"Do you realize that Northern Wei's treasury is depleted? Without Great Zhou's support, we cannot hold off the Rong invaders in the south. Not only that, we also wish to form a marriage alliance with Great Zhou and borrow warhorses and military equipment from them. And you! As a princess of Northern Wei, you've crossed the bottom line of Great Zhou's nobility and imperial family with such absurd and vicious actions today! You should be grateful that Miss Qin saved herself. If Miss Qin had died today, even taking your own life wouldn't be enough to atone! Tuoba Wu, do you even remember you're a princess of Northern Wei?! You've disappointed me terribly! I never should have agreed to bring you along!"
Tuoba Hong was furious, barely restraining himself from slapping Tuoba Wu again. Though not blood siblings, they had grown up together closer than real brother and sister. He couldn't bring himself to strike her a second time, yet his anger burned fiercely. With Western Liang already watching them like a tiger eyeing its prey, Tuoba Wu's presence had brought nothing but repeated mistakes instead of assistance. How could he let this slide?
Tuoba Wu stared blankly at Tuoba Hong, stunned by the slap and shattered by his words. Having grown up unrestrained in Northern Wei, she had come to Great Zhou purely for personal reasons. She never concerned herself with Northern Wei's affairs—those were matters for her father and Crown Prince brother. What did they have to do with her?
Even so, she never intended to be the villain.
Though the slap left her feeling wronged and furious, his words left her unable to retort.
Her actions today weren't meant to kill Qin Guan. She merely wanted to understand what this delicate woman possessed that could capture Yan Chi's heart. Yan Chi—the young marshal of the Northwest Frontier Army! A god-like war hero standing high above ordinary men. Noblewomen like Qin Guan were commonplace in Great Zhou's capital. Beyond her fair appearance and graceful demeanor, what exactly about Qin Guan attracted Yan Chi? She refused to believe Yan Chi would be swayed by looks alone!
She wasn't malicious, nor was she unaware of her status. To her, teasing Qin Guan was like sneaking out of the palace to play—against the rules, but given her status, what serious offense was it?
Resentment and anger churned within Tuoba Wu, yet Tuoba Hong's words made her realize her error might be graver than she thought. Clenching her jaw, she stared at him with red-rimmed eyes, pale-faced and silent.
Tuoba Rui shook his head nearby. "There's an archery competition today. Elder Brother intended to broach the subject of borrowing military equipment during it, but now the Emperor of Great Zhou won't even allow us to participate in the competition—"
At this, Tuoba Hong cast a disappointed look at Tuoba Wu, flicked his sleeve, mounted his horse, and galloped away with a crack of his whip.
Tuoba Rui remained unperturbed, watching Tuoba Wu's extreme frustration with amusement. He chuckled lightly and said, "Royal Sister, you should try to understand Elder Brother more. Being Crown Prince isn't easy for him."
With that, Tuoba Rui swung onto his horse and headed toward the main camp.
Left alone, Tuoba Wu stood frozen in place, finally unable to hold back her tears. The maidservant beside her had turned pale with fright, not daring to utter another word.Tuoba Wu wept silently for a while. Not long after, she saw a Northern Wei guard riding swiftly from the direction of the main camp. Unsure of his purpose, Tuoba Wu watched as the guard galloped straight to her. "Your Highness," he said, "the Crown Prince has ordered you to return to your tent immediately. You are not to leave without his permission. After the competition concludes, you must accompany him to the Empress Dowager's main tent to apologize to Miss Qin."
Tuoba Wu's eyebrows twitched, but the guard continued, "The Crown Prince made it clear—this is an order, and you must not disobey."
Having delivered the message, the guard turned his horse around and left without another word.
Tuoba Wu's eyes welled up with tears, and she couldn't hold back her sobs. A maidservant nearby, unable to bear the sight, advised softly, "Your Highness, let us return now. Otherwise, the Crown Prince will blame you again. He is not only your elder brother but also the Crown Prince of Northern Wei."
Even the maidservant understood this logic, yet Tuoba Wu struggled to grasp it. She turned and gazed at the distant white horse—one of her steeds had died, and the other had galloped far into the pastures, still nowhere in sight. Her heart ached with the desire to search for her horse, but the memory of Tuoba Hong's furious, disappointed eyes made her hesitate.
After standing there a moment longer, Tuoba Wu turned and began walking step by step toward the main camp, her demeanor utterly desolate.
The maidservant quietly followed behind, leading the two remaining horses.
…
…
Upon returning to the main tent, Yan Huai left Yuan Qing in charge before departing with the others.
Although Qin Guan was injured, her wounds were not severe. As the emperor of Great Zhou, Yan Huai had no reason to remain in the tent. Once he left, Yan Chi had no choice but to follow. Lingering reluctantly at the rear, he finally exited after Qin Guan urged him with a meaningful glance.
