Chapter 94 Conspiracy In the big tent on a winter night, the top window was tightly sealed with a felt blanket...
In the big tent on a winter night, the top window was tightly sealed with a felt blanket. Once the lights were turned off, there was no light at all, and you couldn't even see your hand in front of you.
What became more and more real was the temperature coming from my feet. Even though they were warm, the chilblains still itched.
Mu Xue couldn't fall asleep for a while because of this. She heard Dorji's voice gently saying, "Don't come here in the snow like this again. It's so uncomfortable."
"I think it's worth it." Mu Xue said, looking at the darkness.
When we got the news, some people around us tried to comfort us, saying that the dead cannot be brought back to life, and that even if it was a month late, there was nothing wrong with it.
She hesitated, but finally decided to leave, taking only Zhao Mama, Yunqi, Rong'er, and a few trusted eunuchs with her, and hurried on her way. She had a vague premonition in her heart that if she was absent at some point, perhaps things would be different from then on.
Seeing that Dorji saw her, he rushed over to hug her on the snow without caring about anything else. At that moment, Muxue understood that for this moment, he would remember her kindness for eight or ten years.
Besides, the entire Tushetu Khanate could see clearly how she traveled a long distance for the old Khan's funeral.
The night was dark and quiet for a long time. Finally, I heard Dorji's voice again, which was extremely sincere.
"Muxue, in the name of the Eternal Heaven, my love and loyalty belong entirely to you."
"I know. I'm very happy." Mu Xue sat up. "Okay, my feet are warm now. Come here. Don't sleep sideways. It would be bad if I kick the quilt while sleeping."
Dorji chuckled and said, "I know."
He got up and took a hot water bottle, placed it under the end of the quilt, and then he and Muxue fell asleep side by side.
"I'm actually a little scared."
"It's okay, you can do it, and besides, I'm with you."
In the darkness of the night, they held hands and fell asleep beside each other.
In the new year, the Mobei grassland welcomed a new owner.
The dead have passed away, but the living still look forward to spring. Although the old Khan has passed away, the Five Livestock Ceremony still needs to be held, praying to the Eternal Heaven to bless the livestock, the abundant water and grass, and the prosperity of the tribe. The main hosts of the sacrifice are the new Khan and the princess.
There was no snow today, and the sun came out, shining brightly on the vast grassland. The Three Sacred Mountains in the distance quietly overlooked this land where nomads have lived for generations.
Muxue put on the dress that a Khalkha Khan's wife should wear, and when she left the tent, she saw the mountains in the distance in the sunlight, and felt a little emotional. There is a legend that Genghis Khan was buried in those mountains. Lao Tushetu Khan will also be buried there after the funeral period is over.
Logically, after a hundred years, she will also be buried in these mountains.
The scenery is very nice, but it is a little far from home. I guess few people from my hometown would come here to pour a glass of wine in front of the tomb.
She shook her head gently, putting the messy thoughts behind her. She was already asleep, so it didn't matter. What mattered was what happened before her death.
Calming herself down, she slowly walked towards the altar with the help of her maid.
Many princes and nobles were already standing by the altar. When they saw her coming, they all lowered their heads and made way for her.
At the end of the crowd, in front of the altar, Dorji was already standing there, with his hands behind his back, slightly absent-minded. Hearing the noise, he turned around, saw that it was her, and the corners of his lips slightly raised.
In the daylight he reached out to her.
Mu Xue held his hand, and they stood side by side in front of the altar.
Magnificent music sounded, and the praying man chanted an ancient prayer. Then a servant presented a silver bowl filled with a mixture of ghee and fresh milk, asking the new Khan and the princess to bless the five livestock.
The ceremony was carried out in an orderly manner, and everything went smoothly. Not surprisingly, the people watching the ceremony also looked relaxed. It seemed that Changshengtian would bless the livestock to be prosperous and the grass and water to be abundant in the new year.
Among the crowd, Prince Ah Hai had a dull expression on his face. He folded his arms and watched everything in silence.
At his age, looking at Dorji and Muxue is like looking at two children. He doesn't know where this young couple will lead the grassland.
His father's last words to him before his death were to assist the new generation of Khan. This was not the first time that Ah Hai had heard this. When his elder brother was still alive, his father always mentioned that he should assist his elder brother.
It was always like this, he seemed to be born to assist others, to be the second person. Ah Hai understood at that moment that the old Tushetu Khan had occasionally hinted that he might be able to succeed his elder brother, but he just used him as a wolf to urge Dorji, the young wolf, to grow faster.
Ah Hai sneered and felt that he was a little ridiculous.
A taiji named Wunachu stood beside him quietly and said, "The prince doesn't seem very happy."
Ah Hai frowned and said coldly: "My father is dead, should I be happy?"
The man was choked by these words and said awkwardly, "That's not what I meant. Prince, we are old brothers. You can't blame me for your anger."
Wunachu glanced at the new Khan and his wife in the crowd and said softly, "I think they are too young, too."
This was exactly what he wanted, so Ah Hai didn't say anything and remained silent.
Wunachu patted his shoulder and said, "I just spoke without restraint and made the prince angry. Wait a minute? I'll buy you a drink as an apology. I'll chat with you."
