Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Gu Shenwei arrived at the Second Consort’s camp two hours later than the appointed time, but it turned out that he had still come early. The new King Riyao Tuosai had not yet appeared.
The Second Consort personally came out to greet him. She was dressed in a light military uniform and wearing a sparkling tiara covered with colorful jewels. The dress and jewelry really suited her, making her suddenly appear several years younger.
She extended her arms like a man would welcome a guest, and then took the Dragon King by the arm and announced, “The resurrection of the Dragon King is a blessing for the Norland and good fortune for the prairie. He’s a messenger sent by Heaven to quell the war and restore the power of the Norland.”
Many soldiers gathered on either side heard the words of the Second Consort and cheered in unison, the momentum of which was far beyond that of the camp in the Land of Fragrance.
The two camps were not far apart so they could help each other under urgent situations. Old Man Mu, who had appointed himself as a protector of the Dragon King, had followed him here. Amid the cheers, he pointed at himself and shouted, “I saved the Dragon King from the fire! Risking my life all the while!”
Shangguan Fei now always followed Old Man Mu everywhere. He walked over and revealed the truth in a low voice, “Where was the danger? It was all false flames.”
Old Man Mu poked Shangguan Fei’s waist and similarly replied in a low voice, “Why didn’t you dare to jump into the false fire then?”
Shangguan Fei didn’t dare to say anything more but was still not convinced at heart. How could he have known in advance that Han Fen would release a special fire which looked like it was burning fiercely but was actually just light and smoke without much actual heat? But Old Man Mu knew the secrets of the Waning Moon Hall and was naturally familiar with this trick. Otherwise, based on his temper and principles, how could he risk his life to save others?
Nobody paid attention to the two’s conversation. As the cheers gradually died out, the Second Consort and the Dragon King walked into the tent side by side. “The Dragon King needs to restrain himself a bit when greeting the new king.”
Gu Shenwei couldn’t think of anyone who was more restrained than himself. “Hmm,” he mumbled in acquiescence.
The two entered the tent and before they finished sitting down, King Riyao Tuosai arrived.
A clarion’s call rang out to announce the arrival of an important figure. The Second Consort smilingly invited the Dragon King to greet the new king. As he stood at the door, Gu Shenwei saw over a hundred horsemen ride into the camp, all dressed in silver-white armor from head to toe, including their horses. The cavalry quickly split up and lined up to form two parallel lines that bordered a special passageway for the lord.
The Norland had always taken riding and archery as the country’s foundations. Most of the soldiers wore light leather armor and only the vital parts were adorned with metal. Therefore, the silver-armored knights appeared very out of place and did not actually seem to be of much practical use.
After another wait, Tuosai finally appeared, riding a white steed and being followed by an entourage a dozen or so in size. He didn’t wear any heavy armor. Instead, it seemed that he deliberately wanted to show the forthright side of the nobles of the prairie, as he rode in all the way like a gust of wind. It was not until he was within ten steps of the Dragon King and the Second Consort that he suddenly came to a halt.
The white horse raised its forelegs, almost standing up straight, and Tuosai, who was attached to the horse’s back, lifted the whip in his right hand for a moment — just long enough to impress the onlookers.
Gu Shenwei felt that it was more natural for King Rizhu to do this kind of thing.
Tuosai was no longer a prince tortured by secret passions and under multiple sources of pressure. The chaos of the Royal Court had brought him great benefits, as the remnant forces of King Kuari and King Riyao all belonged to him now. All of a sudden, he had become a prominent figure and was even entitled to the Khan’s throne.
And Luo Ningcha, that matchless beauty, had finally acknowledged him as strong and was willing to accept his love.
Tuosai, who had suddenly ascended to the throne of King Rizhu, had not yet grasped the great power of smiling so he made himself look majestic, to the extent of arrogance. “The Dragon King looks good. That’s very good.”
The tone of his voice was also not the same as it had been before. The words jumped out of his mouth one by one in a staccato pattern as if they were lethal weapons and too many words being said would hurt the innocent.
The Second Consort was good at making use of smiles. From smiling to laughing, she was able to use at least fifteen different types of expressions while disguising different emotions. And now she was wearing a subtle smile with her eyes slightly wide, showing just the right amount of surprise and admiration, while maintaining the same enthusiasm as usual.
“Here comes the most handsome man on the prairie. Tuosai, can’t you keep your profile a little lower? Dragon King, please do not let him go to your camp. Otherwise, those female soldiers would not be in the mood to fight.”
Everyone called Tuosai ‘Your Highness’, but only this grandma-like Second Consort called him by his name, showing intimacy and favor. He held no antipathy to it at all and even felt a bit complacent about it.
Smiles and wine were two important means of interpersonal communications but Gu Shenwei had neither of them. Not only that, but he had once broken into Tuosai’s tent and witnessed the prince’s bewildered and frightened appearance and therefore, would not be someone the new king liked.
Gu Shenwei coughed twice for a moment and laid his right hand on his heart. Fang Wenshi, who had arrived earlier, immediately came forward to hold his left arm and said, “I beg your pardon, Your Highness. The Dragon King just came to his senses earlier and has not yet fully recovered from his wounds.”
“I’m fine.” Gu Shenwei pretended to seem displeased and pushed the counselor away, but his steps were unsteady and there was a hint of blood oozing from his chest.
Tuosai jumped off the horse and patted the Dragon King on the shoulder with concern. “You were hurt badly, so you should have a good rest. The Second Consort and I were too careless.”
Tuosai’s pat wasn’t light. Gu Shenwei swayed and Fang Wenshi hurried to support him again.
