The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 343 - 342 If I knew it would be like this, why did I bother in the first place (first update)

Chapter 343: 342 If I knew it would be like this, why did I bother in the first place (first update)

Li Xianyun looked at the Chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"You, together with everyone in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, tally up the existing tables, chairs, benches, braziers, wardrobes, and blankets. Send a batch down today, starting with the servants’ quarters; they are the most rudimentary. As for the items that need to be purchased and the budget, draw up a list and submit it to me."

"Yes!"

"I want to see the living conditions of the Palace Attendants improved within five days. If you encounter difficulties along the way, come to the Khan Palace and report."

Li Xianyun may have appeared frail, but she was never one to drag her feet when getting things done.

Five days was enough time, whether it was for tallying, purchasing, or distributing.

Everyone has a tendency to be lazy; tasks must not be dragged out. If you delay, the subordinates will delay even more.

"By your command," said the Chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs respectfully.

After giving her instructions to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Li Xianyun returned to the Khan Palace.

After her period came, she always felt a heavy sensation in her lower abdomen. She drank some hot Ginger Sugar Water and then climbed into bed to sleep.

Meanwhile, Ji Xueyuan, after finishing court, waited for Ji Chuchu at the Sima Branch, which was the designated place for court officials’ carriages and horses in the palace.

Ji Zuqing was captured by Yelu Yan’s men and thrown into a dungeon.

Although Ji Zuqing had fought on the battlefield and had some skills, the damp and gloomy dungeon caused him to catch a cold.

He had previously been examined by an Imperial Physician from the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Ji Chuchu was going there to describe his condition to the Imperial Physician and then to collect some herbs.

The Imperial Medical Bureau was located just behind the Hall of Diligent Governance, very close to the Sima Branch. A round trip was easily covered within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but half an hour passed and Ji Chuchu was still nowhere to be seen.

Ji Xueyuan, who was extremely fond of his daughter, decided to go to the Imperial Medical Bureau himself. Before he had gone far, a young servant from the Nanwang Mansion came running over in a frantic and clumsy manner.

Ji Xueyuan, who highly valued his dignity, frowned upon seeing such lack of decorum in a subordinate, and his face immediately darkened. "In such a panic, what kind of decorum is this?!"

The young servant hurriedly knelt down before Ji Xueyuan, out of breath, and said, "Prince, it’s, it’s terrible news!"

Ji Xueyuan’s eyebrows furrowed. "What happened?"

"The, the Princess has been captured by the Khan!"

Now that the decree had been issued, bestowing Ji Chuchu the title of Shuoping Princess, everyone had changed the way they addressed her.

Ji Xueyuan exclaimed angrily, "What did you say?"

The young servant recounted the news he had just received.

Ji Xueyuan was, after all, a worldly man; remaining composed and calm in the face of issues was his principle of conduct.

"Why would the Khan do this?"

The young servant replied, "It is said that the Princess attempted to assassinate the Prince’s wife, so her title as Princess was revoked, her position as Deputy General stripped away, demoted to a commoner, and exiled to the Kunlun Mountains."

At the same time Ji Chuchu was arrested, the proclamation of her crimes was issued.

It was just that Ji Xueyuan, having been at the Sima Branch, had not received the news.

The news had already spread like wildfire outside.

Otherwise, the young servant, with his lowly status, would not have known this news, let alone be able to recount the entire sequence of events so clearly.

Yelu Yan’s dealings were indeed decisive and ruthless, swift and efficient. True to his anger, once the proclamation was issued, he left no room for maneuver.

Ji Xueyuan could no longer maintain his composure; he clenched his teeth and strode towards the Hall of Diligent Governance—that was the only place where a minister could meet with Yelu Yan.

Today, even at the cost of his pride, he was determined to save his beloved daughter.

The Kunlun Mountains were a forsaken place, where not even birds would leave their droppings. If Ji Chuchu were sent there, she would never be able to come back in this lifetime.

Yelu Yan had sent Li Xianyun off and arrived at the Hall of Diligent Governance to deal with official business, where Ji Xueyuan had already been kneeling outside the study for over two hours.

