Chapter 70: Marriage in the Frontier [Jinjiang Official Version Only Release·Boom——]…
"When the time is right, I can make you a general and lead the Qin army to help me reclaim the grasslands and unify the nomadic tribes. I can also make you the King of Sai, allowing your family to guard the grasslands for generations, trade with the Seven Kingdoms, and live a stable life without worries about food and clothing. Are you willing?"
Upon hearing these words, Maodun's eyes widened and his mouth opened in astonishment.
What was Qin Shi Huang thinking, that he actually wanted a Xiongnu prince to help him fight the Xiongnu?
Fusu also looked at his father in astonishment. Qin Ying was slightly stunned, and immediately looked at his grandfather with admiration. What a great idea to let the Xiongnu prince fight the Xiongnu and use barbarians to rule barbarians!
Even if his grandfather had not sent Maodun to unify the nomadic tribes, when Maodun grew up, according to his fate recorded in history books, in the first year of the reign of Qin II when his ruthless eighteenth uncle usurped the throne, Maodun would still kill his father and establish himself as the emperor, thus starting his journey to build the Xiongnu Empire.
If my father can recapture Maodun this year, he will be an extremely powerful fighting force!
Maodun looked up at Qin Shihuang's serious expression, and at the pretty little baby that Qin Shihuang held high in his arms, who was also clinging to Qin Shihuang's arms with her two little hands, lowering her furry head and looking at him with shining eyes.
He couldn't explain how complicated his feelings were at the moment.
Before he was sent to the palace, he was very nervous, worried that Qin Shihuang would kill him if they had a disagreement. He didn't expect that when they actually met, this man who looked extremely majestic and strong would take the initiative to tell him about his childhood.
Maodun couldn't help but lower his head, admitting that he drew strong hope from the other party's similar fate.
What Qin Shi Huang was able to do, Mao Dun might not be able to do even though he was much younger than him, but when he grew up to be in his twenties, right?
After experiencing a fierce struggle between conscience and desire in his heart, Maodun finally made a difficult decision.
The future was too far away for him to see, but for him, the most important thing now was to live safely in Qin until he returned to the tribe and avenged his mother, and then he would have the opportunity to talk about other things.
After thinking this through, he raised his head again, placed his right hand on the position of his left atrium, looked at the black-robed man in front of him seriously, pursed his lips and said:
"Your Majesty, Qin Shi Huang, thank you for your regard for my home."
"If you can help me grow up safely, and then return to the Xiongnu and kill all those who bully my mother and me, I will be willing to serve you."
The First Emperor nodded: "Okay."
"But, but relying on just your promise, I feel uneasy."
Maodun frowned again.
"Then what do you want?" The First Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly.
Maodun clenched his fists, looked up at the man whose expression had turned cold, and mustered up the courage to say:
"I think in-law relationships are more reliable. I want to marry, no, I want to marry into the imperial family of Daqin."
"If you can let me marry your princess, I will never betray you."
Hearing that this prairie wolf cub, Maodun, was actually trying to carry off the beautiful princess of the Qin Dynasty, the chubby little Ying, who was clinging to his grandfather's arm and looking down, was instantly shocked. What the hell was Maodun thinking? He wanted to open a dyeing factory just by showing him some color? His old Ying family was not the old Liu family that would let him bully them! They had plenty of means and strength!
The angry little fellow immediately puffed up his cheeks, raised his fist high, and cursed at the Xiongnu prince below in a childish voice:
"Pooh! Maodun, are you shameless?!"
"What are you dreaming about in broad daylight? Do you know how precious my aunts are? Don't you know what the environment is like on your grassland? You still want to marry my aunts? I'll go back with you and eat sand and suffer!"
"Fuck you! You don't deserve it!"
Amidst the serious negotiation, an angry, babyish voice suddenly broke out, drawing everyone's attention towards the source of the voice.
When Maodun heard the baby voice scolding him, he couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise. He didn't expect that this pretty little kid who spoke not much more fluently than him was actually the grandson of Qin Shihuang. Looking at the precious look on Qin Shihuang's face as he held the kid wherever he went, he must be the eldest grandson.
