Fourteenth...Beile

Jeje gently reminded Hairanju, "Don't go running around recklessly with Yuer. Be careful not to get hurt."

Hairanju smiled and nodded in agreement. Da Yuer, full of pride, grabbed her sister's hand and declared, "Aunt, we grew up on horseback. Not like some people."

Her remark was clearly aimed at Qiqige, but Qiqige wasn't so easily provoked.

As soon as the sisters rode off, Dong'e began to cry. Jeje reached out her hands and said soothingly, "Come, let Aunt hold you. Be good, Dong'e…"

The other women gathered around, cooing over Dong'e, praising her for being such a beautiful and adorable child. They chatted animatedly about how Qiqige seemed to have a special bond with the little one. The lively atmosphere buzzed with laughter and conversation. Meanwhile, Hairanju and Da Yuer had already ridden far from the camp, their laughter carried by the wind.

On the other side, several women from the Chahar clan had gathered around Nam Jung. Her face was pale, and her spirits low. In her current state, it was impossible for her to compete with the women of Khorchin. Simply enduring the occasion and conserving her strength to safeguard her health and her unborn child was all she could manage. Survival was her priority.

Consort Sutai noticed her exhaustion and softly asked, "If you're not feeling well, why insist on coming out here? These conditions are harsh."

Nam Jung replied indifferently, "It was Jeje who brought me along. She probably fears that if I stayed home, I might go and rummage through their rooms."

Consort Sutai smiled wryly. "That's impossible. Surely there are guards at the doors?"

Nam Jung didn't want to discuss her circumstances in the palace any further, so she changed the subject, asking, "Why don't you go horseback riding or hunting?"

The women exchanged glances, and Nam Jung suddenly remembered that, back when she was with Lin Dan Batur, they had also never enjoyed hunting. In the final years, life had been consumed by endless battles, leaving no time or energy for such leisure.

People are truly forgetful. So quickly, she was beginning to erase her past from her memory. Perhaps in a few more years, she would completely forget that she had once been Lindan Khan's wife.

Yet she couldn't forget her dignity and pride. She refused to spend her life in submission. Even if she couldn't achieve greatness herself, she was determined that her son would rise above others.

Watching the lively scene around Jeje and listening to the flattery directed her way, Nam Jung clenched her fists tightly in silent determination.

At that moment, the main hunting party was spread out across the hunting grounds, with the Eight Banner youths chasing their prey.

The animals in the hunting grounds were partly natural inhabitants and partly brought in beforehand. It was said that during the Yuan Dynasty, Mongols had even used Han people as prey, hunting and killing them for sport—a truly barbaric practice.

Hairanju listened in horror. "Really?"

Da Yuer nodded seriously, "I was shocked when I first heard it too. When we Jin Dynasty people conquer the Central Plains, we must treat the Han people better."

Hairanju took note silently. She might never have the chance to discuss this with Hong Taiji, but if the topic ever came up, at least she would understand.

They soon found Hong Taiji. His teasing gaze swept over Hairanju, as if silently asking how she still had the strength to ride after such a passionate night. This unspoken intimacy wasn't lost on Hairanju. She could feel it, and the thought of Da Yuer noticing made her blush deeply with embarrassment.

Da Yuer, bold and energetic, had already galloped ahead on her horse. Hong Taiji snapped out of his reverie and called out, "Yuer, slow down!"

He instructed his men to follow her and then slowed his pace to ride alongside Hairanju.

Hairanju spoke softly, "Great Khan, Aunt wishes for a fox fur scarf."

Hong Taiji pointed to the horse behind him, which already had a pure white fox hanging from it, and asked Hairanju, "What do you want?"

Hairanju's eyes softened, and she replied, "I just wanted to go out for a ride. I don't really want anything."

Hong Taiji teased, "You still have the energy to ride a horse?"

The beautiful woman's gaze was tender as she softly said, "Great Khan, it's broad daylight… please don't tease me."

Hong Taiji laughed heartily, almost wanting to pull Hairanju into his embrace. Instead, he lightly flicked the horsewhip across her horse's backside and said, "Let's see if we can find more foxes. I'll have one made into a scarf for you too."

The two rode together. Though Hairanju had never studied Chinese characters and could not read, she had grown up on horseback, and her riding skills were exceptional. She followed Hong Taiji effortlessly, keeping pace without him needing to worry.

The attendants, upon learning that Hong Taiji wanted to hunt foxes, began driving the animals toward him. It wasn't long before Hong Taiji shot another fox, its fur completely white and flawless—perfect for making a scarf.

From a distance, Da Yuer spotted Hong Taiji and her sister riding side by side. A feeling of discomfort stirred in her heart, but after all, she had been the one to ride off first. One shouldn't be petty. She decided to take the opportunity to prove herself and regain some pride.

She urged her horse forward, speeding across the field. Inadvertently, she intercepted a prey that should have been Hooge's. When Hooge rode up, he saw Da Yuer bent over, picking up the game that was meant to be his.

Hooge cursed silently, impressed by Da Yuer's riding skills. He had initially thought her to be a delicate beauty raised in the palace, but now he saw she was more than capable.

"Go," he signalled to his men, muttering maliciously, "Use the blow dart."

The men passed by Da Yuer and her companions, pretending nothing was amiss. Hooge had never had much interaction with her, so it was only natural for them to exchange mere nods instead of greeting each other.

