A sky full of yellow sand.
Qiao Xi had been "abducted" to the northern frontier for two days now.
Bixiang lowered her voice and said, "Losing the imperial tax grain is a capital offense, but as long as you kill Su Heting, you can atone for your crime with merit."
Qiao Xi sneered inwardly.
Why should she atone?
Dayou suffered drought in many regions, the people barely scraping by, yet the Emperor still wanted to build his damned tomb—this was her small retaliation against him.
But it was far from enough.
"His Majesty flew into a great rage. This time you cannot disappoint him again." Bixiang continued to intimidate.
But Qiao Xi knew clearly that after the Emperor's anger subsided, he would calm down and have her stay in the northern frontier, waiting for an opportunity to assassinate Su Heting.
That way, she could justifiably distance herself from the Emperor's sight without arousing suspicion.
Everything was progressing well according to her plan.
The only unexpected development was that Su Heting, for some inexplicable reason, insisted on marrying her.
The wedding dress had already been delivered, yet since that time, he had avoided meeting her, only sending subordinates to discuss the details of their cooperation.
The performance was mostly done; Qiao Xi could only keep singing along for now and make plans later.
"Lest the traitor Su be on his guard, do not reveal your martial arts before you strike."
Qiao Xi was skilled, but Su Heting was no ordinary man—Bixiang added another warning.
Thinking of Su Heting, she felt angry at Qiao Xi again.
The Emperor trusted Qiao Xi so much, entrusting her with the important task of escorting grain, yet she failed to notice anything unusual about that small inn, causing them all to be drugged unconscious by the northern frontier army.
The grain was plundered without a single grain left, and they, mistress and servant, were also abducted to the northern frontier.
Fortunately, His Majesty had foresight and used medicine to conceal Qiao Xi's internal energy, making Su Heting mistake them both for weak women, so their guard was not too strict, which gave her the opportunity to contact the Emperor.
The Emperor's thunderous wrath need not be mentioned; fortunately, Qiao Xi's face had caught Su Heting's eye.
Su Heting's achievements overshadowed his sovereign; the Emperor had long wanted to kill him, but this man was extremely difficult to kill.
Now, Qiao Xi had stumbled into the northern frontier by accident, and only then did the Emperor give her a chance to make amends. "Do not disappoint His Majesty again."
Deliberately relaxing vigilance and allowing Bixiang to contact the Emperor was all agreed upon between Qiao Xi and Su Heting.
Aside from insisting on marrying her, Su Heting cooperated very well, leaving Bixiang without a shred of suspicion.
Everything Bixiang said was instructed by the Emperor, but how could Qiao Xi still comply with the Emperor's wishes?
On the surface, she remained loyal: "His Majesty's kindness to me is as weighty as a mountain. Losing the grain fills me with endless guilt.
This time I will not only kill Su Heting, but also deliver his troops into His Majesty's hands.
As long as I can share His Majesty's burdens, I am willing to pay any price, including my life."
She painted an even bigger pie, waiting for Bixiang to relay these words to the Emperor.
Bixiang, unaware of Qiao Xi's true thoughts, was quite pleased upon hearing this.
The Emperor had a blood feud with Qiao Xi, yet Qiao Xi was willing to be the Emperor's beast of burden—aside from her memories being altered, Bixiang deserved much of the credit for this.
That evening, after sending the letter to the Emperor, she once again urged, "Tomorrow is the grand wedding—a perfect opportunity to strike. You must seize it."
Qiao Xi nodded, lowering her eyes to conceal the malice within.
She would not relieve the Emperor's worries.
On the contrary, she would overturn his dragon throne and use his blood to honor the souls of her deceased kin.
Only, whether to continue cooperating with Su Heting—she needed to think it over again.
Suddenly, a cold dagger pressed against Qiao Xi's neck, and a sharp female voice rang out.
"An old woman of twenty, still unmarried, not looking for a husband in the capital, but coming here to seduce the man I, Ji Yao, have set my eyes on—you're truly courting death."
Ji Yao was strikingly beautiful, her gold-threaded cinched-waist gown revealing her graceful figure.
But she was even more jealous of Qiao Xi's ethereal beauty and the perfect curves beneath her plain white dress.
Qiao Xi turned her head, her eyes calm, showing no interest in Su Heting's romantic attentions.
Ji Yao took her composure as a pretense and sneered, "Aside from seductive tricks, what can you do for him?
There's a drought now. The Northern Frontier lacks grain and water. He can't just go raiding every time.
My father is the Jiedushi of Jiangnan, governing five prefectures. My maternal grandfather's family is the wealthiest under heaven. Only I can solve his predicament."
Upon learning Ji Yao's identity, Qiao Xi's eyes flickered slightly, and she said provocatively, "So what?"
