Anda Khan was growing old, a hero in his twilight years. In his later days, he only wished to live peacefully with his young wife and child, no longer wanting to wage war.
Although Emperor Longqing was still young, his long-suppressed rebelliousness had erupted. Almost all his state policies were the opposite of those of the late emperor. While Emperor Jiajing had closed the border markets, he insisted on reopening them.
However, after years of conflict between the two nations, many court officials opposed the peace talks, creating a chorus of dissent. The Chief Grand Secretary, Li Chunfang, was a man of mild temperament, and Emperor Longqing found himself unable to withstand the immense pressure alone. He thought of his mentor, Gao Gong. After joining the Grand Secretariat, Gao Gong had clashed with the then Chief Grand Secretary, Xu Jie, resulting in both sides suffering losses and retiring to their hometowns.
Now, Emperor Longqing deeply missed his mentor. Back when he was still Prince Yu, neglected and suppressed by his father, it was his mentor who had stood by him unwaveringly. Thus, Emperor Longqing issued an edict to recall his mentor to the court to help suppress the disobedient officials.
With Gao Gong's return, Chief Grand Secretary Li Chunfang, aware of Gao Gong's favor with the emperor, wisely retired to his hometown, yielding the position of Chief Grand Secretary. Gao Gong became the new Chief Grand Secretary.
True to his name, Gao Gong was exceptionally adept at "pushing" – he pushed aside anyone who disobeyed.
Emperor Longqing's policies, whether lifting the maritime ban or reopening the border markets, ran counter to the policies of Emperor Jiajing and even many previous Ming emperors. This naturally provoked opposition from many conservative ministers. Gao Gong understood why Emperor Longqing had "rehired" him, an old minister: to use his abilities to implement these new policies.
Concurrently serving as the Minister of Personnel, Gao Gong pushed aside officials like Ye Mengxiong, who opposed the peace talks with Anda Khan and the reopening of border markets, expelling them from the capital and eliminating dissent. Under his forceful measures, opposition to the peace talks subsided, and the Ming dynasty and Anda Khan began exchanging envoys to negotiate the details of cooperation.
On the side of the Khanate Court, the situation was similar. Initially, when Anda Khan announced the peace talks, there was significant opposition. However, some tribal leaders supported the border markets, such as Ados, who had been deeply influenced by Ding Wu in recent years. The Ordos tribe longed to engage in legitimate trade with the Ming.
Anda Khan's eldest son, Huang Ji Tai, opposed the peace talks—his lameness was a result of injuries sustained in battles with the Ming. He also criticized his father for sacrificing too much for an unfilial grandson, Ba Han Naji.
Enraged, Anda Khan whipped his eldest son with a horsewhip, shouting, "Ba Han Naji is your nephew! His father was your third brother, who passed away early, leaving only one son. Instead of pitying him and bringing him home sooner, you curse him!"
Whenever father and son quarreled, San Niangzi would rush in to play the peacemaker, kneeling and pleading with Anda Khan to stop and not beat the child.
This disgusted Huang Ji Tai, who accused San Niangzi of being hypocritical and sanctimonious. As a result... he was, of course, beaten even more severely by his father.
The more Huang Ji Tai behaved this way, the more disappointed Anda Khan became with him, and the more he valued San Niangzi. He entrusted all matters related to the peace talks and negotiations with the Ming to San Niangzi, sidelining his eldest son. Gradually, he even handed military authority over to her.
Thus, San Niangzi began to emerge as an independent political figure. Tribal leaders who advocated for peace talks and border markets gravitated toward her, hoping to secure a share of the benefits when formal trade began.
Under a bright moon and sparse stars, in Fengcheng, at the Ming embassy.Several dark figures tossed two pieces of meat to the guard dogs, which promptly fell into a deep slumber in their kennels after eating. The shadows stealthily infiltrated the embassy, sneaking their way into the quarters of the Ming envoy.
They pierced the window paper and blew a sedative smoke into the bedroom. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, assuming the occupants inside were unconscious, they broke through the window, drew back the bed curtains, and frantically stabbed at the human-shaped figure under the blankets.
With the first strike, the sensation felt off. Lighting a matchstick for a closer look, they saw no blood on the blade. Turning to the pillow, they discovered a paper effigy—a decoy!
It was a trap!
The assassins hurried to retreat, but it was too late. A wire net descended from the rafters, ensnaring them all. Their assassination attempt had failed. The assassins quickly took poison to end their lives, but the net tightened around them like a cocoon, immobilizing them completely. They were captured alive.
Wang Daxia and Lu Ying, holding onto a rope, leaped down from the rafters.