As soon as they entered the tent, Tuosai abandoned the facade of friendliness. While the others sat down, he stood in the middle and said in a host’s tone, “This is a private talk.”
The servants and entourage obediently left. Fang Wenshi got up and was also about to leave when Gu Shenwei motioned for him to sit down. “Counselor Fang is the brains of my army. I just woke up and need to consult him about many things. I hope that King Riyao won’t mind him staying here.”
Tuosai thought for a moment with his head held high and quickly nodded forcefully. “All right.”
When there were only four people left in the tent, Tuosai took over the host’s right to speak, saying, “The Second Consort and I are only concerned about one thing. Is the Dragon King’s saber as sharp as ever?”
“I don’t know till I try.” Gu Shenwei didn’t give a direct answer.
“Hmm, I thought so too. King Shengri has raised many killers who are possibly from Golden Roc Castle. They assassinated many important generals everywhere and are a great threat. Can the Dragon King try it on them?”
“Yes, but I need time…”
“Three days,” Tuosai interrupted the Dragon King. “The current situation is changing very fast, and there’s no time to formulate a careful plan. In three days, I want to see the heads cut off by the Dragon King which can be those of the killers or generals of the enemy. The more the better.”
“Well, I just want to point out that the killers of King Shengri have nothing to do with Golden Roc Castle. They are all disciples of the Waning Moon Hall, and I also need to know who the enemy is.”
Tuosai raised his head and cast a look at the Dragon King, “All those who are not on my side.” After pausing for a while, he asked again, “Isn’t it true that people of the Waning Moon Hall were once under the command of the Dragon King?”
“Yes.”
Instead of asking further, Tuosai turned his head to glance at the Second Consort and hummed softly.
Fang Wenshi tried to break the awkward atmosphere by saying, “The Dragon King is very concerned about the hundred thousand Court Attendants Army. He came today to…”
Tuosai seemed to be fond of interrupting people. Without even looking at Fang Wenshi, he loudly said, “Just leave the Court Attendants Army to me. They are real Norland Cavalry and will only obey the strongest descendant of the Khan. They will know who they should be loyal to after I defeat all my enemies.”
An issue of the utmost importance under discussion was over before Tuosai had even taken a seat. He grabbed the wine cup and drained it with one gulp. Then he nodded to the Second Consort and merely took a glance at the Dragon King before turning around and striding off.
Even when facing Tuosai’s back, the Second Consort kept smiling. “Power gives a man everything, and the only thing it takes away is wisdom. Heh, once again, this seems to be something that was said by the Khan. That old dog is still haunting me even after he died.”
“Fortunately, I don’t need his wisdom that much.”
“Haha.” The Second Consort smiled happily. “The Dragon King doesn’t need his wisdom but he needs the Dragon King’s woman. Tuosai went to please Luo Ningcha. If not because of this woman, he wouldn’t have even come here.”
“Luo Ningcha is not my woman.”
“It doesn’t matter. She’s useful now anyway, and she’s become smart enough to play hard-to-get with a man. She’s got a tent full of screens and only lets Tuosai hear her voice. I have to say that this trick is very effective. Our King Riyao has become completely enamored with her and has even promised to make her the Chief Consort the moment he becomes the Khan.”
“King Riyao is very generous.”
“Hmm, when he’s generous enough to hand over the army, all our problems will be solved.”
“Will he gain the allegiance of the Court Attendants Army?”
Hearing this question, the Second Consort put away her smile for the first time, revealing her serious side. “The Court Attendants Army has now become the key force in turning the Royal Court around. Everyone wants to win their support and Tuosai has oversimplified the whole situation. The Court Attendants Army isn’t unbreakable, and they can be grouped into two parts. One is the common soldiers who all have a clean personal record. They are loyal only to the Khan or his heir. The other part consists of the eldest scions of the nobles, who, from the age of fifteen, are obliged to join the Court Attendants Army and start with the title of a junior officer while having to serve for at least ten years. They come from different tribes and have their own background and backers, and have formed many internal groups, which actually control the Court Attendants Army. Even the Court Attendants Army can’t ignore their opinions. These are the people who make things complicated.”
“I know a man who claims to have many friends in the Court Attendants Army.”
“Liman, General Zhesu’s son. I saw him. Hmm, he’s right but you can’t expect him to bring over the entire army. Send him to pry around and find out information about the real intentions of the Court Attendants Army’s generals.”
“What kind of man is the Commandant?”
The Second Consort’s smile reappeared. “The Dragon King can make his own judgment for himself when he sees the Commandant.” After a pause, she explained, “The Commandant has invited all the forces of the Royal Court to a meeting the day after tomorrow at noon. The Dragon King is also invited.”
“I hope that this is not a trap to wipe out all his enemies.” The first thing that came to Gu Shenwei’s mind was that this was a trap because the Court Attendants Army was claiming to avenge the Khan, and all the forces, including the Dragon King, were suspicious.
“You can rest assured. The place was carefully selected, the Commandant will only take a few men with him, and the army will remain where they are. If the Dragon King can prove that the assassin was from the Waning Moon Hall, it will be a crushing blow to King Shengri.”
“It’ll be very hard.” Gu Shenwei had seen the truth himself but he clearly knew that his words were not very convincing to the dignitaries of the Norland and that he had no direct evidence in his hands.
“Then we can only take one step at a time and see what happens.” The Second Consort heard the horse’s hooves outside the tent and smiled. “There’s a person that the Dragon King must meet. She has helped you a lot.”
Gu Shenwei’s heart flipped. He hadn’t seen Shangguan Ru in the Second Consort’s camp.
