The Ordos tribe were the guardians of Genghis Khan’s tomb, ancestors of the Golden Family. Whether in strength or status, they were a force within the Mongol Tatar tribes that couldn’t be ignored. This was why A’duo Si had been chosen as the leader of the grain-demanding army, and why An Da Khan chose appeasement rather than armed confrontation, to prevent the Tatar tribes from being torn apart and giving the Oirat or Daming an opportunity to exploit.
Seeing A’duo Si’s demand, An Da Khan was initially somewhat angry – he clearly knew Hasi Tuya was his grandson’s fiancée, yet dared to ask for her.
But thinking it over, A’duo Si’s demand wasn’t excessive. I stole his wife, he’s not satisfied, but doesn’t dare steal my wife, so he settles for stealing my grandson’s wife. Men all care about face – A’duo Si wants to redeem his honor, which is understandable.
It’s just a woman. Give her to him and settle this grudge once and for all. I won’t owe the Ordos tribe anything anymore.
An Da Khan summoned his grandson Bahan Naji and said: “A’duo Si wants to marry Hasi Tuya, and I’ve agreed. I’ll choose a more beautiful woman of higher birth to be your second Biji.”
Bahan Naji never expected that helping his grandfather resolve troubles by going to Bansheng to collect grain and keeping Zhong Jin Khatun safe would result in his grandfather using his fiancée as compensation for the wife he had forcibly taken years ago!
Bahan Naji had been spoiled by his grandfather since childhood – if he wanted the stars, he wouldn’t be given the moon. He worshipped his grandfather, believing him the greatest khan, but in this moment, his grandfather’s magnificent image collapsed.
The devastated Bahan Naji exploded on the spot: “No! Hasi Tuya is my fiancée, we’re about to share a tent! If A’duo Si wants beautiful women, the khan’s court has plenty – give him ten or eight, send him away!”
An Da Khan produced the letter: “A’duo Si specifically requested Hasi Tuya.”
Bahan Naji snatched the letter and tore it to shreds! “I don’t care! I just won’t give her up! Hasi Tuya is my woman.”
While speaking, Bahan Naji angrily stormed out of the palace: “Tonight I’ll share a tent with Hasi Tuya and plant my seed in her body! A’duo Si is petty – he won’t raise another man’s child. Give up that thought!”
“Stop right there!” An Da Khan flew into a rage, taking out his whip and lashing it fiercely against the table. Cups and plates crashed to the floor with a clatter.
Bahan Naji didn’t dare disobey An Da Khan’s command. He slowly turned around, half-knelt on the ground, tore open his shirt to expose his bare back: “I won’t give Hasi Tuya to A’duo Si. Grandfather, beat me. Beat me to death, and I’ll give up.”
An Da Khan’s hand gripping the whip showed bulging veins, nearly crushing the handle. Bahan Naji was his most beloved grandson. His third son had died young, leaving only Bahan Naji as his heir. How could it not pain him to lose a child before his time? Bahan Naji increasingly resembled his father – it was as if his third son’s soul had been reborn in his grandson, which was why he cherished and loved him, giving him the best of everything.
The whip in An Da Khan’s hand trembled: “Bahan Naji, would you defy your grandfather for a woman?”
Bahan Naji was only eighteen, at the age of hot blood and youthful passion, when love and face were supremely important to a young man. He said: “Grandson doesn’t want to be mocked his whole life for being unable to protect his own woman – what kind of man would that make me? From childhood, grandson has obeyed you in everything, but this time, grandson wants to protect his woman. Even if you forcibly send Hasi Tuya to A’duo Si’s tent, grandson will lead men to his tent and snatch Hasi Tuya back!”
Whoosh!
An Da Khan raised the whip. The long lash was like a venomous snake – crack! – leaving a purple-red welt across Bahan Naji’s chest and back that immediately swelled up.
Bahan Naji endured the excruciating pain without even a grunt, refusing to yield or beg for mercy, kneeling straight and waiting for his grandfather to bestow a few more lashes.
Bahan Naji and An Da Khan were in a standoff. An Da Khan was forcing Bahan Naji to change his mind, while Bahan Naji was using self-harm to force his grandfather to change his heart: either beat me to death, or grant my wish.
The blows landed on his grandson’s body but hurt An Da Khan’s heart.
