Chapter 92

After returning to the tent, Yueyang summarized the journey of this marriage proposal. Overall, it wasn't very smooth. First, he encountered a mysterious opponent who wanted to fight to the death. He had to exert a great deal of effort to get rid of these people, but in the process, he exposed the secret of his musket, which attracted all sorts of trouble, causing him endless烦恼.

Before coming, Yueyang had also considered not revealing the advanced Minie musket to avoid arousing the enemy's interest. However, he then thought that the musket would eventually be exposed anyway, and it might be better for the enemy to see it sooner, serving as a deterrent. As for those who coveted the Minie musket and were thinking about how to steal its manufacturing method, Yueyang only wanted to tell them to wait until they completed the initial industrial revolution and produced seamless steel pipes before considering this issue.

Lying on the narrow wooden bed, Yueyang propped his head up with his arms, staring at the low ceiling of the tent, his mind wandering far away.

"Emperor Huangtaiji, Dorgon, Emperor Chongzhen, the lazy ministers of the Ming court, and the bandits like Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong..."

"Sigh... There's so much to deal with!"

Yueyang sighed deeply. He suddenly missed his days as a poor man in modern society, struggling for a living but at least without so many worries. Now, knowing the historical trends, he was determined to resist them with his own strength.

Yueyang knew that the current Ming court was already rotten to the core, like a sick tree whose roots were thoroughly decayed. No matter how much others tried to repair and manage it, they couldn't make this dying tree grow again. Moreover, the frequent natural disasters and the increasingly violent bandit uprisings accelerated the tree's downfall, which was why the Qing Dynasty could easily seize the Ming Empire in another historical timeline.

"Great Ming, can I pull you back from the abyss?" Yueyang sighed softly.

To be honest, he had considered simply surrendering to the Qing to avoid so much trouble. After all, from the perspective of future generations, whether it was the Manchus or the Han, they were all Chinese. Who ruled the country made no difference. However, after coming to this timeline, Yueyang realized that sometimes things couldn't be viewed so simply.

Thinking about having to follow those people and slaughter his own people, the three days of Yangzhou, the ten massacres of Jiading... these tragic events, and if the Jurchens ruled, he would have to shave his forehead and leave a rat-tail-like braid, being a second-class citizen, having to look at the faces of Dorgon and Huangtaiji, and even possibly having his wife taken away.

"Sigh... I just want to live a few days in peace. Why is it so hard? It forces me to arm myself desperately. What's the point of all this?" The more he thought, the more troubled he became, and he fell asleep amidst his heavy thoughts...

Yueyang fell asleep, but some people were still busy.

Hailanzhu's tent was located by a small river two miles away from Yueyang's. It was a quiet place with few people, which Hailanzhu loved. Usually, only Hailanzhu and her maid Xiaoman lived there, but today, there was one more person—Hailanzhu's younger sister, Dayu'er.

A light blue outer robe and long skirt hung on a clothes rack. Hailanzhu wore a red belly band and a white thin silk pant, her figure graceful, her white and smooth back shining under the orange light.

Behind her sat her younger sister, Dayu'er, dressed similarly. A light yellow belly band accentuated her plump figure, not inferior to her sister's. Both of their shoes and socks were already on the ground. Hailanzhu had already untied her braid and secured it with two hairpins. She pulled out the hairpins, and her long, black, and smooth hair cascaded down like a waterfall, swaying with her head movements, shimmering with a mysterious luster under the flickering light.

"Your hair is so beautiful, Sister!" Dayu'er's eyes showed a hint of envy. She then lifted Hailanzhu's hair with her left hand and said softly, "Sister, do you know, when I was a child, I envied your long hair the most. I always thought your hair was so black and shiny, while mine was always yellow and dry. Every time I asked Mother why my hair was so ugly, she always told me that it would become like yours when I grew up."

"So, I looked forward to growing up every day, always dreaming of having hair as black and shiny as yours. But before that day came, I got married. Time really flies, and it's been ten years already!"

