Da Yuer instinctively disliked the person before her, and seeing her barge in rudely, she stepped forward to shield her sister.
Consort Doutumen hurried over, pulling her cousin aside, and said to Da Yuer, "Please don't be offended, Consort Yu. This is my cousin; she has always been bold and was quite impolite in front of the Great Consort just now, which was very embarrassing for me. I will definitely teach her a lesson later."
While speaking, she introduced Da Yuer to her cousin Zarut and instructed her to show respect.
Da Yuer exchanged a look with Hairanju and said lightly, "There's no need, since she is a guest, we should treat her courteously. Please take good care of her, sister, and let me know if there is anything amiss."
After saying this, she led Hairanju toward their aunt's house, leaving the two women in the palace garden.
Zarut, with a glint in her eye, asked her cousin, "That woman is Hairanju, the great beauty from Khorchin, isn't she?"
Consort Doutumen, lowering her voice, replied, "Please behave yourself; this is not a place for us to act wildly. Times have changed, just stay for a few days and then go back, and don't cause me any trouble."
Zarut disdainfully said, "You are now also one of Hong Taiji's consorts, with a proper status. Why should you be so submissive to Consort Yu? If you don't respect yourself, how can you expect others to respect you?"
Speaking arrogantly, she tucked her hair behind her ears, revealing her charming face, and then sashayed toward her sister's side palace, attracting the gaze of many palace maids. Consort Doutumen, her face flushed with embarrassment, hurried after her.
Inside the Qingning Palace, Jeje advised Da Yuer on how to deal with Zarut. Seeing that Da Yuer was distracted, she sighed.
Hairanju, noticing this, quickly said, "Aunt, both Yuer and I have noted your advice."
However, Jeje looked at her meaningfully and said, "Especially you, if she tries to approach you, stay away from her."
Da Yuer always felt that her sister was not favoured by their aunt, but she couldn't understand why and didn't dare to say it outright, so she could only silently feel sorry for her sister.
At that moment, a messenger reported at the door that Niman sought an audience, surely on an order from Hong Taiji, and Jeje immediately ordered him to be let in.
After bowing, Niman smiled leisurely at Jeje and Da Yuer: "The Great Khan has instructed me to inform the Great Consort and the Side Consort that in a few days, he plans to take the Beiles out of the city for a hunting expedition before the snow. He would like for the Great Consort and the Side Consort to accompany him as well. The date has not yet been set, and he wishes for the Great Consort to decide."
Upon hearing about the outing, Da Yuer's face immediately lit up with joy, and she almost jumped with excitement but was gently pulled back by Hairanju, reminding her to maintain composure in front of her aunt.
Fortunately, Jeje also seemed pleased by the news, saying, "I was just thinking about going out for a walk. Go tell the Great Khan that I will discuss it here and send Adai to reply shortly."
Niman added, "The Great Khan has requested to make it a lively affair and would like all the Consorts and Princesses to accompany him."
"Understood," Jeje responded. After Niman left, she glanced at Da Yuer, seeing her composed yet amused at her excitement, "Don't worry, I won't keep you on a tight leash those days, I know how much you think I nag."
Da Yuer rushed up to her aunt, saying, "What are you talking about? It's my fault for always making you angry." Her eyes were curved with happiness, and she couldn't wait to ride out of the palace, gently shaking her aunt's arm, "Tell the Great Khan, since we're going out, let's stay out a few more days before returning."
Jeje lightly tapped on her forehead, "You..."
The arrangements for the hunting trip were soon settled, but in the following days, the Great Khan was very busy, seemingly preparing to settle all affairs before the trip. He often stayed alone in the Fenghuang Tower, and Da Yuer rarely saw him.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and on the day of departure, Qiqige came to share a carriage with them, and the whole family joyfully headed to the hunting grounds.
This was the first time Yatu and Atu had accompanied their father outside since they were born. Once on the grasslands, they were like wild ponies, and Jeje scolded them for just acting like Da Yuer, yet she didn't really restrict them, allowing the children to play to their hearts' content.
Today, they camped, and the actual hunt would start the next day. The Great Khan had a little pony delivered for Yatu, which delighted the little princess immensely.
Da Yuer, worried about her daughter falling, accompanied her horseback riding. Atu, still young, quickly became tired after playing all day and needed to sleep, so Hairanju said, "I'll take her back to sleep."
She carried her little niece back to the camp. By the time she returned, the scene had changed with tents densely packed and servants bustling around, making it hard to find her way.
Navigating roughly back to their location, Hairanju with Baoqing and Atu returned. Baoqing lifted the curtain, and as Hairanju entered carrying Atu, she looked up and was stunned by what she saw.
On the bed, Hong Taiji lay on his back, with a woman drenched in sweat wrapped around him like a snake around the sturdy body of a man.
It was none other than Zarut, the cousin of Consort Doutumen.
Suddenly, she turned her gaze towards Hairanju, her eyes filled with a disdainful malice, as if ready to spit venom, a terrifying sight.
Hairanju, scared out of her wits, covered Atu's eyes and turned to leave, holding the child tightly.
"Stop..." came Hong Taiji's voice from behind.