Anari quite agreed with her husband. “I can just tell from this tramp’s looks that she’s not one to be content with her place.”
Qin Yining could tell from the khan’s expression that her kind reminder was a waste of effort. She shook her head and sighed at Anari’s furious, yet envious glare. “The khan would be well served to think of your status when you speak.”
Anari finally recalled that they were still out in public. She was the khan of Tatar! So many pairs of eyes scrutinized her word and move. Such vicious jealousy would indeed be a source of consternation. She immediately turned back to her retinue, “We return to the palace.”
The soldiers announced their understanding and moved according to their new directions. The crowd scattered when the entourage set course for the palace, recovering their earlier enthusiasm.
Qin Yining took her seat in the cart again, prompting Lu Heng’s whispers, “I know what you’re thinking, but you also need to think of your own safety. You need to stay alive until we return to Great Zhou. You don’t want to lose your life here for no reason, do you?”
The princess consort knew that her fellow countrymen was truly worried about her. “I know, but Siqin won’t kill me for now because he still wants to make use of me. I just think that he has a deeper scheme in place. You need to be careful too. Though you’re a Lu, who knows what’s happened back home given how long you’ve been missing? You should keep a contingency plan in mind when you negotiate terms with them. Don’t place too much trust in your clan.”
Qin Yining was one to return kindness from others. She and Lu Heng were in the same boat and the Lu scion genuinely cared about her wellbeing. Of course she would offer sincere suggestions in return.
Though it was a bucket of cold water dumped over his head, such heartfelt attention still warmed Lu Heng’s heart. He naturally knew what else might be in play here.
The Lus were an aristocratic house with a hundred years of history. Its web of relationships was complex and interwoven, and it was also hardly one united strand of rope. He’d departed the family residence so long ago and was now ‘missing’; perhaps familial factions were already shuffling the cards of power around. Though Siqin showed him mercy for now because of his daily background, the khan consort wouldn’t hesitate to swiftly change his mind if the Lus showed an inclination to give up on Lu Heng.
To be honest, the two Great Zhou citizens were both in the same predicament.
……
The architectural style of the Tatar palace was at complete odds with that of Great Zhou’s palace. Buildings here traded details of exquisite craftsmanship for notes of grand magnificence. Rows of servants lined up neatly to greet the return of their khan.
Nicely worked up, Anari leveled a finger at Qin Yining the moment she returned to familiar surroundings. “Throw her into the dungeon and keep a close watch on her! No one is to let her out without my orders!”
“Understood.” Guards rushed up to take the princess consort into custody, but a raised hand from Siqin stopped them.
“Khan, we still need to make use of these two. The dungeons are dark and damp, easily leading to sickness if women are kept in them. That will affect our plans then.”
Anari looked at Siqin with narrowed eyes, drawing close to grab his collar. “Can’t bear to see her thrown into the dungeon?”
The khan consort had more than had enough of Anari’s domineering attitude along the way. Her continued theatrics and tantrums now continued to stoke his anger. Keeping control of himself with great effort, he responded, “Khan, please do not continue to talk like this. We are husband and wife, not enemies. Do you still not know my feelings for you after all these years? I am well aware of how much you care for me and am very touched by it, but I am equally saddened by how you continuously misunderstand me.”
Born with genteel looks and holding himself with a refined, scholarly air, Siqin’s stance of his hands behind his back with furrowed brows exceeded a natural bearing of persuasiveness.
Her feelings for him did run very deeply and the two of them had supported each other to where they were now. Anari both loved and worshipped this man. His words made her heart thump painfully, and some regret crept in when she thought of what she’d said and done.
However, her pride as khan didn’t permit her to capitulate. She stubbornly bit her lip and said nothing.
Siqin sighed and turned to the servants. “Take our two guests to separate halls to rest. Arrange servants to take care of them.”
“Understood.” Maids led Qin Yining and Lu Heng off in different directions.
