When Ye Tang appeared again after bathing and changing, Arubasi was completely taken aback. He stared blankly for a long moment, unable to stop himself from praising aloud, "Such a beautiful woman! Iâve never seen such a beautiful woman in my life!"
The Southern Ocean Kingdom lay to the south. The sun and wind were much harsher there, and the complexions of both men and women were very wild and coarse. Even young maidens didnât have delicate skin; their faces were all full of freckles. In short... none of them were very good-looking!
After arriving in the Great Chu Dynasty, he had seen delicate and pretty women. He had slept with them, but he still didnât quite like them. They were good-looking, to be sure, but only good enough for warming his bed. He always felt something was missing.
Now that he had seen Ye Tang, he instantly understood. It turned out those women lacked a certain wildness.
Thatâs right!
He liked women with a sunny wildness, women who were strong and beautiful like cheetahs! He was a hero, and she was no pushover. They could fight side-by-side, a perfectly harmonious couple! But those with delicate skin, who acted so coyly, were more like objectsâunable to stand on their own, not treated as companions. Just as cattle and sheep were raised to be eaten, those women were kept merely as tools for warming his bed!
Now, suddenly encountering such a womanâa female General who was coarse yet delicate, wild yet refinedâhe was utterly overjoyed.
Beautiful, this woman is simply too beautiful!
Ye Tang, across from him, was speechless.
She already wanted to kill someone, okay? This old coot is actually so lecherous. She hadnât fallen into Min Zhuoâs hands, nor into Min Tuâs. To think sheâd actually fall into the hands of this old coot! Never would I have thought, never! This is so frustrating!
She touched the small dagger hidden on the inside of her arm, her gaze extremely resolute.
She had already made up her mind: if this old coot dared to lay a single finger on her, she would cut off his manhood and then kill herself. Hmph!
Ye Tang looked at him warily and asked, "What do you want?"
Arubasi hurriedly smiled. "No, nothing! I just want to ask... what is your name, and why are you so different from other women?"
Ye Tang gritted her teeth.
I want to kill him right now!
But, realizing it wasnât the right opportunity, she gave a cold sneer, "What my name is has nothing to do with you!"
Seeing the beauty get angry, Arubasi hurriedly apologized, "This king... This king was presumptuous! Please forgive me, miss!"
Ye Tang couldnât believe her eyes when she saw him like this.
A weasel paying a New Yearâs visit to a chickenâheâs surely up to no good!
she thought bitterly. So she simply ignored him, just rolling her eyes without saying a word.
Who knows what Arubasi is thinking?
Seeing he couldnât get any information out of her, he wasnât annoyed and even ordered his men to serve her well!
When he finally left, even Ye Tang couldnât believe her own eyes.
This old coot, has he gone mad?
Unexpectedly, that evening, two women with smooth and tender skin arrived. Dressed like Maids, they invited Ye Tang to another room. This room was also on the ship and wasnât large, but it was decorated quite exquisitely, equipped with everything a woman could possibly need.
As soon as the two Maids entered, they knelt down before her. "Greetings, Princess Consort!"
"Huh?!" Ye Tangâs legs went weak from shock. "What did you call me?!"
"Princess Consort! Our Great King intends to marry you; he has already sent people to make the preparations! Youâll soon become our new Princess Consort!"
"Ah!" Ye Tang nearly fainted from fright. "You... youâre serious?"
"How could this be false? Word has already spread outside. If Your Highness the Princess Consort doesnât believe it, you can go out and see for yourself!"
"..."
Ye Tang was utterly panicked.
Damn it! This old coot is courting death! No wonder he orchestrated this stunt. It turns out heâs taken a fancy to me! Heâs already so old, and his son is grown, yet heâs not afraid of shortening his own lifespan. Truly shameless!
Raging fury coursed through Ye Tang. She once again felt for the dagger hidden on the inside of her arm.
If I die, she wondered, can I escape all this? Die? No, I canât die now; the war isnât over yet. Big Brother might still be in danger! Iâm not willing to give up like this.
So what should I do?
Ye Tang pondered, her eyes gradually lighting up.
Right! A delaying tactic! What if I agree for now?! On the wedding night, when that old coot lets down his guard, Iâll finish him with one stab! Then Iâll kill myself. At least Iâll take one life with me! Once Arubasi is dead, the Southern Ocean Kingdom is bound to fall into chaos. Then the Great Chu Dynasty can seize the opportunity to close in and annihilate them in one fell swoop. Then this war will be thoroughly won! The Emperor will return to court, and Big Brother will be safe and sound. Yes! Perfect!
The more Ye Tang thought about it, the more she felt it was an excellent plan. Therefore... she straightened her posture and gave a light cough. "Alright!" she said. "I understand. You may leave first!"
The two Maids exchanged glances, but after being repeatedly urged by Ye Tang, they finally got up. "Yes, Princess Consort. We servants will be waiting right outside the door. If Your Highness desires anything, just call out!"
"Got it!" Ye Tang nodded. The Maids, seeing that there was indeed nothing amiss, then left.
Ye Tang surveyed the room. She then peered out through the window that had been nailed shut. She discovered that this room was actually right at the edge of the ship, quite high above the waterâs surface. There seemed to be another deck below it.
Hmm... I have to say, the craftsmen of the Southern Ocean Kingdom are damn skilled. How on earth was such a magnificent ship built? If only I had the blueprints!
Ye Tang sighed as she finished her inspection of the room.
Lying on the relatively soft bed, she didnât dare to remove her clothes. Covering herself with a thin blanket, she exhaustedly fell asleep.
In any case, Arubasi hadnât forced himself on her and had even arranged for people to serve her. So... she wouldnât be suffering for the time being.
Ye Tang was already quite content with this.
Having endured so much hardship since childhood, I never expected to enjoy a few carefree days before dying. Not bad, not bad at all!
With these thoughts, she soon fell asleep.
When she woke up the next day, she discovered it was extremely noisy outside. Ye Tang immediately got up and listened against the wall. Unfortunately, she couldnât understand much of their language; it took quite a while before she could vaguely grasp what they were saying. These soldiers were somewhat dissatisfied with their king. They were clearly about to run out of provisions, yet he still wanted to take a wife!
Their Great King actually wants to take a wife under these circumstances! This is really...!
Ye Tang covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
Haha, thatâs an option too? Rebel, go on, rebel! It would be best if everything descends into utter chaos! It seems this time I really have no choice but to âmarryâ him! Old coot, just you wait!
ăTwo days slipped by in a flash.ă
Arubasi, by some unknown means, had managed to suppress those grumbling soldiers. In any case, throughout the entire army now, no one dared to voice any opposition.
By that afternoon, the shipâs main cabin had been fully decorated. The wedding ceremony to worship heaven and earth was set for the evening. In Ye Tangâs room, a set of neat and beautiful bridal attire was delivered. Two Maids were attending to her, helping her with her makeup and bridal attire.