Смертная любовь в эпоху Северной Сун

Глава 103

Ignoring Rong Yue's subtle attempts to drive him away, Tuoba Chen's face was filled with infatuation: "Little San, do you know how much I crave you?"

The hand that was pushing her away trembled: "I...I'm injured..."

Mentioning his injury, Tuoba Chen's expression quickly turned anxious: "Xiao San, where exactly are you hurt? Is it serious?"

He breathed a sigh of relief: "The wound is on my shoulder. I was accidentally hit by an enemy arrow half a month ago. It wasn't a big deal, but the enemy was so wicked that they coated the arrowhead with poison. I had no choice but to cut open the flesh on my shoulder and scrape off the poison..."

"Scraped off?!" Tuoba Chen exclaimed in shock.

Realizing she had said something she shouldn't have, Rongyue laughed it off: "It's nothing serious! Ah... I'm so sleepy..."

Imagining that scene, Tuoba Chen felt as if each cut was slashing his own flesh, excruciatingly painful. The pain assaulted his internal organs, his throat tightened, and he pleaded hoarsely, "Xiao San, come back with me! Let's not fight this war anymore. I'd rather be blind for the rest of my life than let you suffer even the slightest injustice! Xiao San, please, come back with me. I'll treat you well for the rest of my life! Please, Xiao San, just this once, okay? I'll do whatever you say from now on, I just beg you to promise me this once..."

Biting her lip, Rongyue closed her eyes, refusing to look at his pleading expression, afraid she might soften and give in to his pleas. Tuoba Chen, I'm sorry, she can't go with him, because she can't give up the power that's within her grasp at this last moment. She needs power, because she needs to become stronger, and only by becoming stronger can she avoid being hurt again…

"The Second Prince of Nancha Kingdom has caused quite a stir by traveling a thousand miles to find his lover. It's known to all the major powers and has become the laughing stock of the world. It's really made that old man lose face. Heh, a prince in short sleeves? Just thinking about that old man's green face makes me feel good!" With a cold laugh, Dongfang Yao leaned lazily against the large pear wood carved chair, casually twirling the jade porcelain cup in his hand.

"Your Highness is absolutely right. If a son loves a man, then the father must be so ashamed and indignant that he would rather die than not appease his ancestors. I bet that old man is either dead or driven mad with rage." Echoing Dongfang Yao's words, the envoy who came to meet Dongfang's army bowed and scraped, displaying a servile and obsequious demeanor.

With narrowed eyes and a cold laugh, Dongfang Yao twirled the jade porcelain cup in the air before elegantly holding it, then picked up the warm-looking white jade wine pot on the table and poured wine.

The envoy quickly gave a signal to the beautiful woman serving beside Dongfang Yao. The woman nodded in understanding, and with a charming and alluring sway of her waist, she pressed herself against Dongfang Yao with a coquettish laugh.

"Your Highness..." Ruan Ruan intentionally or unintentionally rubbed her trembling, high breasts against Dongfang Yao's arm. Her hair was gently swaying, her breath was slightly ragged, and her captivating eyes shone with a seductive charm.

The disgust in his eyes was concealed beneath a wicked grin. Pulling the beauty into his arms, Dongfang Yao's large hand slipped inside her clothes, lingering and stirring her desires. He kneaded her soft, smooth breasts with varying pressure, eliciting soft moans and gasps from her...

This scene greatly pleased the envoy. He quietly withdrew, letting out a sigh of relief. He hoped that Lady Han could serve this young prince comfortably, so that Louxi might be saved…

Volume Two: The Resolute Heroines' Chronicle, Chapter Thirty-Four: The Invasion of the Capital

The cliffs are sheer and precipitous, fraught with danger. There is no path beneath your feet, only a plank road stretching across the middle of the precipice.

