Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

Chu Shihuan read out the imperial edict conferring the title of "King Yuan", the cold title and the empty promise of "the boundless land in the northern desert".

Like a heavy stone dropped into a silent lake, it stirred up silent and complex ripples in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of northern tribesmen.

Doubt, reluctance, humiliation, and some complex comfort over the return of the last emperor's remains silently surged among the crowd - but if they wanted to resist directly, they would probably have to pay a terrible price!

There are over 400,000 Great Xia troops stationed in and around this city! While the Northern Tribe's individual combat capabilities are high, the current number of over 100,000 people is not united, and it's difficult for a group of scattered sand to form a battle group!

Just when the oppressive silence was about to be broken by whispers again, Chu Shihuan took a deep breath, and his voice suddenly rose, carrying a deliberately created "joy" and "blessing", and resounded throughout the audience again:

"To ensure peace in the northern desert and forever establish a friendly relationship between Great Xia and Prince Yuan, His Majesty the Emperor of Great Xia has issued a special decree!" He surveyed the dense crowd below, his gaze particularly sweeping over the young and robust Northern nobles. "We'll select an auspicious day in Guiyuan City and hold a competition to find a husband! Your Majesty's two daughters—Princess Xin Chu Xin and Princess Rou Chu Rou—and General Wei Yu Qin Shuangyu's daughter—Princess Changning Qin Zhen! These three noble daughters will choose outstanding grassland heroes as their husbands!"

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like dropping cold water into boiling oil, and the entire square instantly erupted! Some of the grief, anger, and doubts were shattered by this sudden "happy event"... The opportunities hidden behind this must be huge!

Countless eyes lit up, especially those of the young nobles and warriors from all tribes! The Princess of Daxia! And the daughter of the renowned war god on the grasslands—General Wei Yu, Qin Shuangyu? Princess Changning!

"All the noble sons of the northern tribes, those who possess both courage, strength, talent and virtue, are welcome to participate!" Chu Shihuan's voice rose above the clamor. "There's only one rule: the ultimate winner must be recognized by the princess or county lord's father and brother before the ceremony is complete!"

Behind the viewing platform, in an area separated by heavy guards, is where the protagonists who are about to be "married" are located.

Princess Xin, Chu Xin, was only fifteen years old, with a hint of pride between her eyebrows. She looked at the boiling sea of ​​people below, curled her lips, and whispered to Princess Rou, Chu Rou beside her: "Royal sister, look at this group of barbarians... It's a good thing they have three thousand followers with them, otherwise they would have suffered a lot."

The "three thousand followers" she mentioned were a large team including guards, maids, servants, etc., which also guaranteed her status and safety when she married into the North.

Princess Rou, Chu Rou, was sixteen years old and had a more calm and cautious temperament. Upon hearing this, she only frowned slightly and said softly, "Sister, please be careful with your words. This is national policy."

Princess Changning Qin Zhen, Liu Rusi, and Fang Qiu, who was now "disguised as a man" and in charge of guarding, were chatting together as a trio.

"Are you really going to marry a foreign prince? You're only fourteen, right?" Liu Rusi couldn't help but feel pity. She knew that in the old days, women married early, but to be so young, she had to bear the burden of marrying a foreign prince, and to marry a northern tribe with such unruly customs...

But Changning herself didn't think so. On the contrary, she was very excited! She said with great joy, "In a few months, I'll be fifteen! I should be talking about marriage, but there's no suitable candidate in Daxia! It's perfect to come here and choose! Or does it have to pass my father's martial arts competition to choose a bride? Doesn't that mean I can choose anyone I want?"

In front of the viewing platform, just one room away, is the viewing position of Prince Duan, Prince Kang and others, and the sounds from behind can also be heard.

At this moment, Prince Kang Chu Shikun heard Changning's confident and even somewhat "frivolous" words and couldn't help but frown. He was frail and his voice was low. With a hint of worry, he said to Chu Shiyu beside him: "The candidate for the marriage should be a noble from the northern tribe who has a certain appeal. Now that the Oirat is weak and the Tatars are divided... Changning is so frivolous. If she really chooses someone who is unsuitable..."

Chu Shiyu's gaze remained calm as he scanned the restless crowd below. Upon hearing this, he shook his head slightly and said in a low but clear voice, "My Royal Brother, you are worrying too much. People with such great power are probably difficult to control and may easily become disloyal. It would be best..."

"The person we choose is someone with status and bloodline, but who is in a state of disgrace. The declining branch of the original Golden Family is one of the best choices. By leveraging the power of Great Xia and helping it to rise, it can be used by me and become the real arm of the 'Prince Yuan', rather than a hindrance." He deliberately emphasized the word "Prince Yuan", pointing out the core purpose behind this adoption and marriage - to foster a controllable agent.