Hearing his fat son's words, Fusu also breathed a sigh of relief. Ying just happened to scold him at the same time. This Xiongnu prince really doesn't know his place! You are now a hostage in Xianyang, how can you still think about his sisters?
The First Emperor couldn't help but pursed his lips and looked at Maodun with sharp eyes.
Even though Maodun sensed Qin Shi Huang's displeasure, he still pretended to be calm and raised his head and said:
"Qin Shi Huang, if you want me to feel at ease, I am only willing to trust in the relationship of marriage."
"Although I am currently a hostage, I am also the crown prince of the Xiongnu. My status is the same as yours, the crown prince. It's not something I can't boast about."
"I think I am qualified to be your family's marriage partner."
Maodun pursed his lips and looked determined.
After a moment of silence, the Emperor smiled, lowered his eyes to look at the Xiongnu youth below, and asked:
"Modun, do you really want to marry into the Qin royal family?"
"Yeah." Maodun nodded heavily.
The First Emperor looked up at the carved beams and sighed deeply. After a moment, he said to Maodun with a look of reluctance:
"Well, whatever, since you are so sincere, I will allow you to take Hu Hai away from me when the time is right."
Hearing the word "Hu Hai", Fusu and Qin Ying looked at their father/grandfather in surprise.
Looking at Qin Shihuang's reluctant expression, Maodun also felt the important position that "Hu Hai" held in the Qin royal family and Qin Shihuang's mind.
He didn't know who this person was, so he could only ask tentatively:
"Your Majesty, may I know who this Hu Hai is?"
The First Emperor made a nostalgic expression, looked at Maodun and sighed:
"Modun, you don't know that Hu Hai is a child I love very much."
"His biological mother was a Hu woman from Yiqiu. Like your mother, she was young and beautiful, and good at singing and dancing. Unfortunately, she died of illness shortly after giving birth to Hu Hai."
"I took pity on Hu Hai for losing his mother so early, so I gave him to my cousin to raise. Now the child is almost five years old. I have loved him very much since he was young, and I want to see him every now and then."
Hearing Qin Shi Huang's words, Maodun's eyes lit up instantly. Hu Hai sounded like he was almost nine years younger than him, had Hu blood in his veins, and was so favored. Wasn't he the perfect marriage partner?!
When Qin Ying and Fusu heard what their great grandfather/emperor said, the two could not help but look at each other, and even their smiles were a little distorted.
Maodun, who had not noticed the expressions of the father and son, looked up at Qin Shi Huang with a look of joy and seriousness and said:
"Your Majesty, please allow me to bring your beloved Hu Hai back to the grasslands for marriage."
The First Emperor nodded reluctantly and said:
"Alas, Maodun, if you were not so persistent and outstanding, I really would not be willing to let Hu Hai be so far away from me."
Maodun's smile grew even wider upon hearing this. He looked at Qin Shi Huang with shining eyes and asked further:
"Your Majesty, I wonder which princess Hu Hai is?"
The First Emperor laughed and said, "No, Maodun, your guess is a bit biased. Hu Hai is not my princess."
Maodun: “???”
"Could she be your niece?" Maodun frowned.
"He's not a niece either. He's my youngest son."
"son?!"
Maodun was startled, his pupils shrank, and when he came to his senses, his face turned black.
Looking at the unhappy look on the face of the Xiongnu prince sitting on the ground, the First Emperor held his grandson in his arms and shook his head and sighed:
"Modun, look at you, you are still too limited."
"What are you talking about?"
Maodun's mood had become a little bad, and he felt like he was being made a fool of!
The First Emperor shook his head and laughed:
"Modun, don't you think about it? Hu Hai is my most beloved youngest son. I can give him to you, which shows my great trust in you."
"If the marriage is to maximize its benefits, both parties should naturally send healthy protons as a replacement."
"The women of the Qin Dynasty can marry within the lands of the Seven Heroes, but they can't go beyond the Great Wall. This isn't because we look down on you outside the Great Wall, but because there's a shortage of food and clothing, and even doctors are pitifully scarce. Furthermore, childbirth is an extremely dangerous thing for women, and there's always the possibility of an accident. Wouldn't that invalidate the marriage we worked so hard to achieve?"