After the group had departed, the Empress Dowager fumed, "Such insolence! In all my years, I have never witnessed anyone so reckless and bold! If that Crown Prince Tuoba does not give me a proper explanation, a marriage alliance? Hah! He can forget it! Not only my granddaughter, but any noblewoman of Great Zhou's aristocracy—Northern Wei shall not have her!"
Mammy Chen quickly interjected, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Let Ninth Miss freshen up and tend to her injuries first."
The Empress Dowager immediately instructed Baiying and the tearful Fuling to help Qin Guan change her clothes. As the blood-stained dress was removed, it became clear that Qin Guan had no serious external wounds. However, while wiping away the blood, Fuling gasped softly—though there were no open injuries, the inner sides of Qin Guan's legs, from her thighs to her ankles, were covered in dark bruises from friction. Moreover, large patches of bruising marred her back and waist, sustained when she tumbled from the horse.
Fuling cried out, "Why did that Northern Wei princess do this to you, Miss?! She meant to kill you!"
The Empress Dowager, seeing the bruises, grew even more incensed. She was so enraged she nearly staggered, but Qin Guan and Mammy Chen persuaded her to wait in the front hall. Two quarters of an hour later, Qin Guan emerged from the rear hall, having washed and changed into fresh robes.
The wound on her palm had been cleaned. The Empress Dowager's heart ached anew at the sight of the crimson injury. Qin Guan instructed Fuling to fetch medicinal ointment and reassured, "Your Majesty, please do not worry. These bruises will heal in a few days, and the cut on my hand is not serious—it will mend with a few days of bandaging—"The Empress Dowager sighed, "There's no need to persuade me. This time it's entirely that princess's fault. For no reason at all, you suffered such unwarranted disaster. I always think about how to make you suffer less, but this time, I failed to guard against this princess!"
Regarding Tuoba Wu, Qin Guan had no words of plea to offer. She had Fuling bandage her wound and prescribed herself a formula to relax muscles and activate collaterals, thus reassuring the Empress Dowager.
Mammy Chen said, "It's truly strange. Given Ninth Miss's current status and position, even Crown Prince Tuoba wouldn't dare slight her. Why would this princess be so unrestrained?!"
Mammy Chen's doubt was shared by others. Regarding this point, Qin Guan largely understood.
Tuoba Wu had come to Great Zhou concerned with only one person. Given her current unruly behavior, who else could it be for but Yan Chi?! Though she knew the reason, Qin Guan couldn't speak of it.
The Empress Dowager then said, "Back in Northern Wei, she was someone who casually sneaked out of the palace for months without returning. She's been spoiled and, seeing Ninth girl receiving favor, wanted to find someone of considerable status to commit mischief!"
Mammy Chen was somewhat puzzled, "But... this doesn't make sense no matter how you think about it..."
The Empress Dowager raised her hand to stop Mammy Chen, "Never mind that for now. At present, I just want to see whether Crown Prince Tuoba can make that princess come to apologize to Ninth girl. If there's no proper account, Northern Wei will think our Great Zhou is soft and easy to bully!"
Qin Guan hesitated to speak, but the Empress Dowager grasped her hand, "Ninth girl, regarding this matter, you needn't do anything. I will naturally seek justice for you. So what if they're princess and crown prince?! Can they possibly override me?!"
If Qin Guan were to speak, the other side might truly use status to pressure her. But what the Empress Dowager wanted was for Qin Guan not to speak, leaving everything to her to demand accountability. The Empress Dowager of Great Zhou wasn't someone anyone could fool!
Qin Guan felt a warmth in her heart, and the cold indignation within her eased.
Yet along with it came a sense of powerlessness. In this world, disparities in status and position were always fatal. Whether in this incident or in what she wanted to achieve, status was the most constraining factor.
The first day featured small hunts, the second day archery competitions. Originally, all three kingdoms had over fifty warriors participating, but Northern Wei was temporarily stripped of participation rights by Yan Huai. Ultimately, only over thirty warriors competed. Although Tuoba Hong had no one from his side participating, he still sat in the viewing stand, frequently showing goodwill to soothe Yan Huai's anger.
Meanwhile, he sent premium medicinal herbs and jewels to the Empress Dowager's tent, explicitly apologizing to Qin Guan. The Empress Dowager saw these things, smiled slightly, and returned them.
Thus, Tuoba Hong spent the entire day on pins and needles. As sunset approached and the competitions concluded, he rushed straight to Tuoba Wu's tent. No matter what, he had to drag Tuoba Wu to personally apologize to resolve this matter!
