With the Black Qiang completely wiped out in a single battle, Wang Yu capitalized on the momentum of this sweeping victory to settle the subsequent administration and arrangements for the White Qiang as well. It was, by all accounts, a joyful outcome for all.
Before long, scouts arrived to deliver fresh reports.
"Remnants of the Black Qiang army have been spotted to the south, with the Chengyuan Army and the Iron Eagle Cavalry hot on their trail."
"General Lu and Commander Zhao have already shattered the five thousand Black Qiang cavalry outside Lingwu Pass. Their combined forces are now marching in this direction and are expected to arrive by tomorrow."
Wang Yu nodded. Although he had never doubted Li Yunxiu, receiving concrete confirmation finally put his mind at ease.
When the three-sided clash had erupted, it was already approaching midday. Now that the battle had ended and the field had been cleared, the sun was sinking fast toward the western horizon.
With no time to return to either the White Qiang or Black Qiang royal court, the army found a clean stretch of land beside the battlefield to pitch their camp.
All captured Black Qiang nobles were executed, and the severed heads of Yuan Dingle and Yuan Nahe were hoisted high for all to see. The rank-and-file captives were assured their lives would be spared, and the distribution of grain and horsemeat quickly settled their uneasy hearts before they were quartered into separate encampments.
Next came the feast to reward the entire army!
After such a fierce engagement, many warhorses had perished in battle, so there was more than enough meat to go around. Though wine was in short supply, every soldier was granted a sip or two.
---
The White Qiang soldiers had fought side by side with the three thousand men of the Chengyuan Army for days and had long grown familiar with one another. With those three thousand men bridging the divide, there was no awkward distance as they drank and dined with the broader Zhenxi Army.
As for the mid- and high-ranking officers of both sides, they gathered together in high spirits.
Having cleared the air earlier in the afternoon, neither faction harbored any lingering suspicions. They carved large cuts of meat, drained massive bowls of wine, and cheered on elite warriors wrestling to enliven the feast, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Feng Jing, Zhao Jingjun, Peng Hu, and the commanders and commandants under the three armies all came forward to toast Wang Yu, followed closely by the nobles and generals of the White Qiang.
Naturally, Wang Yu could not afford to lose face in such a setting. He welcomed every challenger and drained every cup presented to him, quietly dispelling the alcohol with his inner energy while deliberately leaving just a faint trace of intoxication on his brow.
Yet the sight of his flushed, drunken face broke Ardai's heart. She dragged Atuke along to block the drinks on Wang Yu's behalf.
Atuke was left completely dumbfounded: ???
It was a grand banquet where hosts and guests alike reveled to their hearts' content.
Thoroughly "inebriated," Wang Yu returned to his personal tent and collapsed onto the bed.
Not long after, footsteps sounded outside, followed by Ardai's crisp, sweet voice. "I brewed a pot of horse milk tea to help Brother Zhao sober up."
---
Standing guard outside Wang Yu's tent were Zhao Shan and Zhao He, who had witnessed the budding relationship between Wang Yu and Ardai from the very beginning.
Seeing Ardai arrive in the dead of night offering tea to cure his hangover, the two worldly veterans understood immediately. They exchanged a knowing glance and decisively stepped aside to let her through.
Noticing the somewhat suggestive look in their eyes, Ardai showed not the slightest hint of embarrassment. Instead, she thanked them openly with a bright smile. "Thank you both!"
Wang Yu then watched Ardai step into the tent, the curtain falling shut behind her.
"Ardai."
"Brother Zhao."
Ardai set down the teapot without making the slightest move to pour any tea for him. Back when they were among the White Qiang, Wang Yu had tasted horse milk tea and made it abundantly clear that he could not stomach it.
Ardai knew this full well, yet she had still brought the pot.
What she was offering, of course, was not the tea.
She was offering herself.
"Brother Zhao!" Ardai threw herself straight into Wang Yu's embrace. "Ardai loves you!"
Wang Yu drew in a sharp breath.
*So bold and direct?*
Feeling the delicate, yielding softness pressing against his chest, Wang Yu could barely hold back the rising fire within him. Ardai tilted her small face upward, gazing at him with eyes as pure and dark as a little lamb's, brimming with devotion.
