Chapter 118 Green Ox and White Horse
Wen Yao followed Ah Si to another open space. Here, too, Northern Liao soldiers surrounded them, with a bonfire and sheep in the center. But here, the only people sitting there were women. There were Liao people, as well as women dressed in Tianshui style. All were young, beautiful, and dressed in bright, light clothing.
Ah Si didn't approach, but stood still by the side after entering. Wen Yao saw what she meant, walked in, found an empty seat, sat down, and began to eat the flatbread on the table. The girls around looked over and saw Wen Yao, dressed in a tight suit and carrying a long sword, eating with them. They were puzzled and curious.
Wen Yao was in a relaxed manner, and even though he was holding a sword, he looked approachable. Before long, a girl nearby came over and asked Wen Yao, "Where are you from? Why have I never seen you before?"
The girl looked like she was from Tianshui and spoke the same dialect. Wen Yao looked at her and asked, "Which family are you from?"
"I am the new concubine of Prince Bohai," the girl said sweetly, "and I will be accompanying him to the banquet this time."
Bohai, a kingdom east of Northern Liao, sat between the Black Mountains and the White Waters, boasting a prosperous trade. Wen Yao was slightly surprised: "The Crown Prince of Bohai...the son of the King of Bohai? He's in Xijin Prefecture."
Xijin Prefecture was close to the Tianshui border of Northern Liao, quite a distance from the Bohai Kingdom. Now, with the intention of using it as a frontline fortress for war with Tianshui, why would the Bohai Crown Prince come here at this time?
"Yes." The girl urged: "Tell me quickly, which master's house are you from? Why are you dressed like this and carrying a sword? You don't look good at all, you look like a guard."
"Me?" Wen Yao glanced around, vaguely understanding the identities of these beautiful women. Powerful men drinking, the women they brought with them were either singing girls or concubines. She pondered the Bohai Crown Prince's intentions in appearing at Xijin Mansion, and casually replied, "Oh, I'm from the Han Zhao family. Han Zhao, Master Han knows."
"I know, I know!" Unexpectedly, the girl suddenly became excited and reached out to grab Wen Yao's hand, her eyes full of envy: "You are Mr. Han's man, how great... Mr. Han is from Tianshui, has a good temper, and is highly valued by Mr. Xianyinsi. His future is limitless."
Wen Yao paused, looked at the girl, and said, "Are you from Tianshui?"
"My parents were." The girl shook her head: "I was born in Xijin, I am a Xijin person."
According to her, the Prince of Bohai arrived in Xijin a few days ago, and his entry into the city was a grand affair, with people crowding the streets. She went to join in the fun, but was unexpectedly chosen by the Prince of Bohai as his concubine, and has been taken with him everywhere for the past few days.
She spoke calmly. For an ordinary peasant girl, being accepted as a concubine by the prince of Bohai was a blessing bestowed upon her by her ancestors. At the very least, she could wear gold and silver and have no worries about food and drink.
"What kind of person is the Prince of Bohai?" Wen Yao lowered her voice, her eyes glancing over Ah Si. Ah Si clearly disliked the girls here. She stood far away and didn't look in her direction, her attention not focused on her. "Bohai is far away, right? What is he doing in Xijin?"
"Where are you originally from? How come you don't know anything?" the girl asked in confusion. "Bohai and Northern Liao have a very good relationship. People from Bohai come here every year."
Meanwhile, at the banquet between the Northern Liao and Bohai factions, whom the girl had described as having a "close relationship," the atmosphere was unusually tense. Han Zhao, whom Wen Yao had randomly named, sat off to the side, barely managing to keep a smile on his face. He coldly gazed at the drunken Bohai man standing in the middle, already cursing him a hundred times in his mind.
This man, an official of the Bohai delegation, had lost his composure after a few drinks. An incense stick of time earlier, the Bohai delegation presented Yelu Duhan with a half-human-sized shell. Upon opening it, it was filled with white pearls, jade, and blood-red coral, a truly magnificent sight. So far, nothing had gone wrong; as host, Yelu Duhan accepted the gift and enjoyed a drink with the Bohai prince. Unexpectedly, this man stumbled to his feet and, in full view of the crowd, walked to the center of the camp, spouting arrogant rhetoric.
"Master Xianyinsi." He wore a pheasant tail on his head, held a wine glass in one hand, and shouted with a loud tongue, "Our Haidong Sheng Kingdom is a powerful country, with prosperous trade with the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, and the people are prosperous. I heard that when you were young, you wandered south and were not raised by the Emperor of Beiliao. This treasure came from the fairy island on the sea, so you must have never seen it!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the once joyful banquet suddenly fell silent. Everyone present in Xijin Prefecture and Shangjing was startled, their eyes flicking past this man and the Bohai Crown Prince, who seemed oblivious and drinking, before turning to Yelu Duhan, who sat at the head of the table.
Who didn't know that Yelu Duhan's mother was from the Wanyan tribe, and who didn't know that he was forced to flee to Tianshui by Empress Duo Yueli when he was young? Was this man crazy, banging his head against the edge of a knife?
Across the open space above the bonfire stood a wide bench, covered with a huge, colorful, thick tiger skin. The tiger's claws and head were still there, its fangs gleaming, its eyes glaring, and it was terrifying to look at.
Yelu Duhan bent one of his long legs and stepped on the tiger skin without any care. The headband on his forehead was shining brightly. He held the wine jug in one hand and poured it into his mouth. His curly hair fell on his shoulders, looking wild and unrestrained.
He had been enjoying a good drink, and seeing the nice weather and the magnificent scenery of the grassland at sunset, he thought it would be a good opportunity to take Wen Yao out for a walk. Unexpectedly, someone was so ungrateful as to pour cold water on his happiness.
