The Princess's Obsession
Zongzheng Hengyu's injuries are slowly recovering. His physical condition is excellent. The swelling at the broken arm is beginning to subside, and the pain in his ribs has also lessened somewhat.
He began to try circulating his internal energy to speed up his recovery. Munasha went out every day to scout the terrain and find a way out, but the surrounding area was full of steep cliffs, and the downstream direction of the river was shrouded in mist, making it seem difficult to leave easily.
That night, while scouting outside, Munasha unexpectedly discovered a small patch of wild wound-healing herbs. Overjoyed, she quickly picked some and brought them back to her cave.
"This will be good for your injury." She handed over the crushed herbs, her tone still somewhat harsh.
Zongzheng Hengyu looked at the clump of dark green grass in her hand, and then at the back of her hand, which had been scratched by thorns while picking herbs. He didn't say anything.
He took the herbs and changed the dressing on his arm himself.
Watching his practiced movements, Munasha couldn't help but ask, "Are you often injured?"
Zongzheng Hengyu continued his actions without pausing, saying calmly, "Injuries are common on the battlefield."
"Do even the princes of your Great Entropy need to personally engage in battle?" Munasha asked curiously. In the Northern Abyss, high-ranking nobles usually command from the rear.
“Protecting our homeland is our duty,” Zongzheng Hengyu replied simply and matter-of-factly.
Looking at his calm profile, Munasha's perception of him underwent a subtle shift. This man was not the pampered, domineering nobleman she had imagined.
"That day... at Eagle Falling Gorge, your marksmanship was excellent." She hesitated for a moment, but still said it, her tone carrying a hint of admiration that she herself didn't realize.
Zongzheng Hengyu finally looked up at her, seemingly surprised that she would say this. "Your swordsmanship is also quite good. There aren't many women in Beiyuan with your skills."
His words practically revealed her identity.
Munasha's heart skipped a beat, and a faint blush instantly spread across her face, a mixture of embarrassment at being caught and a touch of inexplicable annoyance. "You knew all along?"
"Before the fall, I heard someone call 'Princess,'" Zongzheng Hengyu said calmly. "Muleryan's daughter?"
“…Yes.” Now that things had come to this, Tuoba Yue no longer concealed anything, straightening her back. “I am Princess Muna Sha of Beiyuan.”
Silence fell once more within the cave. With their identities revealed, the thin veil of secrecy had been pierced, and the atmosphere of hostility became even clearer.
However, in this isolated valley, during these two days of struggling for survival, something different from the life-or-death struggle on the battlefield was quietly taking root.
The campfire flickered, illuminating the two faces, each lost in their own thoughts.
Outside the valley, the flames of war in the north continued to spread, and the soldiers on both sides searching for their whereabouts were probably already frantic with worry.
…………
With the help of the herbs that Munasha found and his own strong recovery ability, Zongzheng Hengyu's injuries gradually improved, and he was able to move around with difficulty.
But he remained taciturn, spending most of his time meditating and regulating his breathing, or gazing southeast, in the direction of the capital of Great Entropy, with a deep longing occasionally flashing in his eyes.
Muna Sha witnessed all of this. She was a passionate and outspoken daughter of Beiyuan, and after spending a few days with him, the strength, fortitude, and even the rare vulnerability that Zongzheng Hengyu occasionally revealed beneath his cold exterior were like the strongest liquor, deeply attracting her.
That initial curiosity, fueled by rumors and the shock of the battlefield, quickly fermented into a stronger, more direct emotion: she wanted this man!
On this day, Munasha caught a plump pheasant, carefully roasted it, and then tore off the tenderest leg meat and handed it to Zongzheng Hengyu.
Zongzheng Hengyu accepted the food, said a brief "thank you," and then ate in silence, his posture still elegant, but with a distant and unapproachable air.
Looking at his cold profile, Munasha finally couldn't suppress the emotions surging in her heart and said, "Zongzheng Hengyu, we Beiyuan people don't like to beat around the bush when we speak."
Zongzheng Hengyu did not stop moving, and did not even lift his eyelids, as if he had not heard.
Undeterred, Munasha continued, "I think you're excellent. Better than all the warriors of our Northern Abyss. Superior martial arts skills, brilliant strategist, and... you're also exceptionally handsome."
As she said this, her cheeks flushed slightly, but her eyes remained bold and ardent. "I, Munasha, the princess of the Northern Abyss, have taken a liking to you."
Such a direct and passionate confession echoed in the quiet valley, carrying the wildness and unbridled spirit of the northern grasslands.
Zongzheng Hengyu finally stopped chewing.
He slowly raised his eyes and looked at Munasha. His deep eyes were completely calm, like a frozen lake, clearly reflecting her expectant and determined face.
“Your Highness,” his voice was icy cold, devoid of any warmth, “be careful what you say.”
"What are you being careful about?" Munasha was annoyed by his cold attitude and took another step closer, almost able to feel his cool aura. "I'm serious! If you're willing, I can ask my father to withdraw his troops! We, Beiyuan, can form an alliance with Dashang, make peace forever, and never invade our borders again! Isn't this what your Dashang emperor most wants to see? For you, I'm willing to do it!"
