In his previous life, Wang Daxia had been castrated, making his physique much taller and more robust than in this lifetime. The current Wang Daxia, due to long-term separation after marriage, had not gained weight post-wedding and still retained the lanky, long-limbed build of a youth. There wasn't an ounce of excess fat on him—his waist was even slimmer than Wei Caiwei's, and his two crane-like legs, long and slender, carried flesh whose combined weight was roughly equivalent to the two honeydew melons on his chest. His total weight was only one hundred jin (approximately 120 jin in modern measurements).
Ados was a stalwart warrior. During the annual goat-grabbing festival, he could effortlessly snatch an eighty-jin fat sheep from the ground while on horseback and hoist it onto his saddle.
Now, as Wang Daxia sat on the carriage shaft, Ados, riding his horse, spread his arms like an eagle and, using the momentum of the galloping steed, lifted the unsuspecting Wang Daxia into the air, flinging him onto the horse's back.
Wang Daxia felt as if he were soaring through clouds. Fortunately, his main waist sash was tightly fastened today; otherwise, the two honeydew melons tucked in his chest pouch might have flown out from his collar and shattered to pieces!
Trained in martial arts, Wang Daxia quickly adjusted his posture mid-air, spreading his legs to sit astride the horse. His body involuntarily lurched forward, and the two honeydew melons collided with Ados's broad back.
Ados was utterly exhilarated. Bearing his "bride," he roared, "I've taken another wife! Tonight, we'll roast ten sheep to celebrate!"
Inside the carriage, Ba Han Naji and Hastuya exchanged bewildered glances: the driver had been snatched away as a bride—what were they to do?
With the horse galloping at full speed, Wang Daxia feared that jumping off would mean certain death. So, he had no choice but to wrap his arms around Ados's waist. Feeling a short knife at the waist, he immediately drew it and pressed the blade against Ados's lower back, coldly stating, "Stop! Let me down!"
Feeling the chill at his back, Ados promptly reined in his horse, halting on the spot. It wasn't worth risking a kidney injury for a wife.
With one hand holding the knife to keep Ados in check, Wang Daxia used the other to tug the reins, turning the horse around and heading back to the carriage.
Peering through the carriage window crack, Ba Han Naji and Hastuya felt their hearts settle as they witnessed the scene.
The surrounding tribal soldiers, seeing their leader subdued by the red-clad bride, immediately drew their weapons, encircling both the carriage and the horse.
In front of his subordinates, Ados didn't want to lose face. He said, "You can't escape. Marrying me is the command of Anda Khan, my bride."
With a graceful spin, Wang Daxia returned to stand on the carriage shaft, pulling the red veil down to his neck to reveal his full face. He declared, "Open your dog eyes wide and take a good look at me, old lady! I'm Ximen Jinlian, owner of the Rouge and Powder Shop, not your Hastuya. Clear the way now—I still have goods to procure."
Ados scrutinized him and indeed saw the difference. But this alluring, captivating, and fiery beauty in red appealed to him even more than Hastuya, especially after that collision on horseback, which had sent his heart soaring. He imagined the wedding night, eager to thoroughly enjoy himself, and couldn't bear to let go.
Ados gave a signal, and his men immediately surrounded the carriage, sealing it off completely.
Wang Daxia grew furious. "What do you think you're doing? In broad daylight, you're nothing but a beast."
Ados replied, "I want to marry you as my wife."
Hastuya inside the carriage thought: Beast!
Wang Daxia planted his hands on his hips and laughed heartily. "The line of men wanting to sleep with me could wrap around Fengcheng—you're not even in the running. Get lost!"The more Ados was rejected, the more he liked it. This woman was intriguing. "I've taken a fancy to you. When we share an account tonight, you'll learn of my virtues."
With that, he reached out to grab Wang Daxia, who slapped his hand away and sneered, "The renowned chieftain of the Green Hat tribe—are your virtues the kind that gift your fiancée to another man?"
Hitting where it hurt most, Wang Daxia struck Ados's sore spot. Ados's smile vanished, his face turning ashen. "Woman, do not test my limits."
Wang Daxia retorted, "Man, losing one wife can't be redeemed by snatching a hundred others. Why torment other women?"
Ados's expression darkened further. His men climbed onto the carriage to drag Wang Daxia down, but the red-clad beauty proved formidable, lashing her whip to keep them at bay.
"Stop!" Ding Wu arrived on horseback. "Ados! Call your men off!"
