Chapter 178: The Person Miss Yan Likes
Seeing Batu’s head held high, both sides of the battle stopped, but the Left Wise King’s soldiers remained vigilant. A general loudly asked:
“Batu, you can let us surrender, but first tell us, where did you get this demonic fire?”
Jinsui almost fell off her horse. Is information in the Northern Frontier that slow?
An army was burned to death by me at the border city, and you still haven’t heard of fish oil firearms.
And you still call it ‘demonic fire’! Jinsui suppressed a laugh.
At this moment, Batu shouted: “This is not demonic fire! This is thunder fire bestowed by the gods to help this Crown Prince kill rebels!”
Jinsui’s eyes twitched. What an abstract conversation, happening on a battlefield.
Even more abstractly, the Left Wise King’s soldiers believed it. They put down their scimitars and began extinguishing the fire.
Jinsui couldn’t describe her feelings at the moment; she was speechless and bewildered. Is internal strife among Northern Frontier people this abstract?
Gu Changxiao whispered to her: “With the Left Wise King dead, his subordinates have no choice but to surrender. They just want a word from the Crown Prince.”
Jinsui asked seriously: “Do they really believe fish oil firearms are thunder fire bestowed by the gods?”
Gu Changxiao found this difficult to answer: “It seems most of them truly believe it.”
Jinsui immediately said: “Then I must have Batu build a Divine Palace and Taoist Temple for me in the Northern Frontier! From now on, that temple will be our embassy in the Northern Frontier.”
The two didn’t have much time for private conversation. Jinsui joined the team treating the injured soldiers, naturally prioritizing the Black Feather Camp soldiers.
When she discovered the Northern Frontier people were applying fresh cow dung to burns and simply cutting off severed limbs without considering reattachment.
There was also an elder from the Batu Tribe dressed as a shaman doctor, holding a bowl of black paste-like herbs, stuffing a mouthful into anyone, whether they had internal or external injuries.
Jinsui couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Besides, she was now a Taoist Nun serving the gods. Apart from this ‘thunder fire,’ she had to show some other divine miracle!
She stepped forward and performed a Taoist Rites to the shaman doctor, taking over the treatment. She had plenty of medicine in her space, especially burn ointment and antibiotics.
Soon, everyone discovered that the injured treated by Miss Ji no longer cried out in pain. Even severely injured patients whom the shaman doctor had declared beyond saving, Miss Ji could rescue.
When the shaman doctor asked what medicine Miss Ji was using.
Jinsui clasped her hands together and said piously: “This is bestowed by the Sanqing Dao Ancestors, the gods I serve. I can give you some.”
Immediately, the shaman doctor bowed deeply to Jinsui, thanking the Sanqing Dao Ancestors.
Batu saw this from afar and became even more determined to help Miss Ji build a Divine Palace in the Royal Court.
Once the Divine Palace was built, even if Miss Ji didn’t come, it would establish a connection with her. If he asked her for some thunder fire or divine medicine, she would surely provide it.
He looked at the devastated Batu Tribe with great guilt. The old Batu Clan Leader was dead, Tuolei was dead, and only Ayue remained…
Just then, he saw someone, and his expression turned to surprise and joy, because that person was precisely Tuolei.
He was supported by Hei Hu to find Batu. Hei Hu chuckled: “Leader Ji asked me to make sure I delivered him to you. Look closely, he’s not dead!”
Batu grabbed Tuolei’s arm and asked excitedly: “What happened? At the time, it looked like an arrow had killed him.”
Hei Hu waved his hands repeatedly: “I shot the medicine Leader Ji gave me, anesthetic. He just fainted. The Left Wise King’s men were too stupid to check.”
Tuolei forced a smile: “I think I just slept for a while. I didn’t expect to wake up and find Lei Zan already dead. Thank you, Crown Prince, for avenging the Batu Tribe!”
Batu turned to find Jinsui, and saw Jinsui smiling as she approached him: “Your Highness the Crown Prince, you said earlier you would build a Taoist Temple for me. Is that still true?”
