After the Alluring Beauty Was Forced into a Political Marriage - Chapter 6

The leader of those barbarians was dead?

Shen Lianzhi was first struck with astonishment, and then joy surged through him like a rising tide. His eyebrows lifted, and his delight was nearly impossible to hide. He wanted nothing more than to shout to the heavens that justice had been served.

However, Siqin Bari’s state of mind was the polar opposite of Lianzhi’s. The previously arrogant youth stood stunned as he looked at Xurigan. His deep eyes flickered with disbelief and profound sorrow. “What did you say? What did you say!”

Siqin Bari’s eyes turned bloodshot. He dismounted and grabbed Xurigan with his well-defined hands. “Father, how could Father possibly be,”

It turned out that the one who had contracted the malignant illness was the Chanyu of Great Xia, Suhe. The disease had come on aggressively. In just half a year, it had ravaged him beyond recognition. No one expected that the brave and battle-hardened Chanyu would depart so quickly.

Siqin Bari closed his eyes as waves of sharp pain twisted in his heart. He held deep affection for his father, who was both his parent and his mentor. Xurigan lowered his head as well, both men’s faces clouded with grief.

The snow grew heavier. The long cry of the golden eagle echoed across the vast grasslands, making the scene feel even more desolate. Shen Lianzhi watched all of this before lowering his head, burying the lower half of his face in his fur collar to hide a secret smile.

He did not care how sad Siqin Bari and the others were, nor did he care if Suhe lived or died. The fact that he was dead was wonderful. The spark of hope that had been smothered in Lianzhi’s heart seemed to ignite once more.

He recalled the magnificent scenery of Chang’an and Lu Jingce’s eyes full of love. His heart beat rapidly as he thought naively: since Suhe was already dead, did that mean he could go home? After all, they had not officially married yet, and he had never even seen the old man’s face!

“Lord Chen.” Lianzhi turned his neck, his eyes shining as he looked at the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies on the horse beside him. “The Chanyu is dead. What happens to me? Can I, can I go back to the Zhou Palace?”

In contrast to Lianzhi’s uncontrollable excitement, the Minister’s face was a pale mask of disbelief. He turned and met Shen Lianzhi’s bright, watery eyes. A trace of pity rose in his heart. The truth was on the tip of his tongue, yet he found it impossible to speak.

“Lord Chen.” Shen Lianzhi pressed for a confirmation to ease his mind. “Is that right?”

His repeated questioning left the Minister at a loss. For a moment, he felt utterly bewildered. Finally, he took a deep breath and steeled his heart. “Your Highness, you cannot return to the palace.”

Despite the thick, falling snow, Shen Lianzhi felt as though he had heard a clap of thunder. His newly reborn hope was extinguished by that single sentence. His brow furrowed slightly, and his parted lips trembled. Even his voice shook. “Why? Chanyu Suhe is dead. What need is there for me to stay here? Do you mean to say I must go into the ground to accompany him?”

The sudden shift from extreme joy to extreme sorrow made it impossible for him to remain calm. He looked at the Minister piteously. “Why?”

“You do not need to accompany him in death.” The Minister half-lowered his eyelids and let out a long sigh. “But you must still remain on the grasslands. Your Highness, there is a rule on the grasslands: a son inherits from the father, and a younger brother succeeds the elder.”

He only said this much, unable to continue. But Shen Lianzhi was no fool. Hearing only half was enough for him to understand the implication. He felt as though a giant axe had fallen from the sky and split him in two. “Are you saying, are you saying,”

Despite being wrapped in thick fox fur, Lianzhi felt cold all over. He slowly turned his head toward Siqin Bari. He saw Xurigan performing a grand salutation to the youth once more. “We request the Wise King of the Left to ascend the throne!”

Siqin Bari was the Wise King of the Left. He was to inherit the position of Chanyu, and he was to inherit Shen Lianzhi, who originally should have married his father.

Lianzhi stared at him for a long time. Sensing the gaze, Siqin Bari turned and looked back at Lianzhi through the wind and snow. He was still immersed in the grief of losing his father, and his reddened eyes appeared even more fierce.

In that moment, Lianzhi inexplicably recalled the blatant look of disgust the youth had given him in the tent yesterday, as well as that chilling smile from a few days ago.

“And then, I will decide whether or not to use a blade to cut off your head.”

If that restless old man Suhe had married him, Shen Lianzhi might have at least kept his life. But now the old Chanyu was dead, and Siqin Bari hated him so much. Would he even be left with an intact corpse?

Shen Lianzhi began to shake uncontrollably. Siqin Bari’s features were handsome but sharp, with a low brow that pressed over his eyes. Lianzhi remembered Lu Jingce telling him that such a facial feature was a bad omen: it belonged to cruel and violent people. If he ever met someone like that, he had to avoid them at all costs.

Thinking of it now, his cousin truly had not lied to him. The blood in Lianzhi’s body felt frozen. His vision began to blur in waves. The hands clutching the cushions went limp, and his body tilted until he tumbled out of the sedan. His forehead hit the ground, and everything went black. He knew nothing more.

