Chapter 92 Imprisoned: Do you know the consequences of angering this Khan? ...
The ten-mile-long red bridal procession was as vibrant as blood under the morning sun. At noon, the grand wedding procession, escorted by the imperial guards, slowly departed from the majestic vermilion city gate.
Because of Princess Nianyi's marriage proposal, the servants of the Prince's mansion were so busy that they were practically splitting themselves in two.
Originally, Jin Tong was only responsible for Chu Yueyuan's daily life, but when she went to the kitchen, the head of the kitchen grabbed her like a lifeline and begged her to look after her for a while.
Until the wedding banquet in the front hall ended, Manager Zhao thanked Jin Tong profusely as he saw her off.
"Thanks to Miss Jin's generous help today, these dishes of wedding cakes are all Miss Chu's favorites. Miss, please go back and rest."
The Princess Consort had repeatedly warned the servants in the manor that the newly arrived young lady preferred quiet, so the servants of Qiyun Courtyard never dared to step into the inner courtyard except to sweep and clean the outer courtyard.
The room was very quiet. Jin Tong put down the rosewood food box and said excitedly, "Today is the princess's wedding, and the kitchen is so busy it's almost on fire! I was even dragged over to be a laborer. Luckily, Granny Zhao is a clever woman; these wedding cakes are all freshly baked, unlike the leftover cakes on the front table. Miss, come and try them, so you can share in the joy..."
She called out several times, but there was no response from the inner room. Suspicion arose in her heart, so she quickly walked into the carved doorway, lifted the beaded curtain, and peeked inside.
The room was dimly lit. On the Xiangfei bamboo chaise lounge, a woman lay curled up facing inward. Her shoulders were covered by a soft silk peony brocade quilt. The shadow of the floral curtains cast on her profile, making her half-exposed face indistinct. A few strands of her hair hung down beside the pillow, trembling slightly with her breath.
Seeing that the woman was taking a nap, Jin Tong quietly left the house.
Inside the warm pavilion, a faint fragrance wafted from the glass incense burner.
Jin Tong sat by the embroidery frame, picked up a handkerchief that was not yet finished, and sighed that the scent of the incense today was quite pleasant. She had only sewed a few stitches when she felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her. Her eyelids felt heavy as if two iron ingots were weighing them down. She yawned and then fell asleep on the table.
I don't know how much time has passed, but Jin Tong vaguely felt someone pushing her.
"Jin Tong, wake up!"
Jin Tong opened her eyes, and through her blurry vision, the anxious face of the Princess Consort gradually became clear in the candlelight.
Looking at Jin Tong's bewildered expression, Zhu Niang frowned: "Jin Tong, do you know where... Miss Chu has gone?"
Jin Tong then realized that she had slept from noon until sunset. She replied blankly, "I remember when I returned at noon, Miss was taking a nap on the chaise longue in the inner room..."
Zhu Niang's expression suddenly changed.
She has been busy preparing for Xie Nianzhi's wedding lately, and has inevitably neglected her distant "cousin" who lives in Qiyun Courtyard.
After seeing the guests off, Zhu Niang wanted to invite Chu Yueyuan to have dinner together, but when she stepped into Qiyun Courtyard, she saw that the courtyard was dark and quiet, and not a single lantern under the corridor was lit.
Her heart tightened suddenly, and she quickly called for a maid to light a lamp. She looked around and found Jin Tong fast asleep beside the embroidery frame. A Suzhou-style embroidered moon-colored brocade robe lay on the chaise longue, and a pair of satin cloud brocade shoes were neatly arranged on the floor. But Jin Tong had vanished into thin air.
Zhu Niang ordered everyone to light all the candles in the room. Several maids searched the bedroom carefully, and after a short while, they finally found a letter on the table.
Zhu Niang quickly tore open the envelope, her eyes scanning the letter hastily. Before she could finish reading it, her knees buckled, and she almost collapsed to the ground if her maid hadn't caught her in time.
She said in a panic, "Quickly...quickly go and summon the Prince, and send another fast horse to the palace..."
Half an hour later, Pei Muwei appeared at the Prince's residence.
