After the Alluring Beauty Was Forced into a Political Marriage - Chapter 16

To be honest, Siqin Bari had been living quite unpleasantly these past few days.

This young Chanyu had been the center of attention since childhood. Throughout his life, no one dared to truly defy or contradict him, except for the late Old Chanyu.

Ordinary people would either take a detour to avoid him or bow and scrape in his presence. In short, no one dared to humiliate him. If someone was unfortunate enough to make Siqin Bari flare up, they would be lucky to escape with their skin intact.

No one had the guts to provoke Siqin Bari except for Shen Lianzhi. Sometimes, Siqin Bari truly could not understand it; Shen Lianzhi seemed like such a coward, yet he had a remarkable talent for making Siqin Bari’s blood boil.

The day he took Shen Lianzhi, Siqin Bari felt satisfied. The pent-up lust that had accumulated in his heart for days was swept away. Having enjoyed himself, he had pulled his already unconscious Khatun into his arms and fallen fast asleep.

When he woke up the next morning feeling refreshed, he realized with a start how pitiful the person in his arms looked, curled up with dried tear stains all over his small face. At that moment, a rare sense of pity and guilt stirred within Siqin Bari.

Siqin Bari lowered his head. His long fingers, calloused and scarred, casually toyed with the stray hairs falling around Shen Lianzhi’s ear. The gaze he directed at him held a faint hint of tenderness. A strange and surging emotion filled his chest. He thought, “This is my Khatun now.”

Siqin Bari felt a sudden impulse to do something to please his Khatun. Now, as for Siqin Bari himself, he was harder than a foul-smelling stone weathered by the sun and rain on the steppes. He had never bowed his head to anyone in his life. The fact that he was now harboring such thoughts for Shen Lianzhi was truly rare.

Siqin Bari sincerely felt that he had been good enough to Shen Lianzhi. He had shot a snow fox right through the eye and, together with Xuri Gan, had flayed the skin. The warm fox fur draped over Siqin Bari’s shoulder made his heart feel warm as well.

Siqin Bari could not help but imagine Shen Lianzhi’s reaction upon receiving this fox fur; he would surely be ecstatic. However, the moment he stepped into the royal tent, he heard a commotion inside. His mouse-like Khatun actually had the audacity to make a life-and-death scene.

The secret expectation and joy in Siqin Bari’s heart vanished in an instant. His face changed color, and he threw the fox fur into Xuri Gan’s arms before striding in to confront Lianzhi. He truly wanted to teach Shen Lianzhi a lesson, but seeing Lianzhi’s pitiful, crying face, he could not harden his heart. After venting his anger, he actually felt quite guilty. Thus, he had Xuri Gan bring the fox fur over ahead of time.

In Siqin Bari’s view, that fox fur represented his intention to make peace with his Khatun. Yet, even though he had gone this far, Shen Lianzhi was so ungrateful that he set aside such a precious sentiment. The fire he had barely managed to suppress flared up again. Siqin Bari had never been so humiliated. If Shen Lianzhi did not value his feelings, then he did not care to give them.

Siqin Bari left in a rage and spent two nights sleeping in another tent. Sleeping alone was difficult, and his heart felt as if a stone were blocking it. The young Chanyu was only seventeen, full of vigor and having just tasted the forbidden fruit. To be honest, he really wanted to go back to the royal tent. But the moment he thought of how ungrateful Shen Lianzhi had been, he felt as if he had been doused with ice water.

Siqin Bari originally wanted to continue this standoff with Shen Lianzhi until Lianzhi came to apologize in person, at which point he would mercifully forgive his mistakes. However, he did not get Shen Lianzhi; instead, he got his furious elder sister.

Even though Siqin Bari had become the most noble Chanyu of Great Xia, the Eldest Princess Surina still treated him like her impulsive, mindless younger brother. Ignoring Xuri Gan’s attempts to stop her, she stepped into the tent with a dark face. Before she even appeared, her voice preceded her: “Siqin Bari!”

Siqin Bari was holding a whetstone, sharpening his crescent scimitar. Even someone like him felt his heart jump at Surina’s thunderous shout. His fingertip pressed hard against the sharp edge of the blade, slicing the skin open. Blood dripped down. Siqin Bari carelessly wiped it with a cloth and asked impatiently, “What is it?”

Surina stood before him, her face terrifyingly dark. “Get rid of that foul, half-man thing immediately!” Still not satisfied, she added, “Execute him!”

Siqin Bari was stunned for a long while before realizing that Surina’s indignant “foul, half-man thing” referred to Lianzhi.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Siqin Bari’s face also darkened. “That is this King’s Khatun.”

Surina sneered, “Your ‘good’ Khatun is said to be a prince of Zhou. He is so devoid of etiquette and shameful that he made a total fool of himself in front of the queens of the sixteen tribes of Great Xia!”

Siqin Bari was stunned again. “What happened to him?”

Surina folded her arms and gave a cold snort without a word. Her personal maid stepped forward and gave the Chanyu a detailed account of Shen Lianzhi wearing the wrong headdress and choking on meat. After listening, Siqin Bari was silent for a moment. “That is not a big deal.”

“The Khatun has come from afar. He is bound to be unfamiliar with our customs. Big Sister really does not need to make such a fuss,” Siqin Bari advised. “The Khatun is timid and dull. Sister, do not be too harsh on him.”

Surina’s eyes widened, and her lower lip trembled, clearly not buying it. “I am making a fuss? He is timid and dull? Ha!”

