Section Two

The words had barely left her lips when the entire hall fell into a stunned silence. The assembly exchanged bewildered glances, staring at Baori Longmei in utter disbelief.

"Clatter..." A teacup slipped from Wang Shirong's hand, shattering upon the floor. As eyes turned toward him, his face flushed crimson. Flustered and at a loss, he bowed clumsily to Lin Feng and stammered, "My lord... your humble servant... I..."

Lin Feng waved his hand with a wry smile.

Relieved, Wang Shirong stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "Please forgive me, my lord. I must take my leave!" He turned and strode out of the tent.

"Your Highness, Prince of Han, our people on the grasslands say you are a great hero in the Central Plains, much like the soaring eagle in the sky," Baori Longmei said, her face twisted into a mocking sneer. "Is it possible that you are now unable to even speak a single word?!"

Lin Feng turned his head to study this legendary beauty of the grasslands. Perhaps due to a difference in aesthetic standards, he didn't find her particularly beautiful. Compared to his own wife, Ake, Baori Longmei’s skin was a shade darker and her face slightly broader. However, she possessed a tall, lithe, and graceful figure. At this moment, her large eyes were fixed intently upon him, unblinking, and her full, red lips were pressed together in a stubborn, well-defined line.

"Ahem... ahem..." Lin Feng coughed, using the act of sipping tea to mask his expression. As his gaze swept across the room, the guards standing on either side averted their eyes, not daring to meet his look. "Well... regarding that... ahem, Princess Baori Longmei, I am, after all, the Prince of Han. Why don't you show some courtesy when you see me?!" Having regained his composure, he adopted a stern expression. "You are, after all, a princess. You must be polite, understand?"

Baori Longmei curled her lip in disdain. "I am Mongol; I do not know your Han customs!"

"Oh, you are mistaken there!" Lin Feng’s spirit lifted as he slipped into the role of a political commissar, patiently coaxing her. "Hasn't the young prince Pucha told you? The Mongols are actually a branch of the Han people; it’s just that you didn't settle in the Central Plains to farm. Herding and farming are just different divisions of labor. We are all one family!"

"Oh! If that is what you say, does that mean you are also a Mongol?"

"Well..." Lin Feng paused. "You could put it that way. But technically, I am a 'Shanyue Han.' Of course, you could call me a 'Shanyue Mongol-Han,' though that sounds a bit awkward."

Baori Longmei’s eyes widened, and she let out a laugh. "Then am I a 'Mongol-Han'?"

"Clever!" Lin Feng praised, giving her a thumbs-up. "You have potential!"

"Fine," Baori Longmei decided to drop the subject. "I want to be the Princess of Han. Will you agree or not?"

Lin Feng felt incredibly awkward, his face burning. He truly didn't know how to respond. Glancing sideways, his aide Li Ergou quickly interjected, "My lord... I... I shall go out and patrol!" He gestured to the others, "Everyone, come with me for a patrol!"

Once they had left, Lin Feng exhaled in relief, but Baori Longmei sneered, "You people of the Central Plains are so hypocritical!"

"This isn't hypocrisy; it’s 'propriety.' It’s a rule passed down by the Great Sage Confucius, and we must abide by it, just like the Great Yasa established by Genghis Khan at the Onon River and Mount Burkhan. Do you understand?"

"I don't understand, and I don't want to!" Baori Longmei shook her head. "Will you marry me?"

"This... are you unaware that I am already married?" Lin Feng replied with a bitter smile. In all honesty, he considered himself a man of rich imagination, yet he had never envisioned being forced into marriage by a beauty. It was truly an unexpected turn of fate.

Lin Feng stared at her for a long time in silence. Finally, he stood up and shouted, "Li Ergou, bring two horses!" He turned to Baori Longmei with a slight smile. "Let’s go for a ride!"

