Happy Lunar New Year!

  Hope the year of the ox will bring new fortune and surprises to everyone :)

  Apologies for the delay - been spending some time with family during the New Year! The next 2 chapter parts (4 total) will be released in two weeks interval . The chapter parts after that will be released in a weekly manner .

  (1) Qimen Dunjia - divination for military tactics and strategies originating from the Warring States period

  (2) Chu Yun - “out from the clouds”


  When everyone else left, only Li Yuan Heng and Princess He Chang remained in the room . At this time, He Chang was no longer innocent, lively and quick-witted like before . She lifted herself up and personally poured a cup of tea, which she presented to Li Yuan Heng: “Fourth Brother, this Anping Xianzhu isn’t a simple person . You want to use her through marriage, but I’m afraid it won’t be that easy . ”


  Li Yuan Heng slightly smiled . A woman like Li Wei Yang, who had deep, intricate thoughts and was cunning and deceptive, hates people who use their clever mouths to deceive her the most and likes people who act openly and generously the most . You can tell just by looking at her friends . She chose quick-witted girls who didn’t have a calculating nature like Sun Yan Jun . They clearly could not help her much, but she still kept them by her side . This goes to show her utmost cautious nature, not readily trusting others and allowing them to intentionally approach her . If you want to convince her, you must make her feel like you have opened your heart and are speaking with sincerity . If she suspects a single word, it will be nearly impossible to get any closer .

  Since Li Wei Yang suspected that he was instigated by Jiang Hua, he immediately made it clear to her and made it seem like Jiang Hua had taken advantage of him, so that the other party no longer doubted his intentions .

  “Actually, if you really wanted a marriage alliance, the Ninth Princess is the most suitable person, so that you will have greater support when you want to realize your ambitions . ” He Chang continued to observe Li Yuan Heng’s expressions and contemplated aloud .

  Li Yuan Heng scoffed: “What would you know? A concubine-born daughter with nothing in her hands who could get where she is today has far greater value than the Ninth Princess! You haven’t heard of her role, so you wouldn’t understand . As far as I know, the reason Tuoba Zhen was suppressed everywhere, losing the forces and influence he accumulated over the years, is all thanks to her . Only such a woman will be most helpful to my ambitions . Furthermore, I’ve reached an agreement with Jiang Hua, so I won’t simply change to another candidate . No matter how difficult she is, I will succeed!”


  Li Wei Yang won’t be easy to deal with, but it wasn’t as if Li Yuan Heng hadn’t thought of this . After the marriage proposal was rejected in the main hall, he had thought of going back on his promise to Jiang Hua and pick someone else, but every time he thought of Li Wei Yang’s cold, gleaming eyes, his heart would feel boiling hot, and he wouldn’t be able to calm down for a while . In the end, she wasn’t a simple woman that would feel a thing if he came with beauty products or money .

  “But I don’t think that Jiang Hua is a good person—he’s just borrowing our hands to remove a thorn in his eyes . Look at how he has been provoked by Li Wei Yang, it’s enough to know that this woman is a calamity . ” He Chang still didn’t drop the matter . Her charming appearance harbored a trace of confusion, which seemed to be that of jealousy as if she was unwilling, still hard to tell .

  Li Yuan Heng took a sip of tea, and the smile on his face turned even colder . He said: “Jiang Hua and I came together based on our own interests . If he actually joins hands with me, then it will be fine . If not, I also have ways to deal with him . ”


  Princess He Chang knew that Li Yuan Heng had worked painstakingly for many years and even planted countless spies in all parts of Da Li . How could a corner of the world like Mo Bei satisfy his ambitions, the world is what he truly wants to get his hands on . That is why he wanted Li Wei Yang, who didn’t seem to stand out but was actually a strategist behind Tuoba Yu . Based on her instincts, Li Wei Yang might have been very intimate with Li Yuan Heng earlier as if she was genuinely touched, but there was not the slightest hint of affection in her eyes .

  He Chang is also a woman . She naturally knows how a woman looks when she has good feelings towards a man who admires her, but earlier, she didn’t find the slightest emotion in Li Wei Yang’s eyes, not a single bit . On one hand, Li Yuan Heng wanted to marry Li Wei Yang because Jiang Hua’s larger than life descriptions of Li Wei Yang, and on the other hand, it was because of his male ego and desire to conquer . There are probably few women in the world that he could not conquer . He made up his mind to win her over, but in reality, he didn’t think of Li Wei Yang as a real opponent . However, He Chang felt that the way Li Wei Yang handled the situation today, especially when she was powerless, proved that she wasn’t someone who could be easily dealt with . How could she be taken advantage of so easily? She feared that anyone who approached her will lose everything they have and their lives .

