Chapter 60

Shabona returned with a sullen face and handed a contract of indenture to Wei Mingsu.

"The female slave has already been delivered to your tent. A female slave who isn't a virgin actually cost me fifty taels of gold, enough to buy ten female slaves! If you hadn't taken a liking to her, I, Shabona, would never have made this deal!"

Wei Mingsu asked, "Where is that Xiliang man from Ramabang?"

Shabona sneered, “Merchants only care about money. If he can’t come up with fifty taels of gold, he’s not qualified to compete with me. Don’t worry about him. How can a Turk who grew up in the strong winds of the grasslands be slaughtered? He treats the Turks like lambs eating grass. The Turks will teach him a lesson.”

Wei Mingsu took the indenture and frowned.

Seeing him staring intently at the words on the indenture, seemingly surprised by the high price of the female slave, Shabona couldn't help but laugh and whispered, "Governor Wei, it's rare that you've taken a fancy to a woman. I'll give you this female slave! I don't know if you'll be able to return to the Great Zhou alive, so enjoy yourself tonight!"

Wei Mingsu put away the indenture, but instead of returning to his tent, he led his companions into the place in Qusang City where goods were traded.

The trading area was a large area enclosed by a wooden fence, bustling with people from all over, who piled their goods directly on the ground and called out to sell them.

Wei Mingsu and his group went inside, and after walking only a few feet, they heard five or six languages.

The master and servant stopped in front of a foreign man selling spices. The foreign man did not speak the Heluo language and raised his hand to make gestures with them.

Wei Mingsu wanted to go with him to buy some spices.

As they took out their purses to pay, the surging crowd around them suddenly parted to the sides.

The surrounding crowd suddenly fell silent, and several tall, strong Xiliang soldiers, each with a sword at their waist, strode menacingly toward the master and servant.

Tong Jin immediately broke out in a cold sweat and reached for his sword with his right hand.

Wei Mingsu reached out and pressed his arm, his expression calm and composed as he looked at the several fierce-looking Xiliang soldiers.

The Xiliang soldiers strode up to them, sized up Wei Mingsu's clothes for a moment, and loudly questioned them in the Hu language.

Tong Jin couldn't understand what they were saying, and he felt uneasy, his back covered in cold sweat.

Wei Mingsu replied to the Xiliang soldier in Hu language, took the purse from Tongjin's hand, and tossed it to the Xiliang soldier.

The Xiliang soldier took the pouch, opened it, glanced at it, exchanged a look with the others, and they all smiled at the same time. They said a few words in the local dialect, took the pouch, and turned to leave.

Tong Jin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked in a low voice, "Ah Lang, these Xiliang soldiers don't suspect us, do they?"

Wei Mingsu shook his head and said, "They are here to collect taxes. Anyone who wants to do business at the fair must pay taxes to them."

Tong Jin breathed a sigh of relief and then took out a purse to buy spices.

The two continued to stroll through the fair, where Wei Mingsu bought some gems from a Persian merchant. When paying, he insisted on signing a contract, which the Persian merchant readily agreed to.

After the transaction was completed, Wei Mingsu handed the gemstone to his colleague and took the contract for himself.

As night deepened, the Xiliang people around the campfire began to sing. Their voices were loud and bold, and when the other Xiliang people in Qusang City heard the song, they all joined in.

"The place where eagles roost"

The hope for the rise and expansion of a dynasty.

The clouds rose from there.

The golden sunlight shone brightly.

His scimitar was splattered with the enemy's blood.

People from other tribes also joined the Xiliang people in singing this song.

Wei Mingsu gazed at the crowd singing below the platform and asked a Hu man selling animal skins, "Are the people of Xiliang singing praises to their gods?"

&n

The Hu man shook his head and said, "No, they are singing about General Kang Wugu of Xiliang. General Kang Wugu is an invincible war god in the hearts of the people of Xiliang. It was he who led the army to defeat the Tang army back then."

Wei Mingsu listened to the song echoing in the night, his expression somewhat solemn.

Amidst the laughter and songs of the Xiliang people, he turned back to his tent and lit a candle.

The candlelight illuminated the dark felt tent, and also revealed a naked figure on the blanket.

A woman, a blanket of white snow in the candlelight.

Wei Mingsu was taken aback and turned around.

The blonde woman on the carpet paused for a moment, then giggled, her voice alluring: "My lord, you bought me, so you expect me to serve you?"

Wei Mingsu took out the indenture and said in the Hu language, "Your name on the contract is Ani, your real name is Paulina, and your younger brother is Kunlang."

The blonde woman froze, her eyes widening, trembling all over, grabbing her undone clothes: "Who are you?"

"Old friend."

Wei Mingsu said.

Paulina, terrified, dressed and got up from the carpet. She glanced at the shadows of her attendants cast on the felt tent outside and gritted her teeth as she asked, "What old friend?"

Wei Mingsu turned around.

The flickering candlelight illuminated his face, a serene expression.

Paulina froze, staring at him in disbelief for a moment: "Mu Langjun?!"

She looked around the felt tent with surprise and asked, "Where's Feifei? Is she also in Qusang?"

Wei Mingsu was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "She's not in Qusang."

Paulina stared blankly at Wei Mingsu standing in the candlelight, a mocking smile appearing on her haggard face, her gaze gradually turning cold: "Four years have passed, and Mu Langjun is now a wealthy merchant who associates with the disciples of Sabao, wearing gorgeous clothes, having his own camel caravan, and being accompanied by armed guards... You abandoned Feifei?"

