The Northern Frontier.
Upon reaching the border, the guards escorting Zhiyi's carriage were replaced.
The guards from the imperial capital were regrouped. Those accompanying her to the royal court for her protection included fifty elite soldiers selected by Xu Jin, and another fifty men under Xu Tingfeng's command, disguised as a merchant caravan for border trade.
The level of protection had been elevated by two tiers.
After a brief stay in the Northern Frontier, the wedding procession from the Northern Frontier respectfully invited Zhiyi to proceed to the royal court.
Strangely, the person sent to welcome the bride was the younger brother of King Jirgal, a youth of about ten years old. The new king himself did not come.
Zhiyi frowned. "Why has your king not come in person?"
The boy's expression was somewhat odd, but he knew that peace between the Northern Frontier and the Great Zhou needed to be maintained, so his tone remained respectful. "It is not out of disrespect. The King is currently having the Witch Grandmother perform an exorcism to dispel evil spirits."
Zhiyi: "?"
Dispel what?
The Royal Court.
Outside the King's tent.
A circle of bonfires burned. On a central platform, several oddly dressed old women and men danced around a man sitting cross-legged in the very center.
The man had dark circles under his eyes.
This was King Jirgal.
He was in his prime, in his twenties, full of vigor. Having seized power from his father and swallowed up the royal court, he was at the height of his success, and beautiful grassland maidens were especially plentiful around him.
But half a month ago, he began having nightmares every night.
The dreams were varied, yet extremely monotonous and utterly disgusting. First, a beautiful songstress would throw herself into his embrace, but just as he was about to act, a large spoon would suddenly appear, feeding him steaming hot cow dung.
Or the songstress would turn into an assassin, the woman transforming into a burly man, forcibly pinning him down.
Or an embroidered slipper would suddenly appear by his bedside. He would be in a vast, desolate courtyard, seemingly empty, yet he would inexplicably feel his heart racing.
These dreams interwove and jumbled together. The moment he closed his eyes, fragmented flashbacks filled his mind.
The people of the Northern Frontier believe in the Heavenly Gods.
Jirgal thought this was likely a warning from the Heavenly Gods that a devil had attached itself to him, so he summoned the Witch Grandmother to perform an exorcism.
The Witch Grandmother is a unique profession in the Northern Frontier. Regardless of gender, they are all called Witch Grandmothers, beings who can communicate with the Heavenly Gods.
Jirgal summoned all the famous Witch Grandmothers from the grasslands, determined that the exorcism must succeed.
Otherwise, given time, not to mention the subtle aversion he felt upon seeing a beautiful concubine, now associated with eating cow dung, his mental exhaustion would also cause his control over the new royal court to weaken.
The latter was something he would absolutely not allow to happen.
The exorcism ritual lasted from afternoon until night. The bonfires shivered under a biting, bone-chilling cold wind. Jirgal circulated his inner energy round after round, but still couldn't help sniffling.
Finally, the Witch Grandmothers concluded their lengthy communication with the Heavenly Gods.
"Your Majesty, it is done. Based on your description, we have communicated with the Heavenly Gods."
Jirgal stood up, crossing his hands over his chest. "I humbly listen to the words of the Heavenly Gods."
The Witch Grandmothers wore solemn expressions. "Your Majesty carries a foul aura. It clings tightly to you, refusing to let go."
Jirgal: "What should this king do?"
The Witch Grandmothers: "Stay away from all things of yin energy—water sources, the night, even women. Draw closer to things heavy with yang energy, such as fire, the sun, roasted meat, and the brave warriors of the grassland."
Jirgal frowned deeply. "Understood."
The Heavenly Gods seemed to be saying he should recruit more valiant grassland men and stay away from women.
This must be a warning bestowed upon him by the Heavenly Gods, recognizing his kingly authority to unify the Northern Frontier.
The Queen's private tent.
Zhiyi sat on the bed, her fingers tightly clutching a handkerchief.
The beaded phoenix crown pressed heavily on her head, giving her a headache, yet she had to muster her energy to deal with the King of the new royal court.
Inside the tent, besides the two personal maids who had followed her since childhood, there were also two agile women disguised as maids.
The countless scenarios she had rehearsed in her mind—verbal sparring, probing questions and sharp retorts—did not come to pass.
First, several Northern Frontier maids arrived from outside.
