Chapter 51, first published on Jinjiang (2nd update) "Yu Yu, you and..."
"Father Khan..."
Ruan Yu and Chao Lu had just sat down when they immediately stood up.
Hurile said, "There's no need for that. Today, I'm the one who's disturbing your reunion. I thought that since Chaolu has married a new bride this year, and I've never spent New Year's Eve with you before, I've come to join in the fun."
Qinggu and Xuanniang immediately added a stool and an extra set of chopsticks and bowls.
Madam Qiu said, "Let's treat this as a family dinner. Please sit down."
Hurile smiled and said, "I'll listen to your mother."
Chaolu, Ruan Yu, and Haila slowly sat down, but the atmosphere was not as lively as before.
Hurile picked up his chopsticks and suddenly said, "This table is full of dishes from the Central Plains. I haven't had them for quite some time. Chaolu, bring over a jar of wine. My son and I will drink until we're drunk!"
Madam Qiu pursed her lips: "Drink less, Chao Lu is still injured."
Khuril: "Yes, yes, Father Khan forgot. Drink less, drink less..."
Chaolu's expression was somewhat complicated. He glanced between his mother and father several times, but Ruan Yu and Haila seemed unsurprised, smiling without saying a word.
The charcoal fire inside grew brighter and brighter, and the group became less reserved than before. After a few drinks, Chaolu and his father started talking, while Haila kept talking to Ruanyu. The faint sound of fireworks could be heard outside. Hurile, who had already drunk quite a bit at the banquet, was sweating on his forehead, perhaps because of the high temperature, and seemed a little drunk.
Seeing this, Lady Qiu advised, "Your Majesty, please drink less."
Khuril's gaze towards her held a deeper meaning: "I am not drunk...I will stay here with you tonight..."
Lady Qiu's eyes flickered twice. "The Khan is confused. Today is the White Festival. You should be with Da Hadun."
Hurile's eyes darkened, and he glanced at her several times.
Of course, Madam Qiu would not allow him to stay here overnight.
because……
Just a meal has caused quite a stir in Saren's tent.
The Khan's departure from the banquet had already caused quite a stir in the Golden Tent, but everyone was too drunk to think much about what was wrong with it.
After the Khan left, the Great Khatun should have stayed behind to continue overseeing the situation, but Saren's face darkened instantly, and he could no longer sit still. He immediately got up and returned to his tent.
Seeing this, Damu and Una quickly followed.
"Yes, I saw it all!"
Saren didn't want to show any embarrassment in front of her son, but that woman... she really went too far!
Damu: "Mother..."
Una was clearly a little angry too: "Mother, don't be angry, Father is drunk."
"Drunk? When has your father ever celebrated the White Festival like this?!" Saren was truly on the verge of a breakdown, his emotions in a terrible state.
Normally it's one thing, she can tolerate the autumn hunt, but the White Festival...
Seeing his mother's heartbroken expression, Damu's eyes flashed with resentment. He couldn't understand what had happened to his father, why he had suddenly changed this year. He had never been like this before... Could it really be because Chaolu was more outstanding than him...?
Una: "I told you long ago, you should have tampered with the white meat! Mother, you..."
Damu's eyes widened: "Una, what did you say?"
Una forgot that Damu was still there, and for a moment she brought her thoughts to the forefront, but... now that she had brought them to the forefront, she didn't want to pretend anymore.
"Yes, I've disliked her for a long time. Didn't you see it today? She almost couldn't swallow the white meat. I was thinking of finding someone to replace her meat... but Mother wouldn't agree..."
Damu: "Una, are you crazy? That's the White Festival! What if something goes wrong?"
"Isn't it because it's the White Festival that Father Khan was angry when something went wrong? If that's the case, why did Father Khan go there last night?!"
Damu thought she was crazy. "What do you think Father Khan is? Do you think such a simple trick can fool him?"
"How will we know if we don't try? It's better than them stabbing us in the heart right now!"
Saren calmed down by now: "Alright! Stop arguing!"
"Mother..."
She composed herself and said, "I disagree with this. Una, you're being too petty. The White Festival is one of the things your father Khan values most, and I will never allow anything to go wrong."
Una pursed her lips.
Saren took a deep breath: "Damu, there are many things that your mother didn't want to tell you directly before, but now you can see that if my son and I don't do something, I'm afraid my position as the Great Hadun will soon be handed over to someone else."
"Sister, isn't that a bit too much... Why say these things in front of the children?"
As soon as Saren finished speaking, a burst of laughter came from outside the door. The group looked in the direction of the sound and saw Naren walking in with a smile, followed by a girl.
"aunt."
Damu and Una both bowed, and Saren composed himself, asking, "Why are you here?"
Naren smiled and sat down in front of Saren, even tidying Saren's hair.
"Neither the Great Khan nor the Great Khatun were at the banquet. Those people have gone mad. I was bored, so I came to find my sister. What's wrong with my sister? It's been over a year since I last saw her, and she's become so insecure?"
Saren gave a wry smile: "A lot has happened while you were away..."
“I’ve heard about it. Is it something really that big of a deal? Is my sister just being too paranoid? Come here, Baoyin, go and pay your respects to your aunt.”
Saren then noticed a child following behind her, who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old.
Saren paused for a moment: "She..."
“My adopted daughter, Baoyin.”
Una and Damu both widened their eyes. "Auntie, it's been two years! How come you have an adopted daughter?!"
Naren smiled and said, "I met him by chance. He was a pitiful child. I'll tell you about it later."
Bao Yin stepped forward and bowed deeply: "Greetings, Your Highness, Grand Khatun, and Grand Khatun."
