With a lick of her lip, she savored the faint trace of his kiss. A shiver ran through Yao Ji; Zong Jun had long since trained her body to an exquisite sensitivity. He embraced her yielding waist with one arm, his other hand reaching for the swell of her chest, poised to undo her robe. But a small, pale hand pushed him away. "Now that the Great Khatun has returned, my lord should go to her."
Zong Jun's face darkened. "You would push me to Hu Lan?"
Yao Ji naturally didn't want to push her husband to another woman, but she was determined to feign displeasure. She pouted her lips and remained silent. Seeing this, Zong Jun softened his voice. "Are you angry? I was only jesting with you. Although Hu Lan is my other Khatun, I've treated her as a stepmother for five or six years, and it remains so."
For Zong Jun, this explanation was a significant concession. He was a man of his word, seemingly gentle, but in reality, utterly dominant. He tolerated no disobedience, whether from his tribe or his women.
Yet, Yao Ji's heart grew heavier. She knew Zong Jun harbored no special feelings for Hu Lan; otherwise, he wouldn't have shown such affection towards Yao Ji in Hu Lan's presence. The root of her anger, when all was said and done, was Zong Jun's attitude towards her.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She lifted her head, noticing Zong Jun's surprise. She pressed her lips together before continuing, "You must have known the Great Khatun was returning, yet you didn't think to inform me."
Zong Jun couldn't help but laugh. "I thought it was something else. This isn't a major event. You're actually angry about this?" He paused, then added, "I simply forgot."
"Then why did you forget?" Yao Ji pushed away Zong Jun's hand as he reached for her again, staring directly into his eyes.
Why did he forget? Just as Zong Jun said, he didn't consider it important. He hadn't anticipated that Hu Lan's return would offend Yao Ji's dignity, much less that she would be hurt by it.
Even now, he still didn't fully grasp it, hence the puzzled furrow in his brow and the impatience in his eyes. "Why should I keep such a trivial matter in mind? Do you expect me to concern myself with everything?" His irritation flared. He was already weary from a long day, and he had even remembered to gift Yao Ji the snow wolf pelt he had hunted. Not only did she not appreciate it, but she also dared to reproach him. As a leader of a million people, he didn't have the leisure to indulge her whims.
One felt neglected, the other was unreasonable. Naturally, they parted on bad terms.
Hu Lan, upon hearing this, became even more smug. The next day, she went to Zong Jun to offer her services. Zong Jun initially intended to dismiss her, but the memory of tossing and turning alone in his tent, coupled with the report from his maidservant that the Great Khatun had slept soundly, fueled his anger. Hoping to provoke Yao Ji and see if she would yield, he turned to Hu Lan with a pleasant demeanor, allowing her to pour him tea and attend to him within his tent.
Aqing, upon learning of this, stormed off to find Yao Ji. Yao Ji was reading in her tent, calmly turning a page before speaking. "As the Great Khatun, attending to the lord is her duty. Why should you be angry?"
"But, Your Highness..." Aqing's distress made her revert to their former mode of address.
Before she could finish, Yao Ji stood up. "Enough. Help me change. The weather is fine; it's a perfect day for riding."
With that, a grand procession galloped eastward. When the news reached Zong Jun, his eyes darkened, and he flung a teacup to the ground. Hu Lan was just bringing a peeled grape to his lips when Zong Jun turned to her with a cold voice. "Leave."
Hu Lan's hand trembled. She wanted to speak, but seeing Zong Jun's raised eyebrow and the displeasure radiating from him, she quickly lowered her head and retreated from the golden tent.
Unaware of Zong Jun's outburst, Yao Ji urged her steed onward, feeling her frustration dissipate with every stride. The horse beneath her, a prized celestial steed gifted by Zong Jun, galloped far ahead, leaving her attendants in the dust. Growing tired, Yao Ji slowed her mount, waiting for her retinue to catch up.
As she rode at a leisurely pace, her attention was drawn to a young man stooped over, twisting strands of grass.
"Moroha."
The young man looked up. From atop her magnificent steed, the girl, in a flowing, jade-green gown, rode gracefully towards him and stopped before him. "Do you still remember me?"