"This..." Ding Wu's face showed difficulty, "Her husband is far away in the capital, a thousand miles from here. With the freezing cold outside and the thousand-mile ice, how could he possibly make it here?"
San Niangzi said, "Don't try to fool me. Wang Daxia is with the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I know very well what the Embroidered Uniform Guard does on a daily basis. I've done similar things in your capital—gathering intelligence and sending it back to my own country. We all serve our own masters."
"Besides, as a wife, especially a newlywed, Doctor Wei wouldn't suddenly come to the border just because of an adopted brother like you. I suspect she came along with her husband on his mission to Datong. Wang Daxia must be at one of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's hidden stakeouts along the border. It's even possible he's in Fengcheng right now."
"If I had known this earlier, I wouldn't have had the guards seize her at the city gate and bring her back. If she had been followed, she would have surely had someone meet her on the way back to Datong. I suspect that person was Wang Daxia."
What a clever San Niangzi! Aside from guessing the wrong contact person, she got everything else right!
Ding Wu's mind was in turmoil, but he struggled to remain calm, thinking of how to respond.
If Wang Daxia were to come to the Khanate Court to retrieve Wei Caiwei now, it would certainly expose the Embroidered Uniform Guard's hidden stakeout in Fengcheng. The intelligence network painstakingly established through the Red Sleeve Brothel would be disrupted.
But if Wang Daxia didn't come, Wei Caiwei would face punishment from Zhongjin Khatun.
What to do? Ding Wu was caught in a dilemma—torn between national interests and his sister's safety.
Wei Caiwei spoke up, saying, "This matter was caused by me alone and has nothing to do with my husband. I will bear the responsibility myself. Since the Khatun knows I married Wang Daxia, she must be well-informed about the capital's affairs, with intelligence surely reaching the Khanate Court. She should also know that I delivered the current Emperor's crown prince and two princesses, and that I've been responsible for Consort Li's health regimen. When a woman gives birth, half her body lies in the coffin. I am willing to stay at the Khanate Court to care for the Khatun during her delivery."
What a devoted wife, protecting her husband at all costs. San Niangzi stroked her bulging belly and looked at Wei Caiwei with amusement. "The first time I met you, I thought you were different. You were a suspect in the double murder case of Thousand Household Chen and his son. Wang Daxia entrusted you to me, asking me to help you escape the capital. Yet you went against the current and turned yourself in to the Embroidered Uniform Guard to clear your name, avoiding a life of hiding."
"Later, I heard you were having an affair with Commander Lu of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Not long after, you were openly seen with your neighbor Wang Daxia. Even when cult leader Zhao Quan invited Wang Daxia to a banquet, he made sure to include you. The two of you were so intimate at the banquet on the decorated pleasure boat that even the singers and dancers from the Red Sleeve Brothel blushed behind the screen. At the time, I found it strange because Wang Daxia was always playful and disliked worldly constraints—seemingly rebellious but not actually a womanizer. How did he become a different person the moment he met you?""Now that I think about it," San Niangzi's gaze shifted between Ding Wu and Wei Caiwei, "all of this is an intricately calculated scheme within a scheme. The scandalous rumors about you, Commander Lu, and Wang Daxia traveling together; the sudden counterfeit banknote lawsuit involving Myriad Goods Trading Company; Ding Wu and Wang Daxia appearing like divine reinforcements to resolve the trading company's legal troubles; the overnight collapse of both Myriad Goods Trading Company and Red Sleeve Brothel—the two hidden stakeouts of the White Lotus Sect; Ding Wu being imprisoned and tortured in the Embroidered Uniform Guard Prison as a suspect colluding with the White Lotus Sect; and Ding Wu's defection to seek refuge in the Khanate Court—all of these were nothing but acts in one play after another."
Ding Wu immediately knelt down, tearing open his collar to reveal the horrifying scars on his back. "Your servant was whipped and humiliated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. My father was imprisoned in the Embroidered Uniform Guard Prison for ten years, living in darkness until he fell ill and passed away. These are ironclad facts, not acts. My loyalty to the Khanate Court is as clear as the sun and moon, without a trace of ulterior motives."
