Chapter 101 It is quite courageous to interrogate this person. …
This man is quite courageous.
This thought flashed through Muxue's mind, and just as she was about to wait and see, her sight was suddenly blocked. Dorji turned around abruptly and stood in front of her, his tall body tightly blocking her view completely.
"It's a bit cold at night, let's go back to the tent."
As he spoke, he lifted up her loose hair and tucked it behind her ears.
Mu Xue was stunned for a moment, and then she noticed that Dorji was pursing his thin lips. She realized something, so she suppressed her smile and said, "Okay, let's go back to the tent."
Dorji held her shoulders and returned to the tent.
Mu Xue looked at his face by candlelight, still gloomy. It was rare to see him like this, so Mu Xue couldn't help wanting to tease him.
"What's wrong? Who has offended you? You look so gloomy."
Dorji glanced at her, pursed his lips and said, "Does it look good?"
"What's good to see?"
"That stupid tall Rakshasa man."
Hearing the word "very stupid", Mu Xue sat in the bed curtain and curved her eyebrows.
"Still laughing." He took a step closer, "Is he as good-looking as me?"
Mu Xue deliberately pretended to sniff, with the tip of her nose twitching: "Who is jealous?"
Dorji snorted coldly: "Of course it's the princess's family, the only jealous person." He emphasized the pronunciation of the word "only".
Mu Xue tilted her head and said, "It's just a few more glances. Why are you reacting so strongly?"
"No? Maybe..." Dorji held her face with his hands, and said stubbornly, "You need to look at me."
Mu Xue couldn't help but laugh out loud and put her arm around his neck: "What a jealous man."
Dorji kissed her fiercely, and even bit her lips as if to punish her. After a while, he let go: "You are jealous of your husband, so be it. Anyway, you have to choose me, don't even think about others."
"Okay, it's just that I've never seen a Rakshasa before, I'm just curious." Mu Xue leaned into his arms, "We should be more careful when a group of Rakshasa merchants appear in this area. I just heard what sounded like gunshots. Do they have guns?"
"Well, the Luosha people love to use guns." Dorji hugged her and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I have ordered Monk to keep a close eye on them. They have removed their weapons. I don't think they dare to cause any trouble."
Mu Xue nodded: "You are thoughtful. This is good."
She stroked his cheek with her backhand, stroking it again and again like stroking the hair. Dorji calmed down and put his furry head on her shoulder.
Mu Xue said, "I haven't dealt with the Luosha people yet. I just heard Father Zhang Cheng mention them. What about you? Have you ever heard of them?"
"Do you know... not much," Dorji said frankly, "They believe in other religions, wear different clothes and speak different languages. When I was young, I saw Rakshasa merchants in Kulun. Later, when the war broke out, I didn't pay much attention to them. Because of the war, those Rakshasa merchants were scared out of their wits and I haven't seen them for a long time. It wasn't until the war was pacified in the past two years that I gradually saw some traces of them. They usually sell furs and the like."
“I see.”
"Why, the princess is interested in them?"
"After all, they are neighboring countries. Now that you have succeeded to the throne of Khan, you have to know more about them. On the one hand, you need to be on guard, and on the other hand, you need to see if there is any profit to be made. When it is daytime, shall we try them together?"
"That's fine." Dorji pulled Jinbei over and said, "But now, let's rest. It's already late."
After staying up for a long time in the first half of the night, Muxue felt sleepy. She found a comfortable position and yawned.
Dorji extinguished the candle and put his arm around her waist as he went to sleep: "Don't dream about the Rakshasa ghost. If you do dream, dream about me."
Mu Xue closed her eyes and curled her lips: "Okay, okay, I'll dream about you."
I fell into a deep sleep, and when I opened my eyes again, it was already bright outside.
I finish my breakfast at a leisurely pace. When I go out, I keep everything simple, just bamboo-joint steamed buns, mutton steamed buns, goat milk, milk tofu and noodle soup.
The eunuch in the kitchen saw that many fish were caught yesterday, so he specially kept a few of them in a wooden basin and prepared some fresh noodles. When he heard that the princess had woken up, he hurriedly took the fish out of the wooden basin, and the fish tails "slapped" and splashed water.
The live fish was quickly cleaned. The eunuch over there had already heated up the oil pan, using lard. The fish slipped in with a "sizzle" sound, and the aroma quickly filled the entire kitchen tent. The snow-white fish meat was lightly fried, and the soup was added. As the wood crackled, the soup gradually turned milky white. Then the rolled noodles were rinsed in the fish soup. The princess loved chewy noodles. She took them out at the right time, making sure there was only a little white core in the center of the noodles, and then put them into the imperial kiln bowl and sprinkled with some sand onions.
The sweetness of the fish meat and the chewy and smooth noodles were blended together in a bowl of fresh fish noodles. Mu Xue finished the bowl of fresh fish noodles and even drank up the soup.
The maids and nannies who served the meals had learned to keep silent. In the palace, if someone ate cleanly like this, there might be nannies who would remind them that it was against the rules and use the palace rules and ancestral rules to suppress them. But on this grassland, the princess was the only rule.
After a delicious breakfast, Mu Xue first summoned Li Wen, who was accompanying the emperor from the Lifanyuan, to ask him about the situation related to Russia.
