Chapter Sixteen: Seeking a Bride

  "Sir, I don't know what brings you here?" Ma Shu-ying asked the old man in front of her.

  "I've come to save the young master's life." The old man chuckled and said.

  "You must be joking! As the eldest son of the Ma family, I command tens of thousands of elite cavalry and dominate the northwest. How could my life be in danger?" said Ma Shu-ying.

  "Doesn't Master Ma know that a wolf has come from the northwest? Or is it a man-eating wolf that doesn't spit out bones, as long as he's here, Master Ma will have worries about his life." said the old man.

  "What does Mr. mean...?" Ma Shu Ying frowned.

  "Doesn't Master Ma know that this wolf in the northwest calls itself the Heavenly Wolf? The reason it's called the Heavenly Wolf is because of its overbearing nature, which absolutely does not allow any danger to its power to exist. And Master Ma is one of them. As long as Master Ma is around, he won't be able to live in peace and will definitely think of ways to get rid of him." The old man said.

  "Is the teacher talking about him?" Ma Shu-ying asked with a hint of implication.

  "Is it? It's him, doesn't Master Ma think he is a wolf?" said the old man.

  "He is a wolf, but I, Ma Shuying, am not necessarily afraid of him." Ma Shuying said disdainfully.

  "Marquis, your words are quite off the mark! Do you think your soldiers can defeat the 800,000 Mongolian iron cavalry?" said the old man.

  "He was just luckier." Ma Shu-ying said discontentedly.

  "Is it just a bit of luck? Hehe, this is your own idea, Master Ma?" The old man paused and said: "He Lian Tie Shu is an old general on the battlefield. Today, there are not many people who can surpass him. How could he be defeated by him? Is it just a bit of luck that can achieve this? Can you do it, Master Ma?"

  Ma Shu Ying coldly smiled and didn't speak.

  "If Helián Tiěshù had several thousand iron cavalry by his side at that time, and if he didn't use the tactic of exhausting the enemy in those few days of battle, would he have achieved such an effect? He can be said to be well-versed in military strategy, grasping the timing and opportunity with considerable accuracy." A glint of sharp light flashed across the old man's eyes.

  "What does Mr. think I should do?" Ma Shu-ying said with some impatience.

  "Marquis doesn't know yet! Lord Shu's younger brother, Ma Zhongwei, has already gone to Wuweicheng to meet him." The old man saw that the timing was about right and immediately released a shocking piece of news.

  "What? How dare you, old man?" Ma Shu-ying said angrily.

  "I heard that your uncle has reached some sort of agreement with him, heh heh, what kind of agreement they have, I think it's not necessary for me to say more?" The old man said with narrowed eyes.

  "I'll take the Ma family troops and kill them right away." Ma Shu-yin said angrily.

  The old man shook his head.

  "What? Isn't this way okay?" Ma Shu-ying asked.

  "Doesn't the young master know about the situation in Wuwei? With the high walls and thick defenses of Wuwei City, and with several tens of thousands of elite troops under his command, can the Marquis's Ma family army really defeat them? Moreover, launching a surprise attack on a prince of the imperial court is a grave offense punishable by the extinction of nine clans!"

  "This won't work either, and neither will that! What am I supposed to do?" Ma Shu-ying exclaimed in anger.

  As expected, he was brave but not strategic. The old man's mouth corner revealed a cold smile, "Once he dies, the Tianlang Army will be like a dragon without a head, then won't Young Master be able to occupy Wuwei? Why bother sending troops to fight?"

  "Are you talking about assassination?"

  "Wu Wei is the world of the Ma family, it should be easy to kill someone in Wu Wei City, right?" The old man smiled.

  "Good idea!" Ma Shu-ying laughed.

  ……

  "Haha, Mr. Han has arrived, and I'm honored!" Yang Chengfeng laughed as he walked up to greet him.

  "Han Jae-seok has met with Prince Liao." Han Jae-seok saw Yang Sung-pung personally come to greet him and hastily paid his respects.

  "Haha, no need for formalities, Mr. Han. Come on, come on, let's talk inside." Yang Chengfeng warmly pulled Han Jae-seok's hand and walked inside with him.

  In the hall, Yang Chengfeng and Han Zai Xi sat down as host and guest. Yang Chengfeng said: "This time I invited Mr. Han to come is an unavoidable matter, I hope Mr. Han will understand."

  "Wherever, wherever, Your Highness has summoned, as long as you call out, Han will surely come." said Han Jae-seok.

