Chapter 166: Princess Naren Tuoya of the Northern Frontier
The crowd reacted quickly. From the moment the shopkeeper ran towards the forest edge shouting, the Yan Clan bodyguards turned their horses, drew their sabers and swords, and blocked in front of Yan Jiu.
Yan Jiu reached out to shield, placing Jin Sui behind him. Jin Sui, however, raised her hand crossbow and aimed at the forest.
Everyone had a tacit understanding: even though they knew there was trouble, no one thought of escaping, because it concerned clues about Miss Yan, and they couldn’t let go of even a sliver of hope.
With a “whoosh,” an arrow shot out from the forest.
With a scream, the shopkeeper was shot and fell to the ground. He spat blood, raised his hand, and with difficulty, shouted towards the forest:
“My family, let my family go.”
“Don’t worry, this Princess will let your family go. But you failed in your task, so you shall atone with your death!”
An arrogant female voice rang out, and then, a woman dressed in Northern Frontier attire rode out from the forest.
She wore a silver and gray animal hide riding outfit, her long hair was unbound, she wore a wolf-head carved animal hide headband, wolf teeth in her ears, and jewelry carved with runes on her neck, wrists, and waist.
Her chest armor was inlaid with the Northern Frontier people’s favorite gemstones, and the visible deerskin boot buckle was also a blue gemstone.
This entire outfit was like a Northern Frontier version of Jin Zilin, and extremely luxurious, just not low-key. It told anyone who saw her that this person was both noble and rich!
She wasn’t a standard beauty. Her wild eyebrows were too sharp, her eyes were small with single eyelids, her nose bridge was too high, making her cheeks look thin, her lips were slightly thick, and her prominent ears were set too high.
However, anyone who saw her would not forget her appearance; it was too aggressive, too heroic and spirited.
If compared to flowers, ordinary Central Plains beauties were like orchids and chrysanthemums, each unique. She, however, was like a clump of arrogant and unrestrained thorny vines, with thorns and vigorous vitality.
Carrying a long saber, she slowly walked out of the forest, pointing the saber at the shopkeeper: “This Princess said to bring only Yan Jiulang into the forest. Is this how you do things?”
She smiled as she walked towards the shopkeeper, but raised her long saber. Just as the saber was about to strike, Yan Jiu spoke:
“Princess Tuoya, spare him!”
Naren Tuoya raised her eyebrows, tilted her chin, and squinted at Yan Jiu: “It’s thoughtful of Lord Yan to remember this Princess!”
Yan Jiu cupped his fists: “This Yan has never forgotten the Princess’s heroic demeanor.”
“May I ask what business the Princess has with this Yan?”
“Also, is my sister, Miss Yan, truly in the Princess’s hands?”
Naren Tuoya laughed: “So you’re looking for your sister! This Princess merely heard that Yan Jiulang was looking for a woman, and I thought it was a maid to warm your bed!”
“I’m afraid I’ve disappointed you; your sister is not with me.”
Yan Jiu glanced at the shopkeeper. Seeing that he wasn’t dying, he stopped paying attention. Saving his life from the Princess was already a matter of kinship between fellow Yan land natives.
He wasn’t so magnanimous as to forgive this person who had deceived him, especially when it put Miss Ji in such a dangerous situation.
Moreover, if one of their own was to die, it should be at the hands of their own people, not to be killed by a Northern Frontier person.
He pulled on the reins: “Since that is the case, this Yan bids farewell.”
Suddenly, Naren Tuoya spurred her horse forward, placing her great saber horizontally in front of everyone: “Is Yan Jiulang truly so heartless, not cherishing any past affections?”
Yan Jiu looked directly at her: “This Yan does not feel that there is any past affection between the Princess and myself!”
Jin Sui: …There’s gossip!
“Heh, if not for my father, could your Yan land gentry do business in the Northern Frontier? If not for my elder brother, your Yan land merchants would have long been captured by bandits and horse thieves.
Now that my father’s remains are not yet cold, you are going to pay homage to the traitorous Left Wise King?”
