Chapter 12, Old Illness in Chaolu, was not the most useless of the Four Taiji. ...

Ruan Yu believed that Chao Lu was doing this on purpose.

But when she looked up, she was surprised to see a pair of eyes that were actually quite sincere.

This is a bit awkward...

"Thank you, Your Highness, but I can't eat greasy food. Please, Your Highness, have it." As a Khatun, it would be extremely disrespectful for her to take back the meat that the Taiji had offered her. But Ruan Yu really couldn't eat it. She disliked the gamey smell of mutton, let alone this fatty piece.

Chaolu gave her a strange look a few times, but he wasn't angry.

Ruan Yu also breathed a sigh of relief.

Since the other party took the initiative to apologize, Ruan Yu also took the initiative to say, "Your Highness, actually, Aunt Mu said some strange things just now, which I don't quite understand."

"What did you say?"

Ruan Yu then recounted the Zulu Festival that she had mentioned earlier, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Chao Lu seemed unsurprised after hearing this.

“Oh, Zulu Festival requires a Taiji with excellent riding skills to ride a horse and carry the flag. It’s not my turn. It’s never been me before.”

Ruan Yu: "If Your Highness has never participated before, why would Aunt Mu say this to me? It's as if... she's deliberately reminding me of something."

Chao Lu: "Really? Maybe it's just something I said offhand because I was injured."

Ruan Yu choked for a moment, suddenly feeling that he was a bit... slow-witted, but after pausing, she still said, "There are some things you may not be very clear about. Because of my mother, many things will not be my turn, but I have no resentment towards my mother. In fact, many of the things I said earlier were not directed at your identity as a Central Plains person."

Ruan Yu was still pondering the deeper meaning of those words and did not delve into Chao Lu's words, nor did she realize that he was actually explaining something.

Ruan Yuhai was lost in his own world: "Actually, His Highness's horsemanship is excellent, probably the best among the Taijis. If he really couldn't go because of his status, Da Hadun wouldn't care so much about it." Because if he didn't care, he wouldn't have specifically mentioned that.

Seeing that she was still preoccupied with the matter of the Zulu Festival riders, Chaolu suddenly felt a little disheartened.

She didn't listen to a word he said!

"It can't be me anyway. If you really think I can rise above others and win Father Khan's reward, that's impossible. Stop dreaming."

After Chao Lu finished speaking, he suddenly got up and left again, seemingly a little angry.

Ruan Yu also realized what was going on, but she didn't quite understand what he was angry about.

Because of this unpleasant little incident, Chaolu actually went to the study again that night. Ruan Yu waited for a while but didn't see him, so she had no choice but to go to sleep first.

Late into the night, Ruan Yu suddenly heard footsteps. She instinctively opened her eyes, thinking that Chao Lu had returned.

But unexpectedly—

"Khedun, Khedun, something has happened at Dabieji!"

It was Xuan Niang's voice. Ruan Yu woke up almost immediately and sat up.

"What's wrong? What happened?!"

Xuan Niang was also very anxious: "I heard that the young master has fallen seriously ill. Da Bieji is very worried and is on his way to fetch a doctor!"

Ruan Yu immediately changed her clothes and went outside. If Hela was in such a hurry, it must be a serious problem.

She had just stepped out of the tent when Chao Lu, who was not far away, had obviously also received the news. He walked quickly. Ruan Yu wanted to call out to him, but Chao Lu didn't even look at her. Ruan Yu had no choice but to follow him silently.

Lady Qiu also arrived in Haila's tent, and everyone was a little anxious.

"Where's the doctor? Has the doctor arrived yet?"

When Chaolu went in, Madam Qiu thought it was the shepherd's doctor and immediately turned around. Chaolu strode forward and asked, "We're almost there. How is Buhe?"

Hela was crying while holding the child, and Madam Qiu looked extremely anxious: "The old illness has flared up again, and your sister is very worried."

Ruan Yu followed behind Chao Lu and secretly glanced at him. The small figure on the bed seemed to be twitching. Hela turned his head away and kept wiping him, her eyes red.

Is this... epilepsy?

Worry also crept into Ruan Yu's eyes, but thankfully the shepherd doctor arrived quickly: "Let me see! Come here!"

Everyone quickly made way, and Hela cried out urgently, "Please look! She was fine this afternoon! And suddenly tonight—"

"Don't worry, Dabieji." With that, the veterinarian quickly stepped forward to check Buhe's symptoms.

