"How many years have you gone without eating?"
Lin Yue, clad in a white robe, leaned against a backrest on the carpet, holding a cup of wine from the Western Regions. She watched Zhou Fugui devour his food ravenously, sweat beading on his forehead, and asked with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
He was almost starving to death, yet he had refused her offer of food. Such an interesting person was a rarity she hadn't encountered in many years.
After her country fell and her family was destroyed, Lin Yue had lived a life of hardship. However, under the protection of her elder brother, Hu Yanheng, her life hadn't been overly miserable, merely uneventful. This continued until she married the fierce Xiongnu Chanyu, Duoyongjian, or rather, was taken as a concubine by him.
The days that followed were sorrowful, filled with humiliation, scheming, and constant trepidation. By now, Lin Yue had transitioned from fearing others to being feared by them. Yet, this made her even more dangerous, and her life even more perilous.
Such a life, in truth, Lin Yue did not fear. What she feared was loneliness.
For a long time, Lin Yue's only relative was her elder brother, Hu Yanheng. In his pursuit of restoring their kingdom, he had sent her into a den of wolves, into the jaws of Duoyongjian, and he himself had met a violent end.
Thus, Lin Yue became even more alone.
Until she met Zhou Fugui. Lin Yue always felt a sense of familiarity with him, a kinship, even a feeling of being his elder sister, and a sense of home.
But he was a Han Chinese. How could he possibly be related to her? He certainly wasn't her kin. Lin Yue dismissed her previous thoughts.
"What did you say?" Zhou Fugui mumbled, a piece of tender lamb in his mouth, looking at Lin Yue.
"I said, aren't you afraid of choking?" Seeing Zhou Fugui eat with such gusto, Lin Yue felt a pang of hunger herself...
"Haha!" Zhou Fugui chuckled. "It melts in your mouth, why would I choke?"
After speaking, Zhou Fugui unceremoniously tore off another piece of lamb and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing vigorously.
In this barbarian land, Zhou Fugui didn't expect utensils like chopsticks.
"Do you have anyone else at home? Or are you without family?" Lin Yue asked, shaking her head slightly.
With his mouth full of lamb, Zhou Fugui couldn't answer immediately. He pointed at his empty wooden cup.
Lin Yue rolled her eyes at him and, taking the wine pot, poured him a cup of wine herself.
The two female slaves attending them were astonished. Ever since becoming Lin Yue's servants, they had never seen their mistress serve anyone, except for the Great Chanyu and the princes.
However, the two young female slaves merely harbored their surprise internally; they dared not show any outward astonishment. Their eyes widened as they stared at Zhou Fugui, wondering who he truly was.
"I didn't pop out of a rock, of course I have family." Fueled by the fine wine, Zhou Fugui finally swallowed the lamb, wiped his mouth, and replied, "My late father, Zhou Shi, my mother, Liu Shi, my elder sister-in-law, Gu Shi, my younger sister, and my nephew are in Yanjing, Youzhou. My elder brother... he passed away some years ago."
Thinking of his ill-fated elder brother, Zhou Fugui felt a wave of sadness.
"Liu Shi?" Lin Yue exclaimed in surprise.
"What? Is that strange?" Zhou Fugui asked, looking at Lin Yue.
*If I told her my mother's maiden name was Hu Yan, would she be shocked speechless?* Zhou Fugui mused, his gaze lingering on Lin Yue's lotus-like chin.
Unexpectedly, the lotus-like chin tilted upwards. Lin Yue's expression darkened. She looked up at Zhou Fugui and asked coldly, "Zhou Fugui, are you still not telling the truth?"
"Wh-what... truth...?" Zhou Fugui asked, looking at Lin Yue in bewilderment.
"You have family, a mother, a sister-in-law, a younger sister, a nephew. Oh, right, you should have a wife too?" Lin Yue said, also looking at Zhou Fugui. "You abandoned them to come and seek refuge with me? Or are you a heartless beast who cares nothing for his kin? Aren't you afraid your family will be implicated in this? Or are you lying to me? And Lin Yue despises liars and beasts the most."
In truth, Lin Yue had never believed Zhou Fugui's tales from the beginning. She hadn't exposed him or killed him temporarily only because she felt a sense of déjà vu with him, and also because he had shown mercy outside Xue Lin City.
"Whoosh!" Zhou Fugui's anger flared. He pushed himself up from the carpet and stood over Lin Yue, shouting, "You're the beast! Your whole family is a beast... I, a man of seven feet, am a beast who cares nothing for his kin? I am no loyal subject of Yan, nor do I have any loyalty to Yan-Hu. Therefore, I am not a spy for the Yan army. Alas, I sincerely led my men to defect, and you treat me with such suspicion? Just kill me then. I've eaten my fill anyway, and I'll be a gluttonous ghost in the underworld!"
