Khalkha Mongolia was affiliated to Outer Mongolia, also known as Northern Mongolia. The strongest tribes were the Tushetu Khanate and other three tribes, and the rest of the small and medium-sized tribes depended on the three tribes for survival.
In the 27th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, the ambitious Junggar leader Galdan invaded the northern desert on a large scale. The chaos in Khalkha Mongolia lasted for many years, with internal and external troubles. It was not until the Qing army went on an expedition to the frontier and the eldest prince captured Galdan alive that Khalkha gained a moment of peace.
In any case, after years of war and chaos, Mobei had already been severely damaged. For the future of the tribe and to express gratitude for the court's help, the three major Khalkha tribes jointly wrote to the emperor to seek allegiance, which made Emperor Kangxi very happy and he soon approved it.
In the 30th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, the court went to Duolun Nor to settle the dependent Khalkha Mongolian tribes. The emperor held a meeting with the Mongolian tribes, which was known as the Duolun Meeting. The leader of the Tushetu Khanate, the leader of the three major tribes, Galdan Dorji, was conferred the title of Duoluo County King, and his sons were all conferred titles. For a time, both the host and the guests were very happy.
At the bonfire dinner, laughter and joy were heard everywhere. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Galdan Dorji put his right hand on his chest and performed the highest standard of etiquette to Kangxi: "Your Majesty, if I surrender to the arms of the Eternal Heaven, my eldest son Dunduobu Dorji will inherit the Khan throne and become the next leader of the Tushetu Khanate."
The people of the grassland believe in the Eternal Heaven and have no taboo about "death". As soon as he finished speaking, the leaders of various tribes looked at him with sharp eyes and immediately sat up straight, unable to help but guess the intention of his words.
"My son is fourteen years old and has long admired the princess of the Qing Dynasty..." Galdan Dorji used the word "son" in a literary way. He had specially asked the court officials and secretly memorized the word. After saying this, he tapped his chest and leaned forward sincerely, "In the name of the Eternal Heaven, I, Galdan Dorji, swear here that when the princess marries in the future, the Tushetu Khanate will share the Khanship with the princess! I hope His Majesty the Emperor will approve it."
The intention of the marriage was made clear, and everyone was shocked.
Even though the Khalkha Mongols surrendered, there were constant internal disputes. Seeing him like this, the leaders of the other two large tribes could not help but sigh in regret, secretly hating Tushetu Khan's tribe for taking the lead, and at the same time they were shocked by his oath.
Will the Khan throne be shared with the princess in the future
They cursed inwardly, what a thief's trick! In this way, the emperor and the court will surely strongly support the Tushetu Khanate. In the future, won't they have fertile pastures and herds of cattle and sheep? There will be no need to worry about unrest and looting anymore.
They wanted to open their mouths immediately, but no words came out no matter how hard they opened and closed them.
It is true that the various tribes want to form an alliance, but they really don't have the courage to do so!
Soon, a young man stood beside Galdan Dorji. He was wearing a colorful dress with narrow sleeves, wheat-colored skin, and smooth lines. His expression was a combination of shyness and wildness. His facial features were a little immature, but he already showed a bit of rugged handsomeness.
The young man smiled, revealing his two small canine teeth, and leaned forward and said, "Dundubu Dorji, please allow me, His Majesty the Emperor."
******
Many important officials attended the meeting, including Yunxiu's brother Tu Yue. Within a few days, the news quickly reached the Forbidden City.
"Did the Emperor just agree to him?" Ilha had a pretty face and elegant manners. She was holding a fan, smiling with pursed lips, and threading the needle to embroider.
Jingpin got angry when she saw her like this, and poked her forehead fiercely, "The emperor has not responded, but he is not far from agreeing."
"That's Khalkha Mongolia, with high mountains and long roads, far inferior to Khorchin, or even your sister Rongxian's Balin tribe. And your sister Duanjing will marry into Kharchin Mongolia soon, and the only princesses left are you and Moyaqi. But no matter what, how can a younger sister marry before an older sister?"
What's more, the fifth princess, Moyaqi, who was raised by Concubine Duan, is only eight years old now, which is really not the right age.
As she spoke, Jingpin became worried, "That Dundub guy only admires the Fourth Princess, and he's almost naming her."
"Mother, that's Dunduobu Dorji." Ilha couldn't help but correct him. He put down the fan and thought for a while. After a while, he said, "Sharing the Khanship sounds interesting."