Batu nodded heavily: “Of course it’s true! This Crown Prince will definitely build you the most magnificent Divine Palace!”
His wolf-like eyes narrowed as he smiled at Jinsui.
He glanced again at the thunder fire still burning in the distance, Tuolei beside him, and the shaman doctor using the medicine Jinsui gave to treat the injured soldiers.
Batu smiled, revealing a row of white teeth, his eyes resembling those of a Wolf King even more.
Gu Changxiao came over to discuss: “The Crown Prince should return to the Royal Court as soon as possible and announce the death of the Left Wise King. Otherwise, there will surely be generals in the Royal Court who firmly supported the Left Wise King and refuse to surrender.”
Jinsui quickly said: “Yes, yes, otherwise Princess and Miss Yan Twelve will be in danger.”
Gu Changxiao was in a good mood when he heard she didn’t mention Yan Jiu.
Batu quickly ordered a spear to be brought. Jinsui was still wondering what he was going to do, when she saw him tie the Left Wise King’s head to the spear and gallop towards the Royal Court.
As he rode, his subordinates shouted: “Lei Zan is dead!”
Jinsui: …
What a bloody and terrifying scene!
Then Hei Hu stepped forward with a smile: “Heh heh, Leader Ji, this is a method I taught him. It works well!
People along the way can see the Left Wise King’s head. It’s much better than putting it in a wooden box.”
The Left Wise King’s eyes were still half-open. When Jinsui looked up, she felt as if he was staring at her, which gave her a chill.
She intentionally lagged behind to speak with Gu Changxiao: “After Batu ascends the throne, can we return to the border city?”
Gu Changxiao nodded: “I will collect evidence of the collusion between the Left Wise King and Prince Yu and spread it in the Northwest Borderlands in advance.”
Jinsui strongly supported: “Yes! The world must know that Prince Yu colluded with the enemy country. Even if we can’t bring him down, we must damage his reputation.”
She thought for a moment and then added: “Just spreading it isn’t enough. Have Batu send an Imperial Letter to Great Xia in the name of the King of the Northern Frontier, questioning Prince Yu why he helped the Left Wise King rebel!
Haha, Prince Yu wanted to use the Left Wise King to kill you, so we can use the same tactic against him.
Of course, this alone won’t kill him, but the saliva of those scholars in Chang’an can make him lose sleep at night.”
Jinsui asked with curiosity: “Don’t you have any other adult brothers? Can we use this opportunity to argue with Prince Yu in Chang’an?”
They are fighting for the throne, while you two brothers, whose mothers are sisters, are fighting to the death.
Gu Changxiao shook his head: “The Empress’s methods are ruthless. Besides me and Prince Yu, only three Imperial Princes have reached adulthood. Third Brother has a crippled leg, and Fifth Brother had a high fever as a child and couldn’t recognize ten characters by the age of eight.
Sixth Brother is quite good, but his birth mother was just a palace maid, so he has no chance against Prince Yu.”
Jinsui sighed softly, thinking that the Emperor was useless, unable to even protect his own offspring.
But considering the current situation in Great Xia, where aristocratic clans held great power, the Emperor had to rely on the Empress’s family to balance the clans.
“Anyway, after we return to Great Xia, we’ll stay in the border city. What does Chang’an matter? We’ll manage the border well, recruit soldiers, and if Prince Yu dares to touch you again, we’ll march over.”
Jinsui said heartily, and Gu Changxiao listened with a smile in his eyes. He was happy not because Jinsui was considering him, but because of the ‘we’ that Suisui mentioned.
“After returning to the border city, Suisui won’t leave, right?”
This made Jinsui pause. That’s right, killing the Left Wise King was too exciting, and she forgot the debt she owed Yan Jiu.
“I might have to leave for a while. I promised Yan Jiu to find a safe sea route for his family. Let’s solve the current problem first and talk about it when we get back to the border city!”
