While Zheng Haizhu was in the Zhenghuang Banner Yamen trying to figure out how to use Manchu to piece together Nurha Chifaming's perjury, Mu Zaohua and Aya were accompanying Yi Lanzhu, and were led by Mang Gurtai to the outskirts of Hetuala for Shu.
The Erhaqi couple visited the grave.
Yi Lanzhu's half-brother, Amin Beile, who is already the leader of the Lanlan Banner, continued to avoid suspicion as expected, and only allowed his other brother Jilharang to be present.
Jierhalang has been taken by Nurhachi since he was a child. He is closer to his uncle than to his father Shuerhaqi, and has a good relationship with his cousins such as Mang Gurtai.
Go to Nurhaci’s suspicion.
After all, Yilanzhu was a young woman in her twenties, who had experienced some worldly experiences. From the behavior of her brothers, she began to believe that her father Shuerhaqi did not die of illness.
Amidst the piercing cries of crows, this daughter of Jianzhou, who has returned from a long journey, has long since forgotten her old resentment towards her father for giving her to the Li family of the Ming Dynasty as a concubine. She can only lament how brave and powerful her father was back then.
Now they are just a few dead bones buried in this grotto under the snow.
When she found Fucha Fujin's grave, Yilanzhu saw the desolate scene of grass and grass, and pictures of her childhood and adolescence being protected and loved by her loving mother flashed through her mind. However, as Eniang's only child, she actually
It was so painful for Eniang to be unable to see her for the last time when she was dying.
When Yi Lanzhu thought about this, her bones were filled with grief, and her heart was filled with grief. She threw herself into the snowdrift with a cry, hugged her mother's stone tablet with scrawled words, and burst into tears.
He fainted after a moment.
Mang Gurtai was shocked. He stepped forward to pick up Yilanzhu and pinched her.
A horsehide water bag was handed over.
Mu Zaohua's soft but urgent voice sounded: "Baylor, this is the ginseng soup we made."
Mang Gurtai grabbed it and poured a few mouthfuls into his sister's mouth.
He found that the surface of the water bag was actually hot, as if it contained body temperature, and he couldn't help but glance at Mu Zaohua.
This young Ming Dynasty woman, with rosy cheeks and two round, deer-like, clever eyes, stared at Yilan Zhu anxiously.
"You're a very meticulous slave," Mang Gurtai said in a deep voice.
Mu Zaohua was treated tenderly and kindly by Yilanzhu all the way, and she took care of her with some sincerity, without feeling any resentment.
At this moment, she suddenly realized that she was so close to Mang Gurtai, a Jianzhou Tatar, and a wave of disgust filled her chest, and she quickly backed away.
In Mang Gurtai's view, this move turned into a sign of shame and fear, which made him feel more and more strange.
After finally taking a few mouthfuls of ginseng soup, Yilanzhu regained her breath and started crying sadly again.
Jierhalang helped Mang Gurtai comfort him and told some lies, such as Fucha Fujin didn't suffer much when he left, and Yilanzhu gradually stopped sobbing.
…
The day before Yilanzhu was about to leave Hetuala and return to Liaoyang, it was the day when Jurchens in Jianzhou offered sacrifices to "Wanli Mother".
"Wanli Mother" refers to the fourth wife of Li Chengliang, the former commander-in-chief of Liaodong. It is said that Nurhachi was taken under Li Chengliang's account as a personal soldier. He was reported that the seven red moles on the soles of his feet were like the Big Dipper. Li Chengliang suspected that these were the signs of the emperor.
He was angry and wanted to kill Nurhachi, but the fourth lady covered Nurhaci's escape, but she was killed by Li Chengliang to vent his anger.
The Jurchens were grateful to the fourth lady for saving their Khan, so they respectfully called her "Wanli Mother" and held memorial ceremonies for her every winter.
Zheng Haizhu was speechless when he heard about the origin of this festival in Hetuala.
In fact, when she first arrived in Liaoyang, she asked Mao Wenlong about the relationship between Li Chengliang and Jianzhou Jurchens. Mao Wenlong told her clearly that Li Chengliang had never kept the Nurhaci brothers as adopted sons or personal soldiers, but had always been good at using the Jurchens.
Internal conflicts maintained peace in Liaodong. When the Ming army accidentally killed Nurhachi's father, Li Chengliang only rewarded the Nurhachi brothers with some property to appease them. Later, the Li family married Shuerhaci, and it was Li Chengliang who wanted to drive a wedge between the two Jurchen brothers in Jianzhou.
, deliberately supporting one and attacking the other.
Therefore, the claim that Wanli’s mother saved lives was probably used by Nurhachi to deceive the Jurchens.
But the Jurchens, who were deceived by the supreme leader, were really cautious about this festival.
Because the legendary fourth lady was not wearing clothes when she attracted General Li's attention, on the night of honoring Wanli's mother, every Jurchen household was not allowed to go out, lest they see Wanli's mother without clothes and be disrespectful to her.
So, after the sun went down that day, there was really no sound outside.