"Brother Zhao, take me..." Ardai murmured softly, her breath fragrant as orchids.
Faced with her luscious, cherry-red lips that looked dewy enough to drip, Wang Yu cast all restraint aside. He pulled her tight against him and buried his mouth in hers.
Ardai did not hold back her feelings in the slightest.
Her body was supple, her voice sweet and clear, and she surrendered herself entirely to Wang Yu.
The stir within the command tent persisted for nearly half the night, subsiding only when the eastern sky began to pale.
A short distance away, Zhao Shan and Zhao He grinned and shook their heads.
"His Highness truly is formidable!"
"Far more impressive than we were in our youth. Do you reckon being a Xiantian expert gives an extra boost in that department?"
---
"Could also be that he held back for too long. Given our prince's age and virility, holding out for nearly a full year commands my utmost respect."
"Thinking about it like that, you make a good point."
The two brothers whispered to each other in low voices.
"Looks like we're about to have a third consort."
"With Ardai's sweet temperament, she might not be a match for Consort Li or Consort Qian, right?"
"Ah, but she has the White Qiang tribe standing behind her, not to mention a Xiantian Grandmaster."
"Tsk, tsk. A female Top Scholar, a Xiantian expert, and one with rock-solid tribal backing."
"Why do I feel our current prince is even more capable than the old prince was?"
"You don't need to guess. The old prince didn't step into the Xiantian realm as fast as His Highness, and His Highness is bound to become a Grandmaster in the future."
"I meant when it comes to finding consorts."
"Well, then there's even less comparison."
"Both our lives were saved by the old prince, you know."
"I'm merely stating facts as they are."
The sun rose high into the sky, yet no one emerged from the tent. Still, no one dared disturb them.
That Ardai had entered Wang Yu's quarters and stayed the entire night was no secret. In truth, everyone was more than delighted to see it happen.
That was until the detachment marching out from Lingwu Pass arrived to rendezvous with the main force.
Li Yunxiu led Lu Yunzhou and Zhao Defang into the central tent, only to find it packed with generals of the Zhenxi Army, White Qiang braves, and even masters from the Tianshan Sect—yet Wang Yu was nowhere to be seen.
Li Yunxiu's heart skipped a beat, fearing he had been wounded.
"Where is His Highness?" Li Yunxiu asked, looking around the tent.
The crowd fell utterly silent.
Some tilted their heads to study the tent ceiling, others stared intently at their boots, some idly stroked the arms of their chairs, and others feigned deep contemplation. Not a single person answered.
Li Yunxiu turned her gaze to Zhao Rong.
As the head steward of the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor, he was the most suitable person to answer.
The others breathed a collective sigh of relief, while Gulanrena quietly slipped out of the tent.
Zhao Rong offered an awkward smile. "Following last night's sweeping victory, His Highness rewarded the troops and held a banquet for the senior commanders. He drank a bit too much and is still resting."
Li Yunxiu asked, "He wasn't injured?"
Zhao Rong shook his head at once. "Certainly not."
Li Yunxiu nodded, letting out a breath of relief, but suspicion quickly crept into her thoughts.
If he was merely sleeping off wine, why were everyone's expressions so strange?
A thought flickered across Li Yunxiu's mind. Pulling Lu Yunzhou and Zhao Defang forward, she said, "Let them report the military situation to General Feng. I will go see His Highness."
With that, Li Yunxiu turned and walked away.
The remaining commanders turned questioning glances toward Zhao Rong, Asuli, and Yan Xiangxue.
Zhao Rong merely shook his head. He had always harbored a degree of wariness toward Li Yunxiu, and he was more than happy to see Wang Yu bestow his affections elsewhere.
As for Asuli, although he had already pledged cooperation to Wang Yu, having Ardai enter the prince's inner court would be an immense boon for the White Qiang.
Yan Xiangxue chuckled softly. "Matters among the young should be left for the young to handle themselves."
The crowd nodded in agreement. This was, after all, the private business of the Prince of Zhenxi. There was no need for them to meddle; it wasn't as though anyone was going to die. They might as well stand aside and enjoy the show.