This plank road was carved out of the cliff face by our ancestors. They carved a hole about the size of a bowl into the cliff, inserted horizontal beams into the hole, and then carved a stone recess below to support the beams. They then connected the beams one by one, laid planks on top, and added railings, thus forming the plank road suspended in mid-air. The plank road is extremely precipitous; looking up, there are sheer cliffs tens of meters high; looking down, there is a river valley tens of meters deep. If people or horses lost their footing, they would be smashed to pieces.

Tens of thousands of cavalrymen were brave and fearless, and were the first to ride across the plank road. However, about 200,000 prisoners of war in the captured and incorporated army did not move forward. Even those who got onto the plank road could not take a step.

Upon seeing this, Rongyue, who had already crossed the plank road, frowned, dismounted, and turned back onto the plank road.

"Don't look down, look inside, look at me, look inside!" Rongyue shouted at the soldiers in front. Seeing that they were still trembling and swaying on the plank road, Rongyue frowned, shook her head, and stepped forward to pull up the soldier who was at the very front.

"Don't be afraid, follow me." The soldier being led by the general was flattered. His fear vanished, and guided by Rongyue, he looked ahead and stepped out of the plank road, standing safely on the open ground.

"Ah, I'm here! I'm out!" Overjoyed at the ground he was standing on, he clapped his hands and jumped for joy, waving and shouting to the soldiers on the plank road, "Come on, come on, it's alright! Look, I'm out!"

The soldiers behind them gained courage. Gritting their teeth, they imitated the soldiers who had gone before them, eyes fixed ahead, breathing steadily, balancing their steps, and slowly walking towards the edge of the plank road...

After a day and a night, the 200,000-strong army finally traversed the breathtaking plank road. Once across, Rongyue commanded the army south, heading straight for the capital of the Louxi Kingdom… Huayang.

It would take at least a month to travel from Fanyang to the capital, Huayang. The soldiers guarding the capital never imagined that in just three days, their unstoppable cavalry would storm into Huayang!

Those who block the way shall die! The iron cavalry, each with a fierce and menacing expression, marched into Huayang with an aura of destruction. Anyone who stood in their way was to be killed without mercy, showing no mercy or retreat. Their ruthlessness and bravery shocked Huayang. The Huayang soldiers, who were already caught off guard, abandoned all resistance at the sight of this scene, throwing down their armor and weapons, fleeing in terror, crying out for their parents, and completely routed... The iron cavalry advanced like a whirlwind, and in less than half an hour, they had stormed straight into the imperial palace. With a map of the palace provided by palace spies, they effortlessly wiped out the imperial guards, secret agents, and other palace assassins hidden in different corners of the palace. They passed through the Xuande Hall and stormed into the emperor's bedchamber. From the luxurious and extravagant golden nanmu carved bed, they lifted Emperor Yongwu, who was in the middle of a passionate lovemaking session, unaware that his empire had been overthrown.

Startled, Emperor Yongwu stumbled back two steps, his face deathly pale, and pointed tremblingly at the armored cavalry before him: "Who...who are you! How dare rude into...my..."

"Where is Damo Tinglan?" From a passage cleared by the cavalry on both sides, Rongyue, dragging a long iron whip, walked toward him with dangerously narrowed eyes and a cold expression.

Hearing the cracking sound of the iron whip striking the ground and seeing Rong Yue, who was as cold as a demon king, Emperor Yongwu, who had never experienced such a scene before, was so frightened that he lost control of his bladder. His legs trembled, and a foul-smelling liquid trickled down his swollen, fat legs.

"M-Your Majesty, spare my life..." The bloated body went limp, and Emperor Yongwu slumped to the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

"I'll ask you one last time, where is the Great Desert Orchid?!" With a dark face, Rongyue cracked her iron whip, its cold, stern light piercing the Yongwu Emperor on the ground.

His two large, fleshy ears could no longer hear Rongyue's words; they were completely filled with the clanging of the iron whip, a harsh, jarring sound that pounded into his fragile, terrified heart. Staring at the constantly flashing, cold light, he felt as if the iron whip would mercilessly lash his pampered, delicate flesh at any moment, leaving him a bloody mess, his skin torn and bleeding, a gruesome sight…

Overwhelmed by the shock, he finally succumbed to his fear, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

"Useless cripple!" She stepped forward and kicked him twice with her toes. Seeing that he was unconscious and unresponsive, Rongyue was filled with disgust and didn't bother with him anymore. She turned around and beckoned the cavalry behind her to bring up the little eunuch who usually served him.

