Chapter 69: Escape
That night, the Eldest Prince, with his followers, killed all of his younger brothers’ sons and loyal servants with his sword. All their women became his concubines.
Wails and shrieks resounded along the river, and the snow on the ground swallowed the blood, becoming a brilliant red.
On the third day, the camp was still filled with the strong smell of blood.
Yelu Khan was still unconscious, not yet awake. The remaining tribal elders did not step in to stop the Eldest Prince from his extermination, so all the guards patrolling the camp were replaced by the Eldest Prince’s own followers.
Yaoying’s tent was heavily surrounded by the bravest horsemen of the Yelu tribe from morning to night. Xie Qing was watching over her practically every second of the day.
On the fourth day, a soldier suddenly entered the tent in a hurry, saying anxiously, “Princess, the Yelu tribesmen are trying to kill our horses!”
When Yaoying got married, she brought a hundred good colts from Great Wei, one of which was the divine Wusun horse given to her by Li Zhongqian. When she arrived at the Yelu tribe, her horses and the horses of her soldiers were taken care of by Yelu’s shepherds.
Xie Qing soared to his feet: “I will go and see.”
Yaoying also stood up: “You go and stop those people. I will go and find the Eldest Prince.”
The person who gave the order was the Eldest Prince, and only by stopping the Eldest Prince could her horse be saved.
Xie Qing thought about it, but felt uneasy. He had the other soldiers go to the stables while he personally followed Yaoying, accompanying her to find the Eldest Prince.
The Eldest Prince was drinking in his tent. When the female slave went in to inform him, he put down his bowl of wine and rose to greet her with a big smile.
When Yaoying entered the tent, she immediately denounced with a cold face: “Has the Yelu tribe forgotten your alliance with the Great Wei? If Eldest Prince does not want to keep the promise, then send me back to the Central Plains! I am the majestic Great Wei’s princess, the Khanum whom the Yelu tribe has married. Eldest Prince is humiliating me in this way, because you are not afraid that the Great Wei will attack?”
The Eldest Prince looked surprised. He narrowed his eyes and laughed: “Princess misunderstands. My Yelu tribe admires the Central Plains empire, how can we fail to keep our word?”
Saying that, he paused for a moment. Carefully sizing up Yaoying from top to bottom, his line of sight wandering up and down her body was like a knife.
“Rest assured, Princess. According to our customs, even if my Father Khan unfortunately dies, I will keep the promise of friendship with Great Wei. As the new Khan, Princess will still be the most honored Khanum of the Yelu tribe.”
He said meaningfully, “I will love Princess well on behalf of my Father Khan.”
Yaoying lowered her eyelashes. Her body trembled, as if she did not dare to face the Eldest Prince’s undisguised eyes, and her pale hands clenched her sleeves.
The Eldest Prince took in her attempt to hide her fearful attitude. It felt like a few hundred cat claws scratching at his heart, and he could not help but lean closer and take a deep sniff.
Chinese women were really different from those women in the tribe who were covered in the stench of horses. Delicate and weak, snow white and tender, a seductive fragrance lingered on their bodies.
It was more delicious than the sweetest cheese.
Infatuation was the sole emotion on the Eldest Prince face. He took another step forward and reached out to embrace Yaoying.
Yaoying was so scared that she recoiled, and her body trembled even more: “Eldest Prince, we Central Plains people attach the greatest importance to etiquette. If anything truly happens to the Khan, I need to write to the court, and wait for the court to issue an imperial decree before I can follow the customs of your tribe. Otherwise, I would rather die than be disgraced!”
She raised her head with tears in her eyes rippling with spring.
The beauty was unwilling to show weakness, but unfortunately, every action and every look indicated how scared and helpless she was at the moment. Faced with her tearful expression, the Eldest Prince could not help but be soft hearted.
This stunning beauty will be his sooner or later.
The Eldest Prince smiled playfully and said, “I will ask someone to write a letter at once, so the princess does not need to worry about this.”
Yaoying was silent for a moment and said seriously, “Then why did the Eldest Prince order the killing of the horses I brought? Those good horses are my trousseau and the property of the Yelu tribe, a gift I prepared for the warriors of the Yelu tribe.”
The corners of the Eldest Prince’s mouth hooked up: “Since they are the princess’s trousseau, naturally they cannot be killed.”
He raised his voice and called his attendant into the tent, instructing him to release Yaoying’s horses. His eyes kept looking at Yaoying unblinkingly, carrying an oppressive force.
“The princess is a person made of water1. I cannot wait to love and cherish you. How can I allow the princess to suffer?”
