Actually, Third Madam had already prepared herself to remarry Huang Jitai. Of course, it would only be a political marriage – going through the tent ceremony, nominally husband and wife, but actually living separate lives. Everyone would take what they needed without any conjugal reality or sharing the same bed.
Because Third Madam needed a male heir with Golden Family bloodline as a puppet to rule the grasslands, Huang Jitai was the eldest son, An Da Khan’s most legitimate heir. According to grassland levirate marriage customs, remarrying stepson Huang Jitai was the fastest way to control power.
After all, Third Madam had the Great Ming backing her. After An Da Khan’s death, if she wanted to find a bedwarmer, what man couldn’t she have? Why did it have to be Huang Jitai?
For his advanced age? For his ugliness? For his lameness?
Only when women control power can they choose who sleeps beside them, or simply refuse everyone and remain beautifully alone. Otherwise, they can only be chosen by others.
But Huang Jitai despised Third Madam and was determined to eliminate her quickly, even slandering that she disdained his ugliness and fled Hohhot with her personal troops.
Lu Ying felt that with Wang Daxia’s silver tongue alone, he should be able to persuade Huang Jitai to change his mind and make him obediently become Third Madam’s puppet husband.
Why did Lu Ying favor Huang Jitai?
Because Huang Jitai was old, lame, unpopular, and wore his thoughts on his face. Such a person was easier to control, much easier than his other scheming brothers.
Hearing this, Wang Daxia said: “I thought you wanted me to dress as a woman again and use my charms to seduce Huang Jitai. Turns out I’m just being a negotiator – fine, I’ll make the trip.”
Wang Daxia was middle-aged now and wouldn’t look convincing dressed as a seductive woman. Moreover, Huang Jitai wasn’t lustful – he was ready to kill even the devastatingly beautiful Third Madam without any tender feelings.
When Wang Daxia reached Hohhot at Prince Shunyi’s estate, Huang Jitai was pacing anxiously. Various tribes had already received Third Madam’s “threat” – the trading seal was in her hands. To trade at the eleven frontier markets, they needed travel documents issued by Third Madam, or the Great Ming wouldn’t let them pass for market trading.
Third Madam had grabbed them by the throat. After over two hundred years of frontier warfare, this decade of peace and trading had given many tribes a taste of prosperity. Except for extreme war-lovers like Huang Jitai, most people just wanted to live wealthy lives and didn’t want to fight anymore.
After all, who has trouble with silver?
Huang Jitai had wanted to send troops to force the Great Ming to open the passes, bypassing Third Madam’s seal, but no matter how he recruited soldiers, very few tribes responded. Leaders like A’duo Si of the Ordos tribe simply refused his envoys at the door, saying they only recognized Zhong Jin Khatun and wouldn’t send troops to follow him. Huang Jitai’s territory had limited military strength and couldn’t win a fight.
Now Huang Jitai was caught in a difficult position.
Wang Daxia deliberately delayed his journey, only leisurely entering Hohhot after Huang Jitai had repeatedly hit walls.
Prince Shunyi’s Estate.
Wang Daxia produced Third Madam’s letter: “Zhong Jin Khatun says that although you and she have different political views, the most important thing now is burying An Da Khan. She’s willing to set aside disputes and finish the funeral first. But for her to return to Hohhot, safety must be guaranteed first. Your troops must camp ten li outside the city and not enter, or she won’t return.”
Huang Jitai snorted coldly: “If she doesn’t return, so be it. I’m the eldest son and can arrange Father’s funeral.”
Wang Daxia pointed at the cold, deserted Prince Shunyi’s estate: “The great An Da Khan, the Great Ming’s enfeoffed Prince Shunyi, having such a shabby funeral – no envoys or ceremonial gifts from the Great Ming, no other tribal leaders in attendance, just hastily buried like this – who will submit to you?”
“An Da Khan has more than one son. If you don’t want to marry Zhong Jin Khatun, your brothers have already taken gifts to Bahan Naji’s Bansheng City, lining up to curry favor with Zhong Jin Khatun. Whoever marries her, the Great Ming will enfeoff as the second Prince Shunyi.”