San Niangzi now doubted everything. "Like Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai—one willing to beat, the other willing to be beaten—it's merely a ruse of self-injury. Your scars are real, and I admire your perseverance and courage. As for your father... isn't making a living person appear dead exactly what Doctor Wei specializes in?"
Seeing that Ding Wu was about to be dragged into the mire as well, Wei Caiwei grew extremely anxious. "Wang Daxia and I developed feelings long ago. The alleged affair with Commander Lu was completely fabricated, merely part of the act. During the Dragon Boat Festival, when Brother Ding was captured by Yan Shifan, I had no choice but to pretend with Commander Lu to rescue him. Of my two supposed relationships, only the one with Wang Daxia is real. We endured countless hardships and finally married after seven years. Our genuine feelings couldn't be severed, and we eventually united as lovers. There was no deception of the world."
Hearing this, San Niangzi felt an inexplicable surge of bitterness. "Is that so? If what you say is true, and Wang Daxia cares for you so deeply, he should come to the Khanate Court to find you at all costs."
San Niangzi turned to Ding Wu. "You may withdraw. If Wang Daxia waits too long for his wife, he will naturally come to you, her sworn brother, for news. Tell him that if he wants his wife back, he must come to the Khanate Court to see me. If he doesn't come, his wife will remain here forever as my royal physician."
As Ding Wu was about to speak again to clear his name, San Niangzi added, "Leave behind your talisman for entering and exiting the Khanate Court. Henceforth, without summons, you are forbidden from coming and going here."
Though San Niangzi had no evidence and everything was mere speculation, she was the most esteemed woman in the Khanate Court. She needed no proof. One should not employ those they doubt, nor doubt those they employ. She could no longer allow Ding Wu free access to the Khanate Court while suspecting him.
This was the greatest crisis Ding Wu had faced since his "defection." He removed the rhinoceros horn talisman and presented it to San Niangzi with both hands. "Further words are useless. Your servant will prove his loyalty through actions."
San Niangzi pointed the rhinoceros horn at Wei Caiwei. "What if I ordered you to kill her to prove your innocence?"
Wei Caiwei's fingers, hidden in her sleeves, twisted until they nearly broke.
Ding Wu replied, "Your servant will not raise a hand against his sworn sister. Although I resented her during the whipping and interrogation in the Embroidered Uniform Guard Prison for not rescuing me sooner, it was the Embroidered Uniform Guard who whipped me, not her. Nor was she the one who imprisoned my father for ten years. She has never harmed me or posed any threat to the Hatun. No matter what, I will not harm her.""Very well." San Niangzi nodded. "You truly are a righteous and loyal sworn brother. Since that's the case, starting tomorrow, you need not report to the Privy Council anymore."
With each successive decree, San Niangzi stripped Ding Wu of his official positions. Though fair as a celestial maiden, she wielded thunderous authority.
As Ding Wu was expelled from the Khanate Court, Wei Caiwei felt as if sitting on pins and needles. Only two women remained at the banquet.
Wei Caiwei contemplated how to salvage the situation, saying, "I am no longer the powerless itinerant physician roaming the streets of yesterday. Consort Li trusts me deeply—I can enter the palace without summons and come and go freely. I personally cut the hair of the current Crown Prince. With my capabilities, I can fully help my sworn brother restore his former status as a high official's son. No matter how I tried to persuade him, he refused to return with me, determined to remain in the Khanate Court and serve San Niangzi."
"But..." Wei Caiwei smiled sarcastically, "San Niangzi doesn't trust his loyalty, believing that those of different tribes must harbor ulterior motives. She expelled him from the Khanate Court and stripped him of his positions on trumped-up charges. His devoted loyalty was ultimately misplaced! Perhaps this is for the best. After such a small test, my sworn brother should have moved from blind devotion to complete disillusionment toward the Hatun. He should now see his true situation clearly—a Han Chinese can never gain genuine trust and has no future here with the Hatun."
San Niangzi's face turned cold. "Are you mocking me for lacking magnanimity? Don't forget—you are now my prisoner. Your life or death rests entirely on my whim."
