Chapter 1809 - 1410: Chief of Tashi, Tashi Huoding!

During the time Gu Changsheng was leisurely wandering through the main city of the Tashi Tribe, Landuoer had already rushed nonstop back to the estate of the Tashi Royal Clan!

Landuoer truly dared not delay!

Whether it was for Landuoer herself or the imminent threat posed by the arrival of Gu Changsheng, whose presence had summoned the army from North Mongolia Royal City, both posed significant threats to the whole Tashi Tribe!

Landuoer, as the princess of the Tashi Tribe, was nurtured by the clan leader with high expectations, trained in the manner of an heir, and she did not dare to take risks!

She wished to forge a good relationship with Gu Changsheng and also wanted him to leave the Tashi Tribe promptly, yet Gu Changsheng had already made it clear that he would not leave without meeting Ta You!

Landuoer naturally wasn’t naive enough to believe Gu Changsheng’s words that he merely sought answers from Ta You; the savvy Landuoer instinctively felt Gu Changsheng had other motives. However, at this very moment, she did not have the luxury of time to inquire or ponder what Gu Changsheng was truly plotting!

However, regardless of what Gu Changsheng was scheming, the quickest solution to make him leave the Tashi Tribe and extricate the tribe from the turmoil of the Northern Mongol Royal Family was to let Gu Changsheng meet Ta You!

This matter gave Landuoer quite the headache!

For no one understood better than her the position Ta You held within the Tashi Tribe and in the clan leader’s heart!

"Landuoer pays respects to Father King!"

Upon entering the room of the Tashi Clan Leader, Landuoer knelt on one knee, placed one hand upon her chest, and ceremoniously bowed in worship!

The Tashi Tribe, in Northern Mongolia, ranks only second to the Borjigin Imperial Clan; the tribe’s leader had long been ennobled. Were it not so, merely relying on the ancestral oath of allegiance would hardly merit such a tribe possessing vast mineral resources and sophisticated smelting techniques to remain loyal!

The leader of the Tashi Tribe, Landuoer’s Father King, was the grandfather of Borjigin Nian, a man in his fifties or sixties. Yet, despite his age, Tashi Huoding, the clan leader, showed no sign of aging. On the contrary, despite his rugged appearance—characteristic of Northern Mongolian warriors—he remained exceptionally sturdy for his age; moreover, his gaze differed sharply, appearing astoundingly keen and bright.

Seeing his cherished youngest daughter returning, Tashi Huoding was delighted, set down the Geomancy Map he was holding, and left his desk to come down, "My dear Gu Duoer has returned? I heard from the Kelie faction that you fell ill there, causing your father here great distress and sleepless nights with worry!"

Gu Duoer was Landuoer’s nickname.

Hearing this, Landuoer curled the corner of her lips and, with her father’s support, rose up; turning around, she grabbed the sleeve of Tashi Huoding, with a coquettish tone said, "Father King, Gu Duoer nearly didn’t get to see you this time; in Evil Wolf Valley, most of the warriors I took with me perished. At the last moment, Gu Duoer exerted all efforts trying to relay news back to the tribe, even forsaking her chance of survival!"

"Your father knows his Gu Duoer has suffered, almost blaming your useless brothers; otherwise, my Gu Duoer, my precious daughter, should be spending her days enjoying flowers and horseback riding, not enduring such hardships!" Tashi Huoding responded with a pained expression, looking at Landuoer and sighing.

Sons often lack strategic mindsets, successors are nowhere, a deep-seated worry for every aging ruler!

And this worry was particularly pronounced for Tashi Huoding!

He had many sons, yet remarkably, only this youngest daughter possessed both civil and martial talents, leaving Tashi Huoding in lament over fate’s caprice!

"Father King need not worry, though my brothers are inept, Father King you are still young; we can wait for nephews to grow up. Perhaps among them, the right person will emerge? Then Gu Duoer can peacefully marry!" Landuoer, seeing her father worried, smiled and spoke.

Though she spoke such words, Landuoer understood better than anyone that no prominent successors would emerge within the Tashi tribe, for Landuoer would not allow it!

A mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, and she had existed in the Tashi Tribe for years as the heir; if the day came when she could not ascend to the position of clan leader, she would become the person most intolerable to the newly appointed leader!

In the contest for power, affection holds no place!

This reality spares no one, it’s the solitary path of a ruler!

And this truth Landuoer knew, and Tashi Huoding understood even better. Hearing Landuoer’s words, Tashi Huoding smiled meaningfully, raised his hand to stroke Landuoer’s forehead, and remained silent.

Among his many descendants, only this youngest daughter is both intelligent and courageous, decisive in her actions!

Tashi Huoding, while gratified by his own daughter’s potential as a leader, couldn’t help but worry deeply...

Ever since he started grooming his youngest daughter as his successor, giving her power above all other descendants, Tashi Huoding had already forgotten how many times he had intervened in secret to rescue members of the Royal Family from his daughter’s hands!