But this time, he couldn’t indulge his grandson. An Da Khan raised the whip again. In his youth he had been skilled in martial arts, and even now his blade wasn’t dull. The whip landed perfectly on the first welt, bursting the swollen area. Skin split and flesh tore, blood spurted and splashed onto the pristine sheepskin carpet.
Ah!
This time Bahan Naji couldn’t endure it anymore, a muffled groan escaping his throat. His chest and back felt like boiling oil had been poured over them, the burning making his muscles convulse involuntarily.
An Da Khan, heartbroken for his grandson, paused the beating and asked: “Have you thought it through? The woman or the greater good?”
Bahan Naji lay on the ground gasping violently: “I’ve thought it through. Grandson only wants Hasi Tuya.”
As An Da Khan raised the whip for the third strike, Third Madam entered, grabbing An Da Khan’s arm. The whip went askew, striking the carpet and sending wool flying.
Third Madam commanded the crowd: “What are you standing around for? Quickly carry him away for treatment!”
An Da Khan took the face-saving opportunity: “Lock him up, don’t let him out!”
Bahan Naji tried to struggle, but helpless with his injuries, he was quickly subdued by six guards and carried to a side hall for treatment.
Wei Caiwei carried her medicine box to treat Bahan Naji’s whip wounds, applying medicine to stop the bleeding and taking out sutures to stitch the torn flesh, sewing over fifty dense stitches.
After Bahan Naji’s sutures were complete, a woman’s shrill cries came from outside the door: “Bahan Naji! Save me! An Da Khan wants to send me to A’duo Si as his wife!”
Hearing this, Bahan Naji was like a man injected with stimulants, charging toward the door: “Hasi Tuya! I’m coming to save you!”
More than ten guards surrounded him, barely managing to pin him to the ground. Bahan Naji thrashed like a carp on dry land: “Let me go! I’ll kill you! Kill you all!”
Blood again soaked through his clothes. Bahan Naji had torn open the wounds Wei Caiwei had painstakingly sutured!
If this continued, someone would die. Wei Caiwei had no choice but to give Bahan Naji some “good stuff” to knock him unconscious.
Bahan Naji finally quieted down, and Wei Caiwei took out needle and thread to repair the wounds.
After completing all this, Wei Caiwei was so exhausted her forehead was covered in sweat. As she shouldered her medicine box to leave, several maids hurried over saying: “Doctor He, please look at Hasi Tuya – she’s fainted.”
Hasi Tuya had fainted from extreme agitation. After a few needles from Wei Caiwei, she revived, immediately seeking death and begging to see Bahan Naji.
The maids had no choice but to tie Hasi Tuya up with rope. Watching this pitiful woman treated and passed around like property, listening to the girl’s shrill cries, Wei Caiwei felt uncomfortable, but as a foreign doctor, she was powerless to help.
Wei Caiwei was in a troubled mood when Ding Wu came to find her: “Come with me to the Rouge and Powder Cosmetics Shop – Lu Ying has returned.”
After more than three months, Lu Ying had finally returned from the capital with Emperor Longqing’s reply.
Although Emperor Longqing had lifted the sea ban against popular opposition and allowed civilian overseas trade, he had no interest in northwestern mutual trade – simply put, lifting the sea ban brought Daming rich tax revenue, while mutual trade didn’t earn much money.
However, several cabinet ministers didn’t want to fight anymore and advocated recuperation.
Grand Secretary Li Chunfang even exploited Emperor Longqing’s habit – doing the opposite of his father – saying that Emperor Jiajing had always refused to open mutual trade, leading to frequent border wars, population decline, and fertile fields lying waste. Mutual trade would bring not only tax revenue but also peace, helping the northwest restore agriculture.
Hearing this, Emperor Longqing thought: Father wanted the sea ban, so I’ll lift it. Father forbade mutual trade, so I’ll allow it. He agreed to cooperate with Third Madam – the two countries would cease hostilities and open mutual trade.
Lu Ying brought Emperor Longqing’s secret letter and clothes and jewelry bestowed by Empress Chen for Third Madam, filling an entire chest.
“Wait.” Wei Caiwei asked: “When did the Grand Secretary become Li Chunfang? Wasn’t it Elder Xu Jie?”
