Colonial Era: From Remnants to European Dominator

"Whose daughter is so bold??"

"Who else could it be? The daughter of the Alacrel family, hey, she's much more shrewish than her father. Like a fox giving birth to a wolf cub, she's probably stolen!"

Countless eyes outside the arena scanned back and forth between the green-robed girl and Gekzaisang, and criticisms about the "paternity test" frequently surfaced.

The green-robed girl who was the instigator showed no shyness or nervousness, a stark contrast to the illiterate women in the Central Plains who had been tortured by the Qing demons and had bound feet.

"I, Arakel, Aisuru Salika Hanim, the eldest daughter of the Arakel family, have taken a liking to Timur. Only a warrior like him is worthy to be my husband, Salika's husband!!"

[It means that Lake Arakel is as beautiful as the moon, Lady Dawn.]

"Salika, you're insane!!"

Gekezaisang pointed at his daughter, who had been audacious since childhood, cursing her outwardly, but inwardly he was extremely pleased. However, for the sake of the Arakel family's reputation and his own dignity as Zaisang, he still expressed the appropriate opposition to this bold declaration of love:

"As a girl, you should understand how foolish it is to make such a vow without a man's promise!!"

"Are you going to disgrace the entire Arakel family's ancestors for the sake of a man?"

"You'll only hurt yourself by doing this, and that man will be ridiculed because of you."

At first, the expressions of those around him were relatively normal, with most looking on with amusement. But when the following sentences connected with the preceding ones, even the most foolish person realized what was happening. Bu Lizaisang, who had previously favored Li Yuanheng, thought that Ge Ke had deliberately arranged this to steal him away from him, and he was even more furious, cursing inwardly:

"That bastard Geke, what are you pretending to know? If it weren't for his arrangement, which girl would pull this stunt? If she really liked someone, she would talk to them privately. This is clearly a deliberate attempt to put her in a difficult position, forcing her to accept. Damn it, why didn't I think of this? My future son-in-law has flown away!!"

The other Zaisangs were in no better shape, especially Nur Zaisang, who, as the loser of this duel and about to lose fifty households, was furious and jumped out, pointing his finger at Geke and cursing:

"Damn it, I knew you guys were in cahoots, conspiring to swindle me, huh? I was just wondering what you were up to, you old fox who never offends anyone, Gekko. Turns out you were waiting for me here!!"

"With just a few words, you used my fifty herding families as a favor to curry favor with your new son-in-law! You really are something else, you damned old fox. I'll remember this debt, you just wait."

"Don't talk nonsense. If it weren't for my kindness, you would probably have lost another fifty households. Wouldn't that be even more embarrassing?"

"You cunning fox, I'll beat you to death!"

Nurzaisang's temper was always so fiery. After cursing, he snatched the long whip from the servant who was controlling the horse and charged towards Gekezaisang. What was even more amusing was that no one stopped him along the way. Everyone watched as the duel between Zaisang and Gekezaisang was about to begin.

until:

"I agree!!"

Following the sound, they saw Li Yuanheng quickly snatch the long whip from Nurzaisang's hand, then point it at the conspicuous green-robed, amber-clad woman in the crowd:

"Salica, is it? Since you, a woman, have the guts, how can I, a man, be more cowardly than you?"

Then he turned and leaned down towards Li Yanxing, who was standing among the officials, and said firmly:

"Father, please allow me to marry the eldest daughter of the Alacur family. Salika is the final destination of this journey."

Li Yanxing tapped his fingers to a rhythm behind his back, his mind scanning the border between the Li family's and Alaker's territories. His final speculation ended when he realized they were currently on the southern slopes of the Tarbagatai Mountains. Then, in front of everyone, he pulled out the jade thumb ring from his thumb:

"Let's use this token to finalize the marriage. Another day, my Jinshan Prefecture will send betrothal gifts to your door. I hope Brother Geke won't find it too stingy."

"Brother Li, what a joke you're making! Even a withered blade of grass or a broken piece of wood can serve as a testament to the friendship between our two families. I hereby approve of this marriage. The union of the eldest son of the Li family and the eldest daughter of my Alakeer family is in accordance with Tengger's wishes and is a truly perfect match!!"

Geke was already overjoyed when he saw the thumb ring in the other person's hand. He didn't care about anything else. After all, in the nomadic culture of the grasslands, thumb rings were originally tools to help draw a bow and prevent finger wear. However, with the deliberate elevation by successive grassland overlords and even the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty, the material of thumb rings gradually changed from the earliest agate and stone to become a symbol of luxury and authority.

Compared to the Manchu Qing dynasty's crude and nouveau riche aesthetic that favored only jadeite, the Li family's aesthetic was always very Han Chinese. Their jade thumb rings were not made of the jadeite that is popular today, but rather of inexpensive white marble.

The so-called colors of Han, besides the black and red of blood, what could be more symbolic than the pure white of Han jade?

"Those two old foxes, so shameless!!"

Looking at Lee Yeon-heung and Gek Jae-sang, who seemed like brothers, the others wished they could tear off their hypocritical masks on the spot.

They thought this in their hearts, but on the surface, they all came to congratulate him. Of course, there was one unlucky guy who had lost fifty households, who was now thinking about how to get rid of the debt.

But before he could renege on his debt, the victor of the duel had already come knocking on his door:

"I urge Uncle Nur to keep his promise and grant these fifty households to my nephew. This would fulfill Tengger's wishes and gain the support of many Zaisang."

These mere fifty herding households are but a drop in the ocean for Uncle Gul. After all, Uncle Gul, didn't you recently slay nine hundred Kazakh warriors and reap a considerable reward?

