When the envoys of the Northern Barbarian Kingdom arrived in Yuncang, it was the time when the March vegetation was flourishing[1].
All the way, the envoys saw that the Yuncang was backed by the Canghai River, the land was fertile and prosperous, and wherever they passed, there were flowers like brocades and the country was peaceful. The cavalry following the envoys was amazed.
When they thought of their own country, backed by the snow-capped mountains and a wasteland, where the weather was cold throughout the year, and it was hard to see even a flower, the contrast was really tragic.
But it was precisely because of this that the soldiers of the Yuncang country soaking in the gentle environment did not have the power to resist when facing the northern barbarian wolf cavalry. Within half a month, they had abandoned five cities in a row. The 100,000 wolf cavalrymen were estimated to be under the city of Yuncang at this moment.
The Maharaja of Beiman was a person who was unpredictable and did not play according to common sense. When he sent troops, he looked at Yuncang as something that was already in his bag. He changed his mind in the middle of the fight and didn’t want to swallow them.
Yuncang and Beiman were too far apart, and there was a sea between them. If they were to be annexed, it would be too inconvenient to manage.
Moreover, this place was rich in water, but it was far away, and the emperor was still here. The Maharaja was thus suspicious, and he was not at ease with whom he would send troops to garrison there.
So, when Monarch of Yuncang rushed to send letters of appeal for peace, the Maharaja thought for a while and agreed.
Since then, Yuncang became a subject of Beiman, paying tribute every year, and the two countries signed a mutual non-aggression agreement, and Yuncang Court had to send a royal princess to Beiman for peace.
The envoy brought three hundred wolf cavalry to Yuncang this time, just to pick up the princess.
They had heard that all the women of Yuncang were gentle and beautiful, but they didn’t know how beautiful the princess who was going to marry the Maharaja this time would be.
The envoy secretly thought in anticipation.
There were five princesses in Yuncang Kingdom. The oldest two were married, and the remaining three princesses, one was Princess Anping born from the empress, the second was Princess Wenjun born from the imperial consort, and Princess of Changle who was born from a low-ranked concubine.
No one wanted to send their daughter to suffer in that barren land. Moreover, they had heard that the Northern Barbarian King was like a Rakshasa with a tiger’s back and a bear waist. He would eat and drink human blood.
All in all, whoever went would die!
In the end, this marriage naturally fell on the little princess of Changle who was weak and without any backing.
When the imperial decree came down, the mother of the little princess of Changle cried to death, and almost wanted to throw her daughter into the lake to die.
Finally, she was persuaded by the little princess of Changle.
Although the mother and daughter were not favored, and their daily food and clothing costs were far less than that of the other princesses and concubines, the two depended on each other in the harem. The mother and daughter had a deep affection for each other but this also provoked the emperor’s dislike.
When the mother was alone in the palace, she did not know how much she would suffer.
She quietly accepted the imperial decree, quietly received the reward, and then quietly prepared to marry.
On the auspicious day, Princess Changle dressed up in front of the temple and worshipped her parents three times. She couldn’t bear her maid going to Beiman to suffer, so she set foot on the carriage to Beiman alone.
Xuan Liangren cried and yelled “Yingying”, only to feel that this parting was life and death. She didn’t know how Yingying would be tortured after marrying, so she cried and fainted in front of the temple.
The envoy of Beiman looked back and sighed inwardly. Looking at the swaying carriage, he thought to himself, that the little princess might have already fainted after crying.
Hey, why bother, in fact, their Maharaja was not so terrible.
Although he was not very good tempered, moody, suspicious and sick, and killed when he was unhappy, his tyrant reputation was well-known…
Forget it, he was pretty scary.
When the carriage drove out of the gate of the city, a soft voice suddenly came from the quiet carriage: “Sir.”
This voice resembled a rhyme, wrapped in the color of jewels, and it sounded many times better than those of Beiman who were born with crude voices.
The envoy waved his hand and the entourage stopped. He rode his horse over, leaned down slightly, and respectfully asked: “What is the princess’ order?”
The voice came out softly: “Excuse me, sir, can you pick a trumpet creeper for me?”
The envoy was taken aback and looked aside subconsciously.
Large clusters of purple flowers bloomed under the city wall, and the roads were filled with its haze and fragrance.
The climate and land of Beiman were not suitable for the survival of flowers and plants, and this little princess would never see such a beautiful scenery in the future. The envoy sighed inwardly and said, “Princess wait a minute”, then dismounted and picked up a few trumpet creepers, opened the corner of the curtain and passed it in.
Only half of the white feather-like gauze skirt was seen.
It took more than two months to travel from Yuncang to Beiman.
