Chapter 124: Mountains And Rivers Across Ten Thousand Miles Are Not As Good As You

They spent the whole night together, making them exhausted.  

It was not until the afternoon of the next day that there was some movement in the Princess’ camp.  

Young Master Meng rubbed her eyes and stepped out of the tent. She saw a few people squatting nearby who seemed to be discussing some bet.  

When they saw her come out, everyone suddenly stopped talking.   

The first to break the silence was Ye Wuyou: "Ahem, someone is coming out!”

Then Shu Yao, with a surprised face, shouted: "Eh, why did you come out first? Where is my imperial sister?"  

Meng Chang’an said, "… She is still sleeping, of course!"  

Hearing this, Shu Yao’s face instantly fell.  

This made the Young Master stunned.  

What is wrong with that rotten little sister? Why does she look so disappointed?!  

Before the Young Master could ask, Lin Xingyang excitedly shouted from the side, "Ah, it seems I really guessed right this time! Come, come, everyone who made a bet must accept the loss!"

Shen Lingyun gave the Young Master a faint sideways glance, then took out two hundred-tael silver notes and slapped them on the flag that was temporarily used as a gambling tablecloth. She said with grievance, "Alright, this is one hundred taels each from me and A’Yao. Take it."  

Lin Xingyang smiled with eyes curved, then continued to ask Ye Wuyou for the debt. At the same time, he proudly said, "Lady Ye, Lady Ye, why are you not afraid of losing? Do you forget the last time we lost together? Luckily, I did not keep betting on Her Highness! Of course, it is also because my sister is strong enough!"

It was very clear that Young General Lin still could not let go of the time she had bet that the Princess would be on top but ended up losing to Yuechu.

“Look at you, so useless. You are this happy over such a thing.” Ye Wuyou rolled her eyes, then used her sword hilt to poke He Changping beside her. She quietly complained, “It is all your fault. You tricked me, saying that Chang’an’s hand had not healed yet! You have to pay this silver for me!”

“You were the one who placed the bet. Why do I have to pay for this silver?”

He Changping looked at her helplessly, but still handed his pouch to Ye Wuyou. Then he said, “If you use my younger sister’s bedroom matters as the bet again next time, I will not pay this silver for you anymore.”

The more the Young Master listened, the darker her face turned.

Now she had finally guessed what they were betting on.

Who were they looking down on?

Was it not just her being on top? Was that so shocking?

Young Master Meng went forward at once and pressed down on the pile of money they had thrown in the middle of the banner, snorting as she said, “All of you guessed wrong. The banker takes it all!”

For a moment, everyone did not quite catch what she meant by that.

Ye Wuyou was the first to come back to her senses. She let out a long, meaningful “Ohhh” and then said, “Chang’an, by that, you mean, you were on top, and Her Highness was also on top?”

Seeing the Young Master’s face grow redder and redder, and even shyly turning her head to avoid everyone’s gaze, Shen Lingyun immediately added, “Then did we not all guess right? If you want to act as the banker, should you not be the one who, as the banker, pays everyone back?”

Luckily, everyone present now were the Young Master’s closest friends and family. Otherwise, she really would have wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.

After angrily rolling up the banner and sweeping up all the money on it, the Young Master shamelessly said, “I do not care. Anyway, you all only guessed part of it right. It was not completely right, so that means all of you lost. These should belong to me!”

Seeing her so angry out of embarrassment, Shu Yao was the first to laugh, and even pulled out another one hundred taels from Shen Lingyun, taking the initiative to stuff it into the banner in the Young Master’s arms.

“Alright, alright, then take these as our wedding gift for your grand wedding. As your younger sister, I will give another one hundred taels. I wish you and my Imperial Sister to grow old together in happiness!”

The Young Master froze for a moment, and in a daze, she seemed to hear again the words spoken by the palace maids at the Princess' Residence in the capital on their wedding night, one after another wishing them “to grow old together in happiness.”

With Shu Yao taking the lead, the others around them all chimed in.

“That makes sense, that makes sense!”

“If this is considered a wedding gift, then this silver is something we should give.”

“Then you two must not only grow old together in happiness, but also be forever of one heart, love each other without doubt! Only then will our wedding gifts be worth it!”

Lin Xingyang handed over all the silver he had left on him with tears in his eyes. “Sister, this is all I have. I am giving it all to you! You must speak some good words for your little brother before Her Highness’ pillow, alright?!”

Ye Wuyou even scraped clean all the silver left on He Changping and stuffed it into the Young Master’s arms. She winked at her and hinted, “Good little sister, now that you have finally turned the tables, you must not let that bad woman have the upper hand again!”

