Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The Second Consort sat on a soft couch with her legs crossed and her hands in her sleeves; her figure seemed like a statue of an august goddess.
In front of her, Duodun was pacing up and down with a puzzled frown on his face. Then, he abruptly stopped, turned around, and faced the Second Consort. He raised his right index finger to grab her attention, and then said, “You could have taken advantage of the victory and asked for more.”
“It’s not that easy to delude the Dragon King,” Second Consort replied blandly. “Trust me. He will take the bait again.”
“Zhe Su wants a negotiation by tomorrow.” As Duodun pressed his hands together on the couch, he looked the Second Consort in the eyes. She saw both anxiety and a childlike pleading in his face. “Zhe Su’s an old fox. He invited both Shulitu and me because he p[lans on supporting the one who offers the higher price.”
The Second Consort’s heart softened and she gently stroked his face. His masculine features started melting into the image of the young teenager in her memories. Her voice became extremely tender as she asked, “Can’t we give him a more favorable offer? Shulitu’s just a child. What harm could he possibly cause to us?”
Duodun stood up impatiently and pushed the Second Consort’s gentle stroke aside. Like a stubborn teenager, he instinctively hated any sort of intimate physical contact. “It’s not Shulitu that’s the problem. It’s the Dragon King. The Norland is not even his, so he is willing to give it away as long as he is able to eliminate Golden Roc Castle. Seriously, he is willing to give the Naihang Tribe all of the grasslands. How am I supposed to compete with him?”
The Second Consort draw her palms back. The feelings she had for Duodun were complicated. She was like a mother, partner and lover to him all at once, and there was a common bottom line with each of these three identities — she would never betray or hurt this man. “The Dragon King’s interested in Norland. I can see it in his eyes.”
Duodun exhaled deeply. As he sat beside the Second Consort, he fell into a deep contemplation. “Sometimes, I really want to just kill the Dragon King. A lot of people are willing to help me do it, you know. Waning Moon Hall, for example. I still haven’t broken contact with those women. It’s ridiculous, actually. You know what? When I mentioned Waning Moon Hall to King Shengri, he was nearly scared halfway to death, and then he literally committed suicide. Ha-ha.”
The Second Consort didn’t think that the story was funny at all, and she cautioned, “Stay away from those maniacs from the Waning Moon Hall. They’re not reliable allies. After you become the Khan, the first thing you should do is eradicate the Waning Moon Hall. People like them don’t deserve to exist in this world.”
Duodun didn’t like the Second Consort’s lecturing and the frown on his face stretched even tighter. “Sure. Why would I trust a bunch of lunatics? They just want to use me and I’m similarly just using them. Alas, I should’ve asked them for help when I was in Heaven’s Pass.”
The Second Consort’s tone became slightly severe as she scolded, “You’re just as impulsive as you were when you were young. You made a mistake at Heaven’s Pass and you’re not going to do that again, you hear me?”
“Okay… I got it. It was those people around me who led me down the wrong path.”
“You’re the Khan’s son, and you can easily gain the troops’ loyalty in a way that most other leaders can only dream about. What you need the most right now is smart people, not a bunch of obedient lackeys. Liman’s intelligence and Azheba’s courage can be of great use for you. The rest are good for nothing except being your drinking companions.”
Coincidentally, these two were the very two whom Duodun liked the least, but he knew that the Second Consort was right about them. “I know all this. You don’t have to keep reminding me.”
The Second Consort maintained her smile. She was the only person whom Duodun would lay bear his other side that was hidden from everybody else, so she was not annoyed at all. “And regarding the Dragon King, he’s of even greater importance to you than Liman, Azheba and your 70,000 men combined. You have to strive hard for his support.”
“I hate the Dragon King,” Duodun said, with his teeth clenched, fist balled, and a menacing look in his eyes — even his closest companion had never seen this expression on him before.
“Because of that woman from the Land of Fragrance?”
