Half a month later, the barbarians surrendered.
They suffered a crushing defeat in this battle.
Wen Chengyuan pressed his advantage, leading his men directly into their royal court, terrifying the barbarian king who was only in name. In the end, the two sides agreed to cede territory, pay reparations, pay tribute annually, and establish markets. Only then did he return to the city with his men and the agreement, satisfied.
To demonstrate his sincerity, in addition to signing the contract, the barbarian king also voluntarily handed over his second son, the mastermind behind the conspiracy with King Jia and the leader of the war, to serve as a hostage.
The second prince had an arrogant and unruly look on his face. Even when he was tied up, he was still not behaving himself. In the end, Wen Chengyuan got annoyed with him and dislocated his jaw. When he was brought back, he was in a very sorry state.
Although the Great Zhao and the barbarians have temporarily ceased hostilities, the deaths of so many people are a real consequence. Since it's impossible to deal with all of them, having someone to vent their anger on is a good thing. Of course, the soldiers don't care about his feelings.
Domestically, the princes who joined the rebellion were all arrested and imprisoned, and their subordinates either surrendered or fled. In short, they could not become a major force and needed to be dealt with slowly.
However, this commotion was quite significant, alarming even the vassal kings who had previously pledged allegiance to Xie Lang, who all began to observe through their own channels.
When they first heard that Xie Lang had disappeared, they were worried for a long time. But when they found out it was a lie, they were actually secretly relieved.
To put it bluntly, the reason they offered their sincerity so early, besides not wanting to get involved and disrupt their peaceful lives, was also because they were timid.
See? The rebels have been dealt with.
Fortunately, this doesn't affect them.
After resting for a while, Wen Hemian returned to the border city to spend time with her parents.
"Are we really going to take this person to the capital?"
Qin Yi looked at the Second Prince lying on the ground in a sorry state, his face showing disgust. It was a pity that he hadn't been captured alive on the battlefield. Now that he was a hostage, essentially a symbol of peace, it would be a bit unreasonable for them to just kill him.
It felt like a fishbone stuck in my throat.
Wen Chengyuan also shared this feeling.
“It’s fine to keep him here.” Wen Hemian pondered for a moment. “As long as we don’t kill him, we can do whatever we want with him. It just so happens that we need people to build the city wall, so let him go.”
After this incident involving Prince Jia, he also needs to send people to garrison his fiefdom, and he is currently preparing to build city walls.
As the saying goes, "the wool comes from the sheep's back," so since they started the trouble, let the second prince experience what it's like to do hard labor building city walls.
Wen Chengyuan praised, "It's a good idea."
And that's how it was decided.
As for the second prince, who was lying on the ground groaning and protesting, it doesn't matter; his opinion is unimportant.
The overseer knew how to treat him.
"By the way, your father and I are accompanying you back to the capital this time." Qin Yi brought this up, barely managing to shed her initial displeasure. "The young emperor should be preparing to marry you, right?"
While they are open-minded, they still place great importance on the step of getting married.
Under the rather intimidating gazes of his parents, Wen Hemian nodded without changing his expression: "Yes."
"That's good." Wen Chengyuan's tone was gentle, but upon closer listening, there was a hint of regret. "Otherwise, Father should have had a good talk with him."
Wen Hemian: "..."
That probably won't be a good scene.
That day, when Xie Lang returned after finishing his business, Wen Hemian patted his shoulder with a solemn expression: "Your Majesty, thank me. I saved you from a calamity."
Xie Lang was confused: "?"
Wen Heming turned her gaze away, not answering his question, and instead said, "Get ready, let's go back to the capital."
Xie Lang: "Okay."
They didn't linger here for long after all.
Although everything is currently fine in the capital, the emperor's absence has left many important matters piling up, which will need to be dealt with upon returning.
The emperor's prolonged absence from the capital might cause his subordinates to harbor ill intentions.
Fortunately, unlike the trip there, there was no need to rush. On the way back, Xie Lang could enjoy the scenery along the way, which he hadn't had the chance to see when he stayed in the capital.
While the emperor wielded immense power, he was not necessarily more free than ordinary people in everyday matters.
As the saying goes, "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," which perfectly encapsulates their current predicament.
The weather wasn't too cold, so Xie Lang and Wen Hemian rode horses at a leisurely pace.
He seemed quite curious: "Grand Tutor, you must have seen many beautiful landscapes like this during those three years you were away, right?"
"What's going on? Still reciting it?"
Wen Heming looked over in surprise.
They both have a lot of old grievances to dredge up against each other, and now they are basically in a tacit understanding, with neither of them bringing it up again.
She reasonably suspected that Xie Lang was up to no good.
"You're wronging me." Xie Lang narrowed his long, narrow eyes, revealing a hint of malice. "I just want to ask, when will the Grand Tutor fulfill the promise he made to me?"
Wen Heming instantly realized what he was saying.
"It seems like that's a long way off right now." Wen Hemian looked at the scenery in the distance and smiled. "Let's talk about it again when we find an opportunity to retire."
Neither she nor Xie Lang were the type to shirk their responsibilities; at least until a suitable heir ascended the throne, they certainly couldn't leave for long.
After finally bringing peace to the world, they had to make plans for the future generations.
Xie Lang scoffed, "I knew you'd say that."
Wen Hemian thought he would continue to say something, but after a while, she heard him quietly compromise: "But with you by my side, it doesn't matter whether you see the scenery or not."
"Keep being sarcastic!"
Wen Hemian glanced at him, both amused and exasperated, before looking away.
As they expected, when the army returned to the capital, spring had indeed arrived, the snow had begun to melt, and a new life was in full bloom.
Besides high-ranking officials, many ordinary people also heard the news and stood on both sides of the street to watch the army return to the capital.
The main force was stationed outside the city, and only the leading general escorted the criminals into the capital. According to custom, the wounded should be compensated, a banquet should be held, and rewards should be given for meritorious service.
However, the most important thing right now is how to deal with the criminals.
Wen Hemian never expected that what Prince Jia said would reach Xie Lang's ears.
This guy is brainless and lecherous. Wen Hemian completely ignored his words, not letting a single one go in her ear, let alone his filthy talk. It was all just an act.
But Xie Lang cared a lot. He went to the imperial prison and when he came back, he heard that Prince Jia had gone mad, and he didn't know what he had done.
Xie Lang didn't want Wen Hemian's hands to be stained with blood.
"You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth." Xie Lang whispered, resting his head on her shoulder, "If I cut out his tongue, would the Grand Tutor be afraid?"
"He... deserves to die."
Wen Hemian glanced down at His Majesty the Emperor, who was nestled in her arms and acting coquettishly, with a complicated expression, and sighed.
Essentially, the wolf cub is still a little madman.
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