Chapter 298 – Princess of the Prairie Rules the World – Confrontation (23)
The emperor had been waiting—waiting for the grassland tribes to fall into internal conflict. He waited for five days straight, but not only was there no sign of discord, each tribe remained as harmonious as ever. They continued their usual interactions, chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened. Even the chieftains locked up in the dungeons behaved as though they weren’t prisoners, but honored guests.
The empress, standing beside him, said, “Whether they’re truly unbothered or just pretending to be, the fact remains—all the tribal chieftains are in Your Majesty’s hands. This is the perfect moment when they’re like a headless swarm. Without their leaders, they can’t organize a proper resistance. Isn’t this the best opportunity for Your Majesty to take the grasslands?”
She goaded the emperor, and upon hearing her words, the emperor gave it serious thought. Indeed, what she said made sense—if the grassland people were all that clever, they wouldn’t have submitted to the Aixi Kingdom for over a hundred years.
The empress continued, “As long as Your Majesty is confident, that’s all that matters. This is merely a humble suggestion from your concubine.”
The emperor burst into hearty laughter. He didn’t notice the smile that appeared on the empress’s face behind him—nor the pain and affection hidden in her eyes.
But were the tribal chieftains truly unbothered? No—they were anxious. However, on the second day after they woke up, a general named Qin Fu came to inform them to stay calm and not act rashly. He told them that Tuoba Jingyao already had a complete plan.
At first, they didn’t believe him. But Qin Fu was able to describe in detail the plan they had previously discussed with Tuoba Jingyao. If he weren’t one of their own, how could he possibly know that much? The only other possibility was that a traitor had been among them.
What’s more, Qin Fu used both persuasion and threat: “Your noble wives are imprisoned in the next cell. Chieftains, please endure a few more days.”
It was indeed a threat. The men of the grasslands were known for their deep devotion—if they didn’t love a woman, they wouldn’t take her as a wife. So when Qin Fu made that threat—true or not—none of them dared act recklessly.
Although Qin Fu had no direct influence in the dungeons—since the emperor would never let the former subordinates of Prince Nanyun hold important positions—the empress had her own people there.
The dungeons were under the control of her family’s faction, and the empress had made an agreement with Qin Fu: she would help him overthrow the emperor, but on one condition—he was not to kill him. The emperor was hers to deal with.
Qin Fu agreed, but he had his own conditions: before the emperor was handed over to him, he must first kneel before the heir apparent and kowtow to admit his guilt, then perform three bows and nine kneels in front of the spirit tablets of Prince Nanyun and the princess consort, repenting for his crimes.
“No problem, as long as he doesn’t die,” the empress said with a stunning smile under the sunlight. The emotions in her eyes were so complex that even Qin Fu couldn’t decipher them.
He didn’t know why the empress wanted to cooperate with him, but there was no doubt that their alliance was a shortcut. The empress held the power of the aristocratic families—her maiden family had the support of more than half the ministers at court. That was also why, despite having no affection for her and stripping her of power over the inner palace to favor his concubine, the emperor still dared not depose her.
To show her sincerity, the empress even handed Qin Fu evidence that the emperor and his trusted ministers had conspired to assassinate Prince Nanyun. She also granted Qin Fu unrestricted access to the dungeon, providing him with every convenience.
Every day, Qin Fu would take time to allow the imprisoned chieftains a brief meeting with their wives. The meetings lasted only a quarter of an hour, but it was enough to prove that both sides were safe.
At that point, the chieftains fully believed in Qin Fu. Their worries faded—outside the prison, Tuoba Jingyao was still at large, and though their wives had been imprisoned with them, they were well-fed and well-treated, not tortured.
Until the grassland forces were completely broken, anything could still happen. The emperor didn’t dare use harsh methods on them. If word reached their tribes, rather than falling into civil strife, the tribes might strike first and attack the Aixi Kingdom—that would be a disaster.
The emperor deliberated again and again. His so-called military advisor had long been bribed by the empress’s faction. That advisor’s sole purpose now was to incite the emperor to send troops against the grassland tribes.
If only one person said it, the emperor might hesitate. If two said it, he might still consider carefully. But when a whole group—including his own strategist—urged him, the emperor was persuaded. He made up his mind to annex the grasslands into Aixi’s territory.
He mobilized a massive army and launched an offensive toward the grasslands.
Tuoba Jingyao had long been prepared. Donning his armor, he kissed Tangtang on the forehead. “Wait for me.”
Bai Tang nodded in agreement, watching as Tuoba Jingyao mounted his tall steed.
Under the sun, the silver armor on Tuoba Jingyao’s body shone brilliantly.
The sun ruled the skies—Tuoba Jingyao ruled the grasslands.
Tuoba Jingyao drew the sword from his waist and raised it high.
“All soldiers, heed my command—march out!”
“Yes, sir!”
A unified roar echoed through the skies as the iron-blooded army of tigers and wolves advanced with steady, powerful steps.
Tuoba Jingyao turned his head—Bai Tang was standing in front of the tent, waving at him.
Tuoba Jingyao steeled his resolve. He would avenge Tang Tang and give him a life of wealth and peace.
The two armies clashed—the sound of battle filled the heavens.
Most of the soldiers had already gone to the front lines, leaving only a small force behind to guard the temporary palace.
It was the perfect opportunity. Qin Fu brought the antidote to the dungeon and released the chieftains and their wives.
“The fighting has already started at the front. There aren’t many guards left in the palace. Now is our chance. Chief Tuoba said that to minimize casualties among our grassland warriors, we must coordinate inside and out. If we capture the emperor, we can force Aixi to retreat…”
Chief Menghei said, “Good idea.”
