Chapter 724: Go Back a Hundred Years—Who Was Daddy?!

There were no true cities in the desert.

The only place that could barely be called one was probably the seat of the Barbarian Royal Court.

Even then... its outer walls were far too low, and the layout around them far too loose.

A century ago, when the Barbarian Royal Court still led campaigns east and west, it had carried off large numbers of people from conquered lands.

Naturally, many among those captives had been craftsmen.

Builders.

Carpenters.

Masons.

Every sort of skilled artisan.

And building a city, so long as manpower and material were sufficient, was never some impossibly difficult undertaking.

Unless... you were trying to raise a vast metropolis on the scale of the great capitals of East and West.

Yet just as Yan people had always looked down on Qian's so-called culture and literary refinement... when your sabers and horses gave you the upper hand whenever both sides met in battle, it was only natural to assume your own institutions and way of life were superior.

So during the Royal Court's age of strength, the Barbarians had never seriously considered learning the finer elements of eastern or western systems and culture.

They had remained convinced that their own way of life was the healthiest one.

The life most suited to breeding warriors.

For a very long time... the Barbarians truly had possessed the confidence to believe that.

But Yan resisted.

Again and again.

Refused to yield.

Again and again.

And then, a century ago, came the enormous war that erupted along the desert frontier between Yan and the Barbarians.

The Royal Court gathered warriors from more than half the desert tribes.

Under their Barbarian King... they fought Yan for an entire year.

During that same period...

Yan even took the time to smash a northern expedition from Qian.

In the end, the Barbarian King had no choice but to admit something.

That eastern empire called Yan... he truly could not break.

Could not chew through.

Over several centuries of bloody war... at the cost of multiple Emperors personally campaigning and dying in battle... the Yan people had finally forced the Barbarians to lower their heads.

Afterward... the Barbarian King of that age made a decision that looked extraordinarily wise.

And ultimately turned into a catastrophe.

The great war against Yan had bled the desert tribes heavily.

Not only had countless tribal warriors died... production had collapsed as well.

For the Barbarians, whose economic system was already more fragile than those of the settled states, life grew increasingly difficult.

The Royal Court was the head wolf.

And the legitimacy of a head wolf came from one thing: you had to possess the ability to lead the packs beneath you toward meat.

If the east was too difficult... if Yan was simply too damned hard... then fine.

Turn around.

Try the west.

And so... after that great war a century ago, once large-scale fighting between Yan and the Barbarians subsided... the two sides stepped onto two entirely different roads.

On Yan's side... the general who had achieved world-shaking merit in the war against Qian was enfeoffed Marquis Zhenbei and charged with guarding the desert forever.

Inside Yan, the political order that had formed over many years to support endless war against the Barbarians, something resembling a system of Son of Heaven and feudal lords... gradually evolved into the later age of great aristocratic clans powerful enough to threaten imperial authority.

As for the Barbarians... after ending their eastern expansion, they turned west.

And once they began testing the western lands... they were stunned.

Warriors already accustomed to Yan courage and Yan willingness to die in battle... rediscovered joy in the west!

The little western states were absurdly easy to fight.

They were wealthy.

Their lands were fertile.

Their women... had their own flavor.

Barbarian expansion westward once drove much of the West to the edge of collapse.

Then... that Barbarian King grew overconfident.

Advanced too far.

Walked into an ambush.

He died.

And dragged most of the Royal Court's true Golden Tent forces into the grave beside him.

From then on... the Barbarian world fractured.

Most of the defeated tribes were driven back into the desert.

Others remained behind.

They became westernized.

Stopped believing in the Barbarian God.

Began believing in God instead.

Over time, many became mercenary tribes and similar groups.

And now... the Royal Court city standing before Li Fei... was the very city that Barbarian King had once ordered built.

"That Barbarian King was willing to order the construction of a capital," Li Fei said. "That means he already understood in his heart who he needed to learn from."

"Your Highness," the Chief Secretary explained, "the desert is vast, but oases are scarce and the land is poor. In truth, it is not well suited for building cities."