When the news of the Left Wise King Lei Zan’s head being cut off by Crown Prince Batu spread, Yan Jiu and Princess Tuoya, who had been confronting each other outside the Royal Court for a long time, soon received five thousand soldiers to escort them.
They entered the Royal Court smoothly without a major battle.
Princess Tuoya was very excited: “I didn’t expect them to kill Lei Zan so quickly. Li King indeed has some ability.”
She knew her own brother well. Without Li King’s help, let alone killing the Left Wise King, he would probably have been captured and presented as a gift for the Left Wise King’s enthronement.
Yan Jiu, however, praised: “With Miss Ji here, they are bound to win.”
Tuoya was curious: “Does this Miss Ji also understand military strategy?”
Miss Yan Twelve didn’t want Eldest Brother to chat with Tuoya, so she squeezed between them and said:
“When we were at the border, Li King wasn’t there, and it was Suisui who led the troops. She has led border soldiers in many battles and even achieved victory against superior numbers to defeat a powerful enemy!”
Princess Tuoya’s interest was immediately piqued, and she quickly asked: “Which powerful enemy did she defeat?”
Miss Yan Twelve opened her mouth and looked at Princess Tuoya, stammering for a long time without being able to speak. It was Yan Jiu who added: “It was Lei Zan’s men.”
This was also a subtle way of speaking. They didn’t defeat Northern Frontier people, but Lei Zan’s men.
Princess Tuoya praised: “Miss Ji is indeed a Taoist Nun serving the gods, truly capable!”
Soon, Princess Tuoya, with five thousand troops, took control of the Royal Court and ordered all officials and nobles of the Royal Court to come out and welcome the Crown Prince outside the city gate.
At this point, it was time to retreat after achieving success. Jinsui and Gu Changxiao did not enter the Royal Court. Instead, they sent Han Xing with a team to enter the city with the Crown Prince to offer congratulations.
Of course, this was also out of caution. What if this Crown Prince turned hostile after entering the Royal Court?
Li King’s identity was different from Yan Jiu’s. Yan Jiu was essentially a merchant in the Northern Frontier. Gu Changxiao was an Imperial Prince of Great Xia. Even if Tuoya and Batu wouldn’t turn hostile, there might be extreme Northern Frontier elements who would attempt assassination.
But the two saw them off to the outskirts of the Royal Court and watched a grand spectacle. A woman in a bridal gown rushed out and kowtowed to Batu, begging for forgiveness.
Batu, however, threw Lei Zan’s head into her arms, scaring the bride into fainting. He then pulled off the necklace from the woman’s neck and gave it to Ayue, causing many noblewomen to bow to Ayue.
Jinsui watched with excitement. This was much more interesting than watching a play. She wanted to grab a Northern Frontier soldier to ask what they were saying, but Gu Changxiao explained to her:
“That bride is the girl Lei Zan was going to marry, and she was originally the Crown Prince’s fiancée, snatched away by Lei Zan.”
Jinsui’s teeth ached upon hearing this. She looked at Gu Changxiao with a probing gaze. In some ways, your experience is quite similar to the Crown Prince’s.
“She was just begging the Crown Prince, saying she was forced, that the only person she wanted to marry was Batu, and begging Batu for forgiveness.”
There was no need for him to relay the rest. Judging by Batu’s reaction just now, how could he possibly forgive her?
“Then what did Batu mean by giving that necklace to Ayue?”
“That is the symbol of a Queen. Batu is indicating that his Queen is Ayue.”
Jinsui was greatly surprised: “How old is Ayue?”
Gu Changxiao chuckled: “It’s not like he’s marrying her now. He can wait until Ayue reaches the age of marriage.
Batu is grateful for the Batu Tribe’s help. The Batu Tribe has suffered heavy losses. If he marries Ayue, no one will dare to seize the Batu Tribe’s pasture.”
