Chapter 291 – Princess of the Prairie Rules the World – Do I Look Old? (16)
The weather was growing colder by the day, and the grey-white sky snowed endlessly, day and night.
Fewer people were moving about outside. Unless they needed to feed the cattle and sheep, everyone stayed huddled in their tents, avoiding the outdoors as much as possible.
Bai Tang spent his days curled up in bed, hugging a bed warmer, too lazy to move—living a life of being pampered and fed by Tuoba Jingyao.
He ate and then slept, and upon waking, he ate again. In just a month, the sharp edge of his chin had softened, and his once thin face became fuller, making him look even cuter.
In winter, only the warmth of a bed and the pleasure of good food are not to be betrayed.
With nothing much to do, Qiu’er and Xiao A spent almost the entire season eating hotpot, sampling everything from delicacies of the modern world to cuisine from the other world. Life couldn’t have been sweeter for them.
As for Long Qian’s incident—it had finally been brought to light. Bai Tang had suffered the misfortune in place of Rong Ningjing. Though Long Qian’s original target hadn’t been Bai Tang, the fact that his actions had almost cost Bai Tang his life was unforgivable.
Before the heavy snow set in, Tuoba Jingyao gathered the tribe and publicly sentenced Long Qian. There’s nothing more painful for a man obsessed with status and saving face than losing what he treasures most.
At first, the tribe didn’t believe it, but the evidence was irrefutable. Long Qian had no way to deny it.
In the end, it was only through Master Xin’s pleading that Long Qian was spared from death. He was expelled from the tribe and stripped of all his cattle and sheep. Once spring arrived, the other allied tribes would be notified not to take him in—if he was still alive by then.
To be cast out into a blizzard, all alone, was practically a death sentence.
Master Xin couldn’t bear to see his once-prized disciple end up like that. Before Long Qian left, he secretly gave him a bit of money, food, and clothing—not much, but it was something. He had already done all he could for Long Qian. Whether he survived now would be up to fate.
Inside the tent, the little squirrel was practically hibernating. If Master Xin hadn’t come by every few days to take his pulse and assure them Bai Tang was perfectly healthy, Tuoba Jingyao might’ve truly feared Bai Tang would fall into an eternal sleep.
To keep Bai Tang from being so lethargic, Tuoba Jingyao would hold him in his arms on snowless nights and sit at the entrance of the tent to stargaze. Sometimes they’d try out new recipes together, or he’d teach Bai Tang how to play chess—anything to reduce his sleeping hours. He was genuinely afraid that one day, Bai Tang wouldn’t wake up again.
“Ah Yao, it’s ready to eat~” Bai Tang called out to Tuoba Jingyao from inside the tent.
“Coming—” Tuoba Jingyao finished feeding the cattle and sheep, then came in and sat down beside Bai Tang. “Mmm, smells amazing.”
Bai Tang grinned proudly. “Of course it does—who do you think made it?”
“Mm, as expected of my Tang Tang,” Tuoba Jingyao praised after taking a bite of the dish.
The two of them spent the entire winter wrapped in warmth and sweetness.
The thing Tuoba Jingyao feared most did not happen—under his careful care, the young man made it through winter safe and healthy, welcoming the arrival of spring.
With the thawing snow and the revival of life, the little animals came out of hiding.
Bai Tang looked much more energetic than he had during winter. Wearing the clothes Tuoba Jingyao had prepared for him, he led the cattle and sheep out to graze.
The tribe bustled with activity, radiating vitality.
The elders watched the children run around and play, their hearts filled with peace. They had made it through the winter safely, without a single casualty. It was the first winter in recorded history in which no one had frozen or starved to death—it was nothing short of a miracle.
It was all thanks to the good place Tuoba Jingyao had led them to. Without that, the outcome would have been uncertain.
Everything seemed to be heading in a good direction.
However, inside the tent, Tuoba Jingyao’s furrowed brows betrayed a different story—things weren’t as optimistic for the tribe’s future development.
“Chief, the Aixi Kingdom is demanding we pay triple the usual tribute! This is outrageous!” the leading warrior said indignantly.
