The emperor was up all night with delight when that report reached the capital. This little Prince Pang was a genuine war god and possessed great authority. He was even blood sworn brothers with the Great Zhou emperor. If they could please this man, then maybe things would take a turn for the better.
However, he was instantly torn internally and wanted to hit himself for his negligence. If he’d known beforehand that Prince Pang would like the grand preceptor’s daughter, he would’ve chosen another beauty for Lian Shengjie! Then, both of them would be happy, and this fight over the same beauty wouldn’t happen. What if things become worse because they fight over the same girl?
The emperor considered things all night long and sent out another urgent order. Qin Huaiyuan received it noon the next day. “…make your moves accordingly. A successful end to the peace talks is of utmost priority.”
…basically, gift Qin Yining to whoever can make the decisions.
Qin Huaiyuan smiled faintly at Cui Wenqing after he sent off the eunuch with the message. The latter felt both guilty and resigned. He was here on two imperial orders, first to participate in the negotiations, but also to monitor Qin Huaiyuan. The emperor was worried that Qin Huaiyuan would resent having to offer his daughter and thus seek to betray Great Yan. Cui Wenqing’s daily secret reports were something he did out of great resignation.
“Grand Preceptor Qin, now that the other side isn’t doing anything, should we add fuel to the flames? The talks have dragged on long enough, and I’m worried that the emperor will grow anxious.”
The emperor was prone to anything if he grew anxious. If the talks this time weren’t a success, he might ignore everything and slaughter both of their families to vent his rage.
Qin Huaiyuan naturally understood the awkward situation Cui Wenqing was in and his concerns. “Let’s observe things for one more day. If we can’t reach a conclusion tomorrow, let’s relax the conditions some more.”
Cui Wenqing nodded. It was because Lian Shengjie’s temper that some of the conditions hadn’t been agreed upon and caused the talks to stagnate. He’d been feeling rather conflicted because he wanted to retain as much for Great Yan citizens as he could. However, he knew full well that the emperor didn’t care how much silver and cities they handed over. As long as Great Zhou agreed to a ceasing of hostilities, the emperor would likely even happily grant positions to their envoys. Every time he thought of his liege’s behavior, he wasn’t sure if he should sob out loud or not.
…...
The next day, Qin yining was resting in her tent. Sleep was scant all night, as the previous night’s events kept replaying behind her eyes everytime she tried to close them. Pang Xiao’s hot embrace, his tyrannical kiss, the furious growling, the marginally gentle coaxing, as well as that final roar in front of everyone. “You’ll be mine sooner or later!”
The scenes seemed to be different colored dyes, mixing and tumbling in her mind to create a vortex of emotions. She didn’t understand why Pang Xiao would do any of this. She was used to weighing pros and cons of any situation she encountered, but her mind was a complete mess when it had to analyze herself as a variable.
She wasn’t valuable at all to Pang Xiao, so why had he wanted to get close to know her… to strike up a friendship, to save her, or even rescue her from Lian Shengjie twice? She wasn’t so narcissistic as to think that Pang Xiao liked her. But since she had no value, so why was he doing this? Most of all, her father had played a crucial part in the death of his. His reasoning for his actions only grew more puzzling when she considered herself as the daughter of his enemy.
But she had to admit, she was feeling quite relieved for now.
Thankfully she’d walked into the wrong tent, one that didn’t shelter Lian Shengjie. Being forcefully kissed by Pang Xiao was still better than offering herself to Lian Shengjie.
Her face burst into flames whenever she thought back to that kiss, and she tossed violently to bury her face into the pillow. Although her father hadn’t said anything last night, with his intelligence, he definitely knew that she’d gone to the other side to do something. Some things didn’t need to be spoken of, but they shared the same thoughts all the same.
Her plan had failed. She hadn’t even glimpsed Lian Shengjie’s shadow. So what would happen to the peace talks now?
“Miss Qin!” A soldier called out to her from outside the tent. His voice was tinged with joy. “Miss Qin! The grand preceptor requests your presence at the supreme commander’s tent! Great Zhou has come to talk to us of their own accord! The little prince demands your attendance there!”
