105 Grassland
◎Stay and be my queen◎
A red sun jumped out from the grassland, casting golden rays, driving away the mist and clouds. Dewdrops bathed in the sunlight, happily jumped off the leaves and fell into the endless black soil.
As the dawn broke, the herdsmen on the grassland began to go out to work, and soon the sounds of cattle and sheep could be heard.
The carriage was bumpy, and Shu Yao opened her eyes in a daze. The sunlight shone on her, and she raised her hand to block the sunlight, as if she was not used to such brightness.
The sound of bells, the neighing of horses, and the conversations of people around me could be heard.
She squinted her eyes, a few eagles flew over her head, and a ray of sunlight mixed with the smell of grass came into her mouth and nose. She slowly woke up, but her head still hurt badly.
Suddenly remembering the scene by the moat that day, she became more lucid and reached out to touch her neck, and the feeling of suffocation followed.
She closed her eyes, opened her mouth, and breathed heavily, looking terrified.
A little girl wearing strange clothes nearby saw that she had woken up, and hurried to the front to report to the leading man.
The man loosened the reins, dismounted, and took two quick steps to Shu Yao's side. Seeing her like this, he raised his hand to signal the team to stop, and then helped her block the glaring sunlight.
Only after the suffocating feeling in her memory faded did Shu Yao open her eyes again. This time, she saw Twelve's face, which looked like it was carved by a knife. She was stunned for several seconds before she reacted. She opened her mouth and said in a dry and hoarse voice, "Twelve...Twelve, am I dreaming?"
Twelve placed a high pillow behind her and helped her up. Shu Yao leaned on the pillow. A breeze blew across the grassland. She pinched herself secretly, thinking it was not a dream.
Twelve handed her a pot of water. Shu Yao's throat was burning, so she took the water and drank it in one gulp. The cold spring water moistened her throat, and she felt better.
She looked up at him.
Twelve's curly hair was combed back, revealing her entire face, which was as tall and straight as a mountain.
The sunlight shifted, and a bright ray of light pierced down. Shu Yao blinked unconsciously, and then she noticed the sapphire on his headband, which was the same color as his eyes.
Shu Yao withdrew her gaze from him and began to look at the surrounding environment. She saw endless grasslands all around and herdsmen riding on horseback, herding sheep everywhere.
Where is this?
She grabbed Twelve and asked, "What is this place?"
Twelve looked at her: "Northern Barbarian Country."
He didn't speak the Central Plains dialect very fluently, so he spoke word by word, trying his best to make Shu Yao understand.
Shu Yao was shocked again. It turned out that he could speak. He didn't say a word when he was in Dongping Village. She really thought he was mute.
She then asked, "Why am I here? I remember..."
She remembered that someone grabbed her neck and she lost consciousness. Before she passed out, she clearly felt someone prick her middle finger.
She remembers it very clearly.
Thinking of this, she raised her right hand and looked at her middle finger, and sure enough, there was a small black spot on the tip of her finger.
An elder in the team who could speak the Central Plains dialect said, "Girl, we fished you out of the Guan River."
Originally, they had secretly entered the capital this time in order to meet with the spy and obtain the secret defense map of the capital. The spy said that he would pack the map and throw it into the moat, letting it float out of the palace along the river.
So they squatted by the Guan River for a few days, but they didn't wait for the secret defense map, but they did fish out a girl.
They didn't want to meddle in other people's business, but the third prince only took one look at the girl, his face changed drastically, and he immediately rescued her.
"Guanhe?" Shu Yao was puzzled.
She closed her eyes and tried to recall what happened before.
He might have been thrown into the moat, and then drifted along the current to Guanhe River, where he was rescued by Twelve and followed them to the grassland.
"How long was I unconscious?" she asked.
Twelve: "Half a month."
How could it have lasted so long? That didn't make sense. I was just choked unconscious and then soaked in water for a while. It shouldn't have taken that long.
She suddenly looked at her middle finger. Oh my god, was she poisoned?
"You've been poisoned." Twelve said again.
"Is there any hope?"
Twelve nodded: "The witch doctor can solve it, you have to come back to the Northern Barbarian Kingdom with me."
Shu Yao bit her lower lip lightly and said "hmm", deciding to save her life first.
The sun slowly set in the west, and it got dark very quickly on the grassland. The team stopped on a slope, and everyone took out their tents and started to set up camp.