When Lianzhi woke again, several days had passed. He opened his eyes to find himself lying on soft furs. Xiao Anzi had been guarding his side and was overjoyed to see him awake. “Your Highness!”

“Xiao Anzi.” Lianzhi pressed his palms against the furs to sit up. “Where am I?”

“We have arrived at the Chanyu’s Court, Your Highness. You truly scared me to death.” Xiao Anzi carefully helped him up. Lianzhi then realized his clothes had been changed to a clean, plain white silk garment.

Lianzhi pressed his temples while his eyes darted around the interior of the yurt. The bed he was on was low to the ground, decorated with silk hangings. Rugs were spread everywhere, and there was a poplar wood couch in the corner.

After looking around, Lianzhi’s heart sank halfway. He always called the Xia people barbarians, but he had not expected them to truly be so primitive. How could anyone live in such a place?

“Your Highness,” Xiao Anzi whispered. “This yurt is actually considered quite comfortable.”

Lianzhi was instantly overwhelmed by despair. “I want to go back to Chang’an. I want to go back to the Zhou Palace. I miss Brother Jingce.”

Fearing the young master’s shouting would attract unwanted attention, Xiao Anzi rushed to cover Lianzhi’s mouth. “Your Highness, keep your voice down. You cannot go back.” Xiao Anzi said sadly. “The Wise King of the Left has ascended the throne as the new Chanyu. I am afraid that in a few days, he will marry you.”

Seeing that he was not missing any limbs and his head was still firmly attached to his neck, a sliver of hope remained in Lianzhi’s heart. “He hates me so much. I doubt he will want to marry me. Although the grasslands have that ridiculous rule, now that he is the Chanyu, isn’t his word law? If Siqin Bari does not want to, who can force him? Perhaps if he finds me annoying enough, he will let me go back to the Zhou Palace. Besides, didn’t the Emperor already cede two cities to these barbarians? In the end, he is not losing out.”

While Lianzhi was lost in these thoughts, he did not notice the tent flap being lifted. It was not until the person drew close that he took a lazy glance. It was Siqin Bari. Lianzhi’s eyes widened, and he looked at him timidly.

“King, Great King.” Lianzhi murmured. “Why have you come here?”

Having slept soundly, Lianzhi’s face was flushed with color. His black hair fell over his front, partially covering the small patch of exposed skin on his chest.

Siqin Bari looked away, his tone unpleasant. “You truly have the brain of a bean curd. This is the first time I have ever seen a useless person fall out of a sedan while it was sitting perfectly still.”

Lianzhi felt that Siqin Bari was being completely unreasonable. He had only just woken up and was already being lectured. He truly wanted to tear that foul mouth apart. However, he reconsidered: didn’t this just prove how much Siqin Bari hated him?

It was good if he hated him. If he hated him, he might let him go. So, Lianzhi held his breath and remained timidly silent.

Seeing that he was not speaking, Siqin Bari felt the conversation was pointless. He simply frowned and said, “Put on your clothes and come with me to Longcheng to hold the funeral ceremony for my father. Move faster.”

Lianzhi did not actually want to go. He was not yet Suhe’s Khatun, so what reason was there to attend? However, since Siqin Bari had commanded it, he did not dare to disobey and nodded obediently.

After leaving the yurt, he kept looking around. The Xia people had no walled cities. The Chanyu’s Court was actually a collection of many felt tents. The people of Great Xia lived in these tents daily. However, only the royalty and nobility lived in the central court. The various tribes were scattered across the grasslands and only gathered for major events.

In the center of the court, the widest yurt was the King’s Tent, where the Chanyu lived. Shen Lianzhi watched for a moment and gave a disdainful huff.

Barbaric.

Longcheng was a place of sacrifice located near the Yuduqin Mountains, not far from the court. The snow had stopped recently, and a large group of people headed toward Longcheng. The burial of a Chanyu was a major event, and members of all tribes had gathered.

Shen Lianzhi had not changed into nomadic clothing and was still wearing his snow-white garment, making him stand out significantly among the Xia people. A massive crowd surrounded Longcheng, and everyone’s eyes were fixed on Lianzhi. He was a little frightened and followed carefully behind Siqin Bari, standing at the very front of the crowd.

Several strong men carried the wooden coffin into the stone mausoleum. Under the night sky, a Shaman High Priestess wearing a necklace of animal teeth and furs danced barefoot in a strange posture. She shook her wrists, singing a song that sounded very eerie to Lianzhi.

Then, all the Xia people began to sing along with her, their faces mournful and solemn. They spoke the Xia language, and Lianzhi could not understand a single word, but it gave him goosebumps.

Lianzhi’s eyes wandered until they unfortunately met Siqin Bari’s. The other man glared at him fiercely and whispered, “Behave yourself!”

Shen Lianzhi did not dare to provoke him. He sang a few lines but felt he sounded completely out of place. Seeing that all the Xia people looked as though their own fathers had died, he pulled a long face as well. To blend in better, Shen Lianzhi even managed to squeeze out two fake tears.

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