Chapter 102 Chapter 102 After hearing this...
After hearing this, the Prime Minister's expression became angry, while the Right Lady remained relatively calm, but her knuckles turned white as she grasped the hem of her clothes, revealing her nervousness.
They didn't expect that Jiang Wan, who was always tactful and cautious in his speech, would be so direct and not give any face at all.
Kunmi, however, looked at Jiang Wan thoughtfully. When she made this suggestion, he subconsciously felt it was inappropriate. The ancestors of the Wusun people had once intermarried with and intermarried with the Xiongnu. Therefore, it was common for Xiongnu to participate in the Baroti Festival in the Wusun.
But on second thought, ancestors are ancestors. Wusun is now an independent country, and the Huns' ambitions are growing. Should we continue to allow them to infiltrate the lives of the Wusun people as we did before?
After the last Wuhu Alliance, Kunmi intended to find new allies, but there were many pro-Xiongnu factions in the Wusun court, and even the prime minister's wife was a Xiongnu - this made Kunmi's plan very difficult.
If they wanted to gain internal independence, they had to gradually take back the Xiongnu's privileges in Wusun.
Although Jiang Wan's words were blunt, they provided Kunmi with an opportunity to "reclaim his privilege." Banning the Xiongnu from the Baroti Festival would be difficult to enforce, but allowing the Central Plains people to participate would transform "privilege" into "equal rights."
Kunmi stared at her, leaning forward slightly. His gaze made Bai Yanyun shudder. She whispered, "Master Jiang, aren't we being too disrespectful? Will Kunmi get angry?"
Fang Zeshi, who was sitting next to Bai Yanyun, was about to change the subject, but was glanced at by Jiang Wan and swallowed his words back.
My God, who knew a teenage girl could have such a fierce look in her eyes!
After beating up her subordinate, Jiang Wan turned and met Kunmi's gaze with a smile. This smile was different from her usual polite and courteous one. While her usual smile was superficial, it at least served to enhance her friendliness. But now, she came across as cold and dangerous, like a beast waiting for its chance.
Even the angry prime minister fell silent, leaving only a strong sense of resentment.
After a few seconds, Kunmi spoke up: "After careful consideration, I realized that although there is no precedent for people from the Central Plains to participate in the Baroti Festival, it is indeed a good way to promote the products of the Central Plains."
After a pause, he said, "I will have someone deliver the sacrificial procedures for the Baroti Festival to the post station later, and the utensils needed for the sacrifice will be handed over to Lord Jiang."
The Prime Minister's eyes widened: "Kunmi!"
"Alright," Kunmi raised his hand to interrupt the Prime Minister, "Wusun needs something new, and I'm determined."
Jiang Wan put away his coldness, stood up and offered a glass of wine to Kunmi.
The talks did not end until the hour of Xu. When Kunmi saw Jiang Wan off, he already looked tired. Several Wusun ministers who were forced to work overtime covered their mouths and yawned secretly.
The six deputy envoys were exhausted after the bumpy ride. Only Liu Ming, who came from the military, was slightly better. However, workaholic Jiang Wan was not so bad; pulling all-nighters was common for her.
So she asked the deputy envoys to return to the posthouse to rest, leaving only her to accompany her. The Wusun people were unfamiliar with the area, and there were many pro-Xiongnu factions. She had already offended many people during this meeting, so it was better to be cautious.
Jiang Wan turned a corner and headed towards the Right Madam's bedroom. Leaving Liu Ming squatting at the door, she went in alone.
"Master, you're finally here!" Chen Xi rushed over to her upon seeing her. This time, in addition to the silk and porcelain she was going to sell in Wusun, she also brought along the specially supplied celadon, as agreed with Madam You. Before the meeting, she had Chen Xi deliver it to Madam You's bedroom.
When the latter arrived at the palace, the Right Madam was not there. The maids were afraid to make the decision, so Chen Xi had no choice but to stay and wait. God knows how boring these two hours were. There were no books or toys from the Central Plains. The palace maids didn't understand Chinese and could only keep bringing her food to show their hospitality. She had already eaten three bunches of grapes, two lamb chops, and five naan. Her stomach was about to burst!
Jiang Wan opened his arms to catch her, jokingly touched her bulging belly, and pulled her behind him.
"I was really scared in the meeting room just now, but luckily I escaped unharmed." Madam You pushed the door open and said to Jiang Wan, "You are really amazing. Kunmi even agreed to such an outrageous request."
"Kunmi agreed for the sake of Wusun, not for me. Madam should understand." Jiang Wan replied.
"Yes, he doesn't want to be controlled by the Huns anymore."
Madam You took off her outer robe and sat before her dressing mirror, removing her hair ornaments as she spoke, "But it's unprecedented for people from the Central Plains to participate in the Baroti Festival, and it will surely cause a lot of dissatisfaction. I remember that you don't like dangerous challenges, and I felt quite regretful about it at the time. Why are you taking such a risk this time?"
"Tsk," Jiang Wan looked at her in the mirror, "She's so smart, it's a waste of her talent to stay in the Wusun harem."
Madam You raised her face and said, "I entered the palace naturally with my own ambitions."
"I can say the same thing to you. I took this risk, of course I have my reasons for taking the risk." Jiang Wan said lightly.
She didn't know how the system transported souls from other worlds here, but if the abbot of Huguo Temple was to be believed, the reason she was "not in reincarnation" was probably because she had not fully integrated into this time and space.
