Chapter 07: Yehe

"Gege! Gege!" Ajina softly called out to me, "Is Gege asleep?"

The Hulan tribe is divided into four groups: Hada, Yehe, Ula, and Huifa. Huifa is located within Huinan County of Andong, Hada is to the northwest of Huinan County, Yehe is to the northeast of Siping in Jilin, and Ula is in the city of Jilin.

Oh, is that so? I suddenly became interested, patting the bear skin rug beside me, "Come over and sit down, tell me more about the past... You know, I've burned my brain, and I can't remember anything from before."

The problem lies with me; I am completely ignorant of geographical concepts

What are women here? Merely furniture placed in a man's house, livestock raised within a circle, and objects to warm the bed on the kang

Ajina's humble smile: "Whatever the princess wishes to hear, the servant shall say..."

At this time, Jianzhou has essentially been unified by Nurhaci. Currently in Liaodong, apart from the relatively insignificant wild Jurchens, the only forces that can match the Jianzhou Jurchens are the four divisions of the Huren Jurchens, along with the Mongolian Chahar and other groups

Wow! Ajina rubbed her reddened forehead, looking bewildered, clearly unaware of why I, her master, suddenly struck her. She did not dare to ask further questions and cautiously shifted her body, retreating to the corner of the carriage.

The wild tribes are divided into three groups: the Wozhi, the Kurka, and the Warka. The Wozhi is located to the northeast of Muleng City along the Songhua River, the Kurka is situated between Ning'an County along the Songhua River and the lower reaches of the Heilong River, and the Warka is found to the north of Yanji County along the Songhua River and the upper reaches of the Ussuri River

Thinking of the young Emperor Tai Chi, I cannot help but break into a joyful smile

"Gege, it is rare to see you smile recently," Ajina said joyfully. "Ever since I broke up with Shule Beile's brother, I haven't seen you genuinely smile."

Hush, I have digressed; those matters will be far in the future. For the time being, Hong Taiji is still blissfully and worry-free nursing at his mother's breast.

Alas, although they are mischievous and have a bit of a colorful temperament, they are indeed the first group of friends I made in this era. To say that I will not miss them in the future would be a lie

Ajina! I can no longer endure this. I tapped her forehead with my finger and said, "Do not let yourself be too deeply poisoned!" If one does not save oneself, then there truly is no hope left

I looked at her timid and submissive demeanor, which was both infuriating and amusing. For a moment, I was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say to her.

Ajina pondered for a moment, perhaps feeling that my questions were indeed quite strange. I did not dare to urge her, nor could I meet her gaze, so I could only keep my head down, staring at the bear skin, while my heart was secretly racing—I've heard that this girl has been serving as a personal maid to Princess Dong since she was five years old. With my questions being so straightforward, would she be able to discern any clues?

I have grown up in the water towns of Jiangnan since childhood; when have I ever endured such a frigid winter?

"Gege, drink a bowl of milk to warm up Zi Nuan Nuan."

Continue to return to the study of the geographical environment

Our Yehe is different from elsewhere, having built two cities on the east and west banks of the Yehe River. At that time, Qing Jialu Beile resided in the West City, while Yang Jialu Beile lived in the East City. The two cities complement each other... My goodness, indeed it is a prominent family; by this calculation, my cousins and cousins must be numerous. Currently, the leader of the West City is Gege's father, Bu Zhai Beile, and the leader of the East City is Na Lin Bu Lu Beile. Sister Meng Gu, the Fujin, is the biological sister of Na Lin Bu Lu Beile. It was Yang Jialu Beile who, with his discerning eye for heroes, personally arranged this marriage back in the day. A Jina has already taken on a deeply infatuated demeanor of a young girl... Currently, the leader of the West City is Gege's father, Bu Zhai Beile, and the leader of the East City is Na Lin Bu Lu Beile. Sister Meng Gu, the Fujin, is the biological sister of Na Lin Bu Lu Beile. It was Yang Jialu Beile who, with his discerning eye for heroes, personally arranged this marriage back in the day. A Jina has already taken on a deeply infatuated demeanor of a young girl, it seems that beautiful women have always loved heroes since ancient times. Unfortunately, most beauties in this world lack discernment and fail to see that the hero is merely a man. Being a man, he possesses the inherent flaws of men, especially in a society like the Manchu slave society, which has not even reached the standards of feudalism, where men are exceedingly arrogant.

"Hmm, I fell asleep," I replied sullenly

Fortunately, the little girl Ajina is quite well-behaved and sensible. She worries that I might feel bored during the journey, so she often points out the scenic landscapes along the way to amuse me. However, she has no idea that I am extremely sensitive to the cold. The climate in Liaodong is already harsh, and with the year-end approaching, heavy snow is falling, and water is freezing into ice, making it naturally even more frigid, causing me to shiver all over.

