The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 403 - 402 Conflict Between Two Nations (First Update)

Chapter 403: 402 Conflict Between Two Nations (First Update)

Li Xianyun listened as Sheng Heng spoke of matters at home, and the two arrived at the second courtyard where the horses and carriages were parked.

Aside from Li Xianyun’s carriage, there were also four or five more carriages parked there, for the Palace Servants and guards who were out handling affairs to use.

Unmarried men and women could not ride in the same carriage together, and upon knowing that Sheng Heng lived nearby and had not taken a carriage, Li Xianyun, to avoid suspicion, had him and Cen Cong take a separate carriage.

Sheng Heng had brought many things with him from Houtang and thus did not decline the arrangement.

A group of people followed to help collect the items from the inn.

Li Xianyun had Jinwu and another guard in disguise go with them to provide assistance.

Four robust men had to make four or five trips, carrying many bundles from the inn that they stuffed into Li Xianyun’s carriage until it was brimming.

Among these bundles were clothes sewn for Li Xianyun by Qiu Qianyun.

There were at least two or three bundles of clothes, ranging from summer to winter wear without missing anything, and in addition to these, there were various kinds of undergarments, with quite a lot of menstrual cloths prepared as well.

Seeing all these things, the rims of Li Xianyun’s eyes turned red, and she pursed her lips trying not to let tears fall.

There were also snacks Junjun had sent for her, with each snack box whimsically labeled with his milk name, for fear that Li Xianyun wouldn’t know he had sent them.

Looking at them, Li Xianyun eventually broke into laughter.

Then there were some women’s jewelry and sachets, which were, without a doubt, prepared by Nannan.

Having reached the age when she was starting to be interested in beauty, she enjoyed fussing with these things at home.

Next, there were many precious and rare medicinal herbs, as well as numerous editions of valued medical texts, which must all have been prepared by Sheng Heng.

His family was a renowned Medical Family with extensive research in this field; they had countless medical texts at home. How the Sheng Family agreed to him bringing so many texts was beyond anyone’s guess.

Youlan, watching her master switch between tears and laughter, also felt quite bittersweet.

Leaving one’s hometown and being thousands of miles away, to say that one doesn’t miss home would be a lie.

Li Xianyun held out two large bundles to Youlan, "One pack has clothes made for you by the dowager empress, and the other has things your family sent for you."

Youlan hastily took them and smiled, "And there’s something for me as well?"

The dowager empress’s pack was much larger than the one prepared by her own family.

But this was enough to surprise and delight Youlan. Her family was poor, and it was not easy for them to prepare even this much.

Li Xianyun smiled and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? When have you ever been left out?"

"That is true," Youlan agreed.

While talking, Youlan unwrapped the bundle from Qiu Qianyun and tried the clothes against her body, praising them, "The Princess Consort even remembered my measurements and made them so well-fitting. I love the fabric of the clothes too."

"As long as you like them," Li Xianyun said with a smile.

The carriage creaked as it moved forward, heading for Songhe Tower.

Li Xianyun had deliberately chosen Songhe Tower as the place to dine.

It was the property of Yelu Yan and staffed by his people. Dining there with Sheng Heng would not give rise to gossip.

Moreover, since it was all Yelu Yan’s people, dining under his watch would save him the trouble of being jealous.

The two carriages stopped at the back door of Songhe Tower.

The owner of Songhe Tower had already received the news and personally came out to greet them with a beaming face, bowing to Li Xianyun, "Madam, will you be using the private room that the master has prepared?"

Yelu Yan had a private room at Songhe Tower reserved for his use, the same "Tianzi" private room he had taken Li Xianyun to last time.

"Yes," Li Xianyun replied.

Sheng Heng could see she was very familiar with this place, obviously dining here often with Yelu Yan.

No wonder Yelu Yan doted on Li Xianyun as much as the rumors said.

He felt a pang in his heart.

The party proceeded directly to the "Tianzi" private room on the fifth floor.

