After the Alluring Beauty Was Forced into a Political Marriage - Chapter 5

Great Xia was vast. From the edge of the grasslands to the Shanyu’s court, there was still a significant distance that would take several days at the very least. Shen Lianzhi had truly shot himself in the foot. His only horse had been bitten to death, making the journey even more grueling.

Having no other choice, Lianzhi followed behind Siqin Bari with his hair disheveled and wearing his ragged, mismatched red wedding robes.

In the depths of winter, heavy snow fluttered across the grasslands. As far as the eye could see, the sky and earth were a blur of white. With every step, his feet sank deep into the snow, leaving hollow pits behind.

It was too cold. The first two days were manageable, but as they drew closer to the Shanyu’s court, the weather turned increasingly frigid and the snow grew heavier.

Shen Lianzhi had endured a bumpy road and a brush with death, and now he had to trek through the wilderness and sleep in the open. He felt terribly wronged. After walking for two days without rest, he finally reached his limit. His calves trembled, and he collapsed into a crouched position.

His sudden stop naturally caused Siqin Bari to halt and look back.

Shen Lianzhi found it strange. After two days of traveling, he was exhausted, yet the Left Tuqi King remained spirited and showed no signs of fatigue at all.

“What are you doing?” Siqin Bari frowned impatiently. “Move faster.”

Shen Lianzhi lowered his head, wrapping his arms tightly around himself. The fierce wind scraped against his face, making it sting. Chilblains had formed on his hands. Lianzhi scratched the itchy, painful backs of his hands and said timidly, “I, I want to rest for a bit.”

“I even want to sleep,” Lianzhi complained in a low voice. Every part of his body ached. He was covered in scrapes, and the wolf wound on his left shoulder from a few days ago, though not deep, gave off a persistent, nagging sting.

Back in the palace, though he lacked his father’s favor, he had not suffered since meeting Lu Jingce at the age of eight.

Cousin Jingce and Imperial Aunt Huayang were the only two people who treated Lianzhi well. After Aunt Huayang heard from a ten-year-old Lu Jingce that Shen Lianzhi was cold and hungry in the palace, she had sent many supplies.

Lu Jingce was the same; whenever he got something good, he sent it to Lianzhi. It had been this way for years.

Princess Huayang had also repeatedly pleaded with the Empress Dowager to persuade the Emperor to move Lianzhi to a different palace.

The Empress Dowager was deeply superstitious. Like the Emperor, she felt that Lianzhi, with his dual nature of yin and yang, was quite unlucky.

However, unable to resist her favorite daughter’s persistent petitions, the Empress Dowager, while not moving Lianzhi to a new palace, did protect him to some extent. Lianzhi’s life became much easier than before.

In the palace, let alone being covered in wounds and chilblains, even a single cough would make his cousin worry. Lianzhi thought of the broken bracelet again. His heart grew heavy, and tears began to well up in his eyes.

“I” I want to go back to Chang’an. But in front of Siqin Bari, Shen Lianzhi did not dare say the words aloud, only whispering them in his heart.

The more he thought, the more his heart ached. His vision blurred, and a single tear fell with a heavy drop.

“Hey” Siqin Bari looked at him, feeling somewhat bewildered. “What are you crying for?”

He felt a tightness in his chest, an uncomfortable sensation. The Xia people lived where there was water and grass. Traveling for days without sleep was a common occurrence, and Siqin Bari was long used to it.

To be honest, when Shen Lianzhi first stopped, Siqin Bari was very impatient and wanted to mock him. But those mocking words got stuck in his throat the moment he saw that large tear. “Stop crying!”

Lianzhi was so startled by the shout that he forced his tears back. His pale little face was buried in his fur collar, leaving only his reddened eyes visible. Siqin Bari locked eyes with him for a moment before silently looking away.

He said harshly, “Useless thing. Crying every day, it is annoying to death.”

In truth, Shen Lianzhi did not want to cry either. It was just that he had little backbone to begin with and could not handle hardship. Facing such sudden suffering, what could he do besides shed a few tears?

However, explaining this to Siqin Bari was useless. Lianzhi remained silent. Seeing his pathetic state, Siqin Bari grew even angrier: “If you want to rest, then rest, but do not let me see you cry again!”

Siqin Bari built a simple felt tent on the snow. The tent was small and would not last long.

“Just for this one day. Tomorrow morning, we continue,” he said coldly. “Do not waste any more breath when the time comes.”

Shen Lianzhi finally had a place to stay. Although it was small and cramped, he was extremely satisfied and nodded frantically to Siqin Bari.

In the center of the tent, a fire was lit for warmth. The blood-red flames flickered, and the firewood crackled and popped occasionally as sparks flew.

After walking for so long, Xiao Anzi was also exhausted. The boy lay down flat and fell fast asleep in no time.

In the dim light, Siqin Bari crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. The tent was very quiet; only the shallow breathing of the three people could be heard.

But precisely because it was so quiet, the rustling sound beside him became exceptionally clear.

Siqin Bari turned over, frowning, and covered his ears with one hand, yet the noise still managed to seep in. His breathing grew more rapid until, finally unable to restrain himself, he sat up.

“Did you not say you were tired? Then what are you fussing with?!”

Swoosh, the handkerchief in Shen Lianzhi’s hand fell. He had not expected Siqin Bari to snap at him so suddenly and was quite startled, his eyes widening slightly. “I”

Siqin Bari’s gaze moved down toward the fallen handkerchief, and then his pupils contracted slightly.