Jingpin knew her daughter well. She slowly covered her chest when she heard that. Just as she was about to speak, she heard a voice from outside: "The Imperial Noble Consort has arrived—"
"elder sister."
"If Yi Erha doesn't want to, the royal family will need a princess of similar age." Yun Xiu sat next to Jingpin and said softly, "The emperor won't be willing to let her go either."
Concubine Jing had been mentally prepared for Ilha's marriage, but Khalkha Mongolia was too far away from the capital, and it was difficult for the royal family to support the princess.
It's OK that they're far away, but there are constant internal disputes, and the daughter will inevitably suffer if she marries there. She doesn't even know if her future son-in-law is round or flat. If he's extremely ugly and doesn't care for people, she'll be so angry that she'll die.
"Mother Yi, I will marry you." Yierha's almond eyes sparkled, and she held the corner of Yunxiu's clothes, saying coquettishly, "But my daughter is thirteen years old this year, and she will have to stay for at least five years. Within five years, I will definitely ask Dunduobudorji to come to Beijing once so that you and mother can have a good look at her."
If you are good-looking, it is okay to treat others with a smile.
If she doesn't look good... then there's no need to have sex. Yilha pondered for a moment, thinking about the possibility of having no husband. As for the next leader of the tribe in her belly, why not find someone who looks good
Dunduobudorji is the eldest son, so he must have many younger brothers.
…
The future prince consort, who was far away in Khalkha, suddenly shuddered and almost fell off his horse.
"Dunduo, I haven't seen you for a long time. Have you lost your horsemanship?" The son of the leader of another tribe laughed and said with envy, "Your Abu (father) actually asked for a Qing princess for you. In my opinion, the girls on the grassland are not as good as a finger of the princess. You are blessed."
Dunduobudorji frowned slightly and pursed his lips.
There was no precedent for the princess of Khalkha to marry. It was rumored that the princess of the Qing Dynasty was spoiled, well-mannered, with skin as white as jade, too beautiful to be real, but he did not like such a weak woman.
What man doesn't want to make achievements? He grew up in the grassland, so he hoped that his wife would be his helper.
But after all, she was the princess he had begged for, and for the sake of the tribe and his people, he would never break his promise to share the throne. He would respect and serve her, and make the princess's eldest son the crown prince... That was enough.
*****
In the 31st year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, Dundubdorji inherited the title of Zasak County Prince. In the 32nd year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, the Imperial Noble Consort was crowned as the Empress, and the fourth princess, Ilha, was crowned as Princess Heshuo Kejing. In August of the 33rd year, the Qing Dynasty exchanged marriage certificates with the Khalkha Tushetu Khanate, and preparations for Princess Kejing's dowry began.
The day before the marriage certificate was exchanged, Yierha went to the Qianqing Palace alone to ask for an audience with Kangxi. The imperial study dismissed everyone, and no one knew what the father and daughter talked about. When Liang Jiugong reentered, he saw that the emperor was smiling with satisfaction and told him, "Collate the Khalkha affairs handled by the Lifanyuan in the past into a book and present it to the princess."
Yi Erha raised his head and said, "Father, the Northern Desert alone is not enough. I also need to read the case files in the Southern Desert."
Kangxi praised: "Good! All as you say."
In addition to reading case files and becoming familiar with Mongolian, Yierha also practiced martial arts, archery and horse riding, but she no longer hid it from others. So the empress dowager knew about it, the prince knew about it, and the concubines in the harem also knew about it. When the Prince of Zhi and his wife talked about it, they praised her three times: "This is my princess of the Qing Dynasty. She is as good as a man!"
The fifth princess and the princess of the royal family who studied with her were terribly frightened.
Princess Kejing's embroidery skills are well-known in the capital, and her elegance is known to everyone, but this girl who is proficient in swords, spears, and halberds is also her.
The fifth princess swallowed her saliva and asked her quietly: "Fourth sister, this embroidery needle..."
Ilha smiled gently and said softly, "Just control your strength and calm your mind to avoid violently hurting others."
Fifth Princess: “…”
The fourth prince who came to visit his sister accidentally heard: "..."
In the 34th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, the leader of the Tushetu Khanate and his eldest son Dunduobu Dorji came to Beijing. The purpose of this visit was to pay tribute, to show loyalty and consolidate the alliance, and to allow Princess Kejing to meet her future husband, which was quite romantic.
