Chapter 35: Soft on the Weak, Tough on the Strong—The Whereabouts of Sweet Potato

Chapter 35: Bullying the Weak, Fearing the Strong; The Whereabouts of Sweet Potatoes

Deep within the Imperial prison, the sounds of agonizing screams echoed incessantly. After experiencing the Empire's methods of torture, Vivian had completely shed her former arrogance.

Her terrified eyes were locked onto Yang Zimo, who stood before her issuing orders, filled with nothing but resentment. Her blood-stained hands dripped steadily—drip, drip—onto the floor.

"Can you answer the Marquis's questions now?" Yang Zimo asked once more.

"I will speak. My name is Vivian. I am the third daughter of King Tiridates of the Parthian Empire. I snuck out to the Yuezhi Kingdom for a bit of travel, and upon hearing that the Yuezhi King had dispatched troops to join the war between the Xiongnu and the Great Qin, I—having been curious about Great Qin since childhood—followed the army along. After the Xiongnu were defeated, more than eight hundred of my entourage were captured and imprisoned here," Vivian replied, her voice trembling as she endured the pain in her fingers.

"Guards, bind her wounds!"

"So, you were just bored out of your mind, traveled ten thousand miles, all just to see what Great Qin looked like. Now that you've seen it, I trust you're quite pleased," Yang Zimo teased.

"Ugh!" Vivian looked at Yang Zimo, wishing she could take a knife to him; the hateful Eastern man. Once she escaped, she would surely have her revenge.

"You Qin people are truly unfriendly!" Vivian muttered under her breath.

"Grumble, grumble!" Her stomach let out an uncooperative growl, causing her blood-stained face to flush even redder.

"Could you..." Vivian asked softly, her emerald eyes fixed on Yang Zimo.

Yang Zimo looked at the woman before him, suddenly struck by an urge to learn more about her. He waved for the jailers to come over and said, "Give her some food, clean her up, and bring her to my quarters shortly." With that, he turned and left with his guards.

Before long, a cleaned-up Vivian was respectfully escorted by the jailers to the office used by the prison warden. Seeing the predatory glares of the guards, the jailers dropped Vivian off and scurried away.

In the room, only Yang Zimo, his guard commander Feng, and Vivian—her fingers now bandaged—remained. After washing, her golden hair hung damply over her shoulders. Her gem-like green eyes peered at Yang Zimo, brimming with fear. Her oversized robe could not conceal her alluring figure; even through the fabric, one could sense the youthful aura radiating from her. Her long, slender legs were hidden beneath the hem of her gown, leaving one to imagine how exquisite they might look in private.

To any experienced man, Vivian was a rare beauty, though she currently appeared quite disheveled.

Before being brought over, she had been grabbed by several matrons, shoved into a tub, and scrubbed down roughly despite her protests before being sent to this room. In that moment, Vivian had truly believed she was about to be violated by that detestable Qin man, and her heart was filled with despair. With her Uncle Harris nowhere to be found and her own attendants captured, how could a lone woman resist a man surrounded by guards?

Watching Yang Zimo lounge lazily in his chair and glancing at the cold, impassive guards behind him, Vivian felt even more unsettled. Are these Qin people so unrestrained? They actually allow others to stay in the room; it seems this man is a coward. Just as Vivian's mind wandered, a voice suddenly cut through the air.

"Now that you are fed and rested, tell me everything about your Parthian home! Do not play any clever tricks, or your men will sleep forever in this land." He did not need to pay attention to Vivian's lush, pitiable appearance. Yang Zimo was a man of the world; he knew all too well that this was merely a beautiful shell.

"My Lord, I... I do not know where to begin," Vivian asked nervously, glancing at Yang Zimo.

"This is the Imperial Preceptor of Great Qin, the Marquis of Zhenguo!" Feng interjected, offering a stern reminder.

"Oh! Greetings, Marquis!" Vivian quickly exclaimed.

"Not just 'Marquis,' call him the Marquis of Zhenguo!" Feng corrected her immediately.

"You Qin people, your titles are so complicated!" Vivian couldn't help but whisper.

"Enough! Tell me about the customs, land size, population, and military strength of Parthia," Yang Zimo asked, getting straight to the point.

"Very well!" Vivian smoothed her hair and sat upright in her chair. Her demeanor shifted instantly, as if she had become a different person.

*Not bad. This is what a real princess should look like.* Seeing her change in temperament, Yang Zimo couldn't help but nod. He took another look at her; she was indeed a genuine princess.

When Vivian spoke of her country, she was filled with confidence and affection, gesturing animatedly one moment and sighing thoughtfully the next.

The Parthian Empire, also known as the Arsacid Empire, was a slave-based empire of the classical era in the Asian region of Iran. Founded in 247 BCE by its first ruler, Arsaces, it sat along the Silk Road between the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty, serving as a hub for trade. It was considered one of the four great powers of Eurasia at the time, alongside the Han, Rome, and the Kushan Empire. Their most famous military force was the camel cavalry.

The Parthian Empire stretched north to the Euphrates River in southeastern Asia Minor and east to the Amu Darya. It covered over two million square kilometers, with a population of over 5.8 million and an army of more than 200,000 soldiers.

The current ruler was Arsaces I, and Vivian was his youngest daughter. Arsaces I had three sons and five daughters. The terrain was primarily desert, and the Parthian camel cavalry and noble heavy lancer regiments were the pillars of the empire's dominance.

Vivian spoke to Yang Zimo for three full hours. When discussing her homeland, she couldn't help but boast, specifically emphasizing the large population and the two hundred thousand brave warriors.

In Vivian's eyes, the recent great battle between the Xiongnu and Great Qin must have exhausted the full strength of the empire; after all, hadn't the Xiongnu been forced to call for foreign aid? According to her understanding, the entire Xiongnu tribe numbered only six or seven hundred thousand. Great Qin had deployed over four hundred thousand to fight them, which she assumed must be the majority of their military. By that math, the total population of Great Qin couldn't be more than seven or eight million.

Compared to the Parthian Empire, Great Qin wasn't much stronger. If she hadn't been captured by these Qin people, she would have convinced the surrounding nations to join forces and invade this barbaric land.

Seeing the pride etched into Vivian's very bones and hearing her describe how powerful Parthia was, Yang Zimo couldn't help but chuckle. Even Feng, standing behind him, couldn't suppress a grin. It seemed the previous northern campaign against the Xiongnu hadn't left a deep enough impression on these foreigners, who genuinely believed Great Qin had already played its full hand.

"What are you laughing at?" Vivian, now growing bolder, asked with confusion.

"Nothing. I simply find it delightful to hear that the Parthian Empire is so powerful," Yang Zimo lied casually.

"By the way, have you ever seen something called a sweet potato in Parthia? It is an edible plant. The fruit grows underground and is an oval or spindle-shaped root. You can plant it using the leaves, and it secretes a white sap. It can be eaten raw, tastes sweet, and has a crisp texture." As Yang Zimo described it, he picked up a pen and paper to sketch it out.

"I have seen it!"

"What!"