Lu Xuan smiled sheepishly and said, "Nothing. He was scolding me. I told him to be careful with his words and actions in Chang'an. There are many people who can understand Wusun language."
"What did he scold you for?" Liu Tan frowned.
Lu Xuan was very calm: "He said that even if I put on Han Chinese clothes, I'm not Han Chinese. Well, that proverb should be translated into Chinese as 'a monkey in a human coat.'"
Liu Tan was very angry after hearing this, and he wanted to reverse the car and scold Junxumi. Unfortunately, turning back for such a small matter would make him seem too ungraceful. What's more, the man had already left. Did he have to chase him to the post station to scold him?
Finally, he had no choice but to say, "You are too good-tempered."
Lu Xuan thought to himself, you're the only one who says I have a good temper.
Of course, he didn't say that to Junxumi. Even if it was such a lukewarm sentence, it wouldn't have almost made Junxumi lose his composure.
In fact, what he said to Junxumi translated into Chinese means: Your father died young, you should take care of your health and don't follow in his footsteps.
He was just short of blatantly cursing the person to die early.
It was a great act of patience that Junxumi didn't beat anyone up on the spot.
Lu Xuan smiled at Liu Tan and said, "After all, he is my cousin."
"What's wrong with my cousin? He shouldn't just bully others." Liu Tan thought that the crystal Lu Xuan had sent him had indeed helped him, so he said proudly, "If he bullies you in the future, come find me."
Lu Xuan shook his head and said, "No, I can still handle this. Your Highness Qiemo has become enemies with Junxumi because of me."
Liu Tan was very surprised: "How can I be afraid of him?"
Lu Xuan lowered his eyes, looking somewhat depressed. After a while, he said, "The Han and their marriage is about to begin. Your Highness should not be too harsh on Junxumi."
In-laws? Liu Tan was stunned for a moment. After a few turns of thought, he remembered that Wusun had indeed sent envoys to propose marriage. The fundamental reason was that the Xiongnu posed too great a threat to Wusun. The Han Dynasty wanted to win over Wusun and weaken the Xiongnu's power, while Wusun wanted to rely on the strength of the Han Dynasty to prevent the Xiongnu from making any rash moves. The two sides almost hit it off.
In fact, Wusun made this choice because it was threatened. You should know that when Zhang Qian first went to Wusun to persuade Lie Jiaomi to return to Wusun's former homeland between Dunhuang and Qilian Mountains, Lie Jiaomi firmly refused.
If Liu Che had had the same temper, he would have fought against Wusun if they had dared to refuse.
Unfortunately, Liu Che could no longer be so reckless at this time. If he attacked Wusun, the Xiongnu would definitely take advantage of the situation. By then, the Han Dynasty would be attacked from both sides. How could it win without a strong general?
So Liu Che agreed to the request for marriage and sent a princess from the royal family to marry.
Seeing that Lu Xuan seemed a little worried, Liu Tan didn't know how to comfort him. If he stood in the shoes of a friend, he could persuade Lu Xuan to ask for marriage as well. It was said that when Lu Xuan's father led his people to establish independence, he returned to his ancestral homeland in the Dunhuang Qilian Mountains. It was a country of some size, and the population should be quite large. Otherwise, the Han side would not have to receive Lu Xuan as a serious leader of another country.
Therefore, his success rate in proposing marriage was quite high. Moreover, Lu Xuan was loyal to the Han Dynasty and young, so he could be easily won over by the Han people. Unlike Lie Jiaomi, he was already very old and had his own ideas. Even if he proposed marriage, he might not really be loyal to the Han people.
Unfortunately, Liu Tan couldn't say such words. He really couldn't bear to push the good girl into the fire pit.
Throughout history, very few princesses who were married off to foreign countries had a good ending.
The princess of the royal family who was going to marry this time, Liu Xijun, first married the grandfather and then the grandson, and gave birth to a daughter, who died very early.
Later, after her death, the Han Dynasty sent another princess to marry her.
A girl who has just grown up suddenly has to marry someone who lives thousands of miles away, where she cannot speak the language and has different customs. To be able to endure this, she must have an extremely strong heart.
Or sometimes even having a strong heart is useless.
Liu Tan didn't ask Lu Xuan to propose marriage as well. He simply said, "You're different from Lie Jiaomi. You're half Han, so you're one of us. Don't be discouraged."
Lu Xuan smiled and said nothing. He knew that Liu Tan was just comforting him. If Lie Jiaomi really intended to attack them, the big man might not help him.
But this is his own business and he should solve it himself. He hopes that he can bring happiness to Liu Tan.
So Lu Xuan changed the subject and asked, "I heard that Your Highness has been traveling back and forth between the city and the palace these days. Does His Majesty have something for Your Highness to do?"
Liu Tan felt a little embarrassed after hearing this. He had previously told Lu Xuan that he would invite him to the farm when he had the chance, but he was busy planting grapes and had forgotten all about it. He could only bite the bullet and admit, "Yes, I'm helping Li Xi find a way to keep the grapes growing."
Lu Xuan asked curiously, "Can it really be grown?"
Liu Tan touched his nose and said, "I've found a way, but I'm not sure if it will work."
Lu Xuan praised, "Your Highness is indeed full of wisdom and strategies."
Liu Tan quickly waved his hands: "I'm not sure if it will work."
Lu Xuan asked, "Are you going to check out the grape seedlings this time as well?"