"That's different. If it's only one royal capital, it can still be sustained. Having this city and not having it are two entirely different things. Last time Great Yan campaigned against Chu, why did the Prince of Jingnan and Marquis Pingxi risk a thousand-li forced march just to destroy Ying Capital? For exactly this reason. A country's capital is like a man's heart. So long as the heart remains, blood can still connect every limb. If the heart is gone... everything scatters."

The Chief Secretary looked faintly surprised.

Then he bowed.

"Thank you for Your Highness's instruction."

The Chief Secretary knew that although the Heir had grown up outside the residence... he had possessed an excellent teacher.

Of course... that old Confucian scholar had actually cared most about Chen Xianba.

Li Fei had simply sat beside them and listened.

"As Your Highness says, then it truly is somewhat unfortunate," the Chief Secretary continued. "If the Barbarians had managed to complete this city, then..."

"They couldn't complete it. When they were strong, they lacked the foresight to lay the foundation properly. Once they declined... repairing that mistake became almost impossible. Do you think the Barbarian Kings over the last century didn't want to finish this capital? First... they simply lacked the strength. It demanded too much from the Royal Court alone. Of course, if they truly gritted their teeth, it wasn't absolutely impossible. But by then, my Marquis Zhenbei Residence already dominated the desert frontier. The Zhenbei cavalry had taken shape. The balance between attack and defense had reversed. If the Royal Court truly dared finish building this capital... then my father... my grandfather... my great-grandfather... would dare personally lead the Zhenbei cavalry straight here. Before, the Royal Court could abandon a camp. Retreat. Circle around. Move elsewhere. The desert is enormous. If they didn't want to meet you directly, there was always room to evade. They could drag you until men and horses were exhausted and you gained nothing. But once a proper capital existed... once they accumulated too many pots and jars here... abandoning everything would no longer be so easy. When Zhenbei cavalry reached this place... the Royal Court would have no choice but to grit its teeth and fight us right here. That is exactly the kind of battlefield Marquis Zhenbei Residence would want. And exactly the kind of battlefield the Royal Court knows it cannot win. For a people... for a state... miss the right moment... and you may waste a century. Several centuries. By the time you want to repair it... you may never get the chance again."

Li Fei picked up a piece of pastry.

Put it into his mouth.

Took one bite.

Then continued while chewing.

"Look at Great Yan five years ago, when we first began expanding outward. What did the situation around us look like? To the west, the Barbarians had long since declined and no longer possessed their old ferocity. To the south, Qian decorated the surface with peace and prosperity while its frontier armies rotted. To the east, Jin had already been divided among three families. The sovereign no longer acted like a sovereign, the ministers no longer acted like ministers. And even distant Chu... its great aristocratic clans controlled both court and local government, almost exactly like Great Yan once did. At the same time, Chu even suffered a rebellion among its imperial princes. What an opportunity. His Majesty. Father. The Southern Prince. Fortunately... they seized it. If Great Yan had missed that period, then every road afterward would have become far harder. A poor and barren state that neglects martial strength will perish. A poor and barren state that knows no ambition will decline. Those were also words my teacher once said. Back when I still lived in the village, I only thought they sounded somewhat reasonable. After returning to the position of Heir... after my identity changed and the way I looked at things changed with it... I finally understood. There is great truth in those words."

"Your Highness's teacher must truly be a great talent," the Chief Secretary said. "Might he be invited out of retirement? This subordinate would also like the chance to meet him and seek instruction."

"Teacher never favored me."

"This..."

"Besides, with his temperament, he wouldn't come."

At that moment... the captain of the guards rode over to report.

"Your Highness. The Royal Court has sent men to receive us."

"Good."

Li Fei stuffed the remaining pastry into his mouth.

He clapped his hands clean.

While chewing quickly, he began straightening his python robe.

Then... he climbed out of the carriage.

Outside... rows of Barbarian riders stood in gleaming armor.

They were tall.

Powerful.

Their morale was high.

Nostrils lifted toward the sky.

Every movement carried an air of looking down on the world.

Li Fei remembered something Chen Xianba had once told him.

When rival gangs in town prepared to fight, they often selected the largest men in the gang, gave them the finest sabers, and placed them in the most visible front row simply to build momentum.

Chen Xianba had also told him about one occasion when two gangs were drawing up for a fight and two yamen runners wandered over while yawning, apparently still exhausted after spending the previous night enjoying themselves in the red tents.

