Chapter 6 The Wedding
Darima paused for a moment, then let out a long sigh.
He then sat down on the stool with a somewhat helpless expression, looking at Jialuo with a rather disapproving look.
Jialuo spoke again, her voice clear and crisp, yet filled with certainty.
“I know my brother cares about me, but what woman of our Borjigit clan would ever rely on a man from another clan?”
"The purpose of my coming here is not for a woman to marry a man and rely on him to live out her days."
"I represent the sincerity of the Borjigit, the dependence of our Khorchin on Daqing, and the respect of the Qing Dynasty for our Khorchin."
"So, Fourth Brother, I think the most important thing about this matter is that the women of the Borjigit clan are the empresses of the Qing Dynasty, not that I, Jialuo, must be the empress of the Qing Dynasty."
"Tell me, why should I care whether the position of Empress of the Qing Dynasty is mine?"
Darima: "......."
My younger sister was intelligent and graceful from birth, but she also possessed the cuteness and liveliness of a young girl.
Although she is the youngest sister, her family spoils her. Even Abu's doting on her is so extreme that it shocks his siblings.
But she never took advantage of this favor. Even when one of her younger sisters told Abu in court that he was biased towards the younger sister, she didn't say anything.
But he and his brother happened to overhear what their little sister said when she went to find Abu.
“Abu loves Jialuo dearly, and Jialuo knows this. Jialuo also knows that Abu has a love for all our children as high as a mountain.”
"You think you're so sensible? Back then, she was the youngest, so of course I loved her more. Now that you have a younger sister, you can't even understand these principles!"
Abu's voice sounded full of anger.
When Abu gets angry, even the eldest brother is somewhat afraid, let alone him.
But their little sister showed no fear whatsoever.
Her voice, barely five years old, sounded as sweet as freshly extracted honey from the mountains and forests.
“Abu has a deep and selfless love for us sisters, but I also understand why my sister said that.”
"Because before I was born, Abu's love was divided into ten parts, and the love that my fifth sister received was one part of those ten parts."
"And because she is the youngest, Abu will give her more attention, so the fifth sister's love is the greatest."
“But now that I have been born, Abu’s love has been divided into eleven parts, and now I am the youngest of them all.”
"Then I will receive the most love from Abu among his brothers and sisters, so it's normal for my fifth sister to feel disappointed."
"She shouldn't have spoken to me like that!"
"Was it a mistake to raise her?"
Wu Keshan remained furious.
"Abu!"
The young girl's delicate voice was full of disapproval.
“Abu, actually, Fifth Sister said that not for any other reason, but because she truly admires you, Abu.”
After the young girl finished speaking, the yurt fell silent.
After a moment, the young girl spoke again: "Abu, you are a prince blessed by the mountain god, and you are wise in every way. You must understand the deep affection your fifth sister has for you. It's just that your fifth sister longs for your fatherly love so much that she spoke too hastily. Please don't be angry."
"But please don't reward Fifth Sister just because of her deep affection for you."
"Oh? You mean I shouldn't be angry and should even reward her?"
"No, Abu, you cannot bestow this upon Fifth Sister."
"After all, she still offended you. If you reward Fifth Sister, wouldn't that be an offense against your authority? So you can't reward her!"
Why not reward her? It's obvious.
But if someone else asked that question, Wu Keshan and the two brothers outside would know that they should be punished.
Moreover, there are always some elements of sophistry in it.
But Jialuo is so young, and it's all for her own older sister.
Wu Keshan loves her so much, so Jialuo's words only make him think that his daughter is intelligent, clever, and loves her sisters.
Sure enough, a man's hearty laughter came from inside the yurt.
What followed were nauseatingly sweet words that sent chills down Darima and Biltahar's spines.
"New Sal, you are the most precious gift God has given me."
“My little darling girl, come and give Abu a kiss.”
The two brothers shuddered, feeling as if their ears were covered in cow dung from the grassland.
They exchanged a glance, and without a word, both turned and left with expressions that left them speechless.
He remembered this matter for a long time, even to this day.
He looked at the young girl sitting calmly in the chair and realized that she had such a clear understanding of marriage.
It's fine to get married even if you have no expectations whatsoever, but it's also okay if you really can't get married.
Darima felt that his sister's behavior was not quite right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
After all, what my sister said was true.
Just like how the little sister persuaded Abu back then, she persuaded him so easily this time.
“That makes sense, but Xin Sa Ri, if the emperor really doesn’t marry you, it’s just a matter of changing the empress to him. If you go back, you will definitely be ridiculed.”
"Your future marriage will not be the same as before you came to the capital."
Jialu gave a low hum and said with a smile, "I really can't understand marriage between men and women."
"Women who have given birth are very popular, and young women who are ready to marry are also desirable. So why is it that women who have been jilted are not good at finding husbands?"
Jialu pouted, looking dissatisfied.
Darima: "..."
He looked at her with a mixture of amusement and helplessness.
The little girl is really beautiful.
Her face wasn't as fair and delicate as the girls in the capital; instead, it resembled the golden sky at sunset in Horqin, healthy and captivating.
Those thick eyebrows were like crescent moons, and her eyes were as clear as a stream.
And those lips that always convince many people are naturally red without any makeup.
This morning, she wore two braids, which fell quietly down her sides behind her ears.
He heard that the Emperor had visited his younger sister yesterday. Logically speaking, how could he not like his little sister?