The tent was quiet for a while.

Paulina took Wei Mingsu's silence as an admission, and her mocking smile deepened: "Mu Langjun, four years ago you were so poor that Feifei went hungry, yet Feifei didn't despise you and followed you without complaint, but you abandoned her... I remember Feifei proudly telling me that you were the best husband, and when my younger brother mocked your poverty, Feifei kicked him into the campfire..."

Her pale face was shrouded in gloom, and hatred flickered in her eyes: "Mu Langjun, how could you do this to Feifei?"

In the dim candlelight, Wei Mingsu lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time, seemingly recalling the past that Paulina had mentioned.

He was lost in thought for a moment, then placed the indenture on the carpet and said calmly, "This is your indenture. I heard from the Tulun tribe that your tribe has been annexed by other tribes, so you ended up here. Shabona will settle you in a new tribe, and my attendants will take you there."

Paulina looked down at her indenture, her face darkening, and sneered, "I don't want the charity of a heartless man like you!"

Wei Mingsu's expression remained unchanged as he said, "If Feifei were in Qusang, he would definitely save you."

Paulina stared at the indenture on the carpet, trembling slightly. She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, there was no longer any hatred on her face. She bent down and picked up the indenture.

Where is Feifei now? Is she doing well?

She put away the indenture and asked.

Wei Mingsu walked to the table, took out the contracts for other goods and placed them on the table, then slowly sat down: "She has suffered a lot these past few years... Now she is with her family."

Paulina looked sorrowful and whispered, "Being with family, having someone to rely on..."

She trembled in pain and turned to leave.

Wei Mingsu was the only one left in the tent; the two female slaves that the Tulun tribe had sent earlier had been taken away by Shabona.

&n

He took out a piece of sheepskin, intending to write down the intelligence he had gathered in Qusang that day, but he was a little restless. He held the pen in his left hand and pressed the sheepskin with his right, sitting there lost in thought.

A vast, boundless grassland.

A young woman with braids and wearing a collared Hu-style robe danced with the Hu people around the campfire. The flames illuminated her smiling face, and the dark blue night sky above the grassland was filled with stars. Her smiling eyes were brighter than those stars.

"Wood, you are the best wood. No, the very best!"

She was exhausted from dancing and covered in sweat, so she collapsed onto the blanket.

Wei Mingsu cut off a piece of freshly roasted mutton, skewered it on a red willow branch, and handed it to her.

Too lazy to get up, she rolled over on the blanket, not wanting to reach out to take it, and nestled in his arms, opening her mouth to bite off the flesh from the red willow branch. She had just been drinking with Kunlang and didn't know how much she had drunk, as she reeked of alcohol.

Wei Mingsu lowered his head and wiped her sweat.

She lay in his arms and watched

He looked at him and suddenly leaned closer.

My face felt hot.

He could smell the alcohol on her lips.

It's a strong liquor from the Kunlang tribe.

A burst of laughter came from the crowd singing and dancing in the distance.

The candlelight flickered gently.

Wei Mingsu snapped out of his reverie and looked at the faint candlelight.

The tent no longer smelled of the wine that had once captivated him.

His life is already dead in the past.

The future is a dead end, and all that accompanies him is a false memory.

And her?

She will eventually overcome her hardships and do what she wants to do, and love whoever she wants to love.

She has a long life ahead of her.

Wei Mingsu calmed down and ordered his attendant to buy a jug of strong liquor.

...

After settling Paulina in, they lifted the curtain and entered the yurt.

The tent was filled with the smell of alcohol, and there was a wine pot on the table.

Wei Mingsu handed him several sheets of paper with writing on them.

Tong Jin put away the papers, glanced at the contracts on the desk, and asked, "Why did you collect these contracts, Ah Lang?"

Wei Mingsu showed no signs of drunkenness and said, "These contracts are in triplicate, and they are written in three different languages."

Tong Jin picked up a contract and examined it closely, but he didn't recognize the characters on it.

Wei Mingsu pointed to one of the columns of characters: "It's the script of the Western Liang."

Tong Jin still couldn't see anything wrong with the contract and looked completely bewildered.

Wei Mingsu said, “The Western Liang people have annexed various tribes and expanded outwards. They have sent governors to govern the expanded lands, manage gatherings, and collect taxes. All the Chinese characters on the contracts have been translated into Western Liang script… The ambitions of the Western Liang people will not stop at the Four Garrisons.”

His voice was hoarse and his face was solemn.

With the rise of the Western Liang, the Tang Dynasty missed its chance to contain it. The Western Liang continued to raid the borders, invading the Four Garrisons to the north and attacking to the east. The Great Zhou faced the rebellious Turks to the north, and the Khitans to the northeast were also rising. The Western Regions and the Western Liang were locked in a standoff.

The border situation is severe.

The people of Xiliang translated their language and wanted everyone to start learning it, as they desired to maintain their rule for a long time.

Tong Jin was horrified and wiped away a cold sweat.

Since the people of Xiliang have such great ambitions, their mission this time will be even more difficult.

Shabona wasn't trying to scare them; they might not be able to go back.

Moreover, even if they die here, no one will know that they sacrificed themselves for the territory of the Great Zhou.