The instant those two runners appeared... both gangs shrank back.

True confidence... did not need to be deliberately displayed.

And what stood before Li Fei now... was clearly the Barbarian Royal Court deliberately showing the Heir of Prince Zhenbei Residence its "strongest" side.

That was what Li Fei thought inside.

His body... did something entirely different.

He began trembling.

Then swayed.

Almost fell from the carriage.

Fortunately, the Chief Secretary beside him caught his arm.

The Chief Secretary was first stunned.

After all, the Heir who had just calmly discussed the grand momentum of states inside the carriage did not look like someone who could be frightened this easily.

But at the end of the day... when it came to plotting and calculating... even Yan people, whom Qian and Chu both considered "barbaric," were far beyond actual Barbarians.

The Chief Secretary quickly understood.

His Highness was showing weakness to the enemy.

"Hahahahaha!"

A broad, muscular middle-aged man in black armor strode toward the carriage.

An eagle perched on one shoulder.

"This Prince greets the Heir."

The Young Barbarian Prince gave a salute that resembled the gesture of a young male actor on the theater stage.

Combined with his armor and powerful physique... it looked deeply incongruous.

"Oh. Greetings, Young Prince."

"Come. Get down."

The Young Prince extended one hand to help Li Fei from the carriage.

Li Fei smiled.

And placed his own hand into it.

Unexpectedly... the Young Prince's other hand immediately closed around Li Fei's waist.

Then he nearly lifted the entire man from the carriage before setting him on the ground.

"Aiyo! You frightened me half to death. Half to death."

Li Fei patted his chest.

"Hahaha! Heir, don't take offense. I'm a rough man. Hahahaha."

"No offense. None at all."

"Heir, this way."

"Please. Please."

The Chief Secretary followed behind as an attendant.

The Young Barbarian Prince truly was not young.

He was still called "Young Prince" at such an age only because the old Barbarian King had lived far too long.

The Young Prince's behavior carried a certain wild ease.

Even roughness.

But after seeing his own Heir change faces so naturally... the Chief Secretary no longer dared assume whether the man before them might also be acting deliberately.

Under the Young Prince's guidance... the Heir of Prince Zhenbei Residence entered the Royal Court city.

Along the road...

Barbarian warriors in bright armor stood on both sides.

"Heir. What do you think of our Barbarian warriors?"

Li Fei answered immediately:

"Powerful and imposing. Splendid!"

"Hahahaha. They still cannot compare with the Zhenbei Army of your house."

"What is there to compare? The Barbarians and Great Yan have lived in peace for years. Wouldn't it be best if everyone simply continued living together harmoniously? Why keep drawing sabers and brandishing spears?"

"Right. Exactly. Exactly."

After entering the royal city... they passed banner after tribal banner.

The Young Prince Zhidu introduced each one to Li Fei.

Only the major desert tribes with real status and strength were permitted to plant their banners within the city itself.

They possessed large populations.

Powerful forces.

Countless smaller tribes... could only raise tents and banners outside.

At first...

Li Fei was genuinely somewhat nervous.

Gradually, though... he stopped panicking.

If you asked him to suddenly become a perfectly qualified Heir of Prince Zhenbei Residence... that was difficult.

But ask him to become the shy village boy who had rarely seen the world?

That he knew perfectly well.

All he had to do... was act like himself.

So what followed became remarkably harmonious.

In front of the Young Prince... the Heir of Prince Zhenbei Residence acted timid.

Careful.

A little frightened.

Everything he saw seemed novel to him.

In truth... many people were watching him.

Yet he showed almost no flaw.

No disguise, however sophisticated... could compete with more than ten years of real life.

The Golden Tent Grand Assembly was enormous.

Chiefs from countless tribes had gathered.

Some deliberately approached and saluted the Heir of Prince Zhenbei Residence.

Marquis Zhenbei Residence had guarded the desert for a century.

There was no need to explain how much fear its name inspired among the Barbarians.

Li Fei returned every salute.

One after another.

Never showing the slightest impatience.

There were buildings within the royal city.

But at the very center... stood an enormous tent.

It was tall.

Its footprint was vast.

Almost a small palace made from canvas and hides.

The Young Prince led Li Fei toward it.