When Li Yunxiu reached Wang Yu's tent, she saw Zhao Shan and Zhao He standing not far from the entrance, while Gulanrena was lingering right outside the door curtain, seemingly speaking to someone inside.
Li Yunxiu's heart gave a sudden thump; she had already guessed the truth.
Sure enough, the tent curtain was drawn aside. Wang Yu was the first to emerge, wearing an expression of supreme contentment, followed closely by a disheveled Ardai.
"Oh? You're here, my lady!" Wang Yu called out cheerfully, waving at Li Yunxiu.
Li Yunxiu took a deep breath, strode forward at a measured pace, and cast a meaningful glance between Wang Yu and Ardai. "Husband. Sister Ardai."
"Sister!" Ardai felt a touch of shyness, but she summoned her courage and greeted Li Yunxiu all the same.
"Have you seen Feng Jing and the others yet?" Wang Yu asked.
Her composure restored, Li Yunxiu replied impassively, "I have. Lu Yunzhou and Zhao Defang are currently reporting the military situation."
"That works out perfectly. Let's go listen together." Wang Yu took Li Yunxiu's hand with one arm and Ardai's with the other, leading them both toward the main tent.
Ardai allowed herself to be led docilely, and Li Yunxiu offered no resistance either.
The three of them soon arrived at the main tent just as Lu Yunzhou and Zhao Defang concluded their briefing.
Wang Yu took his seat at the center and had Li Yunxiu and Ardai sit beside him.
By all rights, women were not permitted in military encampments. However, Li Yunxiu possessed both literary and martial genius, and the entire operational plan had been conceived by her. Ardai, meanwhile, was the cherished princess of the White Qiang and a formidable martial artist in her own right.
Neither woman was an ordinary gentlewoman, so such rigid conventions naturally did not apply to them.
Wang Yu then gave Li Yunxiu a detailed account of the battle on their end.
Though her thoughts were still slightly tangled, Li Yunxiu quickly settled into her role, growing more astonished the more she heard.
Although numerous unforeseen variables had cropped up—the arrival of the Xiongnu emissary, the assassination attempt by Tiancan and Dique, and Zhaixingzi breaking through their lines—they had gained the timely assistance of the Tianshan Sect, yielding an outcome far better than anticipated.
The enemy's top masters were entirely eradicated, and the heads of Yuan Dingle and his son had been paraded before the surrendered soldiers.
Furthermore, Wang Yu's arrangements for the White Qiang were exceptionally sound. He had not relied on brute force, bought them off with wealth, founded their cooperation on fragile sentiment, or resorted to loose tributary rule.
Instead, he had chosen cultural integration, economic interdependence, and administrative assimilation.
Though Wang Yu had not stated it outright, Li Yunxiu could already discern his long-term ambition: if all went according to plan, the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor could assimilate the White Qiang within ten or so years.
From then on, the northern border would know lasting peace!
Yet to ensure the White Qiang caused no unexpected disruptions during that transitional period, an unbreakable bond was essential.
And the ideal person to serve as that bond was none other than Ardai!
Once Li Yunxiu followed this line of reasoning to its conclusion, she was rendered speechless. Had she not been Wang Yu's wife, she likely would have urged him to bed Ardai herself.
Even as his wife, there was no way she could oppose their union now.
Besides, her principal mission was to secure control over the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor and stabilize the northwest. Above all, she and Wang Yu were husband and wife in name only.
Li Yunxiu's heart grew inexplicably heavy, yet right on the heels of that gloom, a sudden, inexplicable impulse surged within her breast.
With that thought in mind, Li Yunxiu spoke up abruptly. "It so happens that His Highness's one-year mourning period has concluded. Upon returning to Longshan Prefecture, we must begin preparing the wedding for my husband and me. If Sister Ardai does not mind, why don't we hold our ceremonies together?"
Ardai's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly. "I would love that!"
Zhao Rong then explained how the Emperor had bestowed the marriage but Wang Yu had been forbidden from marrying during his one-year period of filial mourning. The assembled crowd immediately understood—and finally realized the true reason behind Li Yunxiu's displeasure.
Before she had even consummated her marriage, Ardai had beaten her to the punch!
Chapter 128