Chapter 27: Out of the Three-in-One
Unlike the Fourth Princess, the Fourth Prince had dealt with these Western missionaries when he was in the palace.
These foreigners, whose appearance and clothing were completely different from those of the local people, were very unwelcome when they first came to the court. When Dorgon and Oboi were in power, they even wanted to kill them. Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang could not bear it and persuaded them to stop, so they were not killed in the end.
When the Khan Ama personally led the expedition, he was young and had some interest in these foreigners. These foreigners had many tricks and some strange and erotic skills. Today they gave him a Western clock, and tomorrow they gave him a telescope and other strange and weird foreign gadgets. Gradually, the Khan Ama became more and more interested and was willing to listen to their strange and weird knowledge, such as mathematics and astronomy. He also gave geometry problems to the princes to do.
One year, Khan Ama fell seriously ill, and Zhang Cheng and another missionary presented him with quinine cream, which really worked wonders. After taking it, the medicine worked much faster than those prescribed by the Imperial Hospital.
Khan Ama valued these people from then on, and even took the foreigners with him when he traveled, and gave them horses to ride. Tong Guojiu also traveled with him, and came back to tell the fourth prince that the emperor valued Nan Huairen very much, and often summoned him during the journey to listen to his Western stories.
With this precedent, the Fourth Princess and her husband often summoned Zhang Cheng to talk and learn languages, but he did not think it was anything strange.
However, the Fourth Prince looked at them coldly. These Western missionaries were not loyal to the Qing Dynasty. They acted in a flattering manner in order to promote their religion. After offering the medicine, these missionaries asked Khan Ama for grace to build their foreign temple on Qing land.
He had heard their foreign teachings and scoffed at them.
Knowledge of astronomy and calendar is not good. Some items may be useful, but for the rest, few words these foreigners say are worth hearing.
In particular, when he heard Zhang Cheng say in a rather admiring tone that their emperor attached great importance to commerce and even set up the East India Company in the name of the royal family to compete with the English royal family for profits, he praised their emperor's wisdom.
The Fourth Prince couldn't stand it anymore and argued back.
As soon as he said this, Zhang Cheng was stuck. He looked embarrassed, as if he wanted to refute but didn't dare to say it.
The atmosphere in the tent was frozen, as if a sudden snowstorm had occurred.
It was the Fourth Princess who spoke up first to save the situation: "Fourth brother is right. It is just the experience of their small country. Our Qing Dynasty is vast and has many talented people. We can think more thoroughly. It's getting late. Why don't we be more careful and rest first."
Zhang Cheng got the chance and immediately slipped away with a flushed face.
The Fourth Prince snorted coldly and said to the Fourth Princess, "Just teach him some languages, and don't listen to his other nonsense."
Mu Xue said yes obediently.
In fact, she didn't necessarily agree with the Fourth Prince's point of view. She also agreed that the foreigners had their own thoughts and calculations. As for the view on agriculture and commerce, agriculture was of course important, but commerce was not something that should be suppressed blindly.
But she was too lazy to refute the Fourth Prince. She had nothing better to do than to quarrel with her brother in front of outsiders over a piece of gossip. Besides, the Fourth Prince was a stickler for details. He would have to reply to every word she said. Then, he would pester her with a lot of words and end up parting on bad terms. Why bother? Anyway, the Fourth Prince's attitude towards business would not affect her for a while. At most, she would listen to his lectures. When the Fourth Prince sent her to Mobei, he would naturally go back and would not be able to control her.
Mu Xue was a little worried about Dorji's attitude. The business she was going to do was to be carried out in the territory of Mobei.
In order to test his attitude, she asked Dorji to stay and talk. Because it was late, she was too lazy to beat around the bush and asked directly: "What do you think of what they were arguing about just now?"
"Are you talking about merchants?" Dorji asked.
"right."
"I don't really understand it, but Mobei needs merchants now. My grandfather asked the emperor for permission to allow some merchants to go to Mobei."
He grew up on the grassland and had no idea about farming. Didn't everyone raise sheep and graze? Merchants did need it, otherwise there would be no tea leaves for milk tea. Tea leaves were not grown on the grassland. The Qing court used to be very strict about merchants entering the grassland, until the war needed it, and then it opened a small loophole.
At that time, due to the fierceness of the Junggar, the nobles of Mobei were forced to cross the desert and gobi to the south and temporarily stop in Guihua City. In Guihua City, they finally realized the benefits of merchants. They could get food, cloth, tea, tobacco and many exquisite things. As long as you can afford the price, you can enjoy many things.