Wang Daxia yawned widely. "Well, well, finally caught you. I’ve been tied up in the rafters sleeping for three nights waiting—why didn’t you show up sooner?"
The assassins: "..."
Lu Ying ordered her subordinates to take the three assassins away for rigorous interrogation. She then asked Wang Daxia, "How is the envoy doing now?"
Wang Daxia, still yawning repeatedly, replied, "Sleeping soundly in my rouge and powder shop—Commander Lu, when will this ever end? I’m out here protecting the Ming negotiation envoy, while Caiwei is at the Khanate Court safeguarding San Niangzi. My wife and I are barely better off than the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl."
Lu Ying said, "Once the peace talks are over, I’ll give you a long break."
"Stop—" Wang Daxia raised his right hand. "That sounds familiar. You said the same thing before I got married, and what happened? It was just an empty promise. Less than a month after my wedding, I ended up as the 'rouge and powder shop proprietress' in Fengcheng for three years, barely seeing Caiwei."
"When I return this time, after getting a promotion and title, I’m quitting the Embroidered Uniform Guard for good. Caiwei and I will leave the capital, find a quiet place, and open a rouge and powder shop. Life is short—we can make a living somehow. I can’t keep sacrificing for the Embroidered Uniform Guard at the cost of my family. Being married is no different from being single like you, Commander Lu. It’s unfair to Caiwei."
Lu Ying asked, "Are you really going to resign?"
Wang Daxia nodded. "I’m quitting. Ding Wu has returned to the Ming and stepped out of the shadows. He’ll become your new right-hand man."
Lu Ying thought to herself, I once vowed to my mother that I would marry after exposing the White Lotus Sect... This time, I’ll bring Ding Wu home to meet her. If I must marry and spend my life with someone, Ding Wu is my only choice.
With the methods of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the assassins’ mouths were pried open by dawn. They confessed to being hired by Huang Ji Tai, the eldest son of Anda Khan, with the aim of assassinating the Ming envoy and sabotaging the peace talks between the two nations.
Lu Ying handed the assassins over to San Niangzi, who cut off their right hands and sent them to Huang Ji Tai with a warning: "This is the last time I cover for you. If you dare disrupt the peace talks again, I will inform Anda Khan. The witnesses are in my hands—you will bear all consequences."
With San Niangzi holding Huang Ji Tai’s leverage, he dared not act recklessly again.
Thus, as both nations dealt with their internal conflicts, the difficult peace talks began, lasting nearly a year before the two sides finally reached an agreement.
Eleven cities were opened along the border for mutual trade, with both nations jointly maintaining order, ceasing hostilities, and embracing peace.As Anda Khan submitted to the Ming Dynasty, the Longqing Emperor granted him the title "Prince of Shunyi." His sons and various tribal leaders were also enfeoffed as commandery princes, commanders, and chiliarchs, and were bestowed with Ming court robes and headwear corresponding to their ranks.
San Niangzi, having contributed the most to the peace negotiations, was granted the title "Lady of Loyalty and Obedience" by the Ming court. It was declared that all eleven border markets would be placed under her management. Even her infant son, Butashili, still nursing at the breast, was exceptionally enfeoffed as an assistant commander.
Anda Khan summoned the leaders of the various Mongol-Tatar tribes and declared, "From this day forward, any leader who leads troops across the border to commit atrocities will have their forces reduced and their chieftainship stripped. There are plenty who would take their place. If anyone privately harasses the border and disrupts the markets, their people, livestock, and property will be confiscated and distributed among the tribes that abide by the peace agreement."
Ados of the Ordos tribe was the first to endorse Anda Khan's new policy. The other leaders, either tempted by the benefits of the markets or pressured by Anda Khan's authority, all voiced their agreement.
Thus, after more than two centuries of conflict, the border regions finally welcomed a hard-won peace, historically known as the "Longqing Peace Agreement." Unlike previous short-lived truces, this peace was destined to last a very long time, much like Wang Xiaoxia of the past.
After the peace treaty was signed between the two nations, Lu Ying escorted Ba Han Naji and Hastuya to the border. Simultaneously, Anda Khan personally delivered the White Lotus Sect leaders, including Zhao Quan and Li Zixin, as prisoners. The two parties exchanged these "hostages" at the Datong border.
Sect Leader Zhao Quan, his hair now white, sat dazedly in the prison wagon, like a walking corpse.
When Ba Han Naji saw his grandfather, he rushed over like a leopard, half-kneeling on the ground and clutching Anda Khan's leg, weeping. Remembering his third son who had died young, Anda Khan comforted his grandson, patting his head. Blood proved thicker than water, and he immediately forgave the pair for their rebellious flight to the Ming.
