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

Chapter 186 Tenderness
At the end of February, Zhu Shenzui set out for the grassland.

Before leaving, he settled everything at home and also took time to meet with Zhou Anmin, Wang Rong and others to explain some things to them.

Zhu Shenzui also conveyed a message to Zhang Xijun in the capital, telling him to inquire more about the news in the court in the capital and report it back regularly through Zhou Anmin's channel.

After making these arrangements, Zhu Shenzui led the caravan on their first grassland trip of the year.

It was not yet March, but spring had just begun, the weather had just warmed up, and the ice and snow on the grassland had not yet melted. However, Zhu Shenzhu could not wait any longer, because Tana was about to give birth, and this was the birth of Zhu Shenzhu's first child. He had to rush there as soon as possible and could not miss it.

This trade route has matured now, and the reputation of Hengtong Trading Company has gradually grown with the development of the company. In addition, the company has backgrounds in the garrisons, the Jinyiwei and even the capital. In addition to these, Kang Youfu, Ma Shizhou and others have also made arrangements and connections on a daily basis. Compared with the initial trade route, this route has no risks at all and is extremely smooth all the way. Even outside the Great Wall, as long as the flags of the company and the Tana tribe are raised, no blind Mongols will come to cause trouble.

On March 9, Zhu Shenzui and his companions finally arrived at Tana's tribe. When they saw the tribe in front of them, a smile appeared on Zhu Shenzui's face, although he was exhausted from the journey.

"Hahaha! Brother, you are finally here!" Burigude came galloping over on his horse with laughter. The people sent by Zhu Shenzui arrived at the tribe first. Burigude happened to meet them. When he learned that Zhu Shenzui had led the team, he happily jumped on his horse and ran to pick them up.

"My brother, long time no see, how are you?" Zhu Shenzui was very happy to see Burigude. He jumped off the carriage and strode towards him. Burigude also got off the horse, laughed and hugged Zhu Shenzui warmly.

"You came at the right time. This winter is thanks to you. The grassland suffered another snowstorm last year. If it weren't for the things you left behind, it would have been difficult to survive. By the way, what did you bring this time?" Burigude said while patting Zhu Shenzui on the back enthusiastically, looking towards the caravan.

When he saw that the caravan was larger than last time and the carriages were loaded with goods, the smile on Burigude's face became even wider and he couldn't wait to ask this question.

Zhu Shenzui smiled and told him what he brought. After hearing this, Burigude's eyes lit up and he rubbed his hands with joy.

Life on the grassland has been difficult in winter in recent years. As Burigude said, the grassland suffered another snowstorm last year.

For herders, snowstorms are the most terrible natural disasters. A boundless snowstorm can completely wipe out a small tribe on the grassland, and even a large tribe like theirs will suffer heavy losses.

Fortunately, the tribe and Zhu Shencui have become one, and with the material support from the Ming Dynasty, the tribe's life is much better than before. Although the tribe also suffered losses in the snow disaster last year, it is much better than before. At least after this winter, except for the loss of some cattle and sheep, the population of the tribe has increased instead of decreased. This is all because of Zhu Shencui.

"Did you bring any wine?" Burigude grinned for a long time and then suddenly remembered something and leaned over to ask in his ear.

"Of course, how could I forget this? If I forgot, you would have troubled me." Zhu Shenzhui said jokingly with a smile. Burigude became even happier after hearing this.

He patted Zhu Shencui's shoulder hard and said that they had to have a good drink today. They hadn't seen each other for so many days and the wine Zhu Shencui left for him last time had been finished long ago. Compared with the good wine from the Ming Dynasty, the mare's milk wine from the grassland could only satisfy his craving. As the weather gradually warmed up, Burigude had been looking forward to Zhu Shencui's coming these days, and today he finally saw him.

Zhu Shenzhui smiled and said that of course it was no problem, he missed them a lot in Daming. But they couldn't drink together right away, he had to go see Tana first, he hadn't seen her for so many days, and he didn't know how Tana was doing now.

"Yes, yes, I almost forgot about this." Burigude slapped his forehead and laughed: "I should meet Tana first. She has been talking about you."

"Is she okay?"

"I'm fine. I can eat and drink. I'm strong. I even rode a horse two days ago..."

"Wait, you said she rode a horse two days ago?" Zhu Shenzhui was stunned and his face suddenly darkened.

Burigude covered his mouth and suddenly realized that he had let the cat out of the bag. Tana had told him not to mention these things in front of Zhu Shenzhui, but when he saw Zhu Shenzhui, he was so happy that he blurted them out. Seeing Zhu Shenzhui's unhappy expression, Burigude felt very embarrassed.

