[Transmigration] The War God's Consort

[The Wind Rises in Kyoto: Chapter One - Which Is More Important: Emotion or Profit?]

"Jinghua, this cup is a toast from your father. My good daughter, you have suffered for the sake of the people, and I feel really bad about it." A few strands of white hair on the man's forehead danced lightly with the yellow sand. Although he was not that old, he exuded a sense of vicissitude. He looked deeply at the woman in front of him, his eyes filled with endless sorrow.

A vast expanse of yellow stretches as far as the eye can see. Even at the edge of the desert, one can still feel the breathtaking power of the desert and nature.

Beside the middle-aged man was a young man, his blue robe fluttering in the wind, handsome and upright. He offered another cup of wine in the same manner, and said in a hoarse voice, "Sister, this is a toast from your brother. You are willing to sacrifice yourself for our Southern Kingdom. Your brother... admires you."

Amidst the swirling sand and dust, a woman in simple white robes stood calmly. She was Princess Jinghua, from the Southern Kingdom, who was traveling to the Ling Kingdom for a marriage alliance. What unfolded here was a poignant scene of fathers and brothers parting from their daughters and sisters. Throughout history, countless young women, carrying the so-called courage and the hopes of their people, have embarked on such a path.

She would likely accept the glass with a face full of emotion, or express her sorrow at leaving her hometown, or embrace her father and brothers and cry her heart out to show that she is about to leave behind a family that will never return.

Unfortunately, she did nothing, standing quietly as if she hadn't heard anything.

The prince gave an awkward smile. He knew that his daughter had always been weak and timid, and that she might never return to this desert. Perhaps she was too grief-stricken to speak? Alas, she was still his daughter.

“Jinghua, I know you are sad, but this is the rule of the clan. You should drink the wine before you set off.”

Jinghua still didn't answer. The thin veil on her face clung tightly to her cheeks, making it impossible to discern her expression. For a moment, her father and brother exchanged bewildered glances and frowned.

This... doesn't make sense. Although Jinghua is timid, she's not a girl who doesn't know her place. Yet, she has no intention of accepting the cup of wine. According to the rules, if she doesn't drink this cup, she remains a woman of the clan and cannot leave the Southern Domain...

"Father, brother, do you think Jinghua should drink this cup of wine?" The woman, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. Her voice, which sounded bright, carried a faint chill. The prince and the vassal king both felt a jolt in their ears and then frowned even more sharply.

"Jinghua, you've always been a sensible child, why are you suddenly asking such a question?" The vassal king put down his wine cup, his expression displeased, and then his tone became serious: "This marriage alliance with Ling Kingdom is very beneficial to our Southern Vassal Kingdom, and if you don't go, how can you represent the sincerity of our people? Don't you know that the iron cavalry of the God of War Ling Yuxiang has already trampled through our homeland? Can you bear to let such a war happen again?"

The handsome prince was also quite surprised: "Sister, what's wrong with you? The marriage alliance was decided long ago. The prince's men have been with you for so long. You encountered trouble along the way, and it was Guard Ye who saved you. Do you want to change your mind now?"

Princess Jinghua stood there lazily as ever, only smiling faintly: "Father, have you ever asked Jinghua a single question? Have you ever openly discussed this with Jinghua? Has Jinghua ever mentioned going to Ling Kingdom for a political marriage and becoming that so-called queen?"

What kind of princess is this? The expressions of the guards around her changed at the same time, and they looked over with disdain and coldness. If this woman wasn't the prince's princess, they would have slapped her twice already!

This is an insult to Prince Ling! A desecration of the dignified Prince Zhenyuan of the Great Ling Kingdom!

"Your Highness, you'd better watch your words!"

As one of Prince Ling's personal guards, Ye Piao was naturally not like the others who dared not speak out against their anger. Although he was sitting on a horse not far away, his voice clearly expressed his dissatisfaction.

In fact, everyone knows that this so-called princess is nothing more than a piece of waste paper that the emperor doesn't want!

A marriage alliance? Don't they know their place! A tiny southern vassal state dares to resort to such tactics, trying to fish in troubled waters? Fine, then so be it. How about we give you a marriage partner? This partner has an extremely high status and excellent reputation. Is there anything you're satisfied with?

Who dares to voice their dissatisfaction? Who can voice their dissatisfaction? The Prince of Nanfan could only swallow his bitterness with a bitter smile. Who in the world didn't know that Prince Ling Yuxiang was a peerless genius and a hero among men? It's just that, for some reason, he never got close to women, never!

Ling Yuxiang detests weak women, he absolutely detests them. He detests women used as bargaining chips even more. When he was young and ambitious and led his army alone, the enemy used a honey trap on him. However, those charming and beautiful women became victims of a hail of blows the next moment.

