After half a year, Wang Daxia wore men’s clothing for the first time. Accustomed to being a friend to women and wallowing in rouge and powder, now to save his wife, Wang Daxia donned his battle robe and wore his old garments. By the window he undid his hair knot, facing the mirror he removed his rouge. Sharpening his blade, he marched toward the Khan’s court.
Wang Daxia emerged in his round-collared robe carrying a sword, transforming from a flirtatious beauty into a warrior. Ding Wu asked, “Have you thought this through?”
Wang Daxia nodded. “My wife—I wouldn’t trade her for anything.”
For the first time, the brother-in-law felt this brother-in-law had some redeeming qualities.
Ding Wu brought Wang Daxia to the Khan’s court through the night. After receiving Third Madam’s summons, all of Wang Daxia’s weapons were confiscated, even the hairpin from his topknot was removed and replaced with a hair ribbon.
Third Madam, to welcome this rare guest, added wine and relit lamps to resume the banquet. After seven years, seeing Wang Daxia again, he still looked like the young man who used to fight at Red Sleevesæ‹›, seemingly unchanged except for his height.
Third Madam was still beautiful, only now carrying the natural authority of one in power.
However, Wang Daxia’s gaze didn’t linger on Third Madam’s beauty. He asked, “Where is my wife?”
What deep marital affection—to retrieve his wife, he would storm even a dragon’s den or tiger’s lair. Third Madam said, “Congratulations on you and your female neighbor becoming lovers who finally married. Your wife just struck a deal with me. I wonder if you recognize it?”
Ding Wu and Wang Daxia said together, “We do.”
Third Madam’s heart grew sour again. A mere street doctor had family and a husband who loved her without reservation—what fortune this was.
Third Madam said, “You haven’t even asked what the deal is.”
Wang Daxia said, “Everything my wife says is right. She can always find alternative paths and achieve victory through surprise.”
Ding Wu said, “I trust her.”
Such trust made Third Madam extremely envious. It seemed Wei Caiwei’s words carried weight.
Third Madam pulled a mechanism under the table, causing a bell to ring in the adjacent room. A maid brought Wei Caiwei over.
When husband and wife met, they embraced shamelessly. Ding Wu was already accustomed to this, while Third Madam suppressed the sourness in her heart and said, “Doctor Wei, explain our deal to these two.”
Wei Caiwei explained the plan for the Ming to support Third Madam in controlling power, for both nations to end over two hundred years of warfare, to open mutual markets, and restore peace. The condition was that Third Madam would protect the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s hidden agents in Feng City and support peace between the two nations.
The wife sings, the husband follows. Wang Daxia fully supported his wife and Third Madam’s deal. Let’s finish this quickly! Otherwise, this inhuman life of undercover espionage would never end.
At this point, Ding Wu also removed his mask. “I have one more condition. The Khatun must assist us in eliminating the White Lotus Sect. First, the White Lotus Sect is a cancer that deceives ignorant believers. In the believers’ eyes, there is only the sect leader, not the Khatun. They only obey the sect leader’s orders, which will eventually become a hidden danger.”
“Second, the White Lotus Sect are rats everyone shouts to kill in the Ming dynasty. The Ming court cannot possibly forgive the White Lotus Sect’s actions. For our two nations to coexist peacefully, the White Lotus Sect is absolutely an obstacle in the way. If Third Madam assists the Ming court in eliminating the White Lotus Sect, then the Ming court will believe in Third Madam’s sincerity.”
When negotiations began, everyone had to bargain. Third Madam said, “You’re asking too much of me. The White Lotus Sect is useful to the Khan’s court. An Da Khan needs the White Lotus Sect as running dogs to restrain you. During this drought, the grain from Bansheng territory was extremely useful to us, otherwise more people and livestock would have starved to death. Currently we haven’t even begun, so I won’t suppress the White Lotus Sect and oppose An Da Khan.”