The guards at the entrance saluted and withdrew.

In the end... only one Barbarian remained standing before the entrance.

He did not look entirely Barbarian.

His hair was red.

His eyes held an amber sheen.

But his face remained dark and rugged like the men of the desert.

"Come. Heir, let me introduce you. This is Saboduo, Right Guli King of our Royal Court. Right Guli King. This is the Heir of Prince Zhenbei Residence."

"Greetings, Heir," Saboduo said with a salute.

"Greetings, Right Guli King."

"I am taking the Heir to see Father."

The Right Guli King nodded and stepped aside.

Then... under the Young Prince's guidance...

Li Fei entered the royal tent.

Inside... the old Barbarian King sat upright in tiger skins.

The tiger pelt looked imposing.

Yet at first glance, one's instincts still insisted that the thin old man inside it... was the true king of beasts.

"Greetings, Barbarian King."

Li Fei saluted.

Naturally, he did not need to kneel.

"The Li family's boy has come. Heh-heh. Good. Sit."

Two servant girls came forward and laid down cushions.

Li Fei and the Young Prince sat facing one another.

Once seated...

Li Fei took a letter from inside his robes.

"Barbarian King. This is a personal letter from my mother."

"Oh? Good. Let me see."

A servant presented the letter.

The old Barbarian King read it.

Then nodded.

"Zhidu."

"Father."

"Madam Li wants to establish a marriage between our families."

The Young Prince looked at Li Fei in surprise.

"Heh-heh."

The old Barbarian King smiled.

"I think that's good. The Royal Court is already linked by marriage to the Ji family. If we become linked to the Li family as well, then from now on our people and Great Yan will surely live in harmony, and the people of both sides can share peace."

"I ask the Barbarian King to grant the marriage," Li Fei said, bowing.

At that moment... the Young Prince suddenly spoke.

"Why is it always women from our desert who marry into Great Yan? Don't you Yan people have a saying that failure to return courtesy is discourteous? How about this? Heir. Your elder sister is still at home, isn't she? Let her marry me. Then you and I will truly become brothers. Wouldn't that be even better?"

The moment the Young Prince finished speaking... the old Barbarian King remained seated.

He neither scolded nor interrupted.

Only narrowed his eyes halfway.

The entire tent... fell quiet.

Li Fei did not explode in anger.

Instead... he genuinely thought about it.

Then said:

"If I marry your daughter, you become my father-in-law. If you marry my elder sister, you become my brother-in-law. Wouldn't that make a complete mess of seniority?"

"Hahahaha! On the desert, we don't care about that. A father's woman can even be inherited by his son."

Li Fei looked toward the old Barbarian King.

The old Barbarian King laughed and cursed.

"You animal. I knew long ago you've been lusting after several of those young mothers of yours."

"Heh-heh."

"That really won't do," Li Fei said. "The Barbarians may be Barbarians, but I'm still a Yan man. If something like this gets out, how am I supposed to keep serving as Heir? Barbarian King. Young Prince. You should both know that Prince Zhenbei Residence has been declining year after year. Our armies have been split apart. The imperial court keeps reaching into our residence. If this kind of handle fell into other people's hands... wouldn't that leave my residence even more passive?"

The old Barbarian King smiled and nodded.

"True. You Yan people have so many rules."

"That's because you haven't met Qian people. In Qian eyes, we Yan people are Barbarians too."

"Hahahahaha!"

The old Barbarian King burst out laughing.

Then began coughing.

Afterward... he waved one hand.

"Forget it. Forget it. A granddaughter, then. Zhidu, give him your eldest girl."

"Yes, Father."

After the brief audience...

Li Fei left the tent.

The Young Prince remained behind.

"Father. What do you think?"

"What do I think about what?"

"Him."

"Who?"

"The Heir of Prince Zhenbei Residence."

"The older generation of his Li family isn't dead yet. Why would that be something you need to worry about? Your father can't be bothered studying this one."

"This..."

"If he's truly useless, so what? If he's pretending, so what? Until he actually sits in the seat of Prince Zhenbei... even if he's a monster, what can he do? Does the Li family's Zhenbei Army obey him right now?"

"Father is right."

