Chapter 148: The North Wind

Today, Cining Palace welcomed guests for the first time in a long while!

A group dressed entirely differently from those in the Jiangnan region.

Before the roosters crowed, they moved to the crisp sound of the night watchman's bell.

Ding—

They had already set out from Fengtian Gate!

Stepping through the morning mist, they traversed the long palace corridors toward Cining Palace.

Tuoba Hongyan, among the group, lifted his head slightly to gaze at the grand imperial palace.

The Son of Heaven's residence, indeed majestic.

His mind involuntarily recalled his father's "Leopard Pavilion," reeking of wild beasts.

Upon ascending the throne, his father reorganized the Grand Secretariat and designed the "Leopard Pavilion" as the place to review memorials and military orders!

Inside, he kept tigers, leopards, and hunting dogs—every entry carried a thick, pungent odor.

The bed was strewn with firewood; he ate raw meat!

At this thought, Tuoba Hongyan's teeth ached.

His father claimed it was "sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall," never forgetting the humiliation of the Yellow River.

The Leopard Pavilion also displayed portraits of Lu Chen; his father would often stand before them for long stretches.

Tuoba Hongyan always felt his father was haunted by a demon.

He had originally planned to face Lu Chen again in a fair duel.

Over these years, his father had lost all desire.

Or rather—he had lost his spirit!

Back then, Lu Chen's Lu Family Army was terrifying.

As long as Lu Chen lived, the North Wind dared not march south!

"Father cares more about Lu Shaobao than he does about his own son!"

He sighed.

The morning autumn chill grew sharper.

Yet compared to the biting winds of the North Wind, this cold felt negligible.

Tuoba Hongyan tightened the fur hat on his head—he hadn't worn it since arriving in Jiangnan.

Had it not been for his servant's reminder today!

He might have forgotten that the North Wind of this season demanded a hat to ward off the cold.

He suddenly realized.

Long residence in the capital had made him forget the North Wind.

For the past two years, he had served as both envoy and hostage in Daqing.

Others lived in constant dread; he, however, thrived.

Once, he favored plump women—tall, strong, and thrilling to ride astride.

Now!

He had fallen for the "slender horses of Yangzhou," their damp jade feet, petals drifting, dancing and singing in a single embrace.

As Tuoba Hongyan thought of this!

He patted his belly—his clothes no longer fit.

He'd drunk too much last night; this morning, he was still dazed.

"Ah, Jiangnan's decadence dulls a true man's ambition!"

No wonder southern scholar-officials disliked war!

Living in Jiangnan was living in paradise.

Leisurely ease, better than a god's!

They arrived at Cining Palace!

Tuoba Hongyan entered alone and met the Grand Empress Dowager.

Behind the pearl curtains!

An elderly woman with white hair sat calmly, beside her a tall woman.

The eunuchs and palace maids withdrew silently, leaving only trusted attendants.

The elderly woman was Daqing's Grand Empress Dowager.

The tall woman was the former Princess of the North Wind, now Empress—and his aunt.

Tuoba Hongyan bowed; he was granted a seat.

"Today is colder than usual. I summoned you here of my own accord."

"I didn't expect… you've dressed so heavily!"

The Empress Dowager's voice came from behind the curtain—surprisingly not aged.

Tuoba Hongyan froze.

He suddenly realized!

His full fur robes clashed with the palace hall's atmosphere.

His aunt wore only a light gauze shawl.

The maids had added just one extra garment.

The hall's windows were sealed; iron braziers glowed with charcoal—warmer than outside.

The elderly woman's voice came again, colder now.

"It seems the North Wind and Daqing are truly different."

At these words!

Tuoba Hongyan's drunken haze vanished instantly.

He realized—he was in Daqing's imperial palace, facing the Grand Empress Dowager, the legendary figure who had endured five dynasties and remained unshaken.

Though North Wind and Daqing had been at peace for fifteen years, ancient enmities lingered—especially for this Empress Dowager, who had lived through that humiliation firsthand.

He suddenly remembered!

This Empress Dowager was also the birth mother of the current Emperor Hui; years ago, Emperor Hui and his concubines had once been forced to perform the "Sheep Signing Ceremony" in North Wind territory.

Had it not been for Chen Sanzhong carrying her away alone, she might have been exiled to the frozen north.

He was momentarily stunned.

Empress Zhou Jinyu's laughter broke the tension.

Her voice carried a teasing tone:

"Looks like Hongyan was out drinking again last night—sleepy this morning! Did you find another beauty?"

Tuoba Hongyan had taken eight wives since arriving in the capital, within just one or two years.

Courtesans, widows, the "tofu beauty," and opera performers.

To Jiangnan scholar-officials, these were low-class; they valued social parity and status matching.

Tuoba Hongyan didn't care about such reputations.

He had no heirs yet.

In the capital's bustling streets, the people whispered: this northern prince was a "wax spear"—eight wives, two years, not one belly swelled.

Tuoba Hongyan didn't mind; he'd just mutter: "If you dare put your wife on my bed, see who she begs!"

The Grand Empress Dowager, this weathered old woman, had heard of Tuoba Hongyan's antics.

She smiled.

Her address to him changed accordingly.

"Hongyan, speak plainly—what does your father say this time?"

Tuoba Hongyan replied solemnly:

"My father's terms remain unchanged: once Lu Chen dies, the North Wind…"

He paused, realizing mentioning "the North Wind" here was inappropriate—he swallowed the words.

"We will launch troops south to assist His Majesty in reclaiming Jiangbei and Hexi."

"We will send one hundred thousand soldiers, all under His Majesty's command."

"To aid Daqing—unify the realm!"

The Grand Empress Dowager sat silently, listening to Tuoba Hongyan's words—she gave no immediate reply.

Tuoba Hongyan understood: this seasoned, politically astute woman had her own judgment.

He knew he lacked the eloquence to sway this most powerful woman in Daqing.

He said nothing, waiting quietly.

At last, the Grand Empress Dowager broke the silence, sighing deeply, her voice heavy with sorrow and resignation:

"Who becomes emperor doesn't matter—they're all Zhou clan sons. The second, eighth, sixth, even the fourth—all are capable."

But her tone shifted:

"Yet if my son dies and Daqing splits into three, how can I face our ancestors?"

After the Emperor's death on Mount Zhongnan, the realm split into three.

The one most heartbroken was this old woman.

"I agree—but I hope the North Wind remembers this promise, our decades of alliance."

"Great Qing is no longer the Great Qing it once was!"

At this, Tuoba Hongyan's face lit up with joy.

At that moment!

A eunuch from the Western Depot rushed in hurriedly, his expression utterly panicked, his voice trembling as he reported.

The matter was too grave to care about outsiders being present.

He stumbled into the hall and fell to the ground.

He cried out:

"Your Imperial Majesty, something is wrong!"

"Has the Chief Eunuch been harmed?"

"Someone has forged the Golden Arrow!"

(End of Chapter)