Chapter 19: A Prince at First Sight?

"Men, ride fast and catch up to Ashina Yanyun. Tell him I want to negotiate with him!"

Li Yuanying was momentarily stunned. He then tentatively spoke up, "Young Commander, having spent the last three years in the Imperial Horse Guard, you may not be fully aware of the situation outside. This young prince of the Northern Wu Kingdom, he..."

"Hmm?"

A single glance was enough to make Li Yuanying tremble.

"Yes! I will send men to catch up with them at once!"

"Once you catch them, regardless of whether they return or require me to go to them, tell him to wait right where he is. If he dares to harm the Princess in the slightest, I will make him pay a bitter price. Do you understand?"

Lin Qian had issued his final ultimatum. In the current Great Qian Dynasty, if there was anyone left for whom Lin Qian still felt concern, it was only his grandmother and Ye Huang.

At that moment, at an encampment nearly two thousand miles away, the Sixth Prince of the Northern Wu Kingdom, Ashina Yanyun, was drinking and making merry with his generals. They had reaped a bountiful harvest, plundering countless cattle, sheep, and women from the various tribes on the grasslands. They had even spared no one, taking the elderly back as slaves. As for the able-bodied men, anyone taller than a chariot wheel was executed without exception.

Ashina Yanyun held a golden cup, abruptly pouring the amber-colored wine down his throat. He wiped his mouth, casually cleaned his silver knife on his sleeve, and then plunged it into a roasted leg of lamb, tearing off a piece of meat to chew.

"What did you say? The southerner wants to negotiate with me? Is he out of his mind?"

In the past three years, this Sixth Prince of Northern Wu had risen to prominence. He had not only eliminated his elder and second brothers, forced his third brother into exile, and imprisoned his fourth and fifth, but he had also brought the entire fate of the Northern Wu Kingdom under his firm control. If he wished, he could dispose of his father at any moment and ascend to the throne of the Northern Wu Khanate. Bringing eighteen thousand cavalrymen on this expedition was meant to clear away the final obstacles, ensuring these tribes would not cause trouble before he took the throne.

"Young Master, I hear this Lin Qian is quite a formidable figure. Three years ago, he was the heir to the Western Expedition Prince’s estate, following Prince Sun Ye on his campaigns."

"Three years ago?"

Upon hearing this, Ashina Yanyun’s brow furrowed tightly. Indeed, there had been whispers three years ago, and he had heard them.

"Hmph! Regardless of who he is, I see that the Southern Dynasty has become so weak that even a military fortress like Chunping City requires a woman to guard it. This shows just how rotten the South has truly become!"

"However, I quite like this woman. She has spirit! She will make a perfect consort for me!"

As he spoke, Ashina Yanyun slammed his hand on the table. "Men! Get her cleaned up and bring her to me. Tonight, I shall hold my wedding here and take my consort!"

Ashina Yanyun had fallen for Ye Huang at first sight. He had never before encountered a woman who showed no fear of him, even trading blows with him. With her tall, lithe frame and stunning beauty—especially her swordplay, which was truly a sight to behold—he was utterly captivated. Such a beauty was a gift from the heavens, meant to be his consort, his Great Khatun!

Before long, Ye Huang was forcibly pushed into the grand tent.

"Hahaha!" Ashina Yanyun let out a boisterous laugh, and the generals drinking in the tent raised their cups in turn.

"The Sixth Prince is truly blessed! Who would have thought this woman is the thirteenth daughter of the Great Qian Emperor!"

Ashina Yanyun smiled slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Ye Huang. "The daughter of the Great Qian Emperor—is she not the perfect match for me?"

"One day, I will sit upon the throne once occupied by the Great Qian Emperor. I will make everyone in the world bow to me, and of course, my consort as well!"

He stood up, spread his arms, and walked toward Ye Huang.

Ye Huang had been forced by maidservants to discard her armor and dress in the attire of a Northern Wu woman. She was deeply uncomfortable, and a look of indignation crossed her fair face.

"I am a princess of a noble nation. How dare you force me into the clothes of you barbarians! Have someone change me back into my original attire at once!"

Ashina Yanyun laughed at this. "My dear Princess, this is not your Great Qian!"

"This is Wusutai! This is the territory of my Northern Wu! Curb that princess temper of yours; don't provoke me, or you won't even know where you've met your end!"

Ye Huang was a heroine among women; what kind of scenes had she not witnessed? Ashina Yanyun's words could not intimidate her.

"Oh? Then why don't you try it? My Great Qian has four major military commanderies with a total of four hundred thousand troops, not including local garrisons. If you dare to cause me the slightest grievance, my Imperial Father will surely make you pay in blood!"

Ashina Yanyun had assumed Ye Huang only knew a few flashy moves and was merely being stubborn. He pulled a knife from his robe and held it against her delicate throat.

"My Princess, if you continue to ramble, I will cut out your tongue. Even if you cannot scream on our wedding night, I do not care; it is all the same to me!"

When had Ye Huang ever suffered such an insult? Hearing the words "wedding night," the unrestrained laughter of the generals, and seeing the shameless look on Ashina Yanyun's face, she was overcome with fury. She suddenly raised her foot and kicked him hard in the stomach. She then lunged forward toward the knife, clearly intending to end her own life.

"Bang!"

Fortunately, those beside Ashina Yanyun were quick to react, preventing her from succeeding.

"Are you mad?"

"Mad woman! To think you would even kill yourself!"

Ashina Yanyun was a man who killed without blinking, yet in that moment, he felt for the first time that the people of the South might not be the sheep he had imagined them to be.

"You, you..."

Seeing her plan had failed, Ye Huang gritted her teeth. "Ashina Yanyun! If you have the guts, kill me! To insult me here—if you have the courage, let me go and fight me one-on-one!"

"If it weren't for the sake of the people in Chunping City, would I have surrendered and allowed you to humiliate me?"

Ashina Yanyun’s eyes narrowed. This woman... even in her rage, she was beautiful. He feared that from this day forward, no other woman would ever find a place in his eyes. Unlike the docile sheep or the women who deliberately submitted to him, the fierce spirit Ye Huang possessed made even Ashina Yanyun feel a sense of inferiority. If their roles were reversed, he might not have performed as bravely as this fragile woman.