“Helian!” Not in the mood to be amused by the hilarious drama playing out between Peony and Kelie, Hong Jile’s angry roar lacks some confidence as his eyes keep darting towards the direction of the tent door “the Golden Tent is a place for all the tribe leaders to discuss important matters. Even if you are the king, you have no right to interfere. Leave immediately!”
Ignoring Hong Jile, Helian picks up a wine goblet and walks over to one of the tribe leaders.
“Uncle Hute.” His tone undergoing another change. From the initial fierce intent to kill to mocking, to threatening, and now to gentle reminiscent.
“Uncle Hute.” Holding up a wine pot, Helian fills the goblet of a man who is wearing a blue robe. “Thirty years ago, when the enemy nation invaded and the battle was fought all the way to the river of Kunjia, there were dead bodies everywhere. At that time my father was just an ordinary soldier of the Golden Lion tribe. He had fallen by you with a broken leg. It was you who carried him on your back and escaped the enemy hand for thirty miles. This kindness was something my father told me often and had not forgotten even to his death.”
The wine goblet was filled to the brim. Staring at the goblet with a mixed expression, Hute didn’t take the goblet for the longest time. Helian’s smile remained in place without a hint of embarrassment, the hand holding the goblet steady and firm.
Another silence blanketed the tent.
Hute of the Blue Bear tribe is the fourth biggest tribe out of the 12 tribes. The men of Blue Bear tribe are exceptionally skilled fighters with notable leg strengths. Like their name, the Blue Bear is careful and steady so the tribe had stayed neutral all this time during the fight for the throne. However, due to a sudden increase in population that led to a shortage of resources, the tribe have had some disagreement with the old king in the past so that’s why the Blue Bear’s tribe leader ended up coming to attend this Golden Tent meeting this time.
Quite surprised that Helian would pick the most difficult Blue Bear tribe to deal with first, the other tribe leaders are part impressed and part convinced that there is no way Helian could sway Hute to his side.
After a long moment, Hute replies with a deep voice “You didn’t finish telling the story. It was me who carried him out of the mountain of dead bodies. The enemy soldiers were chasing behind us. I pulled my sword to fight them off but your father stopped me, pushed me to the river bank and we both pretended to be corpses. The enemy soldiers were extra careful and ended up stabbing all of the dead bodies by the river banks once. That sword went into your father’s waist. He gritted his teeth and didn’t move an inch until the enemy soldiers left. He was laying on top of me so I was only injured slightly…so that time, it was him who saved me, not me who saved him.”
“Is that right?” Helian smiles “I thank Uncle Hute for still remembering.”
Staring at Helian’s sincere smile, something in Hute’s eyes flashed and he finally accepted the wine goblet before draining it in one shot.
There was slight stirring in the tent as Hong Jile’s face lost some of its color.
If the most important few tribes switched to Helian’s side, then what they are trying to do today would be destined to fail. His expression somber, Hong Jile gives a guard by the tent door a look.
The guard was about to leave but Zhi Wei took a sidestep and blocked the man’s path. Flashing a smile, Zhi Wei asks “Where are you going?”
Hong Jile coldly rebukes “Women are not allowed to speak inside the Golden Tent. I don’t care who you are, get out!”
The tribe leaders nodded in agreement and looked at Zhi Wei with disdain.
“Oh? Is that right?” Zhi Wei is all smiles as she faces the tribe leaders “Inside the Golden Tent? No women are allowed to speak?”
She abruptly raised a hand.
Something dark flashed across the air making an arch inside the tent. *RIP* The sound of ripping was accompanied by huge pieces of fabric falling down. The tribe leaders who were closer to the tent edge jumped up with a surprised yelp but still ended up getting a head full of tent fabric.
After some confusion, the men in the tent finally realized the genial smiling Queen had sliced off half of the tent!
The manner of cutting was extremely clever. So much so, that the other half of the tent was actually still intact. The tribe leaders climbed out under the piles of fabric and wood shreds to find the instigator sitting serenely right exactly where she was. Not a single thing had fallen on her or on those that were with her.
Paying no attention to the Golden Tent she destroyed with one single raise of a hand, Zhi Wei asks Hong Jile with a smile “See, Tribe Leader Hong, I am not inside the Golden Tent anymore.”
She is indeed no longer “inside” the tent since the tent ceiling above her has been completely sliced off.
In the deafening silence, only heavy rapid breathing could be heard– if it was an unexpected shock that Helian gave to the tribe leaders then what Zhi Wei gave them was like a stroke of lightning. In the eyes of these proud and arrogant tribe leaders, women are just decorations. Yet, Han women can’t even be considered decorations because they are like fragile porcelain that shatters with one single touch.
