Chapter 174: "I am the Da Wei Empress. Pleased to meet you, Beimeng King.

Many Beimeng people trained falcons; every tribe had them. But Mu Yunlian could distinguish the subtle differences in their calls. The cry from the one circling overhead now was unmistakably that of the great hawk belonging to Jin Zeyu.

Although Jin Zeyu hadn’t pursued them earlier, Mu Yunlian was already prepared.

The moment he saw Jin Zeyu’s hawk, he immediately ordered his men to set off fireworks to drive it away.

The fireworks were also a signal to assemble. His subordinates would come rushing from all directions.

"Quickly!"

Even with the hawk’s appearance, the main force was still at least dozens of miles away. As long as they moved at top speed, they could certainly make it back to Da Wei.

With the city walls of Da Wei less than a mile in the distance, a vast contingent of cavalry suddenly swept in from all directions, surrounding them.

Mu Yunlian had a sizable number of men, but these were the elite cavalry of the Beimeng King.

There were at least five thousand soldiers here—far too many for Mu Yunlian’s few hundred men to fight against.

The ranks of soldiers parted, and Jin Zeyu slowly emerged from the middle, mounted on a white horse. His hawkish gaze first swept over Xiao Yang before landing on Mu Yunlian.

"Brother Mu, where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"And you." He looked toward Xiao Yang. "Sister-in-law, I must have been blind to mistake you for a man."

With one hand gripping his large saber and the other holding the reins, he slowly drew closer. "Brother Mu, I just became the Beimeng King, yet you abandon me. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?"

Mu Yunlian shielded Xiao Yang behind him. "My cooperation with the Third Prince ended the moment you became the Beimeng King."

Jin Zeyu’s eyes were on Xiao Yang. "Brother Mu never treated me this way before. Are you betraying me now for her?"

Mu Yunlian replied, "My arrangement with the Third Prince was purely a business partnership. The Third Prince has already received his share. Our transaction is complete. How can you call this a betrayal?"

’He was a merchant, not an official. Loyalty was not part of the deal.’

A look of sudden understanding dawned on Jin Zeyu’s face. "So that’s why you kept giving me money, insisting on taking your share of the profits. This was your plan all along."

’Mu Yunlian had been planning his departure from the very start. And here he’d thought Mu Yunlian was showering him with money because he knew he would soon be king, hoping to secure a high-ranking position.’

"Mu Yunlian, I am the King now. I can protect you, give you the highest office, and put you in charge of the treasury. No one will dare to bully you."

"Lay down your weapons and return with me. I’ll let bygones be bygones."

’Anyone who believed such words was a true fool.’

’If he saw it as a betrayal, how could he possibly let it go?’

Jin Zeyu gave Mu Yunlian a look filled with meaning. "If you insist on being stubborn, then don’t blame me for being ruthless. I’d hate to have to hurt you... and then your dear sister-in-law."

He deliberately stressed the two words "sister-in-law," his tone rife with implication.

Mu Yunlian knew him too well. ’Jin Zeyu must have found something out and is using it to corner me.’ He raised his hand slightly. Ling Ji immediately understood and grabbed hold of Xiao Yang, resolved to protect Her Majesty and ensure her escape, even at the cost of her own life.

Mu Yunlian didn’t look back. He was afraid that a single glance would shatter his resolve.

"Ah Yang, it’s true I was resentful. There were times I couldn’t bear it and my resentment even turned toward you. But if I had to choose again, I would still willingly die for you."

’After all these years, he had gone mad.’

’He was so happy to have met her again, happy to finally be able to reveal his heart to her completely.’

’He desperately wanted to return with her, to live a peaceful life together. But... if he could die for her one more time, a death entirely and completely for her sake... just the thought sent a tremor through his very soul.’

’No death could be more satisfying.’

He might have been satisfied, but was Xiao Yang moved? Not in the slightest.

