In the Moonlight

Upon entering the room, Yaoying was greeted by the strong aroma of wine.

Li Zhongqian lay reclined on the wooden couch by the window near the stove, his long legs bent, his fur boots resting on a wine jar, a wineskin clutched in his hand, his phoenix eyes gazing gloomily at the tightly shut window.

Yaoying stepped over the scattered wine jars on the floor, took the wineskin from his hand, and sniffed it. "This is the newly brewed Golden Amber from this year. It has a mild aftereffect and won’t make you drunk."

Li Zhongqian kicked the wine jar aside. "Who wants to get drunk? If I do, you’ll just scold me again."

Yaoying smiled. "Princess Banar is waiting outside. You’re watching her from in here—why not invite her in?"

"Let her wait. If she waits a few more times, she won’t come again."

Yaoying hummed in agreement, took off her cloak, rolled up her sleeves, and began tidying the haphazardly stacked documents on the table. She lifted the copper kettle from the stove and expertly located a bag of tightly grained black rice.

This rice was first soaked thoroughly in broth, steamed, and then sun-dried. The process was repeated nine times, resulting in grains that were glossy and rich in flavor, oily and savory. The Western Army often needed to march long distances, and many soldiers were unaccustomed to the Northern Rong practice of drinking horse blood and eating raw horse meat. This year, the locally grown black rice had yielded a bountiful harvest, so she had ordered large quantities to be dried. The soldiers liked it—it was easy to carry, could be stored for a long time, tasted good, and quickly replenished their energy.

Pouring hot water into a bowl, she prepared a serving of black rice and handed it to Li Zhongqian.

"Stop drinking. Have something to warm your stomach."

Li Zhongqian stared at the glistening grains in the bowl. "Why aren’t you urging me to let her in?"

Yaoying replied calmly, "When you’ve figured it out, you’ll naturally let her in."

Li Zhongqian grinned wryly. "What if I never figure it out?"

"Then I certainly shouldn’t take matters into my own hands."

Li Zhongqian rubbed his temples, sat up, took the bowl and spoon, and began eating the black rice in large mouthfuls.

Princess Banar wanted to marry him.

He had never considered taking a wife.

When he was young, he had once asked his uncle curiously, "Uncle, why haven’t you married?"

Xie Wuliang patted his head. "Your uncle is too busy."

Later, the Chief Secretary told him that even if Xie Wuliang passed by his own home day in and day out without entering, many young ladies would still be willing to marry him. The reason he remained unmarried was not because he was too busy, but because he knew his health was frail and, living in turbulent times, he could die on the battlefield at any moment. He did not want to waste a young woman’s youth.

Li Zhongqian had never given marriage much thought. In the past, it was because, like his uncle, he did not want to burden a wife. After arriving in Xizhou, though free of such worries, he still had no desire to marry.

Li De and Tang Shi, Li De and Xie Manyuan… They had all once been deeply in love and sweet to each other. Later, husband and wife grew apart, their faces twisted with malice, harboring hatred for one another. Once the closest of companions, in the end, Li De showed no mercy to Xie Manyuan, and Tang Shi’s dying words were curses against him.

No matter how fervent the love, it could not withstand the test of time.

He and Yaoying were different.

Yaoying was well aware that evil existed everywhere in the world and had been deeply hurt by it, yet she still believed in the beauty of life. The tangled grievances among Li De, Tang Shi, and Xie Manyuan did not affect her heart. If she loved someone, she loved them wholeheartedly and sincerely.

He lacked such pure affection.

Dallying among flowers, the pleasures between men and women—to him, these were merely physical indulgences. From the start, both parties understood it was nothing more than a fleeting affair, a mutual consent without any lingering attachments.If Bana'er only sought a few nights of passion, he wouldn't refuse, but she wanted to marry him.

A man like him wasn't suited for marriage.

"How does Luojia treat you? Does a monk know how to be a good husband?" He held the black rice, suddenly asking.

Yaoying smiled: "He treats me very well."

Li Zhongqian's lips curved slightly.

...

When Yaoying emerged from the house, Bana'er was still waiting in the snow, her cheeks flushed red from the cold, bowing deeply to her.

