Chapter 221: Gentle Consort Rou of the Great Ming

In reality, whether or not the Chongzhen Emperor issued the appointment, Hada's authority among the chieftains of the Uriankhai tribes was indisputable.

Although the Dzungars had recently used force to elevate Sunduleng of the Ongniud tribe, for many years Hada's valor had been unmatched among the Doyan Three Guards, and the chieftains of all the tribes privately acknowledged as their leader none other than Hada's Urmai.

From the age of six, Urmai had ridden horses without a saddle, and even when he fell and covered himself in bruises and scars, he still found endless joy in it. From the age of eight, Urmai began following the old chieftain Hada Xizhen on campaigns north and south, mostly joining the Ming campaigns in Liaodong by imperial decree.

At thirty-four, Urmai was in the prime of his life, already recognized by all the Uriankhai tribes as their most courageous chieftain.

The law of the grassland was survival of the fittest—the strongest becomes king. That Urmai, only thirty-four, could be acknowledged by all the tribes as the strongest naturally had its reasons.

Tracing back, the Hada clan descended from Genghis Khan's personal guard—the bravest of warriors. This was already seen by all the tribes as enjoying the blessing of the Eternal Heaven, and combined with the Turkic blood inherited in their bones, every generation of Hada descendants was exceptionally fierce and brave.

Urmai's father, Hada Xizhen, had accepted the Ming dynasty's enfeoffment and never harbored any treacherous thoughts. On the contrary, the latter half of his life was spent leading the Uriankhai tribes in campaigns against Jianzhou.

This continued until shortly after the Battle of Sarhu, when Hada Xizhen was cut down by Ajige.

Sunduleng was nearly fifty, timid and fearful, which was why he obeyed the Dzungars so completely. This had already earned the contempt of the Uriankhai chieftains. In terms of martial prowess and courage, the aging and declining Sunduleng naturally could not compare in any way to Urmai, who had inherited his father's mantle before the age of twenty and continued to lead his people in desperate battle against Jianzhou.

Thus, Hada's Urmai kneeling was not only his reacceptance of the Ming enfeoffment after his father, but also, in a certain sense, symbolized the tribes of the Uriankhai region once again submitting at the feet of the Great Ming.

Seeing Urmai do this, the rest of the Uriankhai tribes immediately fell silent with nothing more to say. The host of great and minor chieftains directly knelt in a row after Urmai, expressing their renewed submission to the Great Ming.

The scene before him was extraordinarily spectacular—a bunch of rough grassland men, any one of whom could throw a single punch and send him sprawling, yet now all knelt in submission at his feet.

At this sight, even the deeply calculating Feng Quan could not help but smile. He had to admit, it was truly satisfying.

Of course, Feng Quan also understood that these men were not kneeling to him personally—they were kneeling to his status as envoy of the Great Ming, kneeling to the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming who stood behind him, kneeling to a Great Ming that showed signs of resurgence.

Clearing his throat twice, Feng Quan helped Urmai up and said with a smile: "Imperial Father-in-Law, why not quickly bring out the future imperial consort of the Great Ming? His Majesty has separate instructions for her."

"Hahaha, chieftain, hurry and call Tuoya out to meet the envoy of the Great Ming!"

"Yes, when she becomes an imperial consort in the future, don't forget us folks—say plenty of good words before that Han Son of Heaven. If we could move a bit further south, that would be even better!"

Hearing the atmosphere around him grow lively, Urmai had nothing much to say. He turned and gestured, and a Uriankhai woman ran to the inner chamber to deliver the message.

Feng Quan listened carefully to what these people were shouting, but only sneered coldly.

Move further south? They were truly dreaming of being a great lord in broad daylight. As the saying goes, how can one tolerate another snoring beside one's own bed—once the Jianzhou barbarians were destroyed, given our Emperor's temperament, how could he possibly leave a bunch of barbarians beyond the Great Wall living right under his nose?

