Chapter 583 - 282: The ’Zheng’ War Banner

Chapter 583: Chapter 282: The ’Zheng’ War Banner

In the city, countless legends were told about Prince Zheng, whose influence in the Daqian Dynasty was at its zenith.

This was the first time Zheng Xiu and the Princess had ever met.

Zheng Xiu calmly looked at the young woman.

He studied her face.

’Hatred? Disgust?’

For a moment, despite his calm expression, a strange thought surfaced in Zheng Xiu’s mind.

A faint sense of self-mockery rose in his heart. His father had been dead for twenty years now. In all that time, Zheng Xiu had never once entertained the notion of revenge.

Zheng Haoran had died on the battlefield. The only way to get revenge was through war, and that was not something a mere Merchant like him could have any say in.

To be blunt, the reason Zheng Xiu was handling this matter in such a childish way was partly to punish himself. He was the new Night Lord. He possessed considerable power. He had countless capable subordinates. He could even have gathered his forces, marched north, and charged into the lands of the Northern Barbarians. But the comfort of his current life made him subconsciously shrink from the idea of war between the two nations. He couldn’t bear to plunge the now peaceful and prosperous Daqian back into fiery turmoil for a reason as personal as revenge.

Second Lady had brought Zheng Xiu here, intending to demand an explanation. But in an instant, she sensed the strange atmosphere and subconsciously reached for her younger brother’s hand.

His palm was slick with sweat.

"Now that you’ve seen her, are you satisfied?"

A white plume of breath escaped Zheng Xiu’s lips, adding a trace of chill to the snowy night.

The young woman’s skin was a sickly pale, and her lips had turned purple from the cold, yet she showed no sign of pain. She did not rise. Instead, she lowered her head until it touched the snow, her dry throat issuing a slightly hoarse voice.

"Yue Linglong of the Moon Race pays her respects to the Daqian Red King."

Zheng Xiu remained silent.

"I, Yue Linglong, have failed to properly discipline my subordinates, and for that I have disturbed the Red King. I beg for the Red King’s forgiveness."

Zheng Xiu’s face was impassive, but his voice dripped with sarcasm. "Our Daqian laws don’t apply to you Barbarians."

’Zheng Xiu was actually quite surprised. The Barbarians who had caused a ruckus at the Fragrant Pavilion that day had been speaking their own tongue. But this young woman’s accent was indistinguishable from that of the Daqian people. If he hadn’t already known she was the daughter of the Wolf King and the Princess of the Northern Kingdom, no one would be able to tell if she was one of the Northern Barbarians or one of the Daqian People.’

’There are people among the Northern Barbarians who are familiar with Daqian culture?’

Zheng Xiu grew inwardly vigilant.

The word "Barbarians" was a derogatory term the Daqian People used for the Northern Barbarian Countries. For Zheng Xiu to say it to the face of the Princess of the Northern Kingdom was a blatant insult.

But the Princess of the Northern Kingdom acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing, which only strengthened Zheng Xiu’s conviction that she had come prepared.

"I, Yue Linglong, have traveled across the vast wilderness to Daqian in the name of peace." Yue Linglong’s head remained bowed, her voice growing ever softer and gentler, as if floating on the clouds, carrying an elusive tone. "I hope that Your Highness can let bygones be bygones..."

"You’ve seen me. Now get lost."

Zheng Xiu rudely cut her off. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned to leave.

THUD!

A dull thud sounded from behind him.

Second Lady cried out in alarm.

Zheng Xiu turned to see Yue Linglong collapsed in the snow, unconscious.

"..."

"She’s burning up!" Second Lady exclaimed after touching Yue Linglong’s forehead.

Zheng Xiu remained unmoved. He looked at Second Lady and retorted, "Do you have any idea who she is?"

From their conversation, Second Lady had vaguely guessed the woman’s identity.

She instantly understood the conflict and displeasure in Zheng Xiu’s heart.

After a moment’s hesitation, Second Lady said gently, "Xiu’er, the saying goes that every debt has its debtor. Even with her special status... in this bitter cold, I can’t bear to just leave her here."

"Do as you wish."

Zheng Xiu walked into the courtyard and whistled sharply. Soon, Zizi and several others emerged, wrapped in thick cloaks. They scrambled to carry Yue Linglong into a guest room.

"Watch her closely. Be careful."

Second Lady, with her kind heart, thought nothing more of it. Zheng Xiu, however, suspected this "fainting" episode was just a ploy to win sympathy. Unmoved, he instructed his subordinates to surround the guest room and keep a tight watch.

Back in his room, Feng Bei was sound asleep.

Seeing Feng Bei’s smooth shoulder exposed above the covers, Zheng Xiu tucked the blanket around her, any romantic thoughts long gone from his mind.

Zheng Xiu didn’t sleep a wink all night.

Early the next morning, Qing Shisan was in the courtyard, yawning as he swept the snow.

"She’s gone."

The moment he saw Zheng Xiu, Qing Shisan trotted over with his broom, grinning. "A sensible Little Princess, that one. Knew you didn’t want her around, Master. She left nice and quiet before dawn, didn’t even leave a message."

Zheng Xiu shot Qing Shisan an expressionless glance.

Qing Shisan immediately shut his mouth. His grin vanished, and he raised three fingers to the heavens. "I cannot live under the same sky as the Northern Barbarians!"

"Alright, you don’t have to put on an act for me." Zheng Xiu sat down under the eaves. Not far off, the little cat was lounging in its bed, lazily awaiting its breakfast of fried fish cakes. Zheng Xiu beckoned to it, but the Orange Cat just rolled its eyes at him. No fish cakes, no dice. It ignored him completely.

Qing Shisan fumbled for his pipe but didn’t light it, instead gazing up at the sky. A magnificent dawn was breaking on the horizon, a brilliant, fiery red.

"Twenty years... just like that."

There was a hidden meaning in Qing Shisan’s words.

"Qing Pi, what are your thoughts on this?"

Qing Shisan broke into a grin. Trying to read Zheng Xiu’s mind, he asked in a low voice, "Master, are you asking about General Zheng... or the marriage alliance?"

Zheng Xiu nodded but didn’t answer.

Qing Shisan understood. He smiled in response, a wistful look on his face. "Things aren’t what they used to be. I remember many years ago, the world was in chaos. In our line of work... to put it nicely, we were Ghostwriters, collecting bounties on the heads of wicked men. But let’s be honest, it was just a life of vengeance. When times are good, who chooses to be a villain? Weren’t they all just forced into it by the world? Today you kill my father, tomorrow I kill your whole family. A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even after ten years. Then a few years later, some relative you’ve never heard of pops up and chases you to the ends of the earth."