The three were heading to the capital city of Gandan, a journey that would take a full day and night, even though their warhorses had undergone special training.
There were also Han Chinese in Gandan capital, most of whom were captured from the Great Zhou and brought back as slaves. The court was aware of this situation, but it was impossible for them to take action against Gandan for the sake of a few people, so these people could only accept their fate.
As the three approached the outskirts of the city, Huang Lao Er gestured for the two to stop, saying, "I'm going to find someone; we'll continue our journey later."
"Is it the one who helped you escape last time?"
"Yes, he understands Gandan, and we need his help."
"Who is it?" Jiang Chao became alert. "Is this person really reliable?"
“Reliable, his mother is a Han Chinese woman.”
After explaining this, Huang Shu dismounted and called out in a low voice, "Halqi, I'm here."
No sooner had the words been spoken than a cheerful voice came from inside the tent, “My friend, we meet again.”
After speaking, he walked up to Huang Shu and greeted him with Gandan etiquette.
Huang Lao Er returned the greeting and then introduced, "Harqi, this is my mother, and this is my cousin Jiang Chao. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you again this time."
Upon hearing this, Halqi narrowed his eyes. "Brother Huang, are you going to explore the royal city again?"
"Um!"
"Let's go inside and talk."
The three entered the tent. After Harqi had milk tea served, he dismissed all the slaves. "It's been quite a while since we last met. How is the Great Zhou doing?"
"It's alright. If it weren't for the threat of Gandan, it would probably be even better."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chao panicked and immediately gave Huang Shu a warning look.
He feared that his brother would anger the Gandan man before him.
“Brother Jiang Chao, don’t worry. Although I am in Gandan, I have always been proud of my Han bloodline. If I had a choice, I would prefer to live in the Great Zhou, in a magnificent house, rather than in a simple felt tent.”
Seeing their confusion, Huang Lao Er explained, "Gandan Royal City has houses and palaces, but only the top nobles can live there. Harqi is a descendant of the Balgen family and should have received the same treatment. However, because his mother was a Han Chinese female slave, she was suppressed by his mistress and sent outside the city. If he hadn't had few brothers, he might have been treated as a slave."
Even so, the situation didn't improve much. As soon as they came of age, they were driven to the outskirts of the capital and gradually built up their fortunes through trade with the Han people.
“They despise my mother, but I despise them even more. My mother’s status is far beyond their reach,” Harzi said indignantly. “They are all rude and barbaric, lacking any woman’s gentleness or grace. What gives them the right to look down on my mother and me?”
Harzi spent his childhood with his mother. Later, his mistress punished him for losing a sheep, and his mother took all the punishment in her place and was beaten to death. As a result, he harbored a deep hatred for Upper Gandan.
He can speak Mandarin and write Chinese characters. He even memorized his mother's family genealogy and asked around for information, hoping to find his true relatives one day.
"No wonder you don't look like a Gandan at all."
“I am not a Gandan. I not only inherited the petite stature of the Han people, but also their unique facial features, making me incompatible with them.”
Harzi was quite proud.
Deep down, he really looked down on the rude, arrogant, and haughty Gandan people, and always felt that the Great Zhou, a land of etiquette, was his true home.
Therefore, they spared no effort to help Huang Lao Er, hoping to gain the recognition of their own clan.
“Harqi,” Huang Lao Er took out a jade pendant, “I have inquired about your relatives and found them. Your maternal grandfather has passed away, and now your 48-year-old uncle is in charge.”
"Then, them..."
Harzi became uneasy.
He feared being ostracized, just as he had in the Balgan family, and considered himself an outsider.
After all, he only had half Han blood, even though he looked no different from a Han person.
“They miss your mother very much, and they are happy to know that you are a relative,” Huang Lao Er patted his shoulder to comfort him. “This jade pendant is a family token, representing their approval.”
"Really? Really?" Halzi asked, somewhat incredulous.
Too much discrimination has made him doubt himself.
"Yes, they also gave you a Han name, Qi Ke, according to the family genealogy."
“I know that,” Harqi excitedly grabbed Huang Lao Er’s hand. “In my generation, the character ‘Mu’ is the eleventh character.”
As he spoke, Halqi's eyes became subtle. "Huang Shu, do I have ten brothers?"
“Ten older cousins, and five younger cousins below them,” Huang Lao Er’s eyes were subtle. “The Zhuang family really has a lot of people. You’ll see when you get there.”
“Oh, right,” Huang Shu suddenly remembered something, “your aunt is already looking for a wife for you. After things are settled, you should come back with me.”
Huang Lao Er had said this before, but Harqi disagreed, fearing he would be seen as a Gandan spy.
Although Huang Lao Er was very confident in his intuition, he was also afraid of unexpected events, so he did not force it.
However, he felt even more guilty because of this, and when he returned to the camp, he asked people to inquire about Harqi.
The military camp was a mixed bag of people who knew a lot, and it took only a few days to find out the truth. Huang Lao Er personally went to explain the situation.
The Qi family was well-known in the Northwest region. They had been in the fur business for three generations and were very united. They did not have the rigid rules of scholarly families. In addition, the old man was still thinking about his kidnapped daughter even after his death, so they accepted Harqi after a short period of hesitation.
However, there was one thing Huang Lao Er didn't mention: they demanded that Harqi settle down and start a family in Da Zhou, and absolutely refused to accept Gandan's wife.
“Huang Shu,” Halzi said, somewhat agitated, “they really want to accept me?”
"We'll know when we get back."
“Then let’s get down to business,” Harzi said excitedly. “It just so happens that the defense is about to change. We can sneak in without anyone noticing. Let’s go to the house I just bought in the capital and slowly gather information.”
"OK!"
In just a few words, the matter was settled.
Behind them, Jiang Nuan and Jiang Nuan exchanged a glance.
“Aunt,” Jiang Chao whispered in Jiang Nuan’s ear, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear, “See? The second brother has already learned the art of winning hearts and minds.”
“He wouldn’t know how to do that,” Jiang Nuan said dismissively. “He just got lucky and met a benefactor.”
A little bit of luck plus a little bit of intuition has brought me to where I am today.
This son is destined to walk a different path from others; he is the kind of simple-minded person who is blessed with good fortune!
"No matter what, having this one more person to help will increase our chances this time."
Jiang Chao felt a little sad.
He had never encountered such a timely and helpful opportunity before.
"That's true. Hopefully, we can find out some useful information this time."
Jiang Nuan had no prejudice against other races, but she could not tolerate the behavior of treating the Great Zhou as easy prey.
No matter who it is, they must pay the price for their arrogance.
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