I took a small sip and found the taste to be rather strange, not to my liking, so I shook my head

The young lady sighed softly, "Where should a servant begin to speak? The Yehe family is a large clan, thriving with many descendants... I will only mention the important points. The young lady's Mafa Qingjia Nubele and Yehe Nala Fujin's father, Yangji Nubele, are biological brothers..."

The journey is lonely and boring, and I can only pass the time by reviewing the map. If it is not necessary, I am even too lazy to speak, trying to maintain my body temperature.

Well... I saw that she was unwilling to come over, knowing that she was adhering to her duties as a servant, so I did not press her. Instead, I asked: "Who are my father and mother? Do I have any siblings at home? By the way, I have never clarified my relationship with Lady Yehenala. They always say she is my aunt, but once I heard from Dongguo Gege that it seems she is not... What is the truth of the matter?" By the way, I have never clarified my relationship with Lady Yehenala. They always say she is my aunt, but once I heard from Dongguo Gege that it seems she is not... What is the truth of the matter?"

I lowered my head in contemplation. Mongolia is somewhat distant, yet the four divisions of the Jurchen are close at hand. If historical facts are accurate, Nurhaci would undoubtedly have unified the entire Jurchen tribes, and even within the next twenty years, gradually establish a nation and claim the title of Khan. ... Subsequently, his son Hong Taiji would ascend to the throne, and then Dorgon would invade the Forbidden City in Beijing, ultimately leading to the Shunzhi Emperor ascending to the throne of the Golden Luan Hall

The Jurchen people are divided into three major groups: Jianzhou, Huren, and Yeren, and they belong to the Nuerkan Dusi.

The gaze traversed the black lines drawn on the parchment two or three times, and I began to feel dizzy—indeed, the map drawn by Dai Shan was remarkably intricate, showing no signs of having been created by a nine-year-old child. It is not difficult to foresee that he will be a natural talent in military affairs in the future

Jianzhou is divided into two parts: Jianzhou and Changbai Mountain. Jianzhou consists of the Zhechen, Hunhe, Sukesuhuhe, Dong'e, and Wanyan tribes. Changbai Mountain includes the Zhushali, Neiyin, and Yalu River tribes. Zhechen is located to the east of Liuhe County in Andong, Hunhe is in the northwest of Xinbin County in Andong, Sukesuhuhe is within the territory of Liuhe County, Dong'e is in the northern region of the Tonghua County along the Tongji River, and Wanyan is to the west of Dunhua County in Jilin. Zhushali is situated to the north of Linjiang County in Andong, Neiyin is within Changbai County in Andong, and the Yalu River is upstream of the Yalu River.

She laughed and said, "Gege's temperament has become much more cheerful; I have never seen you joke with anyone before."

Since leaving the city of Feiala, the carriage has been jolting for four to five days, causing my backside to go numb and my whole body to stiffen, yet it shows no sign of stopping. Where exactly is our destination?

I quickly calculated in my mind, and suddenly realized—does this mean that my relationship with Sister Menggu can be considered that of a cousin once removed?

I gazed at her coldly, yet she remained deeply entranced, which only made me feel more disheartened. It seems that the women here, fellow citizens, are all quite resigned and content. Even being one of many concubines, she is envied to death by others!

I know that the girl in question is not referring to Hong Taiji, but rather to Chu Ying and Dai Shan. These two little ones were quite gloomy upon learning that our group decided to return to Yehe before the New Year. Dai Shan, on the other hand, managed to keep his emotions in check; although he was taciturn and melancholic, he did not lose the dignity and status befitting an elder brother. In contrast, Chu Ying, upon hearing that I was leaving, became frantic and started shouting, nearly clashing with Sister Meng Gu. He truly relied on his status as the eldest brother, showing no regard for his father's consort.

I curled up under the thick soft quilt, holding a warming stove in my hands, trembling slightly

I rubbed my brow, feeling a bit of soreness in my eyes, so I simply leaned on the soft quilt and pretended to doze off, reminiscing about the scene when we set off that day, and couldn't help but sigh. Daisan remained silent and restrained, while Chu Ying rode out of Fei Ala in pursuit, escorting until the border of Jianzhou. In the end, I could no longer bear it, finding him a nuisance, and with a stern face, I forced him to return.

Ajina was momentarily taken aback, then she giggled charmingly and said, "You are truly amusing, Gege." She tilted her head and scrutinized me closely for a couple of moments. Feeling it was strange, I asked, "What’s wrong?"