  However, she didn’t dare to say these words to Li Yuan Heng because Li Yuan Heng had had very smooth developments in Mo Bei in recent years as easy as cutting bamboo . Even the Eldest Mo Bei Prince could not be his opponent, so he had lost some of his usual caution and meticulousness, perhaps even misjudging Li Wei Yang, which could be very dangerous .

  He Chang was deep in thought and subconsciously frowned . Li Yuan Heng suddenly wrapped an arm around her and pulled her onto his lap and teased: “Could it be that you’re in love with that Li family kid and worrying that I’ll kill him? How about I marry you over to sway him, what do you think?”


  He Chang panicked inside and knew that he was testing her . She quickly put a sulking smile onto her face, her jade-like fingers gently poking his forehead as she said: “Fourth Brother is really mean, you’re obviously the only one in my heart, yet you say these words—it’s making me really uncomfortable . ”


  If outsiders saw this kind of thing, they would be definitely startled . There are many filthy things in the imperial family . As for the supposed noble Princess He Chang of Mo Bei, her mother was only the newlywed wife of a weak tribal leader that caught his eye when the Mo Bei Emperor went out to patrol . He forcibly brought her back to the palace and less than ten months later, her mother gave birth to her . She was not the daughter of the Mo Bei imperial family, but she grew up in the palace . Every day, she could only hug her mother as they both trembled in fear . The Mo Bei Emperor was particularly addicted to alcohol, and every time, once he finished drinking, he would take out his whip to indiscriminately vent . She and her mother were whipped many times for no particular reason . On most days, he appeared to be a generous and benevolent Emperor, but once he drank, he was no longer human .

  Eventually, one day, her mother was beaten as she kept writhing on the ground, moaning in pain but not daring to beg for mercy . This was the last time she saw her Empress Mother . Afterwards, that weak woman committed suicide and died, leaving her to live alone in the cold Mo Bei imperial family . In order to protect herself, she gave herself to the Eldest Prince, Second Prince and Sixth Prince . Whenever she met a man who could help her, she would use them in every way that she could and pay the price with her body every time . The generals and princes are tightly secured in her hands . In the end, the person she chose was the Fourth Prince, Li Yuan Heng, because so far he is the man most likely to take the throne, and she needed this man .

  Because she wanted to live, she still wanted to live no matter how difficult life was . She even wanted to climb up, step by step, until she reached the highest point, so that no one would ever humiliate her again!

  Because of the experiences she lived through, the moment she met Li Wei Yang, she suddenly realized that the other party was someone like her . While she used shamelessness, vanity and frivolousness to conceal herself, the other woman used indifference and coldness to protect herself, but deep down in their bones, they are one and the same . Their hearts were full of hatred and beyond the point of redemption . Once this kind of person has the opportunity to change their life, they will put their life on the line to tear open the enemy’s chest until he bleeds out to the last drop of blood .

  They were all women with blood on their hands, so she had already seen through Li Wei Yang on the first glance . When she raised her head, she seemed to be able to see through the depths of that person’s soul, but she didn’t know if Li Wei Yang could see through layers of her self-defense mechanisms .

  If Li Wei Yang felt the same way she did, then Li Yuan Heng’s actions earlier were nothing but a charade in her eyes . She could even guarantee that Li Wei Yang would make all those people who poked fun of her and dared to fantasize about her pay a heavy price! Just like herself!

  Li Yuan Heng was observing He Chang . He keenly noticed her absent-mindedness and reached out to hold her pale as snow wrist . Li Wei Yang’s hand as she poured tea involuntarily appeared in his mind, all ten fingers looked slender, delicate and fair, softly stirring one’s heart . He really wanted to know how that hand managed to secretly push forward each and every scheme, and how it could force the highly clever Jiang Hua to end up in his current situation . He subconsciously took He Chang’s fingers in the palm of his hand and repeatedly played with them . He felt that it was quite fun, and the taste is better than anyone he had ever tasted before .

  Li Yuan Heng was looking at He Chang but thinking of Li Wei Yang . The more he thought about it, the more unbearable it became .

  He Chang understood that his temperament was that of someone with a passion for hunting prey, yet she intentionally let her soft body gently press into his arms . Li Yuan Heng smiled a little and fiercely embraced her behind, going over to the divan nearby . . .

