Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 129 Cruelty of the Grassland

After all, he was just an unmarried son-in-law, so Zhu Shenzui only drank two cups with his father-in-law at Xu's house and didn't dare to drink more.

Moreover, he came here just to visit today and it was inconvenient for him to stay for long. After dinner, he drank two cups of tea, chatted for a while, and then got up and said goodbye.

Today, we have to rush back to the post station. Tomorrow morning, Zhou Anmin and his family will leave Pingshun, and Zhu Shenzhui has to go with them. Now Zhu Shenzhui is just a prospective son-in-law, so naturally he can't stay at Xu's house for long. When it gets dark at night, there will be no way to leave the city due to the curfew.

Old Scholar Xu naturally knew all this, so when Zhu Shenzhui stood up to say goodbye, he did not try to keep him. He smiled and told him to be careful on the road and that they would discuss the marriage arrangements after spring. Zhu Shenzhui agreed immediately, bowed to Old Scholar Xu, and then said goodbye.

As soon as he walked out of the courtyard gate, Xu Xiancheng chased out. At first, Zhu Shenzui thought that Xu Xiancheng had something to say to him, but Xu Xiancheng secretly handed something to Zhu Shenzui, and after giving it to him, he winked and pointed towards the courtyard.

When I looked down, I saw it was a purse. It was the size of a palm and was delicately made. It was embroidered with cloud patterns and plum blossoms. It was obviously used by men.

Zhu Shenzhui immediately understood who had asked Xu Xiancheng to give him the purse. For a moment, Xu Jingqiu's pretty face flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but feel slightly warmed.

"Thank you, little brother. Thank your sister for me." Zhu Shenzhui said this sincerely and put the purse carefully into his arms.

Then he subconsciously looked towards the yard again. Although he didn't see Xu Jingqiu again, he knew that the girl must be hiding somewhere and secretly watching him.

Zhu Shenzhui laughed, withdrew his gaze, turned and left.

After a while, when he walked out of the street and was some distance away from the Xu family, he stopped again and looked back.

He reached into his bosom, took out the purse, subconsciously picked it up and sniffed it. The refreshing fragrance made Zhu Shenzhui intoxicated.

The next day, Zhou Anmin and his family set off from the post station. Zhu Xiuer was reluctant to leave when they left. After all, this was her former home and she had spent so many days here since they got married.

On the contrary, Zhu Shenzui's two nephews were very excited. Children are all like this. In their hearts, new places are more attractive. How could they have the sentimentality of adults?
After walking for a while with his sister and brother-in-law's family, Zhu Shenzhui did not enter Luzhou Guard. His identity was sensitive. Zhou Anmin and Wang Rong had just taken office and they had many things to do. It was not convenient for him to enter Luzhou Guard at this time.

After saying goodbye outside the city and watching them enter the city, Zhu Shencui returned to Pingyang. It was several days later when he arrived in Pingyang. In the following days, Zhu Shencui was busy preparing to go to the grassland. Last year, he was delayed due to two consecutive national mournings. This time, Zhu Shencui planned to go again in person.

Because of the experience, Zhu Shenzhui led the team to set out in the second month after the New Year, which was just the beginning of spring. This time the departure was similar to the last time, with Ma Shizhou still leading the team, and Wang Hai also following, plus the people selected before, forming a large-scale caravan heading north.

Ten days later, they successfully passed through the border and arrived outside the Great Wall, and then went deep into the grassland.

Compared to the Great Wall, the weather on the grassland is obviously colder, and many places are still covered with snow, but spring has indeed arrived.

If you push away the snow on top, you will see that the green grass underneath has gradually sprouted. It won't take many days for all the snow to melt and the grassland will come back to life again.

They headed towards the tribe where Burigude lived and did not encounter any risks along the way. After all, the grassland has its own rules and the Mongols rarely attacked traveling merchants, not to mention that they were carrying the token of the Burigude tribe.

After walking for a few days, they had gone some distance deep into the grassland. If nothing unexpected happened, they would soon find the location of the Burigude tribe.

The Mongols are a nomadic people and usually do not stay in one place for long, but even so the grasslands they live in are also area-specific, especially for tribes like Burigude's, which are not small in scale, so they are generally not difficult to find.

Sure enough, another day passed and they encountered a small tribe. After asking around, they learned that the Burigude tribe was only a day's journey away from where they were now. Upon learning this, Zhu Shenzhu was very happy. It seemed that this time was going well.

After a night's rest, they continued their journey the next day. In the afternoon, they encountered herdsmen from the outskirts of the Burigude tribe. Because Ma Shizhou and his team had been here before, several herdsmen recognized the flag they had raised, and soon someone rode a horse to report back.