Anda Khan, deeply concerned for his grandson, was determined to keep him from returning to the Ming. Pointing to the fertile Bansheng Land behind him, he declared, "From now on, Bansheng shall belong to Ba Han Naji."
Bansheng was the most coveted territory on the grasslands. Since the White Lotus Sect's collapse, many had eyed this prize, including Anda Khan's eldest son, Huang Ji Tai. Yet Anda Khan had never relented, always intending it for his beloved grandson, Ba Han Naji.
Now, the fate of this prized land was finally settled. Though surprised, everyone found it fitting—after all, he was the khan's most cherished grandson. Even after his betrayal and flight to the Ming, the khan had not punished him but instead rewarded him generously.
"What?" Zhao Quan, who had been sitting like a wooden figure in the prison wagon, finally reacted. "The Bansheng I toiled over for more than twenty years... is going to this unfilial grandson who betrayed us for the Ming?"
Is there no justice in this world? All my lifelong efforts... have they merely paved the way for this worthless brat?
"For whom have I labored? For what purpose?" Zhao Quan laughed wildly at the azure sky. "My life... it's truly a joke. In the end, I've drawn water with a bamboo basket—everything is empty. I gain nothing.Ba Han Naji thanked his grandfather and henceforth governed Bansheng with Hastuya, becoming the wealthiest lord. Fourteen years later, Ba Han Naji died after falling from his horse during a hunt. Having no heirs and with San Niangzi's support, Hastuya inherited her husband's territory, becoming the renowned lady lord of Bansheng Land.Who wouldn't love a wealthy, powerful, and land-owning widow? Chieftains from various tribes fiercely competed for the widow Hastuya, with even San Niangzi's son, Bu Tashili, seeking to marry this female lord fifteen years his senior.
Ultimately, Hastuya chose the most powerful tribal leader—Che Lik, son of the second-generation Shunyi Prince Huang Ji Tai. By then, Anda Khan had died, and San Niangzi had married her stepson Huang Ji Tai. However, military and financial authority remained firmly in San Niangzi's grasp, rendering Huang Ji Tai a mere puppet.
Later, when the second-generation Shunyi Prince Huang Ji Tai died, logic dictated that his eldest son Che Lik should become the third-generation Shunyi Prince, with his wife Hastuya as the new Zhongshun Madame.
Yet, the Ming court recognized only San Niangzi. For Che Lik to receive Ming's official appointment, he had to divorce Hastuya and marry San Niangzi.
Naturally, Che Lik chose to become the third-generation Shunyi Prince. He divorced Hastuya and held a grand ceremony to marry San Niangzi. Thus, San Niangzi—having previously remarried her stepson—now wed her step-grandson, remaining the authoritative Zhongshun Madame and the uncrowned queen of the grasslands.
The divorced Hastuya remained highly sought-after, as Bansheng Land still belonged to her. San Niangzi's biological son Bu Tashili competed once more for this female lord fifteen years his senior—and this time, he succeeded. The couple even had a son together.
Like Zhongshun Madame San Niangzi, Hastuya remarried twice in her lifetime, devoting herself to fostering peace between the two nations and maintaining border and mutual-trade stability. Ultimately, the Ming court honored Hastuya with the title "Zhongyi Madame."
Of course, these events unfolded much later. As the grassland tale concludes here, Ding Wu finally fulfilled his vow of "not returning until the White Lotus Sect is destroyed," escorting leader Zhao Quan and others to the capital for trial. They were sentenced to death by lingchi—justice may be delayed, but never absent.
On execution day, Caishikou was packed with crowds. People who had lost family members during the Gengxu Upheaval two decades prior filled the streets until they were impassable, their wailing shaking the heavens, with even trees bearing spectators.
Ding Wu insisted on witnessing Zhao Quan endure all one thousand and one cuts while still breathing, only resting assured when the executioner severed the head of this heinous criminal. As a frail scholar, he couldn't push through the crowd, so Lu Ying rented a room near Caishikou in advance for him to observe the execution from upstairs.
Watching Zhao Quan's head roll, Ding Wu closed the window. A decade of undercover work, vengeance achieved—it was finally over.
Lu Ying asked him, "What are your plans now?"
Ding Wu replied, "To go to Yunnan and bring my father to the capital." The Longqing Emperor had restored Ding Rukui's honor and official position, returning his confiscated properties and residence for him to enjoy his remaining years in peace.
Lu Ying pressed further, "And after that? Do you... have any plans for marriage?"
Today, Lu Ying had unprecedentedly worn women's attire and sincerely sought Wang Daxia's advice on makeup techniques, determined to win Ding Wu over by day's end.
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