The dinner in the Branduo Tribe looked extremely sumptuous.
For Chu Qing, who couldn't do without spicy food, although there weren't many spicy dishes, she was quite satisfied.
Because... the meat was simply in abundance!
Since she got pregnant, Chu Qing had become even fonder of meat. If there was no meat in a meal, even if it was her favorite spicy food, she wouldn't enjoy it to the fullest.
Chu Qing eyed the golden and shiny whole roasted lamb, her eyes almost lighting up.
An old herder woman sitting next to Chu Qing saw her eager hands. Smiling, she cut off a large piece of the best - roasted meat from the lamb's leg and placed it on the plate in front of Chu Qing.
Chu Qing quickly thanked her. Seeing that everyone had started eating, she began to dig in.
Ah!!!
Eating meat to her heart's content was simply a great pleasure in life!
It was a pity that she couldn't drink freely!
Different from the meat she had eaten in the palace before, the roasted meat on the grassland was even more delicious!
Just as Chu Qing was enjoying the pleasure brought by the roasted meat to her heart's content, Bateer spoke up in a loud voice:
"Princess, aren't you curious why I insisted on bringing you here?"
Chu Qing's chopsticks paused for a moment. Then she looked up at Bateer. The young man at this moment really seemed curious as to why she hadn't asked.
"Will you tell me if I ask?" Chu Qing curled her lips, her eyes filled with a meaningful smile.
"Since the Princess of Ning asks, I will surely tell." Bateer replied seriously.
"Fine. Then why did you kidnap this princess from Qingzhou?"
"… Well… It can't really be called kidnapping. I just had no other choice."
"Really?" Chu Qing continued to smile with narrowed eyes.
Bateer was stumped by Chu Qing's question. He nervously rubbed his hands: "I'm sorry. The situation was urgent, so I had to resort to this."
"Princess of Ning, please don't blame Brother Bateer. It… It was my idea that made Brother Bateer do this!" Yu'er, who had been burying her head in eating, saw that Chu Qing seemed to be making things difficult for Bateer. She casually wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth and then quickly explained.
Madam Zhou frowned upon hearing this and said, "Yu'er, do you know what you're saying?"
Yu'er lowered her head, looking timid.
Chu Qing just gave Yu'er a sideways glance and then turned her gaze back to Bateer.
Seeing Yu'er trying to excuse him, Bateer sighed and continued, "Yu'er is still young. She doesn't understand anything. This idea was ultimately mine. Princess, if you want to blame someone, blame me alone. As long as you can agree to what I'm about to say, after it's done, I... I'll be your servant, doing anything you ask."
Seeing that Bateer was sincere, Chu Qing didn't rush to agree. She just motioned for him to continue.
Seeing this, Bateer had no choice but to continue, "I... I want the Prince of Ning to help me unify the various tribes on the grassland."
"Unify... the various tribes on the grassland?"
So this was the reason?
This kind of lofty ambition made Chu Qing stunned for a moment. Then she let out a soft laugh, but there was no mockery in her laughter.
"First, tell this princess your reasons. Why should the Prince of Ning help you? Could it be that you brought this princess here... to threaten him?" Saying this, Chu Qing stopped smiling.
Bateer, whose thoughts had been exposed, lowered his eyes and said, "I know this isn't right, but I'm really running out of time."
"If you truly want the Prince of Ning to help you, then tell this princess the whole story and your reasons for wanting to unify the grassland tribes. Don't say it's just because you're ambitious. This princess can tell that you're not."
Seeing that this back - and - forth conversation wouldn't clarify things quickly, Chu Qing gave the floor entirely to Bateer. She would make a decision after he had explained everything clearly.
What made her feel most at ease at the moment was that her life was not in danger. Since that was the case, she had the time to listen to what the other person had to say.
Seeing Chu Qing looking at him seriously, waiting for an explanation, Bateer couldn't help but show a grateful smile. Then he carefully began to speak:
"I received news that the Xiliang people are going to help the Aqitu Tribe unify the grassland. And Wumushan and Baharnao, who also got the news, have joined hands. Now, Wumushan and Baharnao have started attacking the small tribes around them. I rescued Yu'er from one of those tribes. The chief of that tribe was extremely cruel, so I... didn't show any mercy. That's why Yu'er thought I had attacked that tribe. Now, the tribes on the grassland are in a panic. Some small tribes are banding together for safety, while others... are voluntarily surrendering and submitting to Wumushan or Baharnao. Our Branduo Tribe is the oldest tribe on the grassland. After my grandfather... passed away, he entrusted Branduo to me. I can't just watch Branduo lose its beautiful name and submit to other tribes. Therefore, I had no choice but to start making plans. I originally wanted to cooperate with other tribes, but they..."
Here, Bateer looked a bit embarrassed.
Yu'er pouted and continued, "Brother Bateer originally wanted to cooperate with them, but some of those tribes spoke rudely to Brother Bateer, and some even had evil intentions and wanted to attack Brother Bateer and annex Branduo! Brother Bateer had no other choice but to fight them. Fortunately, Brother Bateer is very powerful and defeated those with bad intentions!"
At this moment, seeing Yu'er looking angry, Madam Zhou couldn't help but sigh and comforted Yu'er back to her seat.
Chu Qing frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.
She probably understood why he wanted to unify the tribes.
A man without ambition was forced to have one.
If he didn't do this, his tribe would be annexed.
But...
"You could have tried to contact the Prince of Ning and discuss it with him. By bringing me here like this, he might fly into a rage, and what he might have agreed to originally might turn into a refusal." Chu Qing said seriously.
A strange look of... grievance seemed to flash across Bateer's eyes. Then he said, "I... sent him a message, but I never got a reply. I guess the Prince of Ning has been extremely busy lately, so I... thought that if I brought you here, the Prince of Ning might come in person..."
"Um..." Chu Qing sat up straight and lowered her head to hide her expression.
So Bateer thought that as long as she was here, the Prince of Ning would come in person no matter how busy he was?
Why did she suddenly stop being angry?
Did this mean that the Prince of Ning's doting on her had become common knowledge?
Tsk! It was really embarrassing to think about!
Chu Qing silently laughed a few times in her heart. The little meatball felt it and couldn't help but tease her. But at this moment, Chu Qing, who was in a good mood, didn't have time to argue with it. After quickly adjusting her expression, when Chu Qing looked up again, she had regained her calm and composed look.
"If you want the Prince of Ning to help you, it's okay. But what you said just now, about being this princess's servant after it's done, is that still valid?"
Bateer was no ordinary person. If he was willing to be her servant...
She wasn't a selfless good - Samaritan.