Casting an assessing eye at the two senior servants leading her, Qin Yining noted that their footsteps were light and they looked well trained. They were surely well versed in martial arts.
Setting aside thoughts of how Siqin would calm down Anari this time, the princess consort made careful observation of the residences on either side of the covered hallway and the various towering, rugged buildings they passed by. She diligently committed the surroundings and their route to memory.
Her temporary accommodations were a spacious side hall, and a gust of cold air greeted her as soon as they set foot through the door. A red carpet lay atop a floor neatly tiled with stone. Two circular windows on the side walls were shut tight, and a sizable sitting platform was set up behind a divider. A square floor furnace was set in the floor in front of the platform, the fire within not yet lit.
“Please rest here, madame.” Fluent in Great Zhou, the servant’s voice echoed in the empty hall. Her counterpart walked forward to light the fire.
Qin Yining nodded and took a seat on the platform, reaching her hands out to the warm flames.
Some more maids came in with a delivery of blankets and fur linens. Instead of politely holding herself back, the princess consort wrapped herself into the blankets and shoved her face inside, breathing out a long sigh as she slowly warmed up.
Tatar lay further north than the Great Zhou capital. At this time of the year, the Great Yan capital would be alternating between autumn rains and biting cold. Here, the northerly wind scraped across skin like knives whenever it blew.
Qin Yining shivered until she fully warmed up, then laid down to rest. A maid brought in a message at this time. “The khan orders that the madame be present for the morning hunt tomorrow.”
Chapter 482.1: The Hunt (I)
A hunt?
Things were definitely not as simple as that. Anari was drunk with jealousy—in fact, she looked like she’d fallen into the entire vat of it just now. What's more, Siqin was obviously angling to use her to achieve something. Hidden motives must lurk beneath the sudden scheduling of a morning hunt. When Qin Yining had left, the two were still in the throes of a vigorous spat.
The princess consort’s feathery lashes fluttered as she looked down in silent thought, while the servant awaited an answer from the charmingly seductive face half hidden in the animal pelts. A fiery orange glow from the furnace highlighted that gentle elegance.
Even my heart melts at the sight, and I’m a woman. What’s it like for men to lay their eyes upon her? The khan’s hostility and wariness of the foreigner seemed much more understandable now.
"Madame?" ventured the maid. She was here on Anari's orders, so she had to return with a report on her instructions.
Qin Yining very much wished to decline, as her ailing health and the tolls of travel had utterly exhausted her. If they were presently in the Great Zhou capital, she would take time to fully relax and recuperate. She would engage in nothing but bed rest, eating and drinking in bed, sleeping her fill until she recovered, and perhaps even fall ill for a round or two.
However, being a lowly prisoner at present left her no room for self-indulgence. Likewise, she wasn’t in the position to decline or oppose Anari's wishes.
Frankly, these dire straits demanded her strength and resilience. With how things were now, she could either grit her teeth and last another round, or bare her neck and submit li
ke a lamb to the slaughter.
"Very well. Please notify the khan I will attend."
Only then did the servant nod before taking a few steps back and circling around the divider to exit the side hall.
The door closed shut with a creak; silence blanketed the hall once more save for the popping of the burning firewood. Qin Yining, however, didn't let her guard down.
Though she couldn't see anyone else present in her quarters, she sensed there were at least two people watching her every move, and from two different locations at that. They were likely two lackeys of no great importance, since spying on a weak woman didn't require anyone highly trained. Considering the layers of security outside the hall, there was no worry about her running away.
Qin Yining rolled herself more firmly into the blanket and bundled herself into a ball, curling up on the platform before the fire.
I miss home in the Great Zhou capital. I miss Pang Xiao, my parents, née Ma, and née Yao. I wonder if Bingtang and Jiyun made it out? She also wondered if the heavily injured Cao Yuqing was alive or not.
She and Pang Xiao had been apart for more than three months by now. How anxious he must be knowing that she’d disappeared…
Her eyes and nose burned when she closed her eyes, tears welling up immediately. It took an enormous effort to keep herself from crying.