Jinsui exclaimed in surprise: “I didn’t expect Batu to be so clever, even though he’s a bit chuunibyou. This way, the nobles will know that the Crown Prince values loyalty and righteousness.”
“You understand Northern Frontier language?”
Gu Changxiao chuckled: “Know yourself and your enemy. I learned it during my years at the Northwest Borderlands.”
After Batu entered the city, Jinsui and Gu Changxiao set up camp outside the city with the Black Feather Camp soldiers. Soon, Princess Tuoya arrived, bringing a lot of meat, wine, felt tents, and so on.
She also invited Gu Changxiao to stay in the Northern Frontier for a few more days to attend Batu’s Enthronement Ceremony. Gu Changxiao took the opportunity to propose that Batu write an Imperial Letter to hold Prince Yu accountable.
Tuoya readily agreed. This was not something that required any manpower or resources, and it could disrupt the court politics of Great Xia. The Northern Frontier was naturally happy to do so.
Heh heh, even though they were allies at this moment, they secretly hoped for chaos in each other’s countries.
After Tuoya left, Jinsui had Hei Hu bring all the fish oil firearms to her felt tent. She collected them all into her space.
She was worried that Batu might covet the fish oil firearms. Alas, cooperation is like this. When facing a common enemy, they can unite against them.
But once the enemy is defeated, the allies immediately have their own agendas and must guard against each other.
If we weren’t so short-handed and were on someone else’s territory, Jinsui would have wanted Batu and Lei Zan to fight for longer, to involve more tribes, and to severely weaken the Northern Frontier’s national strength!
Yan Jiu arrived in the evening. He also didn’t want to stay inside the Royal Court, saying that Batu was purging the Left Wise King’s loyalists, and the nobles in the Royal Court were all in a state of panic.
This was Batu’s internal affair. It would be awkward for both sides if Yan Jiu, an outsider, stayed to watch. So he declined Princess Tuoya’s invitation to stay in the Princess’s mansion and came out to meet Gu Changxiao.
Jinsui took the opportunity to ask: “Has Batu said anything about when he will officially grant you the Northern Frontier trade rights you were promised?”
Yan Jiu nodded: “After he ascends the throne, he will grant me the Token for passage and trade.”
Jinsui smiled: “That’s good. After returning to Yandi, you can safely open workshops. The Northern Frontier market is huge!”
She noticed that Twelve Niang was not among Yan’s group and quickly asked: “Where is Twelve Niang? Is she still staying in the Royal Court?”
Yan Jiu’s expression turned a bit unpleasant, feeling like an old father, helpless and troubled by the thought of his precious flower being damaged.
“Twelve Niang said that Captain Han doesn’t understand the Northern Frontier language and there’s no one to look after him in the city, so she stayed to look after him.”
Gu Changxiao didn’t seem to notice anything wrong and agreed: “The Yan Clan indeed needs to leave someone to listen for news. Otherwise, if Batu goes back on his word, we won’t get the information in time.”
But then he saw Jinsui smiling sweetly. Gu Changxiao was stunned. Why was Miss Yan staying in the city making Suisui so happy?
Jinsui secretly winked at Gu Changxiao, and the two went outside the felt tent to ‘plot’: “Do you know why Twelve Niang is staying in the Royal Court?”
Gu Changxiao affirmed: “Naturally, it’s for the Yan Clan.”
Jinsui chuckled: “Of course not, it’s for this.” She hooked her little finger, raised her eyebrows, with an aunt-like smile.
Seeing Gu Changxiao still looking confused, she scoffed: “Don’t you see? Twelve Niang likes someone in the Royal Court! She’s the type to risk everything for the person she likes.”
Seeing Gu Changxiao frown, Jinsui quickly asked: “What’s wrong? What are you worried about?”
“Miss Yan likes Batu? If she marries into the Northern Frontier, that’s not appropriate, not appropriate!”
Jinsui: … Are your eyes faulty?
The last day of 2024. Wishing all my darlings a happy new year in 2025, and abundant wealth!