Is this little emperor blind?!
Hmph, he wanted to see what kind of person this clueless little emperor actually liked.
He pondered this in his heart, but seeing the young woman's calm expression, he couldn't help but ask, "Little sister, haven't you ever worried about your marriage?"
Jialuo: "…………"
She truly felt that her fourth brother was the most innocent of all her brothers.
Is there really no other reason why she had her fourth brother escort her to the capital for her wedding this time?
“My marriage will naturally be decided by Abu and my brothers. You will certainly not let Xinsairi suffer the slightest grievance.”
“My entourage has never been my husband; my entourage is my brothers and sisters, my Abu and my mother.”
These words pleased Darima greatly, and she even said that she would definitely help Abu and Eji find her a good match, and would definitely choose a man for her who was even better than the Qing Emperor!
Jialuo naturally nodded happily, and the two siblings went off to discuss other matters.
………
The Emperor's move shocked the court, and it was naturally without the approval of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.
That noon, a eunuch came and said that the customs and culture of the capital were different from those of the grasslands, and told the brother and sister to go and explore on their own.
Then came a number of rewards, including many valuable and precious items.
Even Darima's cold expression relaxed a little.
Jialuo was naturally delighted. Anyone who suddenly gave her a gift worth a tenth of her dowry would be overjoyed.
Moreover, her dowry was extremely expensive.
With the Empress Dowager's decree, Jialuo could openly take her brother on a tour of the capital.
Our first stop was the famous Longfu Temple.
Royal temples, which received offerings from the royal court and its officials, also allowed commoners to enter and pray for blessings.
Nowadays, various Mongolian tribes have business dealings with the Qing Dynasty, and many Mongolian girls live in the capital.
Jialuo didn't like wearing a hat either, and many people turned around to look at her along the way.
But because Darima and many guards were with her, they knew she was no ordinary person, and no one dared to offend her.
Until we arrived at Longfu Temple.
Jialuo stood at the huge entrance, watching the pilgrims coming and going.
A towering tree stands on the right side of the temple, beneath which many vendors have set up their stalls.
There are even homemade small cups of fruit juice.
We bought some agate, and Jialuo took a small sip to try it.
Sweet and sour, refreshing.
Upon entering the temple, one immediately sees a huge incense burner with three incense sticks as thick as an arm inserted in it, slowly releasing their fragrance.
Jialuo walked forward. There were many worshippers queuing in the main hall, but she did not try to squeeze in. Instead, she walked further in, but still did not have time to pray.
A young monk stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and said to her, "Benefactor, someone from the backyard requests your presence."
"Who are you?!"
"And who invited us this time?!"
Darima stepped forward, shielding Jialuo behind him, and sternly questioned the young monk.
The young monk shook his head, looked at Jialuo, and said, "That man said you should go and see him."
Darima: "..."
He was genuinely angry that the emperor in the palace had openly refused to marry his younger sister, who had traveled thousands of miles from the capital to be married.
Now, I've come to the temple to relax, only to be looked down upon by this inexplicable person.
He was instantly enraged and roared, "Since you're here to meet people but refuse to reveal your identity, you're clearly not someone respectable!"
"He must come to see my sister, when he comes to us with the proper courtesy!"
After speaking, he turned and glanced at Jialuo.
Jialuo naturally wouldn't refute her brother, and she also felt that what her brother said was right.
On this trip to Beijing, she and her fourth brother were both representing the Khorchin Borjigit clan.
The Borjigits were not like the Siberian sled dogs that were tethered; they were the absolute wolf kings of the grasslands.
Darima led his sister into the nearest temple.
Jialuo turned around and glanced at the young monk, her eyes crinkling into a smile.
"Is your response okay?"
The young monk was taken aback, then said to her, "Amitabha, female benefactor, I am merely a messenger, so nothing will happen to me."
Jialuo nodded slightly and followed her brother into the palace.
...
Unexpectedly, upon entering the temple, I discovered that it was dedicated to Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy who grants children.
Darima didn't know, so he casually asked the monk next to him.
Upon learning that it was Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy who grants children, his face stiffened, and he glanced at his younger sister beside him.
When he noticed that Jialu was looking at him meaningfully, he immediately looked embarrassed.
"I just randomly picked this place; it wasn't intentional!"
"Let's go, let's go now!"
Jialu ignored him and walked inside instead.
"Since we're already here, isn't it perfect that you and your wife want a child, Fourth Brother?"
After saying that, without paying attention to Darima's flushed face, he had Agate hand her a silver ingot.
Then it was placed in the donation box.
A monk stepped forward and whispered, "Amitabha."
Jialuo accepted the incense stick from the monk, then knelt on the prayer mat, closed her eyes, and prayed earnestly.
A moment later, she opened her eyes again, then got up and placed the incense stick in her hand into the incense burner.
"Little sister, what are you doing? How will Guanyin know what you're asking for if you don't say so?"
Darima asked curiously.
"Fourth brother carefully selected this temple of Guanyin who grants children, and I care so much for you, but you don't know what I'm asking for?"
Before Darima could speak, she continued, "Besides, people say that when you make a wish or pray for blessings, you can't say it out loud, or it won't come true."
"Gege is indeed as Wu Keshan said, extremely intelligent and quick-witted."
A note from the author:
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The writing is quite detailed, and I'm trying to correct the shortcomings of my previous writing, such as "unclear writing, stiff transitions, lack of plot, etc."
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