26 Chapter 26
◎Imperial edict.◎
Not long after the joyous New Year's Festival at the border, an imperial edict arrived in Beidi under the escort of the great eunuch.
The edict said that the emperor was ill and missed his daughter who had married far away. The emperor was also very pleased that the princess had worked hard for the country in the cold and bitter land of Beidi and had made great contributions. The emperor also thought that the princess's marriage was hasty and she had not had time to prepare, and that the ceremonial guards and dowry were very particular, and that she had even fewer servants who were to her liking among the barbarians of Beidi. Therefore, the emperor specially rewarded the princess with a number of gold, silver, silks and dozens of concubines to comfort her homesickness.
The eunuch dragged out the last syllable of his words, and Li Hengqing listened with his eyes lowered, without saying a word.
Dozens of equally noble ladies were already waiting at the border, their heavy wooden boxes parked outside the tent on horse-drawn carriages. How could this be an attitude that would tolerate no refusal? As for Li Hengqing's previous cold reception at court, where she had been treated like a discarded child, there was naturally no mention of it.
...Speaking of concubines, it is immoral to treat other innocent women as imaginary enemies. Besides, she really doesn't care about Helian Xiao's private life as long as it doesn't affect the overall situation.
Therefore, the one who got anxious and hurried to distance himself from the matter was someone else.
In the afternoon, Li Hengqing was alone in his tent, repeatedly pondering the wording of a memorial when Langyue came in to announce, "Princess, the Khan is here."
Li Hengqing didn't think much about it and casually asked someone to bring Helian Xiao in. He politely looked up from the paper full of difficult classical Chinese text, but saw that Helian Xiao's eyes were a little vague and he looked guilty.
She couldn't help but laugh: "Khan, if you have something to say, just say it."
Helian Xiao stood silently beside the desk, quietly taking over Lang Yue's work, grinding ink for Li Hengqing. His movements were now very skillful.
"...I have absolutely no intention of getting involved in the princess's dowry." Helian Xiao planned his words for a while, and finally said it carefully, observing Li Hengqing's reaction carefully from the corner of his eye.
Li Hengqing put down her pen, turned her head, and looked straight ahead, just in time to see Helian Xiao's rather imposing chest. She was tempted and couldn't help but reach out and...poke it.
Soft and full, feels great.
"A chaste and heroic man." She couldn't help but mutter under her breath.
Heat surged in Helian Xiao's head, and he didn't hear Li Hengqing's words clearly: "...What?"
"I say," Li Hengqing said, his lips curled up inexplicably, "the placement of these noble ladies will likely require the Khan's assistance. Those educated by the mistress can stay in the shop to manage accounts; it's better than eating sand on the grasslands. Those who speak the Northern Di language or are willing to come to the grasslands can be assigned to various camps and given appropriate preferential treatment. Within a certain range, they can follow their wishes."
She paused, then added, "Including marriage."
Concubines, to put it bluntly, were used as tools to supplement resources for the marriage alliance, fearing Li Hengqing would die too early. They were given to the Northern Di as sexual resources. They were all women of marriageable age according to current concepts. Li Hengqing had to consider this point when she wanted to settle these people, no matter how she felt in her heart.
Li Hengqing was temporarily powerless to change the reality of the entire era, and could only practically make life easier for those who, in a sense, shared the same plight as herself. She was extremely efficient and quickly arranged for Lang Yue to do this. Turning around, she saw Helian Xiao still motionless beside her.
"Khan," she said helplessly, "If you keep going like this, the inkstone will be worn out by you."
Helian Xiao lowered his head, pursed his lips, and said dryly: "I will be careful."
She looked at the handsome face with a conflicted expression, and suddenly felt playful. She stood up, put her elbows on Helian Xiao's broad shoulders, and lightly kissed him on the cheek.
Even with light wheat-colored skin, you can actually see a red blush on the cheeks... Hey, is this person's skin color a little lighter? Is he still bothering with sun protection?
"Princess..." Helian Xiao almost bit his tongue, his heart was shaken, but Li Hengqing remained calm and patted his cheek affectionately.
Li Hengqing smiled and said, "I see. Well...Khan is loyal to me, isn't he?"
She wasn't particularly interested in romance, but that didn't mean she was blind or mentally retarded. Since the other party was clearly interested in her and they were already in a marriage alliance... then a little coaxing wouldn't hurt; it wouldn't do any harm.
*
Lang Yue quickly divided the group of noble ladies into two groups according to whether they were willing to come to the grassland. The former group was indeed small in number, and the latter group had been properly settled by Lang Yue, who had been in charge of export business for many days.
Li Hengqing naturally wanted to meet the group of people who came to the grassland in person. Making a unique choice would surely be more interesting - besides, these noble women were already a precious human resource.
Prince Gong has relented, and business is expanding in full swing. If it weren't for this group of people helping Li Hengqing in her time of need, she really doesn't know what to do.
In the blink of an eye, Lang Yue came to report that the group of people had arrived outside the tent. Li Hengqing waved his hand and asked her to let them in.
