Trigger warnings: implied drugging & rape in the first portion of this chapter.

A long will mark the end of the problematic section, or alternatively you can find a brief translator synopsis at the beginning of the next chapter in case you wish to skip this one.

Kereyid glanced casually over her face, a hint of a sneer flashing over his eyes before he turned away. His eyes narrowed with thought. That smiling, tallow-faced woman at the Golden Alliance tent door had easily solved the Succession Crisis and managed to kill at least five birds at the Coronation Ceremony himself, Gadd, Narta, Medora, and Dama, all in one stroke. He could not stop himself from wondering over the exquisite features of her face and her delicate eyes and nose... how could a woman with such features end up so ugly?

He smiled to himself, his eyes gleaming with cunning... Ruling the Steppes was unimportant life needed challenge and troubles, and if there were none of the beautiful blood and bones to color it, what was the point?

He was in fact rather happy that the game continued...

Smiling, he pushed a cup of tea over the table.

Medora grit her teeth, her eyes gleaming. Kereyid spoke once more:

The medicine has another benefit. With all those bruises, the widower will not touch you, and so you can return to Jadran with an untouched body.

Finally overcoming her hesitation, Medora swallowed the grey powdered medicine and swallowed down the tea.

As she drank, Kereyids smile thickened.

Medora stood silently as a blush came over her, and she held a hand to her chest as she gasped quietly: Your medicine... this medicine...

Oh, I forgot to tell you. Kereyid replied lazily. Ive added some aphrodisiac.

You... Medora gasped, her eyes flying to Kereyids face as she began to stumble, her legs soft and powerless.

Kereyid walked up and gently picked her up.

He carried her to the bed, whispering in her ear. Feng Zhiwei surely told that old widower to keep you on a tight leash, but with how much the Central Plains values purity, when he discovers that you are no longer a virgin he will pay little attention to you, and then you can find the opportunity to escape.

Medora struggled weakly, not even able to speak as her strength drained out of her.

The bed curtain fell down around them as clothes were peeled away. Through the sheer red yarn, a mans tall and slender body slowly covered a womans soft curves...

The candle flickered dimly.

Finally, a quiet, miserable moan filled the room.

The heart-tearing howl was quickly covered as the cotton blanket was stuffed over her mouth, locking all that pain away.

The bed trembled with a womans pain and a mans delight.

The candles flame flickered and died.

A low chuckle finally filled the room.

Aunt Medora, Aunt Medora... when you drag your ragged body to De Zhou City, what do you think the widower will think? That the Shunyi King tossed him a used woman? Will he resent Jadran and Feng Zhiwei? With this horse farmers connection to the Grand Official in Yu Zhou City... Aunt Medora, many thanks for your sacrifice. Many thanks.

The scent of blood and sex filled the room as Kereyid swept the bed curtain aside and calmly walked away. He took a moment to renew his disguise, wiping a finger on the door as he passed.

Only a scarlet stain remained.

While Medora continued her journey in misery and hatred, her heart filled with sorrow and gloom as she entered the horse farm, the steppes was entering a new era under the new King and Queen.

Gadds rebellion had been crushed by Blue Bird, White Deer, and Golden Lion. None of the steppe soldiers were willing to kill their brothers, so when Gadds cries about the Kings assassination at the hands of the Queen proved completely false, his twenty thousand soldiers turn on him. Gadd was trapped and encircled by the men of the three tribes, fighting to the death. In the fallout that followed, the Golden Lion Patriarchs Family was officially banished from the steppes.

Gadds death left Helian Zhengs restless relations in fear and awe. Now that the powerful Kulcha Family had failed, no one else dared to dream of power, for they knew now that road only led to death.

On a lonely night, a group of uncles, cousins, and brothers had gathered to have a secret meeting. The next day, the King had summoned everyone who had attended and read to everyone the words each had spoken, punishing and pardoning according to what they had done. Some were allowed to remain seating, some had to stand, others knelt, and a few were dragged out and executed.

After that, the proud Irgi nobility was as silent as cicadas in the cold they had been so sure of the secrecy of their meeting, with no room even more a ghost to slip through. How had the King known all the details of their conversation?

The power in the Kings Court stabilized with the Eighteenth Living Buddha born within the Kings Court Palace, it was clear to all that this generations Shunyi King would be unrivaled. Godship had been born into the arms of the King, and so when people kneeled to the Living Buddha, they kneeled to the Shunyi King as well. What more needed to be said?

The Fire Fox Tribe gained a new patriarch, but were punished for Kereyids treachery. The dark-gold mine was seized, and a distribution of the precious metal would be assigned according to the contribution and merit of every tribe, defusing the chaos that might have followed greed.

As soon as stability and peace returned to the steppes, Feng Zhiwei began training the Irgi warriors. The steppe men had excellent horsemanship and strong lower body Kung Fu, but compared to the Central Plains experts, their arts were lacking in subtlety and skill. Zong Chen had the experts among his men teaching the Irgi warriors, and the strongest and most loyal three thousand Irgi men were used to form a new Shunyi Steel Battalion. When Young Master Gu was in a good mood, he would occasionally carry out his Living Buddha Daughter and teach personally. Gu Zhixiao was a calm and curious child, happily clinging to her daddy as he leapt here and dashed there.

Zong Chen spent time studying the plants, foods, and habits of the steppe people and soon came out with a prescription to nourish the body. With his help, infant mortality dropped to nearly nothing.

As Helian Zhengs kingship stablized through the lands, the new Steppe Queen gained more and more prestige, her name quickly becoming as respected as the Queen Dowagers.

As the Shunyi Steel Battalion trained, a young man by the name of Wei[1] gradually took command.

And so this new character readies himself for the stage.

[1] Wei from Wei Zhi. FZWs old alias.