Chapter 4 — I Am the Scourge of the Emperor

“Girl of Central Plains,” Kha Khan stroked his beard, smiling and waiting to see the fun, “If you can feed it meat without being bitten, this king will acknowledge you as the seventh royal concubine.”

I lowered my head to look at the bloody and slimy tray of raw meat, then looked at the wolf. The wolf also looked at me, baring his teeth and dripping saliva.

“This…” I held up the piece of meat and asked cautiously: “Do your wolf warriors… eat grilled meat?”

Half a moment later, Kha Khan's eyes widened, looking at the war wolf lying at my feet, wagging his tail like a pinwheel, his mouth holding grilled goat meat soaked in cumin, eating so deliciously that his mouth watered.

“No way!” Khan slammed the table and stood up: "Lie Phong has never eaten food given to him by outsiders!"

I scratched the wolf warrior's chin, and he immediately turned over on his belly, groaning "grrrrr" as if acting like a babe. Third Prince Thiet Tru rushed forward excitedly: "How did you do it?" Ta: “Um… maybe he just likes… grilled food?”

8

The khan was half-believing and half-skeptical, so he led out five more wolves. An hour later... The whole herd of war wolves of the Bac Dich royal court lay down, basking in the sun, letting me rub their bellies and scratch their ears. The fiercest one in the herd even learned how to hold a tree branch and run to throw it, then happily pick it up. The Kha Khan's expression at that time was as if he had witnessed the betrayal of his soldiers and horses. That night, the Khagan held a banquet, saying it was to "test the courage of Princess Trung Nguyen". The Bac Dich aristocrats took turns offering wine, each cup larger than the previous cup. As soon as I raised my cup, I took a sip and choked until my face turned red.

"Ha ha ha! The woman of Trung Nguyen really can't!" The North Dich nobles laughed in unison.

I gently wiped my mouth, quietly pulled out a packet of chili powder from my sleeve— originally intended to grill meat, but now...

"Everyone," I smiled, "We have a custom in Trung Nguyen, drinking wine... must have spices to go with it."

Three moments later, the whole hall was in chaos.

“Aaaaa my eyes—!”

“Water! Quickly give me water!”

“More bitter than swallowing fire!”

Khan Khan was so bitter that tears streamed down his face, continuously drinking horse wine, pointing at me: "You... you are... a woman..." I innocently blinked: "Your Majesty, this is called the 'fiery fire' wine of the Central Plains, symbolizing the good friendship between the two countries... as passionate as a fire." Khan: "..." He wiped his tears, then suddenly burst out laughing: "Good! Spicy enough! Worthy of being the princess of my Bac Dich!" So, that night, the banquet turned into a congress: "Who can withstand the fire-like passion of wine?" In the end, even the Khan got drunk, put his arm around my shoulder and called me "good brother". From then on, the royal court of Bac Dich began to spread a legend:

— Trung Nguyen's royal chili can make a mighty bear burst into tears.

The third prince Thiet Tru has since become my number one disciple, following him every day to ask to learn the secret art of Trung Nguyen:

"Your Majesty! Show me a spell that will turn the wolf upside down!"

"Your Majesty! Is there still chili from yesterday? I want my second brother to taste it!"

"Your highness! Your father said he'll drink again tonight! Remember to bring more spices!"

Ta: “…” Did I accidentally deviate from Northern Dich customs?

9

Half a year has passed, I have struggled in Bac Dich like a fish in water. Khan treated me like a god and worshiped me, Third Prince Thiet Tru was infatuated, and even the Northern Dich war wolves saw me wagging their tails—of course, mostly because of my talent in grilling meat. But tonight's banquet... me really not interested. Bac Dich did not go far, just the banquet, it was truly abundant. Three days a small party, five days a big party, and then again:

"Happy for the steppe's good harvest", "Happy for the mother wolf to give birth", "Happy for the Kha Khan's beard to grow an inch longer"...

I looked at the dancers gracefully dancing in the middle of the hall, yawning slightly. The dance is beautiful, but after half a year of watching it, it's tiring for the eyes.

“Is the princess bored?” Khan leaned closer, drunk, and asked.

I nodded honestly: "Your Majesty, why don't we change the performance?" Khan waved his hand: "Then let's join martial arts!" The brave soldiers of the North Dich immediately rolled up their sleeves and stepped out into the arena, their swords shining, fighting until their blood boiled. As I gnawed on the leg of goat, the light flashed: "Your Majesty, just martial arts is... too monotonous. Why not add... martial arts?" Third Prince Thiet Tru immediately shouted: "I agree!" Khan stroked his beard thoughtfully: "This..." I immediately raised the bet: "Whoever wins, I will personally roast a whole goat and give it to him."

“Test, definitely take the exam!” Khan banged on the table: "Where are you? Bring drums and music!"

So, in the history of Northern Dich, the first conference took place: "Martial Arts - Martial Arts Competition". The first person to step up was the first brave warrior of Bac Dich, Ba Do. The man was more than two feet tall, carrying two swords and entering the arena. Just when everyone thought he was going to dance to show off his power, he suddenly... shook his hips and danced to the tune of Trung Nguyen's song Duong Ca. That's right, it's that one-shake-three-swing folk dance. Combined with a fierce face and a pair of swords in hand, it's like a worshiping god entering the body, the dance summons the soul. The whole school was so surprised that their eyes widened and their mouths opened. I held back my laughter until my stomach hurt: "Who taught him how to dance?" Thiet Tru proudly raised his hand: "It's me! The other day I secretly watched the princess dance!"