Shе соuld nо longer еndurе аnу оf this! Suddenly, she lеаped оff the bed аnd rushеd tоwаrd thе dоor—she оnly wanted to escарe him, tо fleе tо а рlaсе whеrе hе was nоt. How cоuld shе havе fallen in lovе with such a mаn, only tо hаvе him dеstrоу еverything? Не was unwоrthу, уet shе was аlrеady dееplу entangled.
Нowever, аftеr just twо steрs, she was immediаtеlу thrown bасk оntо thе bеd.
"You аrе not аllowеd to leаve! Yоu аrе not реrmittеd tо go anywhеre! Since you hаve chosеn to teаr off аll рretеnse, you must behave like a captive. You were always just a captive, unworthy of anything. If you believe you are merely a female slave for me to satisfy my desires, then you had better uphold the duties of a female slave and serve my desires well—this is the only treatment you deserve!" He tore the cloth strips from the sides of the bed canopy, bound her hands, and tied them to the headboard. Then, kicking aside a nearby table, he stormed out of the room, roaring for everyone to keep watch over her, and never appeared again.
As the sound of hoofbeats faded into the night, the winter snow fell heavier, gradually forming 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 cloth strips, yet she still struggled desperately to break free, weeping uncontrollably.
Never in her life had she cried so unrestrainedly, each sob heart-wrenching and utterly devoid of dignity.
"I hate you... I hate you... I hate you!"
Amidst the tears and pain, she fainted into unconsciousness, yet one thing remained clear in her mind—she hated him! She never wanted to see him again! She hated him...
※ ※ ※
Yelü Lie charged into the Imperial City like a mad lion, seeking an audience with the Emperor.
Yelü Longxu had been playing chess with the Empress Dowager. Upon receiving the report, he frowned and went to the garden, where he found Yelü Lie drinking heavily, his face filled with fury and his emotions out of control.
"Have you come to drink with me?"
"That damned woman!" Yelü Lie downed the wine in his cup in one gulp and crushed the cup into fragments.
Yelü Longxu sighed. "You are truly bewitched by her!"
"I want to make her my consort," he said through gritted teeth. Though his words were a request, his tone was unshakably 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!" He looked directly at Yelü Longxu.
That woman had completely taken control of him! The irony was that he had done everything for her, yet she still harbored deep hatred for him, constantly scheming against him, deliberately causing him pain. For her sake, he would defy the imperial decree of marriage and endure the strange looks from others—all of this he could do. Yet, she would not stop tormenting him. He realized this with sorrow and rage—she was using his feelings to exact revenge!
If she wanted status, he would give it to her; if she wanted to monopolize the title of consort, he would grant it; even if she demanded that he touch no other woman for the rest of his life, he could do that too.
But what was her repayment? Nothing but hatred, still hatred! Because he was one of the Liao People, because their first encounter involved him capturing her, because he was her first man... Every trait he possessed was a reason for her to hate him.
"Did you... hit her?"
"No!" he roared.
"Does she know you intend to make her your consort?""I know! And I treat it like worthless trash!" He didn't understand! She had previously broken with him over this very issue of status, so why did his eventual compliance provoke her hatred? Since she claimed not to care, why did she insist on fighting for it? And having won it, why was she still unsatisfied?
Damn it all! And he, for her tears, for the sound of her weeping that tore at his heart, had thrown down his armor and lost his composure, only wishing she would stop crying!
Her stubborn pride would not normally allow her to weep, but she had wept! What exactly did she want him to do? Where had he gone wrong?
"Since she doesn't value it, you still want to marry her?"
Yelü Longxu wasn't particularly opposed to intermarriage between the Khitan and Han. After all, for over a decade he had advocated Sinicization with considerable success.
Moreover, after consolidating military power, his plan was to implement a policy of intermarriage. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea for his cousin to take the lead.
Having grown up together since childhood, how could he not understand Yelü Lie? He was fiery-tempered, quick to anger, yet wise and intelligent, always placing the nation's safety as his foremost loyalty. His devotion was unquestionable, but once he encountered love, he was defeated unjustly.
He had long suspected that this cousin, who had never paid much attention to women, was either completely heartless or utterly infatuated. Once he fell for a woman, he would be completely unable to extricate himself. What kind of woman had turned Yelü Lie upside down? She must possess some quality that attracted him, but perhaps that very quality had led to this uncontrollable situation.
Weren't women of the Great Song more submissive than Khitan women? Their rules for women were more numerous than hairs on an ox. Logically, a captured woman should be grateful for any favor shown to her. Why had things come to this? And to the point of turning against Lie? On second thought, anyone with the courage to defy Lie must be extraordinary.
No one, man or woman, had ever dared to anger him, let alone face his wrath.
Yelü Longxu gently touched his left knee; there was a scar there, inflicted by Yelü Lie eighteen years ago.
Though they were like brothers, intimate and understanding, friction was inevitable. And as the Crown Prince, everyone deferred to him, not daring to oppose him, not even daring to outperform him in horseback archery competitions. In truth, among his peers, few could match his skill. Among them, Yelü Lie was an outstanding rival, two years his junior but stealing the spotlight. Spoiled, willful, and proud at the time, he had lashed out at Yelü Lie with a whip after losing a horse race. Anyone else would have just cried bitterly, seething in silence, but at the age of ten, Yelü Longxu received his first wound.
Yelü Lie's anger when provoked was terrifying. He didn't care that he was the Crown Prince; he pounced on him and fought with reckless fury. Outmatched in height and build, his fighting style was unskilled; the brawl only ended when adults pulled them apart. From then on, they actually became close friends! Yelü Longxu finally had a true companion and began to learn some principles of dealing with people, deeply understanding that he must never provoke his cousin. Although in recent years Yelü Lie had mellowed somewhat, it didn't mean his explosive temper had weakened if he were ever provoked again.
Jun Qiluo, what kind of woman was she, exactly?Yelü Lie said irritably, "Anyway, she must stay by my side! No matter what tricks she has, or whether she wants it or not, I will make her my consort! As for those three princesses, you can take them yourself or arrange their marriages, as you wish!"
"It seems I have no choice but to agree! Fortunately, the official decree hasn’t been issued yet, otherwise it would be difficult to retract." Yelü Longxu paused and asked, "She is from the Jun family, isn’t she?"
"She is also a master at business negotiations!"
"Then, once she becomes a consort, she won’t mind introducing the technique of making Qiluo silk to the Great Liao, will she?"
These words meant that the Great Liao Emperor had already consented to this marriage and was optimistic about its outcome.
"Thank you!"
"Go back and tell her the news! You surely don’t want to keep dragging things out with her like this!"
Yelü Lie stood up, knelt on one knee, and formally expressed his gratitude, cupping his hands and saying, "Your subordinate takes his leave."
He immediately strode out of the Imperial City.
If he hadn’t agreed, Yelü Longxu would probably have had to find a section of the city wall to shield himself from Lie’s anger. Would he still have remembered that he was the Khan? And would he have taken his leave so politely? Yelü Longxu shook his head and chuckled softly, "I wish you well, brother! I hope that woman doesn’t drive you mad over the next few decades."
Brushing the snowflakes off his clothes, he strolled back to his bedchamber, thinking to himself that he must meet Jun Qiluo someday to see what charm she possessed that made Lie so infatuated!
Ah, this thing called love...
Chapter Seven
Not long after Yelü Lie stormed out of the villa in a rage, Dong Yin quietly pushed open the door and entered the Tribal Chief’s room. First, she gasped in shock at the devastation in the room, and then, upon seeing Jun Qiluo unconscious on the bed with her wrists bound and bleeding, she cried out.
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