"Why have you bound me?"
In the military tent of Princess Lin Yue of the Xiongnu, ten strong warriors rushed forward, binding Zhou Fugui tightly. Ropes made of bull sinew dug deep into Zhou Fugui's flesh.
Caught off guard, Zhou Fugui was unable to resist. Even if he had been prepared, he could not have stopped them. He could only struggle desperately while looking up at Lin Yue and asking.
Zhou Fugui had been too confident, placing too much faith in his glib tongue, believing he could persuade Lin Yue with his words and receive a welcoming smile.
Lin Yue was not swayed by Zhou Fugui's tactics. She would bind who she needed to bind, and kill who she needed to kill!
"What do you say?" Lin Yue indeed "welcomed him with a smile," asking Zhou Fugui with a suddenly blooming, beautiful smile.
Lin Yue's blooming smile, in Zhou Fugui's eyes, was a hellish grin, more chilling than any scolding or beating.
"Lin Yue, why break your word? A man of honor who goes back on his word is despised," Zhou Fugui roared at Lin Yue.
Everything would be as before, the respect for worthy scholars, the gracious treatment – it was all a lie, Zhou Fugui regretted deeply in his heart.
"General Zhou..." Lin Yue's smile was charming, capable of softening bones. She ran a hand over Zhou Fugui's chiseled face and laughed, "I am but a humble woman, how can I be a man of honor? Besides, you broke your promise first, how can you blame me? And even if I did break my promise, what could you do?"
Zhou Fugui was rendered speechless by her words, drooping dejectedly.
"Go!" Lin Yue then ordered Zhunjin and the others.
...
"General Zhunjin, they have been campaigning for a long time and are overly fatigued. Arrange for them to return home and reunite with their families. For those who have fallen, provide generous compensation and comfort their families. See to it immediately."
Upon returning to Luojiao City with her troops, Lin Yue instructed Zhunjin and the other generals.
Luojiao City was a stone city, more like a large fortress than a city. Its walls were constructed from stones and rammed earth, no more than ten feet high and three feet thick. Within the city were rows of low-lying houses. Unlike Bailang City, Luojiao City was the fief of the Xiongnu prince and, of course, Lin Yue's base of operations. Many of her slave soldiers came from Luojiao City and its surrounding areas.
"Yes, I will leave some guards for the princess," Zhunjin nodded.
These matters required leaving the city.
"No need..." Lin Yue shook her head. "Guards are also people. They too need to reunite with their wives and children. A hundred or so will suffice."
"This..." Zhunjin said worriedly, "Princess, in these times, one cannot be too careful."
"In Luojiao City, what do I have to worry about? Hurry now," Lin Yue refused.
Luojiao City was the fief of Prince Bian of the Xiongnu, and Prince Bian was currently in Luojiao City. With him here, what did Lin Yue have to fear? Prince Bian was her only reliance, or one could call him a hostage. If Duo Yongjian wanted to kill Lin Yue, he would also have to kill his only son, Prince Bian, the sole heir to the Xiongnu throne. This was a case of 'hesitating to throw a rat for fear of breaking the pot.' Thus, Lin Yue first led her troops back to Luojiao City, determined not to let Prince Bian escape her control for too long.
Prince Bian, unable to bear the rigors of campaigning, had already returned to Luojiao City.
"Very well, Princess, be careful," Zhunjin could only say before leaving over a hundred of his elite warriors with Lin Yue and departing Luojiao City with his men.
"Bring that Han into the hall," Lin Yue said to her subordinates after glancing at Zhunjin's retreating back.
Lin Yue then led the way into a stone building referred to as a "palace." The warrior subordinates followed, escorting the bound Zhou Fugui into the stone chamber.
...
"Lin Yue, Lin Yue, you're back? I missed you so much." Prince Bian couldn't bear to be away from Lin Yue for a moment and was throwing a tantrum in the hall, bored beyond measure. Seeing Lin Yue enter, he joyfully rushed towards her, burying his head in her embrace, lifting her clothes, and attempting to do as they usually did.
"Your Highness..." In the past, this would have been fine, and the servants attending them were long accustomed to it. But now, Zhou Fugui had also been brought into the hall. Lin Yue felt a blush creep up her neck, and she quickly pushed Prince Bian away, saying faintly, "It's getting late, you should go rest."
After speaking, Lin Yue secretly glanced at Zhou Fugui. He was rolling his eyes, looking down at everything, his breath puffing out in two white clouds in the cold winter. His face was full of curiosity, full of disdain, one might even say he looked upon it with utter contempt, no doubt thinking how to humiliate Lin Yue. Zhou Fugui even cast a lecherous glance at Lin Yue's snow-white chest.
This only made Lin Yue more ashamed and angry.
You humiliate me, and I will make your life worse than death later, Lin Yue thought resentfully.
"Lin Yue, don't you like me anymore? Why are you like this?" Prince Bian said aggrievedly, his face contorted, on the verge of tears.
"Your Highness..." Lin Yue quickly soothed Prince Bian, "I have some matters to attend to. You go rest first, and I'll come to you later."
