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

As the vultures left one after another, the miraculous sky burial ceremony ended.

All that was left on the magnificent sedan chair was a torn piece of clothing and a few traces of blood, not even a skeleton was left.

This scene, which shocked the Daxia people, made all the Northern tribesmen who were watching ecstatic, with their eyes filled with awe and fanaticism!

They witnessed firsthand the Holy Prince's soul being carried by the divine eagle back to the embrace of Eternal Heaven! This was an unparalleled honor! Many people excitedly prostrated themselves before the shattered garment, which still held a sacred aura, performing the most solemn homage.

"The Holy Prince has passed away!"

"Changshengtian took his offspring away!"

"A miracle! A true miracle!"

Murmurs of prayer and cries of awe spread among the crowd.

According to Northern tradition, after a sky burial, relatives and descendants must observe mourning and avoid excessive pleasure. However, the Holy Prince Seriguleng was alone, with no direct blood relatives.

This grief and confusion were soon replaced by another more urgent thought - the continuation of the main line of the Golden Family!

Especially after witnessing the miracle with his own eyes, and... opening the coffin and examining the body of the Last Emperor!

Even though the Northern tribes were unwilling to accept the title of "Prince King" bestowed by Great Xia, this sacred bloodline and glorious family lineage deserved to be continued. The gathering of all the tribes on the grasslands was the perfect opportunity to confirm the identity of the Last Emperor and elect a new leader.

The Northern Tribes were known for their fierce and direct character, and they were still worried about being deceived by the Great Xia. After a brief discussion, several of the most influential tribal leaders unanimously requested an exhumation of the coffin and an autopsy.

The Daxia side seemed to have anticipated this. After receiving the notification in the city, Prince Kang Chu Shikun and the fifth prince Chu Shihuan instructed the defenders to "tactfully" clear the way to the coffin on the high platform.

The heavy coffin lid was pushed open by a combined force, and a scent of old wood mixed with special antiseptic herbs filled the air.

What came into view was a fairly well-preserved corpse! The hair and beard were intact, and the outline could just be seen, a typical Northern tribe's hair and beard!

Several old men who had seen the Last Emperor suddenly widened their cloudy eyes, tears welling up in their eyes, and excitedly confirmed in hoarse Mongolian:

"Yes...it's Your Majesty! It's the Emperor!"

The most crucial evidence was the armor found on the corpse! It was the highest-quality armor of the Northern Tribe, intricately emblazoned with the Golden Family's totems! The armor was riddled with scars from swords and axes, silently telling of the brutal bloody battle in the palace! And most shockingly, the spearhead lodged deep in the chest, leaving only a broken handle! It had pierced the heart!

Everything is consistent with the tragic legend that "the last emperor fought to death to protect his people's retreat and was fatally shot in the chest"!

"A glorious death in battle!" A tribal leader roared with red eyes, beating his chest.

"The unyielding heroic spirit of the Golden Family!" The crowd erupted in shouts of grief, indignation, and reverence.

All the prominent figures in the Northern Tribe, whether they were ambitious people with ulterior motives or pilgrims who truly admired the emperor, stepped forward solemnly one by one and paid deep respects to the legendary last emperor in the coffin, witnessing with their own eyes this unquestionable orthodoxy.

After the identity of the last emperor was confirmed, a new question arose - how to bury this emperor?

Arguments immediately broke out among the leaders.

"The Holy Prince has been buried in the sky. Your Majesty, as his father, should also be led by the divine eagle and his soul should return to the eternal heaven!" The voices of those who advocated sky burial were loud and clear.

"No! Your Majesty has been in the coffin for nearly sixty years, and his body has been preserved. This is God's will! We should continue to bury him in the coffin, choose a Feng Shui treasure land, and enjoy eternal sacrifices!" The group that supports coffin burial argued.

"Sky burial is the highest honor!"

"A coffin burial can only show its dignity!"

The arguing between the two sides grew louder and louder, and the atmosphere became tense again.

The news quickly spread to Prince Kang Chu Shikun and the fifth prince Chu Shihuan who were in charge of Guiyuan City.

Chu Shihuan immediately whispered to King Kang, "Royal brother, my father has long ago instructed that if the Northern Clan confirms their identity, it would be best to choose a burial site near this enthronement site, and later build a mausoleum for them. This will firstly demonstrate the generosity of our Great Xia, and secondly... this place is close to the Great Xia Yinshan Mountains, making it easier to supervise the sacrifices and also a strategy of appeasement and control."

