Chapter 73: Entanglement Tushetu Khan’s voice was full of smiles, his eyes…
Although Tushetu Khan's voice was smiling, his cloudy old eyes were fixed on Dorji.
He saw clearly the hesitation that flashed across the face of the future heir to the Khan's throne.
After all, they are young people, and they take the word "emotion" very seriously, Tushetu Khan thought. He raised the golden wine cup, took a sip of mare's milk, and reminded: "Wine tastes good, and everyone likes to drink it. But no matter how good it tastes, you have to drink it in moderation. If you get addicted to alcohol and are controlled by the wine, then? That's it. There are some drunkards on the grassland, but they all end up badly."
Tushetu Khan paused for a moment and continued, "The Living Buddha once told me an interesting story. It is said that the biological father of the current emperor, the emperor before the Qing Dynasty, could not understand the word love. After his favorite concubine died, he did not even want the world. He actually abandoned everything and followed that woman to die together. Such a thing is absolutely impossible to happen on my grassland. If we encounter such a Khan, then this tribe will be worried. Dunduobuduoerji, what do you think?"
The meaning of the words is self-evident.
Dorji stood up, raised his glass of wine to the Khan, and smiled: "Of course, a man born into this world should accomplish great deeds and put the overall situation first. How can he waste his mind on the personal feelings of his children?"
His knuckles clenched the wine glass tightly, but he looked relaxed and cheerful.
"Please rest assured, Grandfather. I have my own plans. As for the princess, she was frightened when I was with her. Now is a critical moment for the Qing court and our department. The more I respect and love her, the better it will be for us."
After taking a sip of wine, he put the glass down.
Tushetu Khan nodded and said, "You have your own pace, which is good. I don't mean to criticize you, but you are too sentimental. When I heard the news that your father and mother were killed, if I hadn't stopped you, you would have ridden that horse right into Galdan's sight."
Thinking of the situation at that time, his hands trembled slightly. "That was your father, and also my eldest son who I raised and entrusted with great hopes. How could I not be sad, heartbroken, and angry after hearing this news? But we must distinguish between what is more important and what is less important, emotion and reason. Of course, you were only twelve or thirteen years old at that time. You were young, so it was understandable. But now you have grown up. In the future, not only the Tushetu Khanate, but also the entire northern desert and Khalkha Mongolia are counting on you! You must not be confused for a moment."
"I, your grandson, will remember your grandfather's teachings and always put the interests of our tribe first."
"Very good, remember this sentence, cough cough cough..." Tushetu Khan coughed twice. Dorji hurriedly asked with concern: "Grandfather has a cold, have you seen a doctor?"
"It's an old problem. It's inevitable that I'll feel a little sick when the weather turns cold. It's nothing serious." Tushetu Khan coughed twice before he recovered. "Okay, go down and have a rest. It's really hard to escort you all the way."
"Then my grandson will take his leave."
Dorji was about to leave when Tushetu Khan suddenly stopped him. "By the way, since you were out with the princess, I asked your uncle Ahai to preside over the Aobao sacrifice in May. You were supposed to go, but you missed the ceremony for two consecutive years because of the princess's affairs. It's best not to happen again."
Just as the emperor of the Qing dynasty would offer sacrifices to the Temple of Heaven, the people on the grassland would offer sacrifices to Aobao. At this time, Tushetu Khan mentioned that he would order Ahai to preside over the sacrifice, and his intention to warn him was obvious. The implication was that you should not think that you can now become the future king of the tribe steadily. Once you make a mistake, then the inheritance of the throne will be uncertain.
Dorji was silent for a moment, then bowed to Tushetu Khan and said, "I will be present at the next Aobao sacrifice."
When I came out of the king's tent, it was already late at night.
It's an autumn night on the grassland, and the air is chilly. There are no stars or moon tonight, and thick clouds block the night sky, making it dark.
Dorji did not ride a horse. He just asked his followers to follow him with lanterns while he walked back slowly.
In the silence, the horse being led from behind walked listlessly, its hooves stepping on the dry yellow grass, "da-da-da", the sound could be heard far away in this vast and boundless wilderness.
Carrying a dim lantern on his back, Dorji walked for a long time with a blank expression on his face, until he arrived at the camp where he and the princess camped.
On the left is his tent, and on the right leads to the princess's tent.
Dorji stood there for a while, the cold wind blowing his bright red robe into puffs. After a few breaths, he walked against the wind towards his tent.
After entering the tent, Wujina, who had served him since childhood, heard the noise and stood up to greet him. She was a little surprised and said, "Young prince, are you going back to the tent to rest tonight? But the princess seems to be waiting for you."
Dorji stopped taking off his boots and looked up: "Who said the princess was waiting for me?"
"A maid came over to ask about it earlier," Wujina said, "and I went out to take a look just before you came back. The lights in the princess' tent were still on."
Dorji frowned, stood up, and without waiting for his followers to help him lift the curtain, he opened the curtain himself and walked out of the tent.
The lights in the princess' tent were indeed still on. The candlelight shone brightly on the barren grass, like a beam of light in the dark night.
Why? Why do you have to be so good? Dorji thought vaguely, if it wasn't so good, he might be able to keep the excitement of a prince consort and a prince, but...