Jiang Wan speculated that the space-time rift that had transported her here hadn't closed yet, and her soul was still trapped between two different time and space. This state must be related to the 3000-point limit.
When she reached 3,000 points, the rift would likely close. As for why the predecessors who had been bound to the system had disappeared, she had no idea. But she instinctively knew that staying at the junction of two time and space for a long time would be of no benefit, so she had to quickly accumulate 3,000 points.
Anyway, I am in the Western Regions now, so even if I encounter danger, my family will not be in danger.
There was another reason. After Zhu Yongding's exile, the capital was in turmoil. The Sixth Prince was still young, and Emperor Chengde was wary of both her and Wen Shen, yet he could not help but rely on them. The day before yesterday, news arrived from Lin'an that Wen Shen had been appointed a third-rank assistant minister of war and concurrently General Zhenxi, commanding an 80,000-man Zhenxi army. However, the tiger talisman was split in two, one for the Grand Marshal and one for Wen Shen himself. To mobilize troops, His Majesty's personal imperial decree was required.
This cumbersome system was usually used for large armies. For example, the Grand Marshal of the Army, commanding 400,000 troops of the Great Zhou, would split the Tiger Tally in two to prevent rebellion. Wen Shen only had 80,000 troops, and the fact that he had to split the Tiger Tally in two showed Emperor Chengde's concern.
To survive the emperor's suspicion, one must either forgo power and perform mediocrely, or attain such a high position that even the emperor wouldn't dare touch them. Back when Zhu Yongding was in power, the Empress and Wen Shen had chosen the former; now that the Sixth Prince had been crowned Crown Prince, they were likely to choose the latter.
As for Jiang Wan, ever since she volunteered to come to the Western Regions, she had no choice but to take the second path. Only by strengthening herself in the Western Regions as quickly as possible could she better protect her family far away in the capital.
Jiang Wan approached Madam You's dressing table, placed a packet of dark red herbs on the table, and lowered his voice: "This is what you asked for. It was supposed to be delivered at the end of August, but it's a month early. Do you mind?"
Madam You picked up the packet of red aconite, looked at it carefully for a while, and suddenly smiled softly.
"Thanks to you, I no longer need it, but I'll pay the price." She casually lit a tinderbox, and the leaves of the red monkshood curled up in the fire and turned to ash. "I hope you'll come to see me often. After all, every time you come, you bring me good luck."
Jiang Wan nodded and took Chen Xi out of the bedroom.
Back at the posthouse, she instructed Liu Ming, "Send someone to inquire about the customs of the Baroti Festival. If there are any utensils used in last year's sacrifice, buy a set and bring it back for Qi Qi to see. Be sure to stay alert these few days. If word gets out that we're providing sacrificial utensils, there's bound to be some dissatisfaction."
"Yes." Liu Ming said.
Jiang Wan nodded, her tone a little more relaxed: "General Liu, this is your first time on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions, right? Are you used to it these days?"
Liu Ming paused. He was a farmer's son, a legitimate military officer, his rank and achievements earned through wounds. No superior had ever paid him any attention—those high-ranking officials from aristocratic families wouldn't take a humble child seriously. Liu Ming himself felt that his promotion to the rank of Fourth-Rank General of Chariots and Cavalry was probably the pinnacle of his political career.
It is also the pinnacle of most civilian officials who do not marry into aristocratic families.
In fact, walking in the desert is not as hard as marching, but in a country so far away from his hometown, he could actually receive the care of his superiors, even if it was just a word.
Liu Ming felt like crying. But he simply replied in a serious tone, "I've been away from home all year round, so it's nothing I'm not used to."
"Yeah." Jiang Wan smiled kindly, "Go get some rest early. I'll need your care in the next few days."
She returned to her room and opened the window. A crescent moon hung high in the sky, and a strong wind, carrying fine grains of sand, blew through the window lattice. It was much drier than the wind in Lin'an.
Marching all year round...how hard it must be.
She stared at the moon in a daze, her thoughts drifting back to the shores of Lake Duolun in winter. She had rescued him from the reeds when he was still a junior commander, his sword broken in two and scattered among the reeds.
With great ambition, I would eat the flesh of barbarians when I am hungry, and drink the blood of Xiongnu when I am thirsty. I will start from scratch, rebuild the old mountains and rivers, and face the sky. [1] Yue Fei did not achieve his ambition in the end, so what about him?
Will he lead the army of the Great Zhou to defeat the Huns?
Jiang Wan shook his head, suppressed his messy thoughts, and lay down on the round bed in the inn.
Elsewhere, Madam You was instructing her maid, "Find a few people tomorrow to publicize the meeting between the Wusun envoys and the Great Zhou Dynasty in Chigu City. Especially emphasize the prosperity of the Central Plains and its abundant resources to arouse the people's interest as quickly as possible."
"Is this to pave the way for Lord Jiang?" the maid asked, "But if we rashly interfere in state affairs, what if Kunmi..."
"Kunmi won't stop us. Besides, Jiang Wan is more valuable to me now than Kunmi." Madam You said as she washed her face, "With her ability, it's only a matter of time before Wusun falls to the side of the Great Zhou. As long as I do my best to help her, I will be the only madam of Wusun."
She stroked the maid's cheek with her fair fingers and chuckled, "Since you've been with me for so long, I'll teach you a lesson."
"Interests are always more stable than men's feelings."
【1】From Yue Fei's "Man Jiang Hong"
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