Chapter 199 Han Chang'an
The forest is filled with heavy moisture. Every morning and evening, thick fog suddenly appears in the forest. The narrow paths are filled with white fog. People standing there cannot see the road clearly, and the camels on the road become more impatient. In order to avoid accidents, the caravans will choose to rest where they are.
The mountains were heavy and the sound of camel bells echoed. Sui Yu listened carefully but could not tell the direction at all.
When the fire was lit, the flames burned the mist and water, and the thick fog could not gather in the small area. Only then could the faces shrouded in the misty white fog be seen clearly.
The group had been accustomed to traveling through the forest for more than half a month. Everyone had their own duties, some chopped wood, some looked for water, some dug vegetables, and some cooked. After they had their fill, they found a place to rest and sleep.
The path in the forest is narrow and dangerous, with only enough space for a camel to walk on the bottom and branches covering the top. If no one cuts off the climbing branches, there will be no sunlight in many places on this trade route.
Sui Yu and Song Xian dozed off by the fire, with rain hats on their heads to protect them from snakes and ants that might fall from the branches.
The sound of camel bells in the distance disappeared, probably because the caravan members had stopped to rest.
When it gets dark, the birds return to the forest and the mountains become bustling with noise. In less than an incense stick of time, the mountains and forests return to silence, the chirping of birds disappears, and rustling sounds can be heard again in the dense forest. These are the night animals coming out of their holes to look for food.
The last flame in the fire disappeared into sparks. Sui Yu opened her eyes, stretched her neck, picked up the machete and chopped branches, threw the wet branches into the fire, and soon choking smoke rose.
Everyone else woke up, and Zhang Shun and Li Wu called a few male servants to go around the area, knocking and banging to drive away the animals that came out at night.
When the fire started burning again, everyone went back to sleep.
They slept and woke up all night, and when the sun came out at dawn and the sunlight dispelled the thick fog in the forest, the caravan set off on their journey.
At noon, Sui Yu met a group of merchants setting out from Chang'an. There were some familiar faces among them, and the escort was a bodyguard Sui Yu was familiar with.
"Huh? Shopkeeper Yu?" The sword-carrying bodyguard looked at him several times and recognized Gan Da and Gan Er in the team. Only then was he sure that it was really the shopkeeper of Changgui Inn who had entered the pass.
Sui Yu greeted him with a smile, "You just entered the customs last autumn, and now you're leaving again?"
"I'm not leaving the country. This time I'm escorting the convoy to Shuzhong." The escort looked at her in surprise and asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
"I'll ask you to escort the convoy another day."
The escort now understood that this female shopkeeper was actually planning to go into business. No wonder she and Captain Zhao had been training slaves every day for the past two years.
The two sides gave way to each other. Hu Shang's camel caravan had already passed, and Gan Da and Gan Er also followed with their camel caravans. Sui Yu did not delay any longer and greeted the familiar escorts one by one. She drove the camel to catch up with the team.
"Is this a woman?" asked the merchant next to the escort.
The escort nodded and explained, "This is a female shopkeeper from Dunhuang County in the northwest. She runs a large guesthouse in the north of the city, providing accommodation and food for caravans entering and leaving the border. Her husband is a captain in the army. Although he is young, he is quite capable."
The merchant shook his head, "How greedy! She already has a family and a business, yet she, a woman, still risks her life to go out and do business."
The escort smiled and said, "A capable person wouldn't complain about having too much money."
The camel caravan started moving. The merchant looked back and saw that the two caravans, one in front and one behind, were about to turn. He didn't think any more about it and decided to speed up his journey while there was no fog in the mountains. The terrain in Shu was dangerous and if he went too late, the road would be difficult to travel.
They stopped when there was fog and left when the fog dissipated. After spending another three days in the forest, Sui Yu and his party finally walked out of the forest path and the Nanshan Ancient Road.