He sighed and walked towards the princess's tent.
The princess was indeed waiting for him. She was sitting at the desk, watching over a lamp, wearing a lilac satin cloak and dozing off slightly.
With just a quick glance, Dorji felt as if his heart was filled with guilt, as if snow had fallen on a desert plain.
Such a good person as her deserves to be loved passionately and openly, like goat's milk without a drop of water.
However, their marriage itself is a conflict of interests full of calculations.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Mu Xue opened her eyes and murmured, "You're back."
"I'm back."
Tonight, Dorji was particularly passionate. He hugged her and wanted her again and again.
He gave her happiness, a happiness as light as the clouds.
In the end, Muxue didn't even have the strength to get up, and let Dorji wash her.
In her deep sleep, she unconsciously snuggled up to him. On such a cold night, she didn't feel cold holding him.
In the early morning, she woke up in his arms, only to see Dorji gazing at her with gentle eyes.
"What are you looking at?"
"Look at my treasure." Dorji supported his head with one hand and said, "It is extremely lucky that Changshengtian let me meet you."
Such sweet words made Mu Xue smile softly. "You are always good at saying nice things."
She moved closer to him, and the quilt rustled. "What was on your mind yesterday?"
“You can discover this.”
"Of course, I'm very perceptive! Tell the truth, leniency to those who confess, severity to those who resist!" Mu Xue deliberately imitated the tone of interrogation.
Dorji laughed and said, "God, I am innocent."
The two of them laughed and joked for a while, and Dorji hugged her and whispered, "I told my grandfather yesterday about the attack we encountered on the road. We drank kumis and chatted for a while."
He lowered his eyes, and his thick eyelashes cast a shadow on his eye sockets.
"Then we talked about my parents. It was a little sad."
Mu Xue sensed his sadness and gently held his hand: "If you want, you can tell me about them. Those things are always painful, and it's not pleasant to keep them in your heart. But you have me now. I will be a good listener, and I am good at keeping secrets."
Dorji held her hand, crossed his fingers with hers, and shook it gently: "You are so kind."
After a moment of silence, he spoke in a deep voice about the events of those turbulent years. At the beginning, Galdan led his men to attack the northern desert, burning, killing and looting, and was about to approach the royal court of the Tushetu Khanate, which was very dangerous. His grandfather Tushetu Khan led him to flee in a hurry, running all the way to the southern desert.
Originally, his father and mother should have gone with him. But at that time, his mother was pregnant, and she heard that the place where her mother's family was stationed had been massacred by Galdan. She was frightened, sad, and angry, and she was about to give birth early. This time, she really couldn't go.
The father could not bear to abandon his wife and children, so he asked the grandfather to take Dorji away quickly, while he drew his sword and led the fearless warriors to go against the trend to cover Tushetu Khan's retreat, buy more time, and buy a glimmer of hope for his wife.
Of course, Dorji only learned about these things later. At that time, his father just handed him a long knife and said, "You protect grandfather first and go south."
Although he was young, he also felt that something was wrong: "Abu, did something happen to Eji?"
"She's fine, don't worry." Father said, "Now we don't know from which direction Galdan will lead his men to attack, so it's not good to walk all the way. If we meet him head on, the Tushetu Khanate will be wiped out and have no future. So, you should protect your grandfather and walk south first. You kid, where did the dust on your face come from?"
The father wiped the dust off his face and said, "We will meet again in due time."
At that time, he didn't know that there would be no chance of meeting again. If there was, then we could only wait until a hundred years later to meet again.
Dorji smiled and showed Muxue a scar on his back. "When I arrived in the south of the desert and heard the news, I went crazy. I wanted to beat anyone I saw and insisted on riding back to find my Abu Eji. In the end, it was my grandfather who whipped me off the horse with a long whip. I fainted from the pain and that was the end of it."
A hideous whip mark. Although the owner has grown up and the mark has become faint, it still stubbornly leaves a scar engraved in the flesh.
Mu Xue reached out her hand, wanting to touch him, but she was afraid that he would feel pain and didn't dare to do it. "Does it still hurt?"
"It's been so long, how can it hurt?" Dorji's expression seemed to be both happy and sad. "It's okay, it's all over. Now, I have you."
He held her in his arms and was silent for a long time.
In fact, there are some stories he did not tell her, for example, the entanglement of this war. For the sake of respect, his grandfather Tushetu Khan's reckless behavior did provide Galdan with some excuses to start a war. Tushetu Khan killed Zasaktu Khan, which led to civil strife in Khalkha. Galdan thought that it was an excuse for revenge for his son-in-law Zasaktu Khan, so he sent troops to Khalkha, and the war spread to the entire grassland.
But my grandfather himself repented and cried bitterly in front of the cenotaphs of his eldest son and daughter-in-law.
Who can tell who is right and who is wrong? Perhaps if it weren't for the incident with my grandfather, Galdan would have found other excuses to rebel?
Dorji sighed and kissed Muxue's forehead. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Did you finish writing the letter last night?"
"Well, I suggested to Khan Ama that we build post stations along the way to serve as military stations, and..." Mu Xue's face flashed with discomfort, "Some small things, don't worry, I will praise your contribution."
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