The second day was a fine day, and the orange-yellow sunlight of the morning spread over the northern grasslands.

  Shan Yu had been awake for a long time, carefully lying on the edge of the bed waiting for Lin Yuan to get up, and not daring to order Lin Yuan's palace maid to serve herself in dressing and washing.

  But before Lin Yu could wake up, Chu Xue rushed in, one hand lifting the quilt off Lin Yu's head and the other grasping her arm to pull her up: "Your Majesty! The Emperor has summoned you to the Golden Tent!" Fan Yu stood by, watching in a daze, thinking that Lin Yu's leg was indeed well-positioned, as evidenced by the Emperor's favor.

  Lin Wan got up dazedly, casually tied her hair into a bun, wore the thin silk clothes she usually served Emperor Tuoba Hong in, and put on a fox-fur cloak to keep out the cold.

  However, when they arrived at Tuoba Hong's tent, Lin Yu saw several Mongolian nobles wearing fur coats outside the tent. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a sense of guilt. She thought that in this imperial court, the emperor had frequent contact with the Mongolian Khan, perhaps for national affairs. Then she thought about how she was escorted back by an unnamed female official at the time, and only the empress knew about her meeting with the Mongolian king...

  The more she thought about it, the more Lin Yanzhen felt wronged. It was really hard for women to get by in this world. She hadn't done anything wrong, yet it was easy for her to be labeled as a licentious woman. The Empress Dowager wanted to use this as leverage against her and didn't seem like she would hurry to get rid of her. What she feared most was that others in the palace also knew about this matter. Affairs with outside men were the most sensitive topic in the harem, and just a little exaggeration could be enough to bring her down.

  After thinking through the crisis, Lin Yuhan was no longer afraid. With a determined heart, she thought to herself, "I'm not afraid of him, if someone really wants to use this to harm me, I'll just counter their moves, I've been walking in the palace for so long, when have I ever been afraid of these hidden dangers?"

  She stepped into the large tent, where it was as solemn and majestic as usual. Inside, she faintly heard men's voices, Tuoba Hong's tone was consistently low and warm, while another person had a voice like clear spring water, with a youthful tenderness. Lin Yan thought to herself, which tribal prince is this? Suddenly, she recalled the scene in the dense forest back then, that person who almost killed her with a knife.

  His voice was really like water... At this moment, it sounded crisp and moving, but that day it was cold as an icy pool. Lin Yuen suddenly couldn't take a step forward.

  She turned and left. On the other side of the dense forest, although Yuan Lie had saved her life, the terrifying scene of that knife falling was still vivid in her mind. Lin Wan understood that this person was even more ruthless than Tuoba Hong. She didn't want to face this person again, and she was even more afraid of being entangled in a matter of reputation and causing great disaster.

  However, when Lin Wan lifted the curtain of the front hall, a cold and stern voice pierced her ears from behind: "It is said that people from Central Plains value loyalty the most. I, the king, saved your life, but you didn't expect to turn against me!"

  Lin Yan had yet to recover from her shock when her wrist was suddenly grasped. She was forced to turn around, only to meet a pair of eyes that were devoid of any warmth.

  "You are the most daring and extraordinary woman I have ever seen." Yuan Lie narrowed his eyes, his scrutinizing gaze almost piercing: "When I rescued you in the northwest forest, I decided to marry you. You injured my horse, but I didn't get angry. However... your ingratitude is truly detestable."

  Lin Wan had never heard such shameless words before, and her heart was both ashamed and annoyed: "Sweat King! I am the imperial concubine of Great Qin, how can I be welcomed by you?! Even if you are the Khan of Mongolia, you shouldn't be so rude..." Through the door of the inner chamber, Lin Wan saw Tuoba Hong standing upright, his face darkly looking at her.

  That terrifying expression, Lin Wan had never seen it on Tuoba Hong's face before. Under the pressure of the two men, she only felt her scalp numb. Although she was always brave, today she was really scared. She gritted her teeth and suddenly used force to shake off Yuan Lie's hand.

  Yu Lie's palm tightened even more, almost making her scream. His face turned dark and his anger was palpable: "You should go ask around about who I am! There hasn't been a woman in this world who dares to stare at me with their eyes like you do!"

  He said, roughly pulling Lin Yuan over, and turning to face Tuoba Hong with a bow: "This woman, although I have only met her once, has moved my heart. We Mongolians don't have so many twists and turns; when we take a liking to something, we don't want to let it go. The gold and grain bestowed upon me by the Qin Emperor, I am willing to return in full, just asking for her in exchange."

  Saying that, he coldly sneered: "However, she is so ignorant of the current situation, it's truly disappointing to this king. If not for the sake of Emperor Qin's face, this king would have dug out her eyes."

  Tuoba Hong stepped out of the inner chamber step by step, his satin boots making no sound on the soft camel hair rug. But Lin Yuan was startled and her heart was racing like thunder. This man, whom she had treated as a boss for almost a year and given him unparalleled wealth and honor, spoke calmly, but to her ears, it was already a jumbled mess:

  "...Khan, you are too serious. For the hundred-year alliance between Mongolia and China, why bother about ten thousand taels of gold?... Speaking of which, those sixteen kinds of plants that can grow on the grasslands should be to your liking, Khan. You helped me eliminate the treacherous officials, I should thank you..."