The little eunuch, whose legs trembled like a sieve, was in no better shape than the useless emperor when he saw Rong Yue. Before the two cavalrymen holding him could let go, he eagerly tried to crawl to Rong Yue's feet, crying and begging for her life.

"I'll spare your life if you want me to. Go and fetch the Desert Orchid hidden deep within your palace for me, and I'll spare your life!"

Upon hearing a glimmer of hope, the little eunuch was overjoyed. He scrambled to his feet and stumbled towards the door, crying out, "Da Mo Ting Lan... Da Mo Ting Lan... in Dong Luan Palace... Yes, right there, in Dong Luan..."

The excited murmurs abruptly stopped. His body stiffened as if struck by a beret, and after a moment, he ran over, trembling, and knelt at Rongyue's feet: "General...that...that Great Desert Orchid is gone..."

"Gone?" Rongyue's voice was icy cold.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and the little eunuch pleaded in a tearful voice, "General, spare my life! That orchid was given to the Eastern Dynasty as a gift by the envoy just a few days ago... It's not my fault, please spare my life, General..."

The Eastern Dynasty… Rongyue was taken aback at first, then her eyes gradually narrowed. It seemed that a hard-fought battle with the Eastern Dynasty was inevitable…

The victory was easy, ultimately because it caught the enemy off guard and seized their troops unexpectedly. Although overthrowing the tyrannical ruler may have been in accordance with the will of the people, to the people of Louxi, they were still foreign invaders. Capturing their people did not necessarily win their hearts. Rongyue's forces numbered only tens of thousands, while the rest were all Louxi prisoners, numbering around two hundred thousand. If someone in the army were to instigate a rebellion, those two hundred thousand, with their sheer numbers, could easily drown them with a single spit, let alone take up arms to fight them.

After capturing the capital, Rongyue's first thought wasn't how to deal with the approaching Eastern army, but rather how to win over the hearts of the people and gain the genuine acceptance of the Western Kingdom prisoners of war within the army, preventing them from harboring any thoughts of rebellion. Internal strife must precede external resistance—an age-old truth. But how exactly should internal strife be achieved?

He pressed Rongyue's small face against his broad chest, then lowered his head to kiss her temple, saying tenderly, "You've been sighing more and more these past few days. Little San, are you in some kind of trouble?"

Ever since Tuoba Chen found Rongyue, he openly acted as the general's man, sleeping in the same bed with her every night. Feeling guilty, and given Rongyue's previous promise to marry him, she didn't dare complain and let him do as he pleased. The soldiers tacitly understood and were used to it. This was the case in the military tents, and now that they had entered the capital, it was no exception. They found a relatively quiet palace in the palace, where Rongyue and Tuoba Chen would rest for the night.

Lying on the silk quilt covered with snowflake silk, leaning against Tuoba Chen and listening to the powerful vibrations coming from his chest, Rongyue felt a moment of peace in her heart.

"There's no trouble yet, but the absence of trouble now doesn't guarantee its absence in the future, or even tomorrow or the next moment. Prevention is better than cure, so we must plan ahead and eliminate the possibility of trouble before it arrives. Unfortunately, my experience is too shallow and my knowledge insufficient; I really don't know how to nip trouble in the bud..."

After pondering for a while, Tuoba Chen asked, "Is Xiao San worried that they will start fighting amongst themselves?"

His eyes closed wearily, troubled: "Internal strife might be the least of it... You don't know how much those tens of thousands of cavalry hate the Louxi soldiers because of that matter... And we destroyed their country, so it's inevitable that the Louxi soldiers harbor resentment. Two groups of soldiers, filled with mutual hatred, are now united... Alas, it's difficult, and worrying..."