Return to the central platform.

Chu Shihuan looked at the young people of the Northern Tribe who had become active again in the audience because of the marriage proposal news and even started to look at each other and compete with each other. He felt a little relieved and knew that this move was a safe one.

He struck while the iron was hot and turned his gaze towards Seriguleng, who was still immersed in grief on the throne and unmoved by the outside world. He announced in a more solemn and compassionate tone:

"Your Highness Prince Yuan is old and virtuous, with lofty ambitions, but he still has no children, which is truly a pity. In order to continue the holy heir and forever guard the northern border, Your Majesty has granted His Highness Prince Yuan special permission!"

He deliberately emphasized the word "granted permission" and said, "From among the various tribes of Mobei, I will select a man of good character and outstanding talent to adopt as my son and inherit the throne of King Yuan! This son will be the continuation of the Golden Family's bloodline and the future ruler of the Mobei grasslands!"

The word "common leader" was like thunder, dropping another bombshell on the crowd that had just been agitated by the marriage proposal! This time, even many tribal leaders and elders stared wide-eyed, their breathing becoming heavy!

The heir of King Yuan! The future ruler of the Mobei grasslands! The lure of power contained in this title far surpasses marrying a princess or a princess!

Countless gazes instantly became hot and greedy, and they began to search for possible competitors in the crowd, secretly calculating the strength and bargaining chips of the tribe.

Then, Chu Shihuan solemnly removed an object from the brocade box held by his attendant. It was a warm, ancient, white jade seal with a coiled dragon knob. The knob was intricately carved, and the jade shone with a restrained brilliance in the morning light. The seal ribbon was bright yellow, symbolizing the supreme power it once represented.

"This is the seal of the previous crown prince!" Chu Shihuan held the jade seal high in the air, his voice booming, ensuring it reached the entire audience. "Now it serves as proof of His Royal Highness Prince Yuan's identity! When a successor is chosen to inherit the throne, this seal, along with the title of Prince Yuan, will be passed on to the new Prince Yuan to certify his Golden Family's legitimacy and ensure he inherits the mandate of the Mobei co-ruler!"

The initial thoughts of cooperation sparked by the marriage proposal were instantly replaced by a fiercer sense of competition. The Great Xia Emperor's "adoption" had successfully cast a huge bait, the "legitimate heir," enough to plunge all of Mobei into a vortex of future struggles for succession rights!

On the platform, Seriguleng's tears were still flowing, but he had calmed down. He stared at the coffin in a daze. He seemed to have heard the announcement of "adoption," but it was also as if he hadn't. His world seemed to consist only of this coffin covered in dragon patterns and the longing for his homeland that had been buried deep in his heart for over half a century.

Chu Shihuan completed the two most important political announcements. Looking at the crowd below who were already stirred up by the position of "successor to King Yuan", he knew that the time had come.

The competition for a bride, the process for selecting Prince Yuan's successor, and the start date in three days had all been posted in Daxia and Mongolian script at the four gates of the city... So what was next...

He took a step back and winked at Zhu Hengzhen, who had been standing nervously beside Serriguleng's chair.

Zhu Hengzhen understood, leaned down, and leaned close to Seriguleng's ear. In a voice so low that only the two of them could barely hear, he asked with great respect, "Your Highness... Your Majesty, do you... have any other wishes?"

Seriguleng's suddenly clear eyes seemed to have become much more cloudy in that short time. He moved away from his father's coffin with great difficulty and very slowly. His skinny neck seemed to have exhausted the last bit of strength and turned with great difficulty towards the east - that was where the nearest green sea was.

His lips trembled violently, moving for a long time before he squeezed out a few broken, weak, almost inaudible syllables from his dry throat:

"I want to... go see the grassland..."

Zhu Hengzhen was deeply saddened and conveyed the last prince's last wish to the fifth prince.

Then, the Fifth Prince, Chu Shihuan, faced the hundreds of thousands of pairs of eyes watching below, and with all his strength, he clearly and sorrowfully declared this humble dying wish:

"His Royal Highness Prince Yuan said: I wish to see my homeland... and see the grasslands—"

The sound spread across the silent square with a power that penetrated people's hearts.

In an instant, all the noise, calculations, greed, and anger turned into a silent sigh filled with deep compassion in the face of this pure attachment to the homeland.

"Turn!" The officer in charge of the royal chariot immediately gave the order in a low voice.

The two burly soldiers carefully lifted the withered old man and the chair. This time, no one shouted or cursed, but everyone held their breath as they watched the soldiers place the old man and the chair into the imperial sedan chair. Eight strong soldiers steadily lifted the sedan chair, walked down the platform, and headed towards the passage east of the city...

The vast desert and grassland are intertwined in the Saiyin Mountains, and there is continuous grassland a few miles to the east.