The owner had the waiters recite the menu.

Li Xianyun turned to Sheng Heng and said, "Big Brother Sheng, see what you’d like to eat?"

"Whatever you’d like to eat is fine with me," he replied.

Li Xianyun ordered several dishes that Sheng Heng had never tried before, instructing the proprietor and the waiters to go prepare them.

Li Xianyun said to Jinwu and Bater, "Jinwu, Bater, you both go have your meal, and let Youlan stay here to accompany me."

Clearly, there were some matters she didn’t want the two of them to hear.

Jinwu hesitated upon hearing this.

When the Khan left, he had given Jinwu a particular look, the meaning in his eyes was clear; he did not trust this Sheng fellow.

Bater, not understanding the situation, bowed and walked out.

Li Xianyun turned her head to look at Jinwu.

Jinwu felt a chill run down his spine under her gaze. Although the princess appeared gentle and vulnerable, she was unmistakably clear-headed when it came to serious matters, and her eyes held a lethal sharpness.

He had no choice but to bow and retreat from the room.

Sheng Heng turned to look behind him at Cen Cong.

Cen Cong clasped his hands and left.

He even remembered to lock the door from the outside as he exited.

Jinwu was fuming; he had intentionally left the door ajar when he went out.

Seeing the young man close the door and then give him a glance only made him want to beat him until his face was swollen and bruised.

Cen Cong was obviously not easily intimidated, giving Jinwu a casual glance before standing on the other side of the door.

The food was quickly served, with the proprietor himself bringing it up along with his servers.

Among the dishes were some hearty ones that Li Xianyun had not ordered.

The proprietor said to Li Xianyun, "Madam, the master said that since we have guests from afar, we must serve them well. These dishes are new specialties just introduced to our restaurant; you might have your guest try them."

Li Xianyun smiled and said, "Thank you."

The proprietor and the waiters respectfully withdrew.

"Big Brother Sheng, you must be starving; eat plenty," she said.

At the dining table, the three of them chatted while eating.

Mainly, Sheng Heng was telling them about some of the happenings in the Prince’s Mansion and in Chang’an.

As Sheng Heng spoke, Li Xianyun and Youlan listened, occasionally asking questions, and the meal proceeded in a harmonious atmosphere.

-

Yelu Yan returned to the Hall of Diligent Governance, where his ministers had already been waiting.

A few nights ago, fragmented troops from Houliang had suddenly attacked a fortress in Yunzhong. Fortunately, the guards discovered them in time, and all the raiders were shot dead, with no losses incurred in Yunzhong.

Afterwards, Houliang significantly reinforced their troops at the border, their provocations becoming increasingly blatant.

Yelu Yan also dispatched a large army to station in Yunzhong.

War seemed imminent.

Unexpectedly, after the Khitan sent troops over, Houliang withdrew their forces, as if they were toying with them.

It was said that Yunzhong had always been a contested region between Khitan and Houliang.

Historically, Yunzhong had been under the control of both Houliang and Khitan, and the two had fought back and forth, leaving the border indistinct and blurred.

For a long time, there had been no major wars in Yunzhong, but minor skirmishes had been constant.

After Yelu Yan ascended to the khanate, he personally led an army of fifty thousand to thoroughly drive the Houliang forces out of Yunzhong, demarcating the border clearly, and proclaiming to the world that if Houliang dared to cross the border by even a step, a massive army would strike.

It was a very domineering stance.

As Khitan was militarily strong, even Houliang in its thriving state did not dare to provoke them.

Murong Yi had no choice but to swallow his pride.

It’s said that with a new emperor comes new officials, and after Murong Ce ascended the throne, naturally desiring to reclaim Li Xianyun through war, he would start at Yunzhong.

Seeing Yelu Yan seated on the high platform, a minister immediately stepped forward, bowed, and reported, "Khan, we have just received news that Houliang has sent an envoy seeking peace, offering to tribute ten thousand taels of gold annually to our Khitan if our army withdraws."