prosperous age

Huang Taiji was furious, but what he was facing right now was not so much anger over this matter, but the fact that Anda Khan had just died and they had to inform the Ming court of his passing.

The announcement of the death to the Ming court could not be presided over by him, who had not yet inherited the throne of Khan, but by Lady Zhongjin.

Looking at his subordinates, Huang Taiji instructed, "Let's leave this matter aside for now. Go to Lady Zhongjin's camp tonight and tell her that the Khan has passed away. We must inform the customs officials and report to the court as soon as possible."

Only she can handle this matter; please ask Madam Zhong Jin to return to Guihua City as soon as possible to deal with the funeral arrangements.

Because he had sensed Lady Zhongjin's attitude towards him in the past, Huang Taiji thought he should take this opportunity to get in touch with her in order to ensure that his position as Khan was secure.

Unexpectedly, Lady Zhongjin reacted so strongly, fleeing with her men and refusing to even preside over her father's funeral.

This is not okay.

No matter what happens in the end, the funeral will definitely have to be held.

"Yes, Taiji."

The subordinate hurriedly agreed and, without daring to delay, immediately went out to deliver the message.

Meanwhile, in a camp dozens of miles away from Guihua City, Lady Zhong Jin was also worried about this matter.

She can refuse Huang Taiji, but what will happen in the future?
Given the current situation on the grasslands, the only one who has a chance to challenge Huang Taiji is Bahannaji, but he is also slightly inferior in strength.

Moreover, judging from Hannah's behavior, he doesn't seem to have this idea.

As for Altan Khan's other sons, their strength was far inferior to that of Huang Taiji, which is why no one contested their claim.

If Anda Khan had intended to appoint someone else, he would have already summoned them to Guihua City.

They were never brought back before they died, and they finally gave up hope.

If they don't accept it, how will Huang Taiji treat them and their son after he successfully ascends to the throne? This is what Third Sister is most worried about.

Unless, of course, we gain the support of the Ming Dynasty.

While Lady Zhong Jin was still considering her next move, news came from outside that Huang Taiji's messenger had arrived again.

"Let him in."

Madam Zhong Jin didn't hesitate. There was no way to avoid it, so she might as well listen to what it was about this time.

If it's still the same issue, don't bring it up again; just kick them out.

Fortunately, this time the messenger entered the camp, bowed, and respectfully said that he was asking Lady Zhongjin to return to Huacheng to preside over Anda Khan's funeral and announce his death to the Ming Dynasty.

This time, Mrs. Zhong Jin nodded readily.

The thought that crossed her mind at that moment was to go to Xuanfu and see if she could get the support of the Ming Dynasty.

"Go back and tell your master that I will return to Guihua City tomorrow."

So, the Third Sister readily agreed to go back. She also wanted to send messages to the powerful tribal leaders on the grasslands as the widow of Anda Khan, asking them to come to Guihua City.

However, the royal seal that issued the order was actually in her hands, so that very night she wrote an invitation letter asking the master Sonam Gyatso to come to Guihua City to preside over Altan Khan's funeral.

For Altan Khan's most respected guru, Sonam Gyatso should preside over the sacrificial ceremony for him.

So, early the next morning, Third Sister, with her household guards, left Butashili's tribe and returned to Guihua City.

Later, after the summons is issued from Guihua City, Butashiri will still rush back to Guihua City to attend his father's funeral.

Soon after Third Sister led her troops back to Guihua City, orders were issued from Guihua City and spread to various tribes across the grasslands.

Three days later, the south gate of Guihua City opened, and led by San Niangzi, followed by tribal leaders such as Huang Taiji and Bahannaji, a large entourage of guards marched towards Xuanfu City.

After the cavalry was a hundred miles away from the border wall of Xuanfu, Third Sister sent her bodyguard with a token to the border of the Ming Dynasty to contact the guards.

Their group was quite large, numbering several thousand people. If they continued to rush south to Xuanfu, she worried that it would displease Zheng Luo and Ma Fang.

At that time, the governor-general of Xuanda was Zheng Luo, a fellow graduate of Wei Guangde and a Jinshi in the thirty-fifth year of Jiajing. The reason for arranging him to go to Xuanda was because Ma Fang was preparing to step down, and Wei Guangde naturally had to make some arrangements.

Over the past year, Ma Gui has basically sorted out the military situation in Xuanfu, and he has met the conditions to take over.

In this way, the Xuanda defense line can continue to be the imperial court's reliance in the north.

The messenger carrying the token naturally arrived at the border wall half a day in advance. After explaining the situation to the guards, he was allowed to rest inside the city gate, and at the same time, someone was sent to report to the city.

Inside the Xuanfu Governor's residence, Zheng Luo convened a meeting with the Xuanfu Governor, the Prefect, and the two Commanders-in-Chief, Ma Fang and Ma Gui.

In this way, even if all the leaders of Xuanfu are gathered together, they can react promptly to any issues and discuss problems face-to-face.

"Since you're here, let's welcome you."

Immediately, Zheng Luo dispatched the governor of Datong and the deputy commander-in-chief Ma Gui to meet them ten miles outside the city, while Ma Fang deployed troops inside and outside the city.

