Yarkand City.

Sima Yi, the great khan of the Yarkand Khanate, was lying on the sickbed, coughing gently. When he opened his eyes in a trance, there seemed to be someone else beside him. He opened his eyes and saw that it was his third son, Maildan. The fifth son Alimujiang, who had been serving in front of him, held up Sima Yi's body and said carefully: "Father Khan, Brother Maildan has returned from Kashgar..."

Sima Yi Khan looked at Maildan and looked at Alimujiang. He had some confusion in his eyes, and then a trace of coldness flashed, and he said to Alimujiang: "You go down."

"Ah...? Father Khan, I..." Alimujiang also suddenly saw his brother come back. He already knew that his father's health was getting worse day by day, so he didn't want to be avoided when his brother talked to his father.

Sima Yi said directly: "Alimujiang, go down, I want to talk to your brother about the important matter."

"Yes!" Alimujiang lowered his head, and some viciousness flashed through his eyes. He walked out of the door and punched the stone wall in the deep and dark corridor, and bleeding from his fist. Obviously, although he was only nineteen years old, he had ambitions, but he was not mature enough to control his emotions.

Alimujiang looked at the closed door angrily and roared in his heart: "Why, why should I be allowed to leave me? Why did Meldan have nothing to do when he comes back!"

Alimujiang left the Khan Palace unwillingly, while Sima Yi held Maildan's hand eagerly in the room and asked in confusion: "Why are you back? Who asked you back? Did Dilly write a letter to you?"

Meldan said with a puzzled look and explained: "No, although Sister Dili often sends me letters during this period, she did not say that she asked me to come back. It was news from the south. General Ata, a classmate of her son in Guihua Hall, sent a letter, saying that His Highness Yu intends to mediate the war in the Ladakh Kingdom in Tibet. In order to show neutrality and security, she wants to invite the two sides of the war to our Yarkand City for negotiations.

After receiving the news, my son immediately reported it, but after seeing no reply from Xunyue, his father's Khan had no response or not. My son came to ask his father's Khan for his wish."

When Sima Yi heard that it had nothing to do with Dilguli, he was happy at first and relaxed his expression. However, after hearing the intention of Maildan to come to Yarkand City, Sima Yi became nervous again, slapped his palm on his thigh, and said angrily: "It must be that idiot Alimujiang who has controlled the person you sent. This bastard, doing so recklessly, will ruin the big thing."

Maildan said, "Father Khan, Alimujiang also feels sorry for your health and is not going to disturb you."

Sima Yi shook his head slightly and reminded Maildan: "Alimujiang is a wolfish ambition, but you are too kind. You must be alert to Alimujiang. Although he is your brother, it is also your greatest threat."

Meldan just nodded, but said nothing more. As Sima Yi said, Meldan was too kind. Because he was a third son, he was not trained as an heir since childhood. When he was sensible, the civil strife in Yarkand had been completely quelled. Sima Yi was named Prince of the Empire and his relationship with the Empire entered a honeymoon period. However, Meldan, who was not valued, was very smart and learned Chinese and Chinese since childhood. When the empire asked Sima Yi to send his descendants to the Empire Guihua Church for further study, Sima Yi sent this "cowardly son" without hesitation.

The sixteen-year-old Meldan embarked on the road of study and first entered the Guihua Church to study. However, unlike Ata, who dropped out of school, Meldan was successful in the school, but there was no place in the country. Meldan embarked on the road to study at Shenjing Imperial University. In this process, he was recognized by Sima Yi and his two sons trained as heirs died one after another. Only Meldan and Alimujiang were considered adult descendants. Meldan was welcomed back to the Yarkand Khanate.

At that time, the empire's many things such as the restoration, expansion of Yili City, western expeditions and immigration, many Yarkand Khanate enlisted corvee labor and tribute grain. The cheap cotton, tea and other daily necessities in the Western Xinjiang and the empire were dumped in the Yarkand Khan, causing the entire Khan nationality to suffer a lot of life. The domestic powerful aristocrats were exploited more and more, and the people were living in poverty. Many people fled to the North Road of Tianshan and joined the Zasak under the Dingbian General's Mansion to survive, while Sima Yi Dahan was seriously ill.

