These two men were able to have surnames because their parents were good slaves, and their masters bestowed them upon them.
On the grasslands, these slaves made up the majority, and even fewer of them had names or surnames.
Most masters treat them like livestock; once they die, they're dead, and they're just buried somewhere.
Helian Zhuhong and Helian Qing grew up in this environment; their parents died when they were about five years old.
The master's tribe was attacked, and his parents died while covering the retreat as cannon fodder. They died quietly, and the master never went back to look for them afterward.
They were childhood sweethearts, neither relying on the other, but supporting each other as they grew up.
The two, still a boy and a girl, rode their horses across the grassland. Their task today was to herd the horses. Looking at the cattle and sheep covering the hillsides, Helian Qing said to Zhu Hong:
"Zhu Hong, do you think the grasslands will one day be like the Central Plains?"
"How is the Central Plains?"
Helian Zhu Hong had never met any merchants from the Central Plains. The girl tilted her head and asked.
Zhu Hong's stature was slightly smaller than that of the women from the grasslands, but she was naturally fair-skinned.
Helian Qing smiled, looking at Qingmei's bewildered expression, and said:
“A few days ago, I was serving in my master’s tent when a merchant from the Central Plains came over. He could speak the language of the grasslands. The merchant said that the people of the Central Plains are self-sufficient and have enough food to eat every year. They grow their own food, pay taxes to the government, and keep the rest for themselves.”
"The government?"
"It's just like our imperial court."
Now Helian Zhu Hong understood. She felt that her childhood sweetheart was being a bit far-fetched. How could that be possible?
“We don’t know how to grow food, and even if we did, the Yalan Royal Court wouldn’t agree to us giving them only a portion.”
If it weren't for the Yalan Royal Court, my parents wouldn't have died.
The name Yalan is a nightmare for the grasslands.
"It's alright, we're still here. Even if we die, our children will still live on. One day, the grasslands will be just like the Central Plains. So, we'll just do our best."
Helian Qing didn't think about what the future held that day; he only planned to take good care of the horses and feed himself and Zhu Hong.
That should do it.
But today, they found a person along the Qinghe River in the grassland.
He said he was good at divination, like the high priest of the grasslands, yet quite different from them.
"You two saved me, make a wish."
The rescued people lay in the cave like drowned dogs. Helian Zhuhong thought he was crazy to still ask them to make wishes in such a state.
"You should take good care of yourself first, and we'll talk about it later."
Helian Qing ignored him, but he and Zhu Hong brought him meals every day.
The boy is now a minor leader in the Helian tribe, mainly responsible for the herd of cattle, horses, and sheep. He takes them to graze every day and brings them back after a few days.
As the days went by, the person who was rescued gradually recovered.
So the man asked the question again.
"You two can speak about your wishes."
"Can you help us both achieve that?" Helian Zhuhong asked in return.
If they can't let us say anything, they'll just keep dawdling.
The man nodded, and seeing this, Zhu Hong said:
"I want to make the grasslands a better place."
"Okay?" the man asked in return.
"How good is good?"
"It's just like living in the Central Plains, where you don't have to burn, kill, or plunder to make a living."
The man sighed softly, then looked at Helian Qing, intending to ask about his wish, but the young man pointed to Zhu Hong and said:
"You don't need to ask me, my dream is the same as hers."
"However, the wish you made is a little difficult to fulfill this time."
The man shook his head, pulled the two of them in front of him, raised the hands of the girl and boy, and then said:
"Your parents died on the same day, right?"
"..."
"..."
There was an unusual silence. The boy and girl had no doubt that this person had come to deceive them on purpose. After all, there were so many slaves in the Helian tribe, who would remember which slave died on which day, let alone their parents?
"Don't ask who I am, just think of me as a fortune teller who can predict the future."
These words left Helian Zhu Hong and Helian Qing speechless.
What is a wandering sorcerer?
What does "being able to predict the future" mean?
"..."
Okay, he forgot that slave children don't understand these things.
Later, Helian Qing became his disciple, who taught him to read and write, and to observe the stars and the moon.
Zhu Hong's relationship with him grew stronger, and the two became inseparable. They decided to have their master as a witness and have a child together.
Isn't this great? Childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree.
But then, Helian Qing's master started causing trouble.
“You… disciple, you’d better not… don’t stay with Zhu Hong.”
"Why?"
Helian Qing didn't understand why he couldn't be with Zhu Hong, since Zhu Hong had saved him, right?
The man closed his eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and refused to reply until Helian Zhuhong ran over and asked him.
"What? Why won't you let me have a child with him?"
"Because you have to go to Great Yan and take over the central palace."
Helian Zhu Hong's eyebrows were practically knotted together. What nonsense was she spouting? What was this "Empress Dowager"? She understood the term "Great Yan," but what was this "Empress Dowager" anyway?
"Explain," the girl said.
"You must go to the Great Yan and bear a child for the Great Yan Emperor, not for Helian Qing."
"Why should I be able to have children with whomever I want?"
The Helian tribe may appear to be under the control of the masters, but in reality, it has long been devoured by Zhu Hong and Qing. All the slaves' hearts are with them, and they wouldn't care even if these two killed their masters one day.
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