Nurzaisang looked at the "traitor" before him, inwardly wishing he could tear him apart, but outwardly he answered with a serious expression:

"We had made considerable gains some time ago, but recently the Kazakhs have been repeatedly invading our borders, and I am also constrained by manpower, so I have no spare time."

"If my nephew is not in a hurry, we can wait until my Balkhash tribe wipes out the Kazakh bandits and eliminates the border troubles. At that time, let alone fifty households, even five hundred households would not be a problem to give to you, my nephew."

Hearing this, the others cursed him inwardly for being cunning, but continued to watch the show, wanting to see how this prodigy of the Li family would respond.

Li Yuanheng merely glanced at the entourage from Balkhash and then laughed:

"Since Uncle Jur has no vacancies, then I will not take these fifty households. Consider it as helping Uncle pacify the border regions."

My nephew only wants one thing from his uncle, and hopes that his uncle will be so kind as to grant it to him.

"What??"

Nur, somewhat pleased, pressed on with further questions, but Li Yuanheng replied:

"Since this duel was witnessed by Tengger, it's not appropriate to refute it, given His dignity. How about we offer the people who accompanied Uncle this time as sacrifices to Tengger?"

"What?! Those are my three sons, six nephews, and two daughters! You want to use them all as sacrifices? By seniority, they are all your brothers and sisters! What will others think of me if word gets out?!"

Nur immediately broke down in his guard. After all, if this were really the case, he would truly have no successor. Despite his boast of having five sons, only two of them were truly capable. And now, both of them were here, along with his nephews and daughters. If this really happened, the day he returned would be the day his brothers caused trouble in their private quarters. The women in the women's quarters wouldn't be too bad; they couldn't possibly cause any chaos. But his brothers were a real problem. If they saw that he was missing two capable sons, and with the pretext of betraying his nephews and nieces, internal strife might break out in his Balkhash tribe.

By then, not even fifty households, let alone five hundred, could make up for it.

"If Uncle can't even agree to this, I'm afraid things will get out of hand later."

"What are you going to do?"

Nurzaisang looked at Li Yuanheng, whose eyes were both cunning and intimidating, and suddenly felt a fright. He suppressed his panic and asked resentfully, his voice unusually loud, as if he wanted everyone present to hear.

Li Yuanheng drew his sword with a "whoosh," startling Nurzaisang, who cried out for "Guards!" But before the guards arrived, Li Yuanheng glared at the panicked Nurzaisang with a murderous tone:

"Back then, I told Khanse, who was stationed in Kobdo, that if he wanted me to withdraw my troops, he had to meet two conditions. Uncle Nur, guess what they were?"

"I don't know, this is between you and him, what does it have to do with me?!"

"hehe----"

With a light laugh, Li Yuanheng pointed his sword at the several tall guards protecting Nurzaisang:

"I asked him for two things: an official hat and armor, and 50,000 taels of silver. Do you know why he gave them to me? Because I told him that if he didn't give them to me today, I would come back tomorrow, the day after, this year, and next year. As long as he is in power and Kobdo City still exists, he can't escape, and he can't be killed. Doesn't that disgust him?"

"And in the end, he gave me what I wanted, so I saved both my reputation and my dignity."

To everyone else, Li Yuanheng's words sounded like utter scoundrel behavior, but to the high-ranking officials, Li Dalang was nothing short of a mad dog. He not only bit people but also chased them relentlessly. Coupled with the Li family's current power, Li Yuanheng's terrifying face and the Li family's Jinshan Mansion suddenly seemed like a mountain guarded by a demon king, making it hard for them to breathe.

"You bastard—you vile thief!!"

He didn't say "Han" out loud in the end, after all, Li Yanxing was still by his side. His men could act recklessly, but he dared not gamble.

"Uncle Nur, please grant my filial piety towards Tengger!!"

This question, both a accusation and a confirmation, left Nurzaisang both angry and dejected. He could only tremble as he raised his finger, first to Li Yuanheng's face, then lowered it again, finally letting out a soft cry:

"Fifty households, they will be delivered in a while."

"Thank you so much, Uncle Nur! May you live a long and healthy life!"

"You, you, you—you bastard!!"

He finally blurted out the curse, and then Nurzaisang fainted on the ground, letting people carry him away, making everyone present, including several other zaisangs, laugh at him.

It's estimated that this joke will continue for the next few years, with only more ridiculous versions appearing, spreading throughout the nearby grasslands and even the entire Dzungar Khanate, becoming a wonderfully funny fable for children before they go to sleep.

But Li Yuanheng, the protagonist of this story and a future superstar, walked towards the bold grassland girl in front of everyone.

As Salika watched her lover, her newly promised fiancé, approach, her heart felt as if it had been struck by lightning, burning and exploding with excitement. The pounding of her heart filled her entire body. Only when Li Yuanheng was close enough did she straighten her back and bow in greeting.

"I have met Mr. Li."

Looking at the graceful, beautiful grassland girl with amber eyes, Li Yuanheng didn't waste any words. He stepped forward and, amidst the gasps and cheers from the crowd, embraced her in his arms.

Feeling the warmth beside her ear and the tingling sensation on her waist like countless ants crawling all over her, Salika felt an unprecedented sense of suffocation and warmth. Her cheeks gradually flushed pink, and her arms around Lee Won-hyung tightened even more.

"I never imagined your millstone was as big as your courage."

A voice that drove Salika crazy rang in her ears. When she mustered up her courage and raised her flawless chin, she saw a handsome and extraordinary face. Even the stubble that was not clean-shaven seemed so charming at this moment.

"Is Li Lang truly willing to marry me, or is he forced into it?"

Perhaps the dream came too early, and she subconsciously wanted to confirm it again.

I gazed into those eyes, as still as the night, trying to discern any "pretense," but all I received was an even more passionate embrace and a single sentence:

"With a body like yours, it would be a shame if you didn't have three!"