The early spring night was still chilly despite the warmth. A man rode up at full speed, his black brocade robe stained with the dew from the night before. He stood in the candlelight, his eyes lowered, a sharp, cold light shining from beneath the thin folds of his eyes.
Those hands, which could easily draw a nine-stone bow on the hunting grounds, were now clutching a thin piece of paper, their knuckles trembling slightly uncontrollably.
Xie Yu had already read the contents of the letter. He frowned and said:
"The letter demands that you release the eldest son of Prince Anxian, settle him in Yizhou, and return the military power of the Duke of Fengguo in exchange for the safety of Miss Chu. These conditions have exposed their true colors. The group that kidnapped Miss Chu today must be the remnants of Prince Anxian's faction."
Although Xie Yu had already guessed the man's choice, he still spoke up to remind him, "Weijin, the Duke of Fengguo has been operating in Yizhou for many years, and the eldest son of the Prince of Anxian is his son-in-law. If we let them both go back, it would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains, which would cause endless trouble..."
Zhu Niang's eyes reddened, and she clutched her chest in self-reproach: "It's my fault. I've been so busy with the trivial matters of Nian Yi's wedding lately that I neglected to guard against people coming and going from the mansion. There were so many guests today, and I even had to remove all the servants guarding outside Qiyun Courtyard..."
Pei Muwei's eyes flashed, keenly catching the key point in Zhu Niang's words: "Why did the Princess Consort withdraw the servants outside Qiyun Courtyard?"
Zhu Niang was taken aback at first, and then told her about Xie Nianzhi's desire to see Chu Yueyuan before her marriage.
"After I finished my business in the front hall, I wanted to send Miss Chu back to Qiyun Courtyard, but Nianyi said that she had already left. At that moment, the bridal sedan chair arrived outside. I was so busy sending Nianyi into the sedan chair that I didn't even have time to go back and take a look."
Xie Yu gently patted Zhu Niang's back, comforting her softly:
“This matter is not entirely your fault. According to the maid who always followed Miss Chu, when she returned at noon, she saw Miss Chu sleeping in her bedroom. You entered Qiyun Courtyard at three-quarters past 5 pm, and by then she was gone. It seems that the rebels must have kidnapped her during that brief interval.”
He turned to look at Pei Muwei and said solemnly, "I have already investigated. Someone added sleeping potion to the incense burner in the room, enough to make someone fall asleep for a whole day. Fortunately, Zhu Niang discovered it early. Today, because of Nianyi's wedding, the Prefect of the Capital closed the city gates at noon to ensure the smooth passage of the wedding procession. The thieves who kidnapped His Highness must still be in the capital."
“If we order the city gates to be sealed now, it might alert the enemy. It would be better to proceed as usual. These rebels will definitely leave the capital early tomorrow morning. Send people to set up defenses at the city gates and conduct a thorough search of any carriages or horses leaving the city tomorrow morning.”
Xie Yu's analysis was logical and reasonable, undoubtedly the best solution at present. However, Pei Muwei's thin lips were tightly pursed, his gaze lingering on the letter in his hand, his deep eyes showing a thoughtful expression.
After a long silence, he spoke coldly: "Immediately draft an edict to release the eldest son of Prince Anxian tomorrow, and return all military power of the seven prefectures to the Duke of Fengguo. At the same time, order the Prefect of Jingzhao to strictly inspect all carriages leaving the city, even the palanquins of princes and nobles must be inspected by lifting the curtain. Also, send a team of elite cavalry to intercept the wedding procession before it leaves the country."
Xie Yu looked puzzled: "Wei Jin, why did you send people to stop Nian Yi's wedding procession?"
Pei Muwei's eyes flashed with a cold light, but he did not answer.
Thinking of that weak and helpless woman who would stab people with her hairpin at the drop of a hat, now living in fear and trembling somewhere, he felt as if a raging fire was burning in his chest. He wished he could dig up the entire capital and find her unharmed.
However, reason compelled him to remain calm. After listening to the entire process of Chu Yueyuan's disappearance, he vaguely realized that the timeline was too clear, so clear that it was as if there was a path clearly telling him that as long as he followed this path to the end, he could find her.