Lin Yue's voice was soft and gentle, but left no room for refusal.
Prince Bian could only comply. He gave Lin Yue a reluctant glance and walked towards the side chamber.
"Who are you?" Prince Bian asked curiously, passing by Zhou Fugui.
"Zhou Fugui of Yan!" Zhou Fugui replied indifferently, looking down at Prince Bian from above.
"Zhou Fugui of Yan? A Han? Haha..." Prince Bian was not surprised but pleased. He pinched Zhou Fugui's iron-like muscles and laughed.
Prince Bian treated Zhou Fugui like a plaything, which infuriated Zhou Fugui. He secretly puffed up his muscles, flicking away Prince Bian's slender, delicate white hand. Seeing this, two warriors quickly restrained Zhou Fugui, preventing him from moving.
Prince Bian was startled and took two steps back, pointing at Zhou Fugui. "My father says all Han are dogs, livestock. Bark like a dog quickly, crawl on the ground, and be my horse!"
Everyone in the hall smiled, watching Zhou Fugui's misfortune with schadenfreude. No one intervened, including Lin Yue.
You humiliated me, and now I want to see how you handle this, Lin Yue thought coldly.
Zhou Fugui was a proud man. To subdue him, one must first break his pride, and humiliation was an effective method.
"If you want to die, come and ride me," Zhou Fugui could not bear such humiliation. His heart was already filled with immense rage, but he grinned, revealing his stark white teeth, chilling to the bone.
Back in the Yan palace, before the throne of the Yan Emperor, Zhou Fugui had chosen death over compliance. How much less so before this strange and somewhat eerie "Xiongnu child"?
Prince Bian was merely thin, his face unnervingly pale, and he looked like a child, though he was not young.
Zhou Fugui could not endure the disgrace. As for that time with Empress Murong Qing of the Great Yan... it was in a secret chamber, known only to heaven and earth, known to Zhou Fugui and Murong Qing, with no third person privy to it. Moreover, it was debatable who had humiliated whom.
"Lin Yue, he..." Prince Bian took two steps back again at Zhou Fugui's fierce demeanor, turning to call out to Lin Yue.
"Help His Highness to rest," Lin Yue nodded and ordered those around her.
Two female slaves then half-carried, half-supported Prince Bian away.
Lin Yue then motioned for the warriors in the hall to withdraw. Only Lin Yue and Zhou Fugui remained in the room, along with a few attending female slaves. To be safe, Zhou Fugui's bonds were certainly not untied.
Lin Yue gracefully walked up to Zhou Fugui and, looking at him lying on the floor, smiled. "You refuse to let His Highness ride you. How about I ride you? Will you agree? In this life, Lin Yue has only ridden horses, never a person."
Zhou Fugui was furious. He struggled fiercely and managed to sit up like a spinning top, cursing at Lin Yue. "Bitch! You mongrel of the Xiongnu dogs! I repeat myself, if you want to die, come and ride me! You may succeed for now, but as long as Zhou has a breath left in him, I will take your life! Bitch, you are the princess consort of the Xiongnu dogs, with immense power, but you cannot guard against me forever! Bitch, believe it or not, we shall see!" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
In his extreme anger, Zhou Fugui repeatedly called them "Xiongnu dogs," completely forgetting that he himself was half-Xiongnu.
The female slaves in the hall were instantly terrified, looking at Zhou Fugui and then at Lin Yue with unease.
Lin Yue had endured much humiliation, but to be verbally abused so directly and so nastily was rare, almost unheard of. And the abuser was someone they considered a lowly Han.
"You..." Zhou Fugui's furious outburst naturally caused Lin Yue immense shame and anger, making her wish to take his life with a single sword stroke. However, Lin Yue quickly calmed her rage and said to Zhou Fugui, "What if I kill you now?"
"Come, come, come!" Zhou Fugui was not afraid, roaring back. "Kill me quickly. If I so much as flinch or shiver, I am not a son of my parents."
Rather than suffer humiliation, Zhou Fugui preferred death. This was the principle of choosing death over disgrace.
"It's just riding, aren't horses ridden by people? Why can't people be ridden by people? You make it sound so terrifying..." Lin Yue finally relented, muttering in a low voice.
"You say that so easily? How can people be ridden by people? A scholar can be killed, but not disgraced!" Zhou Fugui retorted angrily. "Or perhaps I should try riding you?"
In his rage, Zhou Fugui spoke without thinking. Lin Yue's face flushed slightly, and she said, "What if I threaten the lives of your hundreds of subordinates? Would you allow me to ride you then?"
"You..." Zhou Fugui was stunned into speechlessness, almost too enraged to speak.
At this moment, if Zhou Fugui were freed, he would kill Lin Yue with his bare hands, showing no mercy.
"Alright, alright, why are you so agitated?" Lin Yue smiled slightly and walked up to Zhou Fugui, gently pressing his shoulder. "I just need you to do something for me, I don't really want to ride you. You're not a horse, you can't run fast, so why would I want to ride you?"
"What is it?" Zhou Fugui asked, tilting his head in surprise.