She neither screamed nor cried out; she was so calm—so calm that he couldn't understand her! There was only a sense of emptiness. Even now, as he held her tightly in his arms, he still felt that emptiness, as if... as if he were holding a corpse.
"Qiluo! I only want you! I don’t care who I marry! I only want you! Don’t you understand?"
"I understand." She gave a cold laugh. Should she shed a few tears to show she was moved by his anger and urgency?
No, she didn’t understand at all! He was going to lose her, bit by bit!
"Don’t be so selfish, Qiluo! Look at me, look at me!" He grabbed her shoulders with both hands, commanding her to look at him.
"I’ve given you everything, so why do you only know how to take and never give? You have to understand the difficulties I face as a Yilidong. Marrying them is for political stability, I don’t want them! Why are you so selfish that you won’t consider my situation? What does it even mean to make you my consort?"
Selfish? That was his conclusion?
"I’m worthy of being your plaything, but not of standing beside you and facing the world together—is that how you love me?
You’ve insulted me too much, Yelü Lie! Even if you were as noble as Emperor Xuanzong, I wouldn’t want to be your Yang Guifei! Stop saying those tear-jerking, hypocritical words. Instead of wasting them on me, start saying them to your fiancées! The selfish one is you!" she trembled as she accused him. "You’re the truly selfish one! You want status, fame, love, and every woman’s heart! You already have too much, yet you’re still not satisfied and want more—this is your idea of love! What have you given me? Is it so precious? Have I ever really received anything? Go ahead and be your Emperor Xuanzong! But I will never be your Yang Yuhuan!" She struggled to break free from him, but his strength overpowered hers, and he held her even tighter.
"You... you’re impossible to reason with! What more do you want? If making you my legitimate wife will please you, then I’ll do it!"
He held onto her desperately, refusing to let her go.
"I don’t care anymore, I don’t care at all! Give your name and status to some other woman who’s interested in you! I never want to see you again in this lifetime!
Taking your name would only disgrace me—you’re not worthy to be my husband!" she shouted in rage, hitting his body, her only thought being to escape from his grasp.
"You—" He raised his hand in a fit of anger, ready to strike her, but she didn’t even try to dodge, as if she was ready to be beaten to death.
He slammed his hand onto the nearby table instead, shattering it into pieces. "Don’t think I’ll kill you! I won’t let you die! You’re mine!"
"Not anymore!"
"What do you want me to do? I’m already going to officially marry you! What else do you want? You’ve won! I’ve given in! What more do you want? Speak up!" He threw her onto the bed, afraid that if he used too much force, he might hurt her. He couldn’t tolerate her willfulness any longer, yet he was also terrified that his anger might cause her harm. He couldn’t bear the consequences of taking out his fury on her!
Jun Qiluo shook her head, the hatred and coldness in her eyes remaining unchanged.
"You don’t need to give in, and you don’t need to marry me out of pity—you don’t need to do anything! I can’t bear the burden of your great sacrifice!"
"You... damn it!" he roared in anger. This woman had reverted to how she was when they first met. What did she want? "Didn’t you want me to give you a status? I’m giving it to you now, and yet you don’t appreciate it! What do you want from me? Are you trying to drive me mad? You resented me for not giving you a title to prove my sincerity, and now that I’ve proven it, have you not taken full advantage of it? I’ve already lost all my dignity, giving you everything you asked for, and you’ve turned me into a coward! What more do you want? Jun Qiluo, you’re truly a member of the Jun family—a merchant who devours others without mercy! You even use love as a bargaining chip. You have no heart! If you had a heart, you’d see how deeply I love you; you wouldn’t want me to be unfaithful and unrighteous, to disregard the bigger picture for the sake of this relationship. If next, you ask me to betray Liao, I wouldn’t be surprised, because you’re testing how much you can manipulate me! You’re ruthless!"
His furious accusations were like sharp blades piercing her already bleeding heart, tormenting her even further.