When the Western Army coalition recaptured Yi Province, Yaoying had forbidden tribal soldiers from mistreating the Northern Rong palace women, earning Bana'er's gratitude.

Yaoying draped her own cloak over Bana'er's shoulders, saying: "Princess, come with me."

Bana'er glanced up at the tightly shut window, sighed in frustration, and followed Yaoying.

Firewood crackled in the stove.

After watching Bana'er drink a large bowl of cold-prevention medicine, Yaoying asked directly, "How did you meet my elder brother?"

"We met in Northern Rong."

"Did you save my brother?"

Bana'er shook her head while holding the medicine bowl: "Ayinuer, it wasn't me who saved Li Zhongqian - it was Li Zhongqian who saved me."

Yaoying showed surprise.

Bana'er put down the bowl, smiled at her, and slowly explained: "Back then, Li Zhongqian was hiding among Northern Rong slaves, waiting for a chance to escape. That night, Tali covered for him. While the guards were dozing off, he sneaked out of the camp and accidentally saw The Third Prince trying to assault me..."

As she spoke, anger flashed across her face.

She was raised as Wahan Khan's daughter and was destined to marry one of his sons. The Third Prince coveted her beauty and wanted her as his concubine.

The Third Prince was crude and vulgar, so she firmly refused. Undeterred, he secretly bribed her slave to lure her out of the camp, intending to force himself on her.

"The guards outside the camp had been sent away by The Third Prince. I was terrified... Li Zhongqian was hiding in the stables at the time. He saw me being dragged away by The Third Prince but didn't reveal himself."

Li Zhongqian was using his slave identity as cover. If he intervened, he might get entangled and lose his chance to escape.

"But my brother eventually stepped in?" Judging by Bana'er's tone, The Third Prince clearly didn't succeed.

Bana'er nodded: "Li Zhongqian didn't want trouble and had actually slipped away quietly, but after a while he came back... Do you know why he returned, Princess?"

Yaoying shook her head.

Yaoying was slightly stunned.

Bana'er continued: "Li Zhongqian rushed in, grabbed The Third Prince, and nearly twisted his head off. The Third Prince fled, afraid the commotion would alert others."

That night, Li Zhongqian almost beat The Third Prince to death, his ferocious appearance like a demon crawling out of hell.

He stood before the terrified Bana'er and asked: "Where's your elder brother? Why didn't he come save you?"

Bana'er wiped her tears: "He's dead."

Her father and brother had died fighting for Wahan Khan, which was why she was adopted as his daughter. She had no other relatives. In her fear, she instinctively called for her brother. Her mother was a Han Chinese captured and brought to the grasslands, so both she and her brother had learned Chinese since childhood.

Later, when she learned Li Zhongqian's purpose for coming to Northern Rong, she suddenly understood - the reason he risked danger to save her was because her hysterical cries for help reminded him of his sister.No one knew what exactly Princess Wenzhao had endured after falling into Haidu Aling's hands.

"At first, I didn't know Li Zhongqian was a prince of the Wei Dynasty." Ba Na'er added a few pieces of charcoal to the stove. "The day after he saved me, the Third Prince's injuries were too severe to conceal any longer. Wahan Khan sent someone to console me, saying the Third Prince deserved it, and then asked me who had actually injured him. He said a slave daring to harm a noble—even if it was to save me—must be punished."

She lifted her chin: "Of course I wouldn't betray my savior!"

No matter how much the Third Prince's mother coaxed or threatened, Ba Na'er refused to identify Li Zhongqian. The furious consort slandered her to Wahan Khan, who decided to marry her off to a tribal chieftain within ten days. The tribe had just lost half its young men in a major battle, and the chieftain was nearly fifty years old—Wahan Khan had been worrying about how to appease them.

Still, Ba Na'er clenched her teeth and refused to name her rescuer.

She bit her lip. "The consort forced me to marry. I was terrified, but I couldn't betray Li Zhongqian. I prepared my wedding dress myself..."

He was filthy, disheveled, and unrecognizable, kneeling outside the Third Prince's tent. The prince's attendants beat him half to death. He lay motionless in the mud, silent and unresponsive, enduring their kicks and blows.