Yan Jiu shook his head: “I am a Xia person and do not understand Northern Frontier politics. This visit is to congratulate the Left Wise King on his wedding and to congratulate the new King on his ascension. What offense have I committed?”
Jin Sui, the gossip isn’t fragrant!
It seems Yan Jiu has a good relationship with the Northern Frontier royal family, and their business in the Northern Frontier is quite substantial!
It’s just that this Princess seems a bit paranoid and unreasonable.
Jin Sui silently tightened her grip on the reins. The situation was not good, so she would flee immediately. After all, it seemed the Princess wouldn’t do anything to Yan Jiu.
Just then, Naren Tuoya noticed her and pointed her saber directly at her:
“Is this your woman? She’s truly beautiful! I’ve always wondered, Yan Jiu, you’re more handsome than a woman. What kind of woman could be worthy of you? It seems there are many beauties in Great Xia!”
Jin Sui only agreed with the part “you’re more handsome than a woman” in this statement.
She quickly replied: “Princess, I am merely the Head of the Family’s maidservant.”
Naren Tuoya raised an eyebrow, ignored Jin Sui, and continued to ask Yan Jiu: “How about making a deal with this Princess?”
Yan Jiu shook his head: “This Yan has no deal to make with the Princess.”
The Princess laughed heartily: “You won’t even listen to what the deal is?”
Yan Jiu suddenly said: “This Yan believes you should seek out the Li King for this transaction.”
Jin Sui’s heart skipped a beat, and she instantly looked at Yan Jiu. Did he know some inside information? He hadn’t mentioned it at all.
Naren Tuoya disdainfully shook her head: “Don’t think this Princess knows nothing. He’s just being put forward to be sacrificed! He has no soldiers, no power, no wealth, and is not qualified to make a deal with this Princess.
He’s called an Imperial Prince of Great Xia, but in this Princess’s eyes, he’s not as good as you, the Lord of Yan land.”
Yan Jiu cupped his fists: “Princess, please be careful with your words. This Yan is merely a head of a family, doing some small business. This Princess’s great plan, this Yan regrets he cannot help.”
Naren Tuoya twirled her long saber in her hand: “Is there no room for negotiation?”
“None! The Yan Clan does not participate in politics, especially not Northern Frontier politics.”
Naren Tuoya suddenly laughed heartily, placed the long saber she was holding onto her saddle, and said: “Good! Then…”
As she spoke, she very quickly took a lasso from the other side of her saddle and threw it towards the crowd. Everyone thought she was aiming for Yan Jiu, but the lasso landed on Jin Sui.
As she spurred her horse, she gave a strong tug, sending Jin Sui flying high into the air. She reeled in the rope, caught Jin Sui, and with one hand formed into a claw, gripped Jin Sui’s neck.
“Now, can we negotiate?”
Jin Sui found this Princess to be very tall. Held by her, she felt like a petite bird.
At the same time, she found the current situation hilarious. Who would have thought that the Daoist Ji, who not long ago was a man and decisively cut down others, was now being held hostage by a woman like a weakling.
Jin Sui imagined Hei Hu and the others seeing this scene; they would surely be stunned.
The more she thought about it, the funnier it became, and she couldn’t help but laugh out loud, which confused Naren Tuoya. She turned Jin Sui’s face and asked doubtfully: “Little beauty, are you scared silly?”
“Don’t worry, this Princess doesn’t kill women, nor Han women.”
She even leaned close to Jin Sui’s ear, her slightly thick lips almost touching Jin Sui’s earlobe, and whispered with a low laugh: “Moreover, I can test your man’s feelings for you.”
“Let’s see if this cold-faced Yan is willing to break the rules for you.”
Jin Sui turned her head away as much as possible and said with a light laugh: “Then the Princess will be disappointed. Firstly, he is not my man. Secondly, he will not break the rules for me. Lastly…”
Jin Sui suddenly stopped speaking and looked at the Yan family members opposite. The bodyguards were very anxious, their grip on their swords tightening, ready to charge forward and snatch her at any moment.