Liu Tan shook his head: "No, there was a problem before, and I got something else. This time I went to see that one."
Lu Xuan didn't ask any more questions because he had already seen Liu Tan's manor.
Just like Liu Tan was frightened when he first saw his manor, Lu Xuan was also shocked.
He had been in the Han Dynasty for quite some time and had attended many banquets, most of which were held at the manor.
Lu Xuan thought he had seen many manors of dignitaries and nobles and could be considered worldly-wise. However, this was the first time he had seen such a large and well-equipped manor.
The moment he knew the size of the entire Zhuangzi, Lu Xuan even felt that this place could be called an independent place, big enough to establish a country.
Even though the population is small, it is already amazing that they are self-sufficient and do not need much communication with the outside world.
Lu Xuan thought about how he had thought the golden horse and crystal were very valuable when he gave them as gifts, but... compared to this manor, what were they?
Especially since Liu Tan's manor was given by Chen Ajiao, whose aesthetic taste was absolutely first-rate due to her family background, this manor was not only large in scale, but also had a delicate and exquisite main building, with a corridor every five steps and a scene every ten steps. It could be said to be the best manor Lu Xuan had seen since he came to the Han Dynasty.
For a moment, the little Kunmi thought of what his mother said: the precious flowers in the Central Plains cannot adapt to life on the grassland, and you cannot bring him such a rich life.
Seeing Lu Xuan remained silent, Liu Tan assumed he was staring blankly, so he smiled and said, "Let Miao Rui show you around. I'll go take care of something first."
Although Lu Xuan didn't want to part with Liu Tan, he also knew that some things might not be suitable for him to know, so he said tactfully, "Your Highness, please do as you please. I will go on my own."
Liu Tan didn't actually want to hide it, but he didn't want to explain it.
Now, everyone in this village is his subordinate. He doesn't need to explain if he wants to. But Lu Xuan's words... the technology in ethnic minority areas is not as advanced as that of the Han Dynasty. Even the people around him may not understand what he is doing. Lu Xuan is even more...
If Lu Xuan asked him about it, if he didn't give a detailed answer, it would seem perfunctory. If he gave a detailed answer... then he would probably have to start from when Pangu created the world. No, no, it would hurt his body, so forget it.
After Liu talked about the workshop specially opened for the distiller, he entered and saw a distiller that was almost identical to the common ones in later generations.
Liu Tan's eyes lit up and he walked over and took a look. The craftsmen all looked at Liu Tan nervously, afraid that they would be accused of not doing their job well enough.
But what they are worried about is not money, but their lives.
It was very common for slaves to be killed for doing something wrong these days.
In fact, Liu Tan just took a casual look. How could he tell whether there was any problem at a glance?
He turned around and asked, "Has it been tested? There can't be any leaks."
The blacksmith said in a muffled voice, "Don't worry, Your Highness. We have already painted it many times with tung oil."
Liu Tan nodded: "Then let's give it a try."
Everyone present was a little confused. They had no idea what this thing was used for or how to try it.
Liu Tan glanced at the craftsmen and said, "You go down first. If you succeed, you will be rewarded."
When he said the latter sentence, Liu Tan's heart was bleeding. He thought about how he would occasionally go to a high-end restaurant and would be reluctant to pay the service fee when he saw the percentage written on it. He felt almost the same way now, but he had to learn to get used to it. There is no royal family that does not reward people.
The craftsmen went down with trepidation. Bi Gao, who was beside Liu Tan, asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, do you need to call for more people?"
Liu Tan said, "Go find some people to spread rumors. I don't want anyone to know what's going on here. Then get some wine."
Bi Gao asked, "Your Highness, how much wine would you like?"
Liu Tan pointed at the pot and said, "It can almost fill this up."
This is a lot of food, but fortunately this manor has everything, so there is naturally enough wine.
Not long after, four burly men arrived. Liu Tan instructed them, saying, "Pour all the wine in and set it on fire!"
The big men worked in silence, which puzzled Liu Tan. Most of the slaves would respond even when they were working, and they rarely remained silent like this. How come these four men were so synchronized? No one spoke, and even if they showed that they understood, they just saluted.
Bigo, who was standing by, noticed his confusion and came over to whisper, "Your Highness, these slaves are all mute and illiterate. They will definitely not reveal any secrets."
Liu Tan: ...
Fortunately, he didn't silence the person because he wanted him to keep it a secret, otherwise he would probably regret saying that.
Bigao took the opportunity to say, "Your Highness, we have many mute slaves on the farm. If you have any problems that you cannot tell others, just let them handle them."
Liu Tan... Liu Tan no longer wanted to ask whether these people were born dumb or became dumb later in life. He nodded randomly, and then felt the room gradually getting warmer.
Fortunately, the weather is getting cooler now, otherwise he might not be able to stay here.
Two mute slaves on this side were making a fire, while two mute slaves on the other side were constantly pouring water into the condensation barrel.
Originally, Liu Tan had already designed the water inlet, but he forgot that there was no running water at that time. As a result, he could only rely on manual water circulation bit by bit. Fortunately, he had people available, otherwise if he had to do it himself, he would probably be exhausted to death.
After a while, the vapor formed by the alcohol turned into liquid when passing through the condensation barrel. When it flowed out, the whole room was filled with the aroma of wine.
Liu Tan was slow to react: he was so focused on alcohol that he forgot that before high-purity alcohol there was white wine. Such a new thing would have to be handed over to Emperor Wu first.
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