Chapter 369

Today, Wanli had an important matter to attend the court, so he could not delay it. He had to meet a very important woman: Third Lady.

Third Lady's real name was Zhongjin Hatun. She was the daughter of Heng Aga, the leader of the Mongolian Torghut tribe. The Third Lady was cunning and charming, good at riding and archery, capable of both literary and martial arts. When she was twenty years old, she married and became Alatan Khan's Princess Consort and bore him a son.

When she was a princess, she tried her best to persuade her husband to become a subject of the Great Ming Dynasty. She wanted to be on good terms with the Great Ming Dynasty and exchange goods. In the ninth year of Wanli, Alatan Khan died and Third Lady became the supreme ruler of the grasslands.

At this time, Alatan Khan's eldest son, Huang Taiji, wanted to marry his stepmother, Third Lady. Third Lady was in her early thirties and was still young and beautiful. Remarrying was not a big deal. However, Third Lady, who had read the classics of the Central Plains since childhood, did not want to marry her husband's son according to the customs of the grasslands. Therefore, she left with her ten thousand elite guards.

The most powerful tribe in the grasslands was in danger of splitting. The tribes with the bloodline of the Golden Family took the opportunity to move. Third Lady was a ruler who was very friendly to the Great Ming Dynasty. If she married Huang Taiji and maintained the unity of the tribe, she could suppress the tribes in the grasslands and maintain peace with the Great Ming Dynasty.

However, if she insisted on not marrying, the tribe would definitely split and other forces would take the opportunity to grow. In view of this, the Ming court sent an official to contact Third Lady and persuade her to follow the customs and marry Huang Taiji.

In the end, the Third Lady listened to the Ming Dynasty's opinion and married Huang Taiji, becoming Huang Taiji's princess consort. After Huang Taiji inherited the throne, he eyed the Great Ming Dynasty covetously. It was Third Lady who persuaded him to give up the idea of starting a war with the Great Ming Dynasty.

Two years ago, Huang Taiji passed away. His eldest son, Talick, became the Khan. Third Lady married Talick and was still the supreme ruler of the grasslands. Therefore, the Ming court attached great importance to her arrival.

The Third Lady had always regarded the Ming imperial court as the rightful ruler of the world. She had repeatedly expressed that "her descendants and tribes will guard the borders for the Son of Heaven for generations to come". Therefore, the Ming imperial court had treated her with great courtesy. Today, she had come to the palace hall to meet the Emperor.

Third Lady represented the Mongolian tribes to meet the Emperor. In the court, Emperor Wanli conferred her husband Talick the title of Shun Yi Khan and made Third Lady a loyal and obedient wife. He also gave her a lot of money. Third Lady thanked him and left.

The usual order of the court meeting was to first receive the foreign guests and vassals, then receive the high-ranking officials who had come to the capital, and finally the officials of the capital would discuss the matter. Therefore, the Third Lady was the first person to have an audience with the Emperor and leave the court.

Following that, Wan Li casually and perfunctorily dealt with several local officials who came to the capital. Without waiting for the officials to report, he announced that the Dragon was not feeling well today and that the court would be dismissed early.

Grand Secretary Shen Shixing was a good-natured person, unlike Zhang Juzheng who was strict. The Grand Secretary did not raise any objections. In addition, it was not common for the Emperor to leave the court early. Occasionally, it was harmless, so the Imperial Censors did not come forward to nitpick.

Emperor Wanli left the court and boarded the imperial carriage. He immediately slapped the armrest and said, "Quick, quick, bring the carriage to Imperial Concubine Chen!"

Imperial Concubine Chen was very curious about Yingying's reaction. But she knew that the later she showed up, the better. So she was not in a hurry. She only cared about washing and dressing up. After dressing up, a woman in her thirties appeared. She was beautiful and charming like a young girl in her twenties.

Imperial Concubine Chen gracefully arrived at the front hall. She looked up and did not see Xia Furen and Yingying. She smiled and asked the palace maids standing in the hall, "Where did Xia Furen and Yingying go?"

