Chapter 789: Wheel-cutter Experienced Hand (I)

"I know that the princess is not used to Mobei's food, so I specially made a bowl of lotus seed soup for you."

Inside the tent, Pan Yuyin brought a bowl of steaming lotus seed soup to Zhao Xin, but she seemed to have no appetite. She just took a sip perfunctorily and refused to eat any more.

"Princess……"

"How do you know I like lotus seed soup?" Before Pan Yuyin could persuade her, Zhao Xin looked suspicious and asked quietly, "Could it be... Lord Liu told you?"

"This..." Pan Yuyin couldn't help but show a trace of embarrassment on her face after Zhao Xin revealed the secret. She said shyly, "Princess, please don't blame me. This is the camp of the Mongolian prince, not the inn we came from. Therefore, Brother Liu can't take care of the princess as he pleases. He can only use me..."

"Silly girl, Master Liu and I have already made a 'three-point agreement', so how can I blame him for not coming to see me?"

Although Zhao Xin's attitude was indifferent when Liu Xunyi was mentioned, for some reason, when she heard Pan Yuyin admit that this bowl of lotus seed soup was Liu Xunyi's "masterpiece", she subconsciously took the bowl of porridge and slowly enjoyed it mouthful by mouthful.

"We are currently controlled by others, and a lot of information cannot be delivered in time. It is inevitable that you will have to make a few more trips."

"Princess, please don't be so distant with me. I came all the way here but couldn't help at all. I could only watch you and Brother Liu suffer and was helpless. Now that I can help you pass on the message, it's not a wasted trip."

"Yuyin, you are such a kind-hearted girl. Not only are you well-educated, but you are also smart and clever. You are good at finding clothes... It is really a blessing for Lord Liu to marry you in his previous life."

Hearing this, Pan Yuyin's face flushed, and she hastily explained: "My marriage to Brother Liu was just a show, in fact, we have no relationship at all..."

"Okay, okay!" Zhao Xin smiled, stretched out her hand and gently touched the tip of Pan Yuyin's nose, teasing, "You two have no relationship at all. It's inevitable that I'm forcing you to take care of him. Miss Pan is wronged..."

"How can I force you to do something against your will? I have never felt wronged..."

Having said this, Pan Yuyin suddenly realized that she had almost said something wrong in her haste. Her voice stopped abruptly, and her handsome face turned as red as a ripe apple. She wished she could take a bite.

Seeing Pan Yuyin's lovely look of shyness and anger, Zhao Xin couldn't help but burst out laughing.

It was rare to see Zhao Xin smile, and Pan Yuyin was slightly stunned, then felt relieved and laughed with her.

The two girls laughed and talked happily in the tent, their pleasant voices as crisp as silver bells, leaving the guards outside the tent confused and looking at each other in bewilderment.

"What makes you so happy? Can you tell me?"

Just as Zhao Xin and Pan Yuyin were gradually forgetting their worries and chatting happily, a deep and slightly teasing voice suddenly sounded from outside the tent. Then the tent curtain was lifted, and Hu Lie, with a smile on his face, walked slowly into the tent accompanied by Yin Zhan.

Faced with the sudden storm, Zhao Xin and Pan Yuyin's conversation and laughter stopped instantly, and even the smiles on their faces gradually disappeared, replaced by a strong sense of caution.

"What's wrong? Did I come at a wrong time and disturb your interest?" Hu Lie asked seriously, his eyes full of curiosity and even a hint of guilt.

"I've met the prince!"

Zhao Xin and Pan Yuyin, who suddenly came to their senses, stood up hurriedly and bowed to Hu Lie together.

"It is I who came here uninvited, and I am the one who should bow and apologize." After saying this, Hu Lie actually bowed solemnly to the two women who had eyes full of astonishment.

"Your Highness, we cannot afford such a gift!" Faced with Hu Lie's unexpected humility, Zhao Xin was flustered and hurriedly spoke to dissuade him.

"Ahem!" After the greetings, Yin Zhan coughed twice and interrupted, "Your Majesty has something to discuss with the Princess. Miss Pan, please step aside for the time being..."

"Don't be rude!" Before Yin Zhan finished speaking, Hu Lie suddenly interrupted him, "Miss Pan is my beloved concubine's friend, and also my friend. How can you be so disrespectful?"

"The general will finally be convicted!"

"Well...it's getting late, I should go back too." Pan Yuyin judged the situation and took the initiative to ask for leave, "Prince, Princess, you guys take your time to talk, I'll take my leave first!"

After saying that, Pan Yuyin, full of worry, took a deep look at the uneasy Zhao Xin, and then slowly left the tent accompanied by Yin Zhan.

After a while, the only people left in the tent were Hu Lie with a confused expression and Zhao Xin who was at a loss. The two were silent and the atmosphere became a little subtle.

It is worth mentioning that from the moment Hu Lie entered the tent, his intriguing gaze had been fixed on Zhao Xin, never moving away. "My beloved concubine..."

When Hu Lie subconsciously walked towards Zhao Xin, Zhao Xin was so frightened that her body trembled, and her feet involuntarily staggered back two steps.

Seeing this, Hu Lie's foot, which had just taken half a step, suddenly paused, and then slowly stepped back.

"Are you afraid of me?" Hu Lie's eyes were very gentle, and his voice was as soft as water. "Why?"

"Your Highness, you are joking. Why should I... be afraid of you?" Zhao Xin knew how respected Hu Lie was in Mongolia. She also knew that her mission of marrying into the Mongolian royal family was to win over and please Hu Lie. Therefore, although she was very afraid of Hu Lie in her heart, she would rather die than admit it.