Yaoying’s shoulders trembled lightly and she turned to go out.
Xie Qing followed behind her.
When she returned to her tent, Yaoying raised her hand to brush away the tears in the corner of her eyes.
Xie Qing said softly, “Princess, you have suffered.”
Yaoying shook her head to indicate that nothing was wrong. She sat cross-legged on the felt rug, and lowered her voice: “It seems that the Eldest Prince will not kill Yelu Khan right away. He approves of the alliance between Yelu Khan and the Wei empire.”
After some probing just now, she could confirm that the Eldest Prince would not break the alliance. As long as the Eldest Prince still cared about the Wei empire, she could still be considered safe.
“Yet I always feel uneasy in my heart…”
Yaoying shuddered when she remembered the golden pupils of Bemutai’s eyes.
The Eldest Prince was a brash man, even daring to rob Tumoroga’s caravan. He did not look like someone who could hold back for half a year for an assassination plan. And yet, from the other princes’ hasty response at the wedding that night, the clan elders’ clear-headedness, and the Eldest Prince’s calm and cruel tactics, the Eldest Prince must have prepared for a long time.
In less than three days, he swept away all of those who opposed him in the tribe.
Not a single fish escaped the net.
How could such meticulous results be possible if not for careful planning?
“All other grown princes are dead, including the Khan’s two adopted sons… But Bemutai, who was highly valued by the Khan, came out unscathed and has become the right hand of the Eldest Prince.
“Everyone is trapped in the camp. Only the Eldest Prince’s trusted aides can get in and out.” Yaoying murmured, “I suspect that Bemutai is the real person behind the scenes.”
Bemutai did not show up these two days, but her intuition told her that everything that happened in the tribe was inseparable from him.
Xie Qing also had a deep impression of Bemutai. The foreign man was tall and sturdy, with burly muscles and eyes sharp like a falcon. With a look, anyone could tell he was a master at riding and shooting. Li Xuanzhen led his troops to recover Liangzhou in several battles, and Bemutai performed bravely. Li De even rewarded him with a precious bow.
He said doubtfully: “Why did Bemutai betray the Khan who valued him and assisted the small-minded Eldest Prince instead? Is he not afraid that the Eldest Prince will kill him after he accomplished his mission?”
Yaoying’s hands trembled slightly. A suspicion from before slowly rose in her mind.
Before, it was just a suspicion. Now, it seemed that it was eight or nine if not ten points likely.
Never thought that she would happen to meet that murderous Bringer of Death in the Yelu tribe.
Yelu Khan was hardly terrible, the Eldest Prince she could barely cope with, but facing Bemutai, she had no chance at victory. She only wanted to avoid him as much as possible.
But avoiding did not mean she was safe.
Yaoying pursed her lips and suppressed the uneasiness in her heart. Calling for a personal soldier in her entourage who knew a little bit about medicine, she took him to Yelu Khan’s tent.
“Khan is seriously ill. As Khanum, I should take care of the khan to do my part.”
Tali translated her words into the tribe’s language.
The warriors in front of the tent looked at each other and sent someone to report to the Eldest Prince.
The Eldest Prince, who had just gotten lustful and was seeking pleasure with the Hu girl in his arms, heard the words. He rubbed the Hu girl in his embrace and said with a grin, “The princess is so righteous; it is a blessing for my Yelu tribe. I ask the princess to take good care of my Father Khan.”
The old man would not live for a few more days. The princess wanted to take care of the old man, let her take care of him, so that the princess can see the old man die with her own eyes. Then, she will completely submit to him.
The thought of the tearful Princess Wenzhao looking up at him with that lovely and coquettish charm, the Eldest Prince’s heart tickled even more.
The tent was filled with the woman’s cries.
Yelu Khan’s tent smelled odd, the rotten and sour stench of sheep fat mixing with strong wine. Yaoying entered the tent, choking and hardly able to lift her head.
A few Hu girls were keeping watch by the bed. When they saw Yaoying, they exchanged surprised looks.
Yaoying gestured to her soldier to come forward and check Yelu Khan’s pulse. Taking the felt handkerchief from the Hu women, she went ahead to lean on the couch.
The Hu women hesitated for a moment and respectfully withdrew.
Yelu Khan laid down in the blankets, his complexion pale and breathing feeble. Her personal soldier looked at his face, opened an eyelid, and inspected it. He shook his head at Yaoying.
Yaoying had expected this. Yelu Khan’s condition must be hopeless. Otherwise, the Eldest Prince would not dare let her into the tent.
She continued to sit by the couch, gradually adapting to the smell of the tent.