During the day, Zheng Haizhu noticed that something was wrong with Mu Zaohua. When packing her luggage, she didn't hear him telling her to do things several times, as if she was immersed in her own thoughts.
At the turn of Xuhai, Zheng Haizhu said to Mu Zaohua: "Let's go to bed early. Aya and the old woman will serve Yilanzhu tonight. You will be sleepy when setting off tomorrow. You must be energetic and take her place on the road."
Mu Zaohua agreed.
In the darkness, not long after, she heard Zheng Haizhu's slightly heavy but steady and even breathing.
She was already familiar with Miss Zheng's habit of falling asleep.
As soon as Miss Zheng's head hit the pillow, all her calculations left her heart full of holes, and her body fell into sleep like a pebble thrown into a lake.
Mu Zaohua carefully climbed up from the kang, tied up her cotton clothes, wrapped herself in her fur coat, packed the things she needed, and tiptoed out of the house.
The coldness of late winter hit her face, almost making her cough. She tried her best to hold back, and first looked around to make sure there was no one near or far.
At this time, the Aixinjueluo family is just the leader of the tribe, and has not yet reached the level of a guard with one post every three steps or one sentry every five steps. A Baylor like Mang Gurtai will not stand in the cold night.
, and also arranged for guards to patrol an area as large as the palm of your hand.
Ertai's house in Manggu has seven or eight kang houses. The one where Zheng Haizhu lives temporarily is located against the woodshed at the end and can be squeezed out through a gap in the fence.
Mu Zaohua crouched and squeezed out of the fence.
The nasal cavity seems to have adapted to the cold air, and the mind becomes clearer.
Mu Zaohua pulled out her legs without hesitation and walked straight towards the "Khan King's Well" a hundred steps away.
"Throw them in and poison them!"
Mu Zaohua whispered as she walked and soon approached the well.
As soon as she stopped, the door of the "Khan Palace Yamen" in front of her suddenly creaked open.
Mu Zaohua's whole body went stiff for an instant.
At this hour? How could it be!
Didn't it mean that all the Jurchens locked themselves in their houses tonight?
There was clearly no light in the Tatar octagonal pavilion where the meetings were held. How could the old chief hold meetings in the dark at this time?
Mu Zaohua felt a chill rising straight to the sky.
It was too late to turn around and run. With a clear view of the courtyard, where was she going?
She stared blankly at the palace door in front of her.
When she saw two figures and a lantern coming out, she heard Zheng Haizhu's angry scolding coming from behind her.
"Damn girl! Sneaked out to drink water!"
…
Mang Gurtai sat in the dark and cold yamen of the Khan Palace. After reciting the incantation taught to him by the Jianzhou shaman, he asked the only personal guard who followed him to open the palace door.
He looked forward to seeing the ghost of his beloved witch on the snow. He could accept it, whether it was charming, enchanting or dripping with blood.
He believed that the witch would return to the place where her body and soul were separated and her soul disappeared to meet him.
However, what he saw was very different from what he expected.
In the Ming Dynasty, a shrewd and cunning businesswoman named Zheng was whipping her servant at the well.
Mang Gurtai strode over and shouted: "What are you doing!"
Mu Zaohua fell to the ground and lamented: "I did something wrong and was not allowed to drink water as a punishment. But my throat was so thirsty that it was almost smoking, so I secretly came out to drink the well water."
Zheng Haizhu seemed to be tired from the beating, and panted and said to Mang Gurtai: "Sanbeile, tell me, should such a disobedient dog slave deserve to be beaten?"
"Snapped!"
A slap hit Zheng Haizhu on the cheek.
Zheng Haizhu felt like the world was spinning all of a sudden, and before she could react to the pain, she fell into a snowdrift.
Soon, the night sky in front of her was replaced by a vicious face.
Mang Gurtai grabbed her collar, lifted her up, and said through gritted teeth: "You are the dog slave."
At one moment, Mang Gurtai's hand was already on the waist knife, and the next moment he could pull out the sharp blade and easily cut open the neck of the Ming Dynasty woman in his hand like a chicken.
This nasty bug!
It must be her who disturbed the witch's ghost.
But what was the reason for killing her?
The reason for killing her would make her father, the supreme female true wolf, regard himself as worse than a bed bug.
Mang Gurtai's chest rose and fell several times and finally calmed down.
He left Zheng Haizhu behind and stood dazed in the snow for a moment, then leaned over to help Mu Zaohua up.
"Did you drink the well water?" he asked.
Mu Zaohua shook her head.
"Drink quickly, I'll watch you drink."
Mu Zaohua moved two steps as if she was exhausted and went to get the wooden spoon.
The surface of the Jurchen well is very high, and people can scoop water by leaning against the edge of the well.
Mu Zaohua's heart was beating fast. She tucked up her sleeves for fear that the paper bag containing arsenic would fall out.
Behind her, Mang Gurtai said to Zheng Haizhu coldly: "If Yilan Zhuge hadn't said that she wanted to ask you to ask Zaohua to serve her, I would have kept her. Remember, on the way back, you are not allowed to
Beat her."
Zheng Haizhu wiped the blood from his mouth, looked dejected, and responded with a bunch of sounds.