Qin Yining bolted upright and blinked blankly. “I’ll be right there.”
Great Zhou had come to talk to them? Had she misheard?
There wasn’t time to consider anything. She fixed her hair, flung on her cloak, and ran straight to the Great Yan supreme commander’s tent.
The sight of a bruised and battered Lian Shengjie, looking darkly around him, greeted her as soon as she walked in. He was speaking quietly with Qin Huaiyuan while Pang Xiao was off to the side in a black battle robe. Huzi was next to him in a guard’s uniform, keeping his master company as the prince knelt, murmuring to a little white bunny he had cupped in his hands. Cui Wenqing was also awkwardly stooped next to Pang Xiao, his expression very stiff.
Needless to say, Qin Yining was taken aback. The lofty Faithful Prince of the First Rank was holding a bunny... in a military camp... and at a solemn occasion such as a peace negotiation between two enemies? She couldn’t help herself, “Little Prince Pang, are you pretending to be the goddess of the moon?” [1]
Pang Xiao had been in a very good mood as he coaxed the bunny, but his cheer vanished instantly when Qin Yining mocked him the moment she entered the door. His expression sank as he rose elegantly to his feet, still holding the bunny.
“It’s for you! Catch!”
Qin Yining was once again caught on the back foot. She took a closer look at the bunny. It was different from the typical rabbit. It looked a bit fatter and had rather round cheeks. Its ears flopped happily on either side of its face and it was only the size of a palm. The snowy fur was marred only by a black circle around its left eye. It actually looked rather comical.
“What does the little prince mean? Rewards can’t be accepted when a service wasn’t rendered. How can I keep you from playacting as the goddess?” She almost smiled when she saw Pang Xiao come up to her with such a small rabbit.
This girl’s still holding a grudge! Fine, he did take slight advantage of her yesterday, but would she still be standing here arguing with him today if he hadn’t happened to be in that tent yesterday? He’d gone to so much effort to find such a cute bunny as a present, all in the hope that she wouldn’t be angry anymore. But not only was she not thankful, she was making fun of him!
“It’s for you, so take it.” He responded darkly and took two steps forward, wanting to shove the bunny into Qin Yining’s hands.
She quickly stepped back two steps, refusing to accept it. “I don’t want it, you keep it.”
Pang Xiao’s expression was terrifyingly unpleasant now, and a storm was ratcheting up in fury in his eyes. He nodded grimly. “Fine, you don’t want it? Then I’ll smash it to death!” He lifted the bunny high into the air, as if he was about to slam it into the ground.
Qin Yining jumped in fright and quickly leaped forward to tug on his sleeve. “What are you doing?! You’re being ridiculous!”
“It’s you who refused a toast only to drink a forfeit!” Pang Xiao lowered his upraised arm and thrust the chubby bunny at Qin Yining. “Here, take it!”
* * *
This is a character out of Chinese mythology. A goddess lives on the moon with white rabbits. Sometimes they’re making mochi.
Chapter 114: Ownership
Chapter 114: Ownership
Qin Yining begrudgingly took hold of the soft, warm bundle. The little thing shifted in her hand, its pure, black eyes looking lovingly up into Qin Yining’
s. She felt her heart was going to melt and couldn’t help but smile. She cradled it with one palm and stroked its back with the other.
Pang Xiao thought for a moment and undid the jade pendant at his waist, removing the red, knotted square on top of it. He walked up to Qin Yining, who took a perplexed step backwards. She was on the verge of asking him what he wanted when his large hand reached out to adroitly fasten the red square around the bunny’s neck.
He was leaning over, bringing his face close to her. He didn’t look up at her as he was focused on the bow he was making, but Qin Yining’s attention was quickly drawn by the pretty curve of his brows and his long lashes. She frowned and averted her eyes.
“Its name is Riceball and is a pledge of my affection for you. It’s also the token of negotiations between Great Zhou and Great Yan. If you don’t care for it well, then any agreements made today will be treated as as null and void.”