As Imperial Concubine Chen spoke, she walked out of the hall. In her view, Xia Furen and her daughter were either in the side hall or in the courtyard. Maybe in a while, Xia Furen would cry and beg her to make a decision for her daughter. At that time, she could naturally push the boat with the current and get it done.

A palace maid in the hall answered, "Xia Furen and Yingying? Didn't Imperial Concubine Chen tell them to leave? "

Imperial Concubine Chen suddenly stopped and turned around. She said in a surprised voice, "Leave? Where did they go? "

The palace maids looked at each other and it was still the palace maid who answered in surprise, "They left the palace! This servant thought … .It was Imperial Concubine Chen who allowed them to leave the palace. "

"What?"

Imperial Concubine Chen was stunned.

"Imperial Concubine Chen … …"

Emperor Wanli rushed in and hurriedly looked inside the hall. He didn't see Miss Yingying or her mother. He immediately said to Imperial Concubine Chen, "Imperial Concubine, where is Miss Xia?"

Imperial Concubine Chen said, "Miss Xia ….. has already left with her mother."

"What?"

Emperor Wanli was stunned and then became flustered, "Xiao Bai, Xiao Bai! Immediately find Xiao Bai for me! "

Xu Boyi stayed in the eunuch's room in the side room of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. He drank a pot of cold tea in one breath. His stomach was very bloated and there was the sound of water when he swayed slightly. Xu Boyi was holding his big belly and wanted to go to the toilet when Wanli's personal eunuch, San Dezi, walked in, "Yo! Eunuch Yu, you're here. It's easy for me to find you. The Emperor wants to see you! "

… …

"Mother, slow down, slow down. My legs are going to break from walking. He's the Emperor, it's not good to openly kidnap people. Don't worry, slow down … "Xia Yingying's wrist was grabbed by Xia Furen. She ran behind them, panting.

Xia Furen said in a deep voice, "I was wondering why the Emperor still didn't let us return to Guizhou after we entered the capital to see the Emperor. Then there's this Imperial Concubine Chen who jumps out and talks to me every day. It turns out that the Emperor has designs on you!"

Seeing that they were about to reach the palace gate, Xia Furen let out a sigh of relief. She slowed down and said to Xia Yingying while panting, "Yingying, when we go back, immediately pack up and go back home. Mother will stay in the capital!"

Xia Yingying said, "Mother, let's go together!"

Xia Furen said, "No, Mother is coming to the capital by imperial decree. If I leave without the Emperor's permission, it will be deceiving the Emperor. You are only accompanying Mother to the capital, so you don't have to worry about this!"

Xia Yingying said worriedly, "Ah? If I leave first, what about Mother? "

Xia Furen glared at her and said, "If you leave, Mother will naturally be fine. Since the Emperor has designs on you, what can you do if you don't leave? Unless you want to be the Imperial Concubine! "

Xia Yingying cried out, "I don't want to! I have to stay in such a big courtyard every day and can't go anywhere. I'm bored to death! "

Xia Furen snorted and said, "You can't let go of that Ye Xiaotian, right?"

"Hehe … …"

Xia Yingying's eyes turned into crescents as she smiled. Her smile was a little silly. Of course, this was her mother's feeling. In the eyes of the imperial bodyguards, this young lady's smile was sweet and charming. It was as if someone was gently tickling his heart with a feather, making him feel itchy.

"This … … Brother Tian is a little taller than him. Hmm … … Brother Tian is a little stronger than him. The Emperor is a little fat. Also … … Brother Tian is more handsome than him and knows how to talk better than him … …"

Speaking of her sweetheart, Xia Yingying beamed with joy. When she thought about how her sweetheart was more outstanding than the Emperor in these aspects, she was even more elated.

The mother and daughter pair came out from the side of the palace complex. When they reached the front, they had to turn into the main road. When they turned into the main road, Third Lady happened to come out from the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Behind her were eight little eunuchs who were holding all kinds of gifts from the Emperor.

When Xia Yingying saw Third Lady, she couldn't help but happily wave her hand, "Sister Third Lady!"

