Wealthy families don't need to buy good land,
In books, there are thousands of measures of grain.
To live in peace, no need to build grand halls,
In books, there are houses of gold.
When going out, don't lament having no one accompany you,
In books, there are carriages and horses as numerous as reeds.
When taking a wife, don't lament having no good matchmaker,
In books, there are beauties with faces like jade.
If a man wishes to fulfill his life's ambition,
Diligently read the Six Classics by the window.
A thousand years ago, an emperor named Zhao Heng composed a “Poem to Encourage Learning,” which closely linked golden houses and jade-like beauties with books. Frankly, this poem doesn't possess much literary merit. However, firstly, its principles are simple and easy to understand, and secondly, due to power worship—an emperor, being the supreme ruler under heaven—even a mediocre poem would naturally be spread by a host of sycophants, and through countless transmissions, it became a profound maxim.
Swish, swish, swish, Sule Teng was flipping through a book. As an old history buff, he was reading a historical text: “The History of the Four Oirat.” From outside the study, the sound of the television drifted in, with the news anchor reciting in an undulating tone, “Again, how many sheep in a certain place…” There was no choice; in these times, travel was difficult, the economy was difficult, and naturally, one's wallet was also difficult. What could relieve sorrow? Only reading!
Sule Teng's father was a refined man who particularly loved vines among plants, hence he named his son this. The son, however, felt his old father hadn't chosen the name well; “Sule Teng” (Sulete), a homophone for “losing hurts” (Losing hurts), no wonder he had struggled so hard all these years yet achieved nothing. Alas! The name was inauspicious!
He adjusted his heavy glasses, which seemed about to slip down, and concentrated on the book. Soon, he was captivated by a myth.
“Once upon a time, a person dreamt that thirty-two swans flew over the Naranjana River in India. Someone caught the middle swan with a lasso, and it was said that this would bring blessings to both the Buddha and the person themselves. At the same time, he dreamt that in the mid-autumn of the Wood Dragon year, a celestial maiden and a dragon prince married, and ten months later, a son was born. Soon after, the mother flew away, and the father hung the son under a tree shaped like a curved pipe. Sap flowed from a tree knot and dripped into the infant's mouth, nourishing him like breast milk, with an owl guarding nearby. People found this infant, gave him the surname Choros (Mongolian for ‘leaking pipe’), and named him ‘Bo'han’.”
Since the Choros clan was descended from a celestial maiden and a dragon prince, they were naturally extremely fierce. Bo'han's descendants were divided into two branches: one named Dzungar and the other Dörbet, both renowned great tribes of the Oirat Mongol (“Wala,” “Oirats,” “West Desert Mongol”).
As Sule Teng read the book, his thoughts flew to that legendary tribe: the Dzungar.
From Bo'han to Ulintai Bada, Haohai Dayu, Batu, Toghon, and Esen, the tribal leaders were all powerful ministers of the Yuan Dynasty. That Esen was particularly formidable; he first captured Emperor Yingzong of Ming during the Tumu Crisis, and later almost annihilated the male members of the Golden Family (“killed almost all Yuan descendants”), proclaiming himself “Great Yuan Heavenly Saint Khan,” and establishing the era name “Tianyuan.” After the Manchu Qing was established, the powerful Dzungar tribe remained a nightmare for the Manchu, to the extent that Emperor Qianlong issued an edict stating: “These rebels must not be shown any leniency; only the old, young, and weak may perhaps be spared and resettled.” This edict led to the near-total slaughter of the able-bodied men in the tribe.
“Galdan~ Galdan~”
Sule Teng was moved by the desolation of the historical record, and he involuntarily murmured the name of that legendary hero, Galdan, before drifting off to sleep.
Upon waking, he found himself transformed into a tender piece of flesh, immersed in a dark, lightless pool.
“Oh my goodness!”
A sigh flashed through the depths of his soul. Sule Teng kicked out with his small, tender leg, touching a soft presence.