Ji Yao's heart hardened, and she slashed her dagger toward Qiao Xi's throat. "Then go die."
She had admired Su Heting for a long time, and her father intended for her to marry him, but Qiao Xi had beaten her to it. How could she accept that?
Ji Yao did not see Qiao Xi's blood spray. Instead, a sharp pain shot through her wrist. The dagger she had been holding was now in Qiao Xi's hand, pressed back against her own heart.
Bixiang, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, saw Qiao Xi reveal her skills. Her face immediately darkened, and she shot Qiao Xi a warning look.
Qiao Xi stared at Ji Yao, her dark eyes deep and luminous, like a bottomless abyss.
For a moment, Ji Yao felt an eerie fear, a chill involuntarily rising from the base of her spine.
But she quickly steadied herself. "So what if you've taken the knife? Even Su Heting has to be polite to me. Would you dare harm me…?"
A scream rang out.
The dagger plunged into Ji Yao's shoulder.
Ji Yao could not believe it. "You actually dared to hurt me! Don't you believe that without my father lifting a finger, Su Heting will take your life…?"
Qiao Xi's unhurried voice cut her off. "If there's a next time, the dagger will gouge out your heart."
The killing intent in her eyes stunned Ji Yao.
So much so that she dared not move again, only letting out earth-shattering screams to attract help.
It was somewhat comical.
Qiao Xi ignored Bixiang's warning glare, drew out the dagger, and unhurriedly wiped away the blood droplets that had splattered onto her hand.
The Ji family appeared to be carving out their own territory and building up their own army, but in truth they were the Emperor's people.
In her previous life, it was the Ji family who worked with her from within and without, devouring the other fanzhen powers.
Today, with Ji Yao appearing here, Qiao Xi knew that the Emperor had intended to use a marriage alliance between Ji Yao and Su Heting to eliminate Su Heting.
She would not let the Emperor have his way.
"Brother Su, save me!"
The person Ji Yao had been waiting for finally arrived. She staggered toward Su Heting.
Qiao Xi also looked toward the tall, slender figure striding over.
She had chosen to cooperate with Su Heting not only because they shared a common enemy, but also because Su Heting had the common people in his heart.
Qiao Xi wanted revenge, but she did not want to plunge the people into misery.
But if the Northern Frontier fell into the Ji family's hands, the people would certainly not have good days.
"Brother Su, I only wanted to see what your future wife looks like. Who knew she would be so vicious as to try to kill me…"
Ji Yao seemed about to faint from pain as she fell toward Su Heting's embrace.
Su Heting shifted aside, and Ji Yao landed in the arms of a guard.
Ji Yao was completely unaware of this. Teary-eyed and about to continue her accusations, she heard Su Heting ask, "Do you have an explanation?"
Clearly, this was not directed at Ji Yao.
Qiao Xi's lips curved slightly. "Are you afraid?
She said you need to rely on the Ji family. I, Qiao Xi, will not marry a coward."
Harming Ji Yao was meant to force Su Heting to show himself. They needed to talk.
It was also a test of Su Heting's attitude toward the Ji family, to see whether he had the resolve to oppose and even annex them.
She needed a strong partner. If he was someone the Ji family could manipulate at will, she would have to choose someone else.
Su Heting watched Qiao Xi with keen interest for a while, then pulled her into his arms, took the dagger from her, and chuckled softly, "What a coincidence—this prince also dislikes being a coward."
He ordered his guards, "Take Miss Ji to see a doctor, and send word to General Ji. His daughter attempted to murder this prince's consort. The consort was frightened, and I hope he can give this prince an explanation.
Also send word to her maternal grandfather's family. Perhaps they'd be willing to trade grain with this prince for her. Until then, Miss Ji will remain as a guest in Jiangbei."
"Su-ge, are you insane?"
Ji Yao couldn't believe Su Heting dared to take her hostage.
"You'll regret this."
Su Heting ignored her.
"You're already despised by the imperial court. Now offending my Ji family as well, you'll be beyond redemption…"
Ji Yao cursed furiously, but was quickly knocked unconscious by a guard.
Su Heting's actions also left Qiao Xi momentarily stunned.
The coldness against her chin brought her back to her senses.
The dagger pressed against her delicate jaw, Su Heting's smile faded, a storm brewing in his eyes, "Don't let me hear the word 'won't marry' again. Whether you marry or not is not up to you."
He had altered the contract without authorization, and Qiao Xi hadn't even settled scores with him yet, and here he was acting tough first. Qiao Xi wasn't going to indulge him.
"But I can decide whether you take a wife standing up, or a ghost marriage lying down."
Qiao Xi showed no trace of fear, tilting her head up, her eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty light.
With a faint sound, a small blade sprang from the bracelet on her wrist, and she pressed it against his artery as well, "Why do you want to marry me?"