'I’m fine!' She gazed blankly into the distance, her expression calm, almost lifeless, making it hard to breathe.
But Yelü Lie didn’t notice; the Khan had left the Imperial City, and cheers rose all around. The chieftains of the eight tribes all rode out to greet him, and Yelü Lie could not be an exception. He jumped onto his black horse and galloped toward the city gate.
'Miss...' Dong Yin, sitting beside her, looked at her with concern.
She bit her lower lip and, without looking at her, asked, 'Tell me, Dong Yin, is it true that a mixed-blood child cannot be accepted in Liao?'
Dong Yin replied sadly, 'If it weren’t for the old prince’s mercy, I would have starved to death on the roadside long ago. My mother was from Tanzhou, captured by the Khitans to be a concubine. She had a son once, but he was drowned in water. Later, she was forced to abort several times, and when she was pregnant with me, she escaped from the officer’s tent. A few years after giving birth to me, she starved to death because she gave me all the food she found. In the Liao Kingdom, my mother and I, as helpless women, were bullied endlessly, unable to make a living. Our suffering was unimaginable to ordinary people. I was one of the lucky ones; many children, after birth, were raised like animals by their Liao fathers, especially in places entirely populated by Khitans, where survival was impossible...' The painful memories still left her trembling.
She knew why her mistress was asking this. As her personal maid, she was well aware of her mistress's physical condition; especially now that the young lord was bound to marry three princesses as his consorts. No matter how favored the mistress was, her child would end up like herself...
Jun Qiluo let out a bitter laugh, her clenched fists nearly leaving imprints on her palms.
'Life will be very difficult, won't it?' she muttered to herself, her voice distant and ethereal.
'Miss...'
Dong Yin was about to say something, but Duo Luo Qi cut her off.
'Dong Yin, be quiet!' Fearing that Dong Yin might blurt out that the young lord was already engaged, Duo Luo Qi tried to reassure her with an optimistic tone, 'Actually, in the capital, Hu and Han coexist, and racial discrimination isn’t that strong; if Miss Jun becomes pregnant, the child can be born here in the capital. The young lord wouldn’t mistreat his own child.'
Although Duo Luo Qi didn’t fully understand the thoughts of this Song woman, based on his past experiences, he knew that the coming days wouldn’t be easy for the young lord; because he cared too much about Miss Jun! His marriage would undoubtedly provoke a strong reaction from this Song beauty, and now she was talking about children... A deep sense of foreboding, like a dark cloud, settled over his heart...
'The young lord is back!' Dong Yin softly reminded Jun Qiluo.
Following Yelü Lie over to the black tent was another man, with red hair and golden eyes. He had a full beard and looked to be around thirty years old, exuding an aura of ferocity and cruelty. To Jun Qiluo, he was as terrifying as the bloodthirsty Keli Han."
He was Duo Luo Zhiwa, a man with grand ambitions and a brutal, ruthless leader. In his territory, he held the most war prisoners, and he took pride in tormenting them. Duo Luo Qi had once been a commander under his banner but left the Duo Luo clan because he could no longer tolerate Zhiwa’s cruelty. This act of defiance made Zhiwa view him as a disgrace and a humiliation, leading to Duo Luo Qi’s permanent banishment from the clan, with orders that he be killed on sight if he ever returned.
Duo Luo Zhiwa cast a disdainful glance at Duo Luo Qi before leering at Qiluo, clicking his tongue in appreciation.
"What a beauty—far more stunning than the women sent as tributes from other nations in past years. It seems there are still many hidden beauties in Song that haven’t been brought forth yet. It’s just a pity that she’s so slender. Lord Yelü, I’ll trade one hundred sheep for her." With that, he dismounted, intending to reach out and tear open her collar to assess her worth.
But before he could even touch her clothes, Yelü Lie’s dagger slammed into the table; had Zhiwa reached out any further, his fingers would likely have been severed.
"No deal!"
"I’ll add fifty cattle!" Duo Luo Zhiwa crossed his arms, his eyes fixed on Yelü Lie, who stood blocking his view. The more Yelü treasured her, the more Zhiwa desired her.
"Anyone who touches her, besides me, will die!" Yelü Lie’s eyes blazed with anger, making it clear that if Zhiwa pressed the issue, a duel would be inevitable.
Duo Luo Zhiwa smiled, but his eyes grew even darker. Once he became the leader of the eight tribes, the Yelü family would be history. Then, taking this woman would be effortless.
That day would come! All of Yelü’s people would bow at his feet, and Yelü Lie would be the first he would kill with his own hands!
When Duo Luo Zhiwa finally walked away, Yelü Lie sat back down in the tent, gently asking, "Did he scare you?"
She shook her head indifferently; nothing could unsettle her anymore.
"I want to go back."
"Very well! Duo Luo Qi, escort her back."
"Yes!"
As the drums began to beat, signaling the start of the competition.
