Chapter 130: Hidden Truths

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Vicha was an ancient surname originating in India. In a place where the caste system had yet to be fully established, only powerful and influential clans possessed surnames; for ordinary people, having a given name at all was considered enough.

But in Nepal, the only people entitled to bear that surname were members of the royal family.

In other words, the young girl's body carried the blood of the noblest lineage in the country. No wonder she regarded him with such hatred. This was not a personal grudge, but hatred between nations.

Liu Ji knew that Lifeyuan Li had sent such a person to his quarters for reasons far removed from soothing his loneliness. If one were to assume the worst, perhaps he meant to kill with a borrowed blade?

Another question occurred to Liu Ji.

"Who can tell me her true identity?"

The women exchanged glances. One of them, somewhat older than the rest, spoke up.

"She is the king's youngest daughter, the queen's most beloved jewel."

So that was the trap. Liu Ji understood Lifeyuan Li's intentions. When Hou Junji destroyed Gaochang, he had merely slept with two of its princesses, yet the imperial censors impeached him, and the matter was pursued relentlessly until the day he died and his clan was exterminated.

An unmarried princess could be dealt with only by the Son of Heaven. Lifeyuan Li wanted Liu Ji to violate her, thereby giving him grounds to accuse Liu Ji of offending the royal family. Perhaps that was not all he intended, either. Who would have thought that even a foreign barbarian would dare play such schemes against him?

Liu Ji gave a sinister smile. The sight frightened all the women so badly that, without realizing it, they moved to shield the young girl behind them.

"I need maids. Those willing to stay may remain. Those who are not can be sent back."

Faced with such a choice, the women immediately lost their spirit. Whatever became of the princess, they had originally been palace maids. The best fate awaiting them was to be sent to some officer; the worst would likely be serving as camp prostitutes. Compared with that, this place was a world apart. At the very least, their young master had not shown himself to be wholly vile.

"Master, will you send her away?" the older maid asked timidly.

"For now, she will stay here. We will decide whether she remains or leaves after I return."

Liu Ji sat down on his bed and beckoned to them.

"Does anyone know how to massage? Come and work on my shoulders. I am exhausted."

At his summons, several maids immediately rose and began pressing and kneading him with all four hands. Whether it helped, he did not know, but in the end he truly fell asleep.

When he awoke, it was already deep into the night. He discovered a woman lying beside him, still fully dressed and sleeping soundly. Feeling somewhat thirsty, he decided not to wake her. He climbed down from the bed and groped his way through the pitch-dark room to the table by the window, then struck a spark and lit the oil lamp.

Yellow lamplight flooded the room. He poured himself a cup of water and drank, glancing back as he did so. Only the woman beside him remained; the others had vanished, perhaps going to sleep in another room.

"Ah."

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A voice suddenly sounded. At first Liu Ji thought the woman on the bed had awakened, but then he realized the sound had come from the corner of the room. There, beyond the reach of the lamplight, crouched a small black shadow.

"You refuse to serve me, yet you do not wish to leave. Is it because you saw that I am a man of the Tang, and that no one in this city dares provoke me? Like the Tibetans before, I can protect you—is that it?"

He walked over and squatted down.

The girl raised her head. Her face, hidden in shadow, was streaked with tears.

"The Tibetans are barely able to save themselves now. They can no longer protect you. Even if they were willing, they would not do so for nothing. A woman like you would be part of the price. Let me guess—you have already been promised to some Tibetan nobleman, haven't you?"

The girl said nothing, but the expression on her face confirmed Liu Ji's deduction. He nodded and continued speaking to himself.

"That is what I thought. If one day you need the protection of the Great Tang, you will have to pay a price for that as well. Perhaps you are the down payment. Only now, your value has been discounted, which is why they sent you here. You are unwilling to accept your fate, yet you also wish to use the Tang to restore your rule. If that is the case, why not be decisive? Offer the only thing of value you possess instead of sitting here feeling sorry for yourself, unable even to force a smile."

Having been seen through in a single breath, the girl trembled like a sieve. With great difficulty, she finally managed to utter a complete sentence.