"Cough... cough, cough... Go handle your affairs. Pay more attention to news from the east. Instead of wasting time wondering what temperament this Li boy has... you'd be better off worrying about whether the rumors from the east... that the Emperor of Yan has died... are actually true."

"Yes, Father."

...

That night...

Li Fei stayed in another spacious and finely appointed tent not far from the royal tent.

A group of young Barbarian nobles came over in the evening and dragged him into drinking.

They truly poured liquor into him without mercy.

Li Fei had poor tolerance.

Very quickly... he drank himself unconscious.

Then... a Barbarian woman was sent into his tent.

She undressed him.

Cleaned his body.

Li Fei only felt... that the girl's hands were very soft.

And his own body... very hot.

...

When he woke... it was already noon.

Li Fei looked at the woman lying in his arms.

She seemed slightly older than him.

When he woke... she had probably been awake for quite some time already.

"You are..."

"Didn't Husband come to ask my grandfather for my hand?"

"Oh. Yes. So you are..."

"Your wife."

"Oh. All right."

And just like that...

Li Fei was married.

He truly had not expected a Barbarian wedding... to be this simple.

This direct.

This fast!

Even his return to Prince Zhenbei Residence to become Heir had not happened this quickly.

After all... from the time he had been very small, he had already known his father was Li Liangting.

He had enjoyed years to prepare himself mentally.

Now... he was married.

His first time... had gone to her.

Li Fei even checked the bedding.

There was no virgin blood.

"You are my first man," she said.

"I know."

His matron had once explained to him that some women simply did not bleed the first time.

His wife was taller than him.

Stronger too.

Not fat.

Among Barbarian women, her skin was relatively fair.

When she smiled, she was open and generous.

And quite pretty.

She seemed exactly like the kind of woman his matron had once described.

A woman built to bear children.

A woman who would bring good fortune to her husband.

That afternoon...

Li Fei's new wife took him to pay respects to the Young Prince.

The man who had called him brother yesterday... now stood one generation above him.

Li Fei knelt.

And offered wine.

Then...

Li Fei went to see the old Barbarian King.

There, he kowtowed and performed the proper rites.

This did not count as humiliating the state.

He had married their girl.

The courtesy was proper.

After that... he went to the place of sacrifice and received a blessing from the shamans.

By the time the entire sequence ended...

Li Fei felt less as though he had married a wife... and more as though he himself had been married into their household.

On one of the roads inside the royal city... a group of young Barbarian nobles blocked Li Fei's path.

Young men... were always the most impulsive.

The hottest-blooded.

Unlike their fathers and grandfathers... they had never personally been educated by Marquis Zhenbei Residence.

"Dead cripple! Dead cripple!"

"Dead cripple, just wait! One day I'll personally take your head!"

"I'll steal back the pearl of our desert!"

"Yiguna is the woman I planned to marry! You're not worthy of her!"

Flying hooves forced Li Fei to the ground.

His wife, however... was fierce.

She directly drew a saber from somewhere and stood in front of him.

"He is my man! I don't care which family you belong to. Take one more step forward and I'll cut you down! Believe it or not... even if I kill you... your fathers and grandfathers still won't dare come to me demanding an explanation!"

Li Fei lay on the ground.

And looked at his wife's back.

Suddenly... he felt his wife looked beautiful.

Even more beautiful than she had when he woke beside her during the day.

Then... another young rider appeared.

Bow in hand.

He shouted the young nobles down.

"This is a private matter of my Golden Tent family! Anyone who doesn't want an arrow through his throat can get lost!"

Li Fei remembered this young man.

His younger brother-in-law.

When Li Fei had kowtowed to his father-in-law earlier... the boy had stood nearby grinding his teeth in hatred.

The young nobles withdrew.

Then... the younger brother-in-law turned his horse.

Glared at Li Fei, who was still lying on the ground.

And cursed:

"Get up already! Are you even a man? You're actually making my elder sister stand in front and protect you!"

With Yiguna's help...

Li Fei climbed to his feet.

Unfortunately... the roads of the royal city were filthy.

The python robe his mother and sister had embroidered for him... was now dirty.

Even so...

Li Fei took out a dagger.

And tossed it toward his brother-in-law.

The boy caught it.

Then looked at Li Fei suspiciously.

"A meeting gift," Li Fei explained.