At this, even the always quiet He Changping could not help laughing. He quickly pulled Ye Wuyou back to stop her from saying more wild things. Then he gently said to the Young Master,

“Elder Brother only brought this much today. Do not look down on it. When you two finally achieve a happy ending, I will make it up to you.”

Watching the Young Master flee in embarrassment, the group of young people burst into uncontrollable laughter.

And not far off, standing atop a high platform, Lin Zimu who had taken in every word and action of the youngsters could no longer hold back his own laughter.

“These children, they can all take charge on their own normally, how come in private, they are this mischievous?”

Standing beside him, shoulder to shoulder, Lin Ziyan also smiled softly and sighed. “Though they are mischievous, they are full of youthful spirit. Being young is still the best.”

“Third Sister, why do you make it sound like we are already so old?”

Lin Zimu turned his head and smiled at his sister.

That familiar sight of her in silver armor, silver spear in hand, looked no different from when she had fought on the battlefield in her youth.

Just like the heroic woman he had admired as a child.

But looking at her calm smile now, as if she had seen through the worldly dust and no longer contended with anything, Lin Zimu could not help but feel a little sour.

One's youth is wasted if not lived boldly.

Who, in their younger days, was not filled with passion and youthful spirit?

He did not believe that just because ten-some years had passed, that once so high-spirited and bold Death God in the battlefield, would forget her lofty ambitions.

As he raised his hand and placed it on the shoulder armor of his sister, Lin Zimu had already straightened his expression and said seriously, “Third Sister, if Father knew you were willing to help us, he would surely be very happy.”

“Who said I came to help you?”

Lin Ziyan’s smile did not fade. With a nudge of her elbow, she knocked her younger brother aside.

“I only came to guard our family's Young Master.”

But this Lin family’s Third Miss, who lightly claimed she was only here to protect her Young Master, would later shine brilliantly on the battlefield. With a single spear, she pierced straight into the heart of the Kingdom of Qi, shattering the courage and morale of the Qi army.

And not only her—the three generations of Lin family generals, the many military doctors from the Divine Doctors Sect, countless outstanding generals and talented individuals who distinguished themselves in this war…

All left their names in history because of this battle.

The Great Chang army, under the command of the Supreme Commander Li Qiubai along with the various generals and talented individuals, seized twelve cities of the Kingdom of Qi in succession.

The war lasted for three months, and finally came to an end when the Kingdom of Qi raised their flag in surrender and expressed willingness to submit as a vassal state.

With this great victory, the Great Chang army had nearly annexed half of the Kingdom of Qi’s territory. The captives, ransoms, and spoils of war gained from it were too many to count.

And the Great Chang Dynasty, which had suffered humiliation for so many years, could finally hold its head high before its neighboring states and reclaim its title as the strongest of the Central Plains.

When the army returned in triumph and entered the capital, heavy snow was falling in Great Chang’s imperial city.

Yet even on such a bitterly cold day, the people's passion burned like fire.

The snow on the roads had long since been cleared overnight by the common folk who took it upon themselves to do the work.

The people who stood on both sides of the road to welcome the army lined up from the city gate all the way to the palace gate. With loud cheers, they sent off the army along the way.

Before the imperial street, the Emperor brought the Princes and came to welcome them in person. All the court officials stood in two rows, singing the song of triumph to welcome the soldiers back to court.

Such a scene was a rare and grand ceremony that had not happened in a hundred years.

When the army stopped in front of the Emperor, the three generations of Lin family generals had already dismounted and stood beside the biggest carriage.

“Your Highness, we have arrived.”

As Lin Xingyang finished speaking, a fair hand lifted the curtain.

Under the eyes of the crowd, the one who leaned out first was the commander of this war, the Second Princess, Li Qiubai.

But after getting off the carriage, she did not go straight to greet the Emperor, who had come to welcome her in person. Instead, she first helped another young lady down from the carriage, then held her hand and walked together to the front of the Emperor. She called out calmly and openly, “Father.”

The two of them held hands tightly. Both were extremely beautiful.

They wore robes of the same color, and the fur cloaks on their backs were also the same.

Standing side by side, they were very close, just like a perfect couple.

Li Ruiyuan had already put away the smile in his eyes. He looked seriously at their tightly held hands.

The handsome young man he had seen in the hall before, had now only changed into women’s clothing. That familiar face—who would not recognize it?

After all, in the officialdom of the capital now, most people had already heard about how the Princess ate, lived, and fought side by side with the Prince Consort’s younger sister while in the army.

Most of the people present were clever. With just this one move, the Princess did not need to say more—most of them had already guessed what she wanted to say.