"The Great Khan has arrived—"

There was another shout outside the tent: "The Khan is here!"

The others quickly stepped aside and lowered their heads, and Hurile strode in.

"What's going on! Wasn't Buhe's illness said to have been cured a year ago?!"

Hurile was furious, and the maids inside the tent trembled. Lady Qiu said, "Great Khan, please move outside first. The herdsman is treating you."

Khuril looked at her: "I'm not going anywhere!"

After saying that, he sat down on the stool.

Madam Qiu looked somewhat indifferent and turned her head away.

Under the treatment of the veterinarian, Buhe's convulsions quickly stopped. The veterinarian wiped the sweat from his body and removed the silver needles: "Dabieji, there is no danger for the time being."

Hela nodded, her eyes filled with tears.

"Greetings, Great Khan." The herdsman turned and knelt before Khuril.

"What's going on?"

"Your Majesty, it's the same old ailment, but this time it's flaring up more violently. It seems the root cause hasn't been eradicated..."

Hurile was furious: "Then why wasn't it diagnosed back then?! What if it gets worse after all this time?!"

The veterinarian wiped his sweat: "Your Majesty, please calm down, this..."

Lady Qiu suddenly said, "Great Khan, please don't blame the herdsman. It was the herdsman from the Haryan tribe who said those words."

Hurile snorted and continued, "This time you've come, you must cure Buhe."

"Your Majesty... Your subordinate will do his best, but this epilepsy will gradually improve as the child grows. The young prince is weak and will probably need to take good care of his health."

Hearing this, Hela cried even harder.

Chaolu could no longer bear it. He suddenly stepped forward and knelt on one knee: "Father Khan, please let my sister raise Buhe."

Hurile seemed displeased: "What are you saying? Buhebu was originally raised by your elder sister."

"The Khaliang tribe takes Buhe back every few days, and each time they come up with a different excuse! The child is constantly traveling back and forth, how can he possibly recover properly! This time it was the same, a sudden attack, who knows if he suffered some kind of hardship over there!" Madam Qiu suddenly scolded.

Hurile narrowed his eyes: "Are you blaming Benhan?"

Chaolu looked up and glanced at his mother with concern. Lady Qiu said, "I dare not, but please, Great Khan, have mercy. Buhe is still so young, and I really cannot bear to see him suffer like this!"

Hurile also looked at his daughter and remained silent for a moment.

"I, the Khan, understand Haila's situation and have allowed her to return after becoming a widow, and have also allowed Buhe to grow up in the Chaha tribe. Now that things have come to this, Haryan has asked to see the children. What should I, the Khan, do?"

After a moment of silence in the tent, Chao Lu lowered his eyes, his expression dark: "Father Khan, I believe that Halyan's demands are too frequent and that he has ulterior motives. He wants to use Buhe to coerce my sister to return."

Ruan Yu was startled and secretly glanced at Hela.

On the grasslands, some tribes still retain certain outdated customs, such as—

If a husband has passed away, but he still has brothers, he can marry his widowed sister-in-law. In the Central Plains, this is called "marrying two wives".

If there are no brothers, it's probably still father and son.

In short, it was a huge humiliation for the woman.

Hela was perhaps a little lucky enough to return to her parents' home because of her status as Dabieji.

Ruan Yu frowned slightly, not wanting to think of the Haryan tribe in such a negative light, but seeing the attitudes of Chao Lu and Lady Qiu...

Hurile also fell silent.

A moment later, Buhe seemed to have woken up and softly called out "Mother." Hela immediately hugged her son and wiped away her tears, saying, "Mother is here... Mother is here..."

Seeing this, Hurile finally sighed, stood up, and said, "Chaolu."

He called out, and Chaolu immediately got up and went outside the tent with the Khan.

Madam Qiu's expression was not good. She walked to Hela's side, and Ruan Yu also stepped forward and whispered a few words of comfort.

Tonight was a close call, but Ruan Yu returned to her tent before Chao Lu had returned.

Almost everyone stayed up all night. In the latter half of the night, Ruan Yu had a headache and couldn't fall asleep at all.

Before long, Xuanniang came over and whispered, "Kudun, I've heard some news."

Ruan Yu glanced at Jin'er and Shun'er, dismissed them, and then said softly, "Speak."