“Shangguan Ru? She’s just a tool I used to humiliate the Dragon King. She’s just as bumptious as the Dragon King. You thought that I actually liked her?”
“I didn’t.” The Second Consort would never encourage her man to explore his true feelings — that was a dangerous precedent to set.
“Who does the Dragon King think he is? When he’s just a son of a servant, a fugitive killer from Golden Roc Castle. He’s even cheaper than the dirt beneath my feet, and yet he dares to fondly hope that someday, he will have the same status as mine. After wrestling Shulitu under his control and enjoying a few victories over some lords, he actually thinks that he’s better than the Khan’s descendants. I’m going to make him pay for his arrogance.”
In the Second Consort’s eyes, Duodun’s wild arrogance was synonymous with inexhaustible energy, and all she had to do was give him some careful guidance. “Sooner or later, you’ll have the Dragon King beneath your feet. But before that happens, you have to hide your hatred. The most important thing about a Khan’s anger is that you have to restrain it. Think about it — how many years did the previous Khan hide his anger for the Naihang Tribe? So there’s no need for you to rush.”
“The previous Khan,” Duodun resentfully repeated those words. The Second Consort hurriedly changed the subject. Although she had betrayed the previous Khan in her heart long ago, she still felt awkward when mentioning the previous Khan before Duodun. “The Dragon King has built up a prestigious reputation among the Norland cavalrymen. You might not have noticed it, but it’s real. Despite the efforts that you and Azheba, as well as the others, have put in these past days, the Dragon King still achieved more than you all did.”
Duodun was unconvinced and snorted in response. The Second Consort patiently explained, “Even the bravest soldier, deep down in his heart, fears death. As long as he has the chance, he will do whatever he can to follow the commander-in-chief who ensures victory. The Dragon King has led them once, and to a victory. But you haven’t, and this is the gap between you two. In times of peace, soldiers will always prefer the descendants of the Khan, but in times of war, they will make another choice. Their so-called loyalty is actually cheap — as superficial as these silk clothes.”
“The previous Khan yet again,” remarked Duodun coldly.
“The Khan’s experience on this aspect is indisputable and we have to learn from him — even you can’t deny this.”
“I’ll lead the army and win some victories. As long as I defeat Luoluo, who then will suspect my competence?”
Not willing to discourage Duodun any further, the Second Consort didn’t remind him of another obvious truth — as a commander-in-chief, horsewhip Luoluo had won more victories than even the Dragon King. Instead, she said, “That’s why you have to persuade the Dragon King into taking your side. If you want to defeat a strong enemy, then you have to win over as many allies as you can, not to mention that the Dragon King’s a pretty powerful one.”
After thinking for quite a while, Duodun reluctantly agreed to the Second Consort’s advice. “If so, then what’s the point of this plot? And why did you mention his family background? We can just negotiate with him straightforwardly. The Dragon King’s a snobbish guy and he will accept reasonable terms.”
The Second Consort maintained her posture which was like a statue of a goddess. “The odds are very much in the Dragon King’s favor, so why would he accept your ‘reasonable terms’? If you want his allegiance, then you first have to take everything he has. Afterwards, give him everything he needs. Currently, Shulitu means everything to the Dragon King, as all his previous success will be in vain without this puppet.”
Duodun smiled. “The Dragon King must have thought that you had a big plan and that you would just ignore all the minor details. But when Shulitu proposes to you, you can just accuse Shulitu in front Naihang Tribe. Both Zhe Su and Duo Ercha have a thin skin… Ha-ha, you’re the only one who’s smart enough to think of this tactic. You’re far more intelligent than all the other beautiful women in the world combined.”
Indeed, Duodun can be adorable when he wants to. The Second Consort gently leaned against him and silently enjoyed this moment.
“The Dragon King has left the tent,” a voice reported from outside.
The Second Consort straightened up immediately. Duodun also stood up and, before leaving, said, “The Dragon King’s definitely going to buy it.”