"The prosperous country of Haidong."
In the dead silence, Yelu Duhan smiled and nodded. He seemed to approve of what the man said. He folded his legs in front of him, rested his elbows on his knees, leaned forward slightly, and said, "Bohai is rich and prosperous, and its reputation is well-deserved."
"Of course," the man continued boasting, "Although Northern Liao and Bohai have been friends for generations and are as close as brothers, there are still differences in the length of our fingers. Northern Liao lives trapped on the grasslands, and the clothes worn by women in Bohai are much more monotonous than those in Bohai!"
"Oh." Yelu Duhan's smile widened: "So there is such a saying."
Those familiar with his temperament were already afraid to breathe. The prince of Bohai, who was sitting below him, glanced at him, his eyes gleaming, and stuffed his mouth with meat without saying a word.
Yelu Duhan smiled, then suddenly twisted his body, reached out, and pulled out the knife from his guard's waist. Without hesitation, he swung his arm and threw it! His expression changed so quickly, and his attack was without warning. The internal energy that could pull a ten-stone strong bow was mixed in with the sword, instantly splitting through the flesh and blood, and easily cutting off the man's right arm.
The man's eyes widened, his smile froze, and the unfinished words were stuck in his throat, making a creaking sound, and after a while turned into a shrill howl!
Han Zhao was unlucky; he was sitting close by and bore the brunt of the damage. Blood splattered everywhere as the scorching arm flew free and landed squarely on the plate in front of him. The refined and refined Han looked down at the severed arm, his head a little dizzy, his face pale.
"Clang!" The bloody knife sank deeply into the ground, and sticky and hot liquid kept dripping down from the blade.
The Prince of Bohai was caught off guard and was stunned for a moment before becoming furious. He spat out the meat in his mouth, slammed the table, and stood up, shouting, "Yelü Duhan, what do you mean by this!"
Yelu Duhan gave a short and strange laugh: "What do you mean? What do you think I mean?" His eyes, which had been criticized by countless people, were cold, weird and strange.
Han Zhao quickly calmed down, forcing himself to stand up despite the dizziness. He pushed the table aside and said coldly, "This man is drunk and behaves recklessly. He is extremely disrespectful! He dared to disrespect the Holy Emperor's son, the Lord of the Northern Liao Tulu Tribe, damaging the diplomatic relationship between our two countries. His crime is extremely heinous! My Lord, Crown Prince, in my opinion, this man harbors evil intentions and has probably been planning this for a long time. Such a crime deserves only to have his arm amputated."
Yelu Duhan nodded: "What do you think?"
Han Zhao bowed deeply and said, "Take his heart and lungs and offer them as a sacrifice to the blue ox and white horse. Your Excellency and the Crown Prince will drink the sacrificial wine together to demonstrate the friendship between our two countries!"
"Friendship between the two countries." Yelu Duhan looked at the Bohai prince standing beside him politely and said, "What do you think, Prince?"
The Bohai Crown Prince's unspoken question was quickly blocked by Han Zhao's words. His face was ashen, and he moved his lips, forcing out a word from between his teeth: "Yes...it should be so."
The noise from the main camp quickly spread. Wen Yao had barely finished her sesame bun when she heard the commotion outside. Soldiers were running, weapons clashing, and the girls present, unsure of what was happening, grew uneasy. Ah Si frowned, turning his head repeatedly to glance at Wen Yao, as if eager to get out and see what was going on.
Wen Yao, however, showed no sign of anxiety. She watched the commotion outside, finishing her pancake before wiping her mouth and standing up, walking around the table and heading outside. The other girls looked from her to the scattered guards, then after a moment's hesitation, they too stood up nervously and followed her outside.
After walking around a few tents, Wen Yao looked up and saw black smoke billowing out from not far away.
"What's going on?" She crossed her chest and raised her eyebrows, asking sincerely, "Is your granary on fire?"
Ah Si turned his gaze and scolded fiercely, "Don't talk nonsense! That's the altar. The Lord is offering sacrifices to the blue ox and white horse."
Everything is fine, and it's not a festival, so why are they suddenly holding a sacrifice?
Wen Yao immediately walked towards the altar to join in the fun. The blue ox and white horse were a Northern Liao belief, and Ah Si wanted to see them too, so he didn't stop her, even walking faster than Wen Yao in his eagerness.
The girls, huddled together and confused, followed Wen Yao to a large open space. In the middle of the space stood a massive stone and wooden altar, with cow and sheep bones hanging on either side. Tied to the central wooden pillar was a man, crying and yelling.
What he said was neither Tianshui dialect nor Northern Liao dialect, so Wen Yao couldn't understand it. He looked around the field and soon saw Yelu Duhan and the man beside him who was dressed in strange clothes and gold and silver.
It should be the prince of Bohai. The prince looked unhappy, and the unfortunate man who was tied up and burned must be his man.
In front of the altar, a priest wearing a huge mask and colorful clothes danced back and forth with a bronze dagger in his hand. He poured sheep's blood, cow's blood, and horse's blood on the dagger and held it high in his hands before Yelu Duhan.
Yelu Duhan reached out and firmly grasped the hilt of the dagger. He then took two steps up to the altar and, without hesitation, plunged the dagger into the man's heart. The dagger sank into flesh like iron into tofu. Blood splattered on Yelu Duhan's face. Unblinking, he ripped the man's heart out with a hoarse scream and tossed it into a bowl of water.
One of the girls who followed out couldn't help it and bent over and retched after seeing the piece of living meat.
Wen Yao tapped his fingers on his arm, as if thinking about something, and glanced at the prince of Bohai Kingdom with a sullen face.
Does this mean that Bei Liao and Tianshui are close and have close diplomatic relations?
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