Ba Na'er rushed weeping to Wahan Khan's grand tent to plead for mercy. The old Khan spared Li Zhongqian, who limped away without even glancing at Ba Na'er, as if his beating had nothing to do with her.

That night, Ba Na'er went to see him. His old wounds had reopened, and he lay unconscious while Tali secretly tended to him.

Ba Na'er visited Li Zhongqian daily, secretly bringing him medicine and food, sometimes helping Tali care for him.

Li Zhongqian remained cold, never speaking to her.

Ba Na'er persisted in visiting him and gradually guessed he was no ordinary slave—he was likely the Han man Wahan Khan had been searching for.

"I can help you leave this place," she told Li Zhongqian. "I'm the Khan's adopted daughter. I can take you under my protection. As my guard, you won't need to hide anymore."

Li Zhongqian refused her help.

At the time, Ba Na'er couldn't understand: Why wouldn't he let her help him?

Tali had the same question.

One day, while secretly visiting Li Zhongqian, Ba Na'er overheard Tali advising him: "Young master, Princess Ba Na'er seems quite fond of you. You could use that to your advantage—Wahan Khan still shows her some favor."

Li Zhongqian replied indifferently, "Don't let her come again."

Tali hesitated before asking, "Do you dislike Princess Ba Na'er?"

Standing outside the earthen wall, Ba Na'er's heart pounded.

She suddenly realized how terrified she was that Li Zhongqian might say yes!

...

A crisp crackle sounded as the charcoal in the stove sizzled and burned.

Ba Na'er snapped out of her memories and smiled at Yaoying. "Li Zhongqian didn't say he disliked me. He told Tali something very strange instead."

Word by word, Ba Na'er repeated: "He said, 'She's just an unrelated person. I don't want her to follow in my mother's footsteps.'"

At the time, Ba Na'er didn't understand what he meant and thought he despised her, leaving heartbroken.

It wasn't until she saw the mentally diminished Xie Manyuan at the Buddhist temple that she understood Li Zhongqian's meaning.

She liked him even more after that.Banaar lifted her face, gazing at Yaoying: "Ayinuer, you asked how I met Li Zhongqian... are you trying to persuade me that Li Zhongqian doesn't like me and I should give up?"

Before Yaoying could respond, she smiled, the bright flames from the hearth reflecting in her eyes.

"With Northern Rong destroyed, I no longer have to face the covetousness of The Third Prince and others, nor do I have my princess status anymore. Yiqing Grand Princess was taken back to the Central Plains by you, Princess... I didn't want to go to the Central Plains, so I came to Xizhou..."

"Princess, Li Zhongqian is the strongest and bravest man I've ever seen. I like him, I want to have children with him. He doesn't dislike me—I can tell. Right now he doesn't want to marry anyone, there are no obstacles between us... The heavenly gods have given me another chance, I want to try."

Only after trying does one earn the right to give up.

She was one of Northern Rong's greatest beauties. If she liked Li Zhongqian, she would say it openly, unafraid of being laughed at.

Even if he remained unmoved in the end, at least she would have tried.

"I've heard many stories about the Buddha Prince and the Princess," Banaar said, her eyes shining as she looked at Yaoying. "The Princess and Buddha Prince feared no hardship, finally moving the heavenly gods so they could marry. I want to be as brave as the Princess!"

The corner of Yaoying's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

She was certain that more than half of those stories and legends Banaar had heard were unknown to her as well.

Like how Xizhou had recently spread tales that she cried until the entire Holy City collapsed for Tanmoroqie, enabling Luojia to find the true internal cultivation method and return from death.

Banaar wiped her face, revitalized: "The wildest horses belong to the bravest warriors! To win over the strongest man, one must be like taming horses—whoever prevails gets to have children with him!"

Yaoying: ...

Why did she suddenly feel that Princess Banaar's purpose in marrying her brother was simply to have children with him?

...

Yaoying shook her head, "If elder brother truly doesn't want to see her, she can't get in at all... Regarding Princess Banaar and elder brother's matter, don't interfere too much, don't join in the excitement, and don't pry unnecessarily. Let things take their natural course."

...