Tears made a person weak, something she couldn't afford to be right now. If she wanted to escape Tatar alive and survive Siqin's scheming and Anari's jealousy, she couldn't afford to show any sign of weakness—fear and cowardice were also out of the question. The moment she displayed such weak emotions was the moment she consigned herself to utter ruin.
Locked away and kept under watch in a place where safety was in scant supply, Qin Yining slept fitfully that night. She was on constant alert in case anyone came back for her, making a peaceful sleep impossible.
Yet when she rose early the next morning, she appeared as high-spirited and self-composed as usual.
Her servant girl, Uyahan, was the same one who had attended to her the day before. Based on Qin Yining's observations, Uyahan was most likely trained in martial arts as well. The servant walked soundlessly and often appeared behind her without warning.
Uyahan was decently likeable, and answered all questions within certain bounds of propriety. She also pointed out surrounding architecture trivia and taught Qin Yinin some of the local customs. The servant served the princess consort with sufficient care.
"Madame, it is about time."
"Very well." Qin Yining accepted the proferred cotton cloak and wrapped a gray rabbit pelt around her neck. Slipping into warm boots, she followed Uyahan outside the hall.
When they exited a side gate of the palace, an entourage of bodyguards and warriors greeted them. The guards were ready for departure in outfits of animal hides and equipment of long bows and quivers full of arrows.
In contrast, those tasked with leading the horses and readying the carriages were bedraggled slaves in disheveled condition. Universal expressions of anguish and woe on their faces, there were even children aged around eight years as well as wizened old men and women.
Furrowing her brows, Qin Yining followed her servant.
Uyahan pointed at a group of slaves. "Madame, the khan has ordered for you to wait here."
The princess consort understood Anari meant to humiliate her, but she was a lowly prisoner to begin with. Furthermore, the thought of being above a slave never quite crossed her mind. Everyone was born as a human being—what designated one as lowly from birth? Considering Anari, it was likely these slaves were merely ordinary nomads from tribes that’d lost to her in battle.
She took a spot amongst the group of slaves, thinking little of it. Heads drooped and bodies slightly hunched over, the slaves didn't even dare look up to see who had joined their number. Qin Yining's calm demeanor, however, colored Uyahan impressed.
Chapter 482.2: The Hunt (I)
Before long, Lu Heng appeared in a cloak made of gray squirrel pelt, alongside Anari and Siqin. The sight of a self-composed Qin Yining in the midst of a bunch of dusty-faced servants came into view as soon as they passed through the arched brick city gates. She stood out like a crane amid chickens, yet looked entirely in her element.
Lu Heng's heart immediately went out to her with a scrunch of his brows.
"Great General Siqin," he implored in a low voice, "the Faithful Princess Consort of the First Rank is of noble status. Even if she is a prisoner like myself, she should be treated with a certain degree of respect. How is it proper for her to be treated like a slave?"
Siqin very much enjoyed being called by such a title and followed Lu Heng's line of sight with a serious mentality. Seeing Qin Yining standing with slaves, he couldn't help agreeing with his companion’s opinion.
"This is indeed an oversight on my part." He waved a hand to summon Uyahan. "What are you waiting for? Bring the princess consort over here."
"I forbid it!" Lu Heng's plea for leniency on Qin Yining's behalf quickly irritated Anari. When Siqin agreed without hesitation, the khan flew into a rage and moved to stop the change. "I ordered her to stand there! That’s the place for base, loathsome wenches!”
Lu Heng quirked a brow and looked at Anari, baffled. "Is my understanding of the Tatar language so lacking? How is it that the consort of a common-born prince is referred to with ‘base’ and ‘loathsome’ in Tatar? I must ask, how many of the Tatar royal family hold similarly low ranks?"
"You!" Anari glared at Lu Heng. "Don't forget that you, too, are a prisoner! I only have to give the word to kill you, so you..."
