After half a year, Wang Daxia wore men's clothing for the first time. Having grown accustomed to being a friend to women and mingling among cosmetics and powders, he now donned his wartime robe and old attire to rescue his wife. By the window, he unraveled his hair bun; before the mirror, he removed his rouge. With blades sharpened, he marched toward the Khanate Court.
Wang Daxia, clad in a round-collared robe and carrying a sword, stepped out—transformed from a flirtatious beauty into a warrior. Ding Wu asked, "Have you thought this through?"
Wang Daxia nodded. "I wouldn't trade my wife for anything."
For the first time, his brother-in-law felt this brother-in-law had some redeeming qualities.
Ding Wu brought Wang Daxia to the Khanate Court overnight. After receiving San Niangzi's summons, all weapons on Wang Daxia's person were confiscated—even the hairpin from his bun was removed and replaced with a hair tie.
To welcome her rare guest, San Niangzi replenished the wine, relit the lamps, and reopened the banquet. After seven years, seeing Wang Daxia again, he still resembled the youth who'd brawled at the Red Sleeve Brothel—as if nothing had changed except his height.
San Niangzi remained as beautiful as ever, though now carrying the imposing aura of one in power.
Yet Wang Daxia's gaze didn't linger on her appearance. He asked, "Where's my wife?"
Such profound marital devotion—to brave even dragons' dens and tigers' lairs for his wife. San Niangzi said, "Congratulations on uniting with your neighborly sweetheart. Your wife just struck a deal with me. I wonder if you'll honor it?"
Ding Wu and Wang Daxia spoke in unison: "We will."
San Niangzi's heart soured with envy—a mere street doctor, yet blessed with family and a husband who loved her unconditionally. What fortune.
"You haven't even asked what the deal entails," San Niangzi remarked.
Wang Daxia declared, "My wife is always right. She consistently finds unconventional paths and achieves unexpected victories."
Ding Wu added, "I trust her."
Such unwavering trust made San Niangzi envious. Clearly, Wei Caiwei's words carried weight.
San Niangzi triggered a mechanism beneath the table, ringing a bell in the adjacent room. Maids escorted Wei Caiwei in.
Upon reuniting, the couple embraced without shame. Ding Wu was accustomed to this, while San Niangzi suppressed her bitterness. "Doctor Wei, explain our agreement to them."
Wei Caiwei outlined the plan: Ming support for San Niangzi's consolidation of power, cessation of two centuries of warfare between their nations, establishment of border markets, and restoration of peace. The condition was San Niangzi's protection of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's hidden stakeouts in Fengcheng and her commitment to bilateral peace.
The husband followed the wife's lead. Wang Daxia wholeheartedly endorsed his wife's deal with San Niangzi—end this quickly! Otherwise, this half-human, half-ghost undercover existence would never cease.
At this point, Ding Wu also removed his mask. "I have one additional condition: the Hatun must assist us in eradicating the White Lotus Sect. Firstly, the sect is a malignant tumor—deceiving ignorant followers who obey only their leader, disregarding the Hatun. This will inevitably become a threat."
"Secondly, the White Lotus Sect is universally despised in the Ming like rats scurrying across the street. The Ming court will never pardon their actions. For our nations to coexist peacefully, the sect is an insurmountable obstacle. If San Niangzi aids the Ming in eliminating them, the court will recognize her sincerity."When it came to the negotiation phase, both sides began bargaining. San Niangzi said, "Your demands on me are excessive. The White Lotus Sect is useful to the Khanate Court. Anda Khan needs them as lackeys to keep you in check. During this drought, the grain from Bansheng Land is crucial for us—otherwise, more people and livestock would starve. Currently, we haven't even begun to make progress; I won't suppress the White Lotus Sect and oppose Anda Khan."
Ding Wu replied, "Without the White Lotus Sect, Bansheng Land would belong directly to the Khanate Court, paying taxes and providing grain. In the future, Hatun wouldn't need to borrow grain through the White Lotus Sect but could rule Bansheng directly. The followers would become Hatun's subjects. With both pastureland and farmland complementing each other, wouldn't it be better without the White Lotus Sect as a middleman?"
Wei Caiwei added, "Hatun, eliminating the White Lotus Sect benefits us all."
After some back-and-forth, the two sides reached a strategic cooperation agreement. Next, they would await the Longqing Emperor's response.
San Niangzi returned the recently confiscated Rhinoceros Horn Token to Ding Wu, allowing him continued free access to the Khanate Court. However, she told Wang Daxia, "You cannot take her away tonight. I won't release her based on empty promises. Until your emperor gives me an answer, she remains an honored guest of the Khanate Court and will stay here to assist me during my pregnancy."
Wang Daxia objected, "No, you can't hold her as a hostage."
San Niangzi explained, "We still don't fully trust each other. I must keep someone here. She is a woman and a physician; having her by my side won't raise suspicions. The Khanate Court is full of spies from various factions, and I must act cautiously."
As Wang Daxia prepared to argue further, Wei Caiwei covered his mouth. "I understand Hatun's concerns. I volunteer to stay as the hostage."
Wang Daxia: "Mmph! (No!)"
Wei Caiwei understood her husband's meaning and said, "Would you prefer to stay in the Khanate Court dressed as a woman instead?"
Wang Daxia nodded: "Mmph! (Yes!)"
Wei Caiwei rejected her husband's proposal. "That would make me even more uneasy. I haven't forgotten how you redeemed Hatun—avoiding suspicion in the melon patch and under the plum tree. I'm just being cautious."
San Niangzi's expression darkened, surprised by Wei Caiwei's bluntness.
In truth, Wei Caiwei didn't doubt Wang Daxia's loyalty, but he was still a man. His feminine disguise was alluring and flirtatious; if discovered or if Anda Khan took a liking to him and forced himself, only to find the impressive Wang Xiaoxia revealed when his pants were removed, both Daxia and Hatun would be in danger.