It was impossible to let several thousand enemy cavalry in, but Third Sister and Huang Taiji would definitely bring several hundred guards with them into Xuanfu City.

So, the Ming Dynasty made preparations, and everything proceeded in an orderly manner.

After Zheng Luo received the memorial submitted by the Third Sister, he also received nine white horses, a gilded sack, a bow, and fifteen arrows from her.

Offering up bows and horses was a symbol of the Mongols' loyalty to the Ming Dynasty.

After accepting the memorial and gifts, Zheng Luo settled everyone in and immediately dispatched someone to deliver them to the capital by express courier.

Just two days later, the memorial was delivered to Wei Guangde's office in the Grand Secretariat.

Logically, upon receiving such a memorial, Wei Guangde should have immediately gone to the Grand Secretary's office to discuss how to draft a reply.

Although the draft proposal would certainly send officials from the Ministry of Rites to offer condolences and bestow altars, Wei Guangde still wanted to stir up some trouble.

After repeatedly reviewing the memorial, it was confirmed that it was written by the Third Sister herself. Judging from her elegant handwriting, she was indeed as rumored, possessing a profound understanding of Han culture.

In fact, many Mongolian princes and nobles could speak Chinese and write Chinese characters, but their writing was crooked and messy, so they would often hire Chinese scribes to write for them.

The fact that Third Sister could personally write memorials to the emperor clearly shows that she has literary talent, and perhaps she would have a chance to obtain the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) if she participated in the northern imperial examinations.

It is worth mentioning that the people of the North are known for their fierce and tough nature, but their literary culture is not as strong. If a student from the South were to move to the North, he or she could easily obtain the title of Xiucai (a degree in the imperial examination system) or even become a Juren (a degree in the provincial examination system).

Therefore, the practice of "college entrance examination migration" was already prevalent since the Ming Dynasty, and later generations simply carried it forward and expanded upon it.

Wei Guangde pulled out a notepad, picked up a pen, and began to write down his views.

Since the tribute was mainly given to the Third Lady, Wei Guangde planned to take the opportunity to further promote her and solidify her status as a princess.

Therefore, in addition to requesting the emperor to send officials to offer condolences and bestow sacrificial offerings, Wei Guangde also requested that all Mongolians traveling to the interior should carry a document signed by the Third Lady in order to be allowed to pass; otherwise, it would not be recognized.

In this way, San Niangzi effectively controlled the right of the Mongol tribes to trade with the Ming Dynasty.

Any Mongol tribe that displeases the Third Sister is likely to be unable to obtain a document signed by her, and thus will be unable to participate in the trade.

This right had a huge impact on the various Mongol tribes, essentially meaning that the Ming Dynasty only recognized the Third Lady as representing the Mongols, not the Prince of Shunyi.

With this power as a check, the number of Mongol tribes submitting to Third Sister will likely continue to increase. Even if Huang Taiji wants to do something after inheriting the Khanate, he will have to consider Third Sister's position. This was a sudden inspiration for Wei Guangde; he had been planning this for a while, and his biggest fear was that Huang Taiji would discard him after he had served his purpose.

After marrying the Third Lady and consolidating his position as Khan, he still chose to provoke the Ming Dynasty because the court lacked a check on Huang Taiji.

Closing the horse market hastily would be inappropriate, as it would be tantamount to the imperial court declaring war on the Mongols.

Huang Taiji married San Niangzi, and although the two seemed to be one, they were not necessarily so.

Don't think that Huang Taiji can only command his brothers and the various tribes on the grasslands after he ascends to the Khanate.

Since their position was not secure, they mostly paid lip service to the Great Khan while secretly disobeying him.

It should be noted that even for Anda Khan, the situation was mostly the same in the northern Mongolian regions, let alone for Huang Taiji, whose prestige was far less than his father's.

After writing the draft proposal and inserting it into the memorial to the throne, Wei Guangde took it to the Grand Secretary's office.

Before leaving, he instructed Lu Bu to immediately invite Grand Secretaries Zhang and Shen to the Chief Secretary's office.

Lu Bu knew there must be something important, probably the memorial from Xuanfu, so he didn't dare to delay and immediately went to report it.

After Wei Guangde handed the memorial to Zhang Juzheng, and especially after seeing the draft he had written, the two were still whispering to each other when Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing rushed over.

The four men locked themselves in the Grand Secretary's office and studied the matter for a long time. In the end, they concluded that Wei Guangde's approach was more appropriate.

It could significantly weaken the influence of Shunyi King Huang Taiji, but in reality, it was just a little bit of power.

The Ming Dynasty only recognized documents signed by San Niangzi, which indirectly increased San Niangzi's influence among the Mongol tribes.

With the commencement of the border trade, the Mongol tribes have become increasingly reliant on trade with the Ming Dynasty, especially their tribal leaders.

In the past, when they followed Altan Khan to plunder, they could only obtain a small amount of supplies. They had no shortage of gold and silver, but they did not get much of the iron pots and grains that the tribe needed, the tea and wine that they needed, or the silk fabrics.

