The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 274 Narisu, do you want me to marry that old man too?
The orthodox, sad and chaste appearance of the widow made it difficult for the envoys from the interior to persuade her.

He lit the incense respectfully and the sacrifice was completed. Both parties sat down as host and guest. The envoy walked around a few times before testing the waters:
"On our way here, we met Huang Taiji, the son of the old Khan, who the emperor was going to confer as the King of Shunyi. He said some... words of admiration for the lady..."

"The widow does not want to hear this." Zhong Jinhatun immediately turned sideways and covered her face. Beside her, the half-grown boy raised his head and stared at the Central Plains man opposite like a wolf:
"My mother won't marry!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and if his mother had not held him down, he would have rushed over and bit the man opposite him hard.

The envoy was choked by the rush. He calmed down and said with a wry smile:
"Madam, as long as the Khan's throne is not secure, there will be unrest outside the Great Wall. For the sake of the people, please follow the customs and marry the King of Shunyi, so that we can live in peace on the grassland together."

Shen Le was watching from the side and shook his head. None of these words were based on Zhong Jinhatun's personal interests, they were all about justice. Who wants to listen to justice?

It’s like advising children today to get married and have children, but instead of saying “If you have children now, someone will take care of you when you are old,” you can say “If you and I don’t have children, the country will not have a demographic dividend.” Who will have children?
If you originally wanted to have a baby, I would beat you out!
As expected, Zhong Jinhatun covered her face with sorrow, her shoulders shrugged slightly, and her tears silently wet her handkerchief. After a long time, she raised her head, her eyes full of tears, and looked at the Ming envoy:

"I have heard that the emperor of the Central Plains has always been benevolent and generous, spreading the rule of the king, comforting the distant barbarians, and teaching us barbarians with benevolence, righteousness and morality. Is that true?"

"of course!"

The Ming envoy raised his chest with pride. He spoke incessantly, praising the emperor and the emperor's grace to those who converted. Zhong Jinhatun listened respectfully, nodding his head continuously, and asked after a long time:

"I heard that the emperor of the Central Plains would award a chastity arch to women who remained chaste for a long time as a reward, and their families and clans would be proud of it. Is that true?"

"Yes—but..."

The Ming envoy began to feel that something was wrong. Before he could explain, Zhong Jinhatun had already stood up and bowed to the south respectfully, sincerely, and sadly:
"Although I am a barbarian woman living in a remote area, I admire the king's rule and am willing to follow the Central Plains women and keep the chastity of the Baizhou. Your Majesty, can't you understand my feelings and protect me while I keep my chastity for my late husband?"

Ah this...

Shen Le covered his face and turned his head away. It was horrible to watch. If this conversation had been a diplomatic negotiation, the Ming envoy would have lost miserably.

They first show weakness, then beg, word by word, using your spear to hit your shield. How do you respond?

how to answer?

The Ming envoy pinched the tiger's mouth hard and pinched it to prevent his face from turning from white to red, from red to blue, and from blue to black.

He opened his mouth and subconsciously started to rant:
The chastity arch is conditional and not given to everyone. Madam, you have been married before, and this is your second marriage. Even if you remain faithful to your husband, you will not be able to get a chastity arch. Don't even think about it!

Besides, there is no reason for a chastity arch to be awarded to a barbarian woman!
But now he is here to mediate, or to put it more clearly, he is here to persuade Zhong Jinhatun to be willing to marry him, and he must not provoke the other party casually.

He coughed twice and smiled bitterly:
"Madam, you should know that the emperor is benevolent and kind, but he also adapts to local conditions. It is common for women on the grassland to marry their stepsons. Even the emperor will not force it..."

As the other party's disappointed gaze shone, he hardened his heart and delivered the final blow:
"During the Han and Tang dynasties, princesses were married to stepchildren. More than one princess petitioned to avoid marrying her stepson, but none of them succeeded."

He shook his head meaningfully:

"Never. Never."

Zhong Jinhatun slowly lowered her head and covered her face with a handkerchief. The young man beside her raised his head and said angrily:
"Then what are you doing here? Get out! You are not welcome in my mother's tent!"

"Bodaxili!" Zhong Jinhatun shouted in a low voice. She comforted the boy and said with a wry smile:
"Since the emperor cannot make the decision for me, then I have nothing to say. In order to preserve my chastity, I can only devote myself to Buddhism—"

"Amitabha." A loud Buddhist chant sounded at the right time from behind the big tent. An old monk, who Shen Le could clearly see was from the school on the plateau, walked slowly over:

"Madam, you have a deep wisdom and a strong Buddha nature. Three years ago, the Living Buddha of my sect awarded you the title of 'Holy Mother Bodhisattva' - if you are willing to devote yourself to Buddhism, my sect is willing to build a temple for you to worship and practice."

The Ming envoy frowned. Zhong Jinhatun gave up his life to become a monk and turned to the Western Buddhist sect. The Buddhist sect was happy, but his mission was ruined.

The Buddhist sect supports not the current King of Shunyi, but several tribal leaders further west who are less powerful and less obedient to the court.

