In Xifan, martial prowess is highly valued. The sons of the Great Khan are trained in martial arts from a young age, and when they come of age, they engage in combat. The ultimate victor becomes the next Great Khan. There was even a time, a hundred years ago, when a Khan passed the throne to his nephew because his own sons were all sickly.
Thus, Batur is not only the Great Khan of Xifan but also its foremost warrior. He possesses incredible strength, capable of uprooting mountains. The four warriors he brought with him are all worthy of being called Xifan warriors.
These five men drew their swords and fought, each capable of taking on ten opponents. If they were besieged by ordinary guards, it would be challenging to subdue them quickly.
However, their opponents were the Twelve Disciples of Xuanjing, the most skilled fighters of the Xuanjing Sect. These twelve individuals were not only exceptional martial artists but also deadly assassins, known for their ruthless and cunning methods.
In the end, two of Batur’s warriors were killed on the spot, leaving only Sabir and Sadik. These two, along with Batur, were captured alive, all severely wounded and bleeding. Their injuries were not fatal but extremely painful.
If not for Gu Jianli’s desire to keep them alive, the Twelve Disciples of Xuanjing would not have wasted so much time.
“Escort the Great Khan and his two warriors to the guest room and secure them with iron chains, lest the Great Khan loses his way in the mansion,” Gu Jianli said calmly and earnestly.
“Spit!” Batur trembled with rage, his tiger-skin robe in tatters, his blood-stained chest heaving. He cursed in Xifan, knowing Gu Jianli wouldn’t understand, then switched to Central Plains dialect.
Gu Jianli raised her eyes, smiling sweetly and speaking gently, “Great Khan, do not be angry, it will harm your health.”
She wasn’t upset by his cursing.
Batur stared at Gu Jianli’s calm demeanor and was momentarily stunned, being led away in a daze. As he was locked in a room, he grimaced in pain, glancing back at the door. He sneered coldly. Borrow troops from him? Fine, as long as he lived, he would rise again, and then he would take this woman, put a nose ring on her, and lock her up at home for his pleasure day and night!
Gu Jianli stood in the courtyard, not particularly pleased with capturing Batur. She knew the path she had chosen was incredibly difficult, with an uncertain future, leaving little to celebrate.
Changsheng, after arranging Batur’s confinement, ran over to report to Gu Jianli.
Changsheng seemed distracted.
Gu Jianli gave a few more instructions and turned to go to the side courtyard. Wen Jingshan and the two children were worried, so she needed to reassure them.
As Changsheng walked away, he kept glancing back at Batur’s cell, sighing heavily.
Jixia had long noticed his odd behavior and ran after him.
“Changsheng, what’s on your mind? You look so distracted that I suspect you might be a spy for the enemy! Confess, are you planning to secretly release Batur?”
Changsheng rolled his eyes at her, exasperated.
Jixia patted his shoulder, laughing and changing her tone, “What’s really bothering you?”
She knew Changsheng couldn’t be a spy. If she truly suspected him, she wouldn’t say it so plainly. With Batur successfully captured, Jixia felt delighted and teased Changsheng for fun.
“What’s it to you, little girl!” Changsheng retorted, clearly upset.
He had been at Xuanzhen Sect since childhood, and becoming one of the Twelve Disciples of Xuanzhen had been his ambition from a young age. Unfortunately, his skills were lacking, and he never made it into the ranks of the twelve most prestigious members of Xuanzhen Sect. The Twelve Disciples were not a fixed group; anyone could challenge a current member and replace them if they won.
When would he be able to take their place?
Changsheng sighed, silently vowing not to indulge in idleness and trivial pursuits any longer. Once this matter was resolved, he would diligently train to ensure he made it into the ranks of the Twelve Disciples as soon as possible.
Gu Jianli went to Wen Jingshan, briefly explaining the situation to her, which startled her. However, having experienced many things, Wen Jingshan quickly calmed down after the initial shock, silently contemplating the current circumstances.
Gu Jianli then looked at Ji Xinglou, who wore a sulky expression reminiscent of Ji Wujing’s occasional tantrums. He sat quietly, playing with a tassel woven by Ji Xinglan, clearly unwilling to interact with Gu Jianli. He was still upset about Gu Jianli forbidding him to follow her.
Ji Xinglan climbed down from the Luohan bed and sat beside Ji Xinglou on the bench. She said nothing, simply sitting quietly next to her brother. Ji Xinglou glanced at her, and she responded with a sweet smile.
After thinking for a while, Gu Jianli sighed lightly, her brows furrowing with a pitiful expression. She looked at Ji Xinglou with a pleading gaze and said, “Xinglou, I was almost taken away just now.”
Since Gu Jianli had entered the room, Ji Xinglou finally looked up at her.
Gu Jianli sighed again, stretching out her hand towards Ji Xinglou, speaking softly, “Your father is asleep. I don’t know if we can avoid trouble next time bad people come. Xinglou, can you protect me? If I’m taken away, will you be sad? Will you come looking for me?”
“He wouldn’t dare!” Ji Xinglou’s neck stretched, his eyes widening. He jumped off the bench and ran to Gu Jianli.
Gu Jianli seized the moment, holding his thin little arm, bending down to embrace Ji Xinglou, and gently whispered, “I was so scared just now…”
Awkwardly, Ji Xinglou patted Gu Jianli’s shoulder, clumsily consoling, “Pfft, what’s there to be scared of! Gu Jianli, don’t be such a coward…”
Wen Jingshan watched the scene quietly, smiling softly.