"You're about to give birth, and you're still riding a horse? That's just nonsense!" Zhu Shenzhui said this angrily, and then he didn't care about Burigude, he directly grabbed Burigude's horse, jumped on the horse, clamped his legs on the horse's belly, and went to the tribal camp without saying a word. "Damn, my mouth... If Tana knew, I would be in trouble..." Seeing Zhu Shenzhui riding away, Burigude slapped his mouth and cursed himself, then he looked around and shouted hurriedly: "Give me a horse, quickly! I have to chase my brother!"

Galloping on horseback, the camp seemed close, but it took some time to get there. A quarter of an hour later, Zhu Shencui finally arrived at the camp. People in the camp already knew about the caravan's arrival, and Zhu Shencui was familiar to everyone, as they knew he was Tana's man. So no one stopped him when he ran into the camp. Instead, many Mongolians with familiar faces greeted him warmly.

After stopping for a while and asking a Mongolian about the current location of Tana's yurt, Zhu Shenzhui continued to ride towards that direction. After a while, he finally saw the familiar yurt. And the woman standing in front of the yurt, with a big belly and looking at him with a smile on her face, wasn't she Tana?

When he got closer, Zhu Shenzhui dismounted and trotted towards Tana, but he slowed down his pace as he ran, as if he was afraid of scaring Tana and the baby in her belly.

When he came to Tana and looked at her familiar face, Zhu Shenzui felt warm and soft in his heart. Tana was a little fatter than when he left, but still as bright and charming as he remembered. Moreover, there was a maternal glow on her face of a mother who was about to become a mother, which made the already beautiful Tana have a different temperament.

"I am back!"

"My eagle has finally flown back, it's great..." Tana leaned her body in Zhu Shenzhui's arms, pressed tightly against his chest, feeling the body temperature and familiar smell of her man, and felt extremely happy in her heart.

During the months of separation, Tana missed Zhu Shencui all the time. Many times she would come to a slightly higher hill, subconsciously look to the south, reach out to touch her growing belly, talk to the baby in her belly, tell him (her) the story about his (her) father, and use this way to express her feelings and hope.

Now, Zhu Shenzhui finally came back, just as he promised to her, from the Ming Dynasty in the south back to the grassland. When she saw Zhu Shenzhui, the sky suddenly became clearer, and the bright sunshine sprinkled into her heart, making Tana's little face as beautiful as a blooming flower.

Holding Tana in his arms and putting his hand on her bulging belly, Zhu Shenzui also had a smile on his face. He came back not too late and fortunately made it in time. He was about to see the birth of his first child. For Zhu Shenzui, who had been a father for two lifetimes but was the first time to do so, he felt extremely expectant, excited and nervous.

"It's so windy outside, why did you come out?" When Zhu Shenzhui rode over, he was thinking about scolding Tana when he saw her. He had clearly told her when he left that pregnant women should be careful and not get tired or overworked.

Tana, on the other hand, turned a deaf ear to his words as soon as he left. I'm afraid she's been in trouble while he's not around. Didn't Burigude just say that? Tana was riding a horse a few days ago. A woman who's going to give birth in a few days is still riding a horse? Isn't she courting death?

But when he saw Tana, the resentment in his heart instantly turned into tenderness. He gently supported her towards the yurt and said this as they walked.

"My man is back, of course I have to come out to greet him. What? Don't you like it?" Tana asked with a smile.

Zhu Shenzhui didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How could he answer this? He certainly wouldn't say he didn't like it, but if he did, it would prove that Tana was right to come out to greet him.

"Naughty!" Zhu Shenzui laughed and touched her nose with his hand. After entering the yurt and helping Tana sit down, Zhu Shenzui saw several things on the side at a glance.

"Did you make all this?" Zhu Shenzhui asked curiously, picking up a piece of children's clothing.

Tana nodded shyly. She said, "I asked someone to teach me how to do it, but it's not as good as others. This needlework is too difficult. Look, it's all crooked here..."

"I think it's very good." Zhu Shenzhui smiled and unfolded it for a closer look. Although the needlework was indeed a bit rough, the clothes were made with great care. Looking at these clothes made for children, Zhu Shenzhui's mind flashed with the image of Tana sewing stitch by stitch with her big belly. He pulled her hand over and looked carefully. As expected, there were many needle marks on Tana's fingers.

"Does it hurt?"

"It was a little painful at the time, but it doesn't hurt anymore now." Tana said with a giggle, looking nonchalant.

Holding her hand, Zhu Shenzui told her that she had worked hard. It was not easy for a Mongolian noble lady to achieve this. He married Tana, and they were rarely together. In the past few months, she had been staying in the tribe alone with a big belly. Zhu Shenzui could imagine that she missed him in her heart.

Feeling guilty, Zhu Shenzhui held her in his arms and comforted her softly. However, Tana said that she was Zhu Shenzhui's woman, and since the man was not around, it was normal for her to do these things. Now that he was finally back, it was something to be happy about, so why bother saying those unhappy words?
(End of this chapter)