The leader thought it was romantic, but the future prince consort didn’t, and neither did the other princes.
Dunduobuduoerji was seventeen years old this year. He was tall and straight, with a clear face that made him look even more wild and handsome. In the hall, he bowed respectfully, his two fangs looming, and he was a completely different type from the men in Beijing.
Kangxi nodded with satisfaction, and Yunxiu's eyes lit up. This child is good-looking and a good match for Ilha.
The princes also admired such a brother-in-law. But the admiration lasted only a moment. The crown prince sighed softly, revealing a trace of pity; the fourth prince hesitated to speak, and finally did not speak.
The Fifth Prince felt half relieved, as his future brother-in-law looked strong and would definitely be in good health.
Sensing something was wrong, Dunduobudorji said: “?”
Soon, he put his doubts behind him.
Ilha was dressed in a white palace dress, walking gracefully. Her face was rosy, her eyes were gentle, she knelt down and called out "Emperor Father, Empress Mother" in a voice as sweet as an oriole, and a blush appeared on her cheeks after she finished speaking.
Dunduobudorji stood there in a daze, his heart pounding, and he felt like his soul was flying away.
For a moment, he forgot his dislike for weak women. All he could think of was the princess in front of him. Her skin was so white, her eyes were so beautiful, and she had been pampered for many years, but she had to marry a rough man like him...
In the future, he will hold her in his hands and will not let her suffer even a little.
This silly look made the prince's mouth twitch and he coughed heavily before he came to his senses.
Seeing this, Yi Erha's smile deepened, he lowered his eyes, and called him softly, "Prince."
Dunduobudorji's soul flew away again.
******
After the meeting at the palace banquet, they said goodbye to each other. From then on, Dunduobudorji was haunted by the thought and felt tormented when he returned to the grassland.
After enduring year after year, the emperor finally gave in. In May of the 36th year of Kangxi's reign, at the age of 19, Irha, who was promoted to Princess Gulun Kejing, married into the Mobei Kingdom. She was accompanied by thousands of people, and was dressed in a phoenix crown and a red bridal gown.
The prince consort rode his horse to Shengjing to welcome her, fearing that he might offend the beauty, so the long procession moved forward slowly and finally arrived at the princess's residence in Guihua City in mid-June.
As a newlywed, the envy of others, Ilha quietly familiarized himself with the surrounding environment, and spent another month quietly understanding the current situation of Khalkha Mongolia.
The Khalkha Mongols were divided into three major tribes and were not a monolithic entity, and the Tushetu Khanate, into which she married, was also not a monolithic entity.
The leader was getting old, but Dundobdorji was still young. Although he was sure to take over the throne of Khan, many people were dissatisfied.
After many days, Yi Erha walked out of the princess's mansion and went to the grassland with her husband to inspect the tribe. When the princess arrived, her subordinates and tribal warriors came to pay their respects. Most of them did not dare to look directly at her, and some were not very respectful, staring at her motionlessly, with surprise and deep greed flashing in their eyes.
Ilha narrowed his eyes and asked in a low voice: "Who is that?"
"It's my uncle, Gala." After Dundobdorji said this, a sharp and cold look appeared on his face.
Ilha suddenly realized.
Gala fought with the leader for the Khan position and was ultimately defeated, but his accumulated power cannot be underestimated. Recently, he has become restless and has had unclear connections with surrounding tribes.
"This whip of mine was gifted by the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty."
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the gentle and elegant princess smiled and said this, then suddenly pulled out the long whip from her waist and whipped that disgusting face.
"You are disrespectful to the princess and have no regard for the law." She said with a smile, accompanied by screams that resounded through the sky, and whipped Gala again and again, landing densely on her face, back, and hands.
The wounds were so deep that bones were visible, and soon the ground was covered with blood.
Dunduobu Dorji's pupils shrank slightly, and his body suddenly stiffened.
"From now on, the pastures, cattle and sheep under Gala's command will all belong to the Khan. If anyone disobeys, they are against me and the Qing Dynasty." Ilha stopped smiling and said slowly, "Guihua City has 100,000 soldiers stationed there. All it takes is an imperial decree from me. Who would disobey?"
“…” The tent was silent except for the sound of swallowing saliva.
Dunduobudorji's soul flew away again.