After the great battle, the wilderness was vast and desolate. A biting wind brushed their faces, still carrying the faint scent of blood. Near the main road, a few abandoned villages miraculously showed thin wisps of smoke. Riding his horse, *Black Cloud Over Snow*, Lin Feng gazed at the setting sun and said to Baori Longmei, who rode alongside him, "Do you see?" He pointed to the vast expanse. "I fought Galdan here; thousands upon thousands died. And Buriyagma's strength is no less than his." He looked at her with a bitter smile. "How many more do you want to see die?"

Baori Longmei frowned, gazing at the endless plains, and said blankly, "Do you know? Genghis Khan once told his *anda*, Jamukha, that although the grassland is vast, it cannot hold two heroes. You are a hero, and Buriyagma is a hero; it is fated that one of you must die!" She smiled slightly. "Perhaps there is also Galdan, or Wu Sangui, or others. Heroes always die on horseback; you have no choice."

Lin Feng remained silent. Baori Longmei continued, "My father died, my brothers died. The Tüsheet Khanate is left with only a woman. Eternal Blue Sky has left us without sacrifices; we can only act like fledglings, hiding under the wings of a great eagle to graze our cattle and sheep on the plains!"

Lin Feng shook his head and sighed helplessly. "Miss, can we talk about something else? Honestly, I don't think this is an appropriate topic for us!" He flicked his whip and smiled. "Tell me about life on the grasslands—about the foals or the lambs!"

"The Tüsheet have no pastures left..." Baori Longmei’s eyes reddened, and she forced a smile. "I would rather hear about your Central Plains! This time, when I came from Chahar, I heard the storytellers in the teahouses tell many stories about your Han army."

"The third greatest hero of the Han is General Zhao Guangyuan. They say he is a descendant of 'Zhao Zilong.' He can shoot down a small stone from a high mountain with a single arrow and wields a 'Golden-Pointed Pear Blossom Spear.' Even from dozens of miles away, he can strike down an enemy!" Baori Longmei described with wide eyes, gesturing animatedly.

Lin Feng could no longer stand upright; he hunched over his horse's back in agony, nodding repeatedly at her.

"The fourth greatest hero of the Han is Mr. Li Guangdi. They say he is a disciple of Liu Bowen from the Ming Dynasty, capable of knowing the past and future, and teaching the people to live in peace!" Baori Longmei clapped her hands and added, "Oh, right! They also say Mr. Li Guangdi’s courtesy name is 'Jinqing,' the same as Yelu Chucai of our Great Mongol Empire. It means that talent from the Chu state is used by the Jin state. When Genghis Khan defeated the Jin and captured Yelu Chucai, he made him his chancellor, and thus he defeated all his enemies. So, when the Han rose, Mr. Li Guangdi could also serve as chancellor just like Yelu Chucai. Therefore, the fall of the Qing was fated by Heaven; it is destiny, and no one can change it!"

Lin Feng’s mouth hung open as he stared at her in disbelief. "This... this is simply..."

"Am I wrong?" Baori Longmei asked, knitting her brows. "That is what they said, and I didn't say it wrong!"

"Yes, yes... I didn't say you were wrong!" Lin Feng regained his senses and ventured, "Did they say that my sudden arrival by sea to take Beijing was surprising or unacceptable?"

"Ha! Not at all!" Baori Longmei chuckled and waved her hand. "Let me tell you, when you took Beijing and killed the emperor, my father, Tumen Urtu Taiji, didn't find it strange at all."

Lin Feng nodded dazedly, echoing her, "That makes sense... ahem... it certainly makes sense!"

"Right? Where was I?" Baori Longmei thought for a moment, then said happily, "Right, the fourth greatest hero of the Han is General Liu Lousi. They say this General Liu is a descendant of 'Liu Bei,' but he learned the martial arts of 'Zhang Fei.' He is said to be very ugly, with eyes like copper bells, a face as black as an iron pot, and a mouth like a blood basin..."

"No, no, the correct phrasing is: 'eyes like copper bells, face like the bottom of a pot, mouth like a blood basin, voice like roaring thunder, wielding a serpent-headed spear, possessing the courage of ten thousand men!'" Lin Feng corrected her with a grin. He cast a side-glance at her and laughed, "And did they say he can 'take the head of a general from among a million troops as easily as reaching into a bag'?"