Huang Jitai slammed the table and stood up: “She dares! I’m the eldest son, legitimately so. Whoever she marries, I’ll bring troops to fight!”
Wang Daxia seized on Huang Jitai’s words: “So you also want to marry Zhong Jin Khatun?”
Huang Jitai snorted again, neither saying he wanted to nor denying it.
He wanted to marry her, but didn’t want Zhong Jin Khatun to continue holding power. He wanted to swallow her power and the trading seal, making her obediently become one of his minor wives, his possession.
This was the marriage he wanted.
Not being devoured by Zhong Jin Khatun in return, losing his territory and army to be manipulated by a woman.
Zhong Jin Khatun: What a coincidence, I have the same idea as you.
Wang Daxia employed psychological warfare, standing up to take his leave: “Then there’s nothing to discuss. In that case, I’ll go to Bansheng City to report back to Zhong Jin Khatun that you don’t want to marry her. Zhong Jin Khatun will choose a husband from among your brothers.”
Wang Daxia walked out of Prince Shunyi’s estate, wishing he had eyes in the back of his head to see if Huang Jitai was chasing after him.
Wang Daxia treated political negotiation like his rouge and cosmetics shop on Qinhuai River in Nanjing, haggling with customers. Chasing after business isn’t real business – in commerce, you still need to maintain some dignity.
“Wait!”
Huang Jitai indeed chased out from the estate.
There’s hope! Wang Daxia turned around, wildly joyful inside but feigning indifference, just like handling female customers who returned to his rouge shop: “Have you thought it through? Do you want to buy – marry Zhong Jin Khatun?”
Huang Jitai said: “Tell Zhong Jin Khatun that she’s my woman. Whoever she marries, I’ll fight.”
Wang Daxia shrugged indifferently: “Whatever. Your internal strife has nothing to do with our Great Ming. After you fight it out, whoever wins, only the man Zhong Jin Khatun marries will be enfeoffed by the Great Ming as the second Prince Shunyi. We don’t care who the new Prince Shunyi is – we only care whom Zhong Jin Khatun chooses as husband.”
Huang Jitai raged: “I’ll kill them!”
Wang Daxia said: “You killing your own brothers is none of my business. I guess before you can act, your brothers will unite to attack you first, then go curry favor with Zhong Jin Khatun. Who doesn’t love a wealthy, powerful widow?”
Wang Daxia was right. Huang Jitai was trapped in Hohhot, not daring to step outside for fear of being hunted by his brothers.
Huang Jitai was caught in a dilemma.
Bansheng City. When Wang Daxia returned to report, Ding Wu had already brought Ordos tribe leader A’duo Si to Bansheng.
A’duo Si brought several carts of gifts to propose to his cousin Zhong Jin Khatun, full of sincerity: “Cousin, you were originally my fiancée but were taken by An Da Khan. Now that An Da Khan is dead, we should renew our former bond. If you’ll marry me, I’ll listen to you in everything.”
Zhong Jin Khatun was only thirty-two, still beautiful, and she controlled the lifeline of eleven trading posts. Marrying her meant marrying an inexhaustible gold mine.
Zhong Jin Khatun said: “You’re not a descendant of the Golden Family and can’t command respect. My husband must have Genghis Khan’s bloodline.”
A’duo Si had considered this when coming, pointing to Zhong Jin Khatun’s son Bu Ta Shi Li: “Your son is born of the Golden Family. We can support him as the new Prince Shunyi. You’d change from Prince Shunyi’s wife to Prince Shunyi’s mother. Both the second Prince Shunyi and I will listen to you, helping you defeat Huang Jitai and retake Hohhot.”
This made Zhong Jin Khatun somewhat tempted. As she pondered, commotion arose outside and scouts reported: “Trouble! Huang Jitai is leading forces toward Bansheng.”
Bahan Naji and Hasi Tuya immediately began forming battle lines to protect Bansheng City, with A’duo Si also bringing his tribe into the fight.
Huang Jitai arrived dusty at the city gates, dismounted, ordered his men to discard weapons, and presented gifts: “I’ve come to escort Zhong Jin Khatun back to Hohhot to handle An Da Khan’s funeral together.”
