Di Ming

Chapter 34 Return Date
Ning Qingchen is a medical student, and her education is focused on saving lives and treating the sick.

A doctor's duty prevented her from watching a little girl die when she could provide treatment.

A life that could be saved with just one ibuprofen, why not save it?

This violates her professional ethics!
However, Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei, one a spy and the other a businesswoman, had much more complicated thoughts.

They must weigh the pros and cons and not act on emotion.

After all, medicine is precious.

Seeing that the two were still hesitant, Ning Qingchen became anxious.

"Waaaaah..." Unable to speak and with difficulty writing, she could only protest by kicking her legs.

What are you all hesitating for!

Human life is at stake! She's just a little girl, not an enemy!

Zhu Yin suddenly remembered Dong Guo's identity and immediately made a decision.

"This young girl will marry a man named He Heli next year or the year after."

"He Heli is about the same age as Wild Boar Skin, and is also Wild Boar Skin's good friend. He also has a wife. But Wild Boar Skin married his young daughter to him. Why?"

Ning Caiwei understood, "He Heli is a very valuable investment, and it is worth Nurhaci's bet on and a marriage alliance with him."

“Yes.” Zhu Yin nodded. “He Heli is the leader of the Dong’e tribe, a powerful figure among the Jianzhou tribes. It was through him that Yezhupi completely annexed the Dong’e tribe.”

"Nurhaci unified the Jurchens not only through military force, but also through marriage alliances."

"Even after the Dong'e tribe was annexed, He Heli still had a great influence on the Dong'e tribe and held a lot of military power."

"More importantly, He Heli listens to his young wife very much and obeys her every word."

"After we return to the Central Plains, how can we maintain our influence over the Jianzhou Jurchens? What cards should we play in the future?"

Ning Caiwei's eyes lit up. "Dongguo and her husband are a card to play. If we save Dongguo, we can get in touch with He Heli and Dong'e's forces in the future."

She snapped her fingers, "Let's go! Save people!"

Zhu Yin clapped his hands and laughed, "Human life is of paramount importance!"

Ning Qingchen stopped crying, but her heart was filled with contempt.

God the hell, human lives are at stake!

Even with lives at stake, you're still calculating these personal gains!

What a pair of...coin people!
...

Inside the large yurt.

“Nurhaci,” the shaman said, her voice trembling with tears, “I have consulted the gods and tried herbal remedies, but to no avail.”

“The gods say that your slaughter of your people has brought disaster upon your daughter.”

Nurhaci looked miserable. "Oh, all-knowing, all-seeing shaman lady, even Mother Fodo won't protect my poor Dongguo?"

"Will her soul be taken away by Yeruli?"

This tough guy from Jianzhou could no longer hold back his tears.

The shaman's wife said, "Perhaps an auspicious benefactor will help Dongguo turn misfortune into good fortune."

"But that's not necessarily true. It depends on whether Dongguo and the auspicious nobleman are destined to be together."

"If it works, then it would be a great blessing from the gods."

Nurhaci's face lit up with joy. "Yes! Little Tiger Brother is our lucky charm!"

He stroked his daughter's little braids. "Hang in there a little longer, your father will go and ask your little tiger uncle for help. The shaman lady said he might be able to save you from bad luck!"

Nurhaci was looking for Zhu Yin when Zhu Yin entered. He spoke in Jurchen to the anxious people in the room:

“My poor niece, Dongguo Gege, is lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) unable to breathe. I beg the Daoist priest and the god of medicine of the Han people to bless her with health.”

After saying that, he took out an ibuprofen pill. "Brother Wild Boar Skin, this is the last pill I have. Maybe it's fate. I hope it will work."

After discussing it with Ning Caiwei, we decided not to give her the injection for now, to save on a single injection of medication.

If this ibuprofen doesn't work, then it's not too late to get acupuncture.

"Little Tiger Brother!" Nurhaci was both surprised and delighted to see this, as if he had seen a savior.

Nurhaci accepted the exquisitely crafted pills, and with surprise, treated them as if they were priceless treasures.

His intuition told him that this pill must be... very unusual!
Trusting Zhu Yin, he did not hesitate to give his daughter the medicine.

"Brother Wild Boar Skin, I'm not sure if this medicine I got from the Taoist priest will work."

Nurhaci said, "Even if it's really useless, that's Dongguo's fate. I should still thank you."

Zhu Yin also breathed a sigh of relief.

For people in ancient times who did not develop drug resistance, the efficacy of one ibuprofen pill was quite remarkable.

In some cases, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a miracle drug!
Sure enough, Dongguo's fever began to subside and his breathing became calmer shortly after taking ibuprofen.

Once the fever subsides, it means the most dangerous moment has passed.

