Time seemed to flow through her fingers as memories drifted upstream—back to that year when grass grew tall and orioles soared, when a sunlit youth sat perched on a dense tree branch, picking up a pinecone and tossing it at a girl’s hair bun. The girl spun around in a fury, raising a middle finger in a distant, mocking gesture. What was meant as an insult was mistaken by the boy as an apology. The years carried them from “I’ll always be by your side” to “Let’s cut ties forever,” until they reached an end that could no longer be continued. Occasionally, in the depths of midnight dreams, she recalled that young, innocent face from years past—now blurred beyond recognition, its features indistinct—yet the words that once drifted in the wind echoed ceaselessly in her ears: “If I help you one more time, I’ll renounce the Yan name!”
But in the end, even that vow made in anger was forgotten. Just like the promises that came later, it was torn to shreds.
Her temples were tousled, her eyes clear, the scene ancient and worn, yet still pure and serene.
So much time had passed, yet those memories, buried deep in her mind, had become lonely migratory birds, circling endlessly, never leaving. Finally, time whispered to them that everything had come full circle.
A strong wind blew, yet she felt no cold. Compared to this icy, indifferent world, she had already received far too much. The sorrows of youth gradually faded, covered by dust, becoming monuments too weathered to discern. The past scattered like the wind, dancing chaotically in the air like torn kites, freed from their strings, never to return.
The sound of hoofbeats approached from behind, but she did not turn. Then, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close without a hint of restraint. A man’s voice, tinged with vinegar-like jealousy, whispered sourly in her ear, “What’s this? Finished catching up with your old flame?”
Chu Qiao turned to look at Zhuge Yue, whose face had noticeably thinned these past days, and suddenly reached out to wrap her arms around his waist. Burying her face in his chest, she stayed silent.
Zhuge Yue was immediately flustered. Under normal circumstances, Chu Qiao should have assumed her King Xiuli demeanor and bickered with him. This reaction was far too unusual.
“What’s wrong?” He nudged her shoulder, frowning, then suddenly lowered his voice menacingly. “Did that Yan fellow bully you?”
Chu Qiao didn’t answer, simply leaning against him. In the cold wind, her slender frame seemed especially fragile.
Someone abruptly flared up. How dare you, Yan Xun? I kindly lent you my wife for a moment, and you have the nerve to mistreat her?
Zhuge Yue pushed Chu Qiao away and strode toward his warhorse, declaring as he walked, “I’m going to teach him a lesson!”
“Don’t go.”
Chu Qiao pulled him back, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and pressing her cheek against his cold armor like a blade of grass clinging to a great tree. The wind swept in from afar, swirling the powdery snow on the ground. With a resigned sigh, Zhuge Yue turned and embraced his wife, murmuring softly as if soothing a child, “Xing’er, what’s the matter?”
“I’m fine.”
Chu Qiao shook her head. “I just missed you a little.”
The moonlight was faint, but it was enough to reveal the smile gradually spreading across a certain someone’s lips. Zhuge Yue struggled to contain his delight, not wanting to appear too obvious. Clearing his throat lightly, he said, “I’ve only been gone a few days. How did you become even more like a child?”"Just a few days?" Chu Qiao leaned against his chest, her voice muffled. "But why does it feel like such a long, long time to me?"
Zhuge Yue smiled even more happily, lowering his head to kiss her forehead. "Alright, it's cold here. Let's go back."
"Mm."
Chu Qiao obediently followed him onto the horse. The two rode together on one horse, not pulling the reins, slowly making their way back to camp.
"Yue, don't be so reckless charging into battle yourself in the future. I worry about you."
That single word "Yue" made Zhuge Yue's bones melt. How could he possibly pay attention to what she was saying? He quickly put on the model husband expression and nodded, "Alright, I'll listen to you."
"If something were to happen to you, what would Xing'er, Yunzhou, and Zhenzhu do? Without you, how could I go on living?"
Chu Qiao had always been thin-skinned, her sweet words as rare as rain clouds in the desert. Now that she was acting so unusually, how could certain people remember those unpleasant questions from earlier?
"Mm, I understand."
"Ten thousand Yanbeis, ten thousand Qinghais, ten thousand Ximengs combined aren't as important to me as a single you. Whatever you do in the future, you must think of me first. If something happens to you, I definitely won't live on alone."
Chu Qiao continued her tender offensive.
Finally, the King of Qinghai's defenses crumbled. Someone who never apologized made an exception, lowering his head obediently like a little rabbit: "Xing'er, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have made you worry."