However, this Han princess who looks even more fragile than porcelain with her gentle smile and unexceptional appearance has promptly taught them not to judge a book by its cover.
————————————————————————
The expression in Xin Ziyan’s eyes turned to one of contemplation as he ponders the fact that ever since their return from Minnan, both Ning Yi and Ning Cheng have been avoiding a certain matter with him. Immediately upon his return, Ning Yi took back control over the Gold Feather Guards. There is no doubt that it was because of Feng family but no matter what, he did not make the wrong choice on that master. When the Emperor gave Ning Yi the Gold Feather Guards, the only mission they were given was to find the last remaining royal bloodline of the previous empire. This in itself was the Emperor testing Ning Yi’s ability. The consequences would’ve been unthinkable if they had hesitated to act after obtaining concrete evidence.
But who would’ve guessed that Feng Zhi Wei was actually not the last remaining royal bloodline? Is this good news or bad news? Xin Ziyan closed his eyes and sighed silently.
Opening his eyes to the sight of Ning Yi’s tired face, anger suddenly arose in Xin Ziyan, “If you are tired then you can listen to me with your eyes closed!” Running up to Ning Yi’s desk suddenly, Xin Ziyan put both of his hands on it and stared right into his eyes “You must finish listening to what I have to say today!”
“I don’t need to.” His eyes still closed, Ning Yi replies, “You are the best scholar of this empire, you are the official the Emperor relies on the most. Years ago, out of all the princes you chose me. From that point on, you have done everything in your ability to help me. What you did, what you are going to do, have never been wrong so you really don’t need to explain anything to me and I don’t have any complaint against you. That is it.”
“Then I have a complaint against you.” Xin Ziyan scoffs coldly, “Why did you send Ning Cheng away? Don’t you feel bad watching him spend all day circling the manor and climbing walls? Even if you don’t feel bad, I do. Let him come back so he is not stopping my carriage every day.”
Ning Yi opened his eyes and the expression in them was cold “You are not my subordinate. You are my teacher. I have no right to do discipline you or interfere with anything you do. But Ning Cheng is my subordinate so I have the right to discipline him so I ask you to please not interfere.”
Xin Ziyan sneers “If I am one of your men, then you will send me away too?”
His question was met with silence from Ning Yi.
A reader had asked about Xin Ziyan’s involvement in the whole thing with Zhi Wei’s family. Hopefully this week’s post answered that question. Back when they were in the South Sea, Ning Yi had written a letter (remember the letter he hid when Zhi Wei walked into the tent?) and we can assume he had instructed Xin Ziyan to pause on the case regarding the last empire’s last remaining bloodline. However, Ning Cheng became concerned about Zhi Wei’s effect on Ning Yi and urged Xin Ziyan to instead move against Ning Yi’s orders. This whole thing of course is a huge mess and that’s why Ning Yi feels so trapped right now. While it is true that Ning Cheng and Xin Ziyan both went against his orders so Ning Yi would be justified to be angry enough to have both of them killed. (Just sending them away is not an option. People in our hero’s position can’t afford to let their closest confidant live if they no longer work for him. They know too much.) However, if Ning Yi did so then it would pretty much ensure that no one else would give their loyalty to him. What Ning Cheng and Xin Ziyan did was essentially saving Ning Yi’s life so how can he really blame them? If the Emperor finds out (which there is no doubt he would since someone inside the Gold Feather Guards must be reporting to the Emperor) that Ning Yi knowingly protected the Feng family while knowing they are most likely harboring the last remaining bloodline of the last empire, it would not only automatically kick Ning Yi out of the race for the throne (which would mean certain death when one of his brothers become the emperor) but could bring enough trouble that Ning Yi could die or be imprisoned right now.
One other thing to remember is that things really didn’t have to end so tragically for Madam Feng and Feng Hao. While the Bloody Pagoda was scrambling a bit but they still had plenty of time and ability to usher Madam Feng and Feng Hao to safety if it wasn’t for Madam Feng’s determination to carry out her plan to push our heroine onto the path she wanted. Ning Yi knew things were looking bad but he was fully aware of Bloody Pagoda’s presence so he most likely thought at worst case scenario Zhi Wei’s family would just have to skip town. Our heroine of course is aware of all of this being as smart as she is but she is grieving too much to be understanding right now. Plus, I suspect Zhi Wei is not letting herself think too much from Ning Yi’s position. They both know it is almost impossible for them to be together so knowing our heroine’s personality, she would just rather let it all go…since the two of them being enemies was something she had always thought/feared would happen.