“He actually dared to challenge me openly in front of the queens and princesses of the sixteen tribes! He said he could not give birth like a woman and told me to find someone more capable. Fine! This is the ‘coward’ you were talking about!”

He actually dared to say that! Siqin Bari was also taken aback. But before his surprise could fade, he heard Surina’s next sentence about “finding someone more capable,” and a faint anger rose in his heart.

“This is your ‘good’ Khatun! The noble Khatun of our Great Xia is actually a man who cannot bear children!” Surina gritted her teeth and said, “You should know that the reason I allowed you to keep him was because you vowed to me that he was intersex and could bear offspring for Great Xia!”

“If he cannot do it, it would be better to kill him, tear up the truce, and send troops south again!”

“Big Sister!” Even though Siqin Bari’s mind was a mess and he was very angry, he could not truly kill Shen Lianzhi as Surina suggested, nor could he start a war. “I have only recently ascended the throne. Some tribal kings may not be fully submissive yet. Now is definitely not a good time for war. There must be a misunderstanding!”

“Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? He said it himself! By doing this, he has undoubtedly shamed both you and me! He sees that you have just taken the throne and your foundation is not yet firm, so he is damaging your reputation to incite the other sixteen tribes to rebel! I think he is a spy!”

“Enough!” Siqin Bari could no longer listen. He suppressed his anger, swept the crescent scimitar off the low wooden table, and stood up abruptly.

His sister never liked the people of Zhou to begin with, and Shen Lianzhi’s status was so awkward that Surina’s hatred for him naturally only grew. But such speculation was simply too absurd. Siqin Bari thought somewhat disdainfully, “Could someone whose tears flow like an endless river truly have such courage and means? It is laughable.”

“Father was seriously ill; his days were numbered,” Siqin Bari said with some difficulty, looking at Surina. “Father’s passing actually had nothing to do with the Khatun.”

Surina stood an arm’s length away. Siqin Bari was much taller than she, but as she held her head high, her aura was not a bit weaker than his. The siblings stared at each other for a long time. Eventually, Surina looked away. She raised her wrist to smooth her hair, her voice cold and heavy: “I will make my own decision.”

Siqin Bari sighed. “He is not some important figure. There is no need to treat him like a great enemy.”

“This Shen Lianzhi,” Siqin Bari thought for a moment and said what he believed was an objective assessment, “is weak, incompetent, dull, and stupid. Except for a face that is pleasant to look at, he truly has no merits. Someone like him cannot cause any trouble.”

After saying this, he cracked his neck and walked out of the tent. But as if remembering something, he stopped. Siqin Bari gave a roguish smile. “But he is quite lovable.”

Surina was infuriated by his flippant attitude. She waved her hand in disgust, telling him to get out. After he vanished, she furrowed her brows thoughtfully. The prejudice etched into her bones could not be erased by a few words from Siqin Bari. Her maid stepped forward and whispered, “Princess.”

“I also feel that the Khatun does not seem like someone worth your wariness.”

Surina shot her a glance. “It is still better to be safe than sorry.”

“Find a few people to watch him,” Surina said coldly. “Be careful with your movements.”

Siqin Bari finally found an excuse to see his Khatun; one that would not make him lose face. He knew his sister’s temper best. Seeing the way Surina had come over to vent her rage, he knew Shen Lianzhi would definitely have a hard time. He climbed onto the bed and first turned the man over to inspect him carefully. Seeing no injuries, he breathed a secret sigh of relief.

Once his anxiety was gone, his resentment returned. Siqin Bari pinched Shen Lianzhi’s chin and stared at his pale face. “Tell me yourself. What did you say in front of Big Sister today?”

Shen Lianzhi’s mind was filled with the image of that flying knife. He did not have the energy to deal with Siqin Bari. His thin lips were dry and peeling. Lianzhi instinctively licked them, his whole body trembling. “I… I…”

Siqin Bari’s gaze fell on his moistened lips. With that one fleeting glance, the desire that had been building for days surged up. He leaned down and bit Shen Lianzhi’s mouth hard, as if venting his anger. “Scared now? You deserve it!”

“You really dare to say anything out loud! Find someone more capable?” Siqin Bari grew angry just thinking about it. He was rebelling! That Shen Lianzhi could say such things so nonchalantly made it seem as if he did not care about him at all. This made it very hard for Siqin Bari to swallow his pride.

In his heart, his Khatun should submissively please him, consciously flatter him, and treat him as his everything. How could he say something as breezy as “find someone more capable!”

He was about to flare up when a pair of soft hands pressed against his chest. Siqin Bari looked down with a stiff face and saw Shen Lianzhi looking up at him piteously, his long eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings.

“Great King, I was wrong. I was wrong.” Seeing his face as dark as the bottom of a pot, Lianzhi thought he was going to be punished and could only show weakness.

Siqin Bari stared with wide eyes. “In such a situation, you still dare to entice me?!”

Shen Lianzhi was stunned by his roar, his lips parting and closing in confusion.

“Fine! Then I will satisfy you!” Siqin Bari’s visit today was a case of the “drunkard’s interest not being in the wine.” Now, half in anger and half in lust, he tore at Lianzhi’s clothes. His movements were hurried, completely unaware that he looked exactly like a rogue. He cupped Shen Lianzhi’s face and kissed his lips forcefully twice. Then he said fiercely, “Whether you can give birth or not, is it up to you?”

“It is up to me!”

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