The Blood Crown - Chapter 190

Before Yan Sikong returned to Qianzhou, Yuan Nanyu unexpectedly came to visit him—bringing along a pile of items.

“Why did Feng Ye suddenly allow you to see me?” Yan Sikong looked tired, but seeing Yuan Nanyu was probably the only thing that made him happy these past days.

“I told him that since you’re leaving soon and we can’t spend the New Year together, at least let me see you. He agreed.” Yuan Nanyu instructed his men to bring the items into the room while speaking, “When are you departing?”

“At sunset. I don’t want too many people to see me entering the city.” After feeling down for several days, Yan Sikong’s mood finally improved, and some color returned to his face.

Yuan Nanyu walked over to check on him: “You look a bit haggard. Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m alright.” Apart from his gloomy mood, Yan Sikong had also intentionally eaten and slept less to appear like a tormented prisoner upon returning to Qianzhou. Besides, he truly was tormented by every moment spent by Feng Ye’s side.

Yuan Nanyu took his pulse: “You seem a bit weak, and you’ve lost some weight. Is the food here in the northwest not to your liking?”

“No, the food is fine.” Yan Sikong smiled. “Probably just from being cooped up indoors for too long. It’s nothing serious.”

“Feng Ye is keeping you inside to avoid drawing attention… it’s not that he intended to lock you up,” Yuan Nanyu said, lightly coughing.

Yan Sikong smiled without replying.

“By the way, I heard Princess Wanyang gave you a little princess.” Yuan Nanyu’s eyes lit up. “Have you chosen a name for her yet?”

“Not yet. I’ll write to the family once I return to Qianzhou. Her nickname is Duo’er.”

“Duo’er.” Yuan Nanyu murmured the name, slowly taking off his mask. “They say daughters resemble their fathers. She must look like you, which means… she must also look like me, right?”

Yan Sikong nodded. “She must look quite similar.” He gazed at Yuan Nanyu’s handsome face, his eyes occasionally drifting to the conspicuous scar.

“You must really want to see her. Even I want to meet her.”

“If you like children so much, why haven’t you married yet?”

Yuan Nanyu smiled. “I used to be a poor wanderer, constantly on the move. I didn’t dare burden any woman.”

“But now you’re a great general, and many women would love to bear your children.” Yan Sikong said softly, “Why not get married?”

Yuan Nanyu shook his head. “It may sound grand, being a general, but in reality, I’m just a rebel. I could lose my head any day, so marriage is out of the question.”

Yan Sikong smiled. “Once we’ve accomplished our great mission, I’ll be sure to find you a good match.”

Yuan Nanyu blushed, “We’ll talk about that when the time comes. Look, I’ve brought you many things. It’s almost New Year’s; keep some for yourself, give some to the soldiers who came with you from the capital, and use the rest to deal with the officials in Qianzhou.”

“Alright.”

Yuan Nanyu stood up, opened a chest, and took out a thick fur cloak. The cloak was so substantial that it filled an entire chest, indicating its impressive quality.

“This is a treasure. You must keep it for yourself. It’s a bear-skin cloak, extremely warm. If you wear it outside, you won’t feel a bit of cold.” He draped the cloak over Yan Sikong’s shoulders. “See, it fits perfectly.”

“Such a beautiful and valuable bear-skin cloak—where did you get it?” Yan Sikong touched the cloak, noting the fine texture of the fur, which was clearly from the bear’s belly rather than the back. The cloak was so large that it reached his knees, indicating it came from an enormous bear.

Anyone who could afford to wear such a cloak must be extremely wealthy. The lowest quality fur cloaks were made from fox, sable, or wolf fur, which, being small animals, required patching together. Leopard and tiger skins were next, but these were too flashy for most Central Plains men. The best fur was bear skin, not only because it was thick and large enough to make a seamless garment, but also because bears were hard to hunt, making the fur rare and expensive. Among bear skins, those from the belly were the most valuable, being both soft and warm. Such a large piece of bear belly fur was priceless.

Yuan Nanyu casually replied, “I bought it.”

Yan Sikong frowned. “Bought it? How much did you spend?”

“Uh, a hundred taels.”

Yan Sikong took off the cloak and examined it closely. The stitching was meticulous, and the fit was perfect, clearly the work of a skilled craftsman. “Such a cloak would indeed fetch a hundred taels in the capital.”

Yuan Nanyu nodded.

“In gold.”

Yuan Nanyu froze.

“You clearly have no idea. A hundred taels of silver wouldn’t even buy the bear’s back fur. Where did you really get this?”

Faced with Yan Sikong’s scrutinizing gaze, Yuan Nanyu suddenly felt inexplicably nervous. He hesitated, “…I took it.”

“You’re lying. This cloak fits me perfectly. After you left Shu, the farthest south you went was Jingzhou. No one there, be they local gentry or royal nobility, would wear bear fur—it would be too hot. And after reaching Qianzhou, you didn’t harm a hair on anyone. So, where did you really get it?”

Yuan Nanyu scratched his nose, staying silent.

“You meant well by giving me this cloak. Why lie about it?” Yan Sikong asked, puzzled.

“…It was prepared for you by Feng Ye. He told me not to tell you,” Yuan Nanyu muttered.

Yan Sikong was stunned.

“When you were in the camp, you were always holding a hand warmer. Seeing that you’re afraid of the cold, Feng Ye personally went up the mountain and hunted a bear. He spent four days on the mountain before finding such a large one,” Yuan Nanyu explained, sneaking glances at Yan Sikong. “He then had a craftsman work through the night to make it.”

