Though Third Madam had An Da Khan’s favor, she actually had little real power. Instead, she felt surrounded on all sides: the seven stepsons maintained surface harmony but inward discord with their young stepmother; courtiers and various tribes outwardly addressed her respectfully as Zhong Jin Khatun, but privately despised this granddaughter who married her own grandfather.
People revere the strong and bully the weak. In truth, it was An Da Khan who forcibly married his granddaughter, but no one dared speak against An Da Khan. Instead, they secretly accused Third Madam of seducing her own grandfather for wealth and status, calling her shameless.
This was reality. When a woman is forcibly taken by a man, especially by a powerful man, as long as the man has power or wealth—no matter how old or ugly he is, no matter how young and beautiful the woman—public opinion will excuse the man’s crimes rather than sympathize with the victimized woman. Instead, they condemn her for vanity and sleeping with old, ugly men for money and power.
No matter how old, ugly, or despicable a man is, he’s always the naive innocent “deceived” by scheming women.
Initially, Third Madam was devastated. She was bullied and possessed by her grandfather, yet had to bear the pressure of accusations that she had destroyed her engagement to her cousin for power. She even considered suicide.
But when the blade cut through the skin of her wrist, she stopped: Why? I clearly did nothing wrong—why should I die?
The old man pampered her to the heavens to compensate her. Third Madam was manipulated by the old man like a walking corpse. Though showered with favor, it was as if her soul was being slowly tortured. Everyone advised her to accept the old man, not to be ungrateful. Even her biological father told her to submit to this old man and obediently be a young wife.
Gradually, Third Madam accepted the fact that her grandfather had become her husband. She even began to enjoy the taste of being loved by the grassland’s most powerful man. To survive and make herself as comfortable as possible, to prevent herself from breaking down completely, she hypnotized herself countless times:
He possessed her by force because he loved her too much.
He ignored ethics and insisted on marrying her as his principal wife because of true love.
She must repay his love with genuine feelings. She had to learn to love him… because once she fell in love with him, she wouldn’t suffer so much anymore.
Love was like anesthetic powder, making her feel no cutting pain, making her believe she was a happy, satisfied, blissful little pampered wife who was always cherished.
But Wei Caiwei’s sharp words were like a ray of sunlight, illuminating everything Third Madam had tried so hard to conceal and hide under the bed where it couldn’t see light, forcing her to wake up from the anesthetic and face an even more unbearable future.
Marrying her grandfather was only the beginning. She still had to face the pain of marrying her uncle, marrying her cousin, even marrying her nephew. With each marriage, she would have to suffer once, numb herself once, and accept reality once again.
This woman was so cruel!
Third Madam gripped the edges of the table tightly, struggling to control herself from overturning it. “Levirate marriage is the custom of all Mongol tribes. I cannot change it with my strength alone. My unwillingness is useless—your Ming court cannot change our customs either.”
As long as you’re unwilling, our opportunity comes. Wei Caiwei sat across from Third Madam. “I’ve heard from my sworn brother that the Khatun is not someone who just goes with the flow. The custom of levirate marriage cannot be changed, but its substance can be altered. If the Khatun masters power, she can turn her husband into a puppet. The nominal husband would merely be a tool for the Khatun to rule the grassland. As long as the Khatun submits to our Ming dynasty and no longer wages war, we will fully support the Khatun in ruling the grassland.”
Third Madam’s eyes lit up, but quickly dimmed again. “There’s a saying in your Central Plains: ‘painting cakes to satisfy hunger.’ You’re a bold woman to dare paint such grand promises for me.”
Wei Caiwei said: “As long as one dares to dream and act, anything is possible. Our Central Plains also follows male superiority and female inferiority, yet we had an Empress Wu Zetian. She first married the father, then married the stepson, serving two generations of father and son. The subsequent emperors were all her puppets—she decided who to install. Finally, she deposed all the emperors and ascended the throne herself.”
“Your grassland also has a woman similar to Wu Zetian—”
Third Madam immediately responded: “You mean Mandukhai Khatun.”