She thought that men of this era, not only did ninety percent have night blindness, but they also had blindness of sight! They had traveled together for so many days, yet none of them recognized her as the fake Li King.
A hint of nervousness flashed across Yan Jiu’s face, the knuckles of his hand gripping the reins bulging, but it was only a fleeting moment. He should have known clearly that the Princess wouldn’t do anything to him.
The only one who was deeply worried and harbored killing intent towards the Princess was Liu Yun.
But Jin Sui felt that rather than him worrying about her, he was regretting not stopping Naren Tuoya earlier.
Liu Yun, lying on his horse, had already reached for his hand crossbow, to prevent the situation from escalating further.
As the Princess pressed: “Lastly what?”
Jin Sui turned her head and smiled sweetly at her: “Lastly, you shouldn’t have captured me as a hostage.”
Provoking me, you’ve provoked the right person!
As she spoke, she gently raised her hand, without any threat, as if reaching out to caress a lover’s cheek.
And she held nothing in her hand, which Naren Tuoya saw very clearly.
But as that slender hand touched her neck, the Princess felt a numbness in her neck and quickly looked down: “What did you do?”
She felt a wave of dizziness, glared at Jin Sui, and managed to say: “Cunning Han woman…”
Before she could finish her curse, she collapsed to the ground. This forced Jin Sui to hold her up, fearing she would fall and injure herself.
Undoubtedly, Jin Sui had injected her with an anesthetic.
If you had captured any of the Yan Clan bodyguards, it would have been more useful than capturing me!
Poor, large-sized Princess, now it’s your turn to be held hostage by me.
Jin Sui called for Liu Yun to come forward, but the boy was holding a saber: “Get away from here, be careful not to get blood on you.”
Jin Sui was speechless: “Are you planning to dismember her! Help us dismount, don’t hurt her!”
Liu Yun: “You really do like women.”
This was a declarative sentence. Jin Sui rolled her eyes: “How did you figure that out?”
“For Miss Yan, you didn’t even pursue the Prince anymore. If this Princess tries to kill you, you still wouldn’t bear to hurt her.”
Jin Sui took a deep breath and decided not to argue with a child.
Yan Jiu stepped forward and said: “There must be someone waiting for her in the forest. Just throw her into the forest.”
Jin Sui looked at him and smiled, but didn’t reply.
Yan Jiu felt uncomfortable under her gaze and said in a low voice: “Miss Ji, you are playing with fire.”
Jin Sui smiled: “From the moment we stepped into the Northern Frontier, every step has been on the edge of a knife. I’m sorry, Jiulang, I don’t want to let go of any potential strength.”
“Don’t worry, this is a deal between me and her, it won’t involve the Yan Clan.”
“After finding Miss Yan, you should return to Yanzhou! Thank you for bringing me to the Northern Frontier, we part ways here.”
“I will not forget my promise. As long as I return alive, I will definitely lead a team to find the sea route.”
Yan Jiu gazed at her, silent for a long time, his eyes growing deeper, like a lake in the forest that had not been trodden by anyone for a long time, mysterious and sorrowful.
“In Miss Ji’s heart, is this Yan someone who only seeks advantage and avoids harm?”
Jin Sui quickly said: “No, it’s just that you could have completely stayed out of this.”
Yan Jiu smiled: “Then Miss Ji could also have stayed out of it.”
“It’s different. Every soldier in the Black Feather Camp is my friend!” Jin Sui said, shaking her head.
Yan Jiu leaned down from his horse, meeting her gaze: “Then Miss Ji is my friend, and if I send a friend to the battlefield, I must naturally also bring her back alive!”
A surge of emotion welled up in Jin Sui’s heart, and at the same time, she felt guilty. The meager reward she had given was not worth Yan Jiu treating her this way at all.
Moreover, she had indirectly caused the loss of his sister.
Immediately, Jin Sui took a deep breath and solemnly promised: “I will definitely help Jiulang earn a lot of money from the sea in the future!”