In the following days, Yaoying continued receiving various chieftains, mediating conflicts between feuding tribes, urging wealthy landowners with vast territories to plant the crop varieties developed by agricultural officials, personally inspecting newly established horse farms, having her guards test-ride fine horses purchased from Persia, and occasionally making time to appear at banquets.

Her guards would occasionally report matters concerning Li Zhongqian: Banaar made Li Zhongqian a fur coat, which he didn't accept.

While Yaoying was dining, Yuanjue remarked nearby: "Is the King also dining now?"

When she picked up a brush to write letters, he quickly helped spread the paper: "Is the Queen going to write to the King?"

When she met with chieftains at the Buddhist temple, he whispered to others, "These monks' sermons can't compare to the King's. When our King preaches, even the temple eagles obediently perch on the Eagle Scaffold to listen..."

Yaoying glanced back at him.

Yuanjue wore a proud expression: "Your Majesty, you think so too, right?"

Li Zhongqian rolled his eyes: "If you miss your King so much, why don't you return to the Royal Court first?"

Yuanjue hastily stepped back several paces, bowing respectfully: "This humble servant must attend to Her Majesty the Queen."

Li Zhongqian smiled sarcastically.

Yuanjue didn't dare speak out of turn again.

Finally, when month's end arrived, Yuanjue immediately perked up, subtly reminding Yaoying it was time to depart: "Your Majesty, the trunks are being packed. Would you check if anything has been overlooked?"After handling her affairs, Yaoying set out for the Royal Court. Upon reaching Sand City, she instructed the others to proceed slowly while she rode ahead on a fast horse back to the Holy City.

Though only a little over a month had passed, it felt like an eternity. The land outside the Holy City was blanketed in endless white snow.

When the city guards saw Yaoying, her shoulders draped in the colors of dawn, appear outside the city gates, they were utterly astonished. They hurriedly raised welcoming banners, exclaiming, "The Queen has returned!"

Yaoying signaled for them not to alert anyone else and made her way directly to the palace. As she ascended the long staircase, a figure descended toward her. Upon seeing her, he froze for a moment before hastily bowing in greeting.

"The Queen has returned?"

Yaoying gave a soft hum and hurried inside. In her letter to Tanmoroqie, she had not mentioned her plan to return early and had even instructed Yuanjue not to let it slip.

She was still contemplating how to surprise Luojia when Bi Suo scratched his head and said, "Queen, the King is not in the palace."

Yaoying paused mid-step. "Has he gone to the Buddhist temple?"

Bi Suo laughed, slapping his thigh and shaking his head. "The King missed you. Knowing you had set out to return, he left the city this morning to welcome you."

Tanmoroqie’s reasoning was sound: the snow was heavy, and he feared Yaoying might be delayed by the storm, so he had taken men to escort her back.

As if he hadn’t heard, Tanmoroqie glanced at the sky. The captain of the guards approached to report that the carriages and horses were ready.

Yaoying didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She had intended to return early to surprise Tanmoroqie and had asked everyone to keep it a secret, only to find that Luojia had already set out to meet her!

She turned and left immediately, mounting her horse and riding out of the Holy City. She rested for the night at a relay station. Yuanjue urged her to return to the Holy City and wait for Tanmoroqie, but she shook her head. She wanted to see him now and couldn’t bear to wait a moment longer.

The next day was clear and bright. Yaoying continued her journey toward Sand City, the sound of hoofbeats echoing across the boundless snowy plains.

Suddenly, several indistinct dark figures appeared in the distance, galloping swiftly from the west, their horses’ hooves thundering like rolling thunder.

Yaoying urged her horse forward to meet them. As the figures drew nearer, she could see the one leading them wore a snow-white brocade robe embroidered with gold patterns. His figure was tall and straight, his robes flapping sharply in the wind.

Looking at him, she couldn’t help but smile.

His gaze fixed on her, his green eyes appearing dark against the backlight.

The thundering of hooves shook the snowy ground. The black horse galloped up to Yaoying, stirring a gust of air. Before it had even come to a full stop, the rider on its back reached out, wrapped his arm around her waist, and lifted her onto his own horse, holding her tightly against him.

Yaoying wrapped her arms around his waist, breathing in the scent of agarwood that clung to him.

"My lord, I’ve returned."

Tanmoroqie lowered his head and kissed the top of her hair.