Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight - Chapter 162.1

The hall was filled with ceaseless laughter, the air thick with the aroma of roasted meat, pungent spices, and rich, heady wine.

Inside the felt tent, Yuchi Damo’s expression remained cold. Yang Qian had drawn his sword, facing off against the guards, and the atmosphere was taut with tension.

Yaoying with her face calm and unflinching, did not spare a glance at the blades in the guards’ hands. She walked straight to Yuchi Damo and said, “If the King truly wished to curry favour with the Northern Rong, all you need do is shout a few times and Lady Ina’s guards will come rushing in.”

Yuchi Damo stared at her unblinkingly, bloodshot veins in his eyes. “Ina is only a princess, with neither soldiers nor power. Haidu Aling commands troops and has many followers. One day he will surely replace the Wakhan Khan. If I present the Princess to Haidu Aling, I will gain far better rewards.”

Yaoying smiled faintly. “Your Majesty, the Wakhan Khan is still firmly enthroned. As you said, Lady Ina is but a princess, yet she has managed to confine you in your own palace. Is this not because you fear her uncle, the Wakhan Khan, and thus endure this humiliation? The Khan is still strong in his later years, while Haidu Aling is still somewhat lacking in experience. Until the two of them have settled their struggle, Your Majesty, with your prudence, would never allow any leverage to fall into another man’s hands.”

Yuchi Damo’s lips curled. “And what leverage do I hold?”

Yaoying replied coolly, “If word reached the Wakhan Khan that Your Majesty reported to Haidu Aling, that would become proof of your secret collusion. Haidu Aling’s ambitions soar beyond the Khan’s. Should he triumph, Gaochang’s destruction would take no more than the blink of an eye. If the Khan prevails, he will be enraged at you. How then will Your Majesty protect yourself?

No matter whom you betray, the cost outweighs the gain. For years, Your Majesty has exhausted yourself, swallowing humiliation for the sake of peace, seeking only a fragment of staBility. Surely you would not make a bargain at a loss.”

Like Yang Qian, Yuchi Damo’s ancestral roots lay in Hexi. The Yuchi clan had produced many renowned generals. His grandfather had once served as Prefect of Guazhou. When chaos engulfed the Central Plains, the Yuchi were forced westward into exile, eventually settling in Gaochang, marrying into powerful clans, and rising to kingship.

Theirs was a family of generals, yet Yuchi Damo and his father were both frail in health, unsuited for martial pursuits. Unable to inherit their clan’s legacy, the father and son leaned toward timidity. Whenever enemies marched on Gaochang, they would offer up beauties and gold without resistance, earning incessant scorn from the world.

Living in the cracks between great powers, Yuchi Damo had learned to be shrewd, to feign confusion, fearing all and offending none. He would never pledge himself entirely to Haidu Aling while the Wakhan Khan remained firm on his throne, especially since he believed his children were still in Lady Ina’s hands.

Moreover, Tumoroga had proclaimed to all nations his protection of Yaoying. Yuchi Damo dared not offend him either.

As Yaoying laid bare the very thoughts in his heart, Yuchi Damo’s face darkened. He flung off the cloak covering him, sat up, and waved his hand.

The armed guards retreated noiselessly.

Yang Qian blinked, then sheathed his sword. Frowning, he asked Yuchi Damo, “If Your Majesty never intended to betray us, why create such theatrics?”

Yaoying sat cross-legged. “Because the King needed to test whether I’m worth the risk. If I’d been intimidated, he would have seized the advantage.”

Her tone shifted as she met the King’s brown eyes. “May I ask, You Majesty, did I pass your test?”

Yuchi Damo stared at her for a moment, then the corner of his lips lifted in a smile. “The Princess remains composed and unflustered. Damo admires you.”

Yaoying’s expression grew solemn. “I dare not accept such praise. Compared to Your Majesty, who has borne humiliation and suffering as though tempered by fire, I am far inferior.”

Yuchi Damo faltered, then gave a self-deprecating smile.

As King, he knew full well Gaochang could never withstand the armies of the Northern Rong. He bowed his head, yielded in submission, cast aside his first wife, and married Princess Ina, letting her run rampant. Whenever Northern Rong envoys came to demand gold and treasures, he greeted them with compliant reverence, not daring to utter a word of protest. Nobles and common folk alike cursed him in secret, mocking him for his servility, that a King is being controlled by a mere woman.

His children despised him, refusing to forgive him for abandoning their mother.

Who could understand his plight?

Without the powerful shield of the Central Plains dynasty, Gaochang was doomed to scrape by, tossed between great powers, struggling to survive. A pair of jade arms pillowing a thousand men, that was Gaochang’s way of survival.

He knew that submitting to the Northern Rong meant bearing their endless demands, crushing taxes, being sucked dry until the people buckled.

He also knew there were many spirited young men like Yang Qian in the city, yearning for him to lead them in resistance. He was a son of the Yuchi clan, the King. If he had enough soldiers, if he had the backing of the Central Plains, would he not wish to ride forth and decide life or death in battle with the Northern Rong?

Alas, reality had quenched his fire and broken his spirit.

The kingdoms of the Western Regions, reliant on oases for survival, could never support a proper army. They were nothing more than lambs awaiting slaughter before the Northern Rong. The only force that could halt the Northern Rong’s campaigns was the Royal Court, which since ancient times had been wealthy and prosperous. It possessed vast fertile fields nourished by snowmelt, clear trade routes stretching to Tianzhu, Persia, and Samarkand, and above all, it had the Buddha’s Son who commanded popular devotion, a man unmatched in warfare, who with a mere call could gather followers in the thousands. It was this figure who made Wakhan Khan deeply wary.

Gaochang had none of these things. How could he risk the lives of the people of an entire city?