All wore veils. Most Northern Frontier girls have larger bone structures than Great Zhou girls, so the one at the end, who appeared even taller and larger, didn't stand out much.
They entered carrying trays. "We bring food for the Queen."
Zhiyi: "Just set it there."
The tallest maid stepped forward. Zhiyi's people stopped her.
The maid's voice sounded a bit strange, soft as she said, "The grace of a Great Zhou princess, if dressed in riding and archery attire shooting arrows on the grassland, would surely amaze everyone present."
Shooting arrows on the grassland.
Zhiyi instantly grasped the keyword. She looked up, carefully studying this maid... man?
She finally dredged up a face from her memory—Agumudo?!
But the features of the maid before her didn't resemble him at all!
Zhiyi cleared her throat. "You may all leave now. You stay. I am not yet familiar with how Northern Frontier cuisine differs from that of the Great Zhou. Please introduce it to me."
"Yes."
The maids retreated gracefully.
Zhiyi sent her own two personal maids outside to guard the door, then tentatively gave the code phrase: "Beaten twice?"
Agumudo removed his veil, winked at her, and lowered his voice with a smile. "I knew you'd remember me."
Cold sweat broke out on Zhiyi's palms. "You're here? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Before coming, she had received training as a princess for a marriage alliance. She needed to familiarize herself with the distribution of every tribe to establish herself quickly upon arrival.
Agumudo was the exiled heir of the old royal court. His presence here was nothing less than the greatest provocation to the new King.
And he was in the tent of the Queen, no less.
If discovered, she might not necessarily be in trouble, but Agumudo would certainly die.
But Agumudo's eyes fell upon the wolf tooth on her wrist—
The life debt he owed the Seventh Prince many years ago.
So the Seventh Prince had given her the wolf tooth.
For the moment, he didn't mention the wolf tooth. His smile faded as he lowered his voice to the softest whisper, quickly explaining the reason for his presence.
"The message I received was marked with a 'seven' below. Although it was Xu Jin who contacted us, this gamble, insane enough to risk the fate of our entire tribe, isn't Xu Jin's style."
Back in the day, during the archery on the grassland, the Seventh Prince of the Great Zhou had, without batting an eye, told him to shoot the strawberry atop his head. That gambler's spirit was identical to the tone of the message.
A little association made it clear the plan was his.
The Seventh Prince had won the bet.
Agumudo was indeed unwilling to accept the King's death, unwilling to be driven out like this.
Zhiyi took a deep breath. "What do I need to do?"
Agumudo: "I am a man of the Northern Frontier. I cannot completely side with the Great Zhou. I only wish for the old royal court to be restored and to reduce warfare. You gather intelligence within the royal court, I will operate outside. We coordinate from within and without."
How much of this was sincere, how much was for power, Zhiyi did not know.
But for now, Agumudo counted as her temporary ally.
Zhiyi: "I will familiarize myself with things as quickly as possible."
Agumudo nodded, wasting no words. He handed her a small bottle of medicinal liquid. "Sinew Grass, unique to the Northern Frontier grasslands. It blooms with small flowers in winter. Outsiders don't know that if touched during the first harvest, it causes red rashes on the skin. They don't hurt or itch, but are quite unsightly and can last for over a month."
"If you wish to avoid contact with Jirgal, use this."
Zhiyi: "What does Jirgal look like?"
Agumudo hesitated. "He should be... fairly acceptable."
Zhi Yi had gotten used to getting along with Qu Dubian and had developed a bit of a preference for good-looking people. Sometimes, her thoughts took rather strange turns.
She didn't notice at all the subtle care and affection that Agumudo had for her. After thinking for a while, she said, "Well, when I try to get close to Jirgal to gather information in the future, it won't be a loss."
Moreover, when having confrontations, she wouldn't have to look at an ugly face.
Zhi Yi said sincerely, "I'll use this as I see fit. Thank you."
Agumudo was silent for a while, put on his veil again, and left the king's tent.
Zhi Yi waited for another quarter of an hour. Since Jirgal didn't come, she started eating. After finishing her meal, she waited until midnight. Then, a voice sounded outside the king's tent, "Your Majesty."
Jirgal had arrived.
Zhi Yi sat upright on the stool. After a moment, she frowned slightly.
Why wasn't anyone speaking?
"King Kulu?"
Jirgal stood at the door, looking at the red embroidered shoes on Zhi Yi's feet.
He: "..."
