Miao Ziqiao comes from Yunqi's maternal family; by blood, he is Yunqi's maternal uncle.
Miao Ziqiao, now forty years old, has a few wrinkles between his brows, faintly revealing his youthful handsomeness. He is erudite, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and possesses exceptional talent. His medical skills are also among the best in the clan. After Consort Miao's death, he volunteered to go and teach Yun Qi. To Yun Qi, he is both a teacher and a friend; she learned her movement techniques and medical skills from him. Miao Ziqiao is also aware of Yun Qi's female identity and helps to conceal it.
(It is said that when Miao Ziqiao was young, he went out to make his way in the world and met a girl he fell in love with. However, the girl eventually died, and he was left all alone and had no intention of remarrying.)
Although Yunfeng suspected her, he wouldn't do anything detrimental to the army. Yunqi's fearless fighting style on the front lines earned her the title of "Jade-Faced Asura." Yunqi had fair skin, which remained even after so long at the border, and her handsome features made her truly deserving of the title "Jade-Faced Asura."
The Liao Kingdom was originally a nomadic state, and this winter was unusually cold, killing countless cattle and sheep. Coupled with a lack of stored grain, they resorted to plundering the border. This time, we must frighten them into submission and allow Yunfeng to return to the capital with great honor. The Emperor already favored Yunfeng as his successor and had promised to immediately appoint him as Crown Prince upon his triumphant return. Moreover, the power of the First and Second Princes had been largely suppressed by this time.
The border war has been going on for three months, and the Liao Kingdom can no longer afford to exhaust itself. Yunqi has ordered his men to be on high alert, as the Liao Kingdom will definitely attack the city again in the next few days.
Yun Qi stood on the city wall, watching the Liao army arrayed in neat rows in the distance. Yun Qi immediately spotted Yelü Jing, the second prince of Liao. They had clashed several times in the past three months, each time he had escaped. Yun Qi clearly felt that she was no match for him in strength, but in terms of skill and martial arts, Yelü Jing was no match for her either.
Yun Qi led her troops to meet the enemy, and the two clashed once again. This time, Yun Qi was injured, but she fought Yelü Jing to a standstill. However, Yun Qi gradually became exhausted, and Yelü Jing felt like teasing her: "Yun Qi, are all the princes of Yun Kingdom as... um... delicate and tender as you?"
Yunqi didn't reply and directly slashed with her sword.
Yelü Jing narrowly dodged the attack, then laughed again: "I've heard that the Yun Kingdom's royal family is full of beauties. Your looks are even better than our most beautiful Princess Xiangluo."
Yunqi didn't mind. She had been raised as a boy since birth, taking medicine from a young age and being forced by her mother to learn medicine and make medicine, especially medicine to suppress female characteristics, which she had been taking all these years. It was only recently, due to too many injuries, that she had to stop. Now that she had stopped taking the medicine, her face was softer than before, but not enough to make people think she was a woman.
Yelü Jing's words were merely a deliberate attempt to tease and provoke her. Most men, if compared to women, would be enraged and embarrassed.
"Yelü Jing, that's all you've got. You can't beat me, so all you can do is talk."
"You! You!..."
Taking advantage of Yelü Jing's anger, Yun Qi swung her sword at his left chest. Yelü Jing reacted quickly, dodging to the side, the sword slicing across his left arm, instantly staining his sleeve with blood. His deputy general, not far away, immediately rushed to Yelü Jing's aid. Knowing this was not the time for further battle, Yelü Jing decisively retreated.
Yun Qi watched silently as Yelü Jing led his troops to retreat, and the Yun soldiers immediately cheered!
A few days later, Yelü Jing led a delegation to deliver a letter of surrender, offering Yun Kingdom many gifts and promising to cease hostilities for ten years. Yun Feng was naturally pleased, but the details of border trade still needed to be discussed.
The Liao Kingdom had abundant grasslands and a large population of cattle and sheep. The Yun Kingdom emphasized agriculture and had a large grain harvest. Trade could be conducted in exchange for furs, ensuring that Liao herders wouldn't go hungry in winter. Yun Qi and Miao Ziqiao discussed the matter, informing Yun Feng of all the trade details they could think of. Yun Feng was once again astonished by Yun Qi's strategic thinking; she had meticulously outlined everything, including the location of the trading post, the rules of exchange, the quantities of goods to be carried, the transaction details, the soldiers guarding the area, the notary office, and even the punishment system. She had essentially covered everything Yun Feng could think of, and even things he hadn't considered. Finally, Yelü Jing, upon seeing the trade details, nodded in satisfaction: "Excellent, excellent!" The matter was thus settled, and the Liao army retreated to Liao.
The emperor in the capital was overjoyed and ordered Yunfeng and Yunqi to return to the capital immediately, leaving Yunfeng's second maternal uncle, General Zhao Xin, to guard the border.
Upon returning to the capital, the Emperor will undoubtedly be establishing a Crown Prince. The First and Second Princes will certainly not be content with this. Although they have been suppressed and lost most of their power, assassination is still within their capabilities. Eager to return to the capital, Yunfeng broke away from the main group and went back first. After Yunqi's attempts to dissuade him failed, she had no choice but to accompany him back to the capital.
At this moment, Yunqi had already anticipated the assassination attempt. Although there weren't many guards around her, their martial arts skills were top-notch.
"Protect our royal brother!" Yun Qi was the first to stand guard beside Yun Feng and immediately fired a signal flare into the air. The others protected Yun Feng in the middle and kept a vigilant eye on the assassins around them.
Upon seeing the signal flare, the assassin knew reinforcements would arrive soon and that a swift victory was necessary. He employed the most reckless tactics, striving to kill Yunfeng and Yunqi as quickly as possible.
Yunqi's injuries had mostly healed, and she was not having much trouble dealing with the assassins. She knew that the assassination attempt must have been carried out by the First Prince and the Second Prince. However, there were too many assassins, and Yunqi's defenses were becoming increasingly difficult, resulting in more casualties. Yunfeng also joined the battle.
"Reinforcements will be here soon! Hang in there, everyone!" As everyone's strength began to wane, Yunqi quickly rallied their spirits. The group immediately perked up and managed to hold on.
Suddenly, a suicide assassin, risking his life, thrust a fatal sword at Yun Feng. Yun Qi, being nearby, had no time to think and decisively pushed Yun Feng aside, but she couldn't dodge in time. The sword tip pierced Yun Qi's right chest. Enduring the pain, Yun Qi used her last bit of strength to pierce the assassin's heart...
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