Now we can obtain wool, cattle, and sheep from the Ming court. Although the quantity is still controlled, it is still better than plundering in the past.

Even in the border fortresses of the Ming Dynasty, the quantity of these supplies was extremely limited.

Now, Ming Dynasty merchants transport goods directly from the interior to the border towns for trade. Apart from iron pots, tea bags and cloth are almost readily available, although they don't need gold and silver much.

In fact, the Mongol tribes were already enjoying the benefits of trade at this time. The goods they purchased were not only for their own tribe's needs, but some were also sold at a higher price to the west, spreading along the Silk Road to the Middle East.

These seemingly insignificant items changed hands layer by layer before finally being acquired by European nobles at a high price.

Therefore, the power that the Ming Dynasty granted to Third Sister was considerable.

After the memorials and draft proposals were discussed and finalized in the cabinet, they were sent directly to the Qianqing Palace with almost no changes.

After reading the memorials and draft proposals from the cabinet, Emperor Wanli summoned Feng Bao for a detailed inquiry.

Zhu Yijun had only been in power for a short time, and many issues were not fully considered, requiring answers from cabinet ministers and Feng Bao.

As the emperor's closest confidant, the young emperor would first think of Feng Bao when he encountered problems.

Feng Bao, who was in charge of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, knew about the news of Altan Khan's death. However, he also heard about it shortly after the memorial was sent to the Ministry of War.

Although the Eastern Depot was slightly inferior to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it still had a good network of informants within the Six Ministries.

Upon seeing the cabinet's draft proposal, Feng Bao quickly understood the intention behind it.

After a brief explanation of the cabinet's purpose, Zhu Yijun understood.

It may seem that Huang Taiji gave San Niangzi a little bit of power, but it had a huge impact on the various Mongolian tribes. From then on, the tribal leaders could disobey Huang Taiji's orders, but they could not ignore San Niangzi's mood.

As for the situation of the Third Sister, the Eastern Depot actually had records, but most of the information came from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The Eastern Depot could only spread its spies throughout the capital, but it couldn't extend its reach outwards; it needed strong support to continue.

Fortunately, Feng Bao and Zhu Yijun did not intend to create another intelligence system outside of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was already a money-devouring behemoth, even after being allocated a ship license and having a fixed income.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was too large and its organization too bloated; it simply couldn't be streamlined.

Although Wei Guangde mentioned it to Liu Shouyou, Liu Shouyou abandoned the plan to lay off employees after conducting a brief investigation.

The officials appointed by the emperor as centurions and commanders cannot be dismissed; if others are dismissed, it could inadvertently affect vital organs.

Often, it's not that those in power don't know, but rather that they have no way to help.

In an effort to win over the people, the young emperor will continue to bestow official positions upon the Embroidered Uniform Guard, creating an unsolvable dilemma.

Moreover, whether it's Zhang Juzheng, Wei Guangde, Zhang Siwei, or Shen Shixing, their descendants are bound to produce a couple of good-for-nothings, and they'll have to rely on this reward to make a living and maintain their dignity.

Having figured it out, and knowing it would have no impact on the Ming Dynasty, the young Emperor Zhu Yijun immediately wrote the character "Approved" and handed it to Feng Bao, saying, "Master, you should personally go and send the memorial back to the cabinet."

"I obey the decree."

Feng Bao took the memorial from Zhu Yijun with both hands before taking his leave and leaving the hall.

After delivering the items to the cabinet, Feng Bao had nothing else to do, so he simply chatted with Zhang Juzheng in the Grand Secretary's office.

"What other plans do you have? Why don't you tell me first, so that I don't have to think for a long time before I understand your schemes if the emperor suddenly asks me about them?"

Feng Bao was quite dissatisfied with the cabinet's occasional attempts to conceal things from him, feeling that if it weren't for his physical disability, he could actually move the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs to the cabinet for work.

Okay, everyone calls him the Inner Minister, but everyone knows that scholars only know the Grand Secretary, not this Inner Minister.

Even if it's mentioned, it means that eunuchs are considered treacherous officials, and outsiders look down on them.

"No, there is absolutely no intention to deceive you about this matter; it was something that Shandai came up with on the spur of the moment."

Previously, there had been a lack of checks and balances on Huang Taiji, but today's memorial was entirely written by Third Sister, who helped him come up with a solution.

Zhang Juzheng immediately denied it.

"Really? You're not kidding me?"

Feng Bao stared at Zhang Juzheng for a long time before he reluctantly believed it.

"This method is brilliant; I was startled when I first thought of it."

Feng Bao laughed and said, "But I guess it was Shan Dai who came up with it. Only his method could be so imaginative and unconventional."

"Hehe, that's true, but the effect is good too."

Zhang Juzheng also found it amusing.

After spending half a day drinking tea with Zhang Juzheng, Feng Bao finally took his leave and returned to the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Zhang Juzheng did not mention that the cabinet actually planned to persuade San Niangzi to marry Huang Taiji when Huang Taiji and San Niangzi had a conflict, and what promises they would make to her behind the scenes.

They have already informed the Emperor. If Feng Bao wants to know, he must wait for the Emperor to tell him, and absolutely not the Cabinet. (End of Chapter)