Wang Daxia was reluctant. "The task of maintaining peace falls to you all. I must return to manage the rouge shop. Without new stock for three months, I'm afraid my regular customers will drift away."
Having become the "women's confidant" of the Qinhuai River district, Wang Daxia proved that exceptional people shine wherever they go and in whatever they do. Compared to the life-and-death work of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he preferred the peaceful days spent among rouge and face powder.
Wei Caiwei said, "You take Xiwu back first. I'm going to Hohhot with them."
Unexpectedly betrayed by his wife, how could Wang Daxia feel at ease about Wei Caiwei? He could only bid a tearful farewell to his daughter, looking back at every third step.
Lu Ying and Wang Daxia rode horses, while Ding Wu and Wei Caiwei traveled by carriage. Even through the carriage walls, Ding Wu could sense Wang Daxia's reluctance to part. "Aren't you worried Xia Xiwu will miss you?"
Wei Caiwei gently sniffed the large red gauze hairpin their daughter often wore. Since Xia Xiwu's birth, whether it was swaddling clothes or belly-protecting undergarments, everything had been meticulously prepared by Wang Daxia - all in bright red, as if he wanted to dress their daughter like the Red Boy. Old habits die hard - even Wang Daxia's preference for the color red remained steadfastly consistent.
Wei Caiwei actually missed her daughter too, though she hadn't shown it in front of Wang Daxia. She said:
"Wang Daxia spoils her too much, granting her every wish. Such pampering might be acceptable at three years old, but not at eight. I end up looking like the villain standing between them, unable to stop it anyway. I might as well take this opportunity to let father and daughter spend some time apart, allowing both to grow."
Throughout the journey, Wang Daxia ate poorly, slept poorly, and constantly fretted:
"There was heavy rain last night with thunder and lightning. Whenever she's startled awake by thunder, she always climbs into our big bed and squeezes between us to sleep. Without us, how will she sleep?"
"She loves Nanjing's duck oil pancakes the most. Beijing doesn't seem to have them. What will she do when she craves them?"
"Without me, who will comb her hair? I feel heartbroken even when a single strand gets pulled out normally."
No matter how Wang Daxia lamented or hinted indirectly, Wei Caiwei remained iron-willed and refused to agree to return. "She's eight years old, not eight months. Don't imagine her to be so fragile. When I was her age, I had already—never mind, let's not talk about that. In short, you need to learn to trust her. How could our daughter be some delicate hothouse flower? Eventually, we'll all have to step out of her life. How she fares will depend entirely on herself. As a father, you need to learn to let go."
Wang Daxia understood the reasoning but couldn't accept it, sighing deeply all day long.
Unable to persuade him with words, Wei Caiwei had no choice but to persuade him through physical intimacy.
On the journey northwest, not a single night went to waste for Wang Daxia. Even during their newlywed days, Wei Caiwei had never been so passionate with him.
When meat is delivered to your mouth, why wouldn't you eat it? Wang Daxia never refused, consuming everything thoroughly. Both rediscovered long-lost passion, becoming too absorbed to miss their daughter, as if enjoying a honeymoon delayed by ten years.
During the first two nights at post stations, when Ding Wu and Lu Ying stayed in adjacent rooms, the couple's commotion was so disruptive that Ding Wu and Lu Ying couldn't sleep peacefully. They eventually requested four rooms, deliberately leaving the rooms on either side of Wang Daxia and Wei Caiwei's room vacant to avoid drawing attention with their loud activities.Arriving at Hohhot in late autumn, heavy fur coats were necessary. The northwest wind swept through, enveloping the city surrounded by green mountains in a somber atmosphere. Snowflakes filled the sky, turning the green mountains into snow-capped peaks.
The four of them were a step too late—Anda Khan had passed away the day before. Guihua City was now under the control of his eldest son, Huang Ji Tai. This city, modeled after Central Plains architecture, was built by San Niangzi and Anda Khan. Its gates were usually wide open, welcoming visitors from all directions. Whether from the Central Plains, Mongolia, or the Western Regions, people could trade freely here. In less than a decade, it had become the most prosperous city in the northwest.