"It seems that Dabieji had a bad time after marrying into the Haryan tribe. Not only was that man an alcoholic and lecherous, he also seemed to have hit Dabieji. Dabieji must have suffered a lot of grievances, so after that man died, the Fourth Prince went to bring him back immediately."

Ruan Yu was extremely surprised, "They dared to treat Bieji like this?!"

Xuan Niang was clearly surprised and heartbroken: "The Halian tribe is quite formidable. This marriage was supposed to be a political alliance. I heard that before that person died, the Fourth Prince went to the Halian tribe several times, presumably to avenge Dabieji, but after returning... he was punished by the Khan..."

Ruan Yu felt even worse; she was so uneasy that she could hardly sit still.

She never imagined that Hela, already a Dabegi, would have to endure such a fate.

It is said that the palace is a place that devours people, but in fact, among the nobles of the northern grasslands, women seem to be nothing more than appendages of power.

"And then what?"

"I heard that the man was beaten by the Fourth Prince a few times and became more restrained. Then, by some miracle, he was attacked by a pack of wolves. The Fourth Prince immediately brought Dabieji back. At that time, the Haryan tribe refused to release him and caused quite a commotion."

Ruan Yu was silent for a moment, then said, "My mother-in-law should have thought of something back then."

"Yes, it was actually quite difficult for the Khan, but he eventually relented."

Ruan Yu seemed to be deep in thought, "Is that Ha Liang tribe very powerful?"

"They were very powerful a few years ago, but not anymore. I heard they've become affiliated with the Aohan tribe."

“Aohan is Chaha’s opponent; they certainly know how to pick their opponents…”

Xuan Niang: "Khedun, I also heard that when Dabieji was married off, Lady Qiu disagreed and even argued with the Khan. Lady Qiu wanted to find someone to be close to Bieji, but in the end it didn't work out. I heard... Da Khatun also played a role in it. I feel that Da Khatun seems to be quite hostile towards Dabieji and the Fourth Prince..."

Ruan Yu smiled and said, "I wasn't sure before, but now it's obvious. She is indeed targeting Chao Lu and my sister. This targeting is not because of contempt or dislike, but quite the opposite, because of worry and jealousy."

Xuan Niang's heart skipped a beat: "The Khatun means... Madam..."

Ruan Yu nodded; she had seen it clearly today.

Would a woman, because of her lowly status and lack of favor with her husband, speak to the Khan in that manner?

Madam Qiu's words contained only anger, not fear.

In the dead of night, the Khan's anxiety seemed genuine. He was a ruler, but at that moment, Ruan Yu saw in him a worried father. The Khan's love for his eldest daughter was real.

Is Chaolu really the least favored Taiji, just as rumored in Chang'an?

Xuan Niang also understood: "It seems there are still many untold stories from back then... If that's the case, Khatun, perhaps our lives and situation can be a little better..."

"No."

Ruan Yu's tone suddenly turned cold.

"Xuan Niang, you won't get much from a man's guilt and love. Chao Lu's constant feeling of being unimportant is the best proof of that. Da Khatun's predicament and the Khan's neglect are real, including my sister's marriage. I believe the Khan wavered at first, but my sister still married far away. These things truly happened. Here, it's a dog-eat-dog world. If you don't fight and compete, you'll definitely be bullied and trampled underfoot. Even worse, out of fear and jealousy, they'll trample you even more severely—"

Only Xuanniang and Qingguo were inside the tent. They both gasped in shock. "The Khan has foresight; I was short-sighted..."

Qingguo said anxiously, "I didn't understand, but does the Khatun mean that someone has been watching the Fourth Prince and us? In the future... will someone harm us...?"

Ruan Yu: "I don't know, but I remember that when the marriage agreement was made, everyone in Chang'an was laughing at me. They wanted to see me marry into the grasslands crying and end up living a miserable life. They probably dreamed of how I, Ruan Yu, would live a life worse than a pig or a dog on the grasslands. Well—I won't let them have their way. Haven't you heard anyone talking about me these past few days?"

Qingguo pursed her lips, not daring to speak.

Xuan Niang gritted her teeth and said, "They are lowly maids who think you are a vase that came all the way from Chang'an."

Ruan Yu smiled and said, "I've been having Xuan Niang inquire about things for the past few days, and that's why. Now that I'm married, I've never thought about turning back. We share the same fate, whether it's prosperity or ruin."

Chaolu was not the most useless of the four Taiji.

She, Si Ke Dun, was by no means just a pretty face.

A note from the author:

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