The Lifanyuan was also responsible for diplomatic relations with other countries. Li Wen used to be in charge of the affairs of the Khalkha area and had some understanding of Russia. He reported everything he knew to the princess.
"The situation of the Russian emperor is different from ours. In the past, there were actually two emperors. The first emperor was called Ivan, and the second emperor was called Peter, but they were both younger brothers." Li Wen said, "When the Treaty of Nerchinsk was signed, it was said that the real person in power was actually a princess named Sophia. The situation is somewhat similar to the treacherous minister Oboi who cultivated his followers and usurped power when His Majesty was not in power."
Muxue listened quietly, recalling some historical knowledge she knew.
Emperor Peter, are you talking about Peter the Great of Russia? This one is quite famous, and is said to be the first person in Russia to be crowned with the title of "the Great".
Mu Xue didn't know much about Russian history. She only remembered two emperors, Peter the Great and Empress Catherine II. Unfortunately, it was still early, and the famous Catherine the Great hadn't even been born yet.
However, it seems that this regent princess named Sophia is also a character.
Li Wen continued to report: "But two or three years ago, it was heard that the first Russian emperor died, and another emperor Peter took power and imprisoned the princess. Therefore, the power of Russia should now belong to Emperor Peter."
"Defeated?" Mu Xue murmured. Since ancient times, victors have always been kings and losers have always been bandits. Since Peter the Great won, the fate of Princess Sophia is self-evident.
Why do I feel a little regretful?
She curled her lips and focused on the present. Peter the Great was the ruler of Russia now, and she had to pay more attention to him.
Historically, it seems that Peter the Great introduced many European technologies and carried out large-scale reforms, which led to the rapid rise of Russia. He himself seemed to have traveled to Europe to study under an assumed name.
Muxue lowered her eyes, as if thinking about something.
"...This is what I know." Li Wen said with his head lowered.
It is not easy to know these things in this era when transportation and information are not well developed.
Mu Xue asked, "How do you know this? Did the Lifanyuan send people to Russia? That shouldn't happen, right?"
"Some merchants occasionally send messages, and the missionaries around His Majesty are more informed."
Mu Xue understood, and it turned out that she also got other news from Europe through missionaries.
She nodded slightly: "So what is the current trade situation between Russia and the Qing Dynasty? Do you know?"
"After the signing of the Treaty of Nerchinsk, the Russians sent a few people to the capital and built a guild hall. Although it was delayed for a few years due to the war, there have been occasional Russian merchants selling goods, furs, etc. recently."
"What about our trade with them? I mean, what do we sell to them? Which side makes more money from this business?"
What she actually wanted to ask was whether it was a trade surplus or a trade deficit. But she was worried that Li Wen would not understand, so she asked in a different way.
"This... let me think about it." Li Wen tried his best to recall, "It seems, it seems, maybe our merchants sell less goods to Russia. It's really too far away, even further north than Kulun."
Moreover, businessmen are not very interested in this place, perhaps because they have the impression that Russia is a place where it is not easy to make money.
Mu Xue frowned and said, "I understand. I will take you to meet those Russian merchants later. Remember to write down everything and report it to Khan Ama truthfully."
"I obey the decree."
The situation here was more or less understood, while Dorji led people to investigate the group of Russian businessmen in advance, registered their names and identities one by one, and interrogated them.
Only after ensuring that these people had no possibility of assassination did Dorji dare to let them meet the princess.
When it was the turn of the stupid tall Rakshasa, Dorji sat up straight and stared at him closely.
How dare such a demon like him stare at his princess?
Not only was the Rakshasa not afraid, but the corner of his mouth slightly raised, and he looked at him with great interest.
The Russian-speaking attendant beside him shouted, "How can you not bow to the Khan when you see him?"
A burly Rakshasa man next to him said in a deep voice: "He is the young master of a noble family, Alexander. According to the previous treaty between us and the Qing court, we should respect each other." He first said it in Russian and then in Mongolian.
For a moment, there was a stalemate.
At this moment, the attendant came to announce that the princess had arrived.
Dorji looked towards the curtain, and the Rakshasa who could translate quickly told the noble he served the identity of the visitor.
The tent curtain was lifted, and Muxue came into the tent surrounded by her followers. The servants around Dorji all bowed to them.
The nobleman named Alexander smiled and said, "I am not from your country, but I am willing to show my respect to the princess."
He took off his hat and bowed slightly to show his respect.
Mu Xue looked up at him, and without saying a word, she walked towards Dorji. Dorji stood up, held her hand, and the two of them sat cross-legged on the felt carpet together.
"How's the question going?"
"I have asked about their identities." Dorji glanced back, and the attendant immediately brought up the list, which listed the names of these merchants and the weapons and goods that they were "temporarily helping to keep."
Mu Xue rolled her eyes and looked up. "Noble, Alexander?"
When the young man heard her calling his name, he smiled warmly: "Yes, Your Highness the Princess of the Far East."
Alexander added: "We brought a very beautiful black fox fur with us during our business trip. I would like to present it to the princess."
Li Wen stood behind Mu Xue and translated for her in a low voice.
Mu Xue said: "The black fox fur is pretty good, but I'm more curious about the wooden gun."
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