Tuoba Hong stormed into Tuoba Wu's tent in frustration, only to find it empty except for one maid—there was no sign of Tuoba Wu.
"Cr-Crown Prince Your Highness—"
Tuoba Hong glared, "Where has your princess gone?"!"The maid hurriedly lowered her eyes, 'Your Highness the Crown Prince, the princess will definitely return before midnight tonight.'"Tuoba Hong stepped forward and kicked the servant girl to the ground. "Speak! Where has Tuoba Wu gone?!"
The servant girl no longer dared to cover for Tuoba Wu and immediately sobbed, "Her Highness went out to find Crescent Moon!"
Crescent Moon was Tuoba Wu's chestnut horse, the one that had truly accompanied her for many years. Tuoba Hong took a deep breath and furrowed his brow fiercely. Under normal circumstances, he would understand Tuoba Wu's actions, but at a time like this, she still behaved so recklessly! She completely disregarded his orders as if they were nothing!
The servant girl trembled as she lay on the ground, not daring to look up for a long while. Suddenly, Tuoba Hong strode forward, walked to a chair, and sat down. The servant girl was slightly surprised, but she saw Tuoba Hong's face dark with anger, as if he had entered a meditative state, waiting for Tuoba Wu.
......
......
Qin Guan spent the entire day by the Empress Dowager's side. The Empress had come by, and Feng Lingsu and other ladies of the inner court had also visited, but the Empress Dowager had sent them all away. Though Qin Guan wished to leave, the Empress Dowager forbade it. "You're injured. Stay here and wait. I want to see how others will handle this matter."
Qin Guan's heart raced with fear. Others?!
After saying this, the Empress Dowager turned to Qin Guan. "I need to see what the Emperor intends to do."
Qin Guan breathed a sigh of relief and no longer dared to mention leaving. However, since Qin Guan could not leave the Empress Dowager's side, Yan Chi had no way of knowing how she was. By the afternoon, Yan Chi, unable to wait any longer, indeed came to the Empress Dowager's quarters.
The Empress Dowager was not surprised to see Yan Chi. "Here to see Ninth Girl?"
Yan Chi nodded, his gaze fixed on Qin Guan beside him. "How is Ninth Miss's injury?"
The Empress Dowager replied, "It doesn't look serious on the surface, but the underlying injury is quite severe. Her hand is also injured."
Yan Chi had already noticed the bandage on Qin Guan's hand. Hearing this, his eyes darkened further. Qin Guan said, "Thank you for your concern, Crown Prince. The injury isn't too serious. It will heal with rest."
The Empress Dowager feigned anger. "What do you mean, not serious? Even if a single strand of your hair were harmed, it would be that princess's fault. How audacious! Who knows what madness possessed her to dare treat Ninth Girl like this? My temper is much milder now, or else I would have taught her a harsh lesson."
As Yan Chi listened, his gaze seemed glued to Qin Guan. In front of the Empress Dowager, Qin Guan couldn't help but cough lightly. Yan Chi scanned her up and down for a few moments, but it was the Empress Dowager who spoke first, unable to bear it any longer. "Enough. There's nothing you can do about this matter. Let's wait for the Northern Wei Crown Prince to make his stance clear. You shouldn't stay here any longer. I heard the grand hunt begins tomorrow?"
Only then did Yan Chi withdraw his gaze. Without speaking, he merely nodded.
The Empress Dowager said, "You cannot miss the grand hunt. Go out and prepare early. Remember, safety comes first."
Yan Chi paused for a moment, glanced at Qin Guan once more, and then turned to leave.
Qin Guan sat beside the Empress Dowager, her palms sweating uncontrollably.
After Yan Chi had left, the Empress Dowager remarked, "Yan Chi has a fiery temper too. He received instructions from the Grand Princess, and this time, he probably wants to avenge you. But after all, the other party is a princess. I wonder what he plans to do."
Qin Guan felt slightly relieved but also began to worry. "Empress Dowager..."
The Empress Dowager patted the back of Qin Guan's hand. "Don't worry. He knows his limits."
For a moment, Qin Guan didn't know what to say, but her heart remained unsettled.
......
......As the sun set behind the western hills, night enveloped the entire encampment. Watching the darkness descend bit by bit, the Empress Dowager still hadn't seen Tuoba Hong and Tuoba Wu return. Before long, Mammy Chen came to report that Tuoba Wu had disappeared.
The Northern Wei princess was missing. Under normal circumstances, the Empress Dowager would certainly have been concerned about Her Highness's safety, but in this situation, she merely smiled faintly. "This Tuoba Wu has a stubborn temperament. There's no need for us to wait any longer. Let's see how Crown Prince Tuoba handles this..."
Meanwhile, after urging Qin Guan to take her medicine and rest early, Tuoba Hong remained waiting in Tuoba Wu's tent.