"Mm, as long as you know."
"I'll definitely remember."
"Alright, let's go back. I'm hungry."
"Okay."
...
Since you love someone, you should boldly speak your heart.
The newly enlightened Chu Qiao executed this principle to perfection. Moreover, when saying these things, she could make someone forget some unpleasant topics - why not do it?
The north wind swept across the land, heavy snow fell thick and fast. Those traveling alone stood in solitary shadows, while those accompanied leaned on each other. In this world, power, status, money, and authority are open to all who are strong-willed and persevering. Only love - only the sincere can obtain it.
At the foot of Sunset Mountain, Zhao Che and Zhao Yang stood beneath the imperial banner of Daxia, watching the allied battle flags of Yanbei and Qinghai returning together, and couldn't help but be stunned.
After a long while, Zhao Che's lips curved into a smile. Having fought numerous campaigns in the northern territories, conquering countless northern nations and establishing vast domains, Zhao Che said to Zhao Yang with a laugh: "The world is full of wonders. If those three can join forces, what are we two still fighting for?"
Zhao Yang turned his head disdainfully, saying lightly: "I wasn't the one fighting you. You're the one who kept chasing after me."
Zhao Che frowned, displeased. "If you hadn't come attacking me during the civil war back then, would I have been driven out of Ximeng by that brat Yan Xun? Hitting you a couple times was going easy on you."
Zhao Yang immediately retorted: "I was caught in Yan Xun's trap back then. But if it were you, with such a good opportunity to eliminate me, wouldn't you have taken it?"
Zhao Che said angrily: "You damn brat, you've been like this since childhood. We're brothers, why would I want to eliminate you?"
Zhao Yang pursed his lips: "Brothers, hmph hmph."
Zhao Che: "I hate this weird attitude of yours the most!"
Zhao Yang: "Likewise, I can't stand your hypocritical virtue either!"
Zhao Che: "Say that again, you think I won't really hit you?"
Zhao Yang: "Come on then, who's afraid of who?"
...Wei Shu Ye stood behind the two men, letting out a helpless sigh.
"Ah, you're no longer young and impulsive, yet after all these years, you still can't let go of your pride. Who was it that secretly disguised themselves as northern horse bandits and raided the subordinate city of Zibo in Ximoye when they saw Zhao Che struggling against Ximoye? And who, upon seeing heavy snowfall at the northern border and fearing Zhao Yang's supplies wouldn't reach in time, deliberately sent twenty soldiers to escort two hundred carts of military provisions only to have them stolen? These brothers, though not born of the same mother, share an uncannily similar temperament."
War Eagles circled overhead, their sharp cries piercing the air. The great battle against the Quanrong was finally drawing to a close.
**
The Quanrong had arrived with overwhelming force, but under the assaults of various factions, they couldn't even hold out for half a year. Three months later, most of the Quanrong People had withdrawn from Ximeng's territory, leaving only small bands of stragglers who couldn't escape in time, hiding in the mountains and wilderness. Sooner or later, they would either fall prey to wild beasts or be killed by the enraged Yanbei populace. Princess Jing'an, Zhao Chun'er, went missing during the chaos of war. While this outcome left the common people seething with hatred, it also set many minds at ease. After all, the allied forces included troops from Daxia, and capturing this awkwardly positioned Daxia princess would have posed a difficult dilemma.
Yan Xun consolidated the Great Yan cavalry and, together with the three-way allied forces under Zhuge Yue, pursued the Quanrong beyond Meilin Pass, driving them into frantic retreat. It was believed they wouldn't recover for at least thirty to fifty years.
By October, most of the pursuit forces had returned, bringing with them over a hundred thousand captured Quanrong cavalry. They marched across the Yanbei plateau in a grand procession, their banners lowered and drums silent, a far cry from their former imposing presence.
On the third day of the eleventh month, the snow on the Yanbei plateau cleared for the first time, leaving behind a vast, white expanse.
Civil and military officials from all directions gathered at the Goddess Peak of Minxi Mountain. The military stretched for miles, officials swarmed like tides, and colorful banners and battle armor blotted out the sky.
Before a high temple at the mountain summit stood a stone hall constructed of Xilan stone. A dual-faced goddess gazed down with compassionate eyes, looking upon the world from on high. Vermilion brocades and dark prayer flags contrasted starkly, fluttering high above the stone hall like the goddess's swollen belly and sharp battle-axe—symbolizing both protection and slaughter coexisting.