The end of June has arrived. The grains in the fields are growing vigorously. Farmers are wearing shorts and carrying shovels to weed the fields. Children are sitting in bamboo baskets babbling. The little boy chasing dragonflies stops and looks back when he hears the sound of camel bells.
"Mom, another caravan is coming."
"Go check on your brother. If you're not coaxing the child, come and pull weeds." The woman didn't even raise her head.
The dragonfly flew away, and the child lowered his head dejectedly, watching the camel caravan go away. He dragged his feet slowly to coax the child.
"Kitten, when you grow up, I'll buy you a camel and take you there to make money."
Sui Yu looked back again, but the child was no longer visible. The baby's laughter was still echoing in the wind. She missed her child.
"That's Chang'an?" Song Xian looked up into the distance. "It's still two days away, right?"
"We'll be there tomorrow at noon." Hu Shang, who had heard the noise, explained her confusion and asked, "Where will you stay in Chang'an? Do you have any plans?"
"Xianyang Plain," Sui Yu continued, "I heard that the tomb town in Xianyang Plain is a mixed-race settlement, and it's close to the East Market and West Market, making it convenient for entering the city."
"The news is true." Hu Shang nodded.
"Where do you live?" Song Xian asked Hu Shang.
"We also live in Xianyang Plain, near Xuanping Gate." Hu Shang said bluntly, "Civilians are going through Xuanping Gate. Don't go the wrong way. You will be captured by the soldiers."
Sui Yu pondered the question and asked, "Is Xianyang Plain the place where the Qin Emperor's Palace is located?"
"Yes, it used to be where the rich and powerful lived, but now it's the home of ordinary people."
Hearing this, Sui Yu became even more excited.
Thousands of palaces stood tall, and looking at the towering city, Sui Yu followed the camel caravan led by Hu Shang, getting closer step by step. The further east they went, the clearer the shape of the city wall became, and the more people they met on the way.
We met another large merchant caravan. The camels were carrying brightly colored bags wrapped with silk inside. The camels following behind were carrying lacquerware. As the camels moved, the lacquerware jingled against each other.
"Do you still recognize him?" Song Xian asked Sui Yu.
Sui Yu shook his head, thinking that this caravan was probably guests from Minxiang.
"Where are you from? Why don't you bring any goods?" As they passed each other, a bearded merchant asked Zhang Shun.
"I came from Dunhuang and came to Chang'an to see the world first." Zhang Shun replied.
The merchant understood, "First time doing business?"
Zhang Shun nodded.
It was just a casual question, and then they left, running east and west, and in the blink of an eye, the distance between them widened.
There was a Hu merchant driving a camel in front and coming towards her. Sui Yu saw that he was looking at her, so she drove the camel to meet him.
"Shopkeeper Yu, let's say goodbye here." Hu Shang said.
"Okay, thank you for your care along the way." Sui Yu agreed readily.
Hu Shang thought about it and left an address for Sui Yu, telling her that she could go there to find someone if she needed anything.
"Next year when you pass by Dunhuang, you can come and stay at my place. I won't ask you for food and accommodation." Sui Yu clasped his fists.
Hu Shang nodded and followed the camel caravan that took a detour north.
Song Xian approached. She looked at the north-south city wall and said, "Where is this? Where do we enter?"
Sui Yu didn't know either, so she asked Xiao Chunhong to ask passers-by which direction Xuanping Gate was and where Xianyangyuan was.
"Boss, that old man said this is the imperial palace, where the emperor lives." Xiao Chunhong pointed at the long city wall and said, "This seems different from Dunhuang. Ordinary people in Chang'an all live outside the city walls."
"Let's take a walk first." Sui Yu said. Hu Shang's camel caravan was still in sight, so she decided to follow the direction Hu Shang was walking.
There were three gates on the west wall, two of which were closed, and one was guarded by soldiers. Looking through the gate, there was no one in sight. Walking to the end of the west wall, Sui Yu saw a forest of houses not far away, as well as a few ruins. At the northernmost point was a mountain, which looked like a mausoleum.
