Chapter 293 – Princess of the Prairie Rules the World – Autumn Hunt Part 1 (18)
The wedding celebration was a joyous affair, and everyone had a great time. Even late into the night, people were still dancing around bonfires on the grassland.
Tuoba Jingyao drank everyone who came to toast him under the table, and he himself was a bit tipsy.
When he came to fetch Bai Tang, he found the boy sitting calmly and unscathed—while everyone around him, including Aqi and Rong Ningjing, was off to the side throwing up milk.
It couldn’t be helped. Gong Na had asked them to help Bai Tang fend off the toasts. But Bai Tang wasn’t drinking alcohol—he was drinking cow’s milk and goat’s milk. So the others had no choice but to follow suit and drink milk with him.
To be honest, drinking too much milk was even more uncomfortable than drinking too much alcohol.
Rong Ningjing nearly threw up her entire stomach and swore off milk for the next few months.
“Ah Yao, you’re back~” The boy sat in his chair, swinging his legs, still holding a cup of hangover-relief tea brewed by Master Xin.
He handed the tea to Tuoba Jingyao. “Here~”
A faint tea fragrance lingered around their noses, refreshing just from the smell alone.
Tuoba Jingyao downed it in one gulp and placed the bowl back on the table.
Gong Na puffed on his pipe and smiled at them meaningfully. “It’s late, and you’ve had a long day. Go on back.” After all, the wedding night is a prime opportunity for a couple to grow closer.
Tuoba Jingyao nodded to Gong Na. The latter waved his hand to indicate he’d take care of things here, allowing Tuoba Jingyao to take Bai Tang back.
“Tang Tang, let’s go,” Tuoba Jingyao said, reaching out his hand to the boy.
Bai Tang hopped down from the chair and placed his hand in Tuoba Jingyao’s. “Let’s go home~”
That night in the tent, soft whimpers from the boy and the man’s heavy breathing could be heard, accompanied now and then by their voices. Even the moon shyly hid behind the clouds.
The next morning, Tuoba Jingyao emerged from the tent, full of energy, to make breakfast. Someone nearby who was milking cows teased him, “Chief, was last night the happiest night of your life…?”
There are three great joys in life: encountering an old friend in a foreign land, the bridal chamber on the wedding night, and achieving scholarly success. Tuoba Jingyao didn’t need the first or the third. He was already the chief of the tribe, and even the other tribes on the grasslands looked to him as their leader. He stood at the very top. The bridal chamber on the wedding night—this was the one joy he had just experienced, and it showed all over his beaming face.
“Say one more crude word, and today’s training will be tripled.”
Although Tuoba Jingyao was pleased that Bai Tang had officially become his partner, he wouldn’t allow anyone to make jokes at Bai Tang’s expense.
“Ah, Chief, we were just joking, please don’t…”
Wails of despair followed behind Tuoba Jingyao as he walked away.
After finishing breakfast, Tuoba Jingyao hummed a cheerful grassland tune as he entered the tent. Bai Tang’s arm, which was sticking out from under the blanket, was covered in irregular bruises.
Tuoba Jingyao gently stroked the marks with tenderness. Bai Tang, half-awake, opened his eyes to find his man looking at the love bites. He mumbled, “I won’t top anymore, I won’t…”
Tuoba Jingyao couldn’t help but burst out laughing. His joyful laugh triggered a reflexive “self-defense” mode in the little squirrel (Bai Tang).
The boy curled himself up tightly, wrapping the blanket snugly around himself. Except for his head, not a hint of skin was exposed.
Tuoba Jingyao reached out to pull the blanket, only to find Bai Tang had bundled himself up too tightly. Unwilling to use force and risk hurting his beloved, he could only scoop up the entire bundle—blanket and all—and gently began wiping Bai Tang’s face with a warm, damp towel.
“Time to get up. I made your favorite—nut milk~” Tuoba Jingyao coaxed him deliberately.
