Веfоrе the hunting eхреditiоn, thеre must first be a skills соmpetitiоn lasting threе dауs; thеn thе сamp wоuld be moved, starting from the соastаl arеаs оf Liаodоng аnd hunting аll thе wаy bаck to the Imреrial Сity, only thеn would the рrocеss оf еlесting thе Сhieftain оf thе Eight Тribеs bе cоnsiderеd сomplеtе.
During thesе two months of еarly arrivаl in thе сaрital, aside frоm Yеlü Liе going tо thе Imреriаl Сity tо mеet thе Khаn, most of thе time hе wоuld tаke hеr аrоund tо play.
Нe revealed аnother side оf himself: affеctiоnаte, gеntle, and playful; of course, his domineering nature remained, but he no longer lost his temper! When friction arose between their words, Jun Qiluo had to admit that most of the time, she was the one provoking him.
And he would simply turn away and ignore her, or go outside, returning only after his anger had subsided. Then he would punish her with kisses, kissing her until she was breathless, and then she would see his triumphant smile of revenge... Good heavens! She had already begun to forget Jiangnan, to forget about escaping, to forget everything; perhaps the thought of "wanting to escape" still lingered, but it was no longer resolute, just a formal notion...
Women become the most pitiable people in the world because they cannot see through the barrier of love, cannot break through the enchantment of love's web. Once they fall into true love, they will plunge headlong without regard for anything! While men can still attend to many other matters.
Thus, for a long time, the social system of male superiority and female inferiority has become an unchanging track.
Even someone as cold and proud as her, Jun Qiluo, after all, was moved by the seven emotions and six desires in Yelü Lie's tenderness.
She remained proud, still cold and indifferent, but her mindset had changed. She would secretly watch him, secretly revel in his gentle treatment, simply because he liked her and had shown her his sincerity...
Could she entrust her life to him? She dared not ask and remained conservative, unwilling to reciprocate in any way. No matter how sweet the love, it could not cloud her reason. She still knew that he could not have a Han People wife; he wanted her but would not marry her. No matter how steadfast the love, there must still be a status to express respect! She could not be open-minded, nor was she willing to indulge in fleeting pleasures. Her upbringing since childhood had taught her self-respect, self-discipline, and dignity. Before, she had deeply despised him and disdained anything he offered, even status she regarded as worthless.
But now it was different; she had been moved, stirred by love, and she had fallen for this man who had taken everything from her!
Therefore, his loving her for a lifetime was not enough; taking her as a concubine would be an insult to her. If he were to treat her so selfishly, she would hate him forever.
Her reason would not allow her to live a life of compromise, hoping for a man's affection, nor would it permit her to willingly remain in a shameful, lowly position.
As deep as love is, so deep will hatred be!
When she faced a man who had plundered her with a heart full of humiliation, she wanted nothing and would live out her life with the most dignified and proud heart, because her heart had never been lost from beginning to end.
But now the situation was different! She was facing a man's heart with a woman's heart. If she offered everything she had and the reward was not the same sincerity and true feelings, she would die! Die in humiliation and disgrace...
Dong Yin had finished dressing her.
"Miss, look! I believe that in a while, on the Imperial City Grasslands, no one will be more beautiful than you!" She held up a mirror for her to see.
Jun Qiluo waved her hand.
"No, I won't look! There's nothing good to see.""Who said that!" A pair of large hands wrapped around her slender waist: "My Qiluo is the most beautiful woman in all of Great Liao."
She smiled faintly. He loved to see her smile; most of the time, he tried to find ways to make her laugh. Yet, she was not a woman who smiled often. Especially since she believed there weren’t many things in life worth such extreme joy or sorrow, and especially after coming to the Liao Kingdom. Even now, though she still enjoyed his exclusive favor, she couldn’t truly find happiness.
"Must I attend? Won’t the princes and nobles feel insulted?"
"They’ll be too busy drooling to care!" He tucked a plum blossom into her hair.