  "Mr. Han knows that this time the Mongols have come to invade, I've gathered all the people within a hundred miles of Wuwei into the city. Now it's been a month, although the people have dispersed, but the grain stored in Wuwei City is not much. As the largest merchant in Wuwei City, Mr. Han, do you have any way to get food?" Yang Chengfeng asked.

  "Uh...this..." Han Jae-seok was taken aback.

  "Of course, we will provide the grain that Lord Wanyan wants at market price," Yang Chengfeng added.

  "Your Highness, originally the grain for Wuwei was purchased from the Kaisar Empire through Lanzhou, which is a shorter route and cheaper. However, now that Lanzhou has been occupied by the Mongols, the trade route through Lanzhou has been cut off. If we want to buy grain, we must purchase it from the Jiangnan Yangzhou area or the Yizhou area of the Empire, which is much farther away. It will take at least two to three months for the grain to be transported to Wuwei." Han Zai Xi thought for a moment and said.

  Han Zai Xi is a shrewd businessman. With the demise of the Northwestern Border Army and the Blue Feather Legion, the situation in the northwest of the empire will be reshuffled. As the Prince of Liao and the Commander-in-Chief of the Wuwei Expeditionary Force, Yang Chengfeng will undoubtedly become the overlord of the northwest. In this case, relying on Yang Chengfeng is not a bad choice.

  "It's just three months, no big deal." Yang Chengfeng patted his hand, and immediately a maid brought a stack of silver bills in front of Han Zai Xi.

  "Mr. Han, this is a silver note worth 100,000 taels. I hope you can deliver the first batch of grain in three months. How about it? No problem, right?" Yang Chengfeng said.

  "It's nothing, no problem." Han Jae-seok nodded and said.

  Yang Chengfeng smiled slightly, "Han Zai Xi, I'm short of a talented person (concubine) here, do you have any suitable candidates?"

  Han Jae-seok was taken aback for a moment, then exclaimed excitedly: "Yes, yes, yes."

  In the absence of a crown prince in the empire, each imperial prince would marry according to the imperial harem system. The only difference was that the main wife was not called an empress, but rather a certain princess. As an imperial prince, Yang Chengfeng could naturally arrange his marriage according to the imperial standard. Now, Yang Chengfeng asked Han Zaixi for a talented woman, and if he became the emperor of the empire in the future, this talented woman would at least be one of the 27 consorts, and if she was lucky, she might even become one of the nine noble consorts. This was an extremely honorable thing for Han Zaixi, who came from a merchant background.

  So-called scholars, farmers, workers and merchants, in this era, the status of merchants is low, often looked down upon by others. Han Jae-seok, although he was a grain merchant from Muwi, fifty percent of the grains in Muwi came from his hands, but in the eyes of scholars and nobles, he was always a lowly merchant.

  But if his family produced a talented person, it would be different. His status would greatly improve, and he could even break free from the merchant class to become a new aristocratic family.

  Han Zai Xi has three sons and four daughters, but only two of his daughters are well-known. His 16-year-old second daughter is the apple of his eye, skilled in poetry and painting, with both talent and beauty. Because Han Zai Xi loves her like a treasure, she has not been promised to anyone yet.

  As Han Zai Xi returned from the palace, a woman came out to greet him. This woman stood against the night wind with a captivating beauty, her white long shirt fluttering in the wind, looking elegant and carefree, as if she were born of the divine spirit of heaven and earth. Her eyebrows were light and painted like spring mountains, her eyes shone like autumn water, revealing a noble and dignified temperament, just like a goddess descending to the mortal world, transforming the dark forest into a spiritual realm of empty mountains and rain. Her shoulder-length raven-black hair framed a pair of bright eyes that contained clear wisdom, making them even more irresistible. Her teeth were like two rows of white jade, stirring people's hearts. It was a kind of pure and simple natural beauty, like a lotus flower in clear water, astonishingly beautiful to the point where it seemed as if she had been born with this quality. She was Han Zai Xi's second daughter, Han Shu Xiao.

  "Father, you're back?" Han Shuxiao ran to Han Zai Xi's side and said.

  Han Jae-seok nodded in satisfaction, "Su-hyo, you're getting prettier and prettier, it's time to find a husband."

  "Daughter doesn't want to, daughter will always be with father."

  Han Jae-seok chuckled and said, "Sook-ah! I have something to tell you."

  "What's wrong?" Han Shuxiao looked at her father's serious expression and had a bad premonition.