Wei Caiwei stood up, raising her hands high and shrugging her shoulders as she imitated the dance steps from the earlier "Sea Falcon Capturing the Swan" performance. Spreading her wings like a great roc, she began dancing alone, spinning in place until her skirt billowed like a drum, resembling an endlessly spinning top.
Wei Caiwei's sudden dance left San Niangzi bewildered. Has she gone mad under my pressure? If Wang Daxia comes to the Khanate Court and sees this madwoman, I'm afraid...
Wei Caiwei's toes lightly tapped the ground, abruptly halting her spin. Turning her head with a smile, she said, "It's true I am the Hatun's prisoner, but isn't the Hatun equally a prisoner of the Khanate Court? Did the Hatun truly wish to marry her own grandfather? The Hatun and I are both finding joy in hardship—since we cannot escape, we might as well make ourselves as comfortable as possible within our cages, though in truth we're only deceiving ourselves."
"How dare you!" San Niangzi angrily grabbed her cup, poised to throw it at Wei Caiwei, but stopped mid-air as reason prevailed.
The veins on San Niangzi's hand gripping the cup bulged blue, nearly crushing the horn vessel. Finally, she gently set it down. "I almost fell for your provocation. You seek death, but I won't grant you that satisfaction."
Wei Caiwei replied, "I'm not seeking death—I'm seeking cooperation with the Hatun. I am from the Great Ming, and the Hatun belongs to the Khanate Court. Neither of us would betray our country for anyone. My sworn brother was the Hatun's most capable subordinate, yet when the Hatun doubted his loyalty, she discarded him without hesitation. This shows that betraying one's country is the Hatun's bottom line."
"Though our two nations despise each other, neither possesses the capability to destroy the other. The Embroidered Uniform Guard's operations have so far only targeted the White Lotus Sect, without taking action against the Khanate Court or harming the Hatun. Moreover, we are both women. There are certain pains that only women can understand about other women.""There's a saying in the Central Plains: how can one rely on beauty to please others forever? Even if Anda Khan remains infatuated with Hatun's youth and beauty, forever doting on Hatun, he's already over sixty - how much longer can he live? Our old emperor passed away just last year. I know the grasslands practice levirate marriage customs. Hatun will eventually be inherited like an object by the eldest stepson who succeeds the throne, becoming just one among his many wives and concubines. That is to say, after being forced to marry her own grandfather, Hatun will then marry her own uncle."
Upon hearing this, San Niangzi felt her anger reignited and the fear hidden deep in her heart resurfaced. "Shut up!"
At this critical juncture, with the Embroidered Uniform Guard facing the risk of losing all their efforts at the last moment, Wei Caiwei decided to go all out. "Hatun's eldest stepson, Xin'ai Huangtaiji, is already over fifty. I've heard he's addicted to wine and women, and his health isn't good. Such a man cannot live long. So when Hatun's eldest stepson - that is, her eldest uncle - dies, the still young and beautiful Hatun will be married to her own grandson, who is also her nephew. Like an item passed between men, she'll have no control over her own fate."
Wei Caiwei slowly approached the furious San Niangzi. "Men believe levirate marriage can protect family property to the greatest extent, keeping wealth within the family. They never see anything wrong with such marriage customs because they're the beneficiaries. But just because it has always been this way, does that make it right?"
"They never consider how women feel about remarrying their own sons, or even grandsons. They don't understand how terrifying and tragic it is to be treated as an inheritable object. But I know Hatun isn't resigned to this fate, am I right?"
Author's note: Women's alliance. If you want to continue the discussion, you can check out the comments section of the previous chapter - they're quite brilliant. Strange knowledge keeps increasing! Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or irrigated with nutrient solutions between 2020-10-19 02:32:51~2020-10-19 19:45:34!
Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: Banxia, Sonia220, Yunsheng, Qingqiu (1 each);
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solutions: kylie is my baby (40 bottles); Professor Unknown, zz (20 bottles); Gentle Sister, Banxia, Moon Star Sparse (10 bottles); 47541317 (6 bottles); Summer Shrimp Cake Ice (1 bottle);
Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
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