MLMD -Chapter 66 The Enlightened Matriarch

On the 28th day of the eleventh month in the fifth year of Chongzhen, Yue Yang bade farewell to Zaisang and the reluctantly parting Hailanzhu, and, with his caravan in grand procession, began the journey home.

This trip to the Khorchin had been exceptionally fruitful for Yue Yang. Not only had he acquired 1,200 warhorses, but he had also gained a bride as lovely as a flower.

The marriage alliance with the Khorchin tribe was not a spur-of-the-moment decision made under the lure of Hailanzhu’s beauty. Yue Yang had thought it through carefully. He knew that although he could freely travel between the modern era and the Ming dynasty, his current body had no legal identity in the present—a black-market ghost, so to speak. What troubled him most was that his modern-era crossing point was fixed: he could only appear in the house on the outskirts of Mingzhu City, where the original Yue Yang lived. If he failed to appear for an extended period, or if the authorities declared him missing, that house could easily be confiscated, making it extremely difficult for him to return to the modern world.

Given this, Yue Yang had always been extremely careful. It was out of the question for him to establish a mechanized transport team in the Ming dynasty—the logistical requirements were far too demanding. Teaching late-Ming peasants or soldiers to operate modern vehicles would have been shocking and impossible, and there was no large-scale road network anyway. Thus, building a cavalry became an urgent necessity, and a cavalry required a large number of warhorses. The Khorchin tribe was exactly such a source. With Hailanzhu as a connection, Yue Yang could not guarantee that the Khorchin would side with him in war against the Later Jin, but at least in purchasing horses, cattle, and sheep, Zaisang—the old fox—would not give him trouble.

As Yue Yang pondered these matters, Li Yuan looked at him, then glanced at the dense throng of horses, and felt a profound sense of awe. This former bookworm, once the laughingstock of Yingzhou Prefecture, had undergone a transformation that could only be described as earth-shattering over the past few months. He had first trained an elite militia, then somehow acquired a massive quantity of fine salt and taken control of the prefecture’s salt market, driving the arrogant Wang family out of the city. Now he had returned from the Khorchin with a large number of warhorses—and, astonishingly, had even been accepted as a son-in-law by the Khorchin leader. Li Yuan could hardly believe his eyes.

Yue Yang turned to the thoughtful Li Yuan and said sincerely, “Master Li, it was thanks to your help that I was able to acquire so many warhorses on this trip to the Khorchin. From now on, if there is ever anything you need my help with, do not hesitate to ask. Whatever I can do, I will not refuse.”

Yue Yang’s words were a clear gesture of indebtedness—he was telling Li Yuan that he owed him a favor. Li Yuan understood: as the saying goes, “money can be repaid, but favors are hard to return.” With just this statement, the bond between the Li and Yue families would deepen.

Li Yuan looked at Yue Yang gratefully and silently nodded.

On the seventh day of the twelfth month, after a long and arduous journey, Yue Yang drove over a thousand horses and finally returned to the Yue family village in Wulizhai.

The entire village was in an uproar upon his return. Nearly all the villagers—men, women, young, and old—came out, helping each other, to witness the spectacle.

Seeing the endless stream of more than a thousand warhorses, the villagers murmured in awe. For most of these farmers, who had never traveled more than a few dozen miles from home, such a scene was once-in-a-lifetime. Thousands of horses paraded past them, a sight that would fuel conversation for weeks.

As for the Yue family household, the matriarch led Yue Yang’s younger sister, Yue Ying, by the hand, along with a group of servants, to greet him. There was a lively reunion, and after paying his respects to the matriarch, Yue Yang followed her to the backyard.

The matriarch sat in the seat of honor in the main hall. After carefully observing Yue Yang for a while, she nodded with satisfaction and said, “Hmm, leaner, but stronger. A man must venture out into the world to grow quickly.”

At that moment, Yue Yang suddenly stood, knelt before her, and said, “Grandmother, there is something my grandson did without reporting to you. I beg your forgiveness!”

The matriarch was initially taken aback, then laughed. “Oh? What could make my good grandson so nervous? Tell grandmother.”

“Well…” Yue Yang hesitated before telling her about his engagement to Hailanzhu. He concluded, “Grandmother, I acted rashly without your permission in arranging this engagement. Please do not be angry!”

“Oh, does my good grandson need my approval for every matter? Did you sell the Yue family village or something?” The matriarch chuckled dismissively.

“Well… then I’ll just say it.” Yue Yang clenched his teeth. “Grandson… arranged a marriage in Mongolia!”

“What? A marriage?” The matriarch froze, as did Yue Ying, the Linglong sisters beside Yue Yang, the steward Yue Laifu, and all the nearby maids. Actually… they were not just frozen—they were terrified.

After a long moment, the matriarch’s voice trembled as she said, “Grandson, tell me again… what did you do in Mongolia?”

At this point, Yue Yang could only grit his teeth and say, “Grandson… arranged a marriage with the daughter of the Khorchin tribe’s chief. Her name is Hailanzhu.”

After speaking, he fell silent, kneeling and waiting for her reaction. In China, there is an old saying: “Parents’ orders, matchmaker’s words”—children’s marriages must be decided by their parents; otherwise, it is considered improper. This tradition, thousands of years old, was at its peak in ancient times. The idea of children choosing their own partners was inconceivable. As a result, when Yue Yang finished, the room was silent, except for Shunbao and Hu Laosan, who already knew the situation. Everyone else stared at him in disbelief and awe.

But the matriarch, having managed the Yue family village for decades, quickly regained her composure after the initial shock. Her sharp eyes fixed on Yue Yang as she asked, “Grandson, I know you are not rash. Can you tell me exactly what happened when you arranged this marriage?”

Yue Yang nodded and reported the entire trip to Mongolia, including his conflicts with Daishan and Aobai, and the staged loss at the sheep-grabbing contest, telling her everything in detail. He knew that in this world, the only person he could fully trust was the matriarch before him.

After listening, the matriarch was silent for a long moment, then suddenly laughed. “Grandson, to make such a decision in such a short time is truly remarkable. If I had been there, I would have agreed as well. And though the girl is not Han, she is a princess of the Khorchin tribe. It seems this marriage is well-matched. Moreover, once you marry her, the Yue family gains a strong ally. I can think of no reason to oppose it—well done!”

“Ah…”

Yue Yang had never expected such a result. The matriarch not only did not scold him but praised him highly, far exceeding his expectations.

Only now did he finally relax. The matriarch and his sister Yue Ying were his only family in this world. If she had opposed, he would have been completely flustered.

Seeing him finally exhale in relief, the matriarch smiled. “Yang’er, did you think I would be furious or oppose this engagement?”

“No… grandson would never think so!” Yue Yang said, scratching his head awkwardly.

“All right, you needn’t kneel anymore. Stand up.” The matriarch laughed and gestured for him to rise.

“Oh, big brother, you’re engaged! Does that mean I’ll soon have a sister-in-law?” Yue Ying, who had been standing beside the matriarch, ran up, grabbing Yue Yang’s hand, her cute eyes wide with excitement.

“Yes, Ying’er. Do you like the idea of your brother bringing a sister-in-law home?” Yue Yang smiled, lifting her up.

“Yes!” Yue Ying hugged his neck and clapped her hands happily.

With his family’s approval, Yue Yang finally relaxed. The next task was to begin reorganizing his militia…