Before the Emperor could speak, the Seventh Prince behind him had already drawn in a sharp breath. He leaned toward the Fourth Prince beside him and muttered in a low voice, “Imperial Brother, do you think she really dares to be this bold, to expose her relationship with that woman in front of the entire imperial court…”

“Looking at this situation, it should be so.” The Fourth Prince had already curved his lips and said meaningfully, “If so, then that would be just perfect.”

Those waiting to kick her while she was down were hoping the Emperor would erupt into fury right then and there and throw the Second Princess straight into the imperial dungeon. That way, it might even drag down the Grand Prince who shared the same birth mother as her.

Not far from them, the Grand Prince coldly glanced at the imperial prince and warned him with his eyes. He was about to step forward to advise the Emperor to calm down, but heard the Emperor sigh lightly.

"Enough, let us return to the palace first."

Young Master Meng’s heart tightened. Then she saw the Emperor lock eyes with her and added,

"Let us return together. Your grandmother has missed you for a long time. It is a good time to visit her."

Others thought these words were for the Princess. Only those involved knew who they were really meant for.

Young Master Meng was honored and instinctively looked at the Princess beside her.

The Princess comforted her by squeezing her hand gently and smiled, replying, "Thank you very much, Father."

The planned schedule did not change because of the Princess’ shocking act. The victory banquet was held as planned.

As for the Grand Prince’s faction, some ministers who feared that their hard work would be ruined by the Princess' act finally relaxed a little.

The Emperor’s procession had turned from the imperial street back to the palace gate.

Because of this, the few masters of the Blood Flame Sect hidden in the crowd tacitly retreated from this place.

"It seems we can safely return to the sect to prepare the wedding banquet."

In the study, Li Ruiyuan and Li Qiubai sat facing each other. Between them was the chessboard, the unfinished endgame from their last meeting in the study.

As he picked up a piece and placed it on the board, it was still Li Ruiyuan who spoke first.

"That beloved Prince Consort of yours—is it her?"

It was already something everyone knew. Even if Li Qiubai had not said it, Li Ruiyuan would still have summoned her for a proper questioning.

Yet this time, Li Qiubai had taken the initiative in front of the imperial street, leaving him in a much more passive position.

Li Ruiyuan believed that had he said a single word of disapproval at that moment, this rebellious daughter would have turned around and left with that person right then and there.

"Yes." Li Qiubai had already placed down the black piece in her hand. She looked squarely at the person before her and asked, "I wonder if the military merits from this campaign are enough to exchange for her?"

Seeing how direct she was, Li Ruiyuan nearly laughed from anger.

"Enough. Of course it is enough. Not to mention her—even if you wanted this imperial throne, it would be enough."

On the chessboard, their pieces clashed back and forth in unending confrontation.

Their words too, carried hidden sharpness.

Before Li Qiubai could respond, Li Ruiyuan followed up at once, "However, this time it should be ‘I’ asking you—is it truly worth exchanging the military merit for seizing half the Kingdom of Qi's territory just for her?"

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. And check out other stories too. 

Before Li Qiubai could guess at the deeper meaning in his words, Chief Eunuch Qiu Sheng, who had been standing by silently for a long time, stepped forward and presented two prepared edicts, laying them out before her.

The edicts were not yet sealed, but both were decrees to establish a Crown Prince.

The difference was—one edict bore the name of her eldest imperial brother, while the other edict bore her own name.

To make her, a woman, the crown prince?

Her imperial father truly was the boldest of all emperors in the history of the Great Chang Dynasty.

Li Qiubai was shocked, yet she heard Li Ruiyuan continue.

"I shall give you one more chance. Think carefully—do you want this edict, or do you want her?"

Only then did Li Qiubai slightly come back to her senses.

She picked up the edict with her name written on it, looked at the name on it, and remained silent for a long time before curling her lips into a light smile and said, “Father, do you really dare to go against the great taboo of the world and make me the Crown Prince?”

“Of course. Now that you have the support of the people, even if you are a woman, I can still send you to that position!”

However, under the Emperor’s satisfied and gratified gaze, Li Qiubai directly threw that edict into the small warming stove at the side.

When the flames touched the silk paper, the spark could ignite the whole prairie.

“You—!”

Li Ruiyuan was furious. He gnashed his teeth and glared at this ungrateful daughter, shouting angrily, “What, do you not believe that this Imperial Father dares to make you the Crown Prince?”

“This daughter naturally believes that Father is a ruler who does not speak in jest.”

The smile in Li Qiubai’s eyes did not fade. She only looked at that faint flame and spoke with a smile, “It is just that in this daughter’s heart, though the land of mountains and rivers is beautiful across ten thousand miles, it cannot compare to her joyful smile.”

That day, she said: What your daughter wishes for is only her.

Today, she said: Though the land of mountains and rivers is beautiful across ten thousand miles, it cannot compare to her joyful smile.

