Not long after King Leide returned, he indeed sent his daughter, Princess Mengya, to the Feng Kingdom to choose a husband. While people were speculating whether Princess Mengya was as tall as nine feet, dark - skinned, and stocky as her father, the princess had already received permission from Emperor Duguyou to set up a martial - arts arena in the palace for her husband - selection contest.
Whoever defeated her would become her husband.
Due to the rumor that the princess was extremely ugly, many young masters and nobles were reluctant to participate. However, none dared to disobey the imperial order. When they saw a petite and charming beauty standing in the middle of the arena, their jaws dropped in surprise.
King Leide stood beside the woman and introduced her in a strange tone, "Everyone, this is my daughter, Mengya. She is proficient in using the whip. Mengya admires the heroes of your kingdom. Therefore, the one who can defeat her will be my son - in - law."
Looking at the father - daughter pair with such different looks, the onlookers wished they had a few more pairs of eyes. Although Mengya had slightly dark skin, she was definitely a great beauty.
Mei Qingxue also came to watch the fun. Duguo Qing was strictly ordered to stay in the Prince's Mansion because he was a married man and his appearance was so striking that they were afraid he might be chosen by someone...
"Mengya will show mercy," the princess said as she gently flicked her long whip. Few of those delicate young masters could even get close to her.
The faces of those who got closest to her were all marked with whip scars. Mei Qingxue found it amusing and recalled that she seemed to have witnessed a similar scene before.
King Leide had long noticed Mei Qingxue sitting on one side. "Kalu, who is that beauty?"
"Your Majesty, she is the extraordinary woman who refused to see you, the Crown Princess, and the future woman of His Majesty the Emperor," Kalu introduced. "No wonder she is so beautiful and can sit there!" Mei Qingxue was sitting in a comfortable and shady place, with servants attending to her. As the number of people on the arena decreased, Mengya pouted and said coquettishly in the Quanrong language, "Father, you lied to me. The men of the Southern Kingdom are so delicate. There won't be a man as valiant as the white - robed general you mentioned."
Mei Qingxue was stunned. The language was somewhat familiar. She remembered that in one of her past lives, she seemed to have learned a minor language. Then a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
"Princess Mengya, the white - robed general didn't come. Come... sit beside this princess, and I'll go and call him for you."
"You can speak our language?" Mengya nimbly jumped off the arena and stood in front of Mei Qingxue in surprise. "There are indeed heroes in our Feng Kingdom. These are just scholars. Come, sit for a while!"
Mei Qingxue pointed to the seat beside her. Then she turned to a guard beside her and said, "Go and find Commander Mei. Send Xiaobei here."
"Yes, Crown Princess!"
Mengya tilted her head. "Who are you? Why can you sit while they all stand? Are you the queen?" Her eyes were full of curiosity.
"Mengya, don't be rude!" King Leide called out. Mengya stamped her foot. "It was this sister who invited me to talk, and she can speak our language."
King Leide bowed to Mei Qingxue. "Your Highness, the Crown Princess!" "Please rise," Mei Qingxue said without using the Quanrong language this time. "Previously, I asked to see you, but I don't know why you refused."
"King Leide, I am a married woman, and I don't handle any government affairs," Mei Qingxue gave him a cold look. Strange, she wondered what was so special about her. Then Mei Qingxue turned to Mengya and said, "I am the wife of a prince, not the queen. Your father is really persistent."
"Sister, my father just wants to know how a woman could turn the tide of the war. As far as we know, at that time, you had no reinforcements and no food supplies. We could have advanced straight in," Mengya was also very curious. "That's because my elder brother was also on the battlefield, hungry like everyone else."
"Your elder brother? Is he the young general?" Mengya seemed to be equally interested in her elder brother. Mei Qingxue was startled but showed no emotion on her face. She was thinking about how to divert Mengya's attention from her elder brother.
Just when she was at a loss, Xiaobei came in front of her.
"Crown Princess!" Xiaobei looked at his mistress with admiration.
"Xiaobei, the princess of the Quanrong Tribe is choosing a husband in the Feng Kingdom. Defeat her and take the beauty home!"
"Crown Princess, she is the daughter of our enemy," Xiaobei said anxiously. Mei Qingxue gave him a cold look. "Do you doubt this princess?"
"No, I will follow the Crown Princess's order," Xiaobei stood upright, his eyes shining as he looked at Mengya. "This is the white - robed general who killed eight of our fierce generals."
"Father, watch me teach him a lesson with my whip," Mengya turned her face. "Sister, will you be angry if I hurt him?"
"If you hurt him, it's because he didn't learn his skills well enough. Let him know that there are always people better than him and he shouldn't be arrogant," Mei Qingxue said to King Leide, who translated it for his daughter. Mengya was overjoyed. She leaped onto the arena with a light jump and said with a clumsy accent, "Man, come on!"