*Impressive, truly impressive!*
Zhou Fugui's outburst, whether born of genuine anger or embarrassment, was a mere bluff, an attempt to mask his inner turmoil.
*This bewitching woman is formidable. She figured out the gist of it with a single sentence. And it was an unintentional question! All this food and wine, this harmonious and peaceful atmosphere – was it all a calculated move? To make me let down my guard and reveal a flaw.*
*Impressive, truly impressive!* Zhou Fugui sighed again.
At this moment, Zhou Fugui's only hope was to use his glib tongue to navigate this perilous situation.
"Pfft..." Lin Yue couldn't help but laugh. At the same time, she caught a strong scent of a man, which made her feel a little flustered.
This potent masculine aroma was something the childlike Prince Bian could never possess.
Lin Yue suddenly realized that she had laughed more today than in her entire life... She quickly suppressed her smile, looked up at Zhou Fugui, and said indifferently, "Are you full yet? I don't think you are. Sit down and eat slowly. Lin Yue has plenty of delicious food and fine wine here. Zhou Fugui, I'd like to hear how sincere you are. To abandon your family... such a person is rare in this world."
"Oh, really?" Zhou Fugui, resigned, sat down again. Picking up a roasted lamb leg, he began to gnaw on it and said, "Are all you barbarians people of great sentiment and righteousness? I don't think so. If everyone in this world were truly devoted, why would there be so much suffering? However, Princess Consort, I am not heartless. My elder brother was murdered, my younger sister was violated. In my rage and heartbreak, I killed over two hundred Xianbei people. Can I still be called heartless? I did not abandon them by defecting to you; it was a matter of absolute helplessness! Princess Consort, think about it. If I had stayed in Xue Lin City to be humiliated, I would have had to flee. In the chaos of battle, a nobody like me wouldn't have been noticed. If I escaped, they might have thought I died in the chaos, and my family wouldn't be implicated! They might even have received rewards from the Yan imperial court... My plan was to quietly bring my mother and the others over when things calmed down. Besides, I am not married, so where would I have a wife?"
Lin Yue glanced at Zhou Fugui, remaining silent, contemplating his words, trying to discern their truth. However, as intelligent as she was, she found it difficult to verify them at this moment.
At the same time, Lin Yue couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement. *If he's a Yan spy, he should just admit it. I wouldn't kill him anyway, and having a Yan spy like Zhou Fugui would be useful to me right now.*
Zhou Fugui also knew that Lin Yue wouldn't believe him, but for now, this was the best he could do. Moreover, his words were a mixture of truth and falsehood, making them difficult to decipher.
The only thing Zhou Fugui was certain of was that Lin Yue would not kill him.
At this moment, both Lin Yue and Zhou Fugui in the tent fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Why aren't you married?" Lin Yue suddenly asked after a long pause.
In this world, men typically married after reaching adulthood, often even earlier, at seventeen or eighteen, and sometimes even at thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, or sixteen. Women married even younger.
*Is she setting another trap?* At this point, Zhou Fugui had to be cautious. After contemplating for a while, he replied, "A humble person like me, having been through so much hardship, how could I dare to marry? And who would be willing to marry their daughter to me?"
Murong Huiying would have gladly married Zhou Fugui, but the difference in their status and position made it impossible. The disparity in their social standing was like an insurmountable chasm. Yuan Bolong and Yuan Meiyu of Feilong Mountain wished to keep Zhou Fugui as their son-in-law, but that was out of the question for obvious reasons.
"A man who achieves great deeds on the battlefield, why would he worry about not finding a woman?" Lin Yue smiled charmingly. "How about you serve as a Hundred-Man Commander under Lin Yue's command for now?"
"As I said, I am willing to go through fire and water for Your Highness, the Princess Consort!" Zhou Fugui nodded.
"I hope you speak the truth," Lin Yue said, glancing at Zhou Fugui.
Lin Yue then rose and walked to the front of the tent, clapping her hands.
The tent flap was lifted, and a burly, white-haired, middle-aged general, fully armored, entered, his hand on his saber. He glanced at Zhou Fugui and then said to Lin Yue, "Princess Consort, all have been captured."
Zhou Fugui was startled and quickly stood up, looking outside the tent. He saw his subordinates, Li Qing, Xu Mancang, Xue Wentai, Pan Jiàn Guǐ, Bai Ma Wu, Yelí Hǔ, Yang Xinhong, Wu Tianqi, Wei Shǎizi, Chen Kunkun, Hong Wei, and others, all kneeling outside the tent, bound hand and foot, covered in bloodstains. It was evident at a glance that they had just emerged from a fierce battle.
"You... you are so malicious?" Zhou Fugui roared, glaring at Lin Yue.
"Don't the Han people have a saying? One must always guard against others," Lin Yue said calmly.
Zhunjin, Lin Yue's right-hand general, heard this and cast another glance at Zhou Fugui.