"You still have the nerve to cry?" Hong Taiji said, adjusting the person in his arms to hold her more securely as he began to head toward the side palace.
"Put me down." Da Yuer, her voice choked with tears, struggled against his hold. "Great Khan, please put me down; this is improper."
Hong Taiji's heart trembled at this familiar yet strangely distant feeling, and he stopped in his tracks.
Da Yuer wriggled free—it was unclear whether he put her down or if she had jumped out of his arms herself. Once she stood on the ground, she took a few steps back, lowering her eyes. "Great Khan, I can walk on my own."
When Hong Taiji raised his hand, Da Yuer stepped back again. She had been kneeling so long that her legs were weak, making her movements unsteady. Hong Taiji tried to support her, but she pulled away every time.
"Take another step back, and see what happens," he warned, his voice low and angry. "You've become quite bold—who gave you the courage?"
Da Yuer lifted her tear-filled eyes, no longer trying to hide her crying. She stubbornly wiped away her tears and said, "I have no courage, no talent, and I'm certainly not likable. If the Great Khan doesn't want me to leave, I won't. Do you have any further orders?"
"You!" Hong Taiji's forehead veins bulged with anger. He stepped closer and, in a low voice, said, "You caused this trouble, and now you think you're in the right?"
He refrained from scolding her loudly, perhaps because he cared about his own dignity.
"I don't please you, so naturally, you find fault with everything I do." Da Yuer gestured toward the opposite side palace, where she assumed the sisters were hiding and watching. Through her tears, she continued, "The woman you favour is over there, waiting to dance for you, your new consort."
"Da Yuer, are you asking for punishment?" Hong Taiji was furious, his eyes glinting coldly, and finally, he shouted, "Get back inside! I'll deal with you later."
Sumala, already frightened out of her wits, hurried to support her mistress. Hairanju, who had heard the commotion, also emerged from the side palace. The two women didn't even have time to greet Hong Taiji, instead helping Da Yuer inside together.
Jeje had heard that the Great Khan had arrived and came to greet him outside Qingning Palace, only to see Da Yuer being ushered indoors by her sister and Sumala, while Hong Taiji stood there, seething with anger.
Jeje's heart raced; it had been a long time since she felt so nervous. She approached him gently, "Great Khan, I just brewed some tea. Would you like to have a cup?"
Hong Taiji looked at his wife, his anger finally found an outlet. "Is this what all your efforts in teaching her have amounted to?"
Jeje knew her husband well, understanding his likes and dislikes. But she had the weight of the Khorchin clan on her shoulders; she couldn't become the type of woman he truly favoured. Whereas Da Yuer…
"This is the result of your own indulgence," Jeje retorted, though her tone softened. "I warned you that you would only end up angry."
"Calm down. It's not such a big matter, and we're only giving people more to gossip about," she added.
Hong Taiji, still brimming with anger, swept past her and stormed into Qingning Palace.
Jeje remained standing, her posture straight as she glanced around, her gaze falling on the door of Consort Doutumen's side palace.
The one hiding by the window ducked down in fear, but Zarut merely turned aside, evading Jeje's gaze with a sneer, and mocked her cousin, "What are you so afraid of? Do you think Jeje's eyes can see through walls?"
"Stop talking!" Consort Doutumen, clearly frightened, grabbed her cousin's sleeve and trembled, "Jeje is not to be trifled with; don't provoke her."
Zarut crouched down, lifted her cousin's chin, and laughed proudly. "Jeje may be formidable, but Hong Taiji is not. No matter how powerful she thinks she is, she's still beneath Hong Taiji. She's past her prime, can't even bear a son. What does she think makes her so special? Sister, I'm confident. Don't worry."
She stood up, looking over towards Da Yuer's palace, sneering, "Compared to Jeje, it's that delicate Bumubutai and her pitiable sister who are truly hard to deal with. Those Khorchin women are like falling stars from the heavens, their beauty is enough to make one grit their teeth in jealousy."
Meanwhile, Da Yuer sat on the kang, staring blankly ahead. Her skirt and pant legs were rolled up, exposing her pale legs.
Her knees were red and bruised, the skin already broken. Hairanju gently dabbed her wounds with a cloth, causing Da Yuer to flinch with each touch—it was clearly very painful.
"Yuer, bear with it. Applying medicine now will help it heal faster. If you hurt your kneecaps, you'll suffer when you get older," Hairanju said, deeply pained, as she carefully cleaned her sister's wounds. She then reminded Sumala, "Check your knees, too; don't neglect them."
Sumala forced a smile, "We servants are used to kneeling at any moment, so we are used to hide something in our pants. Don't worry about me, older Princess I'm fine."
She looked at her mistress, and, upon seeing her badly injured knees, couldn't hold back her tears. "Miss, this must be unbearable for you. At least say something if it hurts."
Da Yuer finally looked up, her voice hoarse as she asked, "Where are Yatu and Atu? Take them out to play so they don't see this."
Hairanju replied, "The children are with Qiqige, so don't worry."
Knowing that the children were in good hands seemed to reassure Da Yuer, and tears began streaming down her face. She looked at her sister and asked, "You knew about everything, didn't you?"