Qin Fu added, “I’ll need the chiefs’ help. The emperor has twelve shadow guards at his side—they’re highly skilled. My people can take control of the palace, but we can’t defeat those guards. How skilled are you chiefs in combat?”
The chieftains exchanged glances. “Hard to say—but for the sake of our tribesmen, we have to give it a try.”
Of course, the fewer lives they could save, the better. For the sake of their people and their tribes, they had to brave any danger, no matter how deadly.
As they stepped out of the dungeon, Chief Menghei said, “It’s not wise for us to take our wives along. General Qin, we’ll trouble you to look after them.”
By now, the palace was already under the control of the empress, Qin Fu, and their allies. He smiled.
“No problem. You chiefs can rest assured.”
As for the grasslands—although Bai Tang had obediently agreed to wait for Tuoba Jingyao’s return in the tent, in truth, he wasn’t being nearly that well-behaved.
The battlefield was real and brutal. After spending so much time in the Xingluo Tribe, Bai Tang had grown attached—to the cattle, to the people. Blades and spears had no eyes; who knew if a single misstep would end in death? Driven by the hope of reducing casualties, he had decided to help Tuoba Jingyao.
“Qiu’er, Xiao A, take me to the palace. I’m going to use the emperor to command the nobles!” Bai Tang tightened the straps on his little boots—he was ready.
Qiu’er gasped in admiration. “Wow, Tang Tang, amazing! You actually said that line!”
Bai Tang puffed out his chest. “Of course. I’m a well-read little squirrel! Capture the bandit chief first, right~?”
Xiao A replied, “Host, please prepare yourself. We’ll take you to the palace now.”
“Mhm~”
The two systems activated their energy and transported Bai Tang to the outskirts of the palace. It was very close to the hunting grounds—just outside was a small forest.
Squirrels had a natural advantage in environments like forests. Once they’d walked a path, they rarely got lost.
Following the same trail Tuoba Jingyao had once led him down, Bai Tang reached the hunting grounds. He saw that the guards were heavily stationed—twice as many as on the night of the banquet.
Looks like the emperor really does care about his own safety, Bai Tang thought.
But that was no obstacle for Bai Tang. With a swift motion, he transformed—onto the ground landed a fluffy little squirrel.
“Squeak squeak squeak— Qiu’er, give me navigation.”
Qiu’er answered cheerfully, “On it~!”
With Qiu’er and Xiao A escorting him, the little squirrel made it to the palace without a hitch. Thanks to his small and nimble body, he easily avoided the fighting crowds at the palace gates and slipped inside.
“Squeak squeak squeak—” The little squirrel sniffed to the east and to the west, running in a zigzag path ahead.
What a delicious nutty smell~! The little squirrel was completely lured by the scent of food.
“Host, have you forgotten why you’re here?” Xiao A reminded him, snapping Bai Tang back to reality.
“Squeak squeak squeak— Where’s the emperor? Where’s that damn emperor!”
The little squirrel stood up on his two front paws, eyes sweeping the surroundings with fierce determination.
“The emperor is in the inner sleeping quarters—and the empress is there too,” said Xiao A.
“Zhi zhi zhi— Ah, do I have to take out both of them?” Bai Tang squeaked.
“No need to worry, Tang Tang—the empress is on our side,” Qiu’er quickly added. When it came to allies and enemies, Qiu’er kept constant watch. No one was going to harm his precious Tang Tang.
Hearing that, Bai Tang relaxed.
Guided by the map, he ran all the way to the imperial bedroom. To avoid being seen, he even climbed up onto the ornately carved beam and looked down from above.
“Your Majesty, have a cup of ginseng tea,” the empress said gently and considerately.
“Ah, Empress… At a time like this, you’re the only one who’s truly sincere with Us,” the emperor sighed. He was fully aware of the chaos outside—the fighting had already broken out at the palace gates. But his shadow guards were no amateurs; they were elite fighters. The former subordinates of Prince Nanyun were nothing more than small fry—no real threat.
“Your Majesty, don’t trouble yourself with worry,” the empress said as she pushed the cup of ginseng tea toward him. She had laced it with something potent—the same thing the emperor had once ordered to be added to a glass of wine.
“In the past, We truly wronged you, Empress~” the emperor said with regret. Suddenly, he looked toward the window behind the empress and shouted sternly, “Who’s there?!”
When the empress turned to look, the emperor swiftly switched the positions of the two cups of tea on the table.
“Your Majesty, what did you see just now?” the empress asked in confusion—she hadn’t seen anything.
The emperor smiled. “Perhaps it was just Our eyes playing tricks. You’ve worked hard too, Empress. Have some tea.”
He lifted his cup, but didn’t drink right away.
The empress understood—he was waiting for her to drink first. All the eunuchs and maids had been sent away at her command, so there was no one left to test for poison. The emperor, ever fearful for his life, wouldn’t drink until she did.
She picked up the cup in front of her and, hiding the flash in her eyes behind the lid, took a small sip.
The emperor smiled too, and drank his tea.
Before long, the empress began to feel her strength drain away, her limbs turning numb.
“How could this be…” she murmured, trying to stand, but her body gave out. She collapsed to the floor, knocking over her teacup as well.
The spilled tea spread across the floor, and the unfinished tea began to bubble slightly. At that moment, the empress recalled the emperor’s sudden shout from earlier—and realization hit her.
She had been tricked.
Author’s Note:
Bai “Savior” Tang: Don’t worry, iced-out empress! I’m coming to save you!
Tuoba Jingyao (eyes dark and deep, grabbing the little squirrel in one hand): “Naughty. You snuck off to another man’s room, hmm?”