“Helian!” Not in the mood to be amused by the hilarious drama playing out between Peony and Kelie, Hong Jile’s angry roar lacks some confidence as his eyes keep darting towards the direction of the tent door “the Golden Tent is a place for all the tribe leaders to discuss important matters. Even if you are the king, you have no right to interfere. Leave immediately!”
Ignoring Hong Jile, Helian picks up a wine goblet and walks over to one of the tribe leaders.
“Uncle Hute.” His tone undergoing another change. From the initial fierce intent to kill to mocking, to threatening, and now to gentle reminiscent.
“Uncle Hute.” Holding up a wine pot, Helian fills the goblet of a man who is wearing a blue robe. “Thirty years ago, when the enemy nation invaded and the battle was fought all the way to the river of Kunjia, there were dead bodies everywhere. At that time my father was just an ordinary soldier of the Golden Lion tribe. He had fallen by you with a broken leg. It was you who carried him on your back and escaped the enemy hand for thirty miles. This kindness was something my father told me often and had not forgotten even to his death.”
The wine goblet was filled to the brim. Staring at the goblet with a mixed expression, Hute didn’t take the goblet for the longest time. Helian’s smile remained in place without a hint of embarrassment, the hand holding the goblet steady and firm.
Another silence blanketed the tent.
Hute of the Blue Bear tribe is the fourth biggest tribe out of the 12 tribes. The men of Blue Bear tribe are exceptionally skilled fighters with notable leg strengths. Like their name, the Blue Bear is careful and steady so the tribe had stayed neutral all this time during the fight for the throne. However, due to a sudden increase in population that led to a shortage of resources, the tribe have had some disagreement with the old king in the past so that’s why the Blue Bear’s tribe leader ended up coming to attend this Golden Tent meeting this time.
Quite surprised that Helian would pick the most difficult Blue Bear tribe to deal with first, the other tribe leaders are part impressed and part convinced that there is no way Helian could sway Hute to his side.
After a long moment, Hute replies with a deep voice “You didn’t finish telling the story. It was me who carried him out of the mountain of dead bodies. The enemy soldiers were chasing behind us. I pulled my sword to fight them off but your father stopped me, pushed me to the river bank and we both pretended to be corpses. The enemy soldiers were extra careful and ended up stabbing all of the dead bodies by the river banks once. That sword went into your father’s waist. He gritted his teeth and didn’t move an inch until the enemy soldiers left. He was laying on top of me so I was only injured slightly…so that time, it was him who saved me, not me who saved him.”
“Is that right?” Helian smiles “I thank Uncle Hute for still remembering.”
Staring at Helian’s sincere smile, something in Hute’s eyes flashed and he finally accepted the wine goblet before draining it in one shot.
There was slight stirring in the tent as Hong Jile’s face lost some of its color.
If the most important few tribes switched to Helian’s side, then what they are trying to do today would be destined to fail. His expression somber, Hong Jile gives a guard by the tent door a look.
The guard was about to leave but Zhi Wei took a sidestep and blocked the man’s path. Flashing a smile, Zhi Wei asks “Where are you going?”
Hong Jile coldly rebukes “Women are not allowed to speak inside the Golden Tent. I don’t care who you are, get out!”
The tribe leaders nodded in agreement and looked at Zhi Wei with disdain.
“Oh? Is that right?” Zhi Wei is all smiles as she faces the tribe leaders “Inside the Golden Tent? No women are allowed to speak?”
She abruptly raised a hand.
Something dark flashed across the air making an arch inside the tent. *RIP* The sound of ripping was accompanied by huge pieces of fabric falling down. The tribe leaders who were closer to the tent edge jumped up with a surprised yelp but still ended up getting a head full of tent fabric.
After some confusion, the men in the tent finally realized the genial smiling Queen had sliced off half of the tent!
The manner of cutting was extremely clever. So much so, that the other half of the tent was actually still intact. The tribe leaders climbed out under the piles of fabric and wood shreds to find the instigator sitting serenely right exactly where she was. Not a single thing had fallen on her or on those that were with her.
Paying no attention to the Golden Tent she destroyed with one single raise of a hand, Zhi Wei asks Hong Jile with a smile “See, Tribe Leader Hong, I am not inside the Golden Tent anymore.”
She is indeed no longer “inside” the tent since the tent ceiling above her has been completely sliced off.
In the deafening silence, only heavy rapid breathing could be heard– if it was an unexpected shock that Helian gave to the tribe leaders then what Zhi Wei gave them was like a stroke of lightning. In the eyes of these proud and arrogant tribe leaders, women are just decorations. Yet, Han women can’t even be considered decorations because they are like fragile porcelain that shatters with one single touch.