Sure enough, the moment the words “nut milk” were spoken, Bai Tang’s eyes snapped open. “Wh–where is it…”
His voice was already hoarse from last night. His throat dry and scratchy, after just a couple of sentences he couldn’t help but start coughing.
Tuoba Jingyao unwrapped the blanket around Bai Tang, picked up the breakfast, and began feeding his little squirrel.
“Eat slowly, there’s plenty more.” Tuoba Jingyao gently patted the boy’s back to prevent him from choking.
Clearly overexerted, Bai Tang was famished. He ate at twice his usual speed.
As he ate, Bai Tang mentally avoided the AI assistant “Little A” and connected with Qiu’er instead.
“Qiu’er, I tried topping… it’s exhausting. You really shouldn’t try it~”
Knowing that last night had been Bai Tang and the male lead’s wedding night, Qiu’er had activated “shield mode” but now popped back in with a head full of question marks—then quickly became excited.
“Topping is indeed tiring, but it gives you a real sense of accomplishment. Wasn’t it amazing to have the male lead pinned under you? Especially when his face flushed red…”
Bai Tang blushed from Qiu’er’s vividly colored descriptions. Ah Yao blushing… hmm, with Ah Yao’s tanned skin, you couldn’t really see it even if he was blushing.
Qiu’er was enthusiastically painting the scene, but when he tried to get more details about how exactly Bai Tang had “topped,” he suddenly noticed the boy’s exposed skin—covered in bruises and hickeys that were downright shocking.
“W-what happened? Didn’t you top?” Qiu’er was dumbfounded. If he was the one on top, there shouldn’t be so many love bites, right?
“I-I did top… didn’t you say that, uh… being on top meant…” The little squirrel shyly mentioned a new position.
“Oh, my silly Tang Tang… how is that considered topping…” Qiu’er was both heartbroken and angry. That rotten male lead! Taking advantage of Tang Tang while he wasn’t watching!
Hearing the commotion, Xiao A hurried over and looked at the furious Qiu’er in surprise. “What’s going on? What happened?”
There was only one person who could rile Qiu’er up like this—Bai Tang.
He looked at Bai Tang, who wore his usual clueless, innocent expression. But when his gaze lowered slightly… Xiao A instantly understood.
The male lead’s stamina was truly something else~ Xiao A silently marveled.
“Is now really the time to be admiring the male lead? He lied to my poor Tang Tang…”
“Wanna check the energy from the side quests?” While Qiu’er was still ranting, Xiao A abruptly changed the subject—and successfully managed to divert him.
“How much is there?”
“Quite a lot. Want to take a look?”
“Yes, yes, yes—show me!”
And just like that, Qiu’er was coaxed away by Xiao A.
Qiu’er’s inner thoughts: Bullies my Tang Tang, does he? Just wait till I save enough energy to upgrade—then we’ll see who’s boss. Hmph!
The inside of Bai Tang’s mind finally quieted down, and he let out a breath of relief. Still, Xiao A’s the most reliable one.
According to Qiu’er, what he did last night didn’t count as topping. But topping… Bai Tang imagined the scene. If A-Yao hadn’t cooperated, he really wouldn’t have been able to hold him down. Better forget it. His stamina wasn’t great to begin with—he was already exhausted without topping. If he did, he’d probably pass out.
“Want some more?” Tuoba Jingyao asked, gently wiping the corner of Bai Tang’s mouth.
Bai Tang looked up at Tuoba Jingyao and shook his head, shaking off the mental image of topping him.
“I’m full. I’m going to feed the cows and sheep.”
He hopped off the bed and walked toward the door, but Tuoba Jingyao caught him with one big swoop of his arm and pulled him back.
“I’ve already fed them. Tang Tang, won’t you stay and keep me company?”
“Mhm~”
Beautiful, blissful days passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, another season had gone by.
Still waiting and waiting for internal strife to break out among the grassland tribes, the Kingdom of Aixi finally began to realize something was wrong.