He was bedridden, and the adult Meldan assisted Sima Yi in Alimujiang to govern the country. Meldan showed his extraordinary wisdom and professional governance qualities, and soon stabilized the situation in the Khanate. In accordance with the imperial laws and the imperial edicts of two generations of emperors, he fought with the Dingbian General and the ministers stationed in Xinjiang to fight with many tributes, and was praised by the Yarkand people as a wise and kind person, and officially became the successor recognized by Sima Yi Khan.

Although Alimujiang was young, he has also made great achievements in the past two years. When Meldan stabilized the domestic situation, Alimujiang, known for his bravery, quelled two rebellions and destroyed the rebels. However, under the holy name of his elder brother, he only gained a reputation of being easy to kill.

Meldan may know this, so he always tolerate Alimujiang. He served Sima Yi Da Khan and took some medicine. The prescription said: "Father Khan, King Yu, used his country to mediate the Ladakh War. How do you decide?"

Sima Yi thought for a while and asked, "Meldan, what did you think."

Meldan shook his head and said seriously: "This is not the responsibility of the vassal states, and we have no contact with Ladakh and Hoshuot. If mediation is not smooth and there is something wrong, it will be unfair. It is better not to do such a thankless thing. If mediation is made, you can go to Yili City, the capital of the Western Xinjiang, and the envoys will leave Tibet to enter our territory, escort and take care of it, and we will do it well."

Sima Yi nodded first, shook her head, and said, "Meldan, you are steady and considerate, which is good. But what you just said was the daily response, but it is not in line with the current situation."

"What's the situation right now?" Meldan was a little confused.

Sima Yi coughed and pointed to his shriveled chest. Meldan immediately understood that his father told himself that he had not had much time. It was time for the Yarkand Khanate to pass the throne. Sima Yi continued: "I can't get out of bed anymore. But the new Khan needs the recognition of the empire and be named Prince of Yarkand. We are vassals of the empire, which is already unchangeable.

And in Yarkand, there is also your brother Alimujiang. Although he is young, his mother is very powerful and has a deep connection with the Dingbian General's Mansion and several foreign vassals on the North Tianshan Road. For the survival of Yarkand and the stable inheritance of the Khan throne, we need the witness and support of the empire. His Highness Yu is the best choice. In fact, because of your sister Dili, His Highness Yu is also our only choice."

Regarding his sister Diliguli, Meldan, like his father Sima Yi, has a very complicated attitude. In the civil strife in Yarkand, it was Diliguli who went to the capital of the empire to participate in persuading the empire to send troops to quell the rebellion, maintain the unity of the Yarkand Khanate, and help his father seize the power of the Khanate. However, it was Diliguli, which put the Yarkand Khanate in a very embarrassing position among the imperial vassals.

Because Diliguli married Li Jundu, the elder brother of the imperial emperor, in fact, there was no more failed choice than this. When Li Jundu came to southern Xinjiang, he came in the name of tribute. No one knew that the imperial royal family had allowed him to establish his own family. Sima Yi didn't know that he had dominated the marriage with one force, but he never thought that the situation suddenly changed. Li Jundu established his own family and has now been established in the subcontinent. The Yarkand Khanate immediately became an embarrassing existence within the imperial vassals. The rat in the bellows were both angry.

It is precisely for this reason that no one is more suitable to witness the inheritance of the Khanate of the Yarkand Khanate than King Yu. Sima Yi said: "Meldan, my child, I have decided to pass on the Yarkand people and the land under my feet to you. It is you who rejuvenates the oasis in the desert, it is you who make business prosperous and the city restored. You are kind and more suitable for this country than me. So I hope King Yu can come to the Yarkand City. When he arrives, I will abdicate in you and watch you become the Great Khan and become the master of Yerkand."

