I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1087 Taking Another Concubine

That night, at the end of the victory banquet, Su Yao announced the matter to his ministers.

The hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted into cheers even louder than before.

"Congratulations, Holy Lord! Congratulations, Holy Lord!"

"The Holy Lord and Miss Safia are a match made in heaven!"

May the Holy Emperor and his concubine be forever united in heart and soul, and enjoy long and happy lives!

The Parthian nobles rose from their seats to kowtow, their gazes towards Bahram filled with envy and awe. Everyone understood what this marriage meant—the Suren family had not only completely shed their embarrassing status as surrendered generals, but had also become related to the Holy Lord by marriage, and their future status in Parthia and even the entire Han territory would be incomparable.

Although Safia had received her father's notice earlier than they had, she still couldn't help but tear up when she heard the announcement, and she cried tears of joy.

Although Anmoti harbored considerable prejudice against the Suren family, he still took the initiative to express his opinion in front of everyone:
"Your Majesty is wise! Miss Safia is exceptionally intelligent, and she and Your Majesty are a match made in heaven. I request that the wedding ceremony five days from now be based primarily on Han Chinese rites, supplemented by Parthian traditions, so as to combine Eastern and Western elements and demonstrate Your Majesty's grandeur in ruling over all nations!"

Su Yao nodded and smiled, "Granted. This matter will be handled jointly by you and Lu Su. Make sure it is done in a grand and respectable manner."

Five days later, the city of Nisa was filled with celebration.

Han red lanterns and Parthian colorful silks mingled on both sides of the street, and Han soldiers and Parthian surrendered soldiers patrolled side by side, all with smiles on their faces. Merchants from the East and West brought their most precious goods as gifts, and even the leaders of nearby nomadic tribes came in person to offer their fattest cattle and sheep.

Even Ma Chao and Yan Xing, who were far away in the Caspian Sea, as well as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were sweeping along the Persian Gulf coast, received Su Yao's message early on and sent their congratulatory gifts in time.

In the palace square, the temporary altar stood solemnly. Han officials dressed in black robes carried ceremonial implements; Parthian priests wore tall hats and held sacred fire. When Su Yao, dressed in a robe embroidered with twelve symbols, led Safia, who wore a Han-style phoenix robe and a Persian golden crown, onto the altar, the cheers in the square nearly lifted the roof off.

"The auspicious time has arrived—"

With a long chant from the Han official in charge of rites, music and rituals began. Su Yao and Safia first performed the Han custom of sharing a meal, eating meat from the same cauldron; then, according to Parthian tradition, they shared a bowl of grape wine mixed with honey, and a priest blessed them with sacred fire.

When Su Yao handed a gold seal engraved with the words "Consort of Anxi" to Safia, Griffin suddenly swooped down from the sky, circled once above the altar, and scattered golden feathers, causing everyone to gasp in surprise.

"Holy Beast, congratulations! This is an auspicious omen from heaven!" Someone shouted, and the square was immediately filled with thunderous shouts of "Long live the Holy Lord!"

Shafia held the golden seal, gazing at the spirited Su Yao beside her, then at the Griffin circling in the sky, and suddenly felt a surge of emotion welling up in her eyes—this was her destiny. From that fleeting glimpse above Mulu City to becoming his concubine today, the threads of fate had already tightly bound them together.

On their wedding night, red candles burned brightly, filling the room with warmth.

Safia sat on the edge of the bed, so nervous she didn't know what to do with her hands. Su Yao entered the inner room and, seeing her like this, couldn't help but laugh, "During the day on the altar, you weren't afraid of the army, so why are you like a frightened deer now?"

Safia blushed and whispered, "That...that's different..."

“It’s different.” Su Yao sat down beside her and gently took her hand. “By day we are ruler and subject, tonight we are husband and wife.” He lowered his head and gently kissed the back of her hand. “From now on, you don’t need to be reserved in front of me.”

Safia looked up at him, her eyes sparkling: "Your Majesty... may I continue to tame Griffin from now on?"