Ding Wu said, “Without the White Lotus Sect, Bansheng territory would be the Khan’s court’s domain, paying taxes and grain tribute to the Khan’s court. The Khatun wouldn’t need to borrow grain through the White Lotus Sect in the future—she could directly rule Bansheng. The believers would all be the Khatun’s subjects. The Khatun would have both grazing land and farmland, complementing each other. Without the White Lotus Sect as middleman, wouldn’t that be better?”
Wei Caiwei also said, “Khatun, eliminating the White Lotus Sect benefits us all.”
After bargaining back and forth, both sides reached a strategic cooperation agreement. Next, they would await Emperor Longqing’s reply.
Third Madam returned the just-confiscated rhinoceros horn pass to Ding Wu. He could still freely enter and exit the Khan’s court. However, Third Madam said to Wang Daxia, “You cannot take her tonight. I cannot release her for mere empty promises. Until your Emperor gives me a reply, she remains an honored guest of the Khan’s court, staying to attend my delivery.”
Wang Daxia disagreed. “No, you can’t use her as a hostage.”
Third Madam said, “We still cannot trust each other completely. I must keep someone. She’s a woman and a doctor—keeping her nearby won’t arouse suspicion. The Khan’s court has many eyes and ears, so I must act cautiously.”
As Wang Daxia was about to argue further, Wei Caiwei covered his mouth. “I understand the Khatun’s unease. I voluntarily remain as a hostage.”
Wang Daxia: “Mmph (No way)!”
Wei Caiwei understood her husband’s meaning and said, “Would you rather put on women’s clothing and stay in the Khan’s court instead?”
Wang Daxia nodded: “Mmph (Yes).”
Wei Caiwei rejected her husband’s suggestion. “That would make me even more worried. I won’t forget about you buying the Khatun’s favor. Don’t tie your shoes in a melon field, don’t adjust your hat under a plum tree—I’m just petty-minded that way.”
Third Madam’s expression looked somewhat unpleasant. She hadn’t expected Wei Caiwei to be so blunt.
Actually, Wei Caiwei didn’t doubt Wang Daxia’s loyalty, but he was after all a man, and his female disguise was the seductive, bee-and-butterfly-attracting type. Once discovered, or if An Da Khan took a fancy to him and forcibly possessed him, only to strip off his pants and discover the impressive Wang Xiaoxia, both Daxia and the Khatun would be in danger.
Ding Wu mediated, saying, “Khatun, they are newlyweds after all. Being separated by distance and palace walls violates human nature. Let’s each compromise—every ten days, Doctor Wei can leave the palace under the pretext of purchasing medicinal materials to reunite with Wang Daxia once. She must return to the Khan’s court before the palace gates close, and I’ll accompany her throughout, definitely not causing the Khatun any trouble.”
To help his sister and brother-in-law, Ding Wu was willing to watch the newlyweds be affectionate under his nose.
At this point, the deal was officially sealed.
Ding Wu said, “This matter will be handled by Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Lu personally traveling to the capital to secretly memorialize the Emperor. The Emperor will then secretly bestow documents and tokens to demonstrate the sincerity of cooperation between our two nations.”
“Commander Lu?” Third Madam recalled the past. “The private son of Lu Bing?”
Wei Caiwei and the other two exchanged glances. At this point, some things that would eventually be revealed need not be hidden from Third Madam.
Wei Caiwei said, “She’s not a private son, but the daughter of Earl of Sincerity, Fourth Miss Lu Ying of the Lu residence. Naturally, all the previous rumors between her and me were false.”
She didn’t know Lu Ying was a woman.
After hearing this, Third Madam was momentarily speechless. So there were so many women in the world who refused to submit to fate, breaking shackles, overcoming worldly prejudices, and striving to pursue their ideals.
Third Madam said, “I want to meet Commander Lu.”