Meldan nodded slightly: "I understand, Father Khan, then I will invite His Highness Yu to visit Yarkand City in your name."

"Wait a moment." Seeing Maildan get up, Sima Yi grabbed him and asked, "Maildan, do you know who your biggest threat is?"

"Alimujiang?" Maildan spoke in confusion, while Sima Yi Khan shook his head slightly, Maildan said: "Emperor? What do you mean is that because of Sister Dilly's affairs, the empire can no longer tolerate us?"

Sima Yi said, "Maybe it is unbearable, but we have always been obedient over the years, and you also enjoy the holy name in Yarkand. In recent years, Yarkand has been obedient to the empire, and they have no reason to hurt us. Your biggest enemy is someone who gives the empire such a reason."

"Who?" Meldan became even more alert. He knew that Yarkand is not pleasing to the center of the empire now, so he was always cautious when doing things, especially when making decisions related to the empire. In the empire, the Yarkand Khanate was obedient and must not give people a sarcasm and cause disaster to Yarkand.

Sima Yi shook his head slightly: "I don't know, I don't know. Maybe it's Alimujiang, maybe it's some real power lord. Every ambitious person or someone who underestimates you will become that person. There are more than one such person, but now it seems that Diliguli, your sister, the pearl of Yarkand will become the first one."

"Sister Dili, what did she do?" Sima Yi gave the answer that Maildan was very unacceptable. During his study at Guihua Church, Diliguli was the only one who visited him and the only one who had no interruption of letters. Although when he went to Shenjing to further his studies, Diliguli had already married Li Jundu and went to the distant river land, Maildan in Shenjing still received Dilguli's kindness. Many of Shenjing's nobles were Dilguli's friends and took care of Maildan.

But Meldan is not a child after all. He thought of his surprise when he first met his father, and his father thought his return was related to Dilguli, and Dilguli's increasingly intensive greetings during this period, Meldan still felt something was wrong, and there must be a conspiracy.

Sima Yi gasped, knocked on the bed board, and signaled Meldan to find something. Meldan really found a secret wall under the bed board, with a letter inside. At Sima Yi's signal, Meldan opened it and saw that it was written by Dilguli. She mentioned the exploitation, oppression, and various injustices that the Yarkand Khanate had been encountered in recent years. She suggested that the Yarkand Khanate turn to support the new Hindustan Empire and become its vassal, rather than becoming a vassal of the empire.

"Father Khan, you must not agree." After reading it, Meldan said directly: "This is the way to die. Not only can you not do it, but you don't even think about it. There is no such possibility. Doing this will cause the disaster of the country."

Meldan, who had been in the empire for many years, knew better about the power of the empire, and was definitely not comparable to that of Hindustan. There was no such significance as 300,000 cavalry. Now it is no longer the time when the number of cavalry is approximately equal to the national strength.

Sima Yi said: "I am far inferior to you in understanding the empire, but I know Diluguli's ambition. This child has not been at peace since childhood. More importantly, she is selfish in this matter. I have received secret news that her husband asked her to go to Shenjing with her son to exchange for his legitimate son and first wife. I think this is why Diluguli is really moved. Meldan, don't believe that a mother's loyal minister to her mother's family. When she has a son, everything is on that child. I am her father, you are her brother and brother, but since the birth of that child, you and I have not been the closest person she is in her, nor are she the one she relies on.

In the next few decades, she would have to rely on that child, so she would naturally only consider the child, but I don’t know what price she is willing to pay for it. What she is doing now makes me feel that the price she has to pay is our Yarkand Khanate.”

Meldan focuses on the key point. This country is his hometown and is also the place of faith and ideals. Meldan will never be given as a bargaining chip or price.

"Father Khan, should you tell Your Highness Yu about this?" asked Meldan.

Sima Yi shook her head: "No, at this critical moment, we cannot give King Yu any negative news. I tell you that it is just to make you alert. When the mission where Dilguli is located arrives, you must carefully place it and never let her be connected with the people inside, especially Alimujiang!"
Chapter completed!