More than an hour later, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from the front. Zhu Shenzhui stood on the carriage and looked out. He saw several riders galloping towards him. The Mongolian man leading the group, although he could not distinguish his appearance due to the distance, Zhu Shenzhui immediately felt that he was Burigude. "Hahaha! Good brother, you are finally here!" In a blink of an eye, several riders arrived in front of him. Zhu Shenzhui was right. It was Burigude who came.

And not only him, Zhu Shenzui also recognized several Mongols who came with him. Two of them were Burigude's subordinates before, and the other one was Hatulig, the son of Eris, the leader of a small tribe whom he met when he first arrived at the grassland.
Jumping off the horse, Bu Rigude walked towards this side with a big laugh. Zhu Shenzhui also got off the carriage at this time and strode to meet him.

When they met, they hugged each other warmly, patted each other on the back and laughed at the same time.

"I thought you would come in a few days. How is it? Did you have a smooth journey?" After greeting you, Burigude asked with a smile.

"It went better than I expected. I thought it would take a few days before I could see you, but I didn't expect to meet you so soon." Zhu Shenzhui also replied with a smile.

"Hahaha! Changshengtian knows you are coming, so let's meet earlier." Burigude laughed, patted Zhu Shenzhui on the shoulder and said, "Come on, come on, I was very unhappy that you didn't come last time. I couldn't even drink with you. By the way, did you bring the wine this time? I have someone arrange for a roasted whole lamb. You must drink a few more glasses with me today."

"Of course I'm telling you that." Zhu Shenzhui pointed to a carriage and said cheerfully, "I brought quite a lot of it. I'm just worried that you won't be able to finish it."

"Hahaha! Good! Good!" Bu Rigude laughed again. He couldn't wait to get drunk with Zhu Shenzhui.

He got on the horse and called Zhu Shenzhui, who smiled and got on a horse as well. The two of them rode towards the tribe first. However, because of the caravan behind them, they did not go very fast, and walked in front while talking.

"Why is Hatulig here with you? Didn't he go back after the battle?" Zhu Shenzhui asked after walking a distance.

"Eris has returned to Changshengtian..." said Burigude.

"Eris is dead?" Zhu Shenzhui was stunned, and the face of this Mongolian old man flashed through his mind in an instant.

Although they only met once, Ershi was the leader of a small tribe that Zhu Shencui had traded with for the first time on the grassland. To this day, Zhu Shencui still has a deep impression of Ershi, a Mongolian old man who looks ordinary, honest on the surface but a little cunning. He silently protects his people and the tribe in his own way. However, in a place like the grassland where the weak are preyed on by the strong, no matter how hard Ershi tries, when faced with some irresistible forces, all his efforts are powerless.

Zhu Shenzhu still remembers how he met Burigude, because Burigude went to the Ershi tribe to gather troops in the name of the Khan. At that time, facing such a situation, although Ershi was unwilling, he was powerless. He could only watch the people of his tribe being picked away, including his son and grandson.

When the cruel scene happened, Ersi, who had been dealing with Zhu Shenzhui with ease and meticulousness, seemed to have aged by a dozen years in an instant. His spirit was completely drained away. His face was no longer calm, but was replaced by helplessness, bitterness, grief, and despair.

Zhu Shenzhui and Ershi had no friendship, they just knew each other, and they only conducted a transaction with each other. Even before the transaction was completed, it was interrupted by Burigude.

But no matter what, Eris was the first Mongolian tribal leader that Zhu Shenzui had actually dealt with through traveling merchants. His departure surprised Zhu Shenzui and made him feel a little emotional.

"Last winter, there were several heavy snowfalls on the grassland. Ershi's tribe is a small tribe, and it is difficult for a small tribe to survive in such a winter." Burigude said calmly, "If Ershi was younger, maybe he could lead his people through the winter, but he is old after all. The continuous heavy snowfall not only made the cattle and sheep of the tribe unable to eat grass, but also completely broke down Ershi's health."

"When the third snow fell, Erzi was dying. He knew that once he returned to Changshengtian, it would be difficult for the people in his tribe to survive the winter. So before he died, Erzi asked Hatulig to come to me and ask me to take in his tribe and let his people survive under my protection."

At this point, Burigude's mouth twitched: "So, I agreed to Hatulig's request and sent people to take over Ershi's tribe. Now there is no Ershi tribe on the grassland anymore. The people and tribe of this old guy have become my subordinates."

“So that’s how it is…”

Zhu Shenzhui suddenly realized why Hatulig followed Burigude. It was very common for a tribe to disappear on the grassland. Nomadic peoples had lived this way for generations, especially small tribes like Ershi. Their final fate was either to disappear quietly on the grassland or to be annexed by other tribes.

From this point of view, it is a good choice for the Ershi tribe to be under Burigude. If not, the final outcome of the Ershi tribe can be imagined. This may be the best way for Ershi to choose for his people with his wisdom and reason before his death.

(End of this chapter)