Without Saren's nod, she sensibly refrained from calling her "Auntie." Saren seemed quite pleased with this, nodding and saying, "She's just a daughter. You can raise her as you please. Has the Khan agreed?"
“She agreed, and from then on, she became the Begi of the grasslands.”
Saren: "Okay, whatever makes you happy. I'll find her a good marriage."
Naren smiled and said, "Thank you so much, elder sister. You seem to have aged quite a bit in the past two years... You really should take better care of yourself..."
Saren sighed, "I am a bit older than you..."
Naren took her hand: "I'm back, I'll definitely take good care of my sister..."
Saren's mood had improved considerably by now, and Una was about to continue talking about what happened that evening when suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the tent—
"Big Hadun! Big Hadun!"
The guard was almost in disarray, and he rushed in with a pale face.
Saren's eyes narrowed: "What's the panic! What happened!"
"We just received news that the leader of the Karl tribe, Gerru, has been assassinated!"
"!"
As soon as the guard finished speaking, Una stood up almost abruptly!
But the next instant, his blood rushed to his head, and he fainted...
-
The news of Gerru's assassination reached Hurile's ears almost simultaneously. At that time, Lady Qiu's family was having a reunion, and Qinggu and Xuanniang were even serving up dumpling wrappers and fillings to make dumplings.
Upon hearing this news, almost everyone was stunned for a moment. Hurile, who was a little drunk, was also slow to react: "What did you say?!"
Chaolu pursed his lips: "Father Khan, Geerlu has been stabbed."
The assassination of a clan leader was a momentous event, and Chaolu realized the seriousness of the situation, so he stood up.
Hurile was silent for a moment, then strode straight outside, and Chaolu immediately followed.
"Gather everyone!" Hurile's voice was filled with anger.
The tent fell silent immediately. The three women remained silent for a moment before Madam Qiu was the first to recover: "Tonight is destined to be anything but peaceful. Let's call it a night. Hela, take An'an back."
Hela was also a little nervous: "Mother, will the situation be very tense?"
The Khal and Chaha are allied tribes, a fact known to everyone on the grasslands. Now that Geerlu has been assassinated, it also shows contempt for Khurel. How can the Great Khan tolerate this?
Ruan Yu: "Could it be Ao Han?"
Madam Qiu pursed her lips: "I know nothing, just like you. Let's wait quietly for news."
It was clear that her mother-in-law was also somewhat uneasy, so Ruan Yu and Haila took their leave first. On the way back, Yang Chong and Has guarded them closely, and Haila didn't say anything out of the ordinary until they returned to their tent.
"I don't know what's going on now, things are getting more and more unsettled. First Chaolu was poisoned, and now Geerlu has been assassinated. I think a war after the New Year is inevitable."
Ruan Yu frowned. She disliked war, as it meant widespread suffering.
However, the Great Khan was getting old, and the longer he ruled, the more likely he was to harbor some wolfish ambitions; this was inevitable…
The two sat in the tent for a while, and then Haila went back. Ruan Yu couldn't sleep, so she simply read a book while waiting for Chao Lu to return.
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and she had planned to stay up all night to welcome the new year.
The Golden Tent was in complete chaos, with all the clansmen drinking to their hearts' content. The assassin was undoubtedly declaring war on the entire grassland. Such a big thing had happened during the White Festival; they had failed their ancestors and gods!
Everyone was chattering away over the golden tent, and the expressions of the Taijis were not very pleasant.
Damu volunteered: "Father Khan, I request permission to go to Khalkha to investigate the matter!"
Gerru is Una's uncle, so Taren and Imin certainly won't stand idly by after what happened.
Hurile thought for a moment and said, "Alright, you can go then."
...
The discussion and follow-up arrangements regarding this matter finally came to an end at 1:15 AM. Everyone walked out of the golden tent with complicated expressions, having long since sobered up.
As Chao Lu strode back, suddenly a figure flashed out from the darkness and patted him on the shoulder.
Chao Lu turned around instantly: "Who!"
But he breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the other person's face clearly.
Turing emerged from the darkness, grinning, "Fourth Brother, why are you such a coward!"
Chao Lu: "You're back!" His tone was one of surprise and delight.
Turing: "I got news of the physician from the witch clan and wanted to come back to celebrate the White Festival with you, so I traveled back day and night!"
Chao Lu put his arm around his shoulder: "Come on! Let's go talk to Fourth Brother!"
...
Ruan Yu waited until almost three-quarters past midnight, but Chao Lu still hadn't returned. At midnight, she, Xuan Niang, and Qing Guo ate a few dumplings together and lit a small firework as a celebration. Afterward, Ruan Yu wrote a letter home, intending to send it to Chao Lu when he was less busy. Then, feeling a bit tired, she washed up and went to bed.
She didn't want to sleep, but in her drowsy state, she closed her eyes anyway.
Just then, she felt a chill beside her, and a figure darted over and hugged her.
Ruan Yu woke up immediately—
"You're back...?"
Chaolu hugged her and kissed her earlobe: "I'm sorry, Yuyu, I couldn't spend the New Year with you."
Ruan Yu had no time to worry about that: "How's things going with Geru? What exactly happened?"
Chao Lu: "They're still investigating. My brother and the others will be back first thing tomorrow morning. Let me tell you something else first. Turing is back and said that some doctor is in Lingzhou."
Lingzhou?!
Ruan Yu's drowsiness vanished instantly, and she scrambled to her feet: "Are you sure?! Then that means..."
Lingzhou is right next to Liangzhou; both are border areas.
Chao Lu nodded: "It's exactly the same destination I'm going to this time. Yu Yu, come with me."
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Author's note: She's so clingy!
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