The Hada made of silk is white and soft, and will never prick you when you wear it around your body; some teas with nice names taste much better than the brick tea you have been drinking for many years... These enjoyments are brought by merchants.
Now that the war is over, my grandfather and other nobles returned to the Mobei royal court last year. But I was a little worried that the wartime rules would no longer apply and the situation would return to the previous rare business situation, so I specifically mentioned this matter to the emperor.
However, the Fourth Princess was very interested in what he said about the merchant, and asked him a lot of questions. This made Dorji understand one thing, that the Fourth Princess's submissive attitude towards the Fourth Prince was just an act.
What a cunning little fox.
Before leaving the four princesses' tents, Dorji said, "Actually, the princesses think that business should be taken seriously, right?"
Mu Xue turned around to look at him, her brows slightly furrowed.
This man! Dorji was not smart, but he figured out her true attitude from the details. But why did he say this in front of her?
She said, "Seeing the truth but not speaking it out, don't you understand this principle?"
"Because it's the princess, I want to make it clear." Dorji said with a smile, "If the princess is keen on business, it's not a bad thing for me and Mobei. Instead of letting those irrelevant people make money, it's better to let the money go into the princess' pocket and get the princess' smile."
Mu Xue understood that this was a way of showing loyalty to her.
It seems to be true. Developing business is not a bad thing for Mobei today. Dorji mentioned just now that his grandfather specifically asked Emperor Kangxi to issue an edict to allow twelve merchants to go north to Mobei to do business. From this, we can already see Tushetu Khan's attitude towards business. In this matter, their interests do not conflict, and it can even be said that each of them has gained something.
Mu Xue thought about it for a moment. Since Dorji was so frank, if she kept hiding things, she would appear petty and inferior. It would be better to tell Dorji the truth and reveal her attitude appropriately, which would also put his mind at ease.
"I do intend to develop business in Mobei. I won't hide this from you." Mu Xue said, "It is true that on the one hand I can increase my income, but on the other hand, it will also benefit you. At least compared to those merchants, I will trade at a more fair price, so that the Khan, the taijis and the herdsmen can benefit from it."
Dorji looked at her and smiled: "I am looking forward to it."
Although it is said that the people in the Qing court have always mentioned the Fourth Princess in a nonchalant manner, Dorji has observed these days and feels that this is not the case.
He is very confident in his vision.
This is a growing female eagle.
The Han people were ignorant. When they saw a pair of eagles, they pointed at the bigger one and called it the male eagle. But in fact, they got it wrong. The smaller one was the male eagle.
On the grasslands, once a female eagle grows up, it is larger and heavier than a male eagle, and its wings are wider when spread out. However, the Forbidden City cannot raise a decent female eagle. At most, such a place can raise orioles in golden cages. This is probably why the fourth princess is unknown.
He looked forward to the day when he would see the female eagle soaring in the sky with his own eyes.
On the way thereafter, Dorji rode behind the four princesses whenever he had nothing to do and talked to them, telling them about the customs and stories of Mobei.
As a result, there were often only the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince left riding together in the front.
The Fifth Prince smiled and said, "It seems that the Fourth Sister is good at controlling her husband. The Prince Consort really wants to stick to her all the time."
The Fourth Prince remained silent. He felt that a woman should obey her husband. However, this was his younger sister, and she married so far away, so it was understandable that she should behave a little the other way around.
We traveled slowly all the way like this and finally arrived at the border of Shanxi.
The Shanxi imperial merchant Fan family, together with several other merchants, had made preparations for the reception early. After receiving the report from the advance soldiers, they followed the prefect and the general to welcome the emperor outside Datong City early in the morning.
The year before last, when Emperor Kangxi went on his expedition, he also took this route. They were fortunate enough to receive him at that time and were very familiar with the rules.
In a roadside tent, Fan Sanbo, the head of the Fan family, and his two sons were drinking tea with other imperial merchants.
The status of these merchants is naturally not as high as that of the prefect or the general. There are many people coming to greet the emperor today, so the post station is for the adults to rest and merchants are not allowed to enter. These merchants ordered their families to set up a mat tent on the roadside in advance so that they can have a place to sit and wait.
A businessman sighed softly: "Alas, after all the effort, I may not even be able to see the noble man."
Just like the last time when the emperor was received, they were called here so that they could pay for the reception. None of the merchants, including the imperial merchant Fan Sanbo, actually showed their faces. They all looked at Long Ying from a distance, then took out a lot of silver and settled the bill.
However, they have no choice but to come. The government will just put a accusation on them and they will have no business left.