The rumored Ling Yuxiang was even more ruthless towards women than towards men.

A woman who marries a man like that, who happens to be the very type of woman he despises most—can she possibly be happy? What a joke! A complete joke!

Princess Jinghua ignored Ye Piao, whose handsome face had darkened behind her. After all, he was her subordinate, and he wouldn't dare to do anything to her on the way. She was still sizing up her father, who was acting like a doting father, when a mocking, cold, and crazed smile suddenly curled at the corners of her lips.

“Father, I don’t care what kind of person that Prince Ling is, after all, that’s a long time from now. But right now, I have to correct a mistake. Your daughter is not as noble as you say, ‘willing to serve the Southern Kingdom.’ Instead, she is a sacrifice for you, her father, who tried to please the emperor for your own safety but was abandoned.”

Suddenly, all around fell silent. The clansmen who had been banging drums and gongs just moments before stared wide-eyed in bewilderment. The young and handsome prince stared dumbfounded at the laughing girl. Even the usually cold and aloof Ye Piao couldn't help but raise his eyes in surprise.

Horrifying! Absolutely horrifying!

Is this the rumored weak and timid Princess Jinghua? Where did she get the audacity to utter such rebellious words?

The old prince's eyes nearly bulged out, and he choked on a mouthful of blood, almost suffocating.

After the initial shock came anger, and the first to rise up in fury and speak out was not the old prince, but the young prince.

“Jinghua, how could you say such a thing! Your father watched you grow up, giving you whatever you wanted. Would he really want to send you away? This is for the benefit of the entire clan, to prevent our homeland from being stained with blood! You may not understand these things…”

"Don't understand? What don't I understand?" She suddenly sneered, waving her wide white sleeve and stirring up a wisp of dust. Her expression was full of unrestrained mockery: "Don't you understand that if the God of War Ling Yuxiang doesn't accept me, this incompetent princess, he will use his iron cavalry to trample across our Southern Domain? Or don't you understand that if Prince Ling marries me off to Prince Ling, he will treat our Southern Domain with sincerity? Father, Royal Brother, don't you think these reasons are utterly ridiculous?"

"What kind of talk is it for the mighty War God Ling Yuxiang to retreat and then invade again? Besides, not to belittle myself, but does the Southern Kingdom have the resources to warrant the repeated mobilization of troops by the Great Ling Kingdom? In fact, when Ling Yuxiang ordered the border horns to be sounded, the fate of the Southern Kingdom was already decided. Father, you are not an ignorant child. Do you really not understand the situation of the Southern Kingdom? Do you think that without offering me, the most beautiful woman in the Southern Kingdom, you can't get a peaceful place? You can't get a happy life for your people?"

"But you're afraid. After that great battle, you've become timid. You're afraid you'll lose your position as a vassal king. You feel threatened by your throne! So you're trying every means to consolidate your position, making it imperative to win over the Great Ling Kingdom. Father, ask yourself honestly, did you sacrifice your own daughter for your people, or did you treat me, the most beautiful woman in the Southern Domain, as an object for your own benefit? Precisely because I, Princess Jinghua, am such an object, you haven't even bothered to ask my opinion, or perhaps you've never even considered asking, is that it?"

What a kind and benevolent father! What a deeply moving story of family love! Is that why Princess Jinghua jumped into the abyss and perished in the icy Nanfan River?

Princess Jinghua, did she also try hard to believe in the father who once doted on her so much? Perhaps when Princess Jinghua was very young, that father who was completely devoted to his daughter truly existed? But when did those feelings, which can only be called memories, all change? Why did that loving care turn into cold and ruthless transactional calculations?

What ironic words! What terrifying remarks! Betrayal among family members, blatant betrayal—how could that timid and cowardly woman possibly cope? How could she possibly survive?

Princess Jinghua's voice changed, adopting an unusually gentle yet profound tone, and she even addressed her with those two words that she hadn't mentioned in a very long time.

"Father, do you really not care about the daughter you used to love? Or, since you sat on this throne, have you been swayed by the magic of this position and become someone else? Before, you would have chosen your daughter without hesitation, but now, you can choose the throne without hesitation. Which is more important, love or profit? Did you ever ask yourself this question when you decided to send me away?"

It's not "Father King", but "Father".

The prince stood there dumbfounded, whether from anger or shock, it was hard to tell. His pale face suddenly aged him by more than ten years, his neck twitched, and the mouthful of blood he had swallowed suddenly spurted out, condensing into a layer of blood mist in the dust. It was so cruel that the old man collapsed amidst gasps of horror, muttering a few words:

"Hua'er... Hua'er, I... I shouldn't have..."

Jinghua suddenly fell silent, even the cold smile on he

……