Lu Ying dressed as a woman and was brought into the Khan’s court by Ding Wu to meet with Third Madam and Wei Caiwei. The three women held secret discussions in the room all morning.
Lu Ying set out that afternoon for the capital thousands of miles away. A storm was settled through cooperative mutual benefit.
“Doctor He” from Datong, Shanxi, stood out among many gynecological experts to become Zhong Jin Khatun’s confidant. Doctor He enjoyed mixing rouge and powder, frequently visiting the Red Makeup Rouge Shop. Each time, the female owner personally received her, leading her upstairs to introduce new products, not coming down for half the day.
Doctor He spent lavishly, buying a whole cartload at once. She selected items suitable for pregnant women to present to Zhong Jin Khatun, distributing the rest to the Khan’s court maids.
Thus, winter passed and spring finally arrived. Ice and snow began melting, and all things revived.
However, this was the season of food scarcity. Winter stores were nearly exhausted, green grass hadn’t yet grown to feed livestock, and spring famine was fiercer than winter’s. People died of starvation daily in various grassland tribes.
Starving people began robbing, desperately scrambling for food. Humans became like animals, entering the struggle of natural selection and survival of the fittest.
Feng City expelled all refugees, imposing martial law at night. City gates were guarded by troops, prohibiting starving people from entering to beg.
Within Feng City, singing and dancing continued peacefully. Though food and dairy prices soared, those with money and power didn’t starve. Everything remained as before.
Outside Feng City, for survival, strong tribes swallowed weak ones, killing men and elderly, keeping children as slaves and women as breeding machines. Food was controlled by the strong.
One night, Wei Caiwei was awakened by commotion in the Khan’s court. She hurried to Third Madam’s great hall. Third Madam was about to give birth. She touched her large belly, looking out the window, and said:
“A’duo Si, leader of the Ordos tribe, has allied with several tribes and surrounded Feng City with troops, demanding grain. An Da Khan summoned his ministers through the night to discuss countermeasures. I heard that my stepsons all advised An Da Khan to return me to my original owner, giving me back to A’duo Si to pay for grain.”
Wei Caiwei was alarmed. “Did An Da Khan… agree?”
Third Madam said, “An Da Khan hasn’t decided yet, but many support keeping the child and discarding the mother—the child stays with An Da Khan, while I go to A’duo Si.”
Outside Feng City, a person sat in a basket, lowered by rope outside the city gates. It was Court Judge Ding Wu of the Privy Council. Ding Wu raised both hands high, indicating he carried no weapons.
Ding Wu shouted loudly, “I’m called Ding Wu, an old friend of the Ordos tribe. I want to see A’duo Si!”
Ding Wu looked refined and gentle, appearing like a weak scholar with no destructive power, so he was brought to A’duo Si’s great tent.
A’duo Si treated Ding Wu with courtesy, entertaining him with milk cakes and milk tea. “This time there’s no roast mutton for you. The grain we traded for with hides from the Central Plains last time is finished. If this continues, people will eat people. We tribes don’t want to follow others’ old paths, seizing grain through mutual slaughter. Rather than killing our own people, it’s better to unite and demand grain from An Da Khan. They all say Feng City has stored grain. We don’t want killing. We haven’t betrayed An Da Khan. We just want to survive.”
Ding Wu said, “But the Khan’s court is discussing returning Zhong Jin Khatun to you, adding some grain as dowry to send you away and make you withdraw.”
Author’s Note:
The conflict tears apart again. Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-10-20 03:17:462020-10-20 20:19:34
Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: Yunsheng., Er San Jin Ah 1 each;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Meishou 20 bottles; wholeheart, Moli Zaiji 10 bottles each; Weiwei 8 bottles; ry, Little Dog Eating Meat Buns, A Yun, Flower Dots 5 bottles each; Morning Dew Awaiting Sunrise 3 bottles; Little Leaf, lisawyj123 2 bottles each; Xia Xia Bing Ice 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for everyone’s support, I will continue to work hard!