Chapter 141: The Long Night

Page 1 of 3

As night fell, the city of Kabyela sank into silence. The refugees who had nowhere to go curled up beneath the eaves of other people’s homes, enduring the contemptuous looks of the locals. Some of them had once been men and women of standing, but now they were nothing more than stray dogs driven from their homes.

The Queen’s arrival had given them a glimmer of hope. Even if they could not return to Kantipur for the time being, perhaps they might find shelter elsewhere. So long as they could put some distance between themselves and the mobs, there might still be a way out. The thought of those dreadful days—of countless red-eyed rioters storming into their homes—was enough to make anyone shudder.

What shattered the silence was a sudden piece of news: Boniga, the city lord, intended to compromise with the mobs. The price of that compromise was the surrender of all so-called hostile elements within the city, from the Tibetans and local nobles to refugees like themselves, who had escaped death by the narrowest of margins.

Their homes had been destroyed, their loved ones killed, their wives and daughters had fallen into the hands of others, and escaping in the first place had been no easy feat. Now they faced betrayal as well. With nowhere left to retreat, the refugees were immediately stirred into action, surging toward the city offices. The soldiers stationed in that area, standing as though confronted by a mortal enemy, provided further confirmation that the rumor was true.

As the crowd pressed forward step by step, the native soldiers kept retreating. The throng consisted not only of refugees, but also a considerable number of local residents. They had witnessed the suffering of others, and none wished to see the same disaster descend upon their own heads.

The agitation swept through the entire city at once. Whether they belonged to wealthy households or were poor commoners, everyone wanted someone to tell them whether this was really happening—and whether their city lord still had the power to protect them.

When Boniga was awakened, he assumed that trouble had broken out among the Tibetans. But when he came to the window and saw the dense mass of figures beneath the torchlight, a chill seized his heart. He had not even informed his subordinates of this secret. How had these people learned of it?

“Shidongzan!”

Boniga forced the name through clenched teeth. He had told only one person about the matter. There was no way this man was uninvolved.

“My lord, what should we do? Shall I summon the city guard?” asked his captain, a loyal family retainer, anxiously watching the ever-advancing crowd.

Because the situation was so tense, most of the troops had been deployed near the city walls. Only Boniga’s personal guard remained here, numbering no more than one or two hundred men. The crowd below, however, was so vast that its numbers could not be counted at a glance. If this provoked a popular uprising, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Boniga believed the captain could find a way to contact the city garrison, but even they numbered only around two thousand. Besides, if the city defenses were left empty and the enemy learned of it, that too would invite disaster. Surely the Tang would allow them to leave without sending spies to keep watch? Even Boniga understood a basic truth like that.

“Has that Tibetan left?” Boniga asked. His first thought was that the man must have some scheme in mind if he had gone this far. Now that matters had reached this point, Boniga could only placate the mob for the moment, stabilize the situation, and then find a way to explain everything to the Tang.

The captain shook his head. The meaning was clear enough: the man was still in the Queen’s chambers, perhaps engaged in some shameful business. Without an explicit order from the city lord, none of them would dare charge inside.

“Bitch!”

Page 2 of 3

Boniga spat the curse bitterly. Whether he meant the Tibetan or someone else was unclear. At that very moment, a louder uproar rose outside the window, and the door to the room swung open.

“Lord Boniga, you seem to be in a rather foul mood. Who has angered him? Was it you?”

Shidongzan entered without the slightest concern for Boniga’s shadowed expression, smiling as he pointed toward the captain. Before the latter could explode, the dignified and graceful Queen entered behind him.

Everyone in the room except Boniga himself bowed respectfully. Even the captain bent at the waist. She was not only the Queen of the realm, but also a member of the royal family, and in their eyes her status was beyond compare.

“Boniga, it seems your actions have provoked the wrath of the people. You abandoned your citizens, abandoned our country, and for your own interests joined forces with the mob that murdered the king. I am deeply disappointed in you.”

Saraswati’s words left him dumbfounded. He pointed at her and shouted, “You... You were the one who brought the Tang here! You vicious woman, how dare you betray me! What are you waiting for? Seize them all!”

The captain instinctively straightened, his hand closing around the hilt of his sword. Saraswati did not even glance at the guards as they surrounded her. She merely gave a cold laugh.

“I know you. Your father was once my father’s captain of the guard. Your family has served mine faithfully for generations. Today, do you intend to draw your sword against your Queen? Against the very woman to whom you swore allegiance?”

The captain looked helplessly at Boniga. “I swore to serve the city lord.”

Saraswati immediately replied, “He has betrayed our city of Kabyela. In the name of Nepal’s supreme ruler, I strip him of his office as city lord. This order takes effect at once. Do you still intend to serve him?”

The captain hesitated. Slowly, his hand slipped from the sword hilt. His actions influenced the men beneath him; the guards exchanged uncertain glances and retreated several steps. Boniga alone remained, trembling with rage.

“You foolish woman! What has he filled your head with? Does he intend to drag everyone to their deaths alongside you? Do not forget—your daughter is still in their hands.”

“It is precisely for Elsireya’s sake that I cannot let you surrender so readily to the Tang. Shidongzan was right. Our fate cannot be placed in the hands of others. Boniga, every choice was yours. You have no one else to blame.”

“You are insane. All of you are insane.”

Boniga stared despairingly at his guards. They no longer had the courage to meet his eyes. The uproar outside grew louder and louder. They, too, had made their choice.

“Noble Shidongzan, please! I can release every Tibetan at once and reject the Tang’s demands. Just spare me.”

Page 3 of 3

By now, what was there left that he could not see? Boniga abandoned every shred of dignity and threw himself at Shidongzan’s feet. He knew that this Tibetan was the true source of every problem.

“It is too late, Boniga. Your only use to us now is to quell the anger of the people outside. Of course, if you cooperate, they will not harm your family.”

Shidongzan suddenly drew the sword from the captain’s waist. Grabbing Boniga by the hair, he slashed his throat in a single stroke. Blood gushed uncontrollably, staining the carpet beneath their feet red.

Everyone in the room stood frozen in shock. No one had imagined that he would kill the man so casually. When Shidongzan dragged Saraswati to the window, the severed, blood-soaked head of her cousin swung before her eyes, its dead gaze still wide with unfinished indignation.

“People of Kabyela! Your Queen has heard your cries. Boniga, the traitor, has received the punishment he deserved. No one will betray you again. The Tibetans will be your strongest shield. Anyone who dares to invade—whether rioters or the Tang—will be utterly crushed!”

“The Queen!”

“Our Queen!”

The words reignited the people’s fervor. One after another, they fell to their knees and bowed toward her in worship. Saraswati slowly recovered from the shock of what had just happened, and excitement began to surge through her. She knew that she now held the city beneath her feet—and that she possessed the standing to negotiate with the Tang.

“Do you see? If they can accept a woman as their city lord, then one day they can accept a woman as their queen.”

“Are you ready, Your Majesty Saraswati?”