Yan Jiu: …
Miss Ji still doesn’t see herself as a woman! When a man does so much for you, a normal woman would think he likes her.
Instead of thinking about repaying him with money.
Suddenly, he felt a bit of sympathy for Gu Changxiao. He had been with Miss Ji day and night for so long, yet he was only considered one of her friends.
After bringing the Princess back to the felt tent, Jin Sui stayed alone to guard her, well, and Liu Yun, who was squatting in the corner eating candy and poking the blanket with a small stick.
He absolutely refused to let Jin Sui be alone with this Princess, fearing she might be ambushed.
Even though Jin Sui repeatedly told him that in this world, only she ambushed others, and no one could ambush her.
No matter how fast a ninja’s shuriken was, it couldn’t be as fast as her using her mind to retrieve weapons from her space!
But Liu Yun refused to leave, so Jin Sui gave him some candy and told him to play in a corner.
When Naren Tuoya woke up, she saw the delicate Han woman washing a towel by her side, wiping her face.
She was instantly startled and sat up, looking at Jin Sui as if she had seen a ghost: “What trick did you use?”
Even poison wouldn’t have made her react so quickly. Her body was very strong; she had once been drugged with a sleeping potion, and she was still able to fight and kill several bandits before passing out.
Jin Sui deliberately put on a mysterious expression and said in a low voice: “I once studied under the Southern Barbarian Medical Immortal. My medical skills are extraordinary, and it only takes three breaths of time to incapacitate a woman like the Princess.”
Naren Tuoya’s first reaction was to hug her arms and shrink into the corner, making it seem as if Jin Sui was a big man bullying a little girl.
Upon noticing a young man in the corner, Naren Tuoya stopped and urgently asked: “Where is Yan Jiu? This Princess wants to see him.”
Jin Sui smiled: “The Princess should have heard from the Head of the Family that he doesn’t want to cooperate with you. But now, the Princess has a better option, which is to cooperate with me.”
It took some effort to persuade Naren Tuoya. In the end, perhaps thinking Jin Sui was Yan Jiu’s messenger, she told Jin Sui the story.
It was a very typical palace intrigue. The old King suddenly died, and the Left Wise King, the King’s Uncle who held heavy military power, intended to rebel and poisoned the Crown Prince. If it weren’t for the Crown Prince’s sister, Princess Naren Tuoya, who rescued the Crown Prince, he would have died in the palace long ago.
Now, because the Crown Prince is missing, the court is unstable, and the Left Wise King cannot ascend the throne smoothly. Only by finding the Crown Prince’s corpse can the Left Wise King officially become King.
He used the excuse of his own wedding to invite all the powerful figures of the Northern Frontier to the Royal Court, intending to use this opportunity to eliminate his rivals and formally ascend the throne.
Jin Sui asked the question that concerned her the most: “Who was in charge of the Li King coming to the Northern Frontier for peace talks?”
“The Left Wise King! The army that went to Great Xia to raid was his subordinate.
Only his subordinates would go to the borderlands to raid and kill Xia People. My father had long ordered peace with Great Xia and forbade further indiscriminate killing of Xia People.
But the Left Wise King has always wanted to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan land and sends people there every year to gather information and plunder grain.
And…”
She suddenly stopped, perhaps feeling that the following words were useless to tell a maidservant like Jin Sui.
But Jin Sui pressed: “Please, Princess, inform me in detail so that my master can consider it carefully.”
Naren Tuoya hugged her arms and said: “Because I haven’t found evidence for this matter yet, it is that the Left Wise King is secretly in contact with your Empress, and it is the Empress who wants to use his hand to kill the Li King.”
Jin Sui raised an eyebrow: “How could the Empress know the Left Wise King?”
“The Left Wise King was an envoy to Great Xia in his youth and stayed in Chang’an for three years. That’s when he met the Empress. You don’t know about this?”
Jin Sui’s gossip fire was about to ignite. She felt like the old Emperor might have been cuckolded!