The Second Consort had never doubted this. She had been observing the Dragon King for long enough and had even lent 10,000 cavalrymen to him. She was now confident that she could anticipate his every move.
Yet both the Second Consort and Duodun didn’t have any kung fu skills, so neither of them had discovered that someone was eavesdropping on them.
An hour later, it was not the Dragon King, but rather Shangguan Ru who came to meet the Second Consort.
The Second Consort was not surprised at all.
“Who said that women are useless?” With a big smile on her face, Second Consort welcomed Shangguan Ru in. “It’s just that women usually work behind the scenes, and most people are unaware of our contributions.”
Shangguan Ru also smiled in response. “I’d rather drink behind the scenes.”
“But the Dragon King trusts you.”
Shangguan Ru didn’t want to talk about “trust,” so she went straight to the point. “The Dragon King thought about it and he’s willing to accept your offer.”
“Do you know what my offer is?”
Shangguan Ru shook her head and replied, “I didn’t ask and he didn’t tell me.”
“So does that mean that I’m not supposed to tell you the rest of my conditions?”
“You’re not.” Shangguan Ru had come here not to resume the negotiations, but rather to inform the Second Consort of the Dragon King’s new terms. “The Dragon King said that he’s very interested in the Second Consort’s suggestions. And since Prince Duodun’s just a subsidiary condition, he’d like to see Duodun kicked out of the game first.”
“Ha-ha, so the Dragon King’s this tough to deal with. He’s merely interested and hasn’t promised me anything, but he wants already me to pay such a heavy price in advance.”
“The Dragon King also said that he will meet your first condition tomorrow.”
The first condition was that Shulitu would officially declare his intent to marry the Second Consort.
The Second Consort mulled over it for a long time before finally saying, “Fine. Tomorrow it is. Both the Dragon King and I will get what we want.”
Shangguan Ru exhaled deeply as she said, “Then my mission has been accomplished.”
It was already late at night. Followed by Red Bat, Shangguan Ru walked through the army camp. She didn’t like the role she was currently playing: concealing, spying, speculating, allying, betraying. She had tried so hard to leave these things behind, but now, they had all come back to her at once.
The Dragon King was still waiting for her. Shangguan Ru reported the Second Consort’s reply to him, and then said, “I don’t know what kind of agreement you reached with her, but I have to warn you that the Second Consort’s not trustworthy.”
Gu Shenwei nodded his agreement. After hesitating for quite a while, he finally decided to reveal all of the Second Consort’s conditions to the counselor. Fang Wenshi was just as startled as the Dragon King. He was also more prudent and insisted on formulating a long-term plan, but he believed that they could use the Second Consort to bring down Duodun.
So then Gu Shenwei called Shangguan Ru in.
She had finished her job, and Gu Shenwei filled her in on the context of his deal with the Second Consort.
Unexpectedly, Shangguan Ru wasn’t surprised at all. “This does seem like something the Second Consort would do. So Shulitu’s going to declare his intent to marry the Second Consort tomorrow, but what about her? What’s she going to do?”
“She’s going to admit that she’s been having an affair with Duodun and that this affair had started while the Khan was still alive. The Norlanders, especially the Court Attendants Army, won’t tolerate this.”
“Duodun’s going to be disgraced.”
“Yeah. Shulitu’s going to keep Duodun alive and return him to the Second Consort as a gift when he’s no longer in the limelight.”
Shangguan Ru felt that something was not quite right. “Honestly, I trust her even less after hearing this. Will she still love Duodun even when he has nothing? All women hope… Never mind. You should make your own judgement.”
“I’ll be cautious,” Gu Shenwei promised.
The night kept advancing. Shangguan Ru sat alone in her tent.
The killer outside was hesitating. She had once been accidentally spotted by a little girl and her master was not happy about it, so she had to be more careful this time. Besides, she was in no hurry to report to her master what she had heard during her previous eavesdropping.
She was under no obligation to protect the Dragon King.