"Yes, yes!" Baori Longmei said in surprise. "Didn't you just say you hadn't heard of these things?"

"Haha!" Lin Feng laughed so hard he leaned back. "I... I guessed! So, who is the fifth greatest hero of the Han?"

"General Yang Haisheng. They say he is a descendant of the 'Yang Family Generals,' but he has a very unique skill: he can stay underwater for three days and three nights without breathing, and he can 'eat raw fish and shrimp without changing his expression'!" Here, Baori Longmei shook her head skeptically. "I could believe the martial arts of the previous generals, but this General Yang is truly too unbelievable." She nudged Lin Feng. "Tell me, can he really stay underwater for three days without coming up for air?"

Lin Feng was truly impressed. He couldn't imagine how the bear-like Yang Haisheng could be related to the dashing Yang Liulang. But thinking about it, philosophy states that all things in the world are interconnected, and according to proletarian materialism, they couldn't be completely unrelated. He couldn't help but sigh. "If Old Yang were truly that capable, I would have crossed the Pacific to conquer Manhattan and plundered tens of billions long ago!"

"So it's fake, haha!" Baori Longmei sighed in relief. "The sixth greatest hero of the Han is Mr. Wang Shirong. They say he is 'Zhang Liang's'..."

"Stop, stop, stop! Wait a moment!" Lin Feng suddenly realized, stunned. "This is already the sixth, so why haven't I been mentioned yet? As the Prince of Han, I surely shouldn't be ranked so far down!"

Baori Longmei paused, considering this for the first time. "That's true... how strange. By rights, you should be the 'first hero of the Han'..." She turned to look at Lin Feng, then let out a long breath of relief. Pointing at his horse, *Black Cloud Over Snow*, she concluded, "Look at you, you can't even ride a horse properly. Your archery must be terrible, so of course you can't be ranked first!"

Lin Feng was left speechless. Just as he was about to retort, the sound of galloping hooves rang out from behind. Turning around, he saw a guard officer riding toward them from the main camp. The officer shouted from a distance, "Reporting to the Prince of Han, the Khorchin Prince Buriyagma has sent an envoy!"

Baori Longmei’s face turned deathly pale, her teeth clenched. Lin Feng glanced at her and shouted, "Do not see him! By the way, what is the envoy here for?"

"According to Lord Wang, Prince Buriyagma heard of our great victory over Galdan and has sent an envoy with ten thousand taels of gold and five thousand warhorses to congratulate us!"

Lin Feng gasped; this was a significant gift. "Does he have any requests?"

"Reporting to the Prince of Han, there are no requests. Besides congratulating us on the victory, he also wishes to propose a marriage!"

Lin Feng paused, looking at Baori Longmei beside him, and couldn't help but think his luck with women was truly extraordinary today. He asked the officer, "What marriage is he proposing?"

"The envoy said that Prince Buriyagma is proposing on behalf of his *anda* Tumen Urtu's daughter, Princess Baori Longmei!" The officer glanced secretly at Baori Longmei and then straightened his face.

"Your father and he are actually sworn brothers?!" Lin Feng asked in disbelief, looking at Baori Longmei.

Hatred flashed in Baori Longmei's eyes as she slowly nodded. "Last year, after we in the Tüsheet were defeated by the Dzungars, my father brought us to the Hulunbuir grasslands. That jackal Buriyagma wanted to become *anda* with my father, and my father agreed."

It was unbelievable. Lin Feng wanted to ask Baori Longmei how Buriyagma could want to marry his *anda*'s daughter, but the words died in his throat. He shook his head and sighed toward the sky. He had considered himself a man of ruthless heart and thick skin, but compared to this fellow, he was far behind. This Buriyagma clearly didn't know the meaning of the word "shame."

The image of the innocent, straightforward, and lovely Mongol hero had completely collapsed. Lin Feng told the officer, "Go tell the Khorchin envoy that I am very busy right now and will not see him..." He glanced at Baori Longmei, blushing, and added, "Ahem... as for what he mentioned... regarding that matter, just say I thank Prince Buriyagma!"