"Heh."

His younger brother-in-law gave one disdainful snort.

Then turned his horse and left.

"Husband. You were frightened."

"It's fine."

Li Fei did not care.

When the Young Prince suggested marrying his elder sister, Li Fei had not become angry.

Now, when a pack of Barbarian pups humiliated him... he still did not become angry.

Because he did not understand why he should be angry.

Why... be angry with a group of people who were about to die?

That night...

Yiguna wanted to wash his feet.

Li Fei refused.

She said a wife ought to serve her husband.

He said he was not accustomed to being served.

So... the two of them put their feet into the same wooden basin.

And washed together.

They extinguished the lamp.

Lay down.

Before they even had time to properly revisit what had happened the previous night... a tremendous roar of cheering suddenly erupted outside.

Li Fei sat up in bed.

Yiguna rose as well and dressed.

"Husband. I'll go see what's happening."

Li Fei nodded.

The entire Barbarian Royal Court... inside and outside the city... had transformed into an ocean of celebration.

People laughed.

Roared with laughter.

Chiefs and nobles from tribe after tribe embraced one another.

They drank precious wine together.

And repeatedly threw genuine wolf howls toward the stars.

This joy... came from the heart.

Li Fei waited until Yiguna returned.

Yiguna sat beside him.

Held Li Fei's hand.

Then said:

"Grandfather has just announced to his people... that the great Emperor of your Yan... really has died."

The Emperor of Yan was dead.

The people of Yan were weeping.

The Barbarians... were laughing.

Li Fei thought... this was exactly the kind of bearing a true Emperor of Great Yan ought to possess.

The Emperor of Yan had never launched a great campaign against the desert in his entire reign.

But every time Great Yan conquered elsewhere... every time Yan won another immense foreign victory... the pressure inside the hearts of the Barbarians, especially the Barbarian nobles, grew heavier.

They were afraid.

Truly afraid.

Afraid that once the Yan people had eaten their fill in every other direction... they would turn their heads.

And come for the desert.

Perhaps... because deep down... the Barbarians themselves also imagined that once they became strong again, they would seek revenge against Yan.

At that moment... a maid came over.

Yiguna rose.

Went to speak with her.

Then returned and said to Li Fei, who was seated at the edge of the bed:

"Father says the Golden Tent Grand Assembly will be held tomorrow."

Li Fei froze.

Then nodded.

"Oh. Good."

At that moment... someone lifted the tent flap and walked in.

It was his younger brother-in-law.

Yiguxie.

The dagger Li Fei had given him earlier hung at his waist.

Yiguxie pointed at Li Fei.

"Yan brother-in-law. Your Great Yan Emperor... is dead."

"I already knew before I came," Li Fei answered.

Yiguxie smiled.

"You will be proud that you married my elder sister. Because from now on, I will grant your Li family glory and protection. I... will become the power standing behind your Li family."

Li Fei nodded.

"Those words should be mine to you."

"Treat my elder sister well. If I learn you've bullied her, I'll lead the warriors of our clan to your Li family and teach you a lesson with my own hands!"

"Yiguxie! Show some manners. Get out!" Yiguna scolded.

Yiguxie obeyed his elder sister.

More precisely... the two siblings genuinely possessed deep affection.

So to him... learning that his father and grandfather had married his sister to a Yan man had made him furious.

Yiguxie turned.

But before he could leave the tent...

Li Fei called him back.

"I will protect your elder sister... and you."

"You? A cripple?"

"Yes."

"I pity my sister. Marrying a cripple is one thing. But you even like boasting."

"Hahahahaha..."

Ever since entering the Royal Court, Li Fei had consistently shown the face of a timid village boy.

At this moment... that face abruptly changed.

He became bold.

Almost heroic.

One crippled leg rested on the bed.

He slapped it with one hand.

Then pointed upward.

And looked at his younger brother-in-law.

"Boasting?"

"Yes."

"Fine. Go outside and ask. Ask your father. No... now he's our father. Ask our grandfather too. Ask the great Barbarian nobles. Ask the great tribal chiefs. Ask every old man who has lived long enough to remember. Ask them... across this desert... if you go back one hundred years... who the hell... was Daddy?"

[End of Chapter 724]