The Eldest Daughter Reborn: She Provoked the Obsessive Crown Prince and Couldn't Escape

The "Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions" were nominally one entity, but in reality, they were constantly embroiled in internal wars; Yarkand, who ascended to the throne at a young age, was under constant scrutiny by countless eyes around him.

"People say that the Empress of Great Wei knows everything, and now I believe it..." Yarkand said with a wry smile.

In the Western Regions, he could not share his worries and anxieties with outsiders; he could only unravel and endure them alone. He knew that the person who understood him best was not in his homeland, but right before his eyes…

"The little Qatun came to the Western Regions for a marriage alliance, bringing us the strength of the Great Wei. When we were fighting against the Xianbei and Rouran, the Great Wei helped us many times. So..." Yarkand sighed.

As the sun sets and a gentle breeze blows, a sense of desolation arises.

"So your courtiers, having tasted the sweetness of marriage, want to marry more princesses to ensure the long-lasting alliance with Great Wei, is that right?" Fu Luan asked, propping his chin on his hand.

Yarkand nodded. "You...you know, since I ascended the throne, the position of 'Khatun' has remained vacant. I have someone I love, and I know her chances of marrying me are slim, but..."

"This seat will always be reserved for her, always waiting for her! According to the customs of the Western Regions, if a man falls in love with a woman, he will catch up with her while she is riding a horse, and that is considered..."

Fu Luan knew he was referring to the horse race last year, so he interrupted, "What's the point of waiting for someone who won't come? Yarkand, you won't get her!"

"She also has someone she loves, her husband, and she will live with him for a long, long time. Perhaps they won't have children, but..."

"But is she happy? At the slightest sign of trouble, her husband's first suspicion will be her! If it were me..."

"No matter how others slander or sow discord, I will protect her well and not allow anyone to have a say!" Yarkand clenched his fists secretly.

Yarkand succeeded his father as Khan. He was decisive on the battlefield and saved the people of the Western Regions from suffering. But in Fuluan's eyes, he was still like a child in some things.

"Yarkand, some things cannot be forced, and they are not as they seem on the surface... You feel that the woman's husband does not love her, and you feel sorry for her;

"But do you know that there are women who love you deeply and long for your arrival every night?" Before Yarkand could refute, Fuluan continued, "A marriage alliance is absolutely impossible and not a long-term solution."

"Instead of asking the Great Wei for princess after princess in marriage, the Western Regions should settle the princesses who have already married into the Western Regions properly. Since ancient times, marriage alliances have not necessarily strengthened the relationship between the two sides by increasing the number and frequency of such alliances, have they?"

"Since the Khan loves his wife so much, why not give all of your 'love' to Princess Miaoze..."

In her previous life, Princess Miaoze was unwilling to be just a "minor Khan". During the reign of the old Khan, she secretly became pregnant with a Han general, and then used a trick to make Yarkand believe that she had been intimate with him.

Although Yarkand was the youngest and his mother was of low status, he frequently distinguished himself in battle, and the old Khan favored him far more than his other sons. Princess Miaoze took a gamble on him!

After Yarkand ascended the throne, following the Western Regions custom of "the son inheriting the father's wife," he made all of the old Khan's wives and concubines his own. Princess Miaoze thought that her pregnancy would surely secure her the title of "Khatun," but she miscalculated!

Yarkand still only bestowed upon her the title of "Little Khatun." The child, after birth, bore no resemblance to a person from the Western Regions, yet Yarkand, defying all objections, still believed it to be his child. Three years later, secret letters began to be sent exposing the Little Khatun's adultery;

The young Khatun, who was filled with anxiety because of his loss of power, worried that Yarkand would be a threat to him, so he wrote to the court to send troops to support him.

But to the Great Wei, she was nothing more than a princess sent to the Western Regions for a marriage alliance, a fake princess. After several years, she hadn't even managed to get the title of "Khatun". Why would the court send troops to help her?

Having exhausted all other options, she began to instigate her brothers in Yarkand to join her in a rebellion, ultimately resulting in her defeat, death, and even the extermination of her son's remains!

The princess from the Great Wei who was sent for a marriage alliance plotted a rebellion, which undoubtedly gave the Western Regions a perfect excuse. At that time, the Great Wei was already in dire straits due to the incompetence and folly of Emperor Yuanlu, and had no strength left to resist.

Yarkand frowned and said, "Princess Miaoze is doing very well in the Western Regions! As soon as she arrived, Father Khan specially created the title of 'Little Khatun' for her! Isn't that enough?"

Fu Luan countered, "Is that enough?"

Yarkand said softly, "The Empress invited me to ride a horse so that we could discuss this matter, is that right?"

Fu Luan readily agreed, "Since it's a 'discussion,' there's no reason for me to force you to do it. As for matters concerning the Western Regions, it's not convenient for me to interfere; I'm just saying it for nothing."

“But I…” Yarkand’s bitterness in his heart intensified!

He went to the appointment happily, assuming that Fu Luan felt the same way; little did he expect that she was only there to discuss state affairs with him in her capacity as Empress…

"Don't wait for 'that person' anymore... Don't you think it's a waste to leave the position of 'Khedun' empty for a woman who will never marry you?"

“It would be better to support one or even one of the ten princesses sent to marry foreign rulers as your wives than to take ten as concubines. After all, the ‘Little Khan’ is just a ‘Little Khan’, not a ‘Khedun’!” Fu Luan said.

Seeing that he was beginning to waver, she further reminded him, "It's getting late... If Khan is worried about a trap, you should go back and discuss it with your staff."

"We could also write a letter to the young Queen Dowager and ask her... if she would be willing to be my daughter?"

"Did Your Majesty... your husband send you to tell me these things?" Yarkand took a sip of wine. He knew that the Empress of Great Wei would never drink with him, so he gulped down the wine in his wine bag in one go.

Fu Luan shook her head. She looked up at the sky; dusk was falling, and the sun had completely set.

Fu Luan's intention to leave was all too clear. Yarkand sighed and said, "Since Her Majesty the Empress has no one behind her, why should I ask her advisors?"

"I will write a letter to the Little Khatun tonight and pass on your message to her! But... I still want to ride a horse with Her Majesty the Empress!"

Fu Luan smiled and said, "Of course!"

The two mounted their horses and continued to race each other as they had come; but when they were nearly halfway there, Fu Luan's head began to ache, and the scenery before his eyes began to blur.

She propped her head up with one hand and gritted her teeth to hold on; but the pain in her head was getting worse and worse, and she was about to lose her grip on the reins...

"Ah Luan!" Seeing that Fu Luan was about to fall off her horse, Yarkand leaped up and caught her steadily.

This was the first time he called her "A-Luan," and it would probably be the last...