  —


  Li Wei Yang didn’t tell Li Min De why she agreed to meet until they went out the next day . Li Min De surprisingly also refrained from asking .

  It was just that it involved horseback archery this time . It was not convenient to bring Bai Zhi and Mo Zhi, so Li Wei Yang only brought Zhao Yue along . Li Min De only ordered Zhao Nan to follow them, which made Li Wei Yang turn back and curiously look at him .

  Li Min De looked at her and explained: “I can’t bring as many people along this time . I always have the feeling that he is someone who will be hard to deal with . It will be very troublesome if he finds out that I’m from Yue Xi . ”


  Li Min De had exposed his shadow guards in front of others before, but few people in Da Li had a deep understanding of Yue Xi’s affairs, including Tuoba Zhen . He only suspected that the Li family had their own hidden forces, but Li Min De was especially careful this time, so the situation must not be ordinary .

  “Have you sent someone to look into Li Yuan Heng?” Li Wei Yang considered this possibility .

  Li Min De nodded and said: “Aside from the Eldest Prince who has the highest noble status and born to the Empress, Mo Bei has four other powerful contenders for the throne, including Second Prince Li Yuan Lin . His mother is a Da Li native . He himself is proficient in the art of Qimen Dunjia (1), someone who could secure the country and the martial arts abilities to keep the peace . He was highly regarded by the Mo Bei Emperor, but strangely, two years ago, when he went to patrol the Mo Bei border, he was attacked by stray bandits and died from a poisoned arrow . The Third Prince Li Yuan Xiao had 80,000 soldiers at the age of seventeen and guarded southern Mo Bei, a capable and powerful general indeed . However, he accidentally fell from his horse while he was chasing after bandits and died within three days after he was carried back to his territory . The Sixth Prince Li Yuan Jing had supernatural strength bestowed by the gods, capable of striking down thousands of weights . He was even knowledgeable and strategic . His grandfather was from a family recognized as the most meritorious subjects in Mo Bei . He was originally a strong contender for the throne—”


  “But he also died?” Li Wei Yang guessed what he was going to say next .

  Li Min De nodded and said: “Yes . The cause of his death is very strange . It’s said that he fancied a lieutenant’s beautiful concubine and was later killed by that beautiful concubine . Isn’t it strange how a defenseless woman could strangle a person born with supernatural strength?”


  However, Li Wei Yang smiled and said: “If the Second Prince is really as powerful as you said, how could he be easily killed by bandits? Were the royal guards that accompanied him to protect him all big, dull bodies? Besides, that Third Prince is a strong general that knows how to ride horses . How could he even fall off his horse while guarding the border? Isn’t it ironic to say that the fish drowned in water? There is also the Sixth Prince, who died in a more bizarre manner . ”


  Li Min De smiled and said: “That’s right . According to my investigation, all these things have something to do with the Fourth Prince . Therefore, he is also a ruthless character who is not inferior to Tuoba Zhen . ”


  Li Wei Yang sighed and said: “It’s not surprising that a successful person with great ambitions will not expose the exact details . ” On the other hand, compared to Tuoba Zhen, she felt that Li Yuan Heng’s actions were nothing to be alarmed about . At least he used his own schemes to deal with his opponents instead of borrowing someone else’s knife to deal with a group of defenseless women and children . The scenes back in Crown Prince’s Manor reappeared in Li Wei Yang’s for some reason . She frowned and turned around: “Let’s go . ”


  Li Min De smiled slightly . He heard that since Virtuous Consort’s death, Tuoba Yu had not stepped foot out of his manor for more than ten days . He obviously must feel really miserable . On the other hand, Li Min De was very content . After all, nothing made him happier than seeing his love rival ashen-faced . He felt even happier especially since Tuoba Yu no longer came to bother Li Wei Yang .

  Just seeing that flowery, powdered face unhappy—Li Min De thought to himself, put in such a good mood that he forgot he was still better looking than that person .

  After leaving the city and arriving at the agreed location, Li Wei Yang got off the carriage and saw Li Yuan Heng in riding clothes, pulling a white horse along as he stood there, waiting . Li Wei Yang smiled and said: “Your Fourth Highness . ”


  Li Yuan Heng smiled and said: “I’m very happy that Anping Xianzhu did not go back on your word . ” He Chang by his side also looked happy, but she secretly stole a glance at Li Min De as if she was actually infatuated with him .