The sedan chair carrying the "Prince Yuan" headed towards the green sea, and different groups followed. Divided by nationality and aspirations, the procession naturally split into two distinct groups.

Among the Northern Tribe, the already terrified "pilgrims" wore solemn expressions, their steps heavy, as if every step was treading upon the lands of their ancestors. Young nobles, eager to inherit the Holy Prince's glory, fixed their gazes intently on the dying figure beneath his splendid attire, calculating their own opportunities. Of course, there were also those harboring their own hidden agendas, observing with cold eyes, even harboring hidden resentment. Their whispers merged into a suppressed hum, mingling with the rustling of the grassland wind.

On the Daxia side, order prevailed. Prince Kang, Chu Shikun, had just recovered from a serious injury and was running low on energy. He and the meticulous Fifth Prince, Chu Shihuan, remained in Guiyuan City to oversee the ceremony's aftermath and deal with the documented troublemakers.

The soldiers separated themselves into an elite team to guard the three noble ladies who were about to marry - Princesses Chu Xin, Chu Rou, and Princess Changning Qin Zhen - as well as their respective fathers and brothers: General Wei Yu Qin Shuangyu, Prince Changtai Qin Tao was naturally among them, and the two princesses' brother, Prince Duan Chu Shiyu.

Liu Rusi was practically "tied" to Chu Shiyu's side. She rode beside him in her riding clothes and soft armor, covered with a light fur coat that Chu Shiyu had forced on her. It seemed a bit heavy on this late spring morning in Mobei.

She had wanted to blend in quietly with the team, but Chu Shiyu would never allow her to leave his sight in such a chaotic and hostile situation. He would turn his eyes from time to time to confirm her presence, as if she were a wisp of wind that could dissipate at any time.

Liu Rusi was already accustomed to his gaze, and she only carefully observed the burly General Qin Shuangyu who was following Wang Ni closely.

The carriage stopped at the edge of the grassland.

The soldiers carrying the sedan chair carefully placed the chair and its occupant gently on the soft grass. The sun shone unimpeded, dispelling the last traces of the morning chill and casting a faint golden glow on Serjigu's pale, paper-white face.

The weather is just right in spring, with white clouds that don't make it too hot, but also don't prevent the sun from casting its golden rays on the vast grassland.

As far as the eye can see, a vast expanse of golden and green interweaves, extending all the way to the end where the sky and the earth meet. The morning breeze blows, and the grass waves roll, like the gentle breath of the earth.

Seriguleng's eyes, which had seen through the mysteries of life and experienced many vicissitudes of life, had become cloudy at some point. At this moment, he stared greedily and intently at the land that he had been away from for more than half a century and was still dreaming about.

The pain and sorrow that had never subsided in his heart seemed to be soothed a little by the magnificent and familiar scenery before him. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, almost imperceptibly. It wasn't a smile, but more like a sigh... of finally seeing his homeland.

The eight soldiers from Daxia were closest to him, acting as both guards and prisoners. Separated by the soldiers on his left were the Northern tribesmen who had spontaneously followed him, while on his right were the royal family and nobles of Daxia… One of the burly generals unnoticed passed the soldiers and reached the spot closest to Seriguleng…

The genius doctor Zhu Hengzhen had completed his mission, but he still dutifully checked the last prince's pulse... and was immediately shocked when he felt it: "Death pulse!"

Liu Rusi immediately and naturally stepped forward, separating Qin Shuangyu from the front, and asked with surprise, curiosity, and concern, "Teacher Zhu, what is a dead pulse? Can it be saved?"

"Help..." Zhu Hengzhen was stunned but then calmed down. He was just surprised to feel a rare pulse... The original order of the emperor was that if the last prince was still alive three days after the ceremony, he was afraid... now he had to let nature take its course.

Zhu Hengzhen then regained his medical mindset, retreating to the right to give the dying man some space while explaining to Liu Rusi, "A death pulse is a pulse that indicates imminent death. It's usually only felt by the elderly or those who have been terminally ill for a long time. It's a pulse that indicates the body's Qi, blood, and essence have been completely depleted, and there's no hope of recovery... Judging from His Highness Prince Yuan's death pulse, I'm afraid this moment is his limit..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Rusi walked forward with a look of pity, concern and curiosity on her face, quietly looked at the old Taoist priest and nodded, then reached out to feel his pulse.

On the left, there were northern people who could understand Chinese. Upon hearing the news, they sent out Mongolian doctors and shamans. They obviously did not trust the one-sided statement of the Daxia people and wanted to personally investigate the condition of the Holy Prince.

The attention at the scene was focused on these doctors from all sides, but few people noticed the burly General Qin Shuangyu, whose resolute face could not hide the sadness...