Ch 91 Extra 1
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On an autumn day in the third year of Xie Chaoling’s reign, Xie Chaoyuan accompanied him on a trip to Xirong.
They went in disguise, first arriving at King Xing’s Mansion in the northwest, where they drank Xie Chaohui’s son’s hundred-day wine. After that, Xie Chaoling continued to pose as one of Xie Chaoyuan’s attendants and left the pass with him.
At the beginning of the year, after a year-long preparation, Xie Chaoling finally succeeded in conferring the empress position to Xie Chaoyuan. The civil and military officials in the court received it with unusual calmness, as if they had known this day would come.
For Xie Chaoyuan, whether he had this title or not made little difference, as he still served as the commander of his forbidden army, just as before. As for Xirong, he still bore the title of Tekeli Khan, and Xie Chaoling wanted to use him to control Xirong. No matter what, he would not let go of this khan position.
There were also some who did not obey. During these two years when Xie Chaoyuan was away in Daliang, those who had joined later were inevitably restless and had ulterior motives. However, with his trusted confidants pressing down on them and the tangible benefits provided by the Daliang court, he was able to bestow both rewards and punishments, and no storm was stirred up.
Xie Chaoyuan was confident that if he could live another fifty years, he would be able to maintain peace on the northwest border of Daliang for fifty years.
But he could not stay away forever. In order to maintain his prestige and let people know that he was still the khan, Xie Chaoyuan’s plan was to return to Xirong every two or three years and stay for more than a month, dealing with the most difficult matters that required his presence.
There were not many affairs in the court on this autumn day, so Xie Chaoling accompanied him this time.
Unlike the last time they left the pass, Xie Chaoling felt a sense of ease as he rode his horse to face the rising sun, with the wind of the desert brushing his cheeks and a smile on his face.
Xie Chaoyuan glanced at him and suggested with a smile, “Let’s have a race.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he whipped his horse and galloped ahead, and Xie Chaoling followed suit.
They raced all the way, and the cavalry soon merged into the blue sky and green grass.
Xie Chaoyuan’s large tent was less than two hundred miles from the nearest pass, and they arrived at noon. His subordinates had received the news early and all came out to greet him.
These were all sturdy and tall Xirong men. Seeing them bowing and paying respect to Xie Chaoyuan one by one, Xie Chaoling finally realized that his little scoundrel had indeed accomplished great things here during those years.
After dismounting, Xie Chaoyuan casually introduced him to a few trusted subordinates, but did not mention Xie Chaoling’s identity. These Xirong men were not foolish, and seeing that Xie Chaoling, although dressed as a guard, had an extraordinary demeanor and was treated with particular intimacy by Xie Chaoyuan, they all took notice and couldn’t help but scrutinize him.
Xie Chaoling had already heard Xie Chaoyuan mention these people several times before, and had an understanding of their characters and conduct, but he didn’t show it.
Later, they went into the big tent and Xie Chaoyuan’s subordinates held a banquet to welcome him.
The milk wine, roasted cakes, and roasted meat on the banquet table were all things that Xie Chaoling had eaten in Xirong before. The taste was still good, and he ate with great pleasure.
Xie Chaoyuan, on the other hand, ate and listened to people talk about various matters in the tribe. These past few years, these people’s lives had become better and better. Although there were still occasional clashes with the people in Lidu, there had not been any major trouble. Xie Chaoyuan had already known about these things, so there was not much to say about them. Instead, it was his own affairs that aroused the curiosity of these people.
At the beginning of the year, news of him being conferred as an empress by the Emperor of Daliang had spread to Xirong. Although there had been some hints beforehand, and he had even publicly stated that the Emperor of Daliang was his husband, the news of his actual conferment still surprised these Xirong people. After talking about official matters, some people asked him bluntly while drinking, “Khan, did you really become the Empress of Daliang? Wait, what was the title given to you by the Emperor of Daliang?… Lord Empress?”
Xie Chaoyuan sat confidently on the main seat, feeling more at ease with his personality in Xirong, where there were fewer formalities than in Daliang. Hearing this, and seeing everyone staring at him, Xie Chaoyuan smiled, took a big sip of wine, and then said, “Of course it’s true. The Emperor of Daliang issued an edict. How could it be false?”
“Then, Khan, what about you and the Emperor of Daliang…?”
The gazes of the people in front of him had become somewhat strange. Xie Chaoyuan continued to smile and said, “Just as you all thought.”
“……?” What did they think? The Daliang Emperor was the husband, and their Khan was the Lord Empress, so did their brilliant and valiant Khan really submit himself to the Daliang Emperor?
Xie Chaoyuan smiled and didn’t explain any further. He cut off a large piece of roasted meat with layers of fat and meat, and handed it to Xie Chaoling, who was sitting next to him.
Xie Chaoling calmly accepted it, taking in the complex expressions of the people in the tent with a secret smile.
The welcoming banquet lasted until the hour of Shen, and after the guests had left, Xie Chaoling’s face was still flushed from all the food and wine. He turned to Xie Chaoyuan and asked, “They seemed to have misunderstood something earlier. Why didn’t you explain?”