She yanked on his reins, pulling his horse to a halt. "You may want to die, but I have no desire to hold a corpse again. Your stiff body, the cold, sticky blood... that has been a nightmare I haven’t been able to escape for ten years. I refuse to add a new one."

Xiao Yang urged her horse forward to ride shoulder-to-shoulder with him. "Do you have any more of those fireworks?"

Mu Yunlian immediately had someone bring them over.

Xiao Yang said, "Light all of them."

Mu Yunlian did as he was told. More than a dozen fireworks shot into the air, starkly visible even in the daylight.

Xiao Yang glanced at Mu Yunlian. "You sorely underestimate an Empress. If I hadn’t allowed it, who could possibly abduct me?"

’In this game, she wasn’t the only one whose hand was forced.’

Without waiting to see Mu Yunlian’s reaction, she turned to face Jin Zeyu. Her entire demeanor shifted, becoming proud and imperious. "I am the Empress of Da Wei. It’s a pleasure to meet you, King of Beimeng."

The departure of Mu Yunlian alone wasn’t enough to make Jin Zeyu abandon his newly won throne and lead a pursuit in person.

However, Wu Muyuan had come to pledge his allegiance and, in Jin Zeyu’s study, had seen an unfinished portrait. He recognized the subject at once: the Da Wei Empress.

’It seemed absurd to Jin Zeyu. How could the Da Wei Empress possibly be in the capital of Beimeng?’

Wu Muyuan also found it incredible, but he insisted the portrait was a striking likeness of the Da Wei Empress and went on to describe in detail his own audience with her.

Whether he wanted to verify the truth or for some other reason, he had come leading the troops himself.

Until a moment ago, he had still been observing, testing, unwilling to believe that she was the Da Wei Empress. But the instant Xiao Yang raised her head and spoke, he believed.

Less than a mile away, the Great Wei City Gate swung open. The Mystic Armor Cavalry charged out, a mighty torrent that surrounded the Beimeng forces in moments.

Their banners whipped violently in the wind—majestic golden dragons on a black field.

The man leading the charge was none other than Da Wei’s renowned general, Li Wei.

"Your Majesty! I am late in coming to your aid!"

Li Wei rode straight to Xiao Yang’s side. He carried a great saber and radiated killing intent, but he positioned himself as a loyal protector beside her.

Behind him, kicking up a storm of yellow sand, the Black Dragon Cavalry surged forward like a tide.

The Beimeng King’s personal elite cavalry now faced the Da Wei Empress’s Black Dragon Guards.

It took Jin Zeyu a long moment to find his voice. His gaze burned into Xiao Yang, a myriad of complex emotions flashing in his eyes.

"Empress of Da Wei, why have you come here?"

Xiao Yang raised a hand, and Li Wei produced the National Letter previously signed by Wu Muyuan.

"This is the National Letter that your Prime Minister, Wu Muyuan, signed with me on behalf of the Eldest Prince. I suspected he might go back on his word, so I came to see for myself. And wouldn’t you know it, he did."

"I have said before that if Beimeng does not consent, I will come and take what is mine by force. Now, I am here to collect the mines."

’Jin Zeyu knew from Wu Muyuan about the reparations—the coal and iron mines they had signed away. But with Mu Yunlian present, he feared this Empress wanted more than just that.’

’He had just become the Beimeng King. If his first act was to hand over mines and land as reparations, how could he ever establish his authority in his own court?’

’But given the circumstances, he was in no position to refuse.’

"The mines the Empress demands, this King can give you. However..."

He raised his hand and pointed at Mu Yunlian. "He must stay here."

He already had his reason prepared. "Our friendship runs deep, and he holds countless secrets of Beimeng. He cannot be allowed to leave with the Empress."

Xiao Yang raised an eyebrow. "What a coincidence. He is a key minister of my Da Wei and my trusted confidant. He certainly cannot return with the King of Beimeng."

"He came here this time simply to conclude his business affairs in Beimeng. From now on, he will serve me with his full devotion. If the King of Beimeng wishes to detain him by force, I do not consent."