Perhaps because of the poison in her body, Shu Yao was extremely weak. She could only lie in the half-open carriage and watch everyone busy. The maid next to her took out a piece of naan from her bag and handed it to her. Shu Yao took it and looked at the hard naan. She really had no idea how to eat it. Her throat probably couldn't bear eating such a hard thing.
After setting up their tents, people also started to eat dinner. The grassland people's dinner is very simple, just a piece of naan and a pot of water, as long as it can fill their stomachs.
Twelve tied the last rope and walked to Shu Yao. He broke the naan in her hand into small pieces and soaked them in goat milk. When the naan began to soften, he handed it to Shu Yao.
Shuyao ate it in small bites.
Twelve leaned against the carriage, picked up a piece of naan and started to eat it in big bites. It was gone after a few bites.
It was late at night and everyone went back to their tents to rest.
Twelve carried Shu Yao to the tent. Shu Yao was like a little rabbit in his arms, weightless. He carefully placed her on the straw bed covered with sheepskin, and then turned around to extinguish the candle.
Shu Yao shrank into the corner in fear, clutching the quilt tightly and staring at Twelve.
Twelve: "You sleep here tonight, I'll be outside. Call me if you need anything, I can hear you." After saying that, he extinguished the candle and walked out.
Shu Yao finally felt relieved. Looking at the figure sitting outside the tent, her eyelids began to twitch, and she finally couldn't hold on and fell asleep.
Twelve sat outside the tent and subconsciously touched his neck, but found that it was already empty. The wolf fang had been given to Shu Yao. He didn't know whether she had kept it or lost it.
It doesn’t matter if he loses it, he can just hunt another wolf king.
He looked up at the stars in the sky, and suddenly saw a star passing by. He closed his eyes and began to make a wish.
When I opened my eyes again, the meteor's tail swept across the sky and disappeared without a trace.
…
It took another two days of travel to reach the palace. Shu Yao was always drowsy during these two days and didn't even know when she entered the palace. Seeing her like this, Twelve immediately sent someone to call a witch doctor as soon as he returned to the palace.
Twelve carried her back to his own bedroom, and everyone was talking about her behind her back along the way.
The witch doctor came quickly. He was wearing a black robe and walked unsteadily with a cane. He was in his sixties, but he looked in very good spirits.
Twelve showed him Shu Yao's blackened fingers. The witch doctor understood and felt her pulse again: "She can still be saved."
The name of this poison is Soul-Breaking, and it was passed from their side to the Central Plains. Soul-Breaking is a chronic poison that will slowly eat away at a person's meridians and internal organs. It will take at most one month for all meridians to be severed.
The witch doctor went downstairs to prepare herbs, and Twelve stayed by Shu Yao's bedside. It took three full days for her to slowly wake up, and when she woke up, she saw a strange face.
The little girl beside the bed tilted her head, her pretty face full of curiosity. When she moved, the little bell on her head jingled, and she said playfully: "You are the one my brother brought back."
She didn't speak Central Plains dialect fluently, but people could still understand her.
Shu Yao sat up and asked, "Who are you?" She looked around and felt a little nervous.
The little girl sat down on the bed and said, "I am Wu Lan, the fourth princess of Beiyi. What's your name?" She blinked her big eyes and looked at her.
Shu Yao's throat was dry: "My name is Shu Yao, cough cough cough."
Wu Lan poured her a cup of cold tea and asked, "Are you here to be my brother's queen?"
Shu Yao almost spit out the tea she had just drunk. She looked confused. What Queen Consort?
Wu Lan smiled and said, "My Third Prince has been staying by your side all these days while you were unconscious. I've never seen him treat any woman this way before." After saying that, she pouted, then turned her face to the side as if remembering something and snorted softly, "My Prince didn't even take care of me like this when I was sick before."
Shu Yao wanted to speak, but her throat was too sore.
A steady sound of footsteps was heard outside, and Twelve pushed the door open. Wu Lan ran over happily, put his arm around him affectionately, and looked up to speak in the Yi language that Shu Yao could not understand.
Twelve patted her head gently, then walked over to Shu Yao and stroked her forehead with his rough palm. Then his brow relaxed: "The fever has subsided."
She had a high fever for the past three days. He tried various methods, and now the fever has finally subsided, and he can finally rest assured.
Seeing how devoted his brother was to Shu Yao, Wu Lan couldn't help but tease him. He deliberately said in the Central Plains dialect, "Brother Wang, Yana asked me today when you plan to marry this girl?"
Shu Yao looked at Twelve, asking with her eyes what was going on.
Twelve had no choice but to push Wu Lan out.