Ados said, "This woman has insulted me. She needs to be taught a lesson."
Wang Daxia brandished her whip as she cried, "Ding Yuanpan, Ados wants to seize me as his wife! Will you intervene or not?"
You again! Ding Wu stared at this seductive troublemaker who left a trail of admirers and defied wifely virtues. There he was, brawling with a group of men on the carriage, red skirts flying, panting breathlessly, hairpins scattering in the struggle, his bun coming loose until his hair cascaded wildly—all the more enchanting.
But there was no choice. He's my brother-in-law, and my sister adores him. If I don't handle this, who will?
"Ados, withdraw your men." Ding Wu, the Ming Dynasty's most tolerant brother-in-law, declared, "This is all a misunderstanding. I know this woman. Grant me this favor."
At Ding Wu's plea, Ados waved his hand, ordering his men to retreat. Wang Daxia's lush hair whipped in the wind as he hastily tied it up and prepared to jump down to retrieve his hairpins. Ados picked up a golden phoenix hairpin and handed it to him as a peace offering.
Wang Daxia, still mindful of the two people hidden in the carriage and the unfinished mission, knew this was no time for pride.
Swallowing his temper, Wang Daxia accepted the hairpin and secured it in his bun.
How refreshing! Ados found this woman increasingly fascinating. "My feelings remain unchanged. Come with me."
Wang Daxia looked helplessly at Ding Wu. "Ding Yuanpan, I was merely leaving the city to restock supplies. I did nothing—Ados suddenly charged out to claim me as his wife."
It wasn't me seducing him—he made the first move!
Ding Wu stated, "Ados, you cannot take him away."
Ados asked, "Why?"
It seemed this day was unavoidable. For his sister's sake and the greater good, Ding Wu steeled himself and declared, "Because... she is my..."
Summoning all his strength, Ding Wu painfully forced out the final two words: "woman."
Never did he imagine his first public confession would be directed at his own brother-in-law—he hadn't even spoken such words to Lu Ying!
"Ah?" Ados glanced between Ding Wu and Wang Daxia. "You prefer this type of woman? I thought you favored those delicate, elegant, and refined ladies of the Central Plains—that's why you've remained unmarried all this time."Having already traveled eight hundred steps, what's another thousand? Ding Wu grasped Wang Daxia's hand, "I thought I was that kind of person too, but after meeting him, I realized I didn't truly know myself. He is the one I love. I've always considered you a brother, and one should never covet a brother's beloved. Ados, I met him first. Let go."
Wang Daxia: How touching! I never imagined my brother-in-law was so skilled at sweet talk!
Ados gazed at the radiant and captivating Wang Daxia, somewhat reluctant, yet still ordered his men to clear the path. "Go. You and I have no fate in this lifetime. I won't touch a brother's woman."
Wang Daxia drove the carriage away. Ados watched the flash of red disappear at the horizon before turning to ask Ding Wu, "When will Hastuya arrive?"
Men! Always eyeing what's in the pot while eating from the bowl. And here I thought you were truly smitten with Wang Daxia.
Ding Wu coughed lightly. "There's been a change of plans. Last night, the White Lotus Sect set a fire at the Khanate Court as a demonstration. Ba Han Naji took advantage of the chaos to elope with Hastuya. Anda Khan has imposed a city-wide lockdown and is searching for them."
The one in the bowl has flown away, and the one in the pot has run off with another man. Ados slumped onto the grass that had just begun to turn green. "Why don't they want me? Am I really that worthless?"
Ding Wu sat beside Ados and handed him a pouch of strong Central Plains liquor. "You already have eight wives, and you're still not satisfied? You had to pursue someone else's betrothed, forcing Ba Han Naji to elope with Hastuya. There's a saying in the Central Plains: 'Do not do unto others what you do not want done unto yourself.' Have you forgotten the purpose of coming to Fengcheng? It's for grain, not women!"
"If you bring the grain back, you'll be the great hero who saved the tribe. Who would dare say you're worthless? Once your belly is full, all you think about is women, forgetting your real duty—your tribe is still starving."
Though true, still... Ados said, "Anda Khan owes me a woman. Should I just let it go?"
Ding Wu replied, "We shouldn't push things to the extreme. If you settle both the grain and the woman, clearing the seven-year debt, what will you do if the grasslands suffer another severe drought, livestock die, and the tribe faces famine again? You won't have any excuse to ask Anda Khan for more grain. Let him remain forever in your debt, so you can ask again in the future."