At first, Third Lady didn't look sideways. When she saw two women coming from the side, she thought they were palace maids. When she heard the call, she turned her head and couldn't help but smile. She sincerely liked this energetic little girl. It was probably because she was also straightforward and didn't hide any schemes, so they got along well with each other.

The Third Lady welcomed her with a smile and said cheerfully, "Little sister, have you met your mother?"

As Third Lady said this, she looked at Xia Furen. Looking at her age and appearance, this should be Xia Yingying's mother. However, looking at her expression, it didn't seem like she had just suffered from a serious illness. This Miss Xia was really making a big fuss over a minor issue.

Xia Furen looked at Third Lady and hesitated, "This is …"

Yingying said to Xia Furen, "Mother, this sister is a good person. She's very powerful and can use the whip very well. I was in a hurry to enter the palace to find mother and almost killed a stupid official. Fortunately, this sister came to my rescue, otherwise, I would have gotten into big trouble. "

When Xia Furen heard this, she quickly bowed to Third Lady, "Thank you, Furen, for helping my daughter!"

Third Lady smiled, "Furen, you don't have to be so polite. Your daughter is very likable."

Xia Furen saw that this woman dressed in a long Mongolian robe could enter and leave the palace like this. She was very curious about her identity and asked, "I have not asked for Furen's name?"

Xia Yingying rushed to answer, "This sister called her Third Lady. Is it very nice?"

"Third Lady?" When Xia Furen heard this name, she suddenly thought of someone and exclaimed, "Could it be … could it be the Mongolian Khedun Third Lady?"

Khedun was the Mongolian word for Empress, Queen, or the Great Khan's Imperial Concubine. Xia Furen had heard her husband talk about this heroine who commanded hundreds of thousands of Mongolian soldiers and horses. This woman in front of her had the qualifications to attend court, wore a long Mongolian robe, and was called Third Lady. Thus, Xia Furen dared to make a bold guess.

Third Niangzi smiled and said, "So Madam has heard of my name!"

Xia Furen exclaimed, "It really is Khedun!" She quickly bowed to her again.

The various chieftains of Guizhou could be considered as local emperors in their own territories, but compared to this Kedun, they were far inferior. Whether it was authority, status, the territory he ruled, or the number of people he ruled, he was the king of the prairie who had the qualifications to challenge the Ming imperial court.

Xia Yingying looked at her mother curiously, it was rare to see her so serious. Xia Yingying could not help but ask, "Mother, what is Khedun? Is this elder sister also a high-ranking official? "

Xia Furen said, "Shut up! You child, you are ignorant and incompetent! What sister, sister, you must call her Khedun! Khedun, please don't take offense, my daughter … "

Third Lady looked at Xia Yingying who was pouting and laughed, "Why would I? I like this little sister very much. Little sister, let's go, this is not the place to talk."

Third Lady held Yingying's little hand, and as they walked out, she said to Xia Furen and Yingying, "Little sister, you can call me Third Sister, I like to hear you call me that. Xia Furen, don't call me Khedun, it sounds distant, just call me Third Lady! "

Xia Furen was very happy. Although Mongolia was separated by the Great Ming Dynasty and had nothing to do with her Red Maple Lake, it was not a bad thing to be able to befriend a Mongolian Queen who held real power.

Xia Furen followed her intention and smiled, "If that is the case, then I will accept."

As Madam Xia spoke, she was still worried as she reminded Yingying, "Daughter, this third sister of yours is a heroine of the northern prairies. She controls tens of thousands of miles of land and governs millions of people. She is an amazing heroine!"

"Wow! Really? "

Xia Yingying's eyes were shining, she looked at Third Lady with admiration, "No wonder sister can use the whip so well, sister can teach me how to use the whip, I really like it!"

Third Lady saw her eyes were shining, she thought that she really admired her power and status, she never thought that what she really admired was her skill in using the whip. As for the Mongolian Khedun, the millions of people, she did not care about it at all.

Third Lady was stunned, she suddenly laughed out loud, she intimately hugged Yingying's thin shoulders and smiled, "Okay! Sister will teach you how to use the whip! In the future, if your man does not listen to you, you can use the skill I taught you to whip him, hahaha … "