The northern barbarians were naturally strong, and this journey was nothing to them, but the little princess had been tortured throughout the journey, and she had lost a lot of weight by the time they reached Beiman.
It was snowing on the day they arrived at Beiman’s Capital City.
The little princess opened the curtain and looked out secretly.
The heavy city wall towered high into the clouds, with a cold, heavy, and murderous aura.
There were no colors and no flowers.
She lost interest after only a few glances, and sat back in the carriage, silently staring at the dried trumpet creeper in her hand in a daze.
The carriage drove her into the palace and to the Changle Hall which was named after her title.
After getting along for two months, the envoy felt very sorry for the little princess. Before leaving, he secretly sent her some words: “The Maharaja is quick to kill, and he is not close to the female sex. I hope the princess will soon adapt.”
Qi Ying saluted and thanked him.
She was the only one left in the Changle Hall, other than the maids who had bowed their heads in silence.
The palace looked big, but it was not at all warm. Like the entire Beiman, it was cold and solemn. She had just arrived, and she was not yet accustomed, so she didn’t dare to walk around, holding the withered trumpet creeper, she sat waiting late into the night.
The maid, who was sent to serve the princess, saw her fragile appearance and felt unbearable, so she walked over and said: “Princess, it’s so late, the Maharaja shouldn’t come. The princess is tired, and this slave maid will serve you to get ready for bed.”
Qi Ying was indeed too tired, glanced at the moonlight outside the window, and nodded in response.
Unexpectedly, after sleeping for a while, when she was still in a daze, she heard the panicked voice of the outer maid Luo Xiao: “Greetings to the Maharaja.”
Qi Ying used her hands and feet to get up from the bed.
Before she had time to jump out of bed to get dressed, a tall figure had already walked in.
Rumor had it that the Great Maharaja of Beiman, was like a bear, a bull, a tiger, and a wolf. He was nine feet tall, with blue fangs, and his eyes wide open…
There was no light in the hall, and it was dark. Qi Ying couldn’t see anything, so she started to cry. She just felt the figure walked faster and faster, coming to the bed with a sharp chill and a suffocating feeling.
She lowered her head and tried her best not to make her trembling voice too obvious: “The concubine…sees the Maharaja.”
The person standing in front of the bed seemed to be looking at her and did not speak for a long time.
Qi Ying’s heart beat wildly, it was especially clear in the silent hall.
After a long while, she heard a low laugh from the visitor.
The laughter was a bit muffled, but it was not at all as crude as imagined. Luo Xiao tremblingly followed, and bowed and said, “Maharaja, do you want to light a lamp?”
Qi Ying heard the voice more clearly: “Light.”
The hall quickly lit up.
An inch of light and shadow came to her eyes, and she saw a pair of cloud ink boots, the corners of the black clothes that were swaying slightly embroidered with golden edges, like a dragon pattern.
A cold finger stretched over and lifted her jaw.
Qi Ying was forced to look up.
She saw an unexpectedly beautiful face.
How to describe this face? Yuncang’s most talented Young Master Pian Pian was less than a three-point in front of his suave face, and the most prestigious general under her father emperor was less than five-point imposing.
He was like a mysterious iron sword polished in the wind and snow, sharpened hard and sharp, the coldness had also entered his bones, and he looked good but even more than that he looked dangerous.
Maharaja of Beiman looked at her up and down, and there was no emotion in his tone: “So small.”
Qi Ying felt that this was different from the rumors, that he would pity her young age.
Then he heard the Maharaja continue to say without expression: “I can choke to death with one hand.”
Qi Ying: “…”
But fortunately, he didn’t really intend to strangle her, so he let go, and left without saying a word.
It was said that this Maharaja was moody, and it was true.
Qi Ying was frightened for a while and finally fell asleep in the middle of the night. She had nightmares, dreaming that the Maharaja strangled her neck and pressed her against the wall…
Ji Rang walked out of the Changle Hall, and the attendant with the lantern was waiting outside.
Seeing him coming out, he greeted him with a smile, and asked softly, “Did the Maharaja see the princess who is married over?”
He couldn’t sleep in the middle of the night and went out for a walk. He heard the servant mention that the princess sent by Yuncang had entered the palace today.
He recalled the little girl who was wearing a white single coat and half-kneeling on the bed with her inky hair like a waterfall. He stretched out two hands and showed the attendant: “She’s only this big.”
Attendant: “???”
Monarch Yuncang was so frantic??? He sent a baby princess in a swaddle???
As a result, on the second day, when the attendant sent a lot of brocade garments to the Changle Hall according to Ji Rang’s instructions, he saw the cute and soft little princess, and realized that he had been played by the Maharaja again.
Although compared with the tall and strong northern barbarians, the little princess did look very small, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
[1] I think the author is trying to say that it was spring.