* * *
Light snow was falling from the sky, with snowflakes drifting through the open window along with the wind. Strangely, she didn’t feel cold. Was the world after death like this too? It was said that the underworld was bitterly cold, but now she felt no coldness; after death, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about not having enough clothes to keep warm!
She gently caressed her lower abdomen, where a small life was growing beneath the flat surface. She smiled sincerely, imagining his appearance. If it were a boy, he would grow tall and strong, perhaps with a pair of blue eyes; if it were a girl, how wonderful that would be—she would be sweet and lovely, with a delicate figure, growing into a beautiful Southern maiden...
"How could I bear to deprive you of the right to live? I will carry you within me forever, so that when we descend together into the underworld, you won’t feel cold; and I will see your true face. If that place is dark and cold, I will hold you close, and you won’t be lonely..." Her eyes were filled with sorrow, yet they shone with the light of a mother’s love.
Dong Yin entered with a bowl of ginseng tea, her expression tense.
"Miss... Miss, please, have some to nourish your body!"
She told herself that this was the right thing to do. Keli Han was already on his way, and if she didn’t act now, once Miss fell into his hands, the only outcome would be a cruel death after suffering humiliation. And with Miss so heartbroken, having lost the will to live, this was the best way to help her end her pain. The tea, laced with medicine, would allow her to die peacefully...
Jun Qiluo took the tea cup, cradling it in her hands, and said softly, "If this were poison, and drinking it would end everything, that would be wonderful; but instead, it’s ginseng tea, which is such a waste on me..." She brought the cup to her nose to smell it, but suddenly, Dong Yin snatched it away and threw it out the window.
Jun Qiluo looked at her.
"Miss, please… don’t be like this. It’s my fault… truly, please forgive me…" Dong Yin knelt at her feet and then burst into tears.
"Silly girl! Did my words frighten you? You wouldn’t understand that sometimes ‘death’ is a form of release, especially when I’m trapped in a situation beyond my control. But the one thing I can’t let go of is my aging father, far away in Jiangnan."
"Miss… I…"
"Leave me now! Don’t disturb me anymore, I’m so tired."
Dong Yin’s hesitations didn’t interest her. After seeing Dong Yin leave, Jun Qiluo quietly shed tears.
She swore that these humiliating tears were not for Yelü Lie’s fickleness! They were tears of sorrow for failing to fulfill her filial duty to her father, leaving him to suffer the grief of losing a child. She also hated herself for letting her heart waver because of him, knowing that this outcome was nothing more than a colossal joke; hadn’t her rational mind been warning her all along? Yet she chose to ignore it, and in the end, all of this was her own doing!
Why hadn’t Yelü Lie been honest with her about having fiancées? Was he afraid she couldn’t handle it? No! That was too self-centered a thought! She shook her head, mocking herself: He must have thought it wasn’t any of her business because his marriage never included her. Who was she to think she could aspire to be his princess? He must have believed she would be content to be his woman, submitting to his affection, offering herself without complaint.
Indeed! Whom he chose to be with no longer mattered—it was no longer her concern.
At dusk, Yelü Lie came in.
After a full day of activity, he looked quite tired; after bathing, he came over to hold her, kissing her soft cheek.
"What were you thinking about? Your body is as cold as ice, and you didn’t put on an extra layer. Dong Yin was too negligent!" He noticed her coldness and pulled her closer into his arms.
"Hmm? What were you thinking about?" he asked again.
"You wouldn’t want to know." She looked at him coolly, realizing that she could no longer find a comfortable position in his embrace; more precisely, she no longer felt any attachment to this embrace. Ha! Even her body now rejected him—that truly was deep hatred.
Yelü Lie finally noticed something was wrong.
"I want to know."
She smiled, but it was a false smile.
"Am I worthy to be your wife?"
"Qiluo!" What had happened to her? Who had spoken to her? Was it Dong Yin?
"Not worthy, am I?"
"Yang Yuhuan was not Emperor Xuanzong’s official wife!"
Jun Qiluo’s face showed no expression, her tone was cold and resolute: "And what will you tell me next? That throughout history, powerful and influential men have had three wives and four concubines, with countless servants?"
She knew! Yelü Lie gritted his teeth and growled, "Who told you?"
"Are you going to kill someone? Is it not acceptable to publicize the fact that you have three fiancées, set to enjoy the blessings of many wives? Should I congratulate you? Why are you the one getting angry?" She stepped back from his embrace, retreating step by step, letting Yelü Lie clearly see the hatred radiating from her entire being.
He took a step forward, shouting, "Who told you?"
"Don’t come any closer! Yelü Lie! Just because I don’t speak Khitan doesn’t mean I can’t understand it!" She spoke in Khitan, word by word: "If you want to kill the person who told me, you’ll have to kill those chieftains first, and then kill yourself, because it was you all who told me with your own mouths."
He grabbed her, but she hated him! She hated him... and that was something he could not bear. The fear that rose in his heart was because he saw the look of hopeless emptiness in her eyes...
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