By late at night, Dongguo Gege was out of danger and was able to get out of bed.

Everyone who saw this was deeply impressed.

The little tiger is truly a great omen and a benefactor to Jianzhou!

Even Jurchen generals like Eidu and Anfeiyanggu looked at Zhu Yin with awe and gratitude.

As a child, he was like a child prodigy who received divine inspiration. What kind of person will he be when he grows up?
"Dongguo thanks Uncle Little Tiger. It was Uncle Little Tiger who saved Dongguo..."

Dongguo was already very sensible; as soon as he was put down, he took the initiative to thank Zhu Yin for saving his life.

Nurhaci was overjoyed and his gratitude towards Zhu Yin was beyond measure.

"Little tiger brother, you are truly my lucky charm!"

"Dongguo!" Nurhaci grabbed Dongguo. "Uncle Little Tiger saved you. He and you have a divine connection. From now on, he will be your godfather!"

"He retrieved your soul from the gods. He is your reborn father; you should respect and love him as you would your father!"

"What he says to you is what your father says to you. Only by respecting him will you receive divine blessings, do you understand?"

Zhu Yin was younger than her daughter, yet he insisted that Dong Guo acknowledge Zhu Yin as her godfather!
The Jurchens did indeed behave differently. Their hierarchical system was sometimes quite chaotic.

Princess Dongguo bowed gracefully to Zhu Yin, saying, "Your daughter greets her godfather..."

Ning Caiwei breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that it was her godfather, but then wanted to laugh.

Damn it, what a tiny dad!

Zhu Yin slowly helped up his "adopted daughter," who was older than him, though his small face showed signs of nervousness.

The Jurchens' thought process...

Originally, he only wanted to be Dongguo's savior, but he ended up getting involved with Dong'e's troops and He Heli.

To everyone's surprise, the results exceeded expectations, and he unexpectedly became a father.

Then, Dongguo respectfully served Zhu Yin milk tea and Ning Caiwei tea, addressing her as his godmother.

Then, he prayed to the mother and Sologanzi at the West Hall Shrine.

Finally, the shaman's wife took Dongguo's colorful life lock from the "mother's pocket" hanging on the wall and handed it to Zhu Yin.

Zhu Yin took the "lock" from Dong Guo and placed it around Dong Guo's neck. The simple ceremony was thus completed.

From then on, he was considered Dongguo's "father".

Overjoyed and grateful, Nurhaci had a sudden thought and immediately announced:

"Little Tiger is the most honored and auspicious person among the Jurchens, as well as my brother despite our age difference, and Dongguo's godfather."

"Although he is young, he must be a precious prodigy bestowed with innate wisdom by Lord Cuohazhan and Mother Foduo!"

"I, Nurhaci, present this little tiger... I love you, Beile! (Your Highness, Beile)"

The Jurchen word for "noble" sounds very similar to the Chinese word for "I like," almost identical, except that the nasal tone is stronger.

However, when Han Chinese hear this word, they often mistakenly think it means "I like".

Zhu Yin was completely dumbfounded when he heard Nurhaci bestow upon him the honorific title "I like Beile".

I love the Prince (the noble Prince)!
To be called a Beile, he was actually the "Bojilie" of the Jin Dynasty.

Just like Mukun was the "Mouke" of the Jin Dynasty.

The only difference is the Chinese translation; the pronunciation and meaning remain the same.

What does "Bojilie (Beile)" mean?
It means: Tribal leader, young master.

Zhu Yin was a Han Chinese, yet Nurhaci bestowed upon him the title "I like Beile" (a title of respect for a prince), which was certainly not just a gesture of gratitude.

There are also deeper considerations.

At that time, Nurhaci certainly didn't have such great ambitions, nor did he know that he would be able to accomplish such a great feat in the future.

His idea at this time was to cling to the Ming Dynasty and become the overlord of Jianzhou.

He doesn't dare to dream of bigger dreams yet.

The title "I Like Prince" bestowed upon Zhu Yin, though merely a formality, served three purposes:

First, he told the Jurchens who were dissatisfied with him that he had the help of a lucky and noble person.

Secondly, he wanted Zhu Yin to continue to help him in the future, so that even if he returned to the Central Plains, he could bring him good fortune.

Third, Zhu Yin might be of greater use to him after he grows up.

The title of Beile would make Zhu Yin more concerned about the fate of the Jurchens.

So Nurhaci, ignoring the surprised looks on everyone's faces, continued speaking in Jurchen:
"I like Prince, just like you, Prince Ben, and I am also your Ezhen! You should respect the little tiger as much as you respect me!"

When he bestowed the title of Prince upon Zhu Yin, he did not use Zhu Yin's Han name, but rather the Jurchen name "Little Tiger."

