My father is Jiajing

Chapter 419: Little Wild Horse on the Grassland

"I'll marry you guys, but I won't marry a weak southerner!"

Qimuge, the little wild horse of the grassland and the youngest daughter of Altan and Sanniangzi, was furious when she heard that her father intended to marry her to the Han court in the south.

Sanniangzi and her brother Sengge looked at the angry Qimuge and advised him, "What's wrong with the south? The Han people are much more prosperous than the grasslands, and they are reasonable. You won't suffer any loss if you go to the south."

But how could Qimuge listen to such words?
Qi Muge said: "The south is so good, why don't you go? I want to marry a great hero! That emperor's son, who is he? I guess he can't even ride a horse, or hold a sword. I don't understand why we have to be so humble."

Sanniangzi and Sengge sighed. Originally, they didn't have to be so humbly and ask the Ming Dynasty for a marriage alliance.

However, since the battle six years ago, the Tumed tribe's vitality was wiped out. If they don't find a way to establish contact with the Ming Dynasty, the backlash of the defeat in the last war will soon affect the Tumed.

By then, the other tribes that had originally submitted to Tumed would gradually become disloyal, and that might be the end of the Altan family.

Therefore, after that war, since the Ming Dynasty extended an olive branch of trade, Altan Khan naturally agreed to the Ming Dynasty's harsh demands without hesitation and allowed the Ming Dynasty's caravans to enter the heart of the grassland to trade with them.

Moreover, after these years of peace and the benefits gained from trade with the Ming Dynasty, Tumed has recovered some of its vitality.

So at this time, Altan Khan was thinking of turning his attention to the west and trying to take back the old territory of the Chagatai Khanate, which was once established by the Golden Family in the Western Regions, from the hands of the Green Sect.

But in order to resolve his worries and to make the Ming Dynasty feel at ease, Altan thought of the way of marriage.

For the grassland tribes like Altan, all the promises were not as reliable as a marriage with the attributes of a political alliance.

Therefore, Altan thought of marrying his youngest daughter Qimuge to the Ming Dynasty so that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty could see his submission and thus show tolerance and support for his next actions.

But Qimuge just didn't want to.

She had been spoiled since she was a child, galloping freely on the vast grassland like a wild horse, enjoying the freedom of the sky and the earth, and also yearning for the legendary grassland heroes.

I imagined that in the future I would definitely marry a grassland hero who would stand tall and proud.

As a result, her fantasy did not come true, but she received news that she would marry to the south and become a concubine of the son of the Ming Dynasty emperor.

How could Qi Muge not be furious after hearing this news?
Sanniang looked at her most beloved youngest daughter and was reluctant to marry Qimuge so far away.

But for the future of the Tumed tribe, she had to make some sacrifices. Otherwise, how could the future of tens of thousands of Tumed people be guaranteed?

The Ming Dynasty was now growing in national strength, but in stark contrast the grasslands were deteriorating and the winters were getting colder year by year.

If they cannot grab a large enough warm place, the demise of Tumote will be imminent.

Therefore, Sanniangzi would never allow Qimuge to be like this. She had said all the nice things, but Qimuge still didn't understand her good intentions, which made Sanniangzi very disappointed.

The third lady said firmly, "When you were young, you could do whatever you wanted, but now that you have grown up, you must shoulder the responsibility of the Golden Family. The marriage with the Ming Dynasty is for the future of our Tumed. As a child of the Khan, you enjoy the support of this tribe. If you can't contribute to the Tumed, what kind of descendant of Genghis Khan are you?"

Qi Muge's tears welled up in her eyes as she was scolded by her mother. She didn't know why the situation turned out like this.

Originally, she was carefree, the apple of her parents' eyes, and the most beloved little sister among her brothers and sisters. How could she become like this in the blink of an eye?

The third lady looked at the aggrieved Qimuge and comforted her gently, "My lovely Qimuge, you are prettier than the Han women in the south. When you get to the south, your husband will surely love you the most. You must strive to give him a son, so that your future will be more secure."

Qi Muge cried, "But mother, I don't want to marry to the south, I don't want to leave the grassland. I heard from the Han people that their women are not allowed to go out, and they are locked up in tall houses for their entire lives, and the sky they can see is only as big as the yard."

"I grew up on the grassland, I am used to the vastness of the world, and I am also used to running around everywhere. If I were locked up in their small yard, would I still be Qimuge?"

The third lady comforted Qimuge, "No, you are a daughter of the grassland, they will take special care of you. And mother has also heard that their Prince Yu is a very capable and generous person. As long as you listen to him obediently, he will give you a lot of freedom."

Qi Muge said aggrievedly: "But he already has more than a dozen wives."

The third lady comforted him again: "What's wrong with a man having many wives? Doesn't your father Khan have many women besides me? And your brothers, which one of them doesn't have many wives and concubines? This doesn't matter. As long as he treats you well, that's the best."

After Qimuge was comforted by Sanniang, her tears of grievance gradually stopped. Her red eyes made her look a little more delicate like a girl from the grassland, but this delicateness still couldn't conceal the heroic spirit between her brows.

The third lady looked at Qi Muge who had calmed down, and she said gently, "Try on the wedding dress first. The wedding dress that A Niang prepared for you is made of oriental pearls purchased at a high price from Liaodong. Even the empress of the Ming Dynasty did not have so many beautiful oriental pearls. This time A Niang took them all out and bought this wedding dress for you, just to let you stand tall in the South."

Sanniang asked a maid to bring the prepared wedding dress, and took advantage of the fact that Qimuge had no intention of resisting to finish these things first, so that Qimuge would psychologically submit to the marriage.

Seeing Qi Muge wearing the Dongzhu wedding dress, Sanniang's eyes couldn't help but sparkle with tears.

The third lady praised: "Qimuge, you are so beautiful, you are the most beautiful flower on the grassland. This time, the prince of the Ming Dynasty is really lucky."

Qimuge looked at herself in the mirror and she couldn't help but be dazed. She had never thought that one day she would look so beautiful in her wedding dress. No wonder the girls on the grassland would fantasize about getting married when they get older.

It turns out that with the blessing of wedding clothes, you can really be beautiful.

But the more she looked at herself in the mirror, the more uncomfortable Qimuge felt. She really didn't want to marry into the Ming Dynasty in the south, but now the responsibility was on her shoulders. She couldn't just take care of herself and ignore the tribe and family.

So, in the end, Qimuge agreed to Altan's arrangement and prepared to go south to marry Prince Yu, the son of the Ming Dynasty emperor.

(End of this chapter)