The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 302 So many women around one man (first update)

Chapter 302: 302 So many women around one man (first update)

Guli paused, then continued, "The former Khan left Tia’s tribe with his people on the second day. Tia was clever, and from the Khan’s eyes, she sensed something unusual, so she sought out her father, hoping to rush the wedding. Her father, cherishing his beloved daughter, agreed to facilitate the marriage three days later."

"On the day of the wedding, after receiving the news, the former Khan led over a thousand men to abduct her, and they were met with resistance. The Khan personally killed the man Tia fancied and accidentally killed Tia’s father as well. The people of the tribe, who all sought refuge from calamities, were closely knit and deeply emotional, and they fought fiercely against the Khan and his followers, risking their lives in the struggle."

"The tribe was known for its medical skills and expertise in using poison, causing the Khan and his men considerable trouble. Enraged, the Khan commanded his soldiers to kill on sight, sparing neither young nor old, male nor female. With blood before her eyes, Tia, to protect her people, finally agreed to follow the Khan back to Shangjing. However, she demanded not to marry the Khan nor to enter the royal records."

From that time on, Tia paved the way for her escape. Such outrageous demands, yet the former Khan, Yelu Zhang, actually agreed, which showed how obsessed he was with Tia.

"A weak woman had to submit to power to protect her people; you already know what happened after that."

Yelu Zhang had kept these events secret without a trace. If it weren’t for Yelu Zhang’s desire to register Yelu Yan under her name, to give Yelu Yan a legitimate identity, Guli would never have known about these matters.

Yet Yelu Zhang did not reveal everything to Guli; she had to send people to investigate for many years before she could understand the whole story.

For so many years, Tia had been a thorn in her heart, and Yelu Zhang’s favoritism toward Tia was unprecedented.

In an attempt to make her smile, Yelu Zhang transported boxes and boxes of rare curios and treasures to Tia’s palace. As long as Tia did not leave him, he would agree to any conditions, even relocating all the consorts of the Harem to palaces outside the court, Guli included.

He favored only Tia alone.

If it weren’t for Yelu Zhang seeking to secure his lineage, he would not have brought Guli back to the palace. In the end, her return to the palace was all because of Yelu Yan—how could this not make her resentful?

At this thought, Guli trembled with anger, grinding her teeth with hatred.

Men truly are despicable, never cherishing the women readily available to them, instead yearning for the elusive flowers on high cliffs.

Even if they are hurt all over, they do not hesitate.

However, Tia indeed was formidable. Within two months of entering the palace, she became pregnant.

With Yelu Zhang spending every night in her chamber, a twin bed shared day after day, it would have been harder not to conceive.

As the autumn wind swept through, rustling the curtains, Guli returned from her brief reminiscence to the present reality.

She continued, "Tia became pregnant with you just two months after being in the palace, but she didn’t like you. She tried many ways to miscarry, yet all failed."

"When she was about to give birth, she accidentally discovered a piece of news. It turned out that the former Khan, in order to eradicate any threat thoroughly and completely break Tia’s spirit, had ordered five thousand soldiers to annihilate the place where Tia’s people sought refuge during their journey back to Shangjing. Tia’s mother, siblings, and tribespeople were all killed."

"Upon learning this, Tia was devastated, flew into a rage, and sought to die with the Khan. She pulled out her hairpin and stabbed fiercely at the Khan’s chest, the sharp blade piercing deep into the bone. The Khan did not even blink, nor did he dodge, letting Tia stab him repeatedly."

"If it wasn’t for the Imperial Noble Consort’s intervention, the Khan would probably have died on the spot. Due to his severe injuries, the Khan fell into a coma for many days. During this period, you were born. On the day of your birth, Tia quietly left the palace and vanished for many years."

"Only after the Khan awoke did he realize that Tia had been gone for days. For years he sent people to search for her, but they never found a trace. When you were critically ill at the age of five, Tia secretly returned for two months with the help of the Imperial Noble Consort. After you recovered, she disappeared again. The Khan died without ever knowing this."

Guli often found satisfaction in this thought, the woman the Khan dearly loved despised him to the bone, unwilling to even see him.

Moreover, during Tia’s two months in the palace, there was a time she was particularly close to Yelu Zhang, separated by only a wall.

How ironic and laughable it was that the woman Yelu Zhang sought his whole life was right under his nose.

With a bitter smile, Guli thought to herself that Yelu Zhang ultimately favored Yelu Yan. He kept Yan at a distance, but in the shadows, he honed, protected, and eventually bestowed upon him the position of Khan.

Yelu Zhang deceived everyone, this unequivocal liar!

Guli didn’t forget to plunge a knife into Yelu Yan’s chest, "You look just too much like the former Khan. Your birth mother loathed the former Khan to the bone, so she probably feels the same about you."

Yelu Yan gave her a chilling look, didn’t say a word, and turned to walk away.

Seeing him leave, Guli took a step forward to chase after him, "A dying bird cries mournfully, and a dying person speaks kindly. Every word I’m saying is true. If there were any lies, you would discover them sooner or later, and then you still wouldn’t spare Qiqi. I’m not foolish enough for that."

As Yelu Yan continued to walk without stopping, she pleaded urgently, "You’ll spare Qiqi, right?"

Guli had murdered many people to pave the way for Yelu Qi, her hands stained with dripping blood.

She had committed many evils, but she was truly good to her own son.

Eventually Yelu Yan said indifferently, "As you wish."

Guli wore a smile, showing not the slightest hint of sadness, her only wish fulfilled.

Guli raised her eyes toward the not-too-dazzling round sun in the sky, as if she had returned to the time when she first entered the palace.

She wasn’t born evil. Back then, she was naive and cheerful, believing that becoming a concubine in the palace was like a sparrow turning into a phoenix, and from then on, her family would soar to great heights.

But she was wrong.

In the Harem, so many women circled around one man.

Jealousy and envy, open strife and secret schemes, exalting some while denigrating others, the power plays were sordid, and she wasn’t like Tia, the favorite of the former Khan.

If she didn’t sink into the mire, how could she have survived until now?

She had killed so many, yet didn’t feel she was in the wrong; she was forced, it was power and status that compelled her to do such things.

Sometimes Guli truly envied Li Xianyun. In this world, having a man who cares only for you is so rare.

Guli foolishly gazed at the red sun in the sky, towards the azure heavens, looking at every plant and every brick in the courtyard. This was the last time she’d see these things.

What’s it like to die?

Is it like falling into eternal darkness, like sleep?

But unlike sleep, once you die, you never wake up again.

That feeling is bleak and pitiful.

In this moment, before death, she realized that aside from Qiqi, nothing else mattered.

All the past annoyances, hatred, and sorrow seemed so trivial.

For the first time, her heart was this peaceful...