Gu Jianli looked up and winked at Wen Jingshan.
Lizi, grinning foolishly, ran over, forgetting to knock, standing at the door with a radiant smile.
“What’s going on?” Gu Jianli asked, smiling warmly at the simple-minded Lizi.
“Master Tiger is here!” Lizi said with a cheerful grin.
Gu Jianli didn’t know when Lizi started calling Gu Jingyuan “Master Tiger.” She got up and hurried to the front yard, grabbing two pieces of red bean lotus cakes from a small plate and handing them to Lizi. She remembered Lizi liked these.
When Gu Jianli arrived at the side hall and saw Gu Jingyuan, she recounted the day’s events in detail.
Gu Jingyuan looked at his delicate daughter standing before him, his feelings too complex to express.
After a moment, he sighed.
On the way here, he had been worried about his little girl, his nerves tense. Now, seeing her safe and sound, he relaxed a bit, sitting silently in the armchair and pouring himself a cup of tea.
“Father, given the current developments, it seems we have no choice but to face the difficulties head-on,” Gu Jianli said earnestly.
“Face the difficulties head-on?” Gu Jingyuan asked. “Someone must have known Batur was coming here today. Now that he’s gone, how will you explain this to the Xifan people? How will you explain it to His Majesty? Batur is currently a guest of honor for Ji Lan.”
“Father, I had Changsheng find a few tall men to impersonate Batur and his warriors. They left through the front gate of Xuanzhen Sect, strolled through the bustling market, and finally rode out to the countryside,” Gu Jianli said with a faint smile. “The Great Khan of Xifan made many friends and indeed visited our mansion today, but he left long ago. Who knows where he is now?”
Gu Jingyuan was stunned.
“You—you’re truly daring to cause such mischief!”
Gu Jianli replied, “In a hurry, this was the only method I could think of. I must ask for Father’s guidance on any flaws.”
Gu Jingyuan stared at Gu Jianli for a while before suddenly laughing heartily. After laughing, he sighed, “I joined the military at twelve and spent half my life in the army. If foreign forces invaded now, I would immediately request to fight, willing to die on the battlefield but never yielding an inch of land. Now that I’ve relinquished my military power, I’m truly weary of royal infighting and don’t want to be a pawn in the power struggles of royal siblings. For the country, I would shed my blood on the battlefield. For power, it would disgrace my sword and the bones of those who fell before me.”
Gu Jianli was moved and felt apologetic. “I thought Father just wanted to protect himself; I never realized Father’s deeper intentions…”
“Forget it. I wanted to fish, hunt, and plant beans in the south, but I have two troublesome daughters.” Gu Jingyuan shook his head helplessly. “In the end, it was my two daughters who pushed me onto this pirate ship. Fine, if we must rebel, then we rebel.”
Gu Jianli smiled earnestly and said, “The prosperity of a nation depends not only on external defense but also on internal stability. A stable court and unity between the ruler and the people are necessary to build an invincible army, allowing Father to lead a million-strong force to expand our territory.”
Gu Jingyuan stared into Gu Jianli’s bright eyes for a long time, making Gu Jianli feel a bit uncomfortable.
“Did I say something wrong?” Gu Jianli asked, puzzled.
Gu Jingyuan suddenly asked, “Where’s that rascal Ji?”
Gu Jianli was momentarily stunned before replying, “He’s still asleep and won’t wake up for another five days.”
“That useless thing, always sleeping, sleeping, sleeping at crucial moments!”
Gu Jianli quickly defended Ji Wujing, “He’s doing it to detoxify himself, this is the last time!”
Gu Jingyuan sneered and remarked, “Fine, let him be. With that unreliable nature of Ji the Dog, it’s already good enough if he doesn’t cause trouble when he’s awake.”
Gu Jianli pressed her lips together, the words of rebuttal swirling on her tongue before she swallowed them back.
Forget it, it didn’t matter if others didn’t understand Ji Wujing’s merits; it was enough that she did.
Gu Jingyuan stayed until late, discussing many details with Gu Jianli. When night fell, Gu Jianli arranged for her father to stay over and then, feeling somewhat tired, returned to her room.
As she walked into the outer room, she faintly heard the maids Hongzan, Lüchai, Yanzhi, and Yudian huddled around the charcoal brazier, whispering and laughing. They kept their voices low, not wanting to disturb Ji Wujing, who was sleeping inside. Yet, even in their hushed tones, their joy was unmistakable.
They were talking about Batur.
“Madam,” the four maids immediately stopped their chatter and stood up to greet her.
Gu Jianli glanced at Yudian a bit longer.
“You all worked hard today and were quite worried. There are four sets of jewelry in the third drawer. You can divide them among yourselves.”
“Thank you, Madam!” The four maids were all beaming with joy.
“Let’s change your names,” Gu Jianli suddenly said.
Hongzan, Lüchai, Yanzhi, and Yudian were renamed to Yuanping, Yuan’an, Yuanshun, and Yansui, respectively.
Gu Jianli frowned, feeling a bit uncertain, “It seems these names aren’t as pleasant as your previous ones?”
Yansui immediately replied, “Ping’an Shunsui – it signifies good fortune and harmony.”