Jun Qiluo let him help her up. Softly, she asked, "Will it take long?"
"If you get tired, I’ll have Duoluo Qi escort you back to rest."
She nodded, saying nothing more.
Wanting a proper status, aside from refusing to be a hidden concubine, she had begun to notice changes in her body.
Since arriving in Shangjing, she had not had her monthly cycle, which made it clear: if she couldn’t secure a proper status, the child in her womb would inevitably face a fate like Dong Yin’s.
If Yelü Lie’s love was enough for him to cast aside all constraints of status and marry her as his wife, then at least her child’s future wouldn’t be too bleak. The son of a tribal chief, even if his mixed blood prevented him from becoming the heir, could still grow up safely in Great Liao, and the Yelie surname would protect him from bullying and mockery.
With this child, she could no longer return to the Central Plains, for the people of Great Song showed no mercy toward mixed-blood children.
The people of the Central Plains, long threatened by Great Liao and living in fear, would surely vent all their anger toward Great Liao onto the child if they discovered she had given birth to one of unclear bloodline, and then eliminate it without hesitation. Even if the child managed to grow up, it would never be accepted in Great Song society. Heaven! She had no way back now!
He loved her, but she couldn’t gauge the depth of what he called "love."
It had been two months! Aside from easily feeling tired, she hadn’t shown many signs of morning sickness, but how long could she hide it? In another month or two, her figure would begin to change. What would she do then?
Once he knew he had finally succeeded in making her pregnant, what leverage would she have to negotiate with him? She had nothing!
He rode with her to the tents outside the Imperial City, finding the large black tent marked with the Yelie Tribe’s tribal emblem.
Many curious and calculating gazes turned toward her. Yelü Lie held her close, sitting beside him as his tribesmen trained in front. Dahe Jiyao bowed nearby, reporting the results of the past two months of training.
"Is this peerless beauty the woman you captured, Lord Yelü?"
A robust man around forty, with graying hair and a ruddy face, boomed the question. Beside him stood a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl in red, with a round, apple-like face that was quite charming, shyly fixing her gaze on Yelü Lie.
"Lord Kuge, it’s been a while!" Yelü Lie stood to greet him.
Kuge Yande’s face showed clear displeasure as he turned his attention to Qiluo.
"Come, this is my daughter, Hu Wa. You’ll have to look after her in the future; she’s very obedient! Hu Wa, greet the lord."
"Lord!" Kuge Huwa whispered softly, her face flushed."Understood!" Yelü Lie nodded, using great effort to keep his brows from furrowing.
But Kuge Yande showed no intention of leaving; his aged eyes suddenly fixed on the few people approaching from the Xi Family's tent.
Seeing Kuge Yande approach, Xi Changkun immediately pulled his sister and rushed over.
"Lord Yelü, this is my younger sister, Ji Xiu. She is absolutely capable of bearing an heir for the Yelü family. Please take good care of her!"
Fortunately, Qiluo couldn't understand! For some reason, he didn't want her to know so early that he already had three fiancées. She was a fiery-tempered woman, and now that he had finally softened her heart a little, he needed to explain the situation to her properly. Marrying them was only for political reasons; he would cherish her alone for a lifetime. She was also a reasonable woman; she should understand. Aside from status, he could give her everything.
Jun Qiluo's face showed no unusual expression, except for her lowered eyes, which were filled with cold hardness. In an instant, she truly became a fossil within an iceberg...
How laughable! Jun Qiluo had once again been deceived by her own self-delusion! She had actually foolishly believed that Yelü Lie truly loved her and had thought to stake her entire life on this love... So, she really had been deceiving herself! In his eyes, she would always be a Han People woman—someone to possess, to toy with, but never an equal, always a lowly woman! What would come next? What sweet words would he still have? She thought she could recite exactly what he would say to her: Even though they are the legitimate wives, I don't want them; I only want you! You are the one I want to grow old with!
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