  Note: Harem system: In the Zhou Dynasty, the king could legally have 101 wives, namely one big wife and 100 small wives. Their establishment is as follows: Super: "Queen", one person. Status equal to the king. First-class: "Madam", three people. Do nothing, just accompany the king (sit and discuss etiquette). Second-class: "Concubine", nine people. Responsible for handling palace affairs (teaching four virtues). Third-class: "Noblewoman", twenty-seven people. Preside over rituals and entertain visiting officials' wives. Fourth-class: "Imperial Concubine", eighty-one people. Specialized in entertaining the king.

  In the Qin Dynasty:

  Superior: "Empress"

  First rank: "Lady"

  Second rank: "Beauty"

  Third rank: "Virtuous Lady"

  Fourth rank: "Eight Ladies-in-waiting"

  Fifth rank: "Seven Ladies-in-waiting"

  Sixth rank: "Senior Maid"

  Seventh rank: "Junior Maid"

  There is no record of their duties in historical books.

  The seventh emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Che, had a greater interest in women than his ancestors and reorganized them. As a result, a large number of beautiful words overflowed on paper, and he divided the numerous beauties in the palace into ten levels:

  Superior: "Empress", let alone the Emperor, with a rank higher than the Emperor.

  First level: "Consort", ranked alongside the Prime Minister, with a rank equivalent to that of a close prince.

  Second level: "Jieyu", ranked alongside the senior minister, with a rank equivalent to that of a marquis.

  Third level: "Ronghua", ranked alongside the deputy prime minister (middle two thousand stones), with a rank equivalent to that of a Guanzhong Marquis.

  Fourth level: "Chongyi", ranked alongside the true two thousand stones (minister), with a rank equivalent to that of a senior official (the highest grade, first product).

  Fifth level: "Meiren", ranked alongside the two thousand stones (prefectural governor), with a rank equivalent to that of a junior official (second-grade civil servant, second product).

  Sixth level: "Liangren", ranked alongside the thousand stones (prefectural governor), with a rank equivalent to that of a mid-ranking official (third-grade civil servant, third product).

  Seventh level: "Baizi", ranked alongside the eight hundred stones (deputy prefectural governor), with a rank equivalent to that of a left-ranking official (fourth-grade civil servant, fourth product).

  Eighth level: "Qizi", ranked alongside the seven hundred stones (deputy prefectural governor), with a rank equivalent to that of a right-ranking official (fifth-grade civil servant, fifth product).

  Ninth level: "Changshi", ranked alongside the eight hundred stones (deputy prefectural governor), with a rank equivalent to that of a left-ranking official (sixth-grade civil servant, sixth product).

  Tenth level: "Shao Shi", ranked alongside the six hundred stones (county magistrate), with a rank equivalent to that of a fifth-rank gentleman (seventh-grade civil servant, seventh product).

  The current Qin Empire has established the following ranks for imperial consorts:

  1. Empress (皇后)

  2. Two Consorts of Bright Deportment (左右昭仪)

  3. Three Noble Ladies (三夫人):

  a. Lady of Brilliant Virtue (弘德)

  b. Lady of Correct Virtue (正德)

  c. Lady of Revered Virtue (崇德)

  4. Nine Concubines (九嫔):

  a. Upper Concubine:

  i. Radiant and Auspicious (光猷)

  ii. Shining and Cultivated (昭训)

  iii. Prosperous and Magnificent (隆徽)

  b. Lower Concubine:

  i. Manifesting Brilliance (宣徽)

  ii. Concentrated Radiance (凝晖)

  iii. Manifesting Clarity (宣明)

  iv. Obedient and Splendid (顺华)

  v. Concentrated Splendor (凝华)

  vi. Radiant and Cultivated (光训)

  5. Below the Nine Concubines are nine Imperial Women of the First Rank (婕妤), nine Imperial Women of the Second Rank (美人), and nine Imperial Women of the Third Rank (才人). These twenty-seven women are collectively known as the Twenty-Seven Ladies of the Imperial Harem.

