Chapter 450 - 377: Wife? Ah, Wife...
Chapter 450: Chapter 377: Wife? Ah, Wife...
「Three days after the grand army of the Jin Kingdom arrived at the Luzhou State Capital.」
Qin Jingyuan gathered the 150,000-strong army from his two fiefdoms and set out with the Jin Kingdom.
The Jin Kingdom advanced under the banner: "The Sovereign of Qin is corrupt, the Eldest Prince is inept, and the Second Prince shall rightfully restore the state."
In reality, everyone knew this was all bullshit, just bullshit dressed up in high-sounding language.
Corrupt and decadent?
The Eldest Prince inept?
It was all just vicious ambition, all for the Second Prince to seize the supreme throne of the Qin Kingdom!
The grand army passed Luzhou and arrived at Jinzhou.
Jinzhou was also part of Qin Jingyuan’s fiefdom, and most of its generals had been replaced by him.
The current City Lords were either mediocre nobodies or trusted cronies the Second Prince had been cultivating for some time.
These generals saw the massive army at their city walls. When the Second Prince called for their surrender, they capitulated at once with barely a moment’s hesitation.
Of course.
The Qin Kingdom was a martial nation. Moreover, with its national power growing by the day, most of its people felt a sense of pride in their kingdom.
Thus, some wastrels who normally did nothing but frequent brothels and live off their family’s laurels surprisingly stood firm when faced with this great matter of principle, even shouting curses at the Jin Kingdom and Qin Jingyuan from atop the city walls.
This came as a complete surprise to Qin Jingyuan.
But so what?
The defending generals were undermanned, and the city was soon breached.
These generals either died or fled.
Because the conquest had been far too smooth, all of Jinzhou quickly fell, and the Jin Kingdom’s army was growing arrogant.
Some generals even felt that it wouldn’t make much of a difference whether the Second Prince was there or not.
It would just take a bit more effort to conquer the Qin Kingdom on their own, but they could still rely on their own strength to take it down.
The so-called tiger-and-wolf army of the Qin Kingdom seemed to be nothing special after all.
The result was that within the army, more and more generals stopped taking Qin Jingyuan seriously, feeling he was superfluous.
It went so far that at a victory banquet one day, someone jeered, demanding that Qin Jingyuan perform a sword dance for their entertainment.
Asking a man to perform a sword dance for entertainment, even as a joke, was enough to make one draw their sword in anger.
But Qin Jingyuan simply laughed it off, saying he didn’t know how to do a sword dance.
Seeing Qin Jingyuan’s reaction, the man decided he was a true piece of trash and so began to jeer even more brazenly.
But just then, Ji Yue, who was seated beside Qin Jingyuan, rose to her feet. She curtsied to the assembled generals. "I am not particularly skilled," she said, "but since you are all in high spirits and wish to see a sword dance, then I shall perform one to liven things up."
With that, Ji Yue drew her husband’s personal sword and began to dance gracefully within the tent.
Although Ji Yue’s innate talent was only average—she was merely a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Realm—she had, at the very least, specialized in Sword Techniques. Moreover, she had studied the four arts and the dances of Jin since childhood.
As a result, her sword dance was a mesmerizing sight, a perfect fusion of strength and grace.
But as Ji Yue’s dance concluded, she brought the sword down in a vicious slash.
The Vice General who had suggested Qin Jingyuan dance jumped in fright and dodged aside. The teacup on his table was shattered by Ji Yue’s strike, splashing its contents all over him!
The generals were shocked, but not one of them dared to say a word.
After all, no matter what, Ji Yue was the Eldest Princess of the Jin Kingdom, the face of the Jin Royal Family, and even more so, the apple of the Jin Sovereign’s eye.
The Sovereign of Jin had made an incredibly difficult decision in marrying the Eldest Princess to the Second Prince of Qin, even arguing with the Empress about it for a long time.
To this day, the Sovereign of Jin still felt guilty and wanted to make it up to his daughter after everything was over.
So they didn’t dare to treat this Princess lightly.
"So, how was my sword dance?"
Ji Yue said coldly.
"Excellent... It was excellent, of course..." the Vice General, Gai Jing, said hastily, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
He had no doubt that the Princess’s sword strike was truly meant to kill him.
"Ji Yue, that’s enough," Qin Jingyuan said, rising to his feet. He bowed to the assembled generals. "My wife was just having a bit of fun and got carried away. I hope you will forgive her, Generals."
"Hahahaha... Nonsense, Prince Jing," Yan Liuyun said with a laugh. "To witness Her Highness the Princess perform a sword dance is a rare lifetime honor. How could we possibly call it foolishness?"
"Marquis Hu is most magnanimous!" Qin Jingyuan bowed to Yan Liuyun again.
"Come! Let’s keep drinking. Princess, please, take your seat as well," Yan Liuyun said with a smile.
Ji Yue gave everyone a cold glance before finally returning to her husband’s side and sitting down.
Ji Yue was now as docile as a rabbit, a stark contrast to her fierce demeanor during the sword dance.
After the banquet, Qin Jingyuan used the excuse of being unable to hold his liquor to leave the tent with Ji Yue.
After Qin Jingyuan left, the Vice General, Gai Jing, slammed his wine pot heavily on the ground and said angrily, "That freeloader! If it weren’t for the Princess, he wouldn’t even be fit to shine my shoes!"
Yan Liuyun listened to the Vice General’s angry outburst but said nothing, merely continuing to drink in silence.
...
Back in their tent, Ji Yue moved to take off Qin Jingyuan’s shoes and help him prepare for bed.
But Qin Jingyuan avoided her, took off his own shoes, and lay down on the bed.
Ji Yue glanced at her husband, said nothing, and after a small bow, went to sleep on another bed not far away.
Ever since their marriage, although Ji Yue and Qin Jingyuan shared a room, they had never once shared a bed.
Just as Ji Yue lay down on her cot, Qin Jingyuan’s voice came from nearby. "Do you think I’m useless?"
Ji Yue sat up and looked at her husband.
Qin Jingyuan was staring at the ceiling as he continued, "I was once so celebrated in the Imperial City. But now, for the sake of the throne, I have to beg the Jin Kingdom for help and swallow my pride when I’m mocked. All because I chose this path of rebellion, and now there is no turning back."
"..." After a moment of silence, Ji Yue raised her head and said earnestly, "I... I have never thought that."
"Heheh, is that so?" Qin Jingyuan gave a soft laugh and didn’t press the matter. He only said slowly, "Don’t stand up for me in the future. There’s no need. Your authority as a Princess diminishes each time you use it."
"But... but I am your wife..." Ji Yue clutched the blanket tightly.
"I’ve said what I needed to say. We may be husband and wife in name, but not in truth. Just think of yourself. You don’t need to concern yourself with me," Qin Jingyuan replied.
"But I..."
"Go to sleep."
Ji Yue wanted to say more, but Qin Jingyuan cut her off and turned his back to her.
"Yes..." Ji Yue nodded and said softly.
Lying on his side, Qin Jingyuan faced the window, gazing out at the boundless night.
The image of Ji Yue slashing her sword at Gai Jing, and the words she had just spoken, echoed in his mind.
Involuntarily, the corners of Qin Jingyuan’s mouth quietly curled up.
But the man’s smile also seemed to hold a hint of self-mockery.
’A wife, huh...’
’My wife...’