Years of experience on the battlefield have taught Pei Muwei that the more peaceful a road seems, the more treacherous it is. Just like the swamps covered with thin ice on the snowy northern frontier, which appear calm on the surface but can swallow up an entire cavalry in the blink of an eye.
Moreover, he had a certain suspicion in his heart that someone as vengeful as Erhe would not leave willingly without tearing a piece of flesh from him.
———
The carriage rolled along the rough road, its axles making a dull, rumbling sound.
In a daze, Chu Yueyuan suddenly felt as if she had returned to the Phoenix Perch Palace.
Exhausted, she lay on the soft brocade mattress, not wanting to move even a finger, yet the man beside her kept poking her cheek intermittently.
"Since Your Highness is unwilling to act, then please allow me to proceed..."
Once a man's cool voice is tainted with desire, it becomes like icicles melting under the eaves in winter—damp and sticky.
Chu Yueyuan, with her eyes closed, weakly cursed, "Ugh...you're so insolent..."
The man leaned closer, carefully pulling her into his arms. His thin lips almost touched her sensitive earlobe, his tone languid and casual: "How could this be presumptuous? Sharing your burdens is my duty..."
She was so entangled that she couldn't do anything about it, so she tried to open her eyes. In her hazy gaze, she saw the man's familiar, handsome face.
"Pei Qing, can't you let me sleep a little longer?"
His phoenix eyes smiled, with a hint of doting in them: "Your Highness has slept the whole way, you should wake up and eat something."
Did you sleep the whole way?
Fragmented images flashed through Chu Yueyuan's hazy mind: the blindingly red bridal chamber, the parrot trapped in a cage, flapping its wings madly, and Xie Nianzhi's exquisitely painted face, which suddenly broke into a strange smile.
Gradually, the pair of pupils in front of me, as black as lacquer, turned dark green, and the familiar face changed into a different appearance.
Chu Yueyuan's heart sank to the bottom. She instinctively tried to struggle, but in despair, she found herself unable to move. Only her clear-headed, watery eyes trembled.
Erkh watched as the woman's gaze shifted from dazed to terrified, then to disgust. He narrowed his long eyes and gave a slight twitch of his lips.
"Your Highness said that if I were able to invite you to the grasslands as a guest, I would abide by the customs of our grasslands. However, judging from Your Highness's expression, it seems that you do not show me enough respect?"
Chu Yueyuan coldly replied, "This is hardly an invitation from the Khan; it's blatant abduction. Your methods are despicable, befitting bandits. How can I possibly respect you?"
Erkh laughed heartily: "Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. If I, the Khan, did not use some tricks, how could I have persuaded the esteemed Empress Dowager... Hmm, should I address you as Your Highness or Miss Chu now?"
Chu Yueyuan didn't want to look at Erhe's smug face. She lowered her eyelashes and secretly considered her current situation.
Xie Nianzhi's previous visit to the Sifang Pavilion was likely to inform Erhe about her faked death and body swap, and the two conspired to carry out this scheme under the guise of a marriage alliance. On the wedding day, Xie Nianzhi tampered with the tea, drugged her, hid her in the wedding procession, and then quietly smuggled her out of the Prince's mansion.
How long was she unconscious? Has the Prince's Mansion discovered she's missing? Can Pei Muwei find out her whereabouts?
While she was thinking, Erhe forcefully grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet the man's gaze.
"The first time I saw Your Highness's eyes, I was reminded of the moon in the night sky over the grasslands—brilliant, beautiful, high above, and untouchable..."
Erkh gazed at the woman's charming face, noticing her panicked expression amidst the shimmering water, like a lamb to the slaughter. He couldn't help but lick his teeth excitedly: "Though I, the Khan, cannot shoot down the moon, I have obtained Chang'e from the Moon Palace. How delightful!"
He lowered his head, eager to savor the spoils of war.
Watching the man approach little by little, Chu Yueyuan was unable to move an inch, as if she had truly become a puppet at his mercy.
Although she anticipated that she would suffer humiliation if she fell into Erkh's hands, she still underestimated his patience.
