“…what I don’t understand is why Leader Chanyu decided not to behead him. He is from Han,
for heaven’s sake! Chanyu is even looking seeking a wife for this spy, and promised a huge reward
for the maiden’s family! I advised against it, but His Majesty insisted, and I don’t want my head to
be the one rolling.”
“Does he pose a threat to us, dear?” asked Mother.
“His Majesty said no. Personally, I think that a madman who swallowed the only sheet of
paper that contained valuable information must be dangerous. A foolish attempt nonetheless.”
Somehow, Sumei didn’t find it foolish. Admiration swelled in her heart, and with the curiosity
of a seventeen-year-old and the determination of a child striving to restore her honour, she found
herself in the Palace the next day, volunteering to marry the Han.
She was led to a heavily guarded room by two escorts, and was surprised at what she saw.
What she saw was not the dangerous spy that Father had talked about, but a man of hope and
despair.
She heard the door close behind her. He looked up wearily. Their eyes locked.
“You are not a spy,” she said immediately.
For a minute he was speechless. Smoothing her features into an emotionless expression, she
asked, “Your name?”
Apparently that dragged him out of his thoughts. “How rude of me,” he chuckled humorlessly.
“Zhuang Qian of the Hans.” He bowed slightly.
She replied, “Ayaatila Sumei of the Xiongnu.” She paused. “Why are you here then, if you’re
not a spy?”
“I… I can’t tell you. I never meant to cross your tribe. My destination lies elsewhere.”
“You don’t trust me?”
He looked away.
“Even if you think that this whole marriage is a setup, a trap, I can assure you that I’m not
part of Chanyu’s plans. Look, if I’m going to be your… wife, you should at least trust me.”
He gave her a grateful smile.
Sumei smiles sadly and glances at her son, who is devouring his plate of mutton happily
across the table. Oh, how simple-minded children are! They feel content at the simplest of things,
and are always free from troubles.
She remembers the time when she herself was just as ignorant. The Gobi Desert was the world.
There was no civilization beyond the oceans of gold. Chanyu was a wise leader and their tribe was
always correct, always the best.
She was blind, and her husband opened her eyes to the real world. He revealed the worst of
humankind to her and shattered her innocent childhood fantasies. The Xiongnu did not uphold
their side of the peace treaty with China and raided the northwestern parts of China, burning
down houses, looting valuables and killing thousands of innocent people.
He revealed the unforgiving truth of her tribe to her. The Xiongnu she grew up in is not the
Xiongnu she now knows to be cold, bloody and merciless.
* * *
* * *