  Tuoba Hong's mouth was full of state affairs between Mongolia and China, without mentioning Lin Wan at all. However, Lin Wan did not dare to let this conversation continue, she suddenly knelt down, deeply bowing her head to Tuoba Hong: "Your Majesty, as a concubine, I am the emperor's concubine, under heaven, except for the emperor, I will never serve another man!"

  Follow the sweat king Yuan Lie to Mongolia? Are you kidding me! That kind of man is absolutely more difficult to deal with than Tuoba Hong, daring to offend Tuoba Hong for a woman, it shows that he doesn't play by the rules at all! And his temper is so violent, Lin Yan has already calculated how many months she can survive after being taken away by him, and how many days later her eyes will be dug out... Damn it's too brutal!

  Lin Wan did not expect things to turn out this way. In her opinion, the worst situation was that she would be framed for infidelity. But ironically, no one came to frame her, and it was the Mongolian king who solemnly proposed to Emperor Tuoba Hong to marry her! Her crime had already been nailed down!

  If she stayed in Qin Guo...she didn't know if Tuoba Hong would execute her or not. Even if she wasn't killed, she was already finished.

  "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Lin Wan kneeled forward, her eyes shining with tears as she cried out: "If it's for the sake of maintaining relations between our two nations, I'm willing to marry into Mongolia. I've heard that in the past, Princess Zhaojun didn't become a queen, but instead threw herself into the Black River at the border of the two countries... As someone who has received the emperor's grace and favor, I am willing to die for the great Qin dynasty. Your Majesty can rest assured, once I arrive in Mongolia, I will take my own life and not bring shame to the imperial family..."

  Her face was already streaked with tears, and Lin Yuan's usual stunning beauty now looked even more pitiful. She was truly crying with deep emotion, wanting to let Tuoba Hong know how much she loved him. Her loyalty was for his country, her sacrifice was for his love, and her painful weeping was due to the regret and longing of never seeing him again. Although in reality, she was completely crying for herself.

  This is so unlucky!

  She thought to herself, since things have come this far, she might as well continue playing with fate. If she could stay in the Qin Kingdom, that would be best; she put on a dignified and righteous expression, full of deep meaning and emotion towards Tuoba Hong, perhaps she could turn the situation around. If Tuoba Hong sold her to the Mongolian king to stabilize the situation, once she arrived at the Mongolian palace, it would be out of his control, and when the time came, she would gently and carefully serve Yuan Lie; what could Tuoba Hong do to her then? As for the things Yuan Lie said today, if questioned about them later, she would explain that she was afraid Tuoba Hong had murderous intentions, so she was just protecting herself. Even if she really did go to the Mongolian palace, using all her skills and abilities, why would she necessarily be tormented to death by Yuan Lie? Perhaps she could still live a good life.

  Her hard work performance did not get the response it deserved. Tuoba Hong let out a cold snort, his chilly gaze swept over Yuan Lie's body, and then with anger, he glanced at Lin Yuen before turning around and leaving the hall.

  Lin Yan stared blankly at his back as he strode away, and finally collapsed to the ground.

  ***

  Man proposes, God disposes, Lin Yuan had always known this saying.

  After Tuoba Hong left, the eunuch in charge of the imperial palace came over and transmitted the edict, saying "Gu Yi Lin Shi is seriously ill", ordering her to be sent to a side chamber for quiet recuperation; he also respectfully escorted the Mongolian king out of the palace.

  Lin Wan had not been able to return to her own palace since she was summoned by the Emperor in the morning. She sat alone in a place where she was locked up, with tears streaming down her face, and outside the tent stood more than a dozen eunuchs and palace maids with cold expressions guarding her. The house was so cold and hard that there was not even a camel-hair blanket, only a brazier to prevent her from freezing to death in the extremely cold weather of Sai Bei.

  She was huddled in the corner, not crying out of despair, but every time she thought about the cause and effect of this matter, she couldn't help but punch the wall to vent her anger. The thumping sound made the palace maids outside think that she wanted to hang herself, and they pushed open the door several times with a big shock. Lin Yu was really angry, who should she beat to death? Was it the Empress or the Mongolian King? When she escaped into the forest, if she didn't ask for help, she would have been burned to death. Now that she had barely survived, she became an adulteress. Those bastards all deserved to die! The Empress should die, Yuan Lie should die, and that bastard Tuoba Hong should also die!

  Now Tuoba Hong has abandoned her in such a place, and she really can't guess what he's thinking. Is he planning to agree with the Mongolian king and then secretly send himself out of Qin country after two days? Or does he want to grant himself death in a few days? Life or death has always been just a thought away for Tuoba Hong, and Lin Yan is not stupid enough to calculate her weight in Tuoba Hong's heart. She is very clear that the outcome of this matter depends entirely on whether Tuoba Hong is more afraid of losing face by being robbed of his wife or more eager for the benefits of entanglement with Mongolia.

  This phrase is too apt to describe her current situation. After a trip to the imperial hunting grounds, she not only served the emperor well but also accomplished several major tasks. She thought that once she returned to the capital, she would be promoted and get a raise, but instead, a Mongolian king suddenly fell from the sky and hit her on the head, leaving her half dead.

  Lin Yan thought that these smashing walls were even more vigorous. Suffocating, suffocating, even if I die, I don't want to die in this way!