He had been waiting from afternoon until midnight, yet Tuoba Wu still hadn't returned.
As time ticked by, Tuoba Hong's patience wore thin. He turned his gaze to the maidservant kneeling on the ground - she had been kneeling for as long as he had been waiting. While he sat in his chair, she knelt on the ground, now almost prostrate. Tuoba Hong watched coldly, his eyes growing increasingly frosty.
"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has already retired for the night."
With the Empress Dowager retired, they had lost their chance to apologize today. Missing this night meant losing their best opportunity.
And all of this was thanks to Tuoba Wu.
Tuoba Hong nodded but didn't rise. No matter what, he had to wait for Tuoba Wu's return.
Just as the candles in the tent were about to burn out, Tuoba Wu finally returned to camp with her most trusted maidservant. The two rushed anxiously into the tent, only to find the kneeling maidservant and the seated Tuoba Hong upon entering.
In that instant, Tuoba Wu froze in place.
Compared to the furious Tuoba Hong from the afternoon, he now appeared remarkably calm.
"Where have you been?" he asked, his voice steady and deep.
Yet his calmness only made Tuoba Wu more apprehensive. Gritting her teeth, she replied, "I went to find Crescent."
Tuoba Hong nodded. "Crescent is your most beloved horse. I can understand that."
His words made Tuoba Wu's heart skip a beat. Sure enough, Tuoba Hong continued, "But it seems you've forgotten my orders, and what we were supposed to do tonight."
Tuoba Wu pressed her lips tightly together. "I... Crescent has been with me for many years. I had to find her... I searched for so long, upstream and downstream, but still couldn't find her. Brother, I didn't mean to do this intentionally. You know what Crescent means to me. I remembered your instructions, that's why I rushed back, but... but I ran too far this afternoon and couldn't return on time..."
Tuoba Wu looked even more disheveled than she had in the morning. Tuoba Hong knew she wasn't lying, but did that mean she should be forgiven? Of course not. He nodded, "Very well. Now, go kneel before the Empress Dowager's tent."
Tuoba Wu froze, her stubborn expression resurfacing. She hadn't even intended to apologize, and now he wanted her to kneel before the Empress Dowager's tent? Seeing her expression, Tuoba Hong showed no anger, merely asking, "Don't want to go?"
Tuoba Wu neither nodded nor shook her head, remaining stubbornly rooted at the entrance. Tuoba Hong gave a slight nod. "Very well. Guards—"As soon as the words fell, Tuoba Wu immediately grew wary. She had thought the guards were coming to seize her and force her away, but unexpectedly, they grabbed the two maidservants beside her instead. Tuoba Wu widened her eyes, exclaiming, "Brother! What are you doing?!"
The guards escorted the two maidservants out. Knowing their princess had committed a grave mistake, the two dared not even plead innocence. Tuoba Hong rose calmly and said, "Go kneel now. If I don’t see you kneeling in repentance by tomorrow morning, I will have these two executed and assign you new maidservants."
As Tuoba Hong headed for the door, Tuoba Wu grew frantic and grabbed his sleeve. "Brother! They’ve served me for so many years! They’re just like Yueya! Brother, you can’t!"
Tuoba Hong forcefully shook off her grip and walked out without so much as a glance back.
Tuoba Wu tried to chase after him but was stopped by the guards. She could only watch helplessly as the two maidservants were taken away.
Standing dazedly in the tent, her mind went blank. Yueya was still missing, and now her two most trusted attendants had been seized. What should she do now? Was she really supposed to go kneel?
Tuoba Wu stood as if stupefied, unaware of how much time had passed, when suddenly footsteps sounded outside the tent.
"Your Highness."
The unfamiliar male voice startled her. Instinctively, she stepped out and saw Bai Feng standing in the night. Recognizing him as Yan Chi’s guard, she froze in surprise.
Bai Feng, however, approached with a smile. "Your Highness, this is a gift from our Crown Prince to you."
He held a small box in his hands. Staring at it, Tuoba Wu was suddenly seized by a sense of foreboding. Yan Chi would never give her a gift—not after she had harmed Qin Guan. He must resent her deeply now. Despite these thoughts, she numbly accepted the box. As Bai Feng released it, he added, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince says that though you are noble and represent Northern Wei, you must still take responsibility for your actions. He hopes you will graciously accept this gift. If you find it too light, he has greater gifts to offer."
With these words, Bai Feng took a step back, turned, and walked away.
His steps were leisurely, as if waiting for something. After he had gone about ten paces, there came the sound of a wooden box hitting the ground, followed by Tuoba Wu’s agonized cry of "Yueya!"—a heart-wrenching sob of grief...
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