But now, Hohhot was heavily guarded, with only two gates open. Entry and exit required inspection of travel documents and searches of merchant caravans.
The border had also grown tense. The Ming Dynasty had reinforced its defenses, closing all eleven trade markets.
It was well-known that Huang Ji Tai had always advocated a hardline stance against the Ming. With Anda Khan dead, who knew what the future would hold!
Lu Ying and the others were concerned for San Niangzi’s safety. She and Ding Wu directly presented their identities as members of the Ming Embroidered Uniform Guard to meet with Huang Ji Tai, while Wang Daxia and Lu Ying disguised themselves as merchants to gather information outside the city.
At the Shunyi Prince’s Residence.
Huang Ji Tai received Lu Ying and Ding Wu while seated on his father Anda Khan’s tiger-skin chair. With a sorrowful expression, he politely invited them to sit. "My father has passed away. The obituary has already been sent to Beijing, for His Majesty the Emperor and Empress Dowager Li."
Lu Ying said, "Please accept our condolences. We have always respected Anda Khan and wish to pay our respects before the Great Khan’s spirit."
Huang Ji Tai led the two to the white tent where Anda Khan’s body lay in state. Lu Ying observed carefully—outwardly, Anda Khan seemed to have passed peacefully, not meeting a violent end. However...
Lu Ying asked, "Why is Zhongjin Khatun, the Great Khan’s widow, not present?"
Huang Ji Tai looked embarrassed and said, "This is a family disgrace. With my father’s funeral arrangements underway, it is not appropriate to disclose this."
Lu Ying replied, "Zhongjin Khatun was enfeoffed by the Ming as the Loyal and Obedient Lady. We need to know her whereabouts."
Huang Ji Tai said, "I, too, wish to know her whereabouts. However, she despises my ugly appearance and my lameness, unwilling to follow the levirate marriage custom and remarry me. Last night, she took the seal for trade market passage and fled Hohhot with her personal guards. Her location is unknown."
Lu Ying and Ding Wu exchanged a glance: As if we’d believe such nonsense!
Huang Ji Tai’s leg had been crippled in a war against the Ming, and he had never let go of his resentment toward the Ming Dynasty. But San Niangzi was different. Over the past decade, she had actively befriended Ming officials and renowned literati, wearing Han clothing and practicing Han customs.
The Ming literary giant Xu Wei had even painted a portrait of her dressed in Ming attire, inscribing a poem: "The Han army vies to see her embroidered doublet, a young woman commanding a hundred thousand bows. Awaken Mulan to compare with her, and see whose arrow flies farther."
Their political views were clearly divergent. In his later years, plagued by illness, Anda Khan trusted only San Niangzi, entrusting her with power, leaving Huang Ji Tai unable to oppose her. Now that Anda Khan was dead, Huang Ji Tai was the heir, with strong military forces at his disposal, while San Niangzi’s fate remained uncertain.
Meanwhile, Wang Daxia rode to a high point and used a Western telescope to survey the vast snow-covered mountains and grasslands. The heavy snow concealed everything. Finally, his gaze fixed on a patch of darkened sky where a flock of vultures circled.
Vultures are carrion-eating birds. Where they gather, death is certain.Wang Daxia spurred his horse toward the area where vultures circled and indeed discovered piles of battle-slain corpses on the snowy mountain slope—evidence of a brutal conflict.
Wang Daxia launched a red flare into the sky. Wei Caiwei covered her face with a veil and began examining the bodies.
About half an hour later, Lu Ying and Ding Wu arrived with undercover agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. By then, Wei Caiwei had already inspected all hundred or so corpses. "All died in battle—young, strong men who were likely soldiers. There are a few female bodies dressed as maidservants, but none are San Niangzi."
Ding Wu relayed Huang Ji Tai's claim that San Niangzi had eloped to avoid marriage, adding, "...I believe he's lying. He must have clashed with San Niangzi, forcing her to flee Hohhot for safety. Now, either he has secretly captured and disposed of her, or she has escaped to a safe hiding place."