Yan Sikong clutched the soft fur, his mind in turmoil.

What was Feng Ye trying to do? Was this a mix of kindness and coercion? It was absurd.

“All these items were prepared by him,” Yuan Nanyu added. “Just pretend you don’t know.”

Yan Sikong didn’t want to continue on this topic, so he said, “After I leave, don’t forget to burn offerings for my father during the holidays. Since you’re still alive, don’t miss it even once.”

“I’ll remember.”

Yan Sikong looked at the scar on Yuan Nanyu’s forehead. “It seems to have faded a bit.”

“Maybe.” Yuan Nanyu shrugged. “I stopped caring about it a long time ago, but I don’t want to be pointed at either. Besides, since we look so much alike, it’s not good for me to show my face.”

Yan Sikong couldn’t help but reach out and touch the scar. “One day, I’ll make sure you can show your true face to the world, and no one will dare say a word against you.”

Yuan Nanyu smiled and nodded.

At sunset, Yan Sikong set out for Qianzhou, bringing along the several chests of items that Yuan Nanyu—no, Feng Ye—had prepared for him. His safe return and these gifts would serve as a gesture of goodwill from Feng Ye to Qianzhou, something Yan Sikong would use as a New Year’s offering to curry favor.

This time, unlike his previous return, there were no crowds lining the streets to welcome him. For one, it was already late at night, and his return was sudden. Moreover, the current situation was so dire that even someone like Xu Yong, who was always eager to curry favor, had no mind for it.

However, after receiving news of his return, they couldn’t wait to see him.

Yan Sikong began pretending to be ill. He had intentionally gone without proper rest and food for a few days to make his pulse weak, ensuring that they would see how haggard he had become under Feng Ye’s control.

As soon as he dismounted, Yan Sikong feigned unsteady steps and was supported into the post station.

Xu Yong asked worriedly, “What happened to you, Lord Yan? Did Feng Ye… torture you?”

Yan Sikong waved his hand and said sorrowfully, “Feng Ye treated me with some courtesy, but I couldn’t stop him from attacking Mao Ren. I’ve failed both the Emperor and the people. My heart is in torment. I feel… I feel ashamed to face you all.”

Everyone sighed in response. Xu Yong said, “Lord Yan, you shouldn’t blame yourself too much. Feng Ye is cunning and unpredictable. He must have realized that the court was trying to stall for time by wooing the Chahar tribe, so he… But we never expected that Mao Ren, which once resisted Feng Ye’s army, would fall so easily this time.”

Wu Mang added, “It was expected that Mao Ren would fall. First, Feng Ye launched a surprise attack at night, catching them off guard. Second, in the previous battle, Mao Ren suffered heavy losses, and the city walls weren’t even fully repaired. It was difficult for them to hold out.”

“What happened to Lord Shen and General Wang?” Yan Sikong asked.

“They’re both imprisoned. General Wang was injured, but his life isn’t in danger for now,” Wu Mang replied. “How is the situation in Qianzhou?”

“Our supplies can barely last a year,” Wu Mang sighed. “However, Feng’s army is highly respected by the people due to Prince Jingyuan. Since Feng Ye’s uprising, they’ve never harmed civilians when taking cities and have been very disciplined in gathering resources. His reputation for bravery and skill in battle has won him many followers. After Mao Ren fell, he recruited another twenty thousand Yao tribesmen. His forces are growing stronger by the day. If this continues, he’ll have enough troops for a full-scale assault before spring arrives.”

“But he doesn’t want a full-scale assault,” Yan Sikong said. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let me return.”

“Yes, why did he let you go, Lord Yan? Is there still room for negotiation regarding the imperial pardon?” someone asked.

Yan Sikong smiled bitterly. “I tried to persuade him until my mouth was dry. He’s tentatively agreed to the Emperor’s terms: to restore the Feng family’s honor and hand Xie Zhongren over to him. But… he wants the Hetao region.”

The room fell silent.

“Outrageous,” Xu Yong said bitterly.

“The moment trade is reopened, the Hetao region will regain its former prosperity in just three to five years. By then, it will be as if the very land itself produces gold. What an appetite he has.”

“But…” Xu Yong analyzed, “If we give him the Hetao region, it would serve to keep him out of the Central Plains and also protect us from Mongol raiders. It might not be entirely a bad thing.”

“Lord Xu, you’re mistaken,” Wu Mang said sternly. “Giving him the Hetao region would be like nurturing a tiger. Feng Ye is so bellicose that once he becomes wealthy and powerful, his ambitions will surely extend beyond the border.”

The room fell silent again, and everyone turned to look at Yan Sikong.

Yan Sikong said, “General Wu is right. The land is the foundation of the nation’s survival; not an inch of it can be ceded. Losing the Hetao region will fatten Wala, sacrifice Liaodong, and strengthen the Jin state. We’ve already learned this lesson the hard way. We absolutely cannot allow Feng Ye to establish his own kingdom on Da Sheng’s land. If we do, one day he’ll swallow the Central Plains whole.”

“So, what should we do now?”

“I’ll first write a letter to the Emperor, confessing my failure and explaining the situation. If there’s even the slightest hope of negotiating with Feng Ye, we need the court to make their stance clear so we know where we stand.”

“Lord Yan is right.”

“Feng Ye has prepared New Year’s gifts for all of you. I can tell he doesn’t really want to fight. He also knows that taking Qianzhou would come at a high cost. As long as he doesn’t want to fight,” Yan Sikong narrowed his eyes, “there’s a way to avoid it.”