Ding Wu mediated, saying, "Hatun, they are newlyweds after all. Keeping them separated by palace walls goes against human decency. Let's compromise: every ten days, Doctor Wei can leave the palace under the pretext of purchasing medicinal herbs to reunite with Wang Daxia. She will return to the Khanate Court before the gates close, and I will accompany her the entire time to ensure no trouble for Hatun."
Ding Wu willingly endured watching the newlyweds display affection right under his nose to help his sister and brother-in-law.
With that, the deal was formally struck.
Ding Wu stated, "This matter will be handled by Commander Lu of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who will personally rush to the capital to secretly report to the emperor. The emperor will then privately issue documents and tokens to demonstrate the sincerity of cooperation between our two nations."
"Commander Lu?" San Niangzi recalled, "That illegitimate son of Lu Bing?"Wei Caiwei and the other two exchanged glances. At this point, certain matters that would inevitably come to light sooner or later need not be concealed in front of San Niangzi.
Wei Caiwei said, "She is not an illegitimate child, but the daughter of the Earl of Cheng Yi, the fourth young lady of the Lu family, Lu Ying. All the rumors about her and me in the past were naturally false."
They had not known Lu Ying was a woman.
San Niangzi fell silent upon hearing this. So there were indeed women in this world who refused to submit to fate, breaking free from constraints and defying worldly prejudices to pursue their ideals.
San Niangzi said, "I wish to see Commander Lu."
Lu Ying changed into women's attire and was brought into the Khanate Court by Ding Wu. The three women held a secret meeting in the room all morning.
That afternoon, Lu Ying set off for the capital a thousand miles away. The turmoil was quelled through mutual cooperation and benefit.
"He Daifu," who hailed from Datong in Shanxi, stood out among the many Gynecological Masters and became a trusted confidante of Zhongjin Khatun. He Daifu had a fondness for blending cosmetics and often visited the Rouge and Powder Shop, where the proprietress would personally receive her, leading her upstairs to introduce new products, often staying for hours without coming down.
He Daifu was lavish in her spending, purchasing goods by the cartload. She would select items suitable for pregnant women to present to Zhongjin Khatun, while distributing the rest among the maids of the Khanate Court.
Thus, the harsh winter passed, and spring finally arrived. The ice and snow began to melt, and all things came back to life.
However, this was a season of scarcity. The winter reserves were nearly depleted, and the grass had yet to grow, leaving no fodder for the livestock. The spring famine was even more severe than the winter, with people starving to death daily among the tribes of the grasslands.
The starving began to plunder, desperately fighting for food. Humanity, like animals, had entered a struggle of survival of the fittest.
Fengcheng drove away all the refugees, imposed a curfew at night, and stationed troops at the city gates to prevent the starving from entering to beg for food.
Inside Fengcheng, life continued in revelry. Though the prices of grain, meat, and milk soared, the wealthy and powerful remained unaffected, and everything carried on as usual.
Outside Fengcheng, for the sake of survival, stronger tribes annexed weaker ones, killing the men and the elderly, taking the children as slaves, and keeping the women as breeding machines. Food was firmly in the hands of the powerful.
One night, Wei Caiwei was awakened by commotion in the Khanate Court and hurried to San Niangzi's hall. San Niangzi, on the verge of childbirth, stroked her large belly and gazed out the window, saying:
"Ados, the leader of the Ordos tribe, has allied with several other tribes and surrounded Fengcheng with troops, demanding grain. Anda Khan has summoned his ministers overnight to discuss a response. I've heard that my stepsons have advised Anda Khan to return me to my original owner, Ados, using me as compensation for the grain."
Wei Caiwei was shocked. "Did Anda Khan... agree?"
San Niangzi replied, "Anda Khan has not yet made a decision, but many support the idea of keeping the child and discarding the mother—the child would belong to Anda Khan, and I would be returned to Ados."
Outside Fengcheng, a man was lowered from the city walls in a basket, suspended by a rope. It was Ding Wu, the judge of the Privy Council. Ding Wu raised his hands high to show he carried no weapons.
Ding Wu shouted, "I am Ding Wu, an old friend of the Ordos tribe! I wish to see Ados!"
Ding Wu, with his refined and scholarly appearance, seemed like a frail scholar with no threat. He was brought to Ados's grand tent.Ados treated Ding Wu with courtesy, offering him milk cakes and milk tea. "There's no roasted lamb for you this time. The grain we traded for hides from the Central Plains last time has been exhausted. If this continues, we'll resort to cannibalism. Our tribes don't want to follow the old path of others, slaughtering each other for food. Rather than killing our own people, we'd rather unite and demand grain from Anda Khan. They all say Fengcheng has grain reserves. We don't want bloodshed, nor have we betrayed Anda Khan—we just want to survive."
Ding Wu replied, "But the Khanate Court is discussing returning Zhongjin Khatun to you, along with some grain as dowry, to send you away and withdraw your troops."
Author's Note: Another conflict has erupted. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated with nutrient solutions between 2020-10-20 03:17:46 and 2020-10-20 20:19:34~
Special thanks to the little angels who cast landmines: Yunsheng, Ersan Jin (1 each);
Gratitude to the nutrient solution irrigators: Meixiu (20 bottles); Wholeheart, Moli Zaiji (10 bottles each); Weiwei (8 bottles); Ry, Xiaogou Chirobao, A Yun, Hua Diandian (5 bottles each); Zhaolu Daixi (3 bottles); Xiaoyezi, Lisawyj123 (2 bottles each); Xia Xia Bingbing (1 bottle);
Many thanks for your support—I will continue to work hard!
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