When the envoys of the Northern Barbarian Kingdom arrived in Yuncang, it was the time when the March vegetation was flourishing[1].
All the way, the envoys saw that the Yuncang was backed by the Canghai River, the land was fertile and prosperous, and wherever they passed, there were flowers like brocades and the country was peaceful. The cavalry following the envoys was amazed.
When they thought of their own country, backed by the snow-capped mountains and a wasteland, where the weather was cold throughout the year, and it was hard to see even a flower, the contrast was really tragic.
But it was precisely because of this that the soldiers of the Yuncang country soaking in the gentle environment did not have the power to resist when facing the northern barbarian wolf cavalry. Within half a month, they had abandoned five cities in a row. The 100,000 wolf cavalrymen were estimated to be under the city of Yuncang at this moment.
The Maharaja of Beiman was a person who was unpredictable and did not play according to common sense. When he sent troops, he looked at Yuncang as something that was already in his bag. He changed his mind in the middle of the fight and didn’t want to swallow them.
Yuncang and Beiman were too far apart, and there was a sea between them. If they were to be annexed, it would be too inconvenient to manage.
Moreover, this place was rich in water, but it was far away, and the emperor was still here. The Maharaja was thus suspicious, and he was not at ease with whom he would send troops to garrison there.
So, when Monarch of Yuncang rushed to send letters of appeal for peace, the Maharaja thought for a while and agreed.
Since then, Yuncang became a subject of Beiman, paying tribute every year, and the two countries signed a mutual non-aggression agreement, and Yuncang Court had to send a royal princess to Beiman for peace.
The envoy brought three hundred wolf cavalry to Yuncang this time, just to pick up the princess.
They had heard that all the women of Yuncang were gentle and beautiful, but they didn’t know how beautiful the princess who was going to marry the Maharaja this time would be.
The envoy secretly thought in anticipation.
There were five princesses in Yuncang Kingdom. The oldest two were married, and the remaining three princesses, one was Princess Anping born from the empress, the second was Princess Wenjun born from the imperial consort, and Princess of Changle who was born from a low-ranked concubine.
No one wanted to send their daughter to suffer in that barren land. Moreover, they had heard that the Northern Barbarian King was like a Rakshasa with a tiger’s back and a bear waist. He would eat and drink human blood.
All in all, whoever went would die!
In the end, this marriage naturally fell on the little princess of Changle who was weak and without any backing.
When the imperial decree came down, the mother of the little princess of Changle cried to death, and almost wanted to throw her daughter into the lake to die.
Finally, she was persuaded by the little princess of Changle.
Although the mother and daughter were not favored, and their daily food and clothing costs were far less than that of the other princesses and concubines, the two depended on each other in the harem. The mother and daughter had a deep affection for each other but this also provoked the emperor’s dislike.
When the mother was alone in the palace, she did not know how much she would suffer.
She quietly accepted the imperial decree, quietly received the reward, and then quietly prepared to marry.
On the auspicious day, Princess Changle dressed up in front of the temple and worshipped her parents three times. She couldn’t bear her maid going to Beiman to suffer, so she set foot on the carriage to Beiman alone.
Xuan Liangren cried and yelled “Yingying”, only to feel that this parting was life and death. She didn’t know how Yingying would be tortured after marrying, so she cried and fainted in front of the temple.
The envoy of Beiman looked back and sighed inwardly. Looking at the swaying carriage, he thought to himself, that the little princess might have already fainted after crying.
Hey, why bother, in fact, their Maharaja was not so terrible.
Although he was not very good tempered, moody, suspicious and sick, and killed when he was unhappy, his tyrant reputation was well-known…
Forget it, he was pretty scary.
When the carriage drove out of the gate of the city, a soft voice suddenly came from the quiet carriage: “Sir.”
This voice resembled a rhyme, wrapped in the color of jewels, and it sounded many times better than those of Beiman who were born with crude voices.
The envoy waved his hand and the entourage stopped. He rode his horse over, leaned down slightly, and respectfully asked: “What is the princess’ order?”
The voice came out softly: “Excuse me, sir, can you pick a trumpet creeper for me?”
The envoy was taken aback and looked aside subconsciously.
Large clusters of purple flowers bloomed under the city wall, and the roads were filled with its haze and fragrance.
The climate and land of Beiman were not suitable for the survival of flowers and plants, and this little princess would never see such a beautiful scenery in the future. The envoy sighed inwardly and said, “Princess wait a minute”, then dismounted and picked up a few trumpet creepers, opened the corner of the curtain and passed it in.
Only half of the white feather-like gauze skirt was seen.
It took more than two months to travel from Yuncang to Beiman.