  However, at this time, Li Wei Yang looked over at He Chang without any trace of emotion . He Chang acutely noticed her gaze . The moment their eyes met, He Chang felt her heartbeat racing .

  She saw through me! She definitely did! He Chang immediately understood . The infatuation for Li Min De in her eyes momentarily disappeared, replaced by an all-knowing smile . She vaguely knew that Li Wei Yang had already seen through her pretense, so what about Li Yuan Heng? Did Li Wei Yang already know what he was going to do and intentionally came here? If this is the case, Li Wei Yang’s mind must have terrifying and unfathomable depths . He Chang shuddered, but the smile on her face turned even sweeter as she ran over to grab Li Wei Yang’s hand .

  This cold sensation—the smile on He Chang’s face did not change: “Wei Yang, can I call you that?”


  Li Wei Yang smiled very kindly as if she liked Princess He Chang very much: “Certainly . ”


  Li Min De did not seem to see anyone else . He only had Li Wei Yang in his eyes . At this time, beneath the shining sun, her face was faintly rosy, her smile invigorating and heartwarming as her entire person emanated charisma . He rarely saw her smile like this, as if not guarding against anything, yet fully aware of everything . He was a bit curious, what exactly is Li Wei Yang going to do this time?

  “Is there something on my face?” Li Wei Yang turned back when she noticed him looking at her strangely .

  Li Min De’s amber eyes flickered, “No . ”


  He Chang’s gaze swept over Li Wei Yang’s face before finally stopping on Li Min De . This man hasn’t taken a single glance at her at all, how is this possible? She had never met a man who was not mesmerized by her!

  At that moment, He Chang did not know that while her looks were exceptionally beautiful, they were still slightly inferior to those of Li Chang Le back then . Li Min De’s contempt for Li Chang Le never changed, so what about her? But because He Chang had never failed, when she noticed that Li Min De didn’t even look at her, she secretly felt a little angry . She turned this anger into an even sweeter smile, hugging Li Wei Yang’s arm and pointing to the snow white horse and said: “Wei Yang, look at the horse we brought from Mo Bei . It can travel thousands of miles in a day, a truly fine thousand-mile steed and completely different from those soft-legged ones in your Da Li!”


  Li Wei Yang smiled and ignored it, but she heard Li Yuan Heng disapprovingly scold He Chang: “He Chang, what are you saying!”


  Princess He Chang stuck out her tongue and said in a playful manner: “Don’t be mad, gege! I’m just kidding, Wei Yang is open-minded and won’t go after me for it!”


  Li Wei Yang’s eyes fell on the snow white horse . Indeed, as they said, this is a rare horse that is hard to come by . Not only is its body majestic and strong, its coat is gleaming white, and its black eyes are bright and spirited .

  “This horse is a gift from me . It doesn’t have a name yet . ” Li Yuan Heng smiled warmly .

  Li Wei Yang found that while the man before her had a deep and treacherous mind, when he wanted to capture a woman’s heart, it was very difficult to refuse him . Thinking about it, it made sense . If it weren’t for her previous life and experiences, perhaps she would readily agree . She thought up to this point, then curiously glanced at the horse and said: “Is it really for me?”


  Li Yuan Heng nodded vigorously and said: “You can give it a name . ”


  He Chang jumped in first and said: “How about Chu Yun (2)? Sounds very majestic . ”


  Chu Yun, Chu Yun, Li Wei Yang thought of something and gave He Chang a small smile: “It’s a good name . ”


  In the blink of an eye, He Chang almost felt that all of her thoughts were within her opponent’s grasp . She smiled, but this smile was a little uneasy .

  For the first time, she had the feeling of being seen through . . . But this kind of feeling is not bad, He Chang thought . She liked Li Wei Yang . She liked this girl who hides countless secrets like her . If they didn’t stand on opposite sides, she would want to befriend her at any cost! If she is willing to stand on their side, then even better! Forget those men, she can trample them all under her feet! She believed that Li Wei Yang had the same idea!

  Some people are rather strange . They might not have known each other for very long, but the moment they meet, they feel like they have known one another forever and go as far as to treat them as a confidant . Now that He Chang felt this way, it was very subtle and even led her to decide to keep this from Li Yuan Heng! Yes, she was not going to tell him because she wanted to see for herself what Li Wei Yang will do!

  This is presumably going to be very, very, very interesting!——

  *****——

  Translator: Chau

  Editor: Chau