Jun Qiluo bit down hard on her hand to stop herself from breaking down in tears, but the tears she fought back finally broke through.
He’s ruthless! He’s the most ruthless! All she wanted was sincere love, without anyone else interfering—nothing more. Yet he hurt her so deeply! In his eyes, she was ungrateful, cunning, deceitful, and greedy, constantly scheming against him, torturing his heart.
She couldn’t take it anymore! Suddenly, she jumped off the bed and ran toward the door. She only wanted to escape him, to flee to a place where he didn’t exist. How could she have fallen in love with such a man, only to have him destroy everything? He wasn’t worthy, yet she was already deeply trapped.
However, after just two steps, he caught her and threw her back onto the bed.
"You’re not allowed to leave! You’re not allowed to go anywhere! Since you’ve chosen to tear off the mask, then you should act like the captive you are. You were always just a captive, and you deserve nothing. Since you think you’re merely a slave for my pleasure, then you’d better stay in your place as a slave and serve my desires—that’s the only treatment you deserve!" He tore strips of fabric from the bed curtains, tied her hands to the bedpost, then kicked over a nearby table and stormed out of the room, shouting for everyone to keep watch over her, and did not return.
As the sound of hooves faded into the night, the winter snow began to fall harder, gradually turning into a storm...
"Let me go! Let me go! Yelü Lie, you have no right to treat me like this..." Her wrists were rubbed raw by the fabric, but she still desperately tried to free herself, crying and wailing in uncontrollable sobs.
She had never cried so openly in her life, with every sob echoing her heartbreak, utterly stripped of dignity.
"I hate you... I hate you... I hate you!"
In her tears and pain, she fainted, losing consciousness, but one thought remained: she hated him! She never wanted to see him again! She hated him...
* * *
Yelü Lie charged into the Imperial City like a raging lion, demanding an audience with the Emperor.
Yelü Longxu, who had been playing a game of chess with the Empress Dowager, frowned and came to the garden after being informed. He saw Yelü Lie drinking heavily, his face twisted in anger, his emotions out of control.
"Did you come here to drink with me?"
"That damn woman!" Yelü Lie downed the wine in one gulp and crushed the cup in his hand.
Yelü Longxu sighed, "You’ve really lost your mind over her!"
"I want to make her my consort," Yelü Lie said through gritted teeth, his words a plea, but his tone unyielding and resolute.
Yelü Longxu sat down across from him.
"Next, you’re not going to tell me you won’t marry those three princesses, are you?"
"Exactly!" Yelü Lie looked at Yelü Longxu.
That woman had completely taken control of him! The ridiculous thing was, he had done everything for her, yet she still harbored deep hatred toward him, constantly scheming against him, deliberately causing him pain. He was prepared to defy the Emperor’s decree for her, to endure the judgment of others—all of which he could handle. But she wouldn’t stop tormenting him. He was bitterly and angrily aware of this—she was using his feelings to exact her revenge!
She wanted status, so he gave it to her; she wanted to be the sole princess consort, so he gave that to her too; she even wanted him to only be with her for the rest of his life, and he could do that.
But what did she give him in return? Nothing but hatred! Because he was a Liao, because when they first met, he had captured her, because he was her first man... everything about him was a reason for her to hate him.
"You... did you hit her?"
"No!" he growled.
"Does she know you plan to make her your consort?"
"She knows! And she treats it like trash!" He didn’t understand! She had broken with him over this very issue of status, so why, when he finally gave in to her, did it provoke her hatred? If she said she didn’t care, then why did she fight for it? And after getting it, why was she still unsatisfied?
Damn it! And he had actually cast aside all his pride because of her tears, because of the sound of her heartbreaking cries, just to make her stop crying!
Her stubborn pride should have kept her from crying, yet she cried! What was he supposed to do? Where had he gone wrong?
"If she doesn’t care about it, do you still want to marry her?"