“Your Highness, you’re being too childish!” Qin Yining’s eyes widened in incredulous shock.
“Say what you will, but I’ve given Riceball to you. You do as you see fit.”
Qin Yining recalled that he’d once said she looked like his pet pug, which was named Salt. And if she remembered correctly, they also had a guard wolf dog named Pepper. And now this bunny would henceforth be Riceball…
If it wasn’t for the situation, she really wanted to laugh at the Pangs’ naming abilities. [1. Translator note: I struggled over and ended up taking larger liberties with the naming of the Pang pets. The pug is actually named Big White, the wolf dog Big Black, and the bunny Second White. However, these aren’t very pet-like names in English, and neither is Second White a cute name for the bunny. I tried variations of Whitey and Blackie, but couldn’t really get anything in the same family for Big White and Second White. I think there might be a Third White coming down the road as well. Not to mention, any variation of black/dark I tried for the wolf dog sounded horribly racist. Thanks to the help of a lot of volare translators, I went for Salt and Pepper for the two dogs since they’re a couple, and to indicate how much the pug likes to eat because salt is an essential seasoning. The white motif was continued to Riceball, of which also hints at how cute and round the bunny is. QYN laughs at PX for naming a bunny 'Riceball' because rabbits can be food. That's like naming a pet pig 'Bacon'. Kinda macabre?] But right now, all she wanted to do was to yell at Pang Xiao for his ridiculous behavior. Didn’t all the rumors say that he killed without blinking and was a war god of unfathomable strategies? Why was that reputation completely different from the Pang Xiao she knew? This guy was just a madman with a mercurial temper!
She looked down at the bunny, nestled in her hand and now adorned with an intricate red, square knot around its neck. It was snuffling around, searching for a comfortable position as it stared up at her with inky-black eyes.
Pang Xiao was standing in front of Qin Yining with crossed arms, admiring the cute human and bunny duo in front of him as if no one else was present. A smile floated unconsciously onto his face. In his eyes, she was just as soft and cute as Riceball. He wanted nothing more than to gather her into his arms and pat her head or give her a good cuddle.
Qin Yining glanced helplessly at her father. He and Cui Wenqing were also paying attention to the events on that side of the tent. Her father’s eyes were calm, revealing no hint of what he was thinking, while Cui Wenqing had an understanding expression on his face. She immediately knew that they’d misunderstood the situation. With Pang Xiao bold declarations and now this ‘pledge of his affections’, she’d now been thoroughly dyed with his label.
Even if the peace talks came to a successful conclusion and she returned safe and sound, rumors would still swirl through the populace about the two of them. Being toyed with by fate like this was something she couldn’t help either.
On the other hand, Lian Shengjie was quite depressed when he saw how Pang Xiao had used a cheap rabbit to gain Qin Yining’s affections. In her plain outfit and white fur collar, the girl really did look like the goddess of the moon with that white bunny in her pale hands. He was unwittingly entranced by the picturesque sight. A pity, what a pity! Not enjoying a night with this beauty was the greatest loss of this trip.
He wanted to steal a few more looks, but Pang Xiao purposely moved forward to block his line of sight. Lian Shengjie almost tumbled down from his chair when the imposing figure moved in front of him. He was quite traumatized by that beating; his facial muscles twitched with remembered agony at the same time as his healing injuries ached in sympathy. He almost wanted to clutch his head with both hands to feel a bit safer.
But he was the Minister of Military Affairs.
No one knew how much strength he used to compose and refrain from embarrassing himself. Pang Xiao was standing in front of him with a supercilious smile, not holding back his aura as he admired the view of the minister seemingly desperate to find a hole in the ground. He didn’t speak for a long moment.
“Minister Lian, has everything been settled?”
“This official is the supreme commander of the Southern Pacification Army and the host of these peace talks! You’re just… you…” He swallowed his remaining words when he met Pang Xiao’s domineering stare.
“Minister Lian has simply delayed the emperor’s affairs too much this time, dragging your heels and making excuses again and again during the peace talks. This prince will be sure to harshly censure you in my report.”
