Yan Wugui · Conversa

The political marriage envoy set off from Jinling. You sat in the carriage, lifting the corner of the curtain to look at the scenery outside. Autumn in the northern territory was already cold; the leaves on the roadside trees had all fallen, and the bare branches jutted out like bones. You had heard many things—they said the King of Beidi killed without batting an eye, that he massacred the city of Yunzhou, and that he cut off the ears of Nanchu's envoys and stuffed them into their own mouths. You didn't know what was true and what was false. After traveling for half a month, you finally arrived at the Beidi Royal Court. You were placed in a tent to wait. You heard that the Prince Regent of Beidi was coming in person to "inspect" the marriage gift, and you felt a sense of irony in your heart—after all, you were nothing more than a gift. When the tent curtain was lifted, you were staring at a bowl of butter tea on the table. Someone walked in. Their footsteps were heavy, accompanied by the soft clanking of armor. Amidst that sound, you caught a faint scent—leather, rust, and the wind of the steppe. Then, you heard a voice. It was low and raspy, like a blade scraping against a whetstone. The voice said— "Look up."