Yelü Longxu wasn’t entirely opposed to intermarriage between the Han and Khitan peoples; after all, for over a decade, he had been promoting Sinicization with considerable success.
Moreover, after consolidating military power, his plan was to implement a marriage policy, and perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea for his cousin to be the first to lead by example.
The two of them had grown up together, so how could he not understand Yelü Lie? He was hot-tempered and quick to anger, but also wise and intelligent, always prioritizing the safety of the state above all else. His loyalty was beyond question, but when it came to matters of love, he was utterly defeated.
Yelü Longxu had long understood that this cousin, who had never paid much attention to women, was either completely indifferent or utterly infatuated. Once he fell for a woman, he would be unable to extricate himself. What kind of woman could have turned Yelü Lie’s world upside down like this? She must possess some extraordinary qualities that captivated him, though those very qualities might also be what led to this unmanageable situation.
Weren’t the women of Song supposed to be more submissive than Khitan women? With all the strict rules they had for women, a captive should have been grateful for any favor shown to her. So why had things escalated to this point, with her even willing to become his enemy? On the other hand, anyone who had the guts to stand up to Yelü Lie must be quite remarkable.
There had never been anyone, male or female, who dared to anger him, let alone face his wrath.
Yelü Longxu gently rubbed his left knee; there was a scar there from a wound inflicted by Yelü Lie eighteen years ago.
Although they were close as brothers, there had been times of friction. Being the crown prince, everyone deferred to Yelü Longxu, not daring to defy him; even in horseback archery competitions, no one dared to outshine him. In truth, few of their peers could match his skills. Yelü Lie, two years his junior, was one of the few who could compete with him, often stealing the spotlight. At that time, Yelü Longxu was spoiled, willful, and proud. After losing to Yelü Lie in a horse race, he lashed out with a whip, something that would have made anyone else cry in pain without daring to retaliate. But at ten years old, Yelü Longxu received his first injury.
Yelü Lie, enraged, didn’t care that Yelü Longxu was the crown prince and launched a relentless attack on him. Lacking in size and strength, and with no particular fighting technique, they wrestled until adults pulled them apart. From that day on, they became the best of friends! Yelü Longxu finally had a confidant, and he began to learn some important lessons about dealing with others, realizing never to provoke this cousin of his. Although Yelü Lie had mellowed out in recent years, that didn’t mean his fierce temper had weakened when provoked.
So what kind of woman was Jun Qiluo, really?
Yelü Lie, agitated, said, "It doesn’t matter—she has to stay by my side! No matter what tricks she plays, no matter whether she wants it or not, I will make her my consort! As for those three princesses, you can keep them for yourself or arrange their marriages, whatever you like!"
"It seems I don’t have much choice in the matter! Fortunately, the edict hasn’t been officially issued yet; otherwise, it would have been hard to take back." Yelü Longxu paused and then said, "She’s from the Jun family, right?"
"And she’s a skilled negotiator in business!"
"Then, once she becomes a princess consort, she won’t mind passing on the technique of manufacturing silk to Liao, will she?"
This remark indicated that the Emperor of Liao had approved the marriage and was quite supportive of it.
"Thank you!"
"Go back and tell her the news! I’m sure you don’t want to keep dragging this out with her."
Yelü Lie stood up, dropped to one knee, and formally expressed his gratitude, cupping his hands as he said, "Your servant takes his leave."
He then quickly exited the Imperial City.
If Yelü Longxu hadn’t given his approval, he would likely have needed a fortress wall to withstand Yelü Lie’s fury. Would Yelü Lie have remembered that he was the Khan? Would he still have been so polite in taking his leave? Yelü Longxu shook his head and chuckled softly, "Good luck, brother! I hope that woman doesn’t drive you mad in the years to come."
Brushing the snow off his robes, he strolled back to his palace, already planning to meet Jun Qiluo someday to see what charm she possessed that could make Yelü Lie so utterly lose himself!
Ah, love…
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