The robes on Shen Lianzhi’s body were halfway slipped off, the hem pulled up almost to the root of his thigh.

He was currently sitting with his back to Siqin Bari. When he turned his head, it stretched his neck into a long, pale line. His rounded, translucent left shoulder was completely exposed, and a few drops of water rolled down his smooth skin, leaving a winding trail behind.

He propped himself up with one hand behind his back, his legs slightly bent. The lines of his legs were smooth, long but not too thin, looking pale, smooth, and well-proportioned.

The handkerchief had landed right on the bridge of Lianzhi’s foot. Shen Lianzhi had his foot slightly lifted. A prince of the Great Zhou possessed a delicate body. Even those snow-white feet looked as if they were carved from jade, with faint blue-green veins visible.

The soft, delicate soles of his feet had been scraped raw, showing several bright red patches against the white skin. Even though one knew these were scrapes from the flight, it was hard not to let one’s mind wander.

Before Siqin Bari could think further in that suggestive direction, Shen Lianzhi pulled his robes back on with a rustle and looked at him with great vigilance.

Shen Lianzhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously. “I only wanted to apply some medicine.”

That look, as if he were looking at a fierce beast, made Siqin Bari feel a bit uncomfortable. He paused, then looked away and let out a mocking, cold laugh: “You truly are a lot of trouble.”

Throwing out that chilly remark, Siqin Bari lay back down. Having been ridiculed, Shen Lianzhi was afraid he would snap again, so he stopped applying the medicine and lay down quietly.

He looked at the back of the Great Xia youth, thinking to himself that this little brat had a terrible temper. If he really became the consort of the barbarian leader, he did not know how much more suffering he would endure.

Thinking this, Lianzhi felt that the rest of his life was pitch black, without a single ray of light. He sighed and closed his eyes with a heavy heart.

The next day, Lianzhi was woken up before dawn.

Though it was only one night, the sleep had made him feel much better.

The wind and snow were biting today. Shen Lianzhi shrunk his neck, burying most of his face in his fur collar. The soft fur made his face feel a bit itchy.

The group walked forward in silence. Amidst the vast white snow, a streak of fiery red ahead was particularly eye-catching. Shen Lianzhi stared intently for a while, his eyes suddenly widening. “Is that my wedding carriage?!”

As they drew closer, everything became clearer. Shen Lianzhi recognized several familiar faces beside the carriage and immediately shouted, “Master Chen! Master Chen!”

The Minister of Rites in the distance heard the voice and approached. The “princess” sent for the marriage alliance had disappeared, and no one had been more terrified than him. Seeing Lianzhi now brought him unspeakable joy. The Minister’s eyes filled with tears: “Your Highness!”

He ran over and, seeing that although Lianzhi was a mess, he was not missing any limbs, he felt somewhat relieved. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed the sharp gaze from the side.

The Minister turned his head, his pupils shrinking as he hurriedly bowed to Siqin Bari: “Left Tuqi King!”

He did not dare ask how the two had met, though he could guess well enough. Siqin Bari gave a light snort. “This princess of yours sent for the marriage alliance has truly surprised this King.”

The Minister heard the underlying meaning and belatedly glanced at Lianzhi. Seeing that Shen Lianzhi’s face was clean and restored to its original appearance, his heart sank. “Left Tuqi King, this matter”

Siqin Bari raised a hand to cut him off. He lazily arched an eyebrow. “Your Highness has already told me those things.”

“It does not matter what I think. What matters is what my royal father thinks,” Siqin Bari declared. “Let us go. To the Shanyu’s court.”

Shen Lianzhi did not know if he would keep his head once he reached the court. He only knew that he finally did not have to rely on his two legs to walk.

He quickly boarded the wedding carriage. The carriage that had felt cramped a few days ago now seemed like a golden house. Lianzhi slumped against the soft cushions, wishing he could stay there forever.

As dusk approached, Siqin Bari, who was at the front, suddenly stopped and raised a hand to signal the rest to halt.

Sensing the carriage stop, Shen Lianzhi did not understand why. He used a finger to lift the curtain and poked his head out.

The snow was too heavy. Everything before him was a blur of white, and even his eyelashes were covered in a thin layer of snow. Lianzhi strained his eyes, but it was to no avail.

He did not know what trouble lay ahead and sat in the carriage with trepidation. Everyone held their breath. In the whistling wind, there seemed to be the sound of approaching hoofbeats.

Siqin Bari narrowed his eyes. The golden eagle on his shoulder spread its wings as if to fly. He reached for the hilt of the curved blade at his waist and drew it slightly, the blade gleaming coldly.

The hoofbeats grew louder. Siqin Bari had been slightly crouched, but as the distance closed, he actually relaxed. His furrowed brow smoothed out, and the crescent blade was sheathed.

Several burly Great Xia men galloped out of the snow. Shen Lianzhi fixed his gaze on the leading man. Even in such cold weather, half of his bronze-colored arm was exposed.

“Whoa” The man pulled his horse to a stop, dismounted, and stood before Siqin Bari. He raised his right fist to his left chest in a salute: “Left Tuqi King.”

“Xurigan.” Siqin Bari frowned imperceptibly. “Why are you here?”

“Did I not tell you to stay at the royal tent to look after Royal Father?”

“Left Tuqi King!” The man named Xurigan bowed his head, a look of agony appearing on his handsome, resolute face. “Just last night”

“The Great Suhe Shanyu has left the people of the grasslands forever and gone to the heavenly kingdom!”

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