The Great Yan Emperor Yan Xun, Qinghai's Lord Zhuge Yue, Daxia's King Zhao Che, Daxia's Military Commander Zhao Yang, along with Biantang's King Xiuli Chu Qiao and Supervisor of the Nation Grand Tutor Sun Di, gathered here to sign the famous Goddess Peak Treaty.
The treaty consisted of twenty-eight provisions, covering agreements on military, commercial, political, and diplomatic matters. Biantang, Daxia, and Qinghai also officially recognized Great Yan's sovereignty over the Hongchuan eighteen prefectures and Huai Song territories for the first time. They further pledged to refrain from warfare for thirty years, granting the people of Ximeng a period of peace.
This treaty remained in effect for over seventy years, until 852 of the Baicang calendar when the Huai Song vassal Nalan Tianhe rebelled and was suppressed by Great Yan's second emperor, Emperor Zhaowu. Seizing the opportunity, Biantang attacked Daxia, sparking the famous Second Battle of Tanghu on the border—the first major conflict since the Goddess Peak Treaty.
During those seventy years, Ximeng experienced rapid economic growth, open social customs, thriving commerce, and transparent governance. Inspired by Qinghai's influence and strongly advocated by King Xiuli, Biantang reformed its social system in 796, revising laws and abandoning the original slave system in favor of a feudal structure.Five years later, Great Yan implemented the Shilin Reform that shocked Ximeng. Emperor Yan complied with public sentiment by abolishing the slavery system, completing the transition from slavery to centralized feudalism. Yan Xun consequently gained unanimous support from the populace, and all officials submitted petitions honoring him with the title "Benevolent Emperor of the North." Yan Xun decisively dismantled the aristocratic clans, vigorously promoted commoners as officials, firmly controlled military power, and greatly consolidated the Great Yan regime. For three hundred years, Great Yan's cavalry swept across Ximeng, invincible and unchallenged.
Under Zhao Che's leadership, Daxia annihilated the Northern Ross Empire and the Maro Empire, expanding northward by hundreds of thousands of miles to establish an unprecedentedly powerful Daxia dynasty. Its territory became so vast that even Great Yan couldn't rival it. However, after Zhao Che's death, his descendants proved incapable of maintaining such a massive empire, ultimately causing the Xia dynasty to collapse once again. Fortunately, the Fourteenth Prince Zhao Yang, having managed the northern border for decades, gathered Zhao Che's remaining forces and immense wealth during the crisis, continuing Xia's rule in the northern territories.
In 791, Qinghai declared independence, establishing the nation of "Qing" with the Moon and Stars Flag as its national emblem. The capital was set at Haiqing, and the King of Qinghai, Zhuge Yue, proclaimed himself emperor with the reign title Baiyuan. The year 791 was officially designated as the first year of Baiyuan. After ascending the throne, the King of Qinghai abolished the imperial harem system, rejected the position of empress, and established only one wife. King Xiuli, Chu Qiao, became the mother of Qinghai, participating in state affairs and assisting the King of Qinghai throughout her life. Her influence could be seen behind every government decree in Qinghai.
Due to the King of Qinghai's single-wife system, which resembled the imperial consort system of the Western Regions, King Xiuli was also referred to as Qinghai's First Imperial Consort or the Xiuli Imperial Consort.
Thanks to the enlightened policies of Emperor Baiyuan and the Xiuli Imperial Consort, Qinghai transformed into the continent's most prosperous nation within thirty years. It achieved economic prosperity and technological leadership. In the 321st year of Baiyuan, Qinghai pioneered the Industrial Revolution, with scientific and technological advancements radiating throughout Ximeng and driving scientific development across the entire continent.
Fifty years later, democratic party uprisings erupted in Qinghai. When the imperial family proved unable to suppress them, civil and military officials, led by the emperor, opened the national crisis decree left behind by Emperor Baiyuan and the Xiuli Imperial Consort four hundred years prior. After reading it, they voluntarily reorganized the state power structure, setting Qinghai on the path toward a democratic republican system—over eighteen hundred years earlier than Western nations across the ocean.
Time flowed like a torrential flood. Three years after the Ximeng Defense War, Chu Qiao gave birth to her third son, Zhuge Yunye. Qinghai celebrated nationwide, and the Star Moon Palace was filled with joyous atmosphere.
During the hundred-day banquet, Zhuge Yue held his most amiable son, beaming with delight.
How could he not be happy? Chu Qiao had borne three children: the first was constantly mischievous, glaring at him and desperately competing for his wife's attention; the second had fallen under the spell of that Li family boy, clinging to Li Qingrong since birth and refusing to be held by any other man—even his own father.
