Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The Second Consort was sitting alone in her tent. It was late at night but she was still dressed and felt sleepless. And every once in a while someone would come in and report with news.
The Royal Court was like a great pride of lions, in which the young lions were openly fighting to be the new king while the old king was showing signs of death but had not expired yet.
The Second Consort clearly felt her inherent weakness as a woman at this moment. She had the ambition, the army, and even the supporters but she could only remain inactive. At such sensitive times, her intervention would only bring her disputes whether she won or lost.
Like the pride, the male lions competed for the throne while the lionesses looked on. They always had a way to control the new lion king but never interfered or choose the king.
The Second Consort wished she could have a choice.
A female soldier dressed in leather armor and a scarf walked in. “The armies of King Rizhu and King Kuari have joined the battle. As you predicted, the other lords are so timid that they are all staying in the craftsman’s area as onlookers.”
“This means that the two kings haven’t finished fighting yet.”
“King Rizhu has many generals and ample soldiers and is sure to win.”
The Second Consort smiled. The female soldier chose what she wanted to hear and didn’t understand that what she badly needed right now was the truth. If King Rizhu was sure to win, then the other kings would not choose to simply look on. “Is there anything unusual happening in the north?”
“Nothing unusual so far. The state of alertness in the palace was raised but there’s no sign of cavalry being mobilized. The lords have all kept their promises and haven’t transferred any soldiers to the north. The protection of the Flower Camp is even stricter than that of the palace, not even a fly could enter.”
The Second Consort waved the female soldier away and continued to consider the various possible results of the current situation as well as the most advantageous countermeasures.
“She thought that the Second Consort wanted King Rizhu to win.” A voice came from behind.
The Second Consort looked back and wasn’t particularly surprised. She smiled instead, and replied, “Even a fly could not enter but the Dragon King can. Is your kung fu too good or did my subordinates betray me?”
“Your subordinates don’t think I’m a threat, and it’s in your best interest to have it so.”
“The first signs of betrayal are when the servants begin to think for their master and act on their own. Haha, why does that sound like something the Khan would say? Alas, I’ve learned a lot from him.” The Second Consort shook her head. “I knew I shouldn’t have let my subordinates hang around the female soldiers of the Land of Fragrance too much.”
“I’m here to end what should have ended then.” Gu Shenwei revealed his purpose.
The Second Consort turned around and looked at the young Dragon King. “We haven’t started yet. What’s the so-called end of it?”
“Our alliance is already dead because of your lies, so it doesn’t matter if it has really ‘started’ or not.”
The Second Consort was neither angry nor ashamed of the accusation. “Yes, I sent Luo Ningcha to the Khan. It was an order I had to follow. I didn’t tell the Dragon King because the Dragon King didn’t seem interested in that woman.”
“It’s not just about her.”
“Hehe, the Dragon King is trying to trick me into confessing but I don’t understand. Why not just say it? You can give me a cut if I don’t tell the truth. The Royal Court is very lively tonight and I will not die alone anyway.”
“The Norland has been intercepting the messengers of the Dragon Army.”
“Believe it or not, but I’ve never heard of such a thing and I don’t know what intercepting a messenger would do.”
“Was it your idea to send Duodun to the Western Regions?”
“The old man told you? Yes, it was my idea. And it is also my credit that brought this son into the Khan’s attention. No matter how that old man thinks or how he envies, I’ll marry Duodun, as a result for all the years I’ve served him and for all the suffering I’ve endured.”
The Second Consort put it bluntly with a firm expression as if those who opposed her would become her enemy. Then she softened her tone and continued, “It’s not bad for you and has no effect on our alliance. Once Duodun becomes the Khan, you will be the king of the Western Regions. We can continue to join hands and wage a war with the Central Plains. Weren’t you a man of the Central Plains before? You can become the emperor of the Central Plains.”
This scene was so far away that even the Second Consort felt it was too illusory, so her eyes lit up, hoping to strengthen her persuasion with an expression of excitement.
Gu Shenwei wasn’t interested in it so he went straight to the next question, a question he was very concerned about. “The Khan has arrested several people related to me. I think that they are kept here.”
“Women?” The Second Consort’s eyes became brighter. All of a sudden, this news seemed to be more important than the battle of the kings that was going on in the Royal Court.
Gu Shenwei nodded.
“I knew that the Dragon King was an affectionate man. That’s why I chose to ally with you.” The Second Consort showed real excitement and even took a step towards the Dragon King, forgetting that the other side was a killer. “I heard that you beat Golden Roc Castle with the help of the female soldiers of the Land of Fragrance. Ever since then I thought that you were special. You trust women, and in particular, you trusted your enemy’s daughter. You two fell in love, didn’t you?”
“That’s not why I came to you.” Gu Shenwei poured cold water onto the Second Consort’s fantasies with a cold tone. “I need a reliable ally in the Norland, not a woman who cares more about love than strength.”
