemu.
Li Yunting gently covered her nose and quietly left the tent. She was moving between the intricate tents when suddenly a strong hand quickly pulled her into another tent.
"Did you miss me?"
A low and rough voice sounded in her ears, accompanied by a strong breath of attack, surrounding her tightly.
"Miss you? I'm watching over that old guy all day, afraid that he'll die suddenly and take me with him. How can I have the heart to think about you?"
She glanced at Dozier indifferently. His eyes revealed the desire of a hungry wolf, as if he wanted to devour her immediately.
The two rolled around on the haystack for a while, and Li Yunting felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation and joy. She smiled softly and whispered, "If he is really going to die, you have to arrange your people in advance and don't let Nurhadu get there first."
Doziger panted heavily, his eyes flashing with uncontrollable excitement. "Let's not talk about this for now. I have good news for you. The border is about to welcome a 'big fat sheep'!"
Li Yunting's eyes lit up when she heard that, and she asked curiously, "'Big fat sheep'? You mean..."
"That's right," Doziger interrupted her with a sly smile on his face. "I've heard that the Great Zhou is going to escort a batch of official silver to the border. For us, isn't this a 'big fat sheep' delivered to our doorstep?"
"Official silver?" Li Yunting frowned slightly when she heard this.
She was well aware of the procedures and specifications for escorting official silver, and knew this was no simple robbery. Even if she managed to get away with it, it would inevitably result in heavy losses, like killing one thousand enemies and losing eight hundred of her own.
Moreover, the imperial court would spare no effort to recover the stolen official silver, and would even resort to a full-scale crackdown. It would be no easy task to swallow this "fat sheep".
Dozier understood her concerns and began to show off the intelligence he had in an attempt to allay her doubts.
"If I rely solely on my own strength, it will naturally be difficult to accomplish anything," Dozier said with a sly smile, "but if I have help from within, that's another matter."
"An insider?" Li Yunting blurted out in astonishment, then frowned. "Do you know the responsibilities of the commander and deputy commander who escort the official silver? If they fail to escort them properly, what serious consequences will they face? Even if the so-called insider gets the money, I'm afraid he won't live to enjoy it!"
"If you don't believe me, I won't bother to say more." Doziger said calmly, "But the team has already set off. Once they enter Ganzhou, I will have the opportunity to take action at any time."
"Ganzhou?" Suspicion began to grow in Li Yunting's heart, and her thoughts raced. "Prince Linjiang has many private mines in Ganzhou. Could he be planning to take action?"
Hearing this, Dozier looked at Li Yunting with a strange look in his eyes. He had originally thought she was just a beautiful, vicious woman, but he hadn't expected her to be so clever and intelligent.
"Your good cousin doesn't care about these things," he said slowly. "He knew someone was trying to harm the team escorting the official silver, so he decided to take advantage of the situation and kill someone with a borrowed knife."
A glimmer of understanding flashed in Li Yunting's eyes. She rolled her eyes slightly and understood the plan.
"So there's a scapegoat. No wonder you're so confident."
Dozier's hands moved restlessly again, and he hugged Li Yunting tightly from behind, greedily feeling the softness and warmth of her body.
"As soon as that old man dies," he said in a deep voice filled with temptation and promise, "I will marry you and make you the most noble woman on this grassland. I will also build you a mansion comparable to the princess's palace in the capital, so that you can live a carefree life here."
Dozier did not catch the sinister look that flashed across Li Yunting's face. She never relied on men to get what she wanted.
During his time in Xirong, Li Yunting gradually gained a deeper understanding of the power structure here.
Today's Queen Mother of Xirong is just a puppet in name only. The prince she gave birth to has yet to ascend the throne of the King of Xirong, so he can only rely on the Right Wise King and barely maintain his fragile position.
A delicate balance was formed between her husband, Zhahemu, the Left Wise King, and the Right Wise King, who kept each other in check and prevented the other from usurping the throne.
Against this backdrop, an ambitious plan was quietly brewing in Li Yunting's mind.
If she could have a child, according to the Xirong tradition of "the winner is king", she might have the opportunity to become the new queen mother and hold real power.
Once this idea came into her mind, it took root and became difficult to contain.
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