Fortunately, now there was Yunye.
Zhuge Yue held the child, examining him from all angles, finding him the very image of himself. Those eyebrows and eyes were unmistakably his own replica.
"Son, give your father a smile."
The little one, whether understanding or not, immediately responded with a radiant grin. Zhuge Yue joyfully boasted to those nearby, "Look how clever my son is! He can understand me at such a young age."Most people responded to him with warm smiles, showering the little Crown Prince with endless praise. Only Liang Shaoqing, that perpetual killjoy, sat sourly drinking his wine and remarked with detached coolness, "Yun Ye smiles at everyone like that—it's not just for you alone."
Zhuge Yue's eyebrows arched sharply. He thought to himself, It's been too long since this brat got a proper beating. He was just about to settle accounts with this fellow who repeatedly coveted his wife when Gao Qingzhu, the renowned physician from Maoling—who had recently become Liang Shaoqing's father-in-law after adopting Mei Xiang as his goddaughter—suddenly had a stroke of inspiration. He leaped forward, rushed to Zhuge Yue's ear, and whispered urgently.
It must be said, ginger is spicier when old. Master Qingzhu's words actually managed to halt Zhuge Yue in his tracks.
After a moment of silence, Zhuge Yue resolutely handed over the precious Zhuge Yun Ye, whom he had been cradling just moments before, to Mei Xiang. Then he turned and strode out of the main hall, heading toward the inner chambers.
Meng Feng was now pregnant as well, and He Xiao spent all his time at home guarding her. Having rarely ventured out today, he was puzzled by Zhuge Yue's abrupt departure and asked in confusion, "Where has His Highness gone?"
Master Qingzhu chuckled slyly. Yue Qi, quick-witted as ever, leered and said, "We've all been fathers here—some things are better left unsaid."
He Xiao was momentarily taken aback, then suddenly grasped the implication and burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Only Liang Shaoqing remained utterly baffled, frowning and repeatedly asking, "What's going on? What are you all talking about?"
Mei Xiang, holding Yun Ye in her arms, blushed crimson at his cluelessness and pinched his thigh hard. A pig-slaughter-like shriek immediately echoed through the hall.
In the inner chambers, Chu Qiao was already disheveled, her hairpins askew and locks tangled. She panted softly, her nails tracing the muscles of Zhuge Yue's back. Sweat trickled down her fragrant shoulders, drop by drop, onto the blush-pink bed curtains.
"...Yue... Didn't Master Gao say... my... my body..."
"Huff... He just said it's fine now..."
The wooden bed creaked, and the warm curtains grew scalding. Not until the banquet in the front hall had dispersed did Zhuge Yue finally release the pent-up desires he had long accumulated. After the storm of passion subsided, the two lay entwined. Chu Qiao rested against Zhuge Yue's chest, quietly closing her eyes, her fingers unconsciously tracing circles on his breast.
Suddenly, the woman hailed as Ximeng's top general lifted her enchanting eyes, bit her crimson lips, and asked, "Zhuge Yue, I've already given birth to three children. Am I getting old? Will you grow tired of me?"
Zhuge Yue tilted his phoenix eyes to gaze at her. Her hair was tousled, her skin glistened with sweat, and her bosom had grown fuller and fairer from childbirth. The flames he had just extinguished roared back to life within him.
"I'll show you right now with action whether I've grown tired of you or not."
A wicked voice murmured, and the second storm arrived in an instant.
After four consecutive rounds of intense lovemaking, Chu Qiao was too exhausted to even open her eyes. She leaned against Zhuge Yue's chest and drifted into a heavy slumber.
Zhuge Yue wiped the sweat from her temples, covered her with the quilt, then held her close and called softly, "Xing'er?"
"...Mmm..."
Chu Qiao, eyes still closed, responded vaguely, whether she had heard him or not.Zhuge Yue's eyes were as soft as spring water as he lowered his head and kissed her forehead. His lips lingered tenderly for a long moment before he finally murmured in a low voice, "I will love you forever."
The red candles burned brightly, while the person in her slumber remained completely unaware of the rare words her husband had whispered while she slept.
The night was long, and though this life had weathered many storms, the comfort remained that ahead lay countless such nights for them to embrace and sleep in each other's arms.
"Sleep now."
————Break————
[End of Book]
This truly feels like the final conclusion. With this, the story is completely finished. Thank you all for your support along the way.
OpenNovel