While Da Yuer was checking what she had caught, she asked where she could find some rabbits, as she wanted to capture some live ones to bring back for Dong'e to play with. Suddenly, her horse reared up and whinnied. Luckily, Da Yuer held tightly onto the reins and didn't get thrown off. But her horse was out of control, galloping faster and faster, growing wilder. Da Yuer struggled to maintain control, but it was becoming harder.

The hunting field was full of people chasing after game, and even Hong Taiji, seeing her, merely assumed she was chasing her prey. He just muttered a reprimand: "She's running too fast, doesn't she worry about falling off?"

Hairanju's gaze fixed on her younger sister, suddenly sensing something was wrong. She grew anxious and urgently said to Hong Taiji, "Great Khan, is Yuer's horse out of control?"

Hong Taiji's heart tightened. He took another careful look and immediately urged his horse forward.

The blow dart aimed at Da Yuer's horse was a tactic Hooge's men used on the battlefield. The dart was coated with poison, which could excite the horse to the point of death. It was highly effective during cavalry combat and was one of Hooge's military secrets, even Hong Taiji was unaware of it.

At this moment, a silver needle had pierced the horse's rear, and the poison was gradually seeping into its bloodstream. The faster it ran, the quicker the poison spread, and though the horse would eventually collapse and die from exhaustion, not everyone could endure such a frantic run.

The violent jostling caused Da Yuer to be thrown from the saddle several times. Realizing the danger she was in, she found that she had completely lost control of the reins.

In this critical moment, a white figure appeared in the distance. Today, the Eight Banners' soldiers were all wearing their respective banner's attire, and the white figure could only belong to the Plain White Banner or the Bordered White Banner. The person riding toward her was none other than Dorgon.

He had paused earlier, watching from afar when he suddenly saw Da Yuer's horse going wild. Without hesitation, he spurred his horse forward.

However, Da Yuer's horse was running faster than he had expected, and he watched as she was thrown into the air. His heart nearly stopped.

"Jump off! You have to jump off!" Dorgon shouted. In battle, such situations were not uncommon, and it was less dangerous to jump off the horse skilfully than to be thrown. But for Da Yuer, this was obviously too difficult.

In fact, Da Yuer couldn't even hear Dorgon's shouts. The pounding of hooves and the wind howling in her ears drowned everything out. The only thing that mattered now was holding on tightly to the saddle to survive.

Dorgon's whip cracked in the air as his horse quickly caught up with hers. He released the reins and stirrups, standing up on the saddle.

This was a riding trick usually only performed in exhibitions. Dorgon had never done it many times in his life, but now he had no choice. With a sudden leap, he threw himself at Yuer, wrapping his arms around her and jumping off the horse.

The frantic horse continued to run, while Dorgon rolled with Da Yuer in his arms for several paces. He held her tightly throughout, and Da Yuer felt the world spin. When everything finally stopped, she was heavily pressed against Dorgon's body.

Both of them were dazed from the fall, but it wasn't until the others arrived that Da Yuer struggled to get up. Hong Taiji had arrived and swiftly dismounted, picking Yuer up into his arms.

"I don't know why it suddenly went mad…" Da Yuer, scared that Hong Taiji might reprimand her, felt her eyes well up with tears.

Hong Taiji held her gently, soothing her back while also checking her body for any injuries. He asked if anything had been hurt during the fall. Meanwhile, the guards had helped Dorgon up, and he was panting heavily, his ankle sprained. His mind was in turmoil, uncertain about how Hong Taiji would react. Perhaps it wasn't Hong Taiji's suspicions, but Dorgon's own guilty conscience. However, at that moment, Huang Taiji showed no signs of blaming him.

Hong Taiji, well aware of his own limitations, realized that, in that situation, he wouldn't have been able to save Yuer in time. Fortunately, Dorgon was young, strong, and quick enough to act. If it had been an ordinary guard, they likely wouldn't have been able to accomplish what Dorgon had.

"Go back and have a thorough check. See if you've been injured elsewhere. Your body is the soul of the Great Jin army," Huang Taiji said to his brother without hesitation. "Don't hide anything. If you're hurt, get it treated right away."

Da Yuer finally snapped out of her daze. How many times had this happened? Dorgon always appeared at the most critical moments. She hadn't had the chance to thank him last time when she was kidnapped on the mountain. Now, with Hong Taiji right there, it seemed even better. She curtsied to Dorgon, saying, "Fourteenth Beile, thank you for saving my life."

"Fourteenth...Beile?"

Dorgon's heart jolted. Although he knew that Yuer called him by his name following Hong Taiji and Jeje's examples, referring to her husband's younger brother. he had always cherished the way she called him simply "Dorgon" over the years. Why had she suddenly started calling him "Fourteenth Beile"?

"Let's go back." Hong Taiji instructed the attendants to prepare, ready to leave.

"Great Khan... I'm fine. Can we not go back to the palace so soon?" Da Yuer said with concern. "If it's because of me again, everyone will hate me..."

Hong Taiji picked her up effortlessly, not caring that Dorgon was present. He affectionately said, "I'll deal with you properly when we get back. Stop causing trouble."

But as he turned, his expression shifted, becoming as sharp as a blade. He looked at the horse speeding away in the distance and coldly ordered his attendants, "Follow it. Find that horse and bring it back. Even if it's dead, drag it back."