She couldn't help but recall Xie Nianzhi's words: "Sister, have you ever experienced the feeling of being intimate with someone you hate? You'll absorb their scent, that rotten stench seeping into your skin little by little, like a tattoo, leaving an indelible mark on your body..."
Her gaze swept over the indigo curtains billowing in the wind, and she saw that the outside world was filled with wolves on horseback. Chu Yueyuan immediately swallowed the cry for help that was about to come out of her throat.
Her cries for help only earned her Erhe's sneers and even more unbridled humiliation.
She looked directly into the man's lustful green eyes and said calmly, "Great Khan Erhe, no... perhaps I should call you Great Khan Erwu?"
Erkh's body stiffened abruptly, the lust in his eyes faded, and he narrowed his eyes dangerously.
Chu Yueyuan seemed not to notice the man's darkening expression, and continued to speak eloquently: "On the grasslands, only men from the 'Butchagan' tribe are worthy of the surname 'He'. The Great Khan is from the 'Bannar' tribe, so he should inherit the surname 'Wu'."
Unlike the people of the Central Plains, the Canglang tribe puts their surnames at the end.
"I have also heard that the Canglang people revere bloodlines, and the reason why the 'Bannar' is the lowest tribe on the grasslands is because all the children in the tribe are born to women of other tribes. When I first saw the Great Khan, I felt that your features were somewhat similar to those of people from the Central Plains. If I am not mistaken, the Great Khan's birth mother should be a woman from the Great Qi who was abducted by the Canglang people many years ago..."
Chu Yueyuan learned about the secret of Erhe's background from Pei Muwei.
Pei Muwei is meticulous in his actions and never underestimates any opponent.
As early as when Erhe proposed the alliance between the two countries, he mobilized the secret agents who had been lurking in the Canglang tribe for many years to thoroughly investigate Erhe's background. From his slave mother's identity to his past of changing his name and joining the Butchagan tribe, even the power struggles between several tribes were all thoroughly investigated.
While listening to government affairs in the Hall of Diligent Governance, Chu Yueyuan overheard these secrets.
She smiled gently at him, her bright eyes crinkling: "Great Khan, do my eyes remind you of your mother?"
Erkh's face darkened completely, his dark green pupils gleaming with an eerie light, like a wild wolf suddenly unleashed its beastly nature.
He gripped the woman's chin tightly, his sharp teeth grinding together.
"Do you know the consequences of angering this Khan?"
Despite the pain, Chu Yueyuan looked calmly at the gloomy-faced man, showing no sign of backing down.
"The Khan abducted me from the Prince's Mansion, just like the old Khan abducted that innocent woman from the Great Qi to the Canglang Tribe. As for the outcome, do you think I can change your mind by saying a few soft words to the Khan?"
"In my heart, you're not even as good as the old Khan, because in front of Pei Muwei, you don't even dare to openly rob, you only dare to do petty theft..."
"shut up!"
Erkh suddenly roared, his veins bulging as he gripped the woman's slender neck. His eyes were bloodshot, and he spat out each word through gritted teeth:
"You—how—dare—to—disrespect—this—Khan!"
Chu Yueyuan's throat was being tightly gripped by the other party, and she couldn't even utter a sob; even breathing became a luxury.
The man's sinister face gradually blurred in her vision. In her dazed state, she seemed to return to the night of her wedding, when the King of Shu had grabbed her by the neck and angrily cursed her to die.
But this time, he probably won't show up.
In her despair, the large hand that had been gripping her throat suddenly withdrew, and Chu Yueyuan seemed to emerge from deep water, breathing in fresh air.
As the effects of the medicine wore off, some sensation returned to her fingertips. She struggled to lift her arm, but only touched the empty hair bun. The sharp phoenix hairpin had long been removed.
Erkh glanced coldly at the woman who was cowering in a small ball, and curled his lips in contempt.
He bent down, his expression returning to its usual arrogant and unruly manner, and patted the woman's delicate face: "Your Highness, you should save your energy. Even if I gave you a knife right now, you wouldn't be able to lift it."
