Xiao Shan stepped forward, "This general has long heard that General Wu Huai is an outstanding warrior of the Northern Di. May I ask if you would be willing to spar with the general?"
Although Wu Huai had not sparred with Xiao Shan before, his great name was well-known, and he was a formidable opponent.
While he possessed considerable strength, the King had told him that he had more courage than skill, and he was unsure if he could contend with Jing Country's most formidable general.
He wasn't foolish; he had just angered Xiao Shan, and this was clearly an attempt at revenge.
Xiao Shan sneered, "General, do not fear. We will only spar to a friendly conclusion."
Who was afraid?
"If you want to spar, then let's spar!"
His Majesty the Emperor was watching. What could he do?
Ling Yao smiled slightly, "Generals, please do not harm your camaraderie. I am tired and will return first."
Huh? She wasn't going to watch?
What was the point of sparring then? Wu Huai felt a bit reluctant.
Xiao Shan felt it was a pity; his wife wouldn't get to see his magnificent display of beating up Wu Huai.
Ling Yao beckoned to the palace attendants who were carrying the fruit wine back and prepared to leave. Emperor Mingde called out, "Are you not leaving even a single jar for me?"
"This is for women to drink."
If she didn't want to give it, she should have just said so. Wasn't she just implying that the Southern Border Prince was like a woman!
Ling Yao turned to Xi Bo and said, "Prince Xi Bo, the money for the wine is in your carriage."
Xi Bo initially paid it no mind, but upon leaving the palace, he realized how precious and unique that wine money was.
It was an ordinary palace lantern, but the flame within was extraordinary.
An orange flame, with a faint, subtle blue hue on the outer layer, as if coated with a shimmering edge, appearing dreamlike and ethereal.
It was the fire of the gods!
"Prince, the person who sent the lantern said this fire can burn for a year without extinguishing. Is that true?" the attendant asked curiously.
Naturally, it was true. Xi Bo's enchanting fox-like eyes were filled with delight.
He carefully hung the palace lantern in the center of the carriage roof.
It was so bright; he would never fear the dark again.
.............
Ling Yao took the wine to Fanghua Palace.
The palace attendants said that Princess Yongfu had been making medicine day and night for the past two days and had barely rested. Ling Yao knew the reason: before the Turkic Crown Prince departed, he had sent a dried-up Shen Boduo into the palace. This was a sacred flower in the hearts of the Turks, symbolizing tenacious and pure love, growing on ten-thousand-foot snow peaks, and was extremely rare.
He had already left, yet he sent this. Moreover, it was from a stud horse, how ironic. No wonder Qing He, finding it distasteful, had burned it to ashes.
Qing He had very dark circles under her eyes and was fiddling with some unknown herbs.
"Qing He, come have some wine."
Ling Yao ordered the wine to be placed on the table. The clear, translucent red fruit wine exuded a sweet fragrance. Qing He was drawn to it and picked up a wine cup to smell it.
"Southern Border's red berry wine. It replenishes qi, strengthens the stomach, quenches thirst, promotes urination, and stops diarrhea. Princess can drink it."
"You recognize all this? Then quickly come and drink with me."
Qing He sat down, "Princess, you seem to have changed a bit."
"Oh? How have I changed?" Ling Yao gazed at her with a smile, her eyes as bright as stars.
Qing He couldn't pinpoint it, "It seems... you've become more beautiful."
She took a sip of the red berry wine, "Mmm, it's delicious. I remember when I was little, before our family had trouble, my father brought back a jar. I hid in a crevice of the rock garden and secretly drank a bowl. I ended up falling asleep. My family searched for me for a day and a night, frantic. It wasn't until the next day that I stumbled out of the rock garden in a daze and was soundly spanked by my mother."
"Qing He, we discussed before that after my enthronement ceremony, you would go to Xiangshan Water Pavilion to rebuild the Tang Sect. Do you still have that idea?"
Qing He carried a deep-seated hatred.
Ling Yao knew that she had never abandoned this vendetta.
With her abilities, it wasn't impossible for her to escape from the Turks, but she hadn't returned.
Was she afraid of provoking another war between the two countries, or was it due to her complicated feelings for Tu Lu that she had delayed until now, or perhaps both? Ling Yao didn't want to investigate further. In any case, she was back now.
They were no longer birds trapped in a cage; they could do whatever they wanted.
Qing He had certainly considered it, but she couldn't rest assured about the Princess.
"After the Princess safely gives birth, I will leave."
"There are imperial physicians in the palace, as well as Yu Shan. It should be..."
"No, I won't be at ease unless I'm watching over her myself." Qing He was insistent. She had been guarding for so many years and wouldn't trust anyone else. Moreover, no one in the palace had better medical skills than her. What if something went wrong...
Her revenge had been brewing for ten years; a little longer wouldn't make a difference.
"Alright." Ling Yao said no more. Their bond didn't require further words. She took out a token from her embrace, the Ghost King Token that Xiao Shan had given her earlier.
"If you need people, feel free to dispatch them."
"This..." Qing He looked at the token in shock. She recognized it. She had inquired about the Ghost King Sect before, wanting to enlist their help in her revenge, but due to her status, she had ultimately failed to contact them.
Ling Yao said with a hint of pride, "It's called the Immortal King Sect now. Three years ago, Xiao Shan brought it under his control, and now it's ours."
"Oh, Yu Liu and Yu Shan are also from the Immortal King Sect."
Ah? So the Princess had already been so thoroughly protected by the General. She had even been wary of and guarded against them before, thinking the General had found servants from somewhere, who acted so carelessly.
Alas, how embarrassing.
Why hadn't the Princess said so earlier!
"It seems the Princess truly doesn't need me anymore. Alas!" Qing He said with a sigh, though her expression was relaxed. She put away the token and drained the wine in her cup.
Ling Yao giggled and took a sip as well. She knew her own tolerance for alcohol and took small sips.
"Princess, cheers!"
"Cheers!"
The two began to drink heartily.
A moment later—
"That bastard Tu Lu, did he really think I was that easy to fool? Have you ever heard that a dog can't change its ways?"
"That's right, my Jing Country has plenty of good men. I'll find you ten."
"Ten is too many. Find one like the Divine Martial General. One is enough."
"That's hard to find. There's only one like that in Jing Country."
"Then I don't want him. Men are all the same, no good. I want to build the Tang Sect and restore its former glory. If Tu Lu dares to come, I'll poison him."
"Poison him! Turkic stud horse!"
Qing He started crying, "He infuriates me! He called someone else's name while holding me! I've never suffered such humiliation! I couldn't break free, it was so disgusting!"
"I'll castrate him!" Ling Yao stood up, looking around for a knife.
As she searched, she bumped into a wall.
Drowsily, she looked up and saw a dark face. "Who... who are you?"
"Your man!"
"I don't have a man! Men are no good! Where's the knife? Where's the knife?"
"What are you looking for a knife for?"
"To castrate you!"
Xiao Shan, angered, lightly smacked her flushed face. He had been angry last time when she drank with Xi Bo, and now she was drinking again!
Looking at the table, they hadn't drunk much. One was passed out and snoring, while the other was rambling nonsense.
What good drinkers!
"Hurry and get Princess Yongfu out of here!"
He yelled at the palace attendants outside, then picked up Ling Yao, covered her with a cloak, and left Fanghua Palace.