Zhi Yi lifted the tassels of the phoenix crown and sized up Jirgal.
Not bad.
She said seriously, "You and I represent two countries—"
Jirgal turned around and left, his tone cold and firm, "Take good care of the queen. We'll talk about the rest when the opportunity arises. Your princesses from the Great Zhou are very scheming. Don't have any bad ideas and stay in the royal court honestly. When the time comes..."
He didn't finish the rest of the sentence, but Zhi Yi knew exactly what he meant.
In the future, if there was a war, at best, she would be a hostage; at worst, she would die.
The queen's tent fell silent.
Zhi Yi frowned, thinking that this was probably Jirgal's way of showing his contempt for the princess of the Great Zhou.
She removed her makeup and walked out of the tent.
The moon on the grassland seemed much brighter than that in the Great Zhou.
On the first day she came here, she began to miss home.
In the Great Zhou, in the capital city.
After Qu Dubian returned, he started to establish his own network of connections with the northern border. He borrowed his uncle's people and entrusted Liu Liu to handle it.
Yi Shier was from the secret guards, originally belonging to the Yi-character Guard. He was good at gathering intelligence, and this task was like a fish in water for him.
Moreover, the poison of the Three-day Drunk had been cured, so Yi Shier didn't have to worry about suddenly having a relapse of the poison when handling errands outside.
The secret network was just being established. Even with the help of Xu Tingfeng, Qu Dubian still had to go out often. After all, he had to hold the absolute control of the secret network in his own hands. Others could only help; no one was an exception.
Yi Shier was promoted from a personal bodyguard to the leader of the secret network—
Even though it was still a crude makeshift organization at present.
After Marquis Changping, Xia Hong, completed his mission, he returned to the capital to recuperate. His poison had been controlled with the antidote pill, but his internal organs were still damaged. When he fell off the horse, his left leg was not only injured in the bone but also in the meridians. Even if he recovered, he would limp in the future.
It had been several months, and he still couldn't get out of bed.
Qu Dubian went to visit Xia Hong. Fortunately, he didn't seem dejected. He was just worried about Xia Fuyang in the northern border.
In the early summer of the second year.
When Qu Dubian turned fifteen, he received the first piece of news from his secret agent.
In the Crown Prince's Residence.
Qu Dubian looked at the small note in his hand. The horizontal lines and dots on it were the exclusive code of this secret agent.
"The news is from Xie Lishan."
This guy actually survived and was doing quite well among the slaves. He could take care of fifty sheep.
Ye Xiaoyuan asked, "How is it?"
Qu Dubian replied, "Things are going smoothly for my sister. Agumudo was besieged by the war faction and almost died, but after escaping, the name of the Second Royal Court was established, which is enough to give Jirgal a headache."
He burned the small note and once again skillfully arranged tonight's nightmare for Jirgal: [The Rebirth of the Old Royal Court]
"Banban, did the materials prepared by the Ministry of Works arrive last time?"
Ye Xiaoyuan replied, "Yes, they are in the backyard."
There was a desk in the backyard, along with a pile of copper, iron, and wooden blocks.
The desk was full of messy drawings.
Qu Dubian rolled up his sleeves, picked up a wooden ruler, drew the last straight line on the drawing, and then weighed the wheels sent by the Ministry of Works.
Ye Xiaoyuan asked curiously, "Your Highness, what are you tinkering with?"
Qu Dubian replied, "A component called an eccentric wheel. You'll know when it's assembled."
He put two eccentric wheels together and observed them carefully.
There was still a year before he could establish his mansion and go to court. Whether he could get the official position he wanted, what he had in his hand was very important.
The capital city had been peaceful for a year.
The turmoil in the northern border had subsided a bit, and all the schemes were hidden under the temporary peace.
As the seventh prince was approaching his sixteenth birthday, the undercurrents beneath the calm became more and more turbulent.
It wasn't that people didn't want to attend the seventh prince's mansion-establishing banquet; they were secretly speculating about the emperor's intentions.
Since the seventh prince had a falling-out with the emperor over the matter of Princess Zhi Yi's marriage alliance when he was fourteen, he had never participated in any banquets held in the palace.
This included the New Year's Eve banquet and the emperor's birthday banquet.
This rift was almost out in the open.
Not only the court officials, the other princes, but also the scholars who intended to join the seventh prince's mansion were all waiting to see Emperor Chongzhao's attitude.