“How dare you censure me instead!” Lian Shengjie flew into a towering rage. “You’re the one who beat me up first, so how dare you criticize me?!”
“This prince beat you up? Who saw that? Who’s your witness? All that happened is that you behaved inappropriately to begin with by treating a good girl with utter disrespect. Then you received a beating from her family. You should be considering your family’s reputation at your age, minister. Instead, you’ve come all the way to the country of Yan to act so shamefully. Even if you’re not embarrassed by this loss of face, will your children be able to live with your behavior?”
“Bullshit! My sub-commander saw everything that day!”
“Is that so? Then whatever you say. Let’s seal the accords first.” Pang Xiao dropped casually into a seat nearby and picked up a teacup.
Lian Shengjie was shaking from fury, so it took him a moment to realize. Had he seen his sub-commander recently? The hairs on his body stood on end as he thought about Pang Xiao’s preferred style. Could my sub-commander have…
It was easy enough to come up with an explanation for a death when you were on the front lines. Pang Xiao could likely come up with all sorts of convincing reasons for the emperor if the sub-commander had indeed fallen victim to foul play. Anyone else would have some reservations about taking action like this. After all, if their achievements had built a reputation that threatened even the emperor’s, they’d act with more restraint as to avoid making themselves a target.
But Pang Xiao was different. He didn’t follow the rules of logic when he moved. He was sly and slippery, at times dependable, other times devious. He could appear as a learned scholar, but also came across as a complete ruffian. The only thing one could say about him was that it was hard to say anything about him! A cold chill gripped Lian Shengjie’s heart and he no longer dithered. Without further ado, he sealed the negotiated terms with his personal and official seal.
When they saw the two copies of the agreed upon terms, both Qin Huaiyuan and Cui Wenqing heaved an enormous internal sigh of relief.
Pang Xiao also smiled and crossed his legs. “This is most wonderful. There will be no more warring between us in the future. Trade and diplomatic relations can once again resume, and peace will reign again!”
He then turned to Qin Yining with a cocked head and a devious half smile. “This way, I can go take a stroll around your nation and see just what things look like from all walks of life.”
Qin Yining blushed. You speak so seriously, but just look at the expression on your face! You’
re obviously a good-for-nothing fop!
Qin Huaiyuan stood up and exchanged some polite words with Lian Shengjie and Pang Xiao. The two parties then took their leave of each other.
“Take good care of Riceball.” Pang Xiao looked meaningfully at Qin Yining.
She rolled her eyes at him and stroked the bunny’s head. “What kind of name is that! You might as well call a pig ‘pork bun’!” [2]
Pang Xiao blinked and actually began seriously considering the matter. “That does seem a bit inappropriate after some thought. So what do you think its name should be?”
She felt completely speechless at the situation. Not only does he tie a collar around a bunny, he even names it. She also felt that she was getting too deep into this, arguing with a silly Pang Xiao over a rabbit’s name. She turned and walked off with the bunny in hand. “Forget it, Riceball will do.”
“Yo! So you think I gave it a good name as well?” Pang Xiao laughed and walked after her. The only response that came was the sight of her backside and the rather strange looks from the Valiant Tigers around him.
Pang Xiao snapped back to attention, his usual expression slipping back into place as he gave orders to take down the camp. Huzi was still desperately trying to keep a straight face, nearly giving himself an internal injury from holding in his laughter. He kept his head low, knowing that it was exactly the wrong place and time to start laughing.
When the Great Yan contingent heard the peace talks were a success, their cries of jubilation rattled the heavens. They prepared to take down the campground as well, while Qin Huaiyuan and Cui Wenqing took Qin Yining back to the capital first.
They’d originally left on the winds of certain death, so everyone was beyond themselves with joy upon their return. The celebration that ensued almost eclipsed that of new year’s. Qin Huaiyuan had sent messengers on first, so when they arrived at the city gates, General Wang Hui and Prefect Liu were already waiting with a large delegation.
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