Zhu Yin knew perfectly well what was going on.

The Ming army's intelligence on Jianzhou was terrible. Even when it reached Li Chengliang's ears, he thought "I like Prince" was Little Tiger, not Zhu Yin.

So, he had no intention of refusing.

The title of Beile would leave a strong impression on the Jurchens even after he left.

That's influence!
It can be very important at crucial moments.

When Ning Caiwei heard the title "I like the prince," she almost couldn't help but spit out her drink.

Are you guys serious?
……

The days passed by.

Besides practicing riding and archery, hunting and fishing, Zhu Yin also interacted with all sorts of Jurchen people under the title of "I like Beile".

There were generals, armored soldiers, slaves, commoners, ginsengers, merchants, and so on.

All people know is that the little "I like Beile" is a lucky and benefactor of the Jurchen people, who is warm, friendly and approachable.

As for his motives, you'd never even dream of them.

Besides practicing riding and archery with a group of young girls, Ning Caiwei spent her time hoarding goods.

She used gold to buy ginseng, mink fur, and deer antlers at low prices, intending to take them back to the Central Plains to sell.

If you manage to bring it back, you can make many times the profit by reselling it.

This is my first pot of gold; I must seize the opportunity.

Ning Qingchen and Black Tiger were still responsible for drinking the milk.

In March, Ala City was finally completed.

Everyone moved into the magnificent Prince's official residence.

In April, news arrived that the Yehe tribe, in alliance with the Khorchin Mongols, had defeated the Hada and Ming armies, and had become the dominant force among the Haixi Jurchens.

Nurhaci wrote to Li Chengliang, expressing his willingness to serve the Ming Dynasty and assist in the attack on Yehe.

In May, Zhu Yin followed Nurhaci in leading troops to attack the Zhechen tribe, captured Balda City, and killed the city's lord, Antaigu.

At this point, half of the Zhechen tribe was annexed by Nurhaci.

In early June, Zhu Yin and his companions, who had stayed in the Jurchen tribe for several months, were finally about to leave.

Nurhaci and the others were very reluctant to part with them.

However, the first thing they did was to "burn the pipa" (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) to divine the auspicious day for Zhu Yin's return.

The so-called "burning the pipa" refers to burning the pipa bone of a horse, and using the crack patterns on the pipa bone to divine an auspicious day for its return.

The Jurchens insisted that burning a pipa (a type of Chinese lute) was more effective than the Han Chinese burning a tortoise shell.

After the shaman's wife finished burning the horse bones, she said to Zhu Yin:
"Little tiger, your auspicious day of return is tomorrow!"

P.S.: Some people have absolutely no trust in me. Why did I arrange for Dongguo to get sick instead of Daishan? Why did I choose to save Dongguo instead of Daishan? The author must have considered this; with an outline in place, how could I write something haphazardly? So, do those readers who criticized this now understand the author's painstaking efforts? Trust the author; she's not stupid.

　This concludes the Jurchen map exploration. The missions within the Jurchen tribes are also complete. To summarize, there were three missions:
　　1. Gain influence over the Jianzhou Jurchens and lay the groundwork for resolving the Jurchen threat in the future.

　　2. Acquire a batch of Northeast China's three treasures at low cost, make your first fortune, and solve the initial capital problem for your business empire.

　　3. Practice riding and archery to build a foundation in martial arts. Obtain Jurchen guards with high combat skills and loyalty.

　　The next chapter will take place in the Central Plains. An important and renowned historical figure will appear.

　　As for "Brother Wild Boar Skin," we won't see him again for several years.

　　Readers won't see Brother Wild Boar Skin again for hundreds of thousands of words.

　　This opening chapter, which is 90,000 words long, is written from the perspective of the Jurchen tribe. I researched a lot of obscure and rare materials for this, which was not easy.

　　The book's crucial opening, which describes the customs and traditions of the Jurchen tribes outside the Great Wall and the wild boar skin of his youth, was actually a great risk.

　　Although this writing style is relatively novel and rarely seen in online novels, I have no idea whether readers will like it or buy into it.

　　But in order to "innovate," we have to take risks and gamble that even if readers don't like it, they won't be too disgusted by it.

　　As it turned out, many readers still liked it. Even just for the sake of these readers, taking this risk was worthwhile.

　　Next up is the story of the Central Plains, thank you for your continued support! Whether we can get good recommended resources depends on the daily reading data.

　　I'm not forcing anyone to read it. I hope I can get featured on the top recommendation list and be featured on the Sanjiang Book Fair; I believe that readers will definitely follow the updates every day.

　　Thank you to every reader!

(End of this chapter)