“What’s there to explain?” Xie Chaoyuan shrugged. “If they misunderstood, then let them. Do I have to tell them about what happens between His Majesty and me? Besides, my reputation doesn’t matter, but His Majesty’s does.”
“The truth is the truth, what does it have to do with reputation?” Xie Chaoling disagreed.
Xie Chaoyuan didn’t want to argue about it anymore. He reached out and touched the slightly intoxicated face of Xie Chaoling. “Can even milk wine make you drunk?”
Xie Chaoling shook his head. “I’m not drunk. Let’s go, take me around and show me the sights.”
Xie Chaoyuan ordered some tea and honey water to help Xie Chaoling sober up, and after letting him rest for a while, he finally agreed to take him out.
Outside the tent, they kept running into people who came to greet Xie Chaoyuan. In Xirong, especially in the tribes that still retained their nomadic habits, the hierarchy was not so strict. When they heard that their Khan had returned, many people came specifically to greet Xie Chaoyuan, and even some elderly people enthusiastically invited him to their homes. Xie Chaoyuan went along with it all, taking Xie Chaoling to the horse stables in the end.
Xie Chaoyuan raised over a thousand horses in his own stable, all of them good horses. For the past few years, when he was in Xirong, he would send Xie Chaoling the ten best horses each year. After returning to Daliang, his subordinates would also send the horses he requested on time for the past two years. Xie Chaoling came here to see the horses he most wanted to see.
“Did you come all the way to Xirong with me just to see horses?” Xie Chaoyuan’s slightly dangerous voice was near his ear. Xie Chaoling’s eyes were shining, and he was already lost among the groups of excellent horses. He replied casually, “Being with you is one thing, seeing horses is another.”
After so many years, Xie Chaoling knew how to please Xie Chaoyuan, and could easily say the right things to make him happy.
Sure enough, Xie Chaoyuan laughed joyfully and no longer quibbled with him. “If you see any you like, just pick them out and I’ll give them to you.”
Xie Chaoling looked around, finally suppressing his excited emotions, and turned to Xie Chaoyuan to talk about business. “The Northwest Army wants to buy horses from you. Price isn’t a problem, but there’s one condition: the quality of the horses should not be worse than the worst horses in your stable, although they don’t have to be better than the best.”
The Daliang court had previously bought horses from Xirong people, but often paid the money only to receive the worst-quality horses, even worse than ordinary workhorses. They eventually stopped spending money in vain. It was only when Xie Chaoyuan pledged allegiance to Daliang that Xie Chaoling began to consider this idea again. Even though the border was peaceful now, there were still Xirong people further away who had ill intentions toward Daliang. It was better to be prepared.
Xie Chaoling had not talked to Xie Chaoyuan about this before because he didn’t know how many good horses Xie Chaoyuan had. He was afraid that Xie Chaoyuan would try to show off and he would make him look bad in front of his subordinates. Now that he had seen with his own eyes that Xie Chaoyuan had over a thousand good horses in his stable, he could confidently express his thoughts.
Xie Chaoyuan smiled and asked, “How long have you been thinking about this, brother?”
Xie Chaoling patted his chest and said, “It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been thinking about it. Will you agree to it or not?”
“I promise, these horses were originally for my brother’s care, not just the ones here, but also many more in other stables,” Xie Chaoyuan explained with a smile. “When I first came here, King Xing mentioned buying horses from me. At that time, I didn’t have many people or horses. It takes time for new horses to grow up, and now they are almost ready. I planned to offer these horses as tribute to Daliang when I came back this time.”
Xie Chaoling was very surprised, “All of them to the Daliang?”
“Yes.”
“Can your people agree to this?”
Xie Chaoyuan didn’t care, “I have already told them that these horses are for Daliang. Since they want to be the subjects of Daliang, they must show sincerity. The fact that the Daliang Emperor allowed them to raise horses for Daliang is their honor. They should be grateful.”
Xie Chaoling was speechless. Xie Chaoyuan could make anything sound reasonable with his mouth.
He cleared his throat and said, “It’s not easy to raise a good horse, let alone thousands of them. It takes a lot of effort and money. I am the Emperor of Daliang. I cannot take advantage of others. You can tell them that if they offer these horses as tribute, the Daliang court will give them even more rewards.”
“Okay, I will thank Your Majesty on their behalf,” Xie Chaoyuan whispered.
Even though they had been together for a long time, Xie Chaoyuan’s teasing and narrow-minded smile still made Xie Chaoling’s face hot. He turned his eyes away and picked a black horse with shiny fur. The horse was gentle and obedient, letting Xie Chaoling stroke its mane before he got on its back.
Xie Chaoling turned his head and raised his eyebrows at Xie Chaoyuan, who was still standing there watching him. “Let’s go. I saw a good view ahead. Accompany me to see it.”
Xie Chaoyuan reached out his hand, and Xie Chaoling did not understand what was going on, so he subconsciously grabbed it. Xie Chaoyuan immediately caught his hand, and with a little force, he also jumped onto the horse’s back.
“What are you doing?” Xie Chaoling exclaimed.
Xie Chaoyuan had already wrapped his hands around Xie Chaoling’s waist, holding the reins close to him, and whispered, “Hold on tight.”
The horse galloped forward, carrying them both towards the sunset on the horizon.
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