Fan Sanbo was calm and composed. He poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of the man: "It is a blessing for us to receive you. Have some tea."
When a group of merchants gathered together, they naturally talked about business. Most of the people doing business in their area traveled between Zhangjiakou and Guihua City, and they also had some knowledge of Mobei.
"How come the four princesses went from the capital to Kulun from Zhangjiakou and took the Zhangku official road? That route is much shorter and won't take that long."
"You are such a fool. Although the Zhangku Road is short, it is difficult to travel. There is a huge desert in the middle. After walking for a while, your mouth will be full of sand. If you encounter a sandstorm, even camels will have to give up. Which road do you want a princess of noble birth to take and endure such hardships? It must be more convenient to go north from Guihua City. After all, the desert and Gobi are smaller."
These merchants who traveled to the Saishang grasslands for trade mostly took two routes: one was from Zhangjiakou, and the other was from Guihuacheng.
The road in Zhangjiakou is an official road, short and fast. Although it is a bit difficult to travel, it is normal to be exposed to some wind and sand when doing business. Therefore, there are many merchants in Zhangjiakou, and there are many business houses, doing everything from silk, tea, grain, etc. The business scope is basically outside the Great Wall, either running to the grassland or to Liaodong. The merchants present here also basically have industries in Zhangjiakou, and their focus is there.
As for Guihua City, it was a trading place in the Ming Dynasty. However, the Qing Dynasty imposed strict restrictions on business here at the beginning of its establishment. No merchants other than the imperial merchants were allowed to cross the border. Not only merchants, but even farmers were not allowed to cross easily. It was not until the war in recent years that the policy was relaxed a little.
Doing business in Guihua City is basically about military supplies. Nowadays, Lord Fei Yanggu has set up a camp next to Daqing Mountain, with tens of thousands of soldiers stationed there. Business can be done wherever there are people, and it is easier to do business when there are more people. Fortunately, Lord Fei Yanggu is not averse to business, so the shop in Guihua City can be opened smoothly.
The shopkeepers there, in addition to the usual worship of Guan Gong and the God of Wealth, also have to worship Fei Yanggu. It's a pity that Master Fei Yanggu is said to be in poor health recently and plans to return to Beijing. Now I don't know which Buddha I will worship in the future.
"I heard that the young prince of Khalkha is also in the team. Boss Fan, are you guys going to Mobei with him?"
Before the old Khan returned, he requested the emperor to allow merchants to go north to Khalkha. The Ministry of Internal Affairs selected twelve merchants, and the Fan family was among them.
Fan Yongdou took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "Yes, I am grateful for your grace. I will follow you."
"Who should we send? It shouldn't be the eldest young master, right?"
Fan Yongdou has five sons. Now is the heyday of the Spring and Autumn Period. Each of them is in charge of a business, which makes many people envious.
"The eldest brother still has to take care of the work at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so I plan to let the fifth brother go and gain some experience."
Behind Fan Yongdou, a young man in his twenties, Fan Yuqi, smiled and said, "I am young, so I hope you uncles will take good care of me."
"Haha, heroes have always emerged from youth. The Fifth Young Master's departure will create another legend."
"That's right. We need Fifth Young Master to take good care of us. Among the twelve families, the Fan family has the best business."
"I dare not say that," Fan Yuqi said, "because this is the first time I go there, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has not yet sent people to manage the affairs there. We take turns to be the head of the guild. This year I, next year he, we will all make a fortune together."
After chatting for most of the day, they finally saw a man on horseback coming to report at dusk that the Fourth Princess' wedding party was only five miles away.
Everyone hurriedly straightened their clothes and lined up in order, with officials in the front and merchants behind, kneeling to greet him respectfully.
Mu Xue, who was sitting in the sedan chair, looked unhappy.
It was really uncomfortable to ride in a sedan chair on a long journey. Even a horse-drawn carriage was still uncomfortable. The shock absorption of sedan chairs and carriages was not very good, and even on the official road, they would often shake. She must learn to ride a horse in the future, otherwise it would be a real pain to be stuck in the carriage all day.
Datong is an important town, and many people came to greet them. The prefect and the general warmly invited them into their mansion to rest.
The official residence behind the government office was completely vacated for Mu Xue and her friends to live in. In addition, a large number of people were still camping outside.
After the prefect and the general paid their respects to Mu Xue, they focused their attention on the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince, calling them "Beile Ye" in an indifferent manner and asking about their well-being.