"Of course." Su Yao chuckled. "I'm counting on you to take good care of it. In the future, we'll not only go to Ctesiphon, but also to Rome."

When Rome was mentioned, a hint of nervousness flashed in Safia's eyes: "The Romans are a formidable enemy, I will definitely do my best."

"He is indeed a formidable opponent, but now, you should probably shift your focus."

Su Yao's voice deepened, carrying a hint of playful warmth as his fingertips lightly traced the golden phoenix embroidered on her phoenix robe. Safia's cheeks instantly burned, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but he held it firmly in his palm. "Tonight, you are simply my woman."

After saying this, Su Yao gently pushed the girl down onto the bright red bed sheet.

The curtains hung low, shutting out the outside noise. The red candles flickered, illuminating two intertwined figures. The petite girl wrapped her arms around the man's neck, her gasp muffled by a soft moan.

This naive girl thus began a transformation in her life.

The next morning, Safia woke up with aches and pains all over her body and found that Su Yao was no longer on the bed. She hurriedly got up, only to see Amina sitting in front of the dressing table, smiling at her.

"Sister." Safia blushed and pulled the quilt over her body, the traces of last night's lovemaking particularly noticeable on her snow-white skin.

Amina, unperturbed, picked up a comb and walked to the bedside. "The Holy Lord went to the training ground early this morning, specifically instructing me to check on you." She glanced meaningfully at the disheveled sheets. "Looks like you had a good night?"

Safia's ears turned bright red, and she stammered, unable to speak. Amina chuckled and skillfully styled her hair into a traditional Chinese updo: "Today is the day of court congratulations. As the newly appointed concubine, you'd better show some presence."

When Safia appeared in the main hall in her magnificent attire, the entire court of officials offered their congratulations. Following Amina's example, she sat gracefully beside Su Yao, accepting the homage of the crowd.

Standing at the head of the military commanders, Bahram gazed at his daughter's graceful and elegant appearance, and a single tear, a testament to his fierce nature, quietly fell from his eye.

At the court assembly, everyone spoke empty words, expressed their loyalty, and offered their blessings.

Originally, today's meeting was just a simple routine, but as the court session was drawing to a close, Su Yao announced a decision that shocked everyone.

"what?!"

"His Majesty is returning to Great Qin?!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked and pale. Anmoti knelt down with a thud, crawled forward two steps, and said in a trembling voice, "Holy Lord, are you...are you going to abandon us?"

"What are you talking about?"

Su Yao laughed heartily: "I have been away from Luoyang for nearly a year. Originally, I was there to punish the Kushans, but the war has escalated, the Kushans have surrendered, and the eastern part of Parthia is now under our control. You have even made me the King of Kings."

Su Yao lightly tapped the armrest of the "dragon throne" with his fingertips, his gaze sweeping over the shocked and terrified ministers in the hall: "Now that the war has temporarily subsided, I should go back and take a look."

"This"

Anmoti and the others exchanged bewildered glances, unsure how to respond. What these surrendered officials and generals feared most was the departure of their patron, Su Yao. If the Han dynasty had only come to plunder and then never returned, these "traitors" would likely be reduced to ashes in their Parthian homeland.

“Your Majesty is wise.” Lu Su stepped forward at the opportune moment, cupped his hands and said, “Now that Nisa City has been pacified, the Parthian false king is still eyeing us covetously. If Your Majesty were to return east now, I fear the morale of the army would be unstable.”

"Yes, yes."

Anmoti quickly replied, "The distance between Great Qin and Parthia is far. It would probably take at least a year for your holy entourage to travel back and forth. If the false king of Parthia takes the opportunity to launch a counterattack, how can we resist? Moreover, this is inconsistent with your previous plan to start the war in the spring."

"Who said I was going to lead a large army back?"

Su Yao laughed again: "Have you all forgotten that I have the sacred beast Griffin with me? The journey that takes an ordinary caravan a year to complete can be done by me alone on my sacred beast in no more than three months!"

(End of this chapter)