As for those outside the tent, they had already been subdued by Chi Na and his trusted men.
Chi Na's greatest advantage in this operation was his low profile—
Even now, no one had noticed his absence from the tent.
Nor would anyone expect the usually overlooked and unfavored third prince to suddenly rebel.
When he finished his arrangements and hurried to the main tent, he was met with the sound of music and dancing still echoing from within.
Chi Na's expression darkened instantly.
Gripping his bow tightly, he stormed into the tent, his roar following, "Ling Shuang, you—"
Then he stopped.
His gaze swept over the dancers forcing smiles as they performed, then to his two brothers and the other chieftains bound in the corner, before finally landing on Ling Shuang standing behind a woman at the front.
And that woman—she was now arching an eyebrow at him.
Chi Na fell silent. After a pause, he stubbornly voiced his concern, "Ling Shuang, are you alright?"
Yan Lingshuang glanced at the hem of her dress, untouched by blood, and understood Chi Na's reaction perfectly.
She had been just as bewildered earlier, though her stoic expression hadn't betrayed it.
"I'm fine," Yan Lingshuang exhaled, stepping toward Chi Na and leading him to Jiu Yue, her eyes gleaming with something unreadable. "This is my eldest imperial sister, Yan Zhaoning."
Chi Na lifted his gaze, meeting Jiu Yue's calm eyes. He placed a hand over his chest and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Princess."
Jiu Yue withdrew her assessing gaze. This was her first time seeing Chi Na.
So far, he seemed passable.
The fact that he'd kept the outside under control proved he wasn't a complete fool—he had some capability. And his concern for Yan Lingshuang appeared genuine, at least to some extent.
Jiu Yue's demeanor turned cordial. "Don't mind me. Proceed as you see fit."
She stood, relinquishing her spot, and dragged Ban Tu—gagged and barely conscious—along with Wu Liang to guard the tent entrance, ready to watch the couple's performance.
Chi Na and Yan Lingshuang exchanged a glance. He gave her a reassuring nod before dismissing the dancers and personally hauling the remaining captives to the center.
The eldest prince, who had been cowering like a quail earlier, now puffed up with arrogance.
"Chi Na! How dare you harbor such treacherous ambitions! To murder your own father and seize power—have you no gratitude for the Great Khan's nurturing?!"
Chi Na ignored him.
The second prince, however, studied him deeply but said nothing.
Among the Deputy Khan and the other chieftains, some railed at him as a traitor for colluding with Great Yan against his own people.
Chi Na paid them no heed.
Only when they'd exhausted themselves did he speak coolly, "The Great Khan has grown old. His warmongering has made too many enemies for the grasslands..."
While Chi Na reasoned with them, Jiu Yue busied herself plucking gems from her clothing and placing them on Ban Tu's foot, then gleefully stomping on them.
Ban Tu, hanging on by half a breath: "......"
If he could turn back time by half an hour, he would have kept his foot to himself. Really.
Compared to his mortal wounds, this pain was nothing—just a minor nuisance.
But minor pain was still pain, and this woman was hopping around like it was the most entertaining game in the world!
Beside him, Wu Liang crouched dutifully, replacing the gems each time Jiu Yue stomped them loose, only for her to stomp again with a cackle.
This was pure torture!
Even the system felt a twinge of sympathy for the miserable Ban Tu.
Was this really necessary?
After a pause, it asked Jiu Yue, "Host, aren't you going to help them?"
"Why should I?" Jiu Yue lectured the system patiently. "Ling Shuang only asked me to assist in the power transfer, not to take over. The grasslands will be theirs to rule—if I interfere too much, it’ll blur boundaries."
"I see," the system acknowledged, then added hesitantly, "But I just detected the mission target’s appearance."
"Fine, let them appear—wait, what appeared?!" Jiu Yue belatedly registered the word "mission."
She’d been preparing to choose her mission target independently—how had one suddenly popped up?
The system repeated, "The mission target has appeared. Your arranged marriage partner has arrived!"
"Since when was I in an arranged marriage?!" Jiu Yue was floored. She glanced at Yan Lingshuang, suspicion rising. "Are you mistaken? Today’s marriage is Yan Lingshuang’s!"
The system insisted, "No mistake. The mission has already activated—there’s even a progress bar now."
Jiu Yue paled, struggling to accept that she’d been married off without her knowledge.
Damn it!
Who?! Who had the audacity to arrange her marriage behind her back?!
It had to be that damned Consort Ning! Only she would dare pull such a stunt while Jiu Yue was away!
Seething, Jiu Yue stomped on Ban Tu’s already-numb foot. She paced furiously before finally gritting out, "Who’s the unlucky bastard I’m married to?"
The system meekly replied, "I don’t know either... That’s why I wanted you to return to Great Yan as soon as possible."
Jiu Yue: "......"
She raked a hand through her hair, muttered something to Wu Liang, and stormed out of the tent.
After changing out of her dancer’s attire, she prepared to ride back to Great Yan overnight.
Sensing her foul mood, the system adopted an ingratiating tone. "Host, don’t be too upset. Though we don’t know who it is, the situation might not be as bad as you think."
"After all..." The system transmitted the data directly into her mind.
Jiu Yue was fastening her daggers when a progress bar abruptly materialized in her thoughts—displaying 50%.
She froze. "What’s this?"
The system hurried to explain, "This is the mission indicator. Once it reaches 100%, the mission is complete! Then you can return to the modern era with your rewards!"
Jiu Yue was stunned.
"Starting at 50%?" Her mood lifted slightly. "Is this another of the brain-dead main system’s settings? Maybe there’s hope for it yet."
The system: "......"
"I told you not to insult the main system," it grumbled. "This indicator can’t be manipulated—it’s purely based on detection between you and the target."
"The initial 50% is likely generated by your arranged marriage partner." The system mused, "Since we’re in the ancient tragic romance genre, the focus is on tragedy and romance. So the indicator probably reflects those aspects."
Jiu Yue: "......"
Tragedy and romance?
Then out of that 50%, at least 40% had to be tragedy.
And the tragedy was hers.
Damn it!
Being forced into a marriage with a complete stranger—without even knowing it—was tragic enough to kill a person!
Her face fell again.
"Whatever. If the system’s already detecting progress..." Jiu Yue wiped her face and stood with a sigh. "I might as well go back and see for myself."
The system agreed. Unlike Jiu Yue, it suspected the progress might stem entirely from the mission target, and it was just as curious.
By the time Jiu Yue returned to the tent, fully geared, Wu Liang was still stomping on Ban Tu’s foot, while Chi Na and Yan Lingshuang continued their negotiations with the captives.
Lowering her gaze to glance at Ban Tu, Jiu Yue impatiently took action, swiftly censoring the content with a flick of her hand. She then turned to Wu Liang and said, "Go change your clothes. We're returning to Great Yan soon."
Wu Liang, silently suppressing his admiration for her decisive movements, turned and left without a word.
Meanwhile, Jiu Yue gripped her blade and strode step by step toward Yan Lingshuang.
"How many more are still defiant?" she asked, her voice light and indifferent.