Huang Jitai had finally recognized reality and voluntarily became Third Madam’s puppet.
Wang Daxia was triumphant: See? Just like customers at the rouge shop – they say “so expensive, why is your shop the most expensive, if you don’t give a discount I won’t buy… I’m leaving… I’m really leaving,” waiting for me to chase after them and call them back. But I just sit motionless behind the counter. Look – after wandering around in circles, they still come to buy from my shop!
As Wang Daxia said, if Huang Jitai wouldn’t be a puppet, plenty of men were willing to be Third Madam’s puppet.
If he wouldn’t be a puppet, he’d become a corpse. Those tribes wanting to trade at the markets would definitely unite to tear him apart!
Historical records state that Third Madam despised Huang Jitai’s ugliness and fled with troops and the seal. Huang Jitai pursued his wife to the crematorium, moving Third Madam with his sincerity. Great Ming envoys also served as matchmakers, mediating from between, persuading Third Madam that “if the lady returns to the prince, she won’t lose the court’s favor; otherwise, she’s just a woman of the frontier.”
Husband and wife both returned home together.
A’duo Si was disappointed once again: “The father stole my woman, now the son comes to compete with me. Sigh.”
Third Madam returned to Hohhot and petitioned the Great Ming’s Chenghua Emperor, informing him of Prince Shunyi An Da Khan’s death and presenting nine white horses, bows and arrows, etc., expressing continued loyalty to the Great Ming.
At this time, Chenghua Emperor hadn’t yet gone on campaign. Empress Dowager Li Jiubao, hearing government affairs in Qianqing Palace, bestowed upon Third Madam gifts of bright red silk python robes and sent envoys to Prince Shunyi’s estate for condolences. She issued an edict enfeoffing Huang Jitai as the second Prince Shunyi while designating Third Madam to hold power – whether going to markets or to the Great Ming, all required travel documents issued by Third Madam.
In other words, to trade with the Great Ming, one had to go through Third Madam’s hands. Huang Jitai, the new Prince Shunyi, became like a clay bodhisattva in a temple, completely restrained by Third Madam.
A great storm on the grasslands disappeared before erupting. The frontier returned to calm. Huang Jitai adapted to his role as the man behind Third Madam, spending his days in drunken stupor. The eleven trading posts reopened. Third Madam’s prestige rose, making her the uncrowned queen of the grasslands.
Ding Wu and Lu Ying continued staying at the frontier to maintain peace. Wang Daxia and Wei Caiwei took their leave – they hadn’t seen their daughter Xia Qiwu for over half a year and missed her greatly.
Time came for parting again. Lu Ying said: “Let’s agree to meet again in another ten years, when the children will all be adults. I really like your Qiwu, and my Weiguo is also a good child. If neither has found someone to marry by then, shall we let them meet for a matchmaking?”
Ding Wu was overjoyed: “Relatives marrying relatives – excellent idea.”
Wang Daxia had blind confidence in his precious daughter: “I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. With my daughter’s looks and character, matchmakers will surely wear out our doorstep in the future. So many excellent men in the world for her to choose from.”
Wei Caiwei coughed lightly: “Marriage or not depends on her wishes. She has skills to make a living – as long as she’s happy.”
Lu Ying said: “Same with my Weiguo. Just one meeting – success or not, the children decide themselves.”
The four made another ten-year pact.
Then scouts reported: “Lord Lu, trouble! Something happened at Bansheng City! Lord Bahan Naji fell from his horse while hunting, broke his neck, and died instantly. Bahan Naji had no heir, so his widow Hasi Tuya inherited Bansheng City. Now various lords are competing to marry Hasi Tuya. Among them, Third Madam’s son Bu Ta Shi Li and Huang Jitai’s son Che Li Ke – these half-brothers – have already started fighting outside Bansheng City! Many people have died!”
“What? Bahan Naji is dead? Bansheng is in chaos again?” Lu Ying turned back: “Wang Daxia, this time we still need you—”
Behind her was empty space. Wang Daxia had long since grabbed Wei Caiwei and escaped. Struggles for power never end – not wanting to get involved, the Two Summers run fast!