“What’s the meaning of this? The grassland tribes already have it tough—this is just outright bullying!”
“And it’s not just us. I’ve heard some tribes have been asked to hand over five times the usual amount…”
“They’re finally showing their true colors,” Tuoba Jingyao said calmly.
The strongest warrior quickly asked, “Chief, you mean…?”
Tuoba Jingyao tapped the map on the table. “The Aixi Kingdom controls the plains. To the north lies the grasslands. To the right is the Southern Gorge. The Southern Gorge tribes aren’t easy to deal with—both sides harbor ambitions of conquering the other. And the key pass that connects them… is the grasslands.”
“So that’s it,” the warrior suddenly understood. “If they want to conquer their enemy, they’ll have to conquer us first.”
“Then aren’t we caught between two enemies now?” one of the men asked.
Tuoba Jingyao sneered. “They think conquering us will be that easy? Contact the other tribes. Just because we’re grassland tribes doesn’t mean we can’t fight. It seems they’ve forgotten—our ancestors once taught the wild tribes of the western frontier a harsh lesson.”
After living beyond the pass for so long, the grassland tribes had, to varying degrees, come under the influence of Central Plains culture. Quite a few people were genuinely interested in it. Tuoba Jingyao, being well-read and insightful, understood the principle of “know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.” He had studied countless books and knew the history and civilization of the Aixi Kingdom well.
The Aixi Kingdom had only ruled the Central Plains for a mere three hundred years. During that time, they had changed emperors seven times. To win the people’s loyalty, the rulers had imposed harsh policies.
At first, it was merely a way to suppress rumors and centralize imperial power—which was understandable. Over time, some of those policies were reformed. However, for some reason, the current emperor had developed an appetite for war. He was constantly seeking conflict with the Southern Gorge and had begun to levy heavy taxes on the people. Overthrowing the Aixi Kingdom no longer seemed like an impossibility.
Tuoba Jingyao looked at the map of tribal territories and smirked. Did they really think the grasslands were so easy to bully? Tch…
Even before the New Year, Tuoba Jingyao had started considering moving into the Central Plains for the sake of Bai Tang’s health. But without a legitimate reason, starting a war outright would have been disadvantageous to their governance. Now that the Aixi Kingdom was digging its own grave, it was no longer up to them to dictate how events unfolded.
After all, no one is a puppet on a string.
With the arrival of spring, the tribe couldn’t stay behind the mountains any longer—there was no lush grass there, and it wasn’t conducive to raising livestock or ensuring the tribe’s development.
As they followed the river downstream to migrate, they had barely begun to enjoy the vibrancy of spring when the constant arrival and departure of other tribal leaders filled the entire settlement with an atmosphere of tension and severity.
The mood spread quickly among the tribespeople. They didn’t know exactly what was going on, but no one dared to laugh or talk loudly.
Aqi nudged Bai Tang and whispered, “Tang Tang, do you think something’s wrong with our tribe?”
Bai Tang replied, “No idea~”
Aqi asked in surprise, “The Chief didn’t tell you? That’s weird… doesn’t he usually tell you everything?”
Bai Tang shook his head. “Ah Yao didn’t say anything~”
Even though the visitors were from allied tribes, the constant comings and goings made the people uneasy—as if something bad might happen at any moment.
Bai Tang waited patiently outside the tent, keeping watch while Tuoba Jingyao held his meeting.
He seemed to have an inkling of what was going on. In the original plot, wasn’t the incident where the female lead was held hostage by the Aixi Kingdom supposed to happen this very year?
Qiu’er flipped through the plot book. “According to the story, that was supposed to happen in the fall. Why does it feel like war is about to break out now, just at the start of spring?”
In the original storyline, both sides were supposed to meet during the autumn imperial exams, when the Aixi Kingdom would finally reveal its wolfish ambitions. Only after the female lead was taken hostage did the male lead begin building up power to prepare for war. But now it felt like war could break out tomorrow. Even if events were being moved forward, the order of things seemed completely flipped.
