Chapter 64

Throwing the goat to the ground, Yueyang finally breathed a sigh of relief. He thought, "Now that I'm here, Aobai can't have any reason to attack me, right?"

Yueyang's guess was correct. Seeing Yueyang stand in front of Zaisang and throw the goat into the circle, Aobai, who was chasing behind, was furious but dared not attack Yueyang anymore. If he insisted on attacking Yueyang, it would be a provocation against the entire Khorchin tribe.

Seeing Aobai, who had been relentlessly pursuing him, now standing behind with eyes almost spitting fire, Yueyang felt reassured. He raised his head and shouted to Zaisang on the stage, "Leader Zaisang, the winner has been decided. Shouldn't you announce the result now?"

Seeing Yueyang win the goat-snatching competition, Daishan felt a surge of anger. Was this scene too fake? Daishan didn't claim to have keen eyes, but he could tell the difference between good and bad riding skills. To him, Yueyang could barely ride a horse, and with such skills, he shouldn't even have the资格 to participate in the competition. Yet, this guy won the championship. Was this an insult to his intelligence?

Thinking about this, Daishan could no longer suppress his anger and said in a sinister tone, "Lord Zaisang, is this how you treat your allies? Remember, the Great Khan is your in-law!"

When Daishan said "Lord," he deliberately raised his voice, reminding Zaisang not to forget his title as a Jurchen lord.

But Zaisang seemed not to hear and continued to laugh, "Great Lord Daishan, as you can see, this is the will of the Eternal Heaven. The Eternal Heaven brought Yueyang to our Khorchin tribe and made him win the championship in the goat-snatching competition. As a faithful servant of the Eternal Heaven, I must follow its will. Don't you agree?"

"The Eternal Heaven didn't make you cheat!" Seeing Zaisang use the Eternal Heaven as a shield, Daishan almost bit his tongue.

"Cheating?" Zaisang feigned surprise, "Great Lord Daishan, where did you get this idea? Yueyang's victory was witnessed by everyone. How can there be any cheating? Do you have any evidence, Great Lord?"

"Your sister's evidence? Anyone with eyes could see what happened just now. Hundreds of riders helped that guy snatch the goat. If he didn't win, it would be a miracle!"

Daishan finally realized that trying to compete with this old man in terms of face was extremely difficult.

By now, Daishan understood that he had failed the task given to him by Huangtaiji. Staying here would only bring him more humiliation. He stood up, glared at Yueyang, and left without a word.

Seeing Daishan leave in anger, Zaisang just stroked his beard and smiled. He wasn't worried that Huangtaiji would take revenge for refusing the marriage proposal. Although he accepted the Jurchen's title, the Jurchen had no actual control over the Khorchin tribe. The relationship between the Khorchin and the Jurchen was merely an alliance.

The Khorchin needed the Jurchen as a support, but the Jurchen also needed the support of the Mongol tribes. Otherwise, Huangtaiji wouldn't have married his sister and daughter and still wanted to marry Hailanzhu. Ultimately, it was to strengthen the relationship and win him over. Therefore, Zaisang knew that as long as the Jurchen had the Ming as an enemy, they would never dare to attack the Khorchin tribe.

"Ha ha ha..."

Zaisang laughed and stood up, walked to Yueyang, and led him to his seat. He loudly announced to the tens of thousands of people, "People of the Khorchin tribe, the result of this year's goat-snatching competition has been decided. Yueyang from the Ming has won the championship. Before the competition, I promised Yueyang that if he won, I would give my beloved daughter Hailanzhu to him. Today, I will fulfill my promise. Yueyang, in front of tens of thousands of Khorchin people, do you agree to marry my daughter Hailanzhu?"

"Boom..."

As soon as Zaisang finished speaking, the entire crowd was in an uproar. Hailanzhu, the most beautiful flower of the Khorchin tribe, was known to everyone. She was the dream of countless young Khorchin men. However, everyone understood that a beauty like Hailanzhu would not stay in the Khorchin tribe forever, so no one had unrealistic hopes. But when Zaisang announced Hailanzhu's marriage, it was a significant blow to many young men.

As soon as Zaisang finished speaking, tens of thousands of eyes fell on Yueyang, who was walking forward. Even though Yueyang prided himself on his courage, he felt a chill down his spine. He felt that if these eyes had any killing power, he would have been dead already.

A short distance felt like an eternity to Yueyang. Finally, he reached Zaisang and glared at him. He knew this old man was deliberately doing this. Announcing his marriage to Hailanzhu in front of tens of thousands of people was a severe test. If it were someone with weaker nerves, they would have collapsed.

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Yueyang loudly said to Zaisang, "Lord Zaisang, I agree to marry Miss Hailanzhu and will be with her through thick and thin, in life and death!"

Yueyang's voice was loud, and almost everyone heard it. Many people began to cheer, congratulating their tribe's most beautiful flower on finding her home.

"Miss, congratulations on finally finding your home. You won't be an old maid anymore!" Beside Hailanzhu, her close friend and servant Xiaoman, with red eyes, congratulated her.

"Xiaoman, if you say that again, I'll tear your mouth apart!" Hearing her father announce her marriage in front of tens of thousands of people, even the bold Hailanzhu was too embarrassed to lift her head. Hearing Xiaoman tease her, she instinctively reached out and slapped Xiaoman's buttocks as a punishment.

Looking at the tens of thousands of cheering people and the young man standing in front of him, Zaisang's smile had an indescribable meaning. Zaisang believed that this young man, who dared to stand up to Daishan, was not simple. The transparent bags of unmarked, almost perfect white salt, the finely crafted iron pots, the standard tea bricks, and the armor with astonishing defensive power worn by his subordinates were all things he had never seen before.

These things also indicated that the young man had astonishing wealth and power behind him. Indeed, marrying Hailanzhu to a man he had only known for a few days was a bit rash, but life was a gamble. If this bet paid off, the Khorchin tribe would gain an astonishing reward in the future.

"Respected Leader Zaisang, Great Lord Daishan and his men have left our tribe and returned to Shengjing," Wudamu said in Zaisang's ear.

Zaisang, as if he had expected it, said calmly, "If they're gone, let them go. As the Han say, a forced melon is not sweet. Hailanzhu and the Great Khan were not meant to be, as the Eternal Heaven has decreed. We cannot defy it, can we?"

"Perhaps it's not the will of the Eternal Heaven but your will," Wudamu thought to himself. However, as Zaisang's confidant, he dared not contradict his leader and could only bow and agree.

Then, Zaisang ordered, "Wudamu, pass the word. Tonight, we will slaughter cattle and sheep and hold a bonfire party to celebrate my beloved daughter Hailanzhu's marriage!"

"Yes!"

That night, bonfires were lit all over the Khorchin tribe. Tens of thousands of men and women, young and old, dressed in their finest and danced and sang to celebrate their tribe's most beautiful princess finding her home. Many young men and women also found their partners during this celebration.

In a large tent, Zaisang, Wudamu, and other Khorchin leaders were entertaining Yueyang, their new son-in-law from the Ming...

PS: Have you given your recommendation today?