"I see. General Siqin said I was a friend of the Tatars last night, and it goes without saying that friends should stand by and help each other. Since I am a prisoner in the khan's eyes, shall I go and join Her Highness then?" Highborn and of an honorable disposition, Lu Heng appeared even more authoritative than Anari. The displeasure written across his handsome features stoked the flames of Anari's rage even hotter.
Provoked, she pulled out her whip and moved to lash him. However, Siqin reached out just in time, gripping Anari's hand with a backhand. "Calm yourself, khan."
She stared at Siqin with disbelief. "You're standing up for that whore again!"
Siqin glowered darkly. "My khan, you must watch your words! You put me in a difficult position if you doubt me thusly."
Taking in Siqin’s very real fury, Anari felt wronged and irritable with anger. So many of their subordinates were watching them, which only added to the humiliation. She wanted to lash out and finish going over their fight from last night, but Siqin's angry stare reminded her of her wet nurse's words: "You shouldn't be so paranoid, my khan. The consort isn’t that sort of person, but if you continue to doubt and blame him, you will only steer his heart further toward other gentle, affectionate women."
Gentle? Affectionate?
Anari couldn't help a glance at Qin Yining. The hateful woman was still at ease and beautiful as ever even in a group of slaves! Despite that, she forcefully brought her temper under control.
I’ll get her killed during the hunt today! So what about cooperation or transaction—the Tatars could work with the Lu family alone. This woman deserved death!
Siqin's anger died down a fraction when Anari fell silent. "Is this how you guide your charge around?" he barked at Uyahan. "How could you lead Madame Qin to the slaves?"
As Uyahan had only been following Anari's orders, she felt quite aggrieved. However, she knew her mistress could only piece her pride back together by pushing the blame off onto her. Hence, she got to her knees and kowtowed. "This servant has erred. Please punish me as the khan's consort sees fit."
"Beg forgiveness from Madame Qin. If she won't spare you, there's nothing I can say either." Siqin said this in the language of Great Zhou and looked at Qin Yining.
They’d bickered for a long time in unintelligible chatter to Qin Yining’s ears. Even so, she could guess from the looks in their eyes they were arguing b
ecause of her, so the subject of their debate was most likely the issue of her standing with slaves.
She hadn't anticipated Lu Heng speaking up for her and was immensely gratified. Though she didn't know what he’d said, the sight of Anari's blotchy face cheered her up considerably. Siqin's words clarified the situation and she actually found his little plotting quite amusing.
If she went ahead and punished Uyahan, would life get any better if a different servant girl was assigned to her, much less how viciously Anari might enact revenge? Uyahan had just been following orders, after all, and she’d looked after Qin Yining with considerable care.
The princess consort waved her hand. "You may rise. You were just following orders."
Since she spoke in the language of Great Zhou, the slaves didn’t understand her. However, Uyahan was very fluent, and though she feared Anari would take out her anger on her, she felt very grateful toward Qin Yining. She bowed with a hand to her chest before standing.
The slaves only spoke the language of Tatar. Despite not knowing what the foreigner had said, they’d heard every word of the argument between the khan, her consort and Lu Heng. The princess consort’s mercy had them thinking even more highly of her.
The slaves were all once nobility in their own tribes. After being enslaved by Anari for a long time, they were very sympathetic to Qin Yining's plight. What's more, this was a woman with the looks of a fairy! Even if she was the princess consort of the Great Zhou war god, that didn’t change how they now viewed her.
Qin Yining was invited to stand beside Lu Heng. Anari tamped down the flames of fury inside her and ordered the girl be given a horse and her own bow and arrows. Eager to depart, she shouted, "Onward!"
After they entered the mountains, she more than had her ways of killing that loathsome bitch!
Chapter 483.1: The Hunt (II)
Qin Yining’s horse was a tall, well-built chestnut. A quiver filled with thirty arrows hung on the pommel, and the bow next to it was the same half-stone weight bow that Anari used.
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