However, this Han princess who looks even more fragile than porcelain with her gentle smile and unexceptional appearance has promptly taught them not to judge a book by its cover.
————————————————————————
The expression in Xin Ziyan’s eyes turned to one of contemplation as he ponders the fact that ever since their return from Minnan, both Ning Yi and Ning Cheng have been avoiding a certain matter with him. Immediately upon his return, Ning Yi took back control over the Gold Feather Guards. There is no doubt that it was because of Feng family but no matter what, he did not make the wrong choice on that master. When the Emperor gave Ning Yi the Gold Feather Guards, the only mission they were given was to find the last remaining royal bloodline of the previous empire. This in itself was the Emperor testing Ning Yi’s ability. The consequences would’ve been unthinkable if they had hesitated to act after obtaining concrete evidence.
But who would’ve guessed that Feng Zhi Wei was actually not the last remaining royal bloodline? Is this good news or bad news? Xin Ziyan closed his eyes and sighed silently.
Opening his eyes to the sight of Ning Yi’s tired face, anger suddenly arose in Xin Ziyan, “If you are tired then you can listen to me with your eyes closed!” Running up to Ning Yi’s desk suddenly, Xin Ziyan put both of his hands on it and stared right into his eyes “You must finish listening to what I have to say today!”
“I don’t need to.” His eyes still closed, Ning Yi replies, “You are the best scholar of this empire, you are the official the Emperor relies on the most. Years ago, out of all the princes you chose me. From that point on, you have done everything in your ability to help me. What you did, what you are going to do, have never been wrong so you really don’t need to explain anything to me and I don’t have any complaint against you. That is it.”
“Then I have a complaint against you.” Xin Ziyan scoffs coldly, “Why did you send Ning Cheng away? Don’t you feel bad watching him spend all day circling the manor and climbing walls? Even if you don’t feel bad, I do. Let him come back so he is not stopping my carriage every day.”
Ning Yi opened his eyes and the expression in them was cold “You are not my subordinate. You are my teacher. I have no right to do discipline you or interfere with anything you do. But Ning Cheng is my subordinate so I have the right to discipline him so I ask you to please not interfere.”
Xin Ziyan sneers “If I am one of your men, then you will send me away too?”
His question was met with silence from Ning Yi.
A reader had asked about Xin Ziyan’s involvement in the whole thing with Zhi Wei’s family. Hopefully this week’s post answered that question. Back when they were in the South Sea, Ning Yi had written a letter (remember the letter he hid when Zhi Wei walked into the tent?) and we can assume he had instructed Xin Ziyan to pause on the case regarding the last empire’s last remaining bloodline. However, Ning Cheng became concerned about Zhi Wei’s effect on Ning Yi and urged Xin Ziyan to instead move against Ning Yi’s orders. This whole thing of course is a huge mess and that’s why Ning Yi feels so trapped right now. While it is true that Ning Cheng and Xin Ziyan both went against his orders so Ning Yi would be justified to be angry enough to have both of them killed. (Just sending them away is not an option. People in our hero’s position can’t afford to let their closest confidant live if they no longer work for him. They know too much.) However, if Ning Yi did so then it would pretty much ensure that no one else would give their loyalty to him. What Ning Cheng and Xin Ziyan did was essentially saving Ning Yi’s life so how can he really blame them? If the Emperor finds out (which there is no doubt he would since someone inside the Gold Feather Guards must be reporting to the Emperor) that Ning Yi knowingly protected the Feng family while knowing they are most likely harboring the last remaining bloodline of the last empire, it would not only automatically kick Ning Yi out of the race for the throne (which would mean certain death when one of his brothers become the emperor) but could bring enough trouble that Ning Yi could die or be imprisoned right now.
One other thing to remember is that things really didn’t have to end so tragically for Madam Feng and Feng Hao. While the Bloody Pagoda was scrambling a bit but they still had plenty of time and ability to usher Madam Feng and Feng Hao to safety if it wasn’t for Madam Feng’s determination to carry out her plan to push our heroine onto the path she wanted. Ning Yi knew things were looking bad but he was fully aware of Bloody Pagoda’s presence so he most likely thought at worst case scenario Zhi Wei’s family would just have to skip town. Our heroine of course is aware of all of this being as smart as she is but she is grieving too much to be understanding right now. Plus, I suspect Zhi Wei is not letting herself think too much from Ning Yi’s position. They both know it is almost impossible for them to be together so knowing our heroine’s personality, she would just rather let it all go…since the two of them being enemies was something she had always thought/feared would happen.
