“General Wu!” Huang Bei Shuang, sitting behind, addressed Wu Jihai, who was also standing guard with a sword, “After I leave, you must return immediately! Take them with you. Tell His Majesty that I’ve done all I could—he doesn’t need to wait for me anymore.”
With that, she stood up and walked toward Ge Xin Wei, her expression sorrowful.
“Your Majesty!” The eight generals and three maids all knelt down, “We’ll go with you!”
“General Wu, seize them!” Huang Bei Shuang commanded as she reached Ge Xin Wei’s side, her sudden order startling everyone. Before Wu Jihai could respond, Nake had already called for men to enter and detain the eleven kneeling figures.
Huang Bei Shuang pulled her fur coat tighter around her, “The tree near the tethering post must be blooming now. Too bad I won’t get to see it.” With that, she and Ge Xin Wei left together.
“Your Majesty!” The hall echoed with heart-wrenching cries.
Two hours passed, and there was no smoke rising over Fu Ping. At dawn, the pale light gradually illuminated the still imposing, untamed figures of the berserk soldiers, while on the other side, the layers of Mizan’s soldiers seemed to be yawning.
“They’re coming out!” Lang Tou shouted excitedly when he saw figures slowly emerging from the opposite side.
At the forefront was Mang Hu, who kept glancing back. Behind him was Ge Xin Wei, supporting a small figure cloaked in black. Ruo Wen’s eyes turned cold as he spurred his horse forward. When he reached them, he looked down from his towering height, pulled off the black cloak with a swift motion, revealing the face that had haunted his dreams.
She was his!
“Your Majesty!” Ge Xin Wei looked at Ruo Wen, whose breathing had grown more rapid, his icy gaze fixed solely on Huang Bei Shuang.
Standing in the cold wind, Huang Bei Shuang wasn’t beautiful at all—her face was pale, her lips were purple, and her breath was weak. She wasn’t dressed in the resplendent red robes he had imagined, nor did her eyes burn with fire. She looked pitiful, thin, and on the verge of tears, filled with despair. Her head was lowered, staring at the black hooves of the warhorse stomping little holes in the yellow dirt.
“Look up!” Ruo Wen ordered, staring at her with a strange expression.
Huang Bei Shuang gave a bitter smile and slowly lifted her head.
Ruo Wen gazed at her face, so far removed from the image in his memory, for a long, long time. Finally, he burst into wild laughter, then grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, wrapping her in his cloak. Then, from such a close distance, he pressed his lips hard against hers, violently bruising her mouth. Blood began to trickle out, pooling sadly at the corner of her lips, making her look even more pitiful.
The bloody kiss ended, and Ruo Wen gripped her shoulders tightly, pulling her deep into his embrace with one hand while gathering the reins with the other. “Let’s go! Back to Zhun City!”
Lang Tou and Mang Hu exchanged a glance and quickly ordered the troops to follow.
What would the leader do to her?
To conquer a woman is the simplest thing—under the cover of night, all you need is strength.
However, when that woman is utterly defeated and her fragility is laid bare before you, what then?
When her weakness stirs something in you, when it makes your desire burn even hotter, what then?
How do you conquer her then?
* * *
Dawn broke. Yunpei’s main army had completed its review, waiting only for His Majesty to lead the charge. As the sun rose, King Zhan, dressed in his red battle robes, strode toward Guan Ying Palace, where no one played the flute anymore. At this time, only the young boy, Sa Man, was in the deserted courtyard reading. Seeing the king approach, he hurriedly knelt down, “Greetings, Your Majesty!” His tender voice greeted a figure that seemed wearied from strategic planning.
“Hmm, you’re quite diligent!” King Zhan smiled. Just then, the first chilly breeze of the morning blew through the courtyard. The young boy, Sa Man, shouted in excitement, “Snow! Snow!”
In the courtyard, the twenty-one tethering trees had bloomed overnight. Their brown branches bore no green leaves, only white blossoms like snowflakes. The wind blew, sending the petals swirling into the air, floating endlessly without touching the ground. The entire courtyard looked like it was blanketed in snow—so beautiful, so pure!
King Zhan stood beneath the tethering tree, catching a handful of fluttering petals. He let out a deep sigh, and for a moment, his expression turned sorrowful, almost to the point of tears. He looked up at the sky, vast and blue, with the flying snow blanketing the heavens. It was as if he could faintly hear the melancholic sound of a flute coming from the distant Mount Chang'e.
“Your Majesty!” Lost in thought, King Zhan suddenly heard a sweet voice call out. He turned with delight, but in an instant, his expression darkened. It was the beautiful concubine Zhen Qu You Jia, who had recently given birth to a son for him.
“Your Majesty!” You Jia smiled sadly and approached him, gently brushing away the petals that had fallen on his hair.
“Who are you waiting for?”
Upon hearing You Jia's question, Zhan remained silent for a long time. Gently, he took her hands in his and replied, “I’m waiting for you!”
You Jia smiled, “Then, Your Majesty, from now on, please wait for me in my courtyard, will you?”
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