His gaze swept over the bruise on the woman's delicate, snowy neck, his eyes darkened slightly, and he softened his tone:
"Your Highness's carriage has long since left the wedding procession and is traveling on a secret route that is not even marked on the map of Daqi. Even if Pei Muwei sends men on horseback to chase after you, they will never find your trail."
"The carriage will arrive in the Canglang Kingdom in a month. During this time, if Your Highness behaves obediently, I will treat you with courtesy and patiently wait for you to change your mind. But if you intend to escape from my side..."
Erkh stared at the beautiful yet delicate woman, knowing full well that she wasn't as docile and obedient as she appeared. He smiled, his dark eyes gleaming with a cold light:
"Hmph, I am not like Pei Muwei, an incompetent fool who can't even tame a mere woman..."
He narrowed his eyes, lightly lifting her chin, his thumb tracing her full lips, his voice suddenly turning cold: "If Your Highness insists on escaping and makes me lose patience, then don't blame me for using other means to shut up your sharp-tongued little mouth..."
Chu Yueyuan's thick eyelashes trembled slightly; she believed that Erhe's threat was genuine.
Just now, she took advantage of the secret of Erhe's background and deliberately brought up his mother when he was in the throes of passion.
The Canglang tribe has a strict hierarchy. Female slaves in the 'Bannar' tribe have a lowly status. Even if they give birth to the old Khan's child, they will be regarded as lowly "wolf cubs" by their tribe and suffer humiliation throughout their lives.
Even though Erhe became the wolf king of the grasslands, that shameful period was buried deep with his ascension to the throne of Khan, but it remained an untouchable sore spot in his heart.
Chu Yueyuan's throat was still burning with pain. Not wanting to provoke the other party again, she nodded gently.
Erhe smiled with satisfaction and gently patted the woman's soft cheek with his large hand: "Your Highness has been sleeping for many days, you should eat something. I'll have someone bring you some food."
After Erhe left, Chu Yueyuan forced herself to sit up. She lifted the indigo curtains, and instantly a gust of cold wind rushed in through the window, scraping her cheeks like a knife and chilling her heart.
Looking around, the cracked earth stretched into the distance like snakeskin, and the remaining boundary markers were half-buried in the soil. The surrounding area was desolate, with no trace of human habitation or cooking fires. Clearly, this was an abandoned official road that had been abandoned for many years.
Chu Yueyuan had no idea how many days she had been unconscious. She remembered that green buds had sprouted on the branches in the capital. Looking at the bare trees on the distant mountains, she guessed that the caravan was heading north, at least a hundred miles away from the capital.
Erhe had overestimated herself. In such harsh weather and environment, even if she managed to escape the convoy, there was absolutely no way she could survive a night in this vast wilderness.
But once the convoy crosses the border and enters the territory of the Canglang Kingdom, she will have no way to escape.
Just as she was pondering how to escape, the blue carriage curtain was lifted by a delicate hand, and Xie Nianzhi and her maidservant bent down and entered.
A maid named Xia Lian placed the food box on the low rosewood table, took out a bowl of millet porridge, two small dishes of side dishes, and several plates of pastries, and said in a detached tone: "The food on the road is simple and cannot compare to the delicacies in the Prince's mansion. Please do not find it offensive, Miss Chu."
Chu Yueyuan frowned slightly, her eyes warily fixed on the dishes on the table, without touching her chopsticks.
Xia Lian thought she was disgusted by the food and was about to make a few sarcastic remarks, but Xie Nianzhi sat down and personally tasted all the food.
She smiled, her voice as gentle as ever: "If Your Highness doesn't eat something, the remaining drug in your body won't be eliminated in time... and you'll suffer from stiffness in your hands and feet in the future."
Chu Yueyuan figured things couldn't get any worse than they were, so she picked up a lotus-shaped pastry and took a bite. The pastry tasted bland and tasteless, far inferior to the Taotie Pavilion in the capital, but she was starving and didn't care.
Xie Nianzhi sat quietly to the side, waiting for her to finish her meal, and then spoke softly: "Does Your Highness know why I helped the Great Khan and took you to the Canglang Kingdom?"