Despite the uncertainty surrounding San Niangzi's whereabouts, Lu Ying remained strategic. "We'll split into two groups. Ding Wu, you're most familiar with Ados of the Ordos tribe—go gather information from him. The rest will accompany me to Bansheng Land to find Ba Han Naji and Hastuya. They're both pro-Ming and acquainted with San Niangzi. If she fled, she'd likely choose between these two locations."
Ding Wu rode alone toward the Ordos tribe.
Lu Ying led the others to Bansheng City.
Ten years later, Ba Han Naji—who had defected to the Ming with his wife Hastuya—had become the wealthiest lord on the grasslands. Bansheng's population now exceeded 100,000, half of whom were Han Chinese: merchants, artisans, and other skilled, prosperous individuals. The land produced enough grain to sustain the entire grassland.
After a decade of marriage, the couple remained childless. Ba Han Naji showed no concern, rejecting numerous cousins' offers to give him adopted sons. Instead, he and Hastuya reveled in their wealthy, powerful lives.
Bansheng bordered Ming territory, and indeed, San Niangzi had fled here with her forces!
Along with over a thousand loyal guards, she had brought her son by Anda Khan, Butashili, to Bansheng to protect him from Huang Ji Tai.
When San Niangzi saw Lu Ying's group arrive, she appeared delighted—showing no signs of recent widowhood—and declared, "Even if you hadn't come, I would have sought you out in the Ming. After Anda Khan's death, Huang Ji Tai tried to kill us mother and son under the pretext of my elopement, aiming to seize power. Fortunately, I had prepared in advance by training these guards to be loyal to me, allowing our escape from Hohhot."
Ba Han Naji stated, "If Huang Ji Tai succeeds, he'll rally troops to attack the Ming. As Bansheng borders your territory, we'd suffer first in any war. Fertile fields would turn to wasteland, and terrified civilians would flee, causing population loss and ending Bansheng's prosperity. I support San Niangzi and wish to maintain peace with the Ming."
Hastuya, still beautiful, warmly hosted the guests. San Niangzi's fourteen-year-old son Butashili blushed faintly at the sight of her.
Hastuya added, "I too oppose war—our current peace is ideal. Conflict would devastate Bansheng first. We stand with San Niangzi. If Huang Ji Tai insists on war, we'll unite with other tribes to convene a lords' assembly and expel him from Hohhot."Since Ba Han Naji had no heirs and his wife participated in governing Bansheng Land, Hastuya had now matured into a seasoned political figure, no longer the timid young girl who once cared only about cosmetics.
San Niangzi produced the official seal. "Send messengers to the tribal leaders. Tell them the mutual trade seal is in my hands. If they wish to transport goods to the eleven trading markets, they must obtain clearance documents stamped with my seal. Otherwise, the Ming dynasty will deny passage, preventing trade at the markets. Let them weigh their options carefully: support Huang Ji Tai and lose their source of income, or support me to continue earning profits and living in peace. Those who comply shall pass through; those who oppose shall be barred beyond the gates."
Ba Han Naji dispatched messengers carrying San Niangzi's letters to various tribes, spreading the message.
Witnessing how thoroughly San Niangzi had orchestrated the power struggle, Wang Daxia said to Lu Ying, "Given San Niangzi's capabilities, I don't think I can be of further assistance to her. Please allow us, husband and wife, to return home."
Lu Ying replied, "Since you're already here, it would be best to ensure peace before leaving. We shouldn't push Huang Ji Tai too far. If internal conflict erupts in the grasslands, innocent people will inevitably suffer. We should pursue peace and avoid war whenever possible. You shall serve as envoy to negotiate with Huang Ji Tai in Hohhot. If he insists on war, the Ming dynasty will respond in kind. Meanwhile, he will lose support from other tribes. Anda Khan has more than one son. Should he fall in battle, numerous sons stand ready to replace him, each willing to become the second Loyal and Obedient Prince."
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