Prince Kang, Chu Shikun, remained pale. He nodded slightly, his gaze calm. He glanced in the direction of the arguing northern tribesmen and spoke solemnly to his Mongolian-speaking subordinate, "Go and tell them: His Majesty the Last Emperor is of noble status; his burial should be decided by his descendants. Now that His Majesty the Yuan Prince has recently passed away, the successor remains undecided. Why not place His Majesty's coffin on a raised platform as a temporary resting place? Firstly, this will allow His Majesty to witness his passing; secondly, we can wait until his bloodline is established, and then have his descendants personally preside over His Majesty's burial ceremony, fulfilling both filial piety and upholding the orthodox tradition. This is the best of both worlds."

The official received the order, quickly climbed onto the platform, and conveyed King Kang's meaning in clear and loud Mongolian.

As expected, the arguing Northern Tribe leaders quieted down, exchanging glances. This proposal, while temporarily shelving the dispute and emphasizing the importance of the successor, also gave the Last Emperor the lofty position of "witness," seemed... to be the most respectable and ideal solution for them.

On the high platform, the coffin bearing the glory of the last emperor was re-covered under the gaze of the crowd. It rested quietly there, covered in the bright yellow silk symbolizing imperial power, like a silent judge, looking down at the northern grasslands below, which were about to be turbulent due to its "succession rights."

The long day of miracles and sorrow finally came to an end.

Inside and outside Guiyuan City, hundreds of thousands of people were filled with uneasy emotions. The Northern Tribes' attitude towards Daxia had become more nuanced than ever before.

Is it an enemy? Of course it is!

Not long ago, the Daxia cavalry was galloping across the grasslands, killing their "two largest forces" - the Oirat and the Tatars, leaving corpses everywhere.

Among the northern people gathered here at this moment, there are many warriors who once belonged to both sides. The blood of their comrades has not yet cooled, and the seeds of hatred are deeply buried in their hearts.

But this war is so complicated that it is difficult to simply attribute the blame.

The Oirat and Tatars had agreed to simultaneously invade Bactria from the northwest and northeastern borders in the autumn before the expected extreme winter of food shortages. However, the Tatar leaders harbored ulterior motives, using the elderly, weak, and sick as vacancies while the true main force seized the opportunity to attack the Oirat's rear.

Afterwards, Prince Duan of Daxia temporarily formed an alliance with the Oirat and besieged the Tatars.

However, the Oirat's food shortages fueled internal strife. Finally, the Oirat Khan made a fatal mistake—taking advantage of the Daxia's lax defenses on New Year's Eve and launching a night raid. However, they failed to anticipate Daxia's rapid construction, constructing a mud fort barely strong enough to withstand the cavalry. The Oirat commanders' impatience for quick success led to heavy losses.

This three-way fight was a mixture of gratitude and hatred. If we really wanted to find out who was the real culprit, the greed and recklessness of the Oirat and the despicable betrayal of the Tatars seemed to be to blame.

Daxia was more like being caught in the center of the storm, and ultimately became the winner with its strength and calculations.

Today, both the Oirat and the Tatars have been broken and dispersed, and their control over the grasslands has dropped to the lowest point. Many tribes have tended to become independent and are planning their own future.

For ordinary herdsmen and grassroots warriors, the hatred towards a specific "Daxia person" is sometimes not as real as the hatred towards the neighboring tribe for plundering their pastures.

Notices regarding the martial arts competition to win a bride and the selection of the successor to King Yuan have been posted at the four gates of the city in Daxia and Mongolian... Even if the northerners still have some resistance in their hearts, those who are interested cannot help but get excited when they see the conditions stated in the notice!

Prince Yuan, along with the three princesses and dukes who were to marry into the alliance, would receive annual stipends from Daxia—food, cloth, salt, and more! This written promise, like a spring of fresh water poured into a thirsty grassland, stirred ripples in the hearts of countless northern tribesmen!

Resources! Resources are always scarce on the bitterly cold grasslands! Perhaps some tribal leaders might disdain this, but how many of them are actually tribal leaders? These are real survival supplies!

For the noble children of small and medium-sized tribes, those warriors who have courage but lack foundation, and those descendants of the "Golden Family" who have lost power in years of war and tribal strife, this is simply a godsend opportunity to turn things around!

Becoming the heir to the Yuan King, or even simply marrying a noblewoman with a generous dowry and annual salary, would mean the tribe's winter would be less difficult! Not to mention the unspoken fact behind the notice—gaining Daxia's "recognition" and potential support!

Whispers spread around the campfire, in the tents, and at the city gates.

Doubts and resistance still exist, but emotions called "hope" and "ambition" are growing and expanding at an even faster rate. Even if there are still grudges against Daxia in their hearts, facing such naked benefits and the possibility of changing their destiny, how many people can truly resist?

