Chapter 318 Xianbei, Surrender
"Back then, you followed me around every day, calling me 'Royal Sister' repeatedly, which annoyed me to no end."
Her voice carried a hint of melancholy, "But now... I can never hear it again."
As Li Yuanyou listened to these words, his eyes involuntarily reddened, and his nose stung with tears.
Over the years, he had grown accustomed to his elder sister's "ruthlessness" towards him.
Therefore, after returning to the capital, he only dared to uphold his status as a subject, and dared not overstep his bounds in the slightest, much less call out "Imperial Sister" lightly.
But he never imagined that his elder sister still harbored such a sliver of sibling affection for him, and that she had even spared his life out of pity.
“Royal sister…” He choked up, uttering those two words with a dry throat.
Li Yuanzhao responded softly, "Mm."
This sound completely shattered Li Yuanyou's last shred of restraint.
He could no longer hold back, and hot tears welled up uncontrollably.
He suddenly lowered his head, his shoulders trembling violently, and the grievances, fears, and loneliness that he had suppressed for many years poured out like a flood breaking through a dam.
Li Yuanzhao reached out and gently pulled him into his arms, letting him cry his heart out on his shoulder, tears streaming down his face.
Her hand gently patted his back, one stroke at a time, "Cry."
These simple words and actions made Li Yuanyou cry even more uncontrollably, as if he wanted to cry out all the bitterness and unease he had endured over the years.
After an unknown amount of time, the wailing gradually turned into suppressed sobs, and finally subsided.
Li Yuanyou finally straightened up from Li Yuanzhao's shoulder, his eyes red and swollen, streaked with tears, looking utterly disheveled.
He turned his face away in embarrassment and hastily wiped away his tears with his sleeve.
Looking at him like this, Li Yuanzhao said with a hint of teasing, "Look at you, crying so miserably. It seems you've really suffered a lot of injustices in the past few years?"
Li Yuanyou sniffed and said resolutely, "For my elder sister, I am not afraid of hardship."
Upon hearing this, a hint of a smile flashed in Li Yuanzhao's eyes.
She reached out and, just like when they were children, touched his slightly messy hair with a touch of affection.
"Good boy/girl."
Li Yuanyou's eyes lit up instantly at this compliment.
But then he realized that this was the last time they would see each other.
After tomorrow, he will marry a Xianbei.
Years have passed, mountains and passes have blocked our way, and the future is uncertain...
Whether she will ever see her elder sister again, or ever return to her homeland, remains to be seen.
Thinking of these things, the light in his eyes quickly dimmed, his mood instantly sank to the bottom, and his shoulders slumped.
Li Yuanzhao noticed the change in his emotions.
She withdrew her hand from his hair, her expression becoming much more serious, and her voice lowering.
“Yuanyou, I know that marrying you off to the Xianbei is a disservice to you.”
"But you must understand my predicament. Although the Great Qi is now powerful and influential, it has just experienced two major wars. The national treasury needs to be replenished, the military and civilians need to recuperate, and the newly annexed territories need to be pacified and governed. The Xianbei are dominant in the northern border, with strong and powerful troops, and are still a major threat to the Great Qi. If war breaks out again now, it will be a burden to both the country and the people."
Li Yuanyou listened quietly and nodded to show his understanding.
Li Yuanzhao continued, "Your departure is not merely for a marriage alliance, nor is it because I intend to abandon you."
"The eldest princess of the Xianbei is ambitious, and the struggle for the throne with the second prince is already brewing. As the King of Qi, marrying the eldest princess will be her strongest support, allowing this internal strife to intensify. If the internal strife continues, the Xianbei will be unable to move south, which will give Qi a chance to breathe."
Li Yuanyou was deeply moved upon hearing this.
It turns out he wasn't abandoned; his elder sister sent him to the Xianbei, and he still had this purpose.
"Your Majesty, I understand!" he replied excitedly. "Your subject is willing to marry into the Xianbei tribe, to do my part for Your Majesty and for the Great Qi!"
Li Yuanzhao said, "Good! I believe you."
Then, her tone turned to concern and admonition as she took his hand, "But the north is bitterly cold, the customs are very different, and it's a foreign land. You're all alone, so you must be careful in everything you do and take good care of yourself."
She then changed the subject, "And always remember, you are a subject of the Great Qi, and my brother..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but Li Yuanyou already fully understood the unspoken meaning.
