vstars Chapter 653 Bo Ri Te China
Chapter 653 Bo Ri Te China
“Wang Baobao?” Liu Ye finally remembered why Kökö Temür sounded so familiar. “Isn’t his father the Prince of Ruyang and the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces of the Realm? How did he become Grand Commandant Hussein? Doesn’t he also have a younger sister named Minmin Temur, who is a princess? She also has a Han name, Zhao Min?”
Li Fei replied, “It’s not Hussein, it’s Sayin Chidahu, that’s his biological father. But actually, he was raised by his maternal uncle from a young age, who treated him as his own son, so the father recorded in historical records is his maternal uncle, Chaghan Timur. I haven’t heard of the so-called Prince of Ruyang and Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, but Chaghan Timur was once appointed Darughachi of Runing Prefecture (Note 1), perhaps later generations mistakenly passed down the title of Prince of Ruyang. In fact, Chaghan Timur later rose to the position of Grand Councilor of the Central Secretariat (Note 2), commanding the troops in the Jining area, and there was no such thing as Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces. As for his sister…”
Li Fei recalled carefully and replied, "The historical records and genealogies are not detailed, but I heard that Kökö Temür did have a younger sister, whose nickname was Guanyin Nu. Her surname was Wang, not Zhao, and she was never granted the title of princess. After being captured by the Ming army, Zhu Yuanzhang bestowed her upon his second son, Prince Qin Zhu Shuang, as his princess. Zhu Shuang was buried with her when he died."
The characters Wang Baobao and Prince Ruyang in the original story were based on real people, but the incomparably beautiful, quick-witted, and passionate Princess Shaomin Zhao Min was fictional. Liu Ye was quite disappointed, as she was one of his most admired female leads.
Li Fei continued, "After the ninth year of the Hongwu reign, there are no further records of Kökö Temür's activities. Some say he died in the Hala Nahai government office in the eighth year of the Hongwu reign, but this cannot be confirmed. In fact, as the last important minister and general of the Yuan Dynasty, Kökö Temür knew that with the national strength at the time, even the northern deserts might not be able to be defended, let alone the restoration of the Central Plains. Therefore, he arranged for his descendants to leave the Yuan court with the Imperial Seal and a treasure map, hiding their identities and waiting for the right opportunity. As soon as the Ming court experienced turmoil, they would open the treasure map, rise up in rebellion, and lead the heroes of the land to overthrow the Ming Dynasty..."
Hearing this, Liu Ye roughly understood that the so-called treasure and the so-called anti-Ming restoration were just overused tricks by the remnants of the fallen dynasties. The "remnants of the Northern Yuan who traveled and colluded in Hebei and Henan, attempting to overthrow the court" mentioned by the Embroidered Uniform Guard was probably him, that is, a descendant of Kökö Temür. However, compared to similar behaviors in history, this time there was an added gimmick of the Imperial Seal of the State.
As expected, Li Fei placed his right hand over his chest, bowed, and introduced himself: "Bo Ri Te Chi Na, the 33rd generation descendant of Kökö Temür, the Right Chancellor of the Great Yuan Dynasty, greets His Excellency the Earl of Pingnan, Right Commander-in-Chief, Dragon and Tiger General, and Commander-in-Chief of Qionghai Town of the Great Ming Dynasty."
Upon hearing the words "Great Yuan," Liu Ye's eyebrows twitched. The Ming Dynasty's history is marked by two instances of Han Chinese dynasties being overthrown by ethnic minorities: once by the Qing Dynasty, and the other time by the Yuan Dynasty.
If the Qing Dynasty's rule of keeping its people ignorant put China hundreds of years behind the West, representing a major regression in Chinese history, then the Yuan Dynasty's devastation of the Han people reached its zenith. The Han were relegated to the lowest rung of the four-class system, even worse off than the Koreans; to prevent them from possessing weapons for rebellion, the rulers stipulated that only five households could share a single kitchen knife; newlywed Han wives had to give their virginity to a Mongol; and people over sixty were forced to wait to die in cemeteries in the wild… For the Han people, the Yuan Dynasty was a dark and humiliating era. In Liu Ye's view, the Qing Dynasty was a malignant tumor parasitizing the Han people, while the Yuan Dynasty was a jackal sucking their blood and flesh—neither was a good thing.
Liu Ye tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, speaking slowly but firmly: "As my subordinate, I admire your outstanding military talent. Although we are in a subordinate relationship, we are equals in terms of personality. But if you insist on speaking to me as a descendant of the Yuan Dynasty remnants, I will find it difficult to resist the urge to pull out my pistol and shoot you. In my eyes, the so-called 'Great Yuan is worthless. Temujin and his descendants have all turned to ashes. What is a prime minister of a last dynasty worth?"
Li Fei was not surprised by Liu Ye's attitude at all. He calmly looked into the other man's eyes and said, "If the general sees this introduction as a ritual, as a helpless act of carrying out my mission, would you feel better? If it offends the general, you can ignore the name Bo Ri Te Chi Na. I am still Li Fei."
"Heh, mission..." Liu Ye chuckled. "How come all my subordinates are like this? Wang Qinian carries a mission, and so do you. In terms of time, you're about the same... But ironically, the Embroidered Uniform Guard he serves is your mortal enemy, and his mission ended because of capturing you. In the end, you both became my subordinates. The wonder of the world is beyond words!"
Li Fei said solemnly, "What we have in common is not only that we both bear heavy responsibilities, but also that we have met a wise ruler who can relieve us of our immense burdens..."
Liu Ye asked curiously, "Are you saying that you still want to serve me after your identity is exposed? Aren't you a descendant of the noble Chancellor? Why would you serve a Han Chinese? Besides, aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
Li Fei sighed and continued, "My branch of the family has always been a single-lineage lineage, living in anonymity. From a young age, we practiced archery and horsemanship, and studied military strategy. We can be considered both scholarly and martial, always preparing to overthrow the Ming Dynasty. However, over the years, my father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and I have all believed that a unified Han Chinese dynasty is difficult to overthrow by external forces unless it is corrupt from within. Starting with my grandfather, the idea of overthrowing the Ming and restoring the Yuan Dynasty was abandoned, but due to ancestral precepts, we dared not openly express it within the family. If it weren't for the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) discovering our branch of the family through a chance clue in the first year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, we might have continued to live in seclusion for generations..."
“If you really intend to live a life of peace and quiet, even if the Embroidered Uniform Guard finds out about you, you can simply hide. Why bother running around trying to overthrow the Ming Dynasty? You yourself said it was all in vain,” Liu Ye asked, puzzled.
A trace of grief and indignation appeared on Li Fei's face. "When the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigated our family, they slaughtered all ninety-one members of my family. Only a few trusted family members protected me and helped me escape to safety. If I don't avenge this, I will not be worthy of being a son!"
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Note 1: Darughachi is a Mongolian word meaning "seal holder," and was an official title in the history of the Mongol Empire. Genghis Khan appointed "Darughachi" in various cities, who were military, civil, and judicial officials representing him. They exercised their ruling power based on the Great Yassa and combined it with local customs.
Note 2: Zhongshu Pingzhang Zhengshi was an official position in the Yuan Dynasty, equivalent to the deputy prime minister in the Han Dynasty.