In Feng Quan's view, this so-called Uriankhai garrison was nothing but a nail—sooner or later it would poke out and prick you. It was a temporary expedient for now; once the Jianzhou barbarians and the roving bandits were destroyed, to prevent the nail from protruding, it would have to be pulled out thoroughly sooner or later for true satisfaction.

Feng Quan was sneering when suddenly the curtain before him was lifted. Seeing the woman before him, even he was stunned with his mouth agape. This heavenly beauty—could she really be that woman called Tuoya?

"Tuoya, come quickly and meet Grand Secretary Feng of the Great Ming!" Urmai waved his hand to signal his daughter over, leading her before Feng Quan as he spoke.

Feng Quan had not yet recovered his senses. He truly had not imagined that such a perfect woman could exist in this world.

In the eyes of the Uriankhai chieftains, Hada Tuoya, born into the valiant Hada clan, was like the divine will of the Eternal Heaven—like a beautiful young eagle on the grassland, eagerly spreading its wings, wanting to break through the heavens in one go.

The man who could marry her would have to be the bravest warrior on the grassland.

In Feng Quan's view, what made Hada Tuoya beautiful was precisely the exotic aura about her that none of the harem consorts possessed.

Looking closely, Hada Tuoya's figure was not the most perfect, and her skin was not as fair as many of the harem consorts, but she wore a sky-blue riding outfit with white-and-blue riding boots, and when she walked, it was as if she were stepping on white clouds.

Such a woman radiated liveliness and vitality from every part of her being—precisely what the dull and tedious harem lacked.

"Hada Tuoya greets Lord Feng!" She imitated the martial men of the Central Plains and gave Feng Quan a fist-and-palm salute. Seeing that the Grand Secretary before her showed no reaction, she asked with puzzlement:

"Lord Feng?"

The dazed Feng Quan only recovered when Tuoya spoke a second time. He quickly waved his hand and laughed loudly to cover his embarrassment, clearing his throat as he said: "Our Great Ming's future imperial consort is indeed extraordinary—truly a beauty of the grassland."

"Father, what is this about? What future imperial consort?" The smile on Hada Tuoya's face vanished instantly. She turned to Urmai with a reproachful gaze, and when Urmai remained silent, she went to ask the chieftains of the various tribes around her.

"Don't know, don't know."

"Don't look at me—how would I know what's going on?"

Seeing this scene, Feng Quan thought it strange indeed—how could these burly, powerful men all be so terrified of a single weak woman like Tuoya, as if their lives depended on it?

Suddenly, something occurred to Feng Quan and he grew worried—what if our Emperor ended up being bullied by her?

Feng Quan dared not continue thinking along those lines. If the august Emperor of the Great Ming were trained into a henpecked husband by a Uriankhai woman, that would truly be the world's greatest joke.

To prevent this possibility, it seemed that on his way back he would need to send a letter to Huang Degong at the Ji Garrison, asking him to bring those soldiers and generals under the pretext of welcoming her, so that this Hada Tuoya could witness the martial might of us Central Plains Han people.

"Father, I don't want to be any imperial consort. Didn't we agree that I would marry Zhuoxi of the Ujiyed tribe?"

"Come here!" If this had been within the Uriankhai homeland, it might have been tolerable, but Feng Quan was still standing there waiting for a reply. Urmai, having been contradicted by his own daughter, immediately darkened his face and pulled her aside.

Whatever the father and daughter said to each other, when Hada Tuoya returned puffing with anger, she no longer uttered a single word of objection, silently indicating her acquiescence.

Seeing this, Feng Quan smiled as well and stepped forward to speak solemnly:

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

In the seventh month of the eighteenth year of Chongzhen, the daughter of Urmai, Garrison General of the Uriankhai, is virtuous in nature and cultivated in virtue, diligent and respectful. She is hereby conferred the title of Gentle Consort Rou, and shall enter the palace before the beginning of the eighth month. Respect this decree."