They sent spies to investigate—only to discover that not only were the tribes living in complete harmony, but they also showed signs of uniting. Their military drills were no longer concealed; the shouts of soldiers training could be heard day and night.
Panic set in on the Aixi side. Taking advantage of the upcoming autumn hunt alliance gathering, the emperor personally led his ministers to meet with the chiefs of the grassland tribes in an effort to maintain friendly relations.
On a clear and crisp day, the emperor officially met with the tribal chiefs.
Large flags fluttered in the wind as the chiefs gathered, mounted on horseback for the autumn hunt—an event held once every three years.
This time, Tuoba Jingyao, who was normally inseparable from Bai Tang, had not brought him along. The autumn hunt was not only physically demanding and combative but also dangerous. Tuoba Jingyao was privately unwilling to let Bai Tang be seen by so many unrelated people.
“Let’s see who brings back the most game today,” the emperor said proudly from horseback.
“In that case, Your Majesty, I won’t hold back,” one of the tribal chiefs replied.
“No need to yield. Let’s compete and see whose skills have gotten rusty.”
In the past, for the sake of peace, the tribal chiefs and grassland warriors had always gone easy on the emperor, allowing him to maintain the illusion of his “supreme” status. But this year was different—the tribes had united into a single force, ready to stand against Aixi.
Three years ago, Tuoba Jingyao had not yet become a chief, so the emperor had no impression of him. But according to reports from the spies, Tuoba Jingyao had now become the de facto leader of the tribal alliance—a fact that made the emperor glance at him a few more times.
“Chief Tuoba, you look rather unfamiliar,” the emperor said, his tone filled with authority.
Tuoba Jingyao’s lips curled into a smile. He wasn’t afraid of offending the emperor and showed little respect in his reply.
“I took office last year—forgot to notify you.”
The emperor immediately caught the underlying tone. He felt his imperial dignity had been challenged, but with so many chiefs present, he couldn’t afford to lose face first.
“Chief Tuoba, you must be very busy indeed. I wonder how your archery and riding skills are? Today, let me see what you’re truly capable of.”
Tuoba Jingyao was unfazed by the emperor’s mockery.
“Then Your Majesty, you’d best watch closely.”
The chiefs exchanged glances, and in each other’s eyes, they saw the same look of contempt. In the past, they had only humored the emperor out of politeness—but it seemed he really thought they were weak and useless.
Some of the more hesitant chiefs secretly took note. Tuoba Jingyao’s strength had only ever been hearsay. Today would be the perfect chance to see whether he was truly a man worth following.
At the emperor’s command, everyone sprang forward in unison before scattering in different directions. Those with good relations grouped up in twos or threes to form small teams.
The chief of the Menghei Tribe, who lived near the Xingluo Tribe, had wanted to team up with Tuoba Jingyao, but was politely declined.
“Chief Menghei, let’s part ways here. Solo hunting better showcases your personal strength,” Tuoba Jingyao said courteously.
Chief Menghei naturally understood the subtext. This was Tuoba Jingyao’s first direct confrontation with the emperor.
He replied with a chuckle, “Very well. But if your prey runs past me, don’t blame me for landing the final blow.”
Tuoba Jingyao smiled. “Let’s wait and see.”
A person who can lead a tribe—or even a nation—won’t be without ambition. There’s nothing wrong with ambition itself; the mistake lies in lacking the sense to read the situation.
The emperor of Aixi was just such a man. Before he had the strength to back it up, he had already revealed his ambitions too early.
Author’s Note:
Actually, Tang Tang does have an identity. There was a sentence that hinted at it earlier—did any of you catch it? His background will be revealed in the next chapter~
Lately, a lot of cuties have been catching typos (I won’t admit I’m a typo-generating machine). I’ll gradually go back and fix things over the next couple of days (it’s hundreds of chapters, you guys are monsters). But seriously, if you catch more typos later, feel free to point them out—this typo machine won’t go down without a fight! (○｀3′○)