Xiao A patted Qiu’er on the head. “Don’t overthink it. When soldiers come, generals fight; when water floods, earth blocks. The host didn’t fall off the cliff and die like in the original plot either, right? So what if the war starts early? It’s perfectly normal.”
“Well, okay then. As long as my Tang Tang doesn’t get hurt. If someone dares to lay a finger on him, I’ll stab them dead.”
Their conversation made Bai Tang both touched and amused. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’ve got Ah Yao—and the two of you—to protect me.”
Tuoba Jingyao and the other tribal chiefs had joined forces to draw up a series of plans.
After the meeting ended, the chiefs exited the tent one after another. Outside, they saw a delicate-looking young boy sitting obediently on a wooden stool. They exchanged glances and could clearly see the interest reflected in each other’s eyes.
After all, as always—on the grasslands, everyone was used to seeing tall, rough men. When had they ever seen someone so petite and refined?
Tuoba Jingyao and the chief of the neighboring tribe were the last to come out. The others instinctively made way for Tuoba Jingyao. One of them pointed to Bai Tang and asked, “Chief Tuoba, whose child is that? He’s really good-looking. Is he engaged yet?”
Tuoba Jingyao didn’t mind the first part of the question—after all, it was someone complimenting his boy. But after hearing the second part, his mood instantly went from sunny to cloudy.
“Ah Yao~”
The young man’s eyes lit up as he jumped down from the stool and ran toward Tuoba Jingyao.
Tuoba Jingyao scooped the boy into his arms, holding him close. In a doting voice, he said, “Sorry I took so long in the meeting. Did I make you wait too long? Are you tired?”
Bai Tang shook his head. “Not tired~”
His soft, sweet, and milky voice was like a sip of spring water, refreshing everyone who heard it.
“Chief Tuoba, you still haven’t said—whose child is this?” one clueless man asked again.
Everyone else with a bit of sense was already rolling their eyes at him. Seriously? The boy just leapt into his arms—if he’s not Tuoba Jingyao’s, is he supposed to be his brother?
And yet the same clueless chief pressed further, “Could he be your nephew, maybe? He’s really good-looking… I wonder if he’s promised to anyone yet…”
The moment those words left his mouth, Tuoba Jingyao’s face turned pitch-black, like the bottom of a burnt pot. He bit out each word with frosty clarity: “This is my partner.”
Bai Tang quickly buried his face in Tuoba Jingyao’s chest to hide the smile tugging at his lips.
“Ah, what a pity…” the man mumbled, disappointed—he’d been hoping to ask for the boy’s hand if he wasn’t spoken for.
Tuoba Jingyao’s tone was laced with menace as he said, “Chiefs, the tribe has prepared a grand feast. Please, make yourselves comfortable. I’ll excuse myself for now.”
“No worries at all, Chief Tuoba! You go right ahead…” the other chiefs quickly grabbed the clueless one and dragged him away, laughing awkwardly.
Let’s go—hurry—before we die at Tuoba Jingyao’s hands instead of from Aixi Kingdom’s schemes…
Tuoba Jingyao brought Bai Tang back to their tent. Seeing the smile still lingering on Bai Tang’s face, he reached out and pinched his nose. “You think that was funny?”
“Nooo, not funny at all, Uncle Ah Yao~” Bai Tang replied, though the upward curve of his lips betrayed him.
Tuoba Jingyao’s tone suddenly turned dangerous. “Do I look that old to you? ‘Uncle’? Hmm?”
Bai Tang, still oblivious, said with a grin, “Not old at all, not at all—Uncle Ah Yao isn’t old in the slightest~”
“Oh? Still calling me that? Uncle Ah Yao’s gonna have to spank that little butt of yours…”
“Hahaha—okay okay! I give up! Brother Ah Yao! Not ‘uncle’—I swear! Hahaha—!”
Qiu’er, hearing Bai Tang’s shrieks for help, peeked in—only to see the two of them tangled up on the bed, a chaotic mess of limbs and laughter. She immediately averted her eyes.
“Xiao A, you’re not allowed to look either! Quick—recite the Mind-Clearing Mantra with me!”
Author’s Note:
The two of them are just playing around normally, okay? It’s not what you’re thinking~ 😏