When Yelu Yan left the Imperial Medical Bureau, the guard had informed him of this situation.

Thus, when he saw Ji Xueyuan prostrating himself outside the study door, Yelu Yan was not at all surprised.

He even stretched out his long arm to help up Ji Xueyuan.

But Ji Xueyuan dared not get up; instead, he knelt on the ground and said, "I beg the Khan to spare Chuchu, she has admired you since she was a child, which is why she would commit such a foolish act. She is so young, I plead for the Khan to spare her life."

Based on his understanding of Yelu Yan, he knew that without solid evidence, Yelu Yan would not have arbitrarily accused Ji Chuchu of the crime.

Moreover, during the time Yelu Yan and Li Xianyun were in Tianshui County, Ji Chuchu had changed as if she were a different person, easily angered and impulsive. It was not surprising that she could have committed an assassination.

For now, he had to admit to the charge and quell Yelu Yan’s anger to have any chance of survival.

Yelu Yan said in a calm voice, "Come in and talk."

As he spoke, he stepped into the study.

Ji Xueyuan got up from the ground and followed him in.

Having served three dynasties as a high official and dealing with people in officialdom for many years, he could approximate an analysis of someone with just a few glances.

However, even after all these years, he had never been able to see through Yelu Yan.

He was different from others ever since he was a child.

At that time, Yelu Yan was only a few years old, and just by staring at you with his pitch-black eyes, he could make one’s skin crawl.

He exuded an aura of a born ruler.

As a close official to the former Khan and one well-versed in court secrets, Ji Xueyuan knew some things.

Yelu Yan was not actually the biological son of Guli.

Guli and the Ninth Prince always saw him as a thorn in their side, scheming to eliminate him by any means.

From a young age, Yelu Yan had no mother, a mother who did not care and a father who did not love him. His only reliance was the Imperial Noble Consort Yaduo.

If under Yaduo’s protection, Yelu Yan could have had a somewhat better life.

But for reasons unknown, when Yelu Yan was ten, the former Khan had sent him to join the military, letting him eat and sleep alongside third-rate soldiers.

During that time, the assassination attempts and traps set for Yelu Yan were continuous, and everyone lamented his unfortunate fate.

No one expected that Yelu Yan would grow up in such a harsh and competitive environment, gradually spreading his wings and crushing his enemies underfoot, one by one.

It was only when the former Khan was seriously ill and prepared the edict to pass the Khan title to Yelu Yan that people came to an epiphany.

It turned out the former Khan had ulterior motives; he was tempering him—without military exploits, how could one receive rewards? How could one hold a high position?

What parents wouldn’t love their own child in this world? It’s just that the ways of expressing love are different.

After entering the study, Ji Xueyuan prostrated himself on the ground, "I humbly beg the Khan, considering the faithful and dedicated service of my house and me to the Khitan, please spare Chuchu. As long as you spare Chuchu, I am willing to do whatever you command."

Yelu Yan sat coolly in the Taishi Chair in front of the desk, looking indifferently at Ji Xueyuan kneeling on the ground, and spoke in a calm voice, "Ji Chuchu dared to attempt to assassinate a member of the royal family; this is a crime deserving of extermination of the entire clan. Today, I have spared her life and have not implicated the Nanwang Mansion, which is already a special act of grace. The Prince of Nanwang Mansion ought to be content."

Seeing Yelu Yan’s uncompromising attitude, Ji Xueyuan still did not give up.

"Khan, Chuchu has made a grave mistake, and if you punish her, I have nothing to say. However, could you possibly allow her to be confined to Shangjing instead of being sent to the Kunlun Mountains? I will not show any favoritism; I only hope the Khan can grant this."

"The moment she sent someone to assassinate the Princess, she should have anticipated such an outcome. The Prince of Nanwang Mansion need not say more; you may leave."

Yelu Yan’s attitude was unforgiving, allowing no room for negotiation.

No one dared to defy Yelu Yan, and Ji Xueyuan was no exception; he had to find another way.

Ji Xueyuan, not daring to say more, respectfully withdrew.