Maodun pursed his lips and said nothing. Although his expression was still very ugly, his slightly trembling eyelashes showed that he had listened to what Qin Shihuang said.
"I sent my youngest son to accompany you to the frontier after careful consideration. Judging from his appearance, my son Hu Hai is not bad looking. He has the same high nose and deep eyes as you. If he follows you to your tribe, he will surely be quickly accepted by your people."
"Looking at his status, he is my prince, my most beloved youngest son. His affection for your younger brother is no less than your father's. Your father even wanted to depose you and support your younger brother to take the throne. You should be able to feel the weight of my younger son."
Upon hearing this, Maodun clenched his fists tightly. He hated his "brother" to death!
"I am willing to send Hu Hai to your tribe as a hostage. He is handsome and intelligent. After a dozen years, you will return to the Xiongnu tribe and regain power. My Hu Hai will have grown up. You can marry him to your elder sister or younger sister, or even give birth to a daughter of your own and marry her to Hu Hai. There will be no problem."
"I will also recognize all children born within your tribe and grant them the surname 'Ying'."
"Just think about it. How many people can your tribe have grown with Hu Hai? How many descendants of the Qin royal family can be born? The effectiveness and solidity of this marriage are self-evident. I don't need to elaborate on Hu Hai's usefulness, do I?"
"this……"
Maodun, who had never thought about this before, was also misled by Qin Shihuang's words. His eyes wandered left and right, and he was obviously in an extremely conflicted state of mind.
Seeing this, Qin Ying immediately covered her round face with her two small hands, leaned her furry head against her grandfather's neck, and cried loudly:
“Wuwuwuwuwuwu, Grandfather doesn’t want it, send him away, Eighteenth Uncle!”
"Uncle Eighteen is Ying's favorite little uncle!"
"Wuwuwuwu, Uncle Eighteen, if we go to the grassland, I won't be able to see my little uncle anymore."
"Woo, woo, woo, woo, big father, don't send me away, little uncle!"
The baby's tender cry sounded so sad and harsh in the quiet inner hall.
Seeing the little thing that had just raised its fist and was about to hit him fiercely, now crying so sadly, Maodun's pent-up anger instantly dissipated. He immediately placed his right hand on his left atrium and leaned over to Qin Shi Huang and said:
"Thank you, His Majesty Qin Shi Huang. Maodun is willing to take the young prince Hu Hai back to the grasslands."
Qin Ying turned her little head and glanced down, seeing Maodun's devout look with his head bowed, she immediately covered her small round face with her two little hands and continued to cry without stopping. Her two little hands were shaking, and she was really afraid that if she didn't cover her face with her hands, Maodun would see her bright smile.
Fusu was indeed feeling a little down because he did not have the dramatic personality of his fat son. In his opinion, although his eighteenth brother was a little naughty, he should not be sent to the grassland by his father. Calling it a marriage alliance was no different from exile.
My eighteenth brother was sent to the vast grassland, a bitter and cold land of barbarians. I don’t know how much suffering he will have to endure.
His status as the eldest brother made him speak up to persuade his father at this time, but when he thought about how he had to agree to the marriage conditions proposed by Maodun in order to win over Maodun, if his eighteenth brother did not go outside the Great Wall, then one of his remaining nine sisters would have to go outside the Great Wall.
Compared with their sisters, the younger brothers were stronger and their palms and backs of their hands were full of flesh. Fusu was troubled for a long time and could only lower his head in frustration. It was all because he, the eldest brother, was useless. His father must have known the threat that Maodun would pose when he grew up, so he had to send his eighteenth brother to look after Maodun, fearing that Maodun would rebel against the Qin Dynasty in the future after seizing power outside the Great Wall.
Seeing that the contract between the two parties was reached verbally, and the little fat boy in his arms was still crying without any action, the First Emperor immediately asked Meng Yi to prepare the marriage certificate.