  6. The names of the Twenty-Seven Ladies of the Imperial Harem are:

  a. Correct and Splendid (正华)

  b. Commanding and Lovely (令侧)

  c. Cultivated and Refined (修训)

  d. Shining and Proper (曜仪)

  e. Enlightened and Virtuous (明淑)

  f. Fragrant and Splendid (芳华)

  g. Respectful and Gentle (敬婉)

  h. Shining and Brilliant (昭华)

  i. Radiant and Correct (光正)

  j. Shining and Serene (昭宁)

  k. Chaste and Model (贞范)

  l. Prosperous and Magnificent (弘徽)

  m. Harmonious and Virtuous (和德)

  n. Prosperous and Auspicious (弘猷)

  o. Luxuriant and Brilliant (茂光)

  p. Enlightened and Trustworthy (明信)

  q. Quiet and Cultivated (静训)

  r. Shining and Virtuous (曜德)

  s. Broad and Cultivated (广训)

  t. Radiant and Model (晖范)

  u. Respectful and Cultivated (敬训)

  v. Fragrant and Auspicious (芳猷)

  w. Gentle and Splendid (婉华)

  x. Enlightened and Model (明范)

  y. Brilliant and Proper (艳仪)

  z. Radiant and Correct (晖则)

  aa. Respectful and Trustworthy (敬信)

  7. Below the Twenty-Seven Ladies of the Imperial Harem are twenty-seven Imperial Women of the Fourth Rank (宝林), twenty-seven Imperial Women of the Fifth Rank (御女), and twenty-seven Imperial Women of the Sixth Rank (采女). These eighty-one women are collectively known as the Eighty-One Imperial Wives.

  8. The names of the Eighty-One Imperial Wives are:

  a. Solemn and Radiant (穆光)

  b. Luxuriant and Virtuous (茂德)

  c. Chaste and Auspicious (贞懿)

  d. Shining and Brilliant (曜光)

  e. Chaste and Concentrated (贞凝)

  f. Radiant and Model (光范)

  g. Commanding and Proper (令仪)

  h. Inner and Model (内范)

  i. Solemn and Luxuriant (穆闺)

  j. Gentle and Virtuous (婉德)

  k. Enlightened and Gentle (明婉)

  l. Brilliant and Gentle (艳婉)

  m. Mysterious and Model (妙范)

  n. Radiant and Auspicious (晖章)

  o. Respectful and Luxuriant (敬茂)

  p. Quiet and Solemn (静肃)

  q. Exquisite and Auspicious (琼章)

  r. Solemn and Splendid (穆华)

  s. Careful and Proper (慎仪)

  t. Mysterious and Proper (妙仪)

  u. Enlightened and Auspicious (明懿)

  v. Revered and Enlightened (崇明)

  w. Beautiful and Correct (丽则)

  x. Gentle and Proper (婉仪)

  y. Broad and Luxuriant (彭媛)

  z. Cultivated and Leisurely (修闲)

  aa. Cultivated and Quiet (修静)

  bb. Prosperous and Careful (弘慎)

  cc. Brilliant and Radiant (艳光)

  dd. Ripples and Contained (漪容)

  ee. Splendid and Virtuous (徽淑)

  ff. Luxuriant and Proper (秀仪)

  gg. Fragrant and Gentle (芳婉)

  hh. Chaste and Careful (贞慎)

  ii. Enlightened and Brilliant (明艳)

  jj. Chaste and Solemn (贞穆)

  kk. Cultivated and Model (修范)

  ll. Solemn and Contained (肃容)

  mm. Luxuriant and Proper (茂仪)

  nn. Heroic and Virtuous (英淑)

  oo. Prosperous and Brilliant (弘艳)

  pp. Correct and Trustworthy (正信)

  qq. Concentrated and Gentle (凝婉)

  rr. Heroic and Model (英范)

  ss. Cherished and Obedient (怀顺)

  tt. Cultivated and Luxuriant (修媛)

  uu. Good and Correct (良则)

  vv. Exquisite and Auspicious (瑶章)

  ww. Trained and Accomplished (训成)

  xx. Moistened and Proper (润仪)

  yy. Serene and Cultivated (宁训)

  zz. Virtuous and Auspicious (淑懿)

  aaa. Gentle and Correct (柔则)

  bbb. Solemn and Proper (穆仪)

  ccc. Cultivated and Refined (修礼)

  ddd. Shining and Careful (昭慎)

  eee. Chaste and Luxuriant (贞媛)

  fff. Solemn and Contained (肃闺)

  ggg. Respectful and Obedient (敬顺)

  hhh. Gentle and Splendid (柔华)

  iii. Shining and Obedient (昭顺)

  jjj. Respectful and Serene (敬宁)

  kkk. Enlightened and Cultivated (明训)

  lll. Luxuriant and Auspicious (茂光)