The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 415 - 414 Call that woman (second update)

Chapter 415: 414 Call that woman (second update)

Yelu Yan took what he could get and whispered in Li Xianyun’s ear, "You don’t have to come back with your husband if you don’t want to."

Li Xianyun raised an eyebrow at him.

He was compromising so quickly, he must be up to no good.

Sure enough, he said, "Spend a good night with your husband, let your husband be willful, and your husband won’t force you to return to the palace."

A wave of softness spread from her legs, a memory from her body that couldn’t be wiped away.

It seemed she wouldn’t be getting off easily tonight.

That person had strong desires in that regard, toying with her daily, yet he was never tired of it.

-

Murong Ce quickly received the news and convened an emergency council with his ministers that night.

"Your Majesty, we thought that with Yelu Yan’s iron-fisted tactics, he would surely not withdraw his troops from Yunzhong; by then, we could have let him bear the verbal and written condemnation of the world. Unexpectedly, Yelu Yan is actually willing to withdraw most of his troops. If we don’t pay the promised one hundred thousand taels of gold tribute, Houliang will become a laughingstock," he said.

Murong Ce scoffed. His reputation was already notorious; he cared nothing for his fame.

However, there was a better method at hand, why harm oneself?

"Does your subject mean to pay the tribute?"

"Of course not."

The tribute was only an excuse, and most of Houliang’s finances were currently spent on military expansion; there was no spare money for tribute.

"But we must give the world a reasonable explanation," said a minister.

"What do my beloved subjects think we should do?"

The ministers discussed among themselves but came to no conclusion.

Murong Ce, fed up with their incompetence, thought, what use were they, taking their salary without providing advice or aid?

"Just prepare ten carriages tomorrow and send them to the Khitan as tribute," he said indifferently.

Everyone was shocked.

Murong Ce continued, "Along the way, they encounter robbers, the official silver is completely stolen, those escorting the tribute can only return with nowhere to cry for help and must think of another solution. What do my beloved subjects think of this?"

The tribute was not unpaid; it was just delayed by robbers—it would drag on until it was eventually forgotten.

This plan was ingenious; neither the Khitan nor the world could fault it.

All the ministers knelt on the ground and praised, "Your Majesty is wise."

Murong Ce waved them away impatiently.

The ministers retired under the cover of night.

Murong Ce leaned back in the Taishi Chair, resting his head on its backrest, staring at the ceiling.

When would he be able to compete with the Khitan with such foolish ministers, and when could he take back his Xianxian?

"Has the marriage agreement been sent to Houtang?" Murong Ce asked in the same tone as before.

The palace servant replied respectfully, "It has been sent, but something happened, and Princess Hehui has not yet agreed to the marriage."

Murong Ce sat up straight. "It seems something changed along the way, someone is interfering...how interesting."

The palace servant saw Murong Ce’s handsome phoenix eyes seemingly shoot out a terrifying brilliance, like a hunter in a dense forest delighted at the sight of his prey.

Murong Ce spoke softly, "Summon Shang Zhengyu."

He had four masters by his side, known as Gong, Shang, Jue, and Yu. Gong had been killed by Yelu Yan’s men during an attempt to kidnap Li Xianyun, leaving only Shang Zhengyu.

Shang approached and said, "Master."

"Go to Houtang immediately, investigate who is interfering with the marriage between the two nations. At the same time, tell Qin Rou to hasten the process of sowing discord between Houtang and the Khitan, to make Houtang assist Houliang in attacking the Khitan."

From the messages sent by scouts from the Khitan, it was clear that Li Xianyun was deeply favored by Yelu Yan; they were inseparable.

Every time he received such messages, Murong Ce was filled with rage, wishing he could tear Yelu Yan to pieces and take Li Xianyun back.

That’s why he’d been rash, agreeing to Houtang’s request for marriage.

The four great masters of the palace, Shang Zhengyu, each had their own specialty.

Shang was adept at using short knives; his two three-inch-long blades were incredibly sharp, twirling in his hands in a dazzling display, creating a fierce wind.

His knife technique was extremely fast, claiming the life of an adversary in the blink of an eye.

The technique was so quick that the opponent only felt a gust of wind and did not even know how they died.

Murong Ce added, "Should you discover anyone interfering, execute first and report later."

Shang knelt on the ground and responded, "Your servant obeys the command."

After Murong Ce finished his instructions, he spoke to the palace servants, "Summon that woman to the Qingfeng Pavilion to see me."

Qingfeng Pavilion was just behind the study, it was where Murong Ce took temporary rest when working into the late hours.

It had been several days since he last visited the Harem.

The Chief of the Palace Servants respectfully completed his bow and then withdrew.

Xiang Rong waited outside the study, and upon seeing the Chief emerge, she asked softly, "What happened? Did His Majesty enter any commands?"

The Chief of the Palace Servants whispered, "I was told to summon that woman."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Rong’s face turned extremely pale; he must be longing for Li Xianyun again, otherwise, he wouldn’t have thought of the veiled substitute.

Whether Li Xianyun was present or not, Murong Ce would not lay eyes on her, even though she had been by his side for so many years.

Xiang Rong’s hand inside her sleeve clenched into a fist; the medicine that Li Xianyun had given her to hold was somewhat burning.

Li Xianyun had said that as long as Murong Ce took this medicine for a long time, he would start to see her and grow fond of her.

She was truly tired of Murong Ce’s infatuation with Li Xianyun. Moreover, she had secretly given some of the powdered medicine to one of the palace servants; that person took it for several days without any abnormalities, so it wouldn’t harm Murong Ce.

Xiang Rong, watching the Chief leave, asked, "His Majesty hasn’t had tea for an hour, should we send some in?"

The Chief replied, "If not for your reminder, I would have forgotten."

Seeing him about to summon someone, Xiang Rong said, "I am idle right now, let me bring the tea in."

Because of her long tenure with Murong Ce, Xiang Rong had significant influence within the palace.

The Chief remarked, "How could we trouble you with such a task?"

"We are all serving our master, why the courtesy?"

"In that case, thank you for your effort."

Once the Chief of the Palace Servants had left, Xiang Rong proceeded to prepare the tea. When no one was around, she poured some of Li Xianyun’s medicine powder into it.

After stirring it and wiping the rim of the cup clean, she brought the tea to Murong Ce.

"Your Majesty, have some water to moisten your throat."

Murong Ce took the tea cup and, after one sip, set it aside to continue dealing with official matters.

"How are your spies in Shangjing doing?" he asked.

Xiang Rong respectfully replied, "Princess Hehui has opened a Xuanyi Pavilion on the streets. My people are getting familiar with her routine of leaving the palace; once we grasp it, we can take action."

Kidnap her and bring her back to Houliang.

While reviewing documents, Murong Ce casually said, "She is still as restless as ever."

Such an indulgent remark.

Xiang Rong’s eyelashes fluttered twice as she glanced at the tea cup on the desk, which Murong Ce had sipped from.

Hoping it would take effect soon.

Bai Mengling was taken straight to Qingfeng Pavilion.

Murong Ce arrived after a while and sat on the soft couch in the Warm Pavilion, addressing the woman standing in the hall with her face veiled and only her eyes showing, "Come closer."

Bai Mengling stepped forward, stopping about three or four meters from the couch.

Murong Ce lounged on the soft cushion of the couch, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on those eyes.

His eyes were gentle and doting, and being looked at with such an expression made it hard not to harbor ulterior motives.