Seeing Dayu'er talking to herself, Hailanzhu felt a pang of pain in her heart. Her younger sister had married to the Later Jin at the age of twelve, and it was supposed to be her. But because of Abao's love, her younger sister, who was even younger, took her place. She really owed her a lot!

Hailanzhu gently hugged Dayu'er and said softly, "Bumbutai, you've suffered a lot these years. How are you doing there? Has anyone bullied you?"

Dayu'er laughed lightly, "Sister, you really are something. When have the women of the Borjigit clan ever been bullied? Not to mention Auntie is there to help us. Even without Auntie, with Abao and Brother's reputation, no one in the Later Jin would dare to look down on me."

"That's good!" Hailanzhu nodded. "I was worried about you, but it seems I was overthinking it."

Dayu'er chuckled, "Sister, stop worrying about me. You should take care of yourself. This time you're marrying into the Ming, a long journey. You must be careful and don't let those Han people bully you."

"Hmph!"

Hailanzhu wrinkled her delicate nose, "You just said, when have the women of the Borjigit clan ever been bullied? Besides, I am Yueyang's main wife. Who in his family would dare to bully me?"

"Hehe... It seems you really like your brother-in-law." Dayu'er laughed, "But Yueyang is just a minor sixth-rank official. What future does he have? Why don't you persuade him to join the Later Jin? I can ask the Khan to give him a title, and he won't lose out."

"Ah..."

Hailanzhu yawned, lightly patting her mouth, and then said, "I never get involved in such matters. Your brother-in-law is so engrossed in his position as a sixth-rank official. He won't join the Later Jin."

"Hehe... Your response is just as I expected." Dayu'er also smiled, walked to the bed, lifted the quilt, and lay down, only her head exposed.

She poked her head out from under the quilt and said, "Sister, we haven't had a heart-to-heart chat in a long time. You're leaving with your husband tomorrow, and we won't have such opportunities to sleep together again. Come in, let's chat a bit more."

"Okay, but what do you want to talk about?" Hailanzhu smiled and quickly got into the quilt. The two sisters only exposed their heads, chatting quietly.

"Let's talk about your husband. Sister, can you tell me what your husband does? How does he have so much silver? I heard he was originally just a scholar. How did he suddenly become a sixth-rank official?" At this moment, Dayu'er looked like a curious child.

"I don't know. I haven't known your brother-in-law for long, and he hasn't told me many things yet." Hailanzhu shook her head apologetically.

"Then why has your husband suddenly become so powerful? Look at the armor of his subordinates. I dare say even the Ming can't produce such advanced equipment. And that's not all; his muskets are incredibly powerful. The five hundred warriors of Dodo's unit died so unjustly." Saying this, Dayu'er sighed, as if mourning the five hundred warriors.

Hailanzhu, however, was indifferent. Lying in the quilt, she said calmly, "War is about killing. Moreover, Dodo attacked without reason. I wouldn't have shown mercy either."

"Sister, others can say that, but you can't." At this point, a cunning look appeared in Dayu'er's eyes. "You don't know, but Dodo's actions yesterday were all for you. Dorgon told me that Dodo fell in love with you at first sight. He led his troops to challenge Yueyang to show you that he was better than Yueyang. Unfortunately, as the Han people say, Dodo kicked an iron plate."

"This has nothing to do with me." Hearing this, Hailanzhu showed a rare look of disgust. "If I have to marry anyone who likes me, that would be ridiculous. If that's the case, why don't I just marry Huangtaiji and be with you and Auntie every day?"

Hearing this, Dayu'er's face showed a hint of unease. She quickly changed the subject, "Sister, can I ask you a favor?"

"Ask me?" Hailanzhu turned to look at her in surprise. "Bumbutai, as a side consort of the Later Jin, if you can't do it, what can I do?"

"You can!" Dayu'er nodded firmly. "Sister, to be honest, your husband is just a sixth-rank official in the Ming. After marrying you, his career will likely end there. Why don't you persuade him to join the Later Jin? That way, we won't have to be separated anymore!"

After Dayu'er finished speaking, Hailanzhu remained silent, lying quietly beside her without a word, making the atmosphere somewhat cold...