"Pop!" "Pop!" Mengya whipped out two beautiful patterns with her long whip. Xiaobei also leaped up and grabbed Mengya's whip, pulling her into his arms. "Crown Princess, she can't beat me."
"Let go and let me hit you a few times."
"Not letting go. You clearly can speak the Han language."
"I only know a few words. Let go..." Mengya said anxiously. Mei Qingxue gently nodded at Xiaobei. "Good!" Seeing the Crown Princess praise him, Xiaobei grinned. He let go of Mengya and then jumped to Mei Qingxue's side. Mengya whipped at them, but Mei Qingxue didn't move at all.
Just as the whip was about to hit Mei Qingxue, Xiaobei flashed in front of her. The whip landed on Xiaobei. "What are you doing?"
"I didn't mean it," Mengya stamped her foot. "Why do you hide behind sister?"
"It's okay! Don't be so reckless in the future!" Mei Qingxue gently shook her head. Seeing that Mei Qingxue didn't even frown when the whip almost hit her, Kalu and King Leide exchanged a look.
Mei Qingxue turned to King Leide and said, "War brings suffering to the common people. If you understand this, there will be no more war. It's not that we can't annex your tribe or demand compensation from you. Do you know where the things you offered came from? Well, think about it for yourself. Mengya's marriage is settled like this. Remember, there are many capable people here. They just don't want to argue with you."
King Leide slowly bent down. "Yes! I understand!"
Xiaobei and Mengya glared at each other. Mei Qingxue knew that she had made a good match and felt relieved. "King Leide, get ready to marry off your daughter. Our heroes in the Feng Kingdom are worthy of your daughter who grew up on horseback!"
Hearing Mei Qingxue's words, King Leide smiled proudly. "My Mengya is not only the pride of the grassland but also my pride."
"Then keep the pride of the grassland people and develop your animal husbandry. For those who are too old to graze, you can let them plant grass, the grass that cattle and sheep eat."
"Why?"
"When the grass is eaten up, the grassland will be damaged. The grassland raises sheep and the people on the grassland. In return, the people should also take care of the grassland." Mei Qingxue tried to explain it as clearly as possible in case he didn't understand.
King Leide looked at Mei Qingxue in confusion, but then suddenly had an epiphany. "Do you mean that if the grass is eaten up, there will be none left, and without grass, there will be no people on the grassland?"
Mei Qingxue nodded. "That's about it." The ancient people were not stupid. That seemingly reckless man immediately understood her meaning.
Mei Qingxue nodded in satisfaction. It would be beneficial for future generations if she could instill some environmental protection concepts. King Leide said, "I remember the elders said that the grassland used to be boundless, but now it has shrunk a lot. So that's the reason. I understand!"
He looked at his daughter. "You'll stay here from now on. When you miss the grassland, come back with your husband."
"Father," Mengya threw herself into King Leide's arms. "I don't want to leave you."
"I'll come to see you often."
King Leide stroked his daughter's head. Mei Qingxue really wanted to tell him that she would assign his son - in - law to the border so that the family could be reunited. But for now, she couldn't say anything.
Finally, she smiled and said in their language, "You'll see each other often." Hearing Mei Qingxue's words, King Leide bowed to her, pushed away his beloved daughter's hand, and strode away.
Those young masters and nobles who had been severely whipped by Mengya left angrily when they saw that the beauty had found her husband. They got nothing but a bad reputation.
"Crown Princess, what should we do now?" Xiaobei stood behind Mei Qingxue. Mengya looked sadly at the back of King Leide as he left. Kalu also closely followed his king without looking back at their precious princess.
"Kalu, do you think Mengya has a good match?"
"Your Majesty, I think the princess won't have a bad marriage," Kalu didn't know how the princess would fare in this Southern Kingdom, but at least they knew that the emperor of the Southern Kingdom understood their intentions.
"I'll arrange your wedding as soon as possible. Now take the princess to the posthouse and settle her down first. Then you can resign from Commander Mei. It's time for you to return to your post."
"Yes, I'll follow your order," Xiaobei would never disobey Mei Qingxue. As soon as Mei Qingxue gave the order, he immediately settled Mengya in the posthouse. She already had her own maids, and Mei Qingxue sent another smart one. It was so easy to take in a princess from a foreign tribe. Mei Qingxue knew that the diplomatic relations between the two countries would be stable for the next century.
However, these were all things for Duguo Qing to consider in the future. Her original intention was to watch the princess choose a husband, fearing that her own husband might be chosen by someone. So she came to attend the ceremony on behalf of the Crown Prince.
"Your Majesty, the princess from the foreign tribe has chosen a guard!"
"Oh?" Duguyou already knew about the princess whipping those young masters until they cried out in pain. "A guard?"
"Yes. It is said that he killed eight enemy generals on the battlefield!"
"Such a good young man in our army. Why am I just finding out now?"