"I... I am willing."

"I am not."

Liu Ji rose to his feet and, without looking back, left her with those words before walking toward his bed. There was still half a night left, and he needed to make the most of the time available for rest. He had said all those unnecessary things merely to confirm that the room was safe; even while sleeping, he would have to keep one eye open.

After daybreak, when he awoke again, he received the treatment he had long dreamed of. Four or five maids brought him water, dressed him, and attended to every detail. No wonder people always said that a tender boudoir was a hero's grave. It was far too corrosive to one's willpower.

By the time he was fully dressed, he still had not seen the girl. She was probably catching up on sleep in one of the other rooms. He paid it no mind, but took two of his men and left. Instead of heading straight to the government office, Liu Ji made for the city gate.

Li Siyé had risen very early, a habit formed over many years of military life. Beneath the tent's brocade quilt, the curves of a woman's body rose and fell. Hair as dark and lustrous as a waterfall spilled across the bedding, while a slender white wrist lay exposed.

Remembering the pleasures of the previous night, he smacked his lips unconsciously, still faintly unsatisfied.

Fortunately, this was the city wall. Bringing women into a military camp was a grave taboo. As a commander who had always maintained strict discipline, he naturally would not be the first to violate it. But men had their ordinary needs, after all, and even he could not resist such a beauty who had been delivered straight to his door. She was merely a poor woman whose family had been ruined, seeking shelter for the sake of her life. What harm could there be? Following him was certainly better than being abused by his subordinates. He knew perfectly well what those rough soldiers were capable of. Toward a foreign woman, they would show not the slightest tenderness.

By the time Liu Ji arrived, Li Siyé had already completed two rounds of lifting stone weights and reached the tenth movement of his long saber drill. The blade flashed through the air like lightning, while murderous intent enveloped the space more than three paces around him. Such an overwhelming presence made all who watched feel their legs tremble, leaving them with only one thought: to flee as far away as possible.

"Fifth Brother, up so early?"

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With a final movement, Li Siyé halted. He casually handed the long saber to one of his guards, accepted a cloth, and wiped his bare upper body before greeting Liu Ji with a smile.

From the effort visible in the man's movements, Liu Ji could tell that the weapon had almost certainly been made to his measurements and was heavier than an ordinary saber.

"Not so early. How else could I have the honor of witnessing the commander's might?"

"Enough with the flattery. Back then, you stubbornly refused to follow me and insisted on taking that Pockmarked Tian as your master. Now you come here flattering me, and you expect me to believe you?"

Liu Ji had heard this complaint more than once, but he had no idea what had happened between them. All he could do was give an awkward laugh and change the subject.

"Youthful ignorance. Everyone has some of that."

"What a pity. Pockmarked Tian was hardly worthy of being your master."

Li Siyé did not wish to pursue the matter. After wiping his upper body, he threw on a robe, and his breathing had already returned to normal.

"You would not come here without a reason. Speak. What happened?"

"There is indeed something I find deeply perplexing, and I hoped to seek your guidance. This is not a convenient place to talk. Shall we go inside?"

The reason Liu Ji had not barged directly into Lifeyuan Li's camp as he had last time was not cowardice caused by a lack of men. Even if he had gone alone, he was confident that the other man would not dare do anything to him. But matters could not be handled that way. It would show too little respect for Li Siyé, the commanding general. No matter how close their relationship, one had to take care to maintain it in ordinary times; otherwise, it would not withstand much strain.

Liu Ji had expected Li Siyé to readily agree and then accompany him to his quarters, where he could lodge his complaint. Yet who could have imagined that this valiant general, who had trained for half the morning without so much as flushing or losing his breath, would suddenly fall silent?

Even more astonishingly, Liu Ji saw an awkward expression appear on that stone-carved face. For a moment, he nearly thought his eyes were deceiving him.

Whatever could make a man like Li Siyé embarrassed was certainly no ordinary matter. Thinking of what he himself was about to say, Liu Ji suddenly realized something.

Could it be?