Ding Wu's words could revive the dead. Ados thought it over and realized it made sense—let Anda Khan remain forever indebted to him.
So Ados withdrew his troops. Before leaving, he tested Ding Wu's stance: "That Ximen Jinlian... I truly like her. If you ever don't want her in the future, send her to my tent. I'll treat her well. I, Ados, never mistreat my women."
There's always some man competing with my sister for men. Ding Wu had grown numb to it. "We'll discuss future matters later. Hurry and take the grain back."
With this matter resolved, Ding Wu returned to the Khanate Court to report. San Niangzi had given birth to a son. Anda Khan, over sixty years old, was overjoyed to have a child in his old age. Holding his chubby son in swaddling clothes, the recent troubles seemed trivial compared to the joy of new life.Upon hearing that Ados had withdrawn his troops—the second piece of good news—Anda Khan felt fortune had finally turned in his favor. He cradled his son like a precious treasure and was reminded of his most beloved grandson. He declared, "Spread the word of Ados's retreat. There is no need for martial law at the city gates. Hastuya need not marry Ados; her betrothal to Ba Han Naji remains valid. They will return on their own."
However, Ba Han Naji and Hastuya had already been escorted to Datong by Wang Daxia. Historical records note that when Ba Han Naji arrived at the pass, he proclaimed, "My grandfather deceived his grandson, seizing my betrothed for another. I can no longer be his grandson; I am leaving." (Note 1)
General Qi Jiguang, recognizing their strategic value, treated them as honored guests and carefully escorted them to the capital.
The Longqing Emperor warmly received Ba Han Naji, honoring him with the status of a commandery prince and housing him in a princely residence. Empress Chen also bestowed upon Hastuya the ceremonial attire of a commandery princess. Having never witnessed the splendor of Beijing, the two were so captivated they nearly forgot their homeland.
The news reached the Khanate Court by early autumn.
For four months, with no word of his eldest grandson, Anda Khan had assumed the eloped couple had fallen prey to wolves or bandits. Learning that Ba Han Naji was alive, he hastily drafted a state letter expressing his longing and requested the Ming court to return his grandson, offering to negotiate terms.
The Longqing Emperor, who had intended to use this opportunity to secure a truce between the two nations, replied with a single condition: extradite the chief culprits of the White Lotus Sect—Zhao Quan, Li Zixin, and others—to stand trial and appease public outrage.
Anda Khan could scarcely believe the response! He had expected the Ming to demand cities or land in exchange for Ba Han Naji, never imagining they would ask only for Zhao Quan and Li Zixin—a few drowning dogs! It felt like a gift handed to him on a silver platter!
Anda Khan showed the Longqing Emperor's reply to San Niangzi and asked, "Is the Ming Emperor scheming, with some hidden agenda? Exchanging Ba Han Naji for a few worthless men—it’s far too favorable to us."
Since the incident where his eldest son had tried to send his young wife away, with court officials echoing the sentiment, Anda Khan had grown wary of his powerful, well-armed sons. He now discussed all state affairs with his beloved wife, as she and their young son were vulnerable and reliant solely on him for survival, posing no threat.
San Niangzi understood the Longqing Emperor's intent at once. She said, "Great Khan, the Ming Emperor is clearly extending goodwill. Ba Han Naji is a gesture of friendship, offered freely to demonstrate sincerity for peace between our nations. The previous emperor refused to open border markets for trade, but this young ruler is different from his father. He has lifted the maritime ban and now shows willingness to establish mutual markets."
Years ago, Anda Khan had marched all the way to Beijing to pressure the Jiajing Emperor into opening border trade markets. The Jiajing Emperor had agreed when troops were at the city walls but reneged as soon as Anda Khan withdrew.
Now, the new emperor was proactively offering peace and opening markets—a case of "trying to grow flowers but they won’t bloom, while casually planting willows brings shade."
Coincidentally, the spring and summer had again been plagued by drought, with vast stretches of pasture withering. The harvest in Bansheng Land was even worse than the previous year, marking another lean year. If mutual markets were opened, allowing the exchange of furs for grain, they could just survive the coming winter.Through San Niangzi's mediation, Anda Khan wrote a reply: "...I petition the Emperor through three courts: I beg for Ba Han Naji and Hastuya. If you grant them to me, whatever you ask of me shall not be refused. Send my grandson out, and I will subsequently deliver Zhao Quan, Li Zixin, and Liu Si—three men—to the Emperor..." (Note 2)
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