Hairanju hesitated, not knowing how to answer, when Sumala spoke up, "Older Princess, Miss knows about Zarut now."
Da Yuer froze, sliding off the kang bed and collapsing in front of Sumala, "What do you mean by that? Even you knew, but I didn't?"
Sumala stammered, "I only heard about it last night, Miss. I only found out last night…"
Da Yuer was devastated. "Are you saying she was with the Great Khan last night, too?"
"No, no!" Sumala became increasingly flustered, stumbling over her words in panic.
"Yuer, don't be like this. Try to calm down." Hairanju felt overwhelmed with guilt, but she had no idea what the right thing to do was.
Da Yuer, heartbroken, clutched her sister's hand, sobbing, "Sister, did you really see it with your own eyes? That woman said you saw it."
Hairanju nodded stiffly, "I walked into the wrong tent, and when I entered, I just... Yuer, I'm so sorry. I couldn't bring myself to tell you—I didn't want to hurt you."
Da Yuer shook her head, "It's my fault. I'm just a concubine myself, after all. Who am I to feel this way? What right do I have to be sad?"
Hairanju's heart broke at her words, and she embraced her sister, saying, "You've done nothing wrong. You love your man; what's wrong with that?"
When Adai arrived, she found them crying together, too shocked to say anything. She motioned to Sumala and took her outside.
Hairanju helped her sister back onto the kang, holding a jar of ointment and some bandages. "Listen to me, and let your wounds heal," she said.
Da Yuer, barely able to catch her breath between sobs, whispered, "Sister, he's going to cast me aside…"
Hairanju applied the ointment, her voice choked, "Of course not. Apologize when the time comes, and the Great Khan will comfort you, and things will go back to normal. Even the tongue and the teeth clash sometimes; in marriage, who doesn't bicker now and then? Your brother-in-law and I have argued too, and yet… he's the one who's let me go. But don't let yourself miss out on the happiness you have."
"I'm sorry, Sister," Da Yuer murmured, feeling guilty for bringing up Hairanju's painful memories. She dried her tears, stopped crying, and gritted her teeth as Hairanju applied the ointment.
Hairanju couldn't help but smile through her tears, "Now you're being good. Just like your aunt always says, you still haven't grown up. Soon enough, Yatu will be more sensible than you—what kind of example are you setting as a mother?"
In Qingning Palace, Sumala knelt, trembling, in front of the Great Khan and Jeje, swallowing hard as she awaited their judgment.
Jeje handed a cup of tea to Hong Taiji, glanced at Sumala, and said slowly, "Did Da Yuer truly not know about Zarut? She acted against her in the hunting grounds, not because of…"
She looked toward Hong Taiji, who showed no reaction, so she continued without hesitation, "It wasn't out of jealousy because the Khan took Zarut, was it?"
Sumala nodded vigorously, "Great Consort, I swear to the heavens that when the side consort attacked last night, it had nothing to do with… what you mentioned. If it hadn't been said aloud just now, the side consort would have known nothing about it."
Hong Taiji idly stroked the porcelain bowl in his hands, his expression indifferent, as though entirely unconcerned.
Jeje cleared her throat and continued, "And what about Hairanju? How did she get involved?"
Sumala explained all that she knew, but she was careful not to speak further about whatever might have occurred between Princess Lan and the Great Khan.
Hong Taiji, sounding lazy, said, "She stumbled in by accident. It's nothing."
Jeje replied, "Perhaps Hairanju already told Yuer. Otherwise, last night was just a dance, why would Yuer have reacted so strongly? Is she mad?"
Hong Taiji remained silent, sipping his tea. He managed the affairs of the entire nation—should he let matters at home overwhelm him?
Yet he didn't know what to do with Da Yuer's stubbornness. Part of him wanted to shake some sense into her, but another part felt guilty, unwilling to let her shed a single tear or suffer any pain.
Sumala withdrew, and Jeje, unfiltered, spoke directly to the heart of the matter: "She shouldn't have attacked anyone, but why did you let it get this far, Great Khan? Now, it's all so tangled, Yuer probably doesn't even understand why she acted that way. Unless… Hairanju already told her."
"Hairanju wouldn't say anything," Hong Taiji replied instantly.
"Are you so certain?" Jeje's eyes reflected her pride.
Hong Taiji didn't wish to recount what happened in the woods, and he trusted Hairanju would hold her silence.
"Enough of this. She's throwing a tantrum, but it's my own fault for spoiling her. I'll deal with it myself," Hong Taiji said, rising and putting on his boots, feigning indifference. "She'll calm down in a few days. Does she think she can carry this on forever? You shouldn't worry about it either; let her think it over herself."
As Jeje helped him with his boots, she asked, "And what about Zarut? What do you intend to do with her?"
Hong Taiji replied flatly, "Do as you see fit."
He left Qingning Palace and strode toward Fenghuang Tower, where he happened to see Hairanju emerging from the side palace, handing a medicine box to a maid. Turning around, their eyes met.
Hairanju performed a formal greeting, her demeanour cold and distant, radiating an aura that kept others at bay.