This condition is undeniably tempting. A border war that could last for years and be extremely costly could be quelled through a marriage alliance, which would be a tremendous benefit to the people of both countries and to the Great Shang Dynasty.
However, Zongzheng Hengyu's gaze did not waver in the slightest; instead, it grew even colder, and even carried a hint of barely perceptible mockery.
"I appreciate the princess's kindness." He put down the food in his hand, his tone distant yet firm, "But relations between two nations are not child's play, much less something that can be swayed by the feelings of one person. If Beiyuan truly intends to cease hostilities and make peace, it will naturally send envoys to formally present a letter of state to His Majesty and discuss matters according to protocol. As for myself..."
He paused, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing Munasha's heart: "I am already engaged, and there is no place for anyone else in my heart. I cannot accept the princess's kindness, nor will I ever accept it."
"A marriage contract?" Munasha was stunned, and then a strong sense of loss and resentment welled up in her heart. "Who is it? Which noble lady is she? What can she give you? Can she, like me, make a country withdraw its troops for you?!" Her tone was questioning, but also carried the pride and defiance of a princess.
The image of Jiang Wanzhi flashed through Zongzheng Hengyu's mind in an instant—that woman who was sometimes lively and cunning, sometimes tearful, and who made his heart uneasy. His eyes softened for a fleeting moment, but it was too quick to be noticed.
"This has nothing to do with the princess." He picked up his food again, no longer looking at her, signaling the end of the conversation with his actions. "My affairs with her are not for outsiders to comment on."
“Outsider?” Munasha was stung by those two words. She stood up abruptly, her chest heaving with emotion. “I saved you! I took care of you! I stayed with you in this desolate wilderness! How am I an outsider?!”
Zongzheng Hengyu stopped responding and just ate in silence. His cold and hard back was like an impenetrable wall, shutting out all of Munasha's passionate emotions.
Seeing his unyielding attitude, Muna Sha's eyes reddened with anger. From childhood to adulthood, as the most beloved princess of Bei Yuan, she had never experienced such coldness and rejection. The more unattainable she was, the stronger her desire to conquer grew!
“Zongzheng Hengyu! Listen to me!” she said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly, “What I, Munasha, want, I never fail to get! The same goes for men! It doesn’t matter if you have someone else in your heart now, I will make you forget her! One day, you will willingly stay by my side!”
Zongzheng Hengyu didn't even raise an eyebrow, as if she were just talking to herself.
Muna stomped her foot angrily, turned and rushed out of the cave, ran to the riverbank, and shouted a few times at the rushing water, startling a few water birds. She looked at her reflection in the water, her face filled with stubbornness and resentment, and clenched her fists tightly.
"She's just a woman! I refuse to believe I'm inferior to her!" she muttered to herself, her fighting spirit rekindled in her eyes. "Zongzheng Hengyu, we'll see! When you see how good I am, when you need my strength, let's see if you can still keep that cold face!"
From that day on, Munasha's pursuit became more proactive and "aggressive".
She was still responsible for finding food and herbs, but she would always try to get him something she thought was "good," such as sweeter wild fruits or some kind of root that she thought would be good for his health.
She would sit not far away while he was meditating, seemingly casually recounting the vastness and magnificence of the Northern Abyss Grassland, as well as the legends and songs of her people, trying to attract his attention.
On one occasion, while Zongzheng Hengyu was washing his wounds by the river, she deliberately "stumbled" and fell towards him with a scream, hoping to get his help, even if it was just for a moment.
However, Zongzheng Hengyu's reaction was always faster and colder than she expected.
The moment she fell, instead of reaching out to help her, he nimbly stepped back, letting her plunge into the icy river with a "plop," splashing up a large spray of water.
Munasha scrambled out of the river, soaking wet, cold, and furious. Looking at the expressionless man on the bank, who seemed completely unaffected, she felt like she was going to vomit blood.
"Zongzheng Hengyu! Are you even a man?!" she said angrily.
Zongzheng Hengyu merely glanced at her indifferently, uttered a single sentence, "Your Highness, please have some self-respect," and then turned and returned to the cave.
His aloofness, his indifference, and his unwavering rejections were like a file, repeatedly grinding away at Munasha's patience and pride, yet strangely, they also honed her desire to "get him" to an even stronger and more stubborn degree.
She began to observe him more closely and noticed that he would occasionally rub his waist, where something seemed to have been hanging. She guessed that it might be related to his fiancée in Da Shang.
Looking at the cold, hard figure in black in the cave, Munasha thought to herself, "Once we leave here, once I return to the Northern Abyss, I will show you who is the woman most suitable to stand by your side! That delicate flower far away in the Great Entropy is not worthy of an eagle like you!"
She didn't know that the "delicate flower" in Zongzheng Hengyu's heart was not as fragile as she imagined.
Zongzheng Hengyu's coldness and rejection of her were not entirely due to national and family feuds, but also because his heart was already occupied by a figure who sometimes angered him and sometimes made him worry, leaving no room for anything else.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