Hu Shang's caravan continued to move eastward. Sui Yu withdrew her gaze and continued to follow. After passing three city gates, she saw Hu Shang making gestures to her.
"What's wrong?" Sui Yu rushed over and asked.
"Why are you following us? That's Xianyang Plain over there." Hu Shang pointed to the village with ruins in the north.
"I plan to take a walk around to familiarize myself with the direction." Sui Yu said embarrassedly.
"There are neighborhoods and mausoleums to the north of the city. Ordinary people live near the imperial mausoleum on the north bank of the river. Don't wander around in sparsely populated areas..."
Only then did Sui Yu truly understand that Han Chang'an refers to the imperial palace within the city walls. Unlike later capitals that enclosed the imperial palace and residential houses within the city walls, the Han imperial palace had no outer walls, and the people lived outside the palace and also served as a guard.
"Entering from Xuanping Gate, the first thing you see is the fortune-telling market and the East Market. Going west, you will see the Municipal Office and the West Market. Near the west city wall are Xiaoli and Xiaoli Market. These are the places we can move around. Other places guarded by soldiers are palaces where the royal family lives. You are not allowed to trespass there." Hu Shang instructed.
Sui Yu nodded to show that he understood. "Thank you for letting me know. You are really kind people."
Hu Shang sighed a little. When they first arrived in Chang'an, they were just like Sui Yu, knowing nothing. It took them half a year to figure out the situation.
"Our boss asked me to come over and tell you. If you want to thank someone, thank him." Hu Shang waved his hand and said, "Don't follow us anymore."
Sui Yu smiled and said, "Okay, I won't follow you."
After Hu Shang left, Sui Yu turned back and said to the others, "Let's find a place to stay first and settle down today. Tomorrow we will go into the city for a walk."
Approaching the ruins of the Qin Emperor's Palace, the outer walls were likely the remains of former city walls. Further in, all that was visible were traces of human life. Low-rise houses were huddled together, with the occasional large mansion. Chickens dotted the landscape, and sheep bleated. Sui Yu felt that the village was similar to the one where her in-laws lived.
All the palaces have turned into dust.
I asked several farmers about accommodation, but the conditions here were not as good as the guesthouse Sui Yu built in Dunhuang. Thirty or forty masters and servants had to sleep in four separate houses.
"Why don't we rest in an open space in the wild?" Song Xian said. "We have felt blankets. If we build three felt houses on an empty field, how can we sleep the same way we slept on the road?"
Sui Yu was a little tempted, but after a moment, she shook her head and said, "No, it rains a lot in the summer. If we live in the wild, we will all be soaked to the skin if it rains."
Finally, Sui Yu decided to rent four farmhouses, with people living inside and camels tied outside, and he arranged for people to guard them every night.
After a night's rest, at dawn, Sui Yu and Song Xian took five servants and entered the city first.
As she entered the city gate, the dilapidated scene outside quickly receded, and the houses inside were neatly arranged and newly renovated. Sui Yu walked on the hard dirt road. She looked down and saw that there were many people walking, but there was no dust on the ground.
"Sister Yu, there is a fortune-telling shop over there. Let's go and take a look." Song Xian pulled Sui Yu and ran.
A fortune-telling shop that can accommodate more than 20 people is divided into three rooms with bamboo mats. Sui Yu touched the thin bamboo mat hanging from the roof. It seemed to be made of split bamboo rods and then woven. It was thin enough to let light in and was soft to the touch. Its texture was better than that of coarse cloth.
The four walls were covered with light yellowish-white cloth, and the cloth with excellent drape covered the rough earthen walls. The roof was also covered with a blue-black cloth to prevent dust.
Sui Yu's eyes and hands have never been idle since he entered the fortune-telling shop. Chang'an is indeed luxurious and wealthy, and even the houses are dressed in clothes.
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