"If you are not afraid of me, why don't you dare look me in the eye?"

"I..." Zhao Xin raised her eyes subconsciously, but when she saw Hu Lie's bright eyes, she panicked and looked away involuntarily, saying vaguely, "I... I just..."

"I can tell you clearly that before I met you, I thought this marriage was just a political conspiracy, and you... were just a sacrifice made by the Song Dynasty to protect itself." Hu Lie spoke frankly, every word was precious, "But after seeing you today, my mind has changed. You are not a tribute, but my beloved concubine, the woman who belongs to me forever."

"What do you mean by this, Your Highness?" At this moment, Zhao Xin couldn't help but clench her fists in her sleeves, and her palms were filled with sweat.

"It means that I like you very much. From the first time I saw you... I recognized you." Hu Lie laughed heartily and spoke his mind directly. This is the unique open-mindedness and heroism of Mongolian men. "On our grassland, the love between men and women does not need so many twists and turns. It is not like you people in the Central Plains who are so shy and timid. Everything is based on 'love grows over time'. For me, women are not so troublesome. I only need one look. If I like it, I like it. If I don't like it, I don't like it."

"This..." Zhao Xin had never seen a man like Hu Lie in her life. She was so confused for a moment that she was speechless.

"Since I have chosen you, you will be my woman for the rest of my life. Even if the king of heaven comes, he will never take you away from me." Hu Lie spoke earnestly and without stopping, not giving Zhao Xin a chance to think. "Similarly, since I have chosen you, I will cherish you, care for you, and protect you for the rest of my life. I will never let anyone bully you, and I will never let you suffer the slightest grievance. Words like 'forever' and 'until the seas run dry and the rocks crumble' are too corny for me to say. But at least in this life... I swear to only recognize you as my woman. Although not the only woman, you are the only woman placed here."

After saying that, Hu Lie swung his fist and hit his heart hard, which immediately made a muffled sound and made Zhao Xin's body tremble again.

Faced with such a blunt and strong confession, Zhao Xin was surprised and stunned, panicked and bewildered, hesitant and worried.

"My lord, you..."

"I know what you are worried about and what you are afraid of." Hu Lie pretended to be profound and laughed up to the sky. He turned and sat at the table. He filled two cups of milk wine, picked up one of them and drank it all. He said firmly, "I am a hero of the grassland, a member of the Mongolian royal family, and a man who stands tall and proud. I am not the king of the mountain stronghold you imagined, nor am I a robber or a bandit. The women in the world who want to marry me are enough to fill the entire Korqin grassland. If I want to get a woman, I don't need to use the despicable means you are worried about. I recognize that you are my only woman, and I will respect you first. Similarly, you must also recognize that I am your only man. Therefore, before I get your body, I must first get your heart. I will never allow the woman who sleeps with me... to think of other men in her heart. Betrayal is not only a great shame for me, but also a great shame for any warrior on the grassland."

Looking at Hu Lie's confident vows and hearing his firm promises, Zhao Xin's heart, which had been hanging in the air, unconsciously felt more at ease.

Although today was their first meeting, for some reason, Zhao Xin believed in Hu Lie's promise very much, and she believed it without any reason.

Perhaps, as Hu Lie said, he is a hero of the grassland, a member of the Mongolian royal family, and a man who stands tall and proud... Yes! A man who stands tall and proud must be a man of his word, so how could he be two-faced and do things insincerely?
"Your Majesty is very righteous. I... offer you a toast."

Zhao Xin bowed with a sense of relief, and then mustered up her courage to take two tentative steps towards Hu Lie. Seeing that Hu Lie had a frank expression and no ill intentions, Zhao Xin became bolder, carefully sat opposite him, tremblingly picked up the milk wine, and wanted to imitate him and drink it all in one gulp.

"My beloved, I am willing to be honest with you, but I don't know...are you willing to confide in me?"

Before Zhao Xin raised her glass, Hu Lie suddenly changed the subject and asked an unexpected question, which made Zhao Xin freeze. An ominous premonition quickly rose in her heart.

"Your Majesty...what do you want to say?"

"This prince has studied your Han Confucian classics, and I admire and agree with most of the teachings in them, but I don't like the 'golden mean' very much." Hu Lie said with a hint of meaning, "Especially in interpersonal communication, the golden mean will only make people's hearts more and more complicated, more and more unpredictable, and more and more suspicious, which is far inferior to the straightforwardness and sincerity of us Mongolians. This prince does not like to beat around the bush, and there is no need to hide things from the woman he likes. Therefore, this prince has three questions today, and I hope that my beloved concubine can answer them truthfully."

Zhao Xin was uneasy, her big watery eyes filled with trepidation, and she asked carefully, "Your Majesty, please ask."

"First, are my beloved concubine and 'Song Dynasty's Marriage Envoy' Liu Xunyi childhood sweethearts and do they have feelings for each other? Second, did my beloved concubine collude with Su He to save Liu Xunyi's life and strongly recommend him to be the 'Song Dynasty's Marriage Envoy'? Third..."

At this point, Hu Lie's tone suddenly stagnated, and a hint of complex entanglement flashed across his eyes. After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke word by word with difficulty: "Third, did my beloved concubine have an affair with Liu Xunyi? In other words, are you still innocent now?"

These three questions were like thousands of arrows piercing her heart. Zhao Xin's heart sank and her face suddenly changed. She loosened her fingers subconsciously and the full cup of milk wine fell to the ground with a clang.

In an instant, the jade cup shattered and the aroma of wine filled the air, lingering between Hu Lie and Zhao Xin, and gradually spreading throughout the entire tent.

……

(End of this chapter)