Wu Lan clung to the door frame and said with a smile, "Yana also said that if the prince gets married, she will definitely give a generous gift."
With a "bang", the twelve doors closed.
The room was silent. Shu Yao lowered her head in thought, wondering if the poison in her body had been cured.
She spoke first: "Twelve, the poison in my body..."
Twelve brought over a wooden chair and sat down, his wolf-like eyes staring directly at her, bringing a sense of oppression: "You've been poisoned by a chronic poison. The detoxification process will be long, at least three to five months, and at most a year and a half."
Shu Yao exclaimed, "Ah!" It's been so long.
Twelve approached her and said simply, "Will you be my Queen?"
Shu Yao was so scared that she quickly waved her hands. This was not acceptable: "Twelve, are you kidding me?" Her smile was uglier than crying.
Twelve leaned back, the chair creaking. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Think about it again. Be my queen and stay on the grassland. I will take you to hunt horses and watch the sunrise on Mount Mondo."
Shu Yao refused: "Twelve, thank you for saving me, but I can't stay in the grassland, and I can't be your queen."
Twelve narrowed his eyes, said nothing, sat for a while, and then went out.
Shu Yao moved to a side room in Wu Lan's palace. After a month of taking medicine, she gradually got better. Sometimes she would go out with Wu Lan, and their relationship gradually became closer.
One day, Wu Lan found a small toy from the Central Plains from somewhere, and she hurried back to find Shu Yao.
Before she saw her, she heard a bell sound. Shu Yao put down the medicine bowl and looked towards the door. She saw Wu Lan running in happily, waving something in her hand: "Sister Shu, look at this." She handed the thing in her hand to Shu Yao.
After a month of getting along, the little princess Wu Lan always likes to stick to Shu Yao. She likes this older sister very much.
Shu Yao took it and looked at it. It turned out to be a small Kongming lantern.
She asked, "Princess, don't you have Kongming lanterns on your grassland?"
Wu Lan tilted her head: "No, Sister Shu, how do you use this thing?"
Shu Yao looked at the sky outside. The sun had already set and darkness was falling. She threw back the quilt, got out of bed, and lit the wick in the lamp with the candle on the table.
"Princess, this is called a Kongming Lantern. During the temple fair in the Central Plains, we light it up, write our wishes on it, and then release it into the sky. The gods will help you realize your wishes."
Wu Lan said "Oh" in disbelief: "Things from the Central Plains are truly magical. Sister Shu, let's go release the Kongming lanterns."
Shu Yao was pulled out by Wu Lan. The two of them quietly slipped out of the palace and came to a high hill. The bright moon was shining high above their heads, casting a golden glow. Wu Lan couldn't help but pick up a pen and write down her wish on the lamp. She wrote in Yi language, which Shu Yao couldn't understand.
After she finished writing, she urged Shu Yao to write faster, but Shu Yao only wrote the word "home".
Wu Lan recognized the word and asked, "Sister Shu, are you homesick?"
My father's four concubines were also married from the Central Plains. They were very beautiful, but they didn't like to smile and always looked depressed. They often stared blankly in the direction of the Central Plains. They died of depression within two years.
It seems that women from the Central Plains don't like staying here.
"Sister Shu, what does the Central Plains look like? Are there also vast grasslands and herds of cattle and sheep?"
Shu Yao smiled and said, "The Central Plains is very prosperous. There are not only grasslands, but also mountains, lakes, and seas."
Wu Lan was filled with longing. What was the sea like? She had only seen it in books.
The two of them released the Kongming lantern together. The lantern flew higher and higher until it turned into a small dot of light and disappeared into the sky. Wu Lan retracted her gaze and sat on the stone. The air was filled with the scent of grass: "Sister Shu, Third Prince likes you very much." She suddenly said.
Shu Yao sat down beside her, a little caught off guard.
Wu Lan turned to look at her: "Sister Shu, can you be my wife?"
Shu Yao shook her head: "Princess, marriage requires mutual love. I only regard the Third Prince as a friend, not a romantic relationship."
Wu Lan's eyes were filled with confusion: "Does a woman have to marry the person she loves?"
Shu Yao nodded: "Mutual love means that I like you and you like me, and only then can we be happy together."
Wu Lan seemed to understand, but she didn't quite understand what he was saying. She didn't have anyone she liked yet, so she didn't understand what he was saying. She looked into the distance, towards the Central Plains. She wondered what she would do if she fell in love with someone from the Central Plains. Her father wouldn't agree.
Thinking of this, she felt a little sad again.