After the Five Animals Ceremony was over, Ah Hai was feeling depressed, so he went to have a drink with Unachu.
In the tent, the wine and meat had already been prepared. The maid knelt down to pour wine for the two people. It was newly brewed mare's milk wine with a mellow taste.
"Okay, put the wine here, and you all can go back." Wunachu waved his hand and drove the people away.
There were only two of them in the tent, so they could talk more easily.
Ah Hai knelt on the felt in a very relaxed position, raised his head and drank a bowl of wine. "It's still so refreshing. The chair that the princess brought is also popular on the grassland now. It's hard and uncomfortable for me to sit on."
"Yes." Wunachu said, "After all, she is a princess from the Qing court, and she brought all kinds of things with her, but Dunduobu Dorji still favors her so much. I think in a few years, with the pillow talk, our Tushetu Khanate will become the Tumed tribe."
Upon hearing this, Ah Hai paused for a moment while holding the kumis. Without saying anything, he drank up all the wine in the bowl, and his throat felt hot.
Wunachu looked at his expression and continued, "In fact, in my heart and in the hearts of many old people, there should be a better candidate for the Khanship. The rules on the grasslands are that the virtuous person always gets the throne. We are not like the Han people who learned the idea of ​​establishing the eldest son as the heir. Even the Manchus did not believe in that. In the past two years, they have been pretending to be nice."
Ah Hai squinted at him: "What do you want to say?"
"I feel sorry for the prince. Your qualifications and bravery would have been worth mentioning if you were the Khan in the past. Now, Dunduobu Dorji is relying on his Qing court wife."
Ah Hai sneered: "You are not being honest. Telling me this at this time. Are you really standing up for me?"
He suddenly slammed his hand on the low table with the strength of a bear. With a "thump" sound, even the wine jug on the table shook and some kumis poured out.
"Tell me the truth. Why did you say these things? Who instructed you to do so?"
Wunachu made up his mind: "What am I looking at? I am just like some people who cannot stand the fact that our tribe has gradually become a running dog of the Qing court. To tell you the truth, the Dzungar Khanate has contacted us. They advised us to put aside our past grudges and join forces again. We grassland people are still one family."
"You are in contact with them? Are you crazy? This is a capital crime." Ah Hai slammed the wine bowl on the table.
Wunachu smiled indifferently: "When did you become so cowardly? I remember that when you were young, you were a hero who dared to rush into the enemy alone. Besides, it's not like we haven't cooperated with them before. The Oirat Mongols were the only sun on the grassland. When did we listen to other foreigners' instructions? You just don't think about yourself. You should also think about our past glory."
This really made Ah Hai's heart move. When he was young, he followed Lao Tu Shetu Khan and witnessed the style of dominating the grassland. Unlike Dunduobuduoerji, apart from a relatively stable childhood, he experienced being chased around like a drowned dog until he finally surrendered to the Qing court and returned to his hometown with the help of others.
But... Ah Hai had fought with the Eight Banners soldiers before, and their strength should not be underestimated, whether it was the courage of the emperor himself, the delivery of military rations, or the firearms they brought out. If you rashly anger them, you will end up in an irreparable situation if you are not careful.
"There are many things involved in this matter. I need to think about it carefully. You are not allowed to tell anyone about it casually." Ah Hai said with a serious face.
Wunachu smiled and said, "Of course it should be so. If you are determined, I will definitely support you with all my strength."
He added: "The princess came in a hurry, and she didn't have many guards around her, just a few officials. In fact, we can kill someone with a borrowed knife. We can give the princess some medicine to make her seriously ill, or even die. Then the emperor will definitely punish Dunduobuduoerji first. We can then interfere, or let him die as well, which will definitely arouse public anger, and then things will be easier."
Ah Hai got up, raised his head and drank half a pot of kumis. Without saying anything, he walked straight out of the tent and into the night.
It was the waxing moon. The maid hiding between a pile of boxes and hay dared not make a sound, for fear that the nobleman would discover her presence.
How could I be so unlucky? I just wanted to get some more wine, but I heard such a terrible thing.
She didn't leave until she was sure no one was paying attention, and returned to the maids' tent, wrapping herself tightly with the quilt.
"Eternal Heaven, how could this happen?"
They wanted the princess dead and they wanted to start a war.
The maid trembled all over. Princess?... Princess? She had also received favors when she was on the grassland before. Not to mention the free meals, once her mother was sick and had no money to buy medicine, she cried until her voice became hoarse.
Her father and brother both died in the last war, leaving only Eji to accompany her. If she lost Eji, the sky would fall.
Finally, the princess' maid gave her money and asked the doctors who came with her as a dowry to treat her mother. Only then did she gradually get better.
It was late at night, and the maid tossed and turned. Amid the breathing of other maids, she suddenly sat up, trembling all over, and crying silently.
Through tearful eyes, I seemed to see the faces of my father and brother again.
The maid wiped her tears and tiptoed out of the tent. Without the sunlight, the cold wind blew into her collar, and the maid shivered, but she still walked forward - towards the direction of the princess's tent.
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