The Second Consort put away her smile but her expression was still ambiguous. It was as if she had found something in common with the Dragon King, and with that, the two had suddenly come to understand each other. “I hope that I can help you, and I’ll spare no effort to help you. Shangguan Ru has been missing for a long time but she’s not in the Flower Camp. Indeed, hiding women in my place would be the most convenient but you forget that the Khan is the most cunning fox on the prairie who has at least twenty or thirty caves, and each of them can hide over a dozen women. But you are right to ask me for help. No one knows the Khan better than I do. Give me a day, and I’ll find them no matter how many there are.”
Gu Shenwei didn’t ask her for help but the Second Consort took everything upon herself. And then with a little discontent, she said, “You know, you should have told me earlier. But you pretended you didn’t care about Shangguan Ru, so I thought I was wrong in my previous guesses.”
Gu Shenwei wanted to explain but changed his mind on second thought. It was better if the Second Consort retained her present idea and attitude, as it would only bring him benefits. “I hope to hear the results before dawn.”
“What’s the rush? What happened?” The Second Consort didn’t understand why the Dragon King, who was slacking in his handling of Shangguan Ru’s disappearance, had suddenly become so impatient.
“The Khan is about to make a move.”
Gu Shenwei lied, but the Second Consort was quite convinced, “I’ll try my best, so just wait here for my news.”
“No, I want you to find a way to get me into the palace right now.”
“What are you going to do?” The Second Consort became alert at once as if her enthusiasm had never existed before this.
“The Khan invited me to see him tonight but he didn’t leave me a way in.”
“It sounds like another one of that old fellow’s tricks. But you have to understand that the Khan is very afraid of being controlled by others, and he would not spare me if he knew that I could take you into the palace.”
“He will not punish you. He has already arranged an ending for you.”
“Haha, the Khan is always the Khan. The whole prairie regards him as a god and he really thinks that he’s a god that can treat everyone as a pawn and manipulate them at will.”
The Second Consort looked very contemptuous but it only lasted a short while before her expression turned somber. “What did he say?”
“He said that you and Duodun were never meant to be together.”
The Second Consort didn’t continue asking questions. She kept silent for a moment and said, “He’s not always right. Well, I’ll take you into the palace myself.”
“It’s not just me. There are two more of us.”
“I hope they do things as cleanly and swiftly as the Dragon King.”
Firelight could be seen from the east and west side of the noble district, though it was beginning to weaken, and the cries of the battle were fading. “The kings who are watching the battle are about to join in.” The Second Consort behaved as if she were talking to herself, but she was actually speaking to the Dragon King behind her.
Gu Shenwei, Wild Horse, and Shangguan Nu were the Second Consort’s guards at the moment. There were originally no men in the Flower Camp, the Second Consort had brought five hundred horsemen of her own last night to guard at the outer periphery of the camp.
They had failed to find that three killers had sneaked into the camp.
The palace was more strictly guarded than usual. It was not even easy for the Second Consort to get in, but she used a very simple method of scolding and taking the lead to rush inside. “No one can stop me from seeing the Khan,” she snapped.
No one could stop her, and neither did anyone dare to touch her. The real obstacle was the countless tents. The Khan’s living place was constantly changing, which was very secretive especially when communicating with the gods or holding a secret ceremony.
This was especially true tonight. The Second Consort had broken into several commonly used bedchambers but couldn’t even find a clue of the Khan’s location and all she did was wake a few slave girls. The guards and eunuchs behind her begged her to not make trouble but they refused to help her.
The Second Consort angrily left the palace while shouting, “I have something very important to discuss with the Khan. Let’s see how the Khan punishes you tomorrow.”
The guards all heaved a sigh of relief, believing that they were definitely not the ones who would be punished tomorrow. No one had noticed that three guards had disappeared while the Second Consort was constantly entering and leaving the tents.
The three killers would act on their own, which was the agreement they had reached before entering the Flower Camp. Since no one trusted the others, none of them were willing to expose their back to another in this dangerous place, so the only choice left was to carry out their own plans independently.
Gu Shenwei had solved one of the biggest difficulties of the assassination which was to bring them into the palace. Next, they had to rely on their own abilities to act.
Shangguan Nu was the weakest in terms of martial arts skills but he wasn’t lacking in confidence at all. He believed that sabersmanship wasn’t the most important in an assassination. This was from the experience he had accumulated as a young master, as he had participated in more missions than the other two. He was very experienced and knew how to make the best use of his advantages and lessen his disadvantages.
Wild Horse had always been unwilling to submit to the Dragon King and he had a unique advantage as well. He had been in close contact with the masters around the Khan and had learned many secrets of the Khan from these people.
It was hard to tell whether Gu Shenwei was confident or not, but he knew that the Khan was waiting for him and he also knew where to find the target. He had to find a place to hide first, and he wouldn’t act until the palace quieted down again.
The tent where the Khan had received the Dragon King was empty, and there was no guard outside either. But he found a jar of wine in the middle of the tent.
Gu Shenwei made a detour and went to the tent where the banquet had been held. There was also no guard there as if it were empty. But as soon as he entered, he knew that someone was standing in the dark.
“Please choose a name, Dragon King.” The cold voice was not the Khan’s, but rather a woman’s.