“Taiji, the child is kicking me,” in the great tent on the Yulduz Grassland (now the Bayanbulak Grassland in Xinjiang), the beautiful Biji (a Ming Dynasty transliteration of the Mongol Taiji's wife, derived from the Chinese “concubine”) Subude shyly told the Great Taiji of the Huit Tribe, Ike Ming'an Nomudalai.
“Is that so? Let me listen,” the twenty-something Nomudalai joyfully pressed his ear to his wife's belly. He couldn't help but be excited; this was his firstborn!
Yes, firstborn, it must be a son!
As the chief of the Huit Tribe, not having an heir would lead to instability. He was already over twenty; at this age, others already had sons running around, but his wife had been slow to bear a son. It was inevitable that some in the tribe would spread rumors, “The Biji cannot bear a son because the Taiji is cursed by the heavens.” Such rumors were rampant. Nomudalai strongly suspected that these rumors were instigated by his two younger brothers, Noyan Ubashen and Buyanbu'erhan, but he had no proof to convict them.
“It's true, the child is really moving, I feel it!” Nomudalai burst into hearty laughter, giving his wife a big kiss on the cheek, “Subude, your name means pearl; the Buddha will surely protect a pure pearl!”
“Taiji, this time I will definitely bear you a son!” Subude's voice was soft, yet incredibly resolute.
Their voices reached the ears of the little tender flesh within the womb. Although he didn't understand Mongolian, they were his parents in this life, and the blood-is-thicker-than-water feeling connected by the umbilical cord made Sule Teng feel immensely warm.
He finally understood his situation: he had transmigrated! He had actually transmigrated into a fetus! Damn it, books really do contain everything, including time travel!
The reason Nomudalai Taiji was certain this pregnancy was a son was because he had received the blessing of the Gelug Sect Master Dongkoer Manzhu Xili Hutuktu. This Master had come to the Oirat Mongol to spread Buddhism under orders from Lhasa. His Buddhist teachings were profound, and he traveled everywhere explaining the White Sutra to people. After his arrival, the four major Oirat tribes: Khoshut, Torghut, Dzungar, and Dörbet, all converted from their original Shamanic beliefs to Gelug. The Huit Tribe, as a vassal of the Dörbet, was no exception and believed very devoutly. To ensure the birth of a son, Nomudalai offered five hundred livestock to the Master.
Last year, after listening to the Master's sermon, Baibagas Khan, the leader of the Oirat alliance, felt that the world was illusory and that his own life was impermanent. Therefore, he decided to become a Toyin (a Master of noble origin).
When the news spread, the Taijis of the various Oirat tribes became worried: “Now we are surrounded by enemies: Khalkha Mongol to the east, the East Chagatai Khanate to the south, Kazakh to the west, and Oros to the north. As the Great Khan, how can you become a monk? Are you joking?!”
They all said, “The Oirat's horse whip is in Baibagas's hand.” This meant that they still needed Baibagas's leadership. So, everyone asked Dongkoer Manzhu Xili Hutuktu: “Is it more blessed for one person to become a Toyin, or for each of us to send a son to become a Toyin?” The Master replied, “It is more blessed for everyone to become a Toyin.”
Thus, Dalai Taishi of the Dörbet, Kharakhula and Chuhur of the Dzungar, He Erleke and Luo Bu Zang of the Torghut, and Kundulun Ubashi of the Khoshut, each sent a son to become a Toyin. Baibagas did not have a biological son at the time, so he adopted Baba Khan's fifth son from the Khoshut Sanggas family as his adopted son, had him become a Toyin, and gave him the monastic name Namuka Jemecuo. This person later received the title “Zaya Pandit” (Sanskrit transliteration, Zaya meaning victorious, Pandit meaning a highly accomplished monk proficient in the five sciences) from the Tusheet Khan, thus beginning his legendary life.