The day of excitement and mixed emotions finally came to an end. Night fell over Guiyuan City and the endless camps outside.

Given the current state of disunity among the Northern tribes, they all agreed to proceed according to Daxia's arrangements. The selection of the successor and the martial arts competition to win the bride will officially begin in three days.

On the second day.

The first wave of tangible benefits brought by this huge crowd flowed into the pawnshop and money house that Liu Rusi had proposed to establish not long ago!

At the same time, temporary trade activities, primarily involving the troops under Prince Duan Chu Shiyu, flourished. Following Prince Duan's orders, the soldiers allocated a portion of their military reserves—food, cloth, salt, and even precious water—to trade with the northern tribes, with the proceeds naturally going to the Great Xia military treasury.

The reason for the prosperity is simple. Most of these northern people came here with the intention of questioning and exposing Daxia's "tricks", and many of them had no intention of staying for long!

They didn't bring enough food and camping supplies, but they still had some valuable gold and silver jewelry. More importantly, these daily necessities were scarce on the grasslands! Even though the price offered by Daxia was double that of the domestic price, it was still fair for the northern people.

In the past, due to their positions, suspicions and arrogance towards Daxia, they found it difficult to trade with each other. But now it has become a good time to purchase urgently needed goods!

Surrounded by layers of guards like an iron barrel, Liu Rusi listened to the bustling crowds of people at the nearby banks and pawnshops, feeling helpless. She knew business was booming, but with so many guards surrounding her, she could barely see anything.

"Chu Shiyu," she said, her voice slightly gnashing as she turned her head. "My height is different from yours! Can you let me see the 'results' with my own eyes and be happy?"

Chu Shiyu was startled when he heard this, then he immediately leaned over and put his arms around her: "Then let me hold you and show you."

"Oh! No thanks!" Liu Rusi was so frightened that she quickly refused. Doing this in public? Even among the fierce and stoic Northern Tribe, this would be too conspicuous!

However, it was too late to speak. She suddenly emerged from the crowd, instantly attracting many glances! She took the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the endless stream of customers in front of the bank and pawnshop!

"Alright, alright, put me down!" Liu Rusi sighed helplessly. It seemed like there was no hope of reassuring him any time soon.

After a brief "break for fresh air", the two returned to the camp of the Great Xia Army. Liu Rusi began to urge Chu Shiyu to perform his duties and do his own thing!

"Let's split up and do our own things, shall we? I'll go find Master Li Chunfu, or go talk to Changning." She couldn't help but sigh. Was there some kind of recurring fate going on for her? She'd spent so much effort to break Chu Shiyu's pathological obsession with her, but a dream that recalled her past life had thrown everything back to square one...

Chu Shiyu remained silent, his handsome brows knitted into a "川" shape. He was very clear-headed. She was traveling within the military camp, and the people she was meeting and the things she was doing wouldn't be dangerous...

But the image of her being held hostage, the horror of witnessing the bloodshed in her past life, were deeply engraved in his soul. The past two days had only allowed him to return to a state of calm on the surface. He didn't want her out of his sight for a moment! He was afraid that an unknown misfortune would suddenly strike, and if she was a little further away, it would be too late...

Seeing him like that, Liu Rusi knew it was difficult to persuade him, so she asked, "What are you going to do? I'll go with you."

Chu Shiyu pondered for a moment. It was Liu Rusi's earlier scheme that had led to the exchange of the Oirat Khan for a useless scholar, eight thousand prisoners of war, for the Khan. This had caused internal unrest in the Oirat, led to the dethronement of the Khan, and the exchange was completed with Daxia. This had deeply humiliated the Oirat, and the news was widely applauded in the capital—although Liu Rusi, fearing the danger posed by the "Never Have a Son" speech, had requested that his role in the scheme be concealed.

Chu Shiyu then openly introduced his plan: "I plan to select and support a group of northern tribesmen who are loyal to Daxia from among the remaining 4,000 important prisoners of war."

Liu Rusi lowered her eyes and thought. This was clearly not a simple matter... But she still had one question: "Didn't the Wala envoy come to negotiate the redemption of the captives? Aren't they going to exchange them?"

Chu Shiyu's gaze drifted away, a chill in his eyes. He sneered, "They were willing to lose face and exchange the deposed Khan for prisoners because their morale was low and they desperately needed a cohesive figure or a symbol of their bloodline to stabilize the Wala tribal alliance. They just didn't expect us to be able to replace them, preemptively selecting those of noble bloodline and high status. This was another major blow to them, further exacerbating Wala's precarious situation. It was only because we didn't refuse another prisoner exchange that a glimmer of hope remained."