Tashi Huoding had many women and many children; the scheming and bloodshed in the Inner House he had seen a lot. He knew well that when a woman becomes ruthless, she can surpass any man. Such was the youngest daughter he was so proud of!

On the path to becoming a king, disregarding familial ties and eliminating dissenters is understandable. However, his youngest daughter did it more resolutely than he had imagined. This gave Tashi Huoding a sense of relief, but also endless sighs!

If among his sons and grandsons, there was anyone with the same resolve as his youngest daughter, why would he abandon them and instead nurture this daughter?

It truly is fate playing its tricks, leaving one with no choice but to marvel!

"Father King, in the battle of Evil Wolf Valley, if it weren’t for someone coming to the rescue, Gu Duoer couldn’t have returned with the news of our army surrounding the Tashi tribe, nor could she have returned alive. Father King, my benefactor needs a handsome reward, only then can it display the grace of our Tashi tribe!" Landuoer tugged at her father’s sleeve, helping him back to his seat, speaking obediently.

"The benefactor who saved my Gu Duoer will surely be rewarded. Grant them a hundred miles of pastures, a thousand cattle and sheep, ten thousand taels of gold and silver!" Tashi Huoding replied immediately.

"Father King! Gold and silver are too cliché; my benefactor is not an ordinary person!" Landuoer shook Tashi Huoding’s arm, speaking with a look of discontent.

"Yes, yes, anyone who can save my Gu Duoer while surrounded by a pack of wolves is surely not ordinary. Then Gu Duoer, you say, what do you wish to reward him with? As long as your father has it, you can take it!" Tashi Huoding’s love for Landuoer was genuine, after all, she was the successor he had nurtured with all his might, the only one capable of the great responsibility!

"Father King, my benefactor wishes to see Ta You!" Landuoer spoke immediately upon hearing this. However, there was some unease in her eyes. Seeing her father’s face darken, she quickly added, "Father King, my benefactor respects Longevity Heaven, they just have some doubts and hope that Ta You can provide guidance, Father King..."

"Talan Duoer!" Tashi Huoding interrupted sternly before Landuoer could finish, shaking off her hand, his face darkened, his old eyes burning sharply at her.

"Father King!" Landuoer immediately knelt with one knee upon seeing Tashi Huoding’s change in expression, her demeanor respectful.

"Talan Duoer, do you know what you are doing?" Tashi Huoding’s voice was solemn, with an unprecedented coldness, using her full name instead of a nickname, "The path of a king is solitary, eliminating dissenters is an inevitable part of becoming a king. I have allowed you to act secretly against talented children in the clan, and even when you harbored murderous intent, I didn’t truly stop you. But, I have reminded you time and again, you can target anyone, except Ta You! Talan Duoer, is it truly your benefactor who wants to see Ta You? Or is it you who wants to see Ta You? Or perhaps, do you want Ta You’s life?"

"Father King!" Landuoer was startled upon hearing this, covering her chest with one hand, bowing her head almost to the ground, speaking earnestly, "Father King, for what I’ve done, I have no regrets regarding my identity, but Landuoer would never dare to target Ta You. While Father King is still here, the Tashi tribe cannot do without Ta You, who is blessed by Longevity Heaven, to bind the people’s hearts. Even if one day, Father King, you are no longer here, Ta You’s existence is immeasurably important. Does Father King believe that your daughter would be so careless, so blind?"

"Then why do you still want to see him? Why do you want to see him? He was born with poor health, even I rarely disturb his recuperation. Why do you want to see him?" Tashi Huoding frowned upon hearing this, but the severity in his eyes diminished significantly. He sighed, "You know that Ta You abhors the smell of blood and wants nothing to do with our Royal Family. If he weren’t born into an imperial family, why would he willingly stay? With families like ours, how could we stay away from bloodshed?"

"Father King... this time, your daughter truly is, caught in a dilemma..." Landuoer replied with a bitter smile, genuinely caught in a quandary!

At the outskirts of the Tashi tribe, the Royal City army, drawn by Gu Changsheng’s arrival, was still poised to strike, and Gu Changsheng wouldn’t rest until his goal was achieved. What could she do in such a situation?

Should she tell father about Gu Changsheng’s identity?

Haha...

Anything related to the Borjigin Imperial Clan, her own father despised exceedingly. Landuoer had to admit, her father loved her deceased elder sister more than her!

Due to the death of Borjigin Nian’s mother, father bore a grudge against the Borjigin tribe, and coupled with the matter of Ta You, it only worsened. In those years, he even launched a military campaign, nearly starting a war!

Though Gu Changsheng’s identity was awe-inspiring, thinking of her father’s readiness to give everything to war with the Borjigin tribe, Landuoer had no doubt that if her father learned of Gu Changsheng’s identity, he would mercilessly expel her from the realm!

If things really came to that point, it would all be for naught...