Though physically in Cao Cao's camp, one's heart remains with Han; never forget your roots.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty!" Li Yuanyou grasped her hand in return. "When I go to Xianbei, I will not only be a good 'son-in-law,' but I will also keep a close eye on things and gather information on Xianbei's internal movements, troop deployments, and food reserves for the Great Qi... If I discover anything, I will find a way to secretly report it to Your Majesty!"
Seeing that he had directly revealed her deeper intentions, which she had not fully articulated, Li Yuanzhao praised, "As expected of my brother!"
"I promise you, when the day comes that the armies of my Great Qi march north and pacify the Xianbei, I will personally send someone to bring you home."
The four words "I'll take you home" instantly dispelled all the gloom of parting and fear of the future in Li Yuanyou's heart.
He knelt down before Li Yuanzhao again.
This time, it was not out of fear, but from a heartfelt vow.
"Royal Sister!" He looked up, tears welling up again. "With your words, even if I were to be buried in the northern frontier, I would die without regret!"
"Your Majesty, I will certainly keep in mind your instructions today, act with caution, and live up to your expectations!"
The next day, in front of Longwu Gate, the Emperor led his officials to personally see off the Xianbei envoys and the wedding procession of King Cheng.
His Highness Prince Cheng, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, rode a tall horse and waved to Li Yuanzhao atop the city wall.
No one understood why the Second Prince had transformed from a lifeless figure into someone so full of fighting spirit overnight.
It was as if she wasn't going to a marriage alliance, but rather to lead an army into battle.
Li Yuanzhao smiled slightly, raised his hand, and waved it gently.
The master of ceremonies sang auspicious farewell words, accompanied by the sound of drums and music.
After expressing their gratitude to Heaven, the convoy slowly started moving.
Li Yuanyou took one last deep look at his elder sister on the city wall, then suddenly pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and galloped ahead towards the official road to the north.
The wedding procession followed him, grand and imposing, gradually disappearing into the distance, eventually turning into a wisp of smoke in the sky.
After Li Yuanyou "married" to the Xianbei, things turned out exactly as Li Yuanzhao had predicted.
Seeing that she had such a powerful backer, the eldest princess became increasingly reckless in her actions, and her power expanded rapidly.
Seeing that the eldest princess's influence was growing and that she had the powerful Qi state as her backer, many people from various tribes chose to pledge allegiance to her.
For a time, the eldest princess's power in the Xianbei country was comparable to that of the second prince.
The two were constantly fighting amongst themselves, causing a lot of trouble.
In the seventh year of Zhaoming's reign, the old Khan suddenly passed away.
Based on the will, the second prince hastily declared himself emperor with the support of some tribes and nobles.
However, on the day of the coronation ceremony, the eldest princess launched a rebellion, leading her already assembled trusted troops and rebelling under the pretext of "forging an imperial edict to usurp the throne"!
Unexpectedly, the second prince was not unprepared either, and had made arrangements in secret.
A fierce conflict broke out between the two sides inside and outside the royal city, resulting in heavy casualties.
In the chaos of battle, the second prince was seriously injured, and the eldest princess led her troops to retreat.
As the husband of the eldest princess, Li Yuanyou was naturally imprisoned by the faction of the second prince.
But ultimately, they were wary of the powerful Qi state behind him and dared not act rashly against him.
At this time, the Great Qi launched an attack on the Xianbei, citing the reasons that "King Cheng was imprisoned without cause, the new Xianbei ruler was disrespectful, and challenged the majesty of the Celestial Empire".
At this time, the Xianbei people had already exhausted their national strength due to years of internal strife.
Faced with the well-prepared and powerful army of the Great Qi, they were almost immediately defeated.
The second prince, who had just ascended to the throne, suffered a rapid deterioration in his injuries after hearing the devastating news of repeated defeats at the front, and eventually died.
With the death of the second prince, the Xianbei people were in even greater chaos.
The remaining royal forces secretly contacted the eldest princess, who had fled abroad, and asked her to return to the capital to take charge of the situation.
It is hoped that the ascension of the wife of King Cheng of Qi will quell the fury of the Great Qi.
So the eldest princess hastily held a ceremony and ascended the throne as Khan.
However, the Qi state did not stop its military operations.
Finally, six months later, the Xianbei Khan arrived in a white carriage drawn by plain horses, carrying the Khan's seal, and led his officials to welcome the Qi army into the capital.
The Xianbei surrendered.
As Li Yuanzhao had predicted, Li Yuanyou was escorted back to Daqi by the army with the highest level of ceremony.
Li Yuanzhao bestowed upon him the title of "Prince of Jing'an" and selected Suzhou, the most prosperous and beautiful place in Jiangnan, as his fiefdom, fulfilling his original wish to be a leisurely prince.
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