If the power of Zhongjin Hatun cannot be combined with the power of the King of Shunyi, there will be unrest outside the Great Wall, and the tribute market will not be restored...

And his superior, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War who was in charge of the military affairs of Xuan, Da and Shanxi, would probably not be able to keep his position, let alone make any progress!

In a hurry, he finally gritted his teeth and said what he had prepared long ago but didn't want to say easily:

"Madam can return to the king and not lose his favor. Otherwise, I will plug a woman's ears!"

"what?"

Zhong Jinhatun suddenly raised his head and looked at the other person, his eyes were as sharp as a sword. The envoy was stabbed by this look, and almost leaned back subconsciously, but he forced himself to hold back: "Madam, the imperial court conferred the title on the Prince of Shunyi, not on the madam. If the madam has no title, what can she use to present the petition to the imperial court?
In the past, assisting Altan Khan and presiding over the tribute market was certainly a talent of your wife, but Altan Khan is dead, and the imperial court will not open a tribute market for a woman!"

Zhong Jinhatun's face gradually darkened. She stroked her son's shoulders and slowly stood up, no longer showing her previous weak and sad look:

"So, the court is trying to force me to remarry?"

With a bang, the tent door opened, and the soldiers rushed in, forming a line behind her. Behind the Ming envoy, the young general immediately stepped forward, half-hiding in front of the envoy, with a solemn expression:

"What do you mean, ma'am?"

Zhong Jinhatun's eyes moved from Ming Shi to his face, and then turned gently. At that moment, her eyes were like autumn water, indescribably sad and moving, and Shen Le's heart trembled when she saw it.

However, the sadness only flowed in her eyes, and did not turn into words. She stared at the envoy and said in a deep voice:

"If I insist on not getting married, what will the court do?"

"The imperial court also hopes that the border will be stable." Amid the swords and spears, the Ming envoy tried to maintain his dignity and looked at Zhong Jinhatun:

“If a woman on the grassland does not have a husband, is there any precedent for her to be able to gather warriors and preserve the army for a long time?

If Madam does not marry, can her power last long? If not, how will Madam's beloved son inherit the pasture and the military camp in the future?"

Zhong Jinhatun's face was gloomy and he remained silent for a long while. The messenger observed his expression and said softly:

"Madam, your son is still young. If he is not taught by his elder brother and raised by a woman, I am afraid he will not be able to achieve great things in the future. Madam, parents who love their children will definitely make long-term plans for them. We will take our leave for now. Madam, please think twice."

Zhong Jinhatun sighed and waved his hand, asking them to leave. Shen Le followed them out, looking back every step of the way. As soon as he walked back to the camp, he heard the sound of horse hooves and someone came over to pass on a message:
"General, please stay. Hatun wants to see you—"

Ah, are the old lovers getting together?
Shen Le instantly became excited. The young general was stunned for a moment, exchanged glances with the Ming envoy, and rode back. Zhong Jinhatun was waiting for him outside the tent, and the two rode out together and headed towards the grassland.

At that time, the morning light was just breaking. Zhong Jinhatun changed into a black robe and let her braids hang behind her head. She looked much younger, as if she had returned to her girlhood.

The faint morning glow fell on her, adding a bit of redness to her pale face. The look she gave the young general was also filled with a bit of expectation and dependence:
"Narisu," she called his name with deep affection, just like she did when they met for the last time before they parted.
"Do you want me to marry that old man, too?"

Shen Le's breathing tightened all of a sudden. He couldn't bear it, he really couldn't bear it. If he were the person involved, he would definitely hold up the sky for her.

What King of Shunyi, what old, sick and disgusting old man, the guy they saw on the way here, how could he be worthy of the woman in front of him, how could he be worthy of the woman he once loved?

In the morning light, the young general's breathing paused, and the fingers holding the reins turned white in an instant.

He was silent for a long time, then slowly turned his head and looked towards the south, towards the direction of home.

There, within the Great Wall, were his father, his brothers, his wife and son, the court, and the people.

When he was a teenager, it was impossible for him to run away with her regardless of everything. When he was thirty, it was even more impossible for him to do so...

"Jinzhu," he couldn't help but soften his tone, with a hint of pain in his voice:
"Jinzhu, I'm sorry, I can't help you... I, I can't start a fight without permission..."

The King of Shunyi was a frontier vassal appointed by the imperial court, not a barbarian leader that he could kill whenever he wanted. And the army under his command did not belong to him, so it was impossible for them to follow him without military orders...

"That's it..."

Jinzhu's long eyelashes slowly drooped, bit by bit, hiding the expectation in her eyes. That sadness, that sorrow, anyone who saw it would feel as if they were committing a crime.

The young general swayed on his horse's back, and finally managed to steady himself. He said softly:

"Jinzhu, King Shunyi is very old and is about to die. If you want the court to support you, you must persuade him to obey the court, and then let the court know your loyalty to the court.

If you can get the imperial edict, you will have the power to be independent in the future, and you won’t have to marry this person or that person. "

"Do you have the power to be independent...?"

　There was a lot of thunder and rain outside, and the cat was huddled in the room, meowing...

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(End of this chapter)