No one on the grassland didn’t know of the great woman Mandukhai Khatun.
Mandukhai Khatun was a pearl of the Mongol grassland during the Chenghua period of the Ming dynasty. In that era, Emperor Chenghua was madly infatuated with Imperial Consort Wan, who was nineteen years older than him, beginning an unprecedented romance. During the same period, another age-gap love story occurred on the grassland, with an age difference of twenty-five years.
The grassland’s Manduul Khan died, leaving no heir. In his final years, his wife Mandukhai Khatun controlled the power. That year, Mandukhai Khatun was only thirty-two years old, in her prime.
According to the grassland’s levirate marriage custom, whoever Mandukhai Khatun married would become king of the grassland. So leaders of various grassland tribes sought her hand in marriage, competing to inherit the estate.
Mandukhai Khatun ultimately chose Genghis Khan’s fifteenth-generation descendant, a descendant of the Golden Family, the seven-year-old Dayan Khan—who was now An Da Khan’s grandfather.
Thirty-two-year-old Mandukhai Khatun married seven-year-old Dayan Khan.
Of course, this was a typical political marriage, unrelated to love. Mandukhai Khatun chose the seven-year-old boy as her husband for two reasons: first, the boy’s noble bloodline made it easy to gain public support; second, the boy’s young age made him easy to control. Until the boy reached sixteen and assumed regency, Mandukhai Khatun could continue controlling power as the grassland’s actual ruler.
Mandukhai Khatun later bore seven sons with her young husband Dayan Khan—capable women were extremely efficient even in childbearing. She had three sets of twins, needing only four pregnancies to produce seven sons.
Among them, her eldest son was the father of the current An Da Khan. Mandukhai Khatun was An Da Khan’s grandmother.
So Wei Caiwei only needed to hint slightly, and Third Madam immediately understood she was referring to her great-grandmother-in-law Mandukhai Khatun.
Wei Caiwei said: “Exactly. When Mandukhai Khatun was widowed, that was when she became the grassland’s true master. For her, levirate marriage was merely a tool for wielding power. Only by possessing absolute power can one—whether man or woman—control the initiative in political marriages.”
“The Khatun cannot change the tradition of levirate marriage and cannot choose, only accept. But becoming the controller of such marriages or becoming a puppet controlled by the other party—this is what the Khatun can choose. We can help the Khatun make her own choices.”
Third Madam’s expression changed, her mood uncertain, with countless thoughts battling in her mind.
Wei Caiwei wouldn’t let her escape, grasping her hand. “We want to be the Khatun’s allies. An Da Khan is aging, and the Khatun must consider her own future. An old man’s favor is unreliable—power and wealth are a woman’s best friends.”
“One more ally or one more enemy; becoming a great and powerful woman like Mandukhai Khatun or being inherited like an object among several generations of descendants—it all depends on the Khatun’s single thought.”
Third Madam’s hand sweated and trembled in Wei Caiwei’s palm. After a long while, her hand finally stopped shaking, and she asked: “Why should I believe your words? Will the Ming Emperor recognize the promises you make to me? If my secret contact with you is exposed and people say I’m colluding with the Ming, I’ll truly be finished.”
Being able to ask these questions showed that Third Madam had listened to my proposal and been moved by it.
Based on Wei Caiwei’s experience as a traveling doctor, those who criticize the goods are the ones who want to buy. If uninterested, customers wouldn’t bother with the effort of bargaining and would just walk away. Only when they sit down to negotiate is there hope for a deal.
Wei Caiwei said: “I cannot make grand promises or deceive the Khatun with random commitments just to save myself. Honestly, I cannot guarantee the Emperor will agree to secretly ally with the Khatun. The above represents only my personal views and, as a woman’s sympathy and proposal to another woman. But I promise I will do everything possible to persuade His Majesty to secretly ally with the Khatun.”