The leader was a rather tall, heroic-looking girl who strode in with great speed and boldly met Li Hengqing's gaze. Li Hengqing had already looked at the roster and calmly called out the person's name: "Ren Wenliu?"
"It is I." Ren Wenliu smiled heartily, revealing all eight of his teeth, his face radiant with sunshine. "Greetings, His Highness Shunyang."
The two noble ladies behind her also greeted her. Although their gestures were not as heroic as Ren Wenliu's, they were not weak and could be seen to have the marks of years of training.
But now, Nansheng is a place that values culture over military power, with all military power in the hands of the emperor. This is unreasonable.
Li Hengqing thought about his system, thought about Qiqige's previous words about "wisdom", and thought about the system in his mind. Suddenly, a somewhat absurd conjecture came to his mind. He tentatively asked: "Odd changes, but even remains unchanged?"
Ren Wenliu's eyes instantly filled with tears. He wanted to rush over and hug Li Hengqing's thighs. He left the three girls behind him and whispered quietly, "Has our boss finally figured out the secret code?"
"Oh my god, it's not easy..."
Li Hengqing winked and asked Langyue to take the people behind to have tea for the time being. He moved a chair over and talked with Ren Wenliu. It took him a long time to listen to the man's chatter before he understood the whole story.
Unlike Li Hengqing, Ren Wenliu inherited this from her mother, and her previous identity was also very prominent - she was truly a mercenary who came from a group of energetic people, with blood on her hands, and she would kill people without blinking a word for money.
Logically speaking, this genius time-traveling heroine should have a grand and exciting script, but the old emperor had committed some crime and, since more than ten years ago, had strictly prohibited women from having any contact with military power or even political books. It was like a good cook without rice, so she could only spend her days exercising and lifting weights in the backyard with her close friends. Her life was so frustrating.
At this point, Ren Wenliu lifted his sleeves, revealing his muscular arms to Li Hengqing: "Look, Your Highness, you must have so much free time to have the time to work on your bodybuilding!"
Li Hengqing: ...I know that you spend all your time killing people without blinking an eye.
She pinched Ren Wenliu's biceps flatteringly, and Ren Wenliu continued, "Later, there were rumors in the capital about His Highness's actions in Beidi, and they wanted to recruit someone to fill the vacancy. I thought I'd take a gamble... Well, my abilities were limited, so I didn't get many spots, so it was just the four of us who came."
After hearing her story, Li Hengqing said with regret: "There are no wars in Beidi for you to show your skills."
The light in Ren Wenliu's eyes dimmed, and Li Hengqing continued, "But I do need you. I want my own personal guard."
She spoke so softly that the guards outside the tent didn't notice. Ren Wenliu's eyes lit up again. Li Hengqing said, "Total dependence on others isn't a long-term solution. Thank you for reminding me of this."
Li Hengqing was gaining more and more power in the tribe, but the legitimate source of power ultimately came from Helian Xiao. Even if he was obsessed with her now, she couldn't gamble on the possibility that he would remain faithful to her forever. She had to make other plans for herself.
Legal revisions aren't a one-time thing, but force is a very direct and immediate issue. As the saying goes, truth is never beyond the reach of a bullet. She sent Ren Wenliu out for tea, specifically ordering the mutton to be replaced with beef, a favorite of fitness enthusiasts, and summoned the system again.
*
Although it was called tea, the dishes served were indeed simple.
The braised beef is cut into thick slices and the presentation is not very particular. It is just placed neatly and the sauce is poured on it. The rich and red color of the sauce is very eye-catching.
These people, all meat-loving by trade, didn't seem particularly excited, but once they took a bite, they were all amazed. The beef was clearly stewed to an incredibly tender consistency, yet the slices held together perfectly. The tendon melted seamlessly into the meat, creating a rich and firm texture without being too strenuous. Paired with the slightly stronger kumis, it was a perfect counterbalance to the greasiness. Each sip was a breath of fresh air.
Another plate of beef jerky as thin as a cicada's wing has a completely different taste. The complex spice formula sets off the flavor of the beef itself very well. The thin meat fibers are chewed in the mouth dozens of times, and the mouth is full of fragrance. It is the best way to satisfy your cravings, relieve boredom and pass the time.
There are also steamed dough sugar cakes to fill your stomach. The dough is extremely thin but very flexible. A light bite will let the sugar liquid flow into your mouth.
After a long journey, such high-protein and high-calorie food is very suitable.
Here, Ren Wenliu and his group ate with relish, their bellies filling up and burping. However, some other people in the tribe were not happy.
Langyue brought in a letter box. Before Li Hengqing could open it, a pitch-black crow feather fell down and floated in the air.
A gust of wind blew by, and the feather was about to fly towards the plate of braised beef. Ren Wenliu quickly caught it and asked in confusion, "Will a crow fly into a tent?"
It was a message from Wu Rigen. Although the old man hadn't appeared in a long time, and Qi Qige had almost completely taken over all matters, he still lingered on. Li Hengqing didn't get angry. After a pause, he smiled and said, "Crows are also beneficial birds... They are auspicious."
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