How could Li Ruiyuan not understand the choice his daughter had made?

The edict she so easily tossed into the fire was the very thing others would fight for until their heads were broken and blood flowed… yet could not obtain.

Li Ruiyuan glanced at the edict burning in the fire, then asked in frustration, “Is it worth it?”

“Of course.”

The game was not yet finished, but neither of them had any interest in continuing.

As Li Qiubai withdrew her hand and looked up, she spoke out the words that had been held in her heart for many years, filled with mockery: “To have a kindred spirit as companion is surely better than like Father sitting high in position, yet being all alone, with no one he dares to trust, is it not?”

In the past, if anyone had dared to be so insolent, they would have surely faced the wrath of the Emperor.

But now, faced with this ungrateful and unfilial daughter, he could only let out a helpless sigh.

“You… have always still hated me, have you not?”

“Hate? Of course I hate. I hate that Father is suspicious and distrustful, and has shamed Grandfather’s loyalty and righteousness. I hate even more that Father is cold and heartless, and has let down Mother’s affection.”

Li Qiubai calmly spoke out the resentment in her heart. As she rose to her feet, she tossed both Tiger Tally tokens of the Huwei Army onto the chessboard.

“From now on, the half of the Huwei Army in Grandfather’s hands may be placed under Father’s command. Father need not be wary anymore.”

The thing he had feared for so many years had finally fallen into his grasp. It should have been a joyful matter, yet Li Ruiyuan truly could not feel happy.

He rubbed those two command tokens in his palm, then said with certainty, “The other half of the Huwei Army—must be the Wushang Palace.”

Ye Wuyou and the Wushang Palace obeyed Li Qiubai’s every word.

At first, Li Ruiyuan had thought it was merely the usual kind of friendship among people of Jianghu. It was not until the Wushang Palace joined the battlefield that he finally uncovered the connection behind it all.

“Once, yes. But from this day forth, the Wushang Palace will be a proper Jianghu sect again, with no more ties to the court.”

This had been the agreement between Li Qiubai and Ye Wuyou from the beginning—once the matter was done, she would return freedom to her and the Wushang Palace 

Li Ruiyuan gave no comment, and instead asked, “And what about you? Do you also no longer wish to have anything to do with the court?”

“From now on, I only wish to roam the world with her, hand in hand, traveling across this vast land together.”

After a slight pause, Li Qiubai added, “I hope Father will allow it.”

Li Ruiyuan rubbed his brow in frustration. “Would it even matter if I did not? You have already made your decision.”

It was rare to see him so willing to yield. Only then did the chill in Li Qiubai’s face ease a little.

“Then I thank Father.”

With that, she turned and left.

The moment she stepped out of the imperial study, the cold wind rushed in. Without the warmth from the floor dragon, the Princess could not help but shiver.

But when she saw that person standing in the snow at the bottom of the steps, holding an umbrella, all the chill seemed to vanish at once.

Without hesitation, Li Qiubai lifted her skirt and rushed down the steps.

“Hey—slow down! What if you fall?”  

Meng Chang’an quickly stepped forward and caught the beauty who threw herself into her arms.

The Young Master’s umbrella had already fallen to the ground, and with no free hand to pick it up, snowflakes could only fall freely onto the both of them.

The Princess wrapped her arms tightly around Meng Chang’an’s neck, gently pressed her forehead against hers, and smiled as she said, “Is that not why you are here to catch me?”

“You—just taking advantage of me spoiling you!!”

The Young Master let out a cold snort and muttered under her breath, yet still naturally took off the fox-fur cloak from her back and wrapped it around the Princess, pulling her in even closer. Only then did she ask, “Smiling so happily—did everything go smoothly?”

“Smoothly.”

The Princess hugged the Young Master tightly, leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her lips before saying, “From now on, I truly have no ties left. You must remember your promise to take me across the lands of the Jianghu!”

Hearing these somewhat familiar words, the Young Master paused for a moment. 

Recalling the promise she had once made while accompanying the Princess back to the palace, Meng Chang’an’s eyes curved with a smile.

So the Princess remembered it all.

“Mm, this Young Master always keeps my word. From now on, wherever you wish to go, I shall go with you.”

As the Young Master’s words fell, another burning kiss landed on her lips.

This time, it was nothing like the brief, gentle brush from earlier.

“Mm… we are still outside the grand hall… not here… mm… there are so many people watching…”

Yet no matter how the Young Master resisted, the Princess refused to retreat in the slightest.

“Then let them all watch.”

What responded to the Young Master was an even more passionate kiss.

Unable to resist, she could only allow the Princess to do as she pleased.

The two of them held each other tightly in the snow, kissing as if no one else existed.

Their burning and intense love seemed as though it could melt the chill of winter itself.