Chu Yueyuan picked up her teacup and took a sip, moistening her throat with two mouthfuls: "To be honest, when I first woke up, I thought everything that happened at the Prince's mansion was just a nightmare..."
"If Prince Chun and his wife knew that the one who kidnapped me was the gentle and kind princess in their hearts, who was willing to sacrifice herself for her people, how shocked they would be."
"My brother and sister-in-law won't find out..."
Xie Nianzhi wore the impeccable smile of a noblewoman, her tone composed: "Just as my in-laws still believe that Chen Lang's fall from his horse was merely an accident, so too does the Lin family firmly believe that it was Prince Tao who, in his drunken stupor, mistreated Lin Yuzhen. The world only believes the truth that is superficial..."
She smiled gently: "Otherwise, why would Your Highness be here at this moment?"
Hearing the woman casually recount her past misdeeds, Chu Yueyuan felt as if her heart was being immersed in an icy pool, a chill spreading from her heart to her entire body.
Yes, she was deceived by the woman's appearance and drank the tea offered to her without any suspicion.
Presumably, Xie Nianzhi had a backup plan after kidnapping me. Even if Pei Muwei sent people to search for me, they would be delayed for a while by the carefully set up trap.
As she was deep in thought with a furrowed brow, she heard the woman ask softly, "Is Your Highness thinking of him?"
Chu Yueyuan tightened her grip on the teacup, pursing her lips without answering.
Xie Nianzhi's smile deepened as she said gently, "When people are in trouble, they inevitably pin their last hope on the person they rely on most. Back then, during my days and nights in Jingzhou, I thought of him in the same way..."
"After I married Chen Lang, I stopped thinking about it, because I finally understood that the only person in this world who could save me was myself."
“Your Highness will one day stop thinking about him.”
Chu Yueyuan looked up at Xie Nianzhi: "...You went to all that trouble to kidnap me to the Canglang Kingdom just to break me up with him?"
"So Your Highness still doesn't understand..."
Xie Nianzhi gently shook her head: "My goal has always been only Your Highness."
Chu Yueyuan frowned in confusion: "...Just me?"
"Yes, only you..." Xie Nianzhi looked at the beautiful woman, his clear eyes gradually darkening, like rainwater stirring up the deep-buried mud.
"Your existence is like a cracked bronze mirror, reflecting my misfortune and tragedy. Why is it that you, having done nothing, are destined for salvation? While I have done everything—abandoned my dignity, abandoned my conscience, belittled myself—I have done it all, yet I cannot change anything..."
"Your good fortune has made me even more unfortunate. Even though I returned to the capital, to the place that once made me happiest, your appearance has taken away everything that should have belonged to me."
She said coldly, "I'm already mired in this quagmire, unable to wash away the filth, and I can never go back to what I was before. The only thing I can do is drag you down with me..."
Chu Yueyuan stared at the woman who had finally shed her disguise. She was like a piece of jade with a window opened, the exposed part of the jade was delicate, clear and flawless, but if you chisel away the outer layer of stone, the inside was full of spider web-like cracks.
She finally understood the true meaning behind Xie Nianzhi's intention to "drag her into the mire."
Although Erhe went to great lengths to abduct her to the Canglang Kingdom, he would not marry her as Khatun. Otherwise, Pei Muwei would surely lead his army north upon hearing the news, and war between the two countries would be inevitable.
As long as Erhe keeps his promise and marries Xie Nianzhi as the Canglang Khatun, this matter can be kept secret forever.
As for what will become of her...
Chu Yueyuan suddenly understood, and her heart sank into an icy abyss.
"The princess is truly gentle and virtuous. Before even marrying the Great Khan, she has already thoughtfully chosen concubines for him, or perhaps... forbidden lovers who cannot be seen in the light of day?"
Xie Nianzhi's gaze returned to its usual gentleness, and he smiled slightly: "Your Highness is deeply favored by the Great Khan, and it will probably not be long before you conceive. I will treat your child as my own and raise him with my own hands. Perhaps in the future, he will become a new ruler of the grasslands, and one day he will set foot on the territory of the Great Qi and personally cut off his head."
"After all, he was already old then..."
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