“The Ming and Mongolia have fought intermittent wars for over two hundred years. I believe many people, like me, are tired of warfare and hope for peace between our nations, to reopen border markets for trade. I think Emperor Longqing is very likely to agree to this proposal. Emperor Longqing is an enlightened ruler—he even ignored ancestral rules to lift the sea ban, allowing people to freely engage in maritime trade. The southeastern coast has already begun this; it should be the north’s turn to start free trade.”
“As for the risk of colluding with the Ming… Zhong Jin Khatun, what endeavor has no risk? The greater the risk, the greater the benefit. If the Khatun wants to move mountains with minimal effort, she must take risks. Besides, aside from us, which grassland tribe would support the Khatun holding power? Forgive my bluntness, but even the Khatun’s biological father wouldn’t support you.”
Wei Caiwei’s last sentence was truly cutting, but it was cruelly factual. When people outside mentioned Zhong Jin Khatun, they thought of the grassland’s greatest beauty, a femme fatale who abandoned her cousin and bewitched the ruler. They would never consider her a politician capable of ruling the grassland.
Third Madam thought to herself: Reopening border markets would benefit many grassland people, winning popular support. Like this year’s drought, if border markets existed, so many wouldn’t have starved to death. If I could gain the Ming Emperor’s support and achieve the merit of reopening border markets, driven by self-interest, some people would definitely support me. From there, I could gradually gain power like Mandukhai Khatun.
With power, I could change the fate of being slaughtered like an object.
Thinking of this, Third Madam’s eyes gained light and her heart gained hope.
Third Madam asked: “Is Wang Daxia in Feng City?”
Now, I must work hard to rebuild Third Madam’s collapsed trust in Ding Wu. I cannot deceive her anymore—any mistake could cause the already uncertain Third Madam to waver.
Wei Caiwei nodded: “Yes. Based on my understanding of him, he’ll be at the Khan’s court gates tomorrow morning requesting an audience with the Khatun to take me home.”
Looking at the confident and certain Wei Caiwei, Third Madam had never been so envious of another woman. She possessed true love—seven years of waiting, faithful unto death. She was certain he would come, without the slightest doubt or wavering.
Third Madam asked again: “Where is he in Feng City?”
Wei Caiwei said: “This involves official Embroidered Uniform Guard business, so I cannot say. When he comes to fetch me, it’s in his capacity as a husband, unrelated to his official position.”
In fact, Wang Daxia didn’t even wait until tomorrow.
Just as Wei Caiwei finished speaking, a maid entered to report to Third Madam: “Court Judge Ding requests an audience with the Khatun outside the palace. He’s brought an attendant who claims his surname is Wang and wants to enter the palace to take his wife home.”
Ding Wu’s palace entry pass had been confiscated, so he needed to be announced before entering. Wang Daxia came so early!
Third Madam calmed herself and said: “Grant audience.” Though love pledged unto death was enviable, since she was destined never to possess beautiful love, having power would also be good.
Author’s Note:
Daxia: Wife, I’ve come to rescue you!
Banxia: No need, I’ve handled it myself.
During the Chenghua period, Imperial Consort Wan and Emperor Chenghua had a 19-year age-gap romance. During the same period on the grassland was the 25-year age-gap political marriage between Mandukhai Khatun and Dayan Khan.
During the Jiajing period, Emperor Jiajing was infatuated with Shang Shoufei, who was the same age as his granddaughter. During the same period, An Da Khan was infatuated with his granddaughter Zhong Jin Khatun.
In early Wanli period, Empress Dowager Li (Li Jiubao) became the regent Empress Dowager, the actual ruler of the Ming. During the same period, An Da Khan died, and Third Madam on the grassland remarried to stepsons and grandsons, becoming the grassland’s actual ruler. Both countries were ruled by women.
What interesting coincidences indeed. Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-10-19 19:45:342020-10-20 03:17:46
Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: yin 1;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: 15 bottles; Vinegar-dressed shredded potatoes, Night dancing in Langhuan 10 bottles each; A curtain of charming sunlight, I am your father 5 bottles each;
Thank you very much for everyone’s support, I will continue to work hard!