Seeing the pain in Qi Yu's eyes, Princess Ba was momentarily speechless. After hesitating for a while, she said,
"Given your position, there are many things beyond your control. Even if it's not for yourself, you should think about your sister - in - law and the entire Lin family!"
Seeing Qi Yu remain silent, Princess Ba sighed and said,
"Go on. I won't bother you anymore. I'll speak to your imperial grandmother on your behalf. Be careful not to get hurt later."
Hearing Princess Ba's advice, Qi Yu nodded, his expression grateful.
"Thank you, little aunt."
Princess Ba didn't say a word but, like an elder, patted Qi Yu's arm and then turned away.
After Princess Ba left, the crown prince remembered that he hadn't checked the weapon he would use later, so he also left.
At this moment, two people, a man and a woman, walked out from a corner a few meters away. They had outstanding looks, but their clothes were very different from those of the people in the Central Plains.
"Zhuzhu, it seems you need to put in more effort on the crown prince."
Yuan Zhen, the third prince of Ke Ke Qin, looked at his younger sister playfully, which made Yuan Zhu immediately give him a reproachful look. She said proudly,
"I don't want to curry favor with others. I'll choose my own husband. I haven't agreed to this marriage yet!"
From the conversation between Princess Ba and the crown prince Qi Yu, it seemed that Qi Yu already had someone he fancied, and that person was actually a concubine in the Prince Xian's mansion?!
Since the crown prince didn't have feelings for her, why should she humble herself?
Moreover, her pride wouldn't allow it!
Seeing that his younger sister Yuan Zhu was still resisting this marriage at this moment, Yuan Zhen frowned and admonished,
"Zhuzhu, you can't be willful! Although Father Khan has promised to let you choose your own husband, the current empress dowager has secretly arranged your marriage with the crown prince Qi Yu. It's a done deal. Do you want to defy the imperial edict?"
The marriage between Yuan Zhu and the crown prince Qi Yu was most in the interest of their Ke Ke Qin tribe. It was also crucial for him to ascend to the position of Khan.
He didn't want his sister to cause trouble at this moment!
"Also, the crown prince is the heir apparent of the Liu Kingdom. If he inherits the throne in the future, you may become the empress and rule the world with grace!"
There were plenty of powerful warriors, but only the crown prince Qi Yu could offer her such a noble and supreme status.
"This will be very beneficial to our Ke Ke Qin tribe!"
So, he hoped that his sister would put the overall situation first and obediently marry the crown prince Qi Yu.
Although Yuan Zhu was born in Ke Ke Qin, she was accustomed to the strife among her elder brothers. She naturally understood what her elder brother meant and knew what this marriage entailed.
But even though she was aware of all this, she still didn't want to give up the chance to control her own destiny!
"Third brother, have you forgotten what mother told us before we came to the capital?"
Yuan Zhu's big glass - like eyes stared straight at the third prince Yuan Zhen. She said with a smile, word by word,
"Mother specifically told us in front of Father Khan to keep an eye on the Prince Xian. And Father Khan also said that the Prince Xian is now in the limelight and has a bright future!"
When Yuan Zhu came to the capital, she had heard of Qi Rong's reputation. She knew that he was smart, cunning, and extremely ruthless. In terms of ability and courage, hardly anyone in the capital could match him.
Today, when she saw Qi Rong for the first time, she was immediately intrigued.
A person's aura couldn't be faked. His dark eyes were as deep as a wolf's, and his expression was unruly. Different from the crown prince Qi Yu's modesty and gentleness, Qi Rong was like the alpha wolf on their Ke Ke Qin grassland. Even when he was smiling, just standing there, he exuded a powerful pressure.
He was intimidating and aggressive, making people instinctively feel afraid and not dare to approach easily.
Such a person was definitely not a mediocre one!
Seeing Yuan Zhu's interest in Qi Rong, Yuan Zhen frowned more tightly. He immediately poured cold water on her and said,
"Mother is being foolish. Are you going to be foolish too? Not to mention that the Prince Xian is mother's nominal younger brother. Six years ago, he was still a criminal and was feared by the royal family! Even though he is now in the emperor's favor and at the peak of his power, he is ultimately just a courtier!"
Such an embarrassing status was lucky not to bring him trouble. Compared with the crown prince, it was simply worlds apart!
Women were always prone to being emotional. He naturally didn't want to see his sister be tempted by Qi Rong's handsome appearance and make a choice she would regret.
Yuan Zhu didn't take Yuan Zhen's words seriously. She casually plucked a rose and put it in her hair. She smiled brightly and said,
"So what? Mother is the orphan of a different - surname prince in the Liu Kingdom. Although she was adopted as the emperor's adopted daughter by the former emperor, in the end, she wasn't the former emperor's biological daughter."
Yuan Zhu paused for a moment, smoothed her braid in front of her chest, and then continued,
"Moreover, in Ke Ke Qin, it's normal for a son to inherit his father's wives. There's nothing wrong with marrying one's uncle. That's why mother mentioned the Prince Xian early on."
Unlike the Central Plains, where there were many complex etiquettes and the importance of moral principles, in Ke Ke Qin, even after a son inherited his father's position, he could inherit his father's concubines who had no children.
As long as the Prince Xian could win this competition and propose to her, she would be willing to marry him!
Seeing that his sister was unrepentant, Yuan Zhen's eyes darkened. Then he said firmly,
"You're bound to be disappointed."
Because Qi Rong simply wouldn't win this competition!
Yuan Zhu was stunned for a moment. She intuitively felt that her third brother was hiding something. Just as she was about to ask, Yuan Zhen suddenly reminded her,
"Let's go. The competition is about to start."
The good show was yet to come. He couldn't miss it!
After saying that, Yuan Zhen turned around and walked straight towards the viewing stand, leaving Yuan Zhu deep in thought.
She looked far away at the seat where Qi Rong was sitting. Her expression turned solemn. The next moment, she followed her brother's footsteps and walked towards the opposite spectator stand.
The competition started soon. Ten people led by Qi Rong were to fight against ten warriors from Ke Ke Qin. The elimination - by - elimination system was adopted.
Looking at the more than twenty people confronting each other on the arena, the people on the viewing stand couldn't help but hold their breath nervously.
"My goodness! You don't know until you compare! What do these people from Ke Ke Qin eat to grow so tall and strong?"
Just standing in a row, they blocked out the sun and almost cast a shadow over the people from the capital.
Except for Qi Rong, who was unusually tall and on a par with the warriors from Ke Ke Qin, the rest were much shorter than them, including the crown prince, who was usually outstanding.
Wei Chengyang stood beside Qi Rong, looking at the disdainful warriors from Ke Ke Qin. He immediately felt annoyed. But the powerful sense of oppression made him doubt whether he had the ability to defeat them. He couldn't help but fall into anxiety.
If they won, it would be a great honor. But if they lost... the entire royal family would lose face!
So, he had to win!
"They're just big in size. No matter how fierce a wild beast is, it can't escape the hunter's knife. There's nothing to be afraid of."
At this moment, a clear voice came. Wei Chengyang turned his head and saw that it was Qi Rong.
It seemed that Qi Rong had seen his anxiety and was trying to comfort him.