This was normal. Although the whole team was the Fourth Princess' wedding procession, officials in every place they went to were more concerned about the Fourth and Fifth Princes. They hoped to speak to these two masters, leave a good impression, and have a good future.
Mu Xue was not surprised. This was human nature. Compared to a princess who had no political power, people in officialdom would rather make friends with the prince.
The welcoming banquet was extremely rich. The Yellow River carp stewed with tofu took up most of the table. It was said that this was a dish that the emperor liked very much when he came. There were also mutton with scutellaria flavor, fried meat, smoked pigeon, steamed meat and other dishes. The table was full and full of meaty aroma.
Muxue had just been shaken by the sedan chair and didn't feel like eating, so she just moved her chopsticks slightly and went back to her room to rest.
After a short nap, I felt better and a little hungry. I remembered that Shanxi is famous for its noodles, so I was tempted. Since I was here, it seemed good to have a bowl of knife-cut noodles.
Mu Xue said to Rong Er, "I want to eat knife-cut noodles. Go and ask if they have any..."
She suddenly remembered that for safety reasons, most of the servants in the house had retreated to the outer room, with guards guarding the door. She changed her mind and said, "Forget it, let's send someone to the street to buy it, so as to avoid mobilizing a large number of people. If there is really nothing, then forget it."
Rong Er agreed and went out to find someone to pass on the message. Because it involved outsiders, it was not convenient to ask Aunt Wu and Aunt Zhao, so she directly told the chief eunuch Yan Xi.
Yeon Hee was just thinking about going to the street to take a look. This was also the first time he had been to this place since he was born. In addition, it was the princess's order, so he wanted to do a good job and show his face in front of the princess.
Therefore, he simply took the two young eunuchs with him and left the house.
But now the sun has set, and I don’t know if the restaurants on the street are still open. I’ll go and have a look first. If not, I’ll ask the prefect’s family for help.
As soon as Yan Xi left the house and looked around the street, a smart-looking young man came over, bowed, and asked respectfully, "Sir, what do you want to do?"
"Who are you……"
"Boy? Fan Yuqi, he is from the imperial merchant Fan family who came to welcome the emperor this time."
This family sounded somewhat familiar, Yan Xi remembered and asked, "Are you the family from the Ministry of Internal Affairs who delivered Gu Xiu's clothes to the princess's residence last time?"
"That's right, grandpa has a good memory."
"Why are you still here so late? I think the rest of the people seem to have left."
"I am honored to be here to receive you, and my father has ordered me to wait here. If the princess and the princes need any errands, I can run errands for them."
Fan Yuqi replied.
His father was always cautious and didn't want to miss the opportunity, so he ordered him to wait here. In the end, he really waited for this opportunity.
After Prince Yanxi told the princess that she wanted to eat knife-cut noodles, Fan Yuqi immediately volunteered to take him to find it.
Originally Yanxi thought that it was his own shop and he wanted to lend it to the princess to supply food to make himself famous. This is also a common tactic used by some businessmen. In case he gets lucky and a prince eats here and feels that the food is good, he will dare to put up a sign saying that someone has eaten here and that the food is the royal delicacy.
Unexpectedly, the store that Fan Yuqi took Yanxi to had nothing to do with the Fan family. He even smiled and thanked the shopkeeper for his help.
Yeon-hee looked at him strangely.
Fan Yuqi thought he was worried, so he explained, "This sliced noodle here is the best in Datong. Grandpa, please rest assured. My family has always worked for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so we know the importance of this matter."
Afraid that the noodles would taste bad if they got cold, Fan Yuqi directly invited the chef to the residence where the princess was temporarily staying. He had the guards search her carefully, check the raw materials, and then make a bowl of sliced noodles with meat sauce under his supervision.
The noodles were still hot when they were handed to Muxue.
The noodles are very beautiful, thick in the middle and thin at the edges like willow leaves, and very chewy. The sauce is also well-braised, with greasy minced meat and just the right amount of fat and lean meat, making it very fragrant when eaten.
She almost finished a bowl of sliced noodles with minced meat.
He put down the bowl, feeling satisfied, and said, "Did you borrow the chef from the prefect to make it? Or freshly made ones taste better."
Yan Xi smiled and said, "It was fate that led to this. I happened to meet someone from the Imperial Merchant Fan family of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He arranged for someone to do it."
He recounted the whole story.
After listening to this, Mu Xue said, "This company does sound quite capable."
She put her fingertips on the table, one by one, thought for a while, and told Yanxi: "How much did it cost to hire someone to make noodles? How much should you give? Give him as much as you can. Ask Madam Wu to keep an account later."
Yanxi agreed and was about to go out when he was stopped.