On the other side of the hillside, Twelve listened to their words word for word. He stared at the Haiming Pearl in his hand with a dark face. This pearl was a rare and unique piece. He had planned to give it to Shu Yao, but when he heard her say, "There is no love between men and women," his heart suddenly became heavy. He put the pearl into his lapel and turned to leave.
…
On the second day, Twelve came to Wulan Palace and gave Mingzhu to Shuyao, and continued to ask her: "Will you marry me?"
Shu Yao: ...
When she didn't take it, he stuffed it directly into her arms, didn't stay for a second, and turned and left.
When Wu Lan, who was standing next to her, saw the pearl, her eyes widened. She had begged the king for this pearl for a long time, but the king refused to give it to her.
Seeing that she liked it, Shu Yao gave her the pearl.
Wu Lan happily accepted it.
When Shu Yao felt better, Twelve took her to the Wumeng grassland to hunt horses.
He specially brought her a docile little red horse and was just about to teach her how to get on, but Shu Yao just stepped on the pedal and got on straight away.
Twelve was stunned by what he saw.
After Shu Yao sat firmly, she pulled the reins and turned to look at him.
She had filmed many costume dramas in the past, and riding horses was a common thing for her.
Seeing Twelve's stunned expression, she smiled awkwardly: "I've ridden it before."
Twelve also jumped on the horse.
Facing the setting sun, the two horses ran happily on the grassland. Although Shu Yao knew how to ride, she was not very skilled and was almost thrown off several times. It was thanks to Twelve who supported her from behind.
Seeing her swaying on the horse's back, Twelve took a step forward and sat behind her. His hard body pressed against her, and she subconsciously moved forward a little. Twelve grabbed her shoulders and said, "Don't move on the horse." He began to teach her how to ride a horse.
But she didn't want to learn. Twelve sighed and said, "Learn more. It will be useful in the future."
"I don't live on the grassland." Shu Yao muttered subconsciously, and then reacted and turned around to look at Twelve nervously.
Twelve's face showed no emotion, he just tightened his grip on the reins and squeezed the horse's belly. The horse neighed loudly and ran forward quickly. The gust of wind passed by his ears. Shu Yao held the reins tightly, her heart in her throat.
At night, two horses were eating grass at the foot of the slope. Twelve was lying on the slope with one hand as a pillow. He plucked a blade of grass, broke off a grasshopper and handed it to Shu Yao.
Shu Yao sat next to him, playing with the grasshopper he folded: "Twelve, when will I be able to completely cure this poison?"
Twelve exhaled and hesitated for a moment: "It will take another half a year."
Shu Yao frowned: "Can I write a letter and send it to the capital?" She had been missing for so long, Ji Shijing must be worried sick, she was really worried.
Twelve looked at her thoughtfully: "No."
"Then I will return to Central Plains tomorrow."
Twelve closed his eyes and said, "Okay."
Shu Yao: "Twelve, thank you very much this time, otherwise I would probably..."
"You have a saying in your Central Plains, 'to pledge one's body to another'. If you marry me, it will be your way of repaying the favor." Twelve said, seizing the opportunity.
Shu Yao bit her lip and spoke in a lower and lower voice: "But I saved you too."
Twelve chuckled and sat up: "The dew is heavy tonight, let's go back."
…
Strangely enough, during the time she'd been away from the capital, the trust between Shu Yao and Ji Shijing had been increasing. She asked the system: "I haven't been by his side for a while, so why is the trust increasing?"
The system pondered for a moment: [Maybe he's thinking of you. Missing you will increase your trust value.]
Shu Yao seemed to have discovered a new world: "If I stay here the whole time, won't my trust level go up automatically?" She's really smart.
System: [Nonono, if the master doesn't return, the trust value will never reach 100%.]
Shu Yao: [Why?]
[No comment.]
Shu Yao was depressed. She opened the window, held her chin with both hands, and looked at the bright moon in the sky. It had been three months since she came here, and the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching. She wondered how Ji Shijing was doing and whether he had been marginalized in the officialdom.
…
The second day of August is the Bonfire Festival on the grassland. On this day, young men and women gather around the fire. If they fall in love with each other, the man will give his belt to the woman, and the woman will take off one of her earrings and put it in the man's hand.
After exchanging tokens of love, you can propose marriage the next day.
The Beiyi Palace was bustling with activity, and unmarried men and women all dressed up and came to participate in the bonfire festival.
Shu Yao was also dragged by Wu Lan to watch the fun.
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