The northern barbarians were naturally strong, and this journey was nothing to them, but the little princess had been tortured throughout the journey, and she had lost a lot of weight by the time they reached Beiman.
It was snowing on the day they arrived at Beiman’s Capital City.
The little princess opened the curtain and looked out secretly.
The heavy city wall towered high into the clouds, with a cold, heavy, and murderous aura.
There were no colors and no flowers.
She lost interest after only a few glances, and sat back in the carriage, silently staring at the dried trumpet creeper in her hand in a daze.
The carriage drove her into the palace and to the Changle Hall which was named after her title.
After getting along for two months, the envoy felt very sorry for the little princess. Before leaving, he secretly sent her some words: “The Maharaja is quick to kill, and he is not close to the female sex. I hope the princess will soon adapt.”
Qi Ying saluted and thanked him.
She was the only one left in the Changle Hall, other than the maids who had bowed their heads in silence.
The palace looked big, but it was not at all warm. Like the entire Beiman, it was cold and solemn. She had just arrived, and she was not yet accustomed, so she didn’t dare to walk around, holding the withered trumpet creeper, she sat waiting late into the night.
The maid, who was sent to serve the princess, saw her fragile appearance and felt unbearable, so she walked over and said: “Princess, it’s so late, the Maharaja shouldn’t come. The princess is tired, and this slave maid will serve you to get ready for bed.”
Qi Ying was indeed too tired, glanced at the moonlight outside the window, and nodded in response.
Unexpectedly, after sleeping for a while, when she was still in a daze, she heard the panicked voice of the outer maid Luo Xiao: “Greetings to the Maharaja.”
Qi Ying used her hands and feet to get up from the bed.
Before she had time to jump out of bed to get dressed, a tall figure had already walked in.
Rumor had it that the Great Maharaja of Beiman, was like a bear, a bull, a tiger, and a wolf. He was nine feet tall, with blue fangs, and his eyes wide open…
There was no light in the hall, and it was dark. Qi Ying couldn’t see anything, so she started to cry. She just felt the figure walked faster and faster, coming to the bed with a sharp chill and a suffocating feeling.
She lowered her head and tried her best not to make her trembling voice too obvious: “The concubine…sees the Maharaja.”
The person standing in front of the bed seemed to be looking at her and did not speak for a long time.
Qi Ying’s heart beat wildly, it was especially clear in the silent hall.
After a long while, she heard a low laugh from the visitor.
The laughter was a bit muffled, but it was not at all as crude as imagined. Luo Xiao tremblingly followed, and bowed and said, “Maharaja, do you want to light a lamp?”
Qi Ying heard the voice more clearly: “Light.”
The hall quickly lit up.
An inch of light and shadow came to her eyes, and she saw a pair of cloud ink boots, the corners of the black clothes that were swaying slightly embroidered with golden edges, like a dragon pattern.
A cold finger stretched over and lifted her jaw.
Qi Ying was forced to look up.
She saw an unexpectedly beautiful face.
How to describe this face? Yuncang’s most talented Young Master Pian Pian was less than a three-point in front of his suave face, and the most prestigious general under her father emperor was less than five-point imposing.
He was like a mysterious iron sword polished in the wind and snow, sharpened hard and sharp, the coldness had also entered his bones, and he looked good but even more than that he looked dangerous.
Maharaja of Beiman looked at her up and down, and there was no emotion in his tone: “So small.”
Qi Ying felt that this was different from the rumors, that he would pity her young age.
Then he heard the Maharaja continue to say without expression: “I can choke to death with one hand.”
Qi Ying: “…”
But fortunately, he didn’t really intend to strangle her, so he let go, and left without saying a word.
It was said that this Maharaja was moody, and it was true.
Qi Ying was frightened for a while and finally fell asleep in the middle of the night. She had nightmares, dreaming that the Maharaja strangled her neck and pressed her against the wall…
Ji Rang walked out of the Changle Hall, and the attendant with the lantern was waiting outside.
Seeing him coming out, he greeted him with a smile, and asked softly, “Did the Maharaja see the princess who is married over?”
He couldn’t sleep in the middle of the night and went out for a walk. He heard the servant mention that the princess sent by Yuncang had entered the palace today.
He recalled the little girl who was wearing a white single coat and half-kneeling on the bed with her inky hair like a waterfall. He stretched out two hands and showed the attendant: “She’s only this big.”
Attendant: “???”
Monarch Yuncang was so frantic??? He sent a baby princess in a swaddle???
As a result, on the second day, when the attendant sent a lot of brocade garments to the Changle Hall according to Ji Rang’s instructions, he saw the cute and soft little princess, and realized that he had been played by the Maharaja again.
Although compared with the tall and strong northern barbarians, the little princess did look very small, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
[1] I think the author is trying to say that it was spring.