Lu Ying said: “The cabinet had internal strife. Xu Jie and Gao Gong didn’t get along. Xu Jie was the previous dynasty’s minister, Gao Gong was the emperor’s teacher. They fought fiercely, directing subordinates to impeach each other. What official doesn’t have something to hide? They stabbed each other in the back, resulting in mutual destruction. Both were caught by the other’s evidence and resigned one after another to retire at home. With no tigers in the mountain, the good-natured Li Chunfang seized the opportunity and became Grand Secretary.”
Wei Caiwei immediately became alert. It seemed this round of court changes was almost identical to her previous life – Xu Jie and Gao Gong competed, tigers fought, both suffered. Both used their advanced age as reason to request retirement, seeking a dignified exit.
But after Xu Jie returned home, he never returned to court. His youngest son bullied locals and seized fertile land, which was reported to the emperor by Daming’s most upright and incorruptible minister – Hai Rui. Xu Jie nearly lost his reputation in old age.
After Gao Gong left, Emperor Longqing recalled the difficult days in the prince’s mansion when teacher Gao Gong never abandoned him but educated and encouraged him. Remembering old affections, he issued an edict recalling Gao Gong to the cabinet – old meat back in the pot, becoming “twice-cooked pork.”
Grand Secretary Li Chunfang, this good-natured man, knew he was blocking Gao Gong’s position. Rather than be caught with evidence and squeezed out like Xu Jie with a tarnished reputation, he proactively withdrew, yielding the position and requesting retirement.
With Li Chunfang gone, “twice-cooked pork” Gao Gong became Grand Secretary, and then…
Wei Caiwei asked Lu Ying: “When Elder Xu resigned and returned home, did your Third Sister also go to Huating?” Xu Jie was from Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture (present-day Songjiang District, Shanghai).
Lu Ying said: “When Elder Xu retired, my brother-in-law also had to retire with him, going to serve in Nanjing’s Ministry of Justice – a sinecure far from the capital’s political disputes. My Third Sister took my nephew to Nanjing with her husband. This is actually good – since Third Sister’s whole family settled in Nanjing, my Second Sister no longer resents her for not helping the Yan family back then. The sisters reconciled and correspond regularly. What’s wrong? Does Doctor Wei see something improper?”
The Xu family had completely withdrawn from officialdom. Lu Ying’s clan had lost its greatest backer. In the future… Wei Caiwei thought, what’s meant to come will come. At least in this life, Lu Ying and the Lu family still have us.
The storm was brewing, but only Wei Caiwei knew it at this time.
Wang Daxia was oblivious, currently excited and eager to claim credit from Lu Ying: “Commander Lu, while you were in the capital, we’ve uprooted the White Lotus Sect completely. Fifty thousand believers have mostly fled, all cultivating wasteland within the pass and living new lives, no longer believing the White Lotus Sect’s lies. Now Cult Leader Zhao Quan, Deputy Leader Li Zixin and other leaders have become toothless tigers, no longer threatening Daming – they’re useless. The Embroidered Uniform Guard will find an opportunity to arrest them, bring them to Daming for trial, and execute them publicly to console the wronged souls who died in the Gengxu Rebellion.”
Lu Ying also hadn’t expected victory to come so quickly. A great drought had changed everything. With great success nearly achieved, Lu Ying looked excitedly at Ding Wu: “Before coming to Fengcheng, you made a vow not to return until the White Lotus Sect was broken. Now that ideal is about to come true – I’ll take you back with me.”
Ding Wu also looked steadily at Lu Ying, his eyes smiling: “Good, I’ll go back with you.”
Their gazes seemed glued together, never to be broken.
A perfect match made in heaven. Wei Caiwei and Wang Daxia exchanged knowing smiles. Wang Daxia was being improper, quietly slipping off his big red embroidered shoe and extending his large foot under the table to hook around Wei Caiwei’s leg like a snake, coiling tighter and higher.
Wei Caiwei enjoyed the sweetness, but her mind kept flashing with Hasi Tuya’s shrill cries. Only a woman could truly empathize with another woman’s pain. However happy she was now, that’s how desperate Hasi Tuya must be.
Thinking of how Hasi Tuya would be forced into wedding clothes tomorrow, tied up and carried into a wagon like a gift to be sent to A’duo Si, Wei Caiwei couldn’t sit still and said:
“Everyone, I have an idea. Since Zhao Quan and the others are already useless anyway, how about we put this waste to good use?”