After Maodun pressed his fingerprint on the marriage certificate and saw that Qin Shihuang had also written the name of the eighteenth prince Hu Hai, although Maodun did not know much about large seal characters, he could still understand that there was a character "Hu" among the ink characters above.
After the seal of the imperial seal was stamped on the marriage certificate, the First Emperor signaled Maodun to keep his copy of the marriage certificate and sighed reluctantly:
"Modun, since the marriage certificate has been finalized, we are now relatives."
"Your injuries will take some time to heal. Move from the post station to the hostage house in the royal city to recuperate. There's no rush to return to the frontier for revenge. First, strengthen your body, and then we can discuss other matters."
Holding the newly-issued marriage certificate in his arms, Maodun's restless heart finally settled down. He heaved a sigh of relief and leaned over to Qin Shi Huang, saying:
"Thank you, His Majesty, for taking me in."
"We're all family, you're welcome."
The First Emperor smiled while holding his grandson, then turned to look at his eldest son and instructed:
"Fusu, take Maodun out of the palace and take care of him properly."
Fusu nodded, and Maodun bowed to the First Emperor with gratitude, then lay flat on the stretcher again and was carried away by several black-clad soldiers.
Zhao Gao, who was standing in front of the big pillar, was completely dumbfounded after listening to the whole conversation. His apprentice was designated as a hostage for marriage outside the Great Wall by the Emperor in just a few words?
Seeing the little grandson of the emperor suddenly grinning at him, Zhao Gao was startled and quickly lowered his head. This was not something he could control.
Seeing that Zhao Gao lowered his head wisely, and thinking that Hu Hai would be exiled to the grassland by his grandfather in the future, the fat little Ying smiled with his almond-shaped eyes.
Holding his grandson, the First Emperor stared at the direction where Maodun disappeared. The gentle smile on his face disappeared and became cold.
People who are similar to each other have a tacit understanding. It is hard to say why, but he can sensitively perceive that Maodun is very similar to him, alike from the inside out. If Maodun gains power in the future, it will be fine with him around, and this person will not dare to rebel. But a hundred years later, if Maodun is still alive, Ying should be able to suppress Maodun, but Fusu cannot.
However, he also believed in Hu Hai's ability. When his grandson read the book of Xuanniao in his dream, he could say that "Hu Hai will finish the Qin Dynasty in three years." The Qin royal family and the Qin imperial family had established a dynasty that lasted for more than 500 years!
Such a huge foundation could be destroyed by Hu Hai in three years. Haha - even with the Xiongnu's foundation, it would be destroyed sooner or later if Hu Hai went there.
It has to be said that the youngest son's bad luck played a role. The moment he saw Maodun, he finally had an idea and thought of a way to deal with the situation that would produce the greatest benefits, which was to send Hu Hai away. It didn't matter whether it was good for the Qin Dynasty or the Xiongnu.
Hu Hai, who was staying in Qingzhu Palace, suddenly sneezed.
The almost five-year-old child couldn't help but raise his finger and rub his nose, cursing inwardly: "That little bastard must be saying bad things about me in Zhangtai Palace again! Bah! When I grow up, I'll let you know your eighteenth uncle's methods!"
As the day was setting, Qin Ying, who had watched a great show, was sent home by Meng Yi with satisfaction.
Fusu, who was held hostage in the royal city, also arranged a place for Maodun to stay.
After dark, Maodun, who had eaten and drunk his fill, was cleaned up by his servants. After the doctor changed his medicine, he lay on the bed, covered with a silk quilt, and closed his eyes.
The nerves that had been tense for many days finally relaxed completely at this moment.
Listening to the whistling sound of the cold wind outside the window, Maodun finally fell into a good sleep. He had not slept so peacefully since his mother's tragic death in front of him.
In his sleep, he seemed to dream of his mother. The young man was like a ferocious prairie wolf outside. In the dead of night, a happy arc appeared on the corner of his mouth, but two lines of tears slid down the corners of his eyes.
At dawn, Maodun suddenly heard a loud "boom" explosion, which frightened him so much that his heart started pounding. He immediately sat up straight from the bed in panic.
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