"Wait a minute," Mu Xue said, "and ask Fan Wu to do something. Since he is an imperial merchant, he should be very familiar with the market conditions. Ask him to write a memorial about the prices of rice, silk, tea, etc. in Shanxi in recent years and report them to me."
I'm not afraid of being laughed at. Although Mu Xue wanted to do business, she had few opportunities to deal directly with daily necessities, so she had no idea about prices. Although she knew how much some precious antiques and rare clothes could be pawned by checking the accounts of pawnshops in the capital, she was not sure how much some small and cheaper daily necessities should be sold for.
This is a good time to let the Fan family do this.
Yanxi had never thought that the princess would ask such a question. When he was in the capital before, he had privately talked with the eunuchs of other palaces. Generally speaking, these sons and grandsons of the emperor would not ask about money in person, which was vulgar! The eunuchs also discussed: "You are a master after all, why are you worried about these things?" They thought it was beneath their status. On the one hand, it was because of the concept that they had always had this view, and on the other hand, the eunuchs did not want their masters to know about money as well as they did.
However, Yeon Hee was a man who knew the current situation. He had never had a chance to stand out in front of the princess. If he said something offensive at this time, he would be banished to the cold palace. Therefore, he said nothing and just agreed with a smile on his face.
After he left, Mu Xue started to worry again, was Fan Wu reliable? What if he saw that she was a young princess and just took some things to fool her? So she called Aunt Wu again and asked Aunt Wu to go to the market during the day to inquire about the prices and report to her.
When Yan Xi saw Fan Yuqi, he smiled and took credit for it: "I praised you in front of the master, isn't that generous?"
"Thank you for your consideration." Fan Yuqi bowed and handed over a purse.
Yanxi took it, weighed it in his hand, and his smile deepened.
"You are a sensible child. Good fortune is yet to come."
After accepting the purse, Yanxi asked Fan Yuqi how much the knife-cut noodles would cost. He also asked how much he should pay for the cook. After finding out clearly, he took out the corresponding amount and gave it to him.
"This is what the Fourth Princess ordered. Our master is different from others. If you help her, he will not let you suffer any loss."
Fan Yuqi was stunned when he received the money.
He followed his father in business and met some nobles. He helped them with some things, which was laborious and costly, just asking them to run their business normally and not be suppressed at will. The attitude of those nobles towards their businessmen was the same: I am giving you face by letting you serve me.
This was the first time he had seen someone like the Fourth Princess.
Then Eunuch Yanxi mentioned that the princess wanted to know about the current prices, and Fan Yuqi naturally agreed without hesitation.
The Fan family was a business family with shops and houses in several counties. When he returned to the Fan residence, he happily reported to Fan Yongdou: "... this princess is a kind person and very easy to get along with."
Fan Yongdou stroked his beard and said nothing, "You should complete the task assigned by the princess."
This fourth princess has never been well-known, but it seems that she is not a simple person. If she wants to know the local prices, she must not want to be fooled by others. Or maybe she has some interest in business knowledge and plans to make more money to live a good life.
She can be said to be an outsider of noble status. Even if a fierce dragon crosses the river, it is necessary to test its depth. Starting from the point of price is indeed a good idea. You know, the goods going to Guihua City and then to Mobei are almost all sent from here. Knowing the price here is also equivalent to knowing the cost price at the source.
This is an orderly way of doing things. It seems that in addition to the officials under Tushetu Khan and the lamas under the Living Buddha, we also have to pay more attention to the fourth princess for the business in Mobei.
Fan Yongdou thought for a moment and said to his son, "Send someone to bring your wife over from Zhangjiakou."
"Ask her to come over and do it--" Fan Yuqi said halfway before he realized what was going on.
The princess was a young woman, and he was in his twenties, so the princess would not actively summon him just to avoid gossip.
Is this true? Ask his wife to come over.
So he sent someone to Zhangjiakou overnight to ask Fan Yuqi's wife Zhou Qiniang to come quickly. If she was afraid that she would not be able to make it in time, she could just go to Shaohukou and wait instead of coming to Datong.
When Shanxi merchants do business, men always go out alone, without bringing women along.
Zhou Qinnan was still a little confused when she received the message from her family.
She had been married to the Fan family for five years, and she and Fan Yuqi were rarely together and apart from each other. She gave birth to a son who was only two years old.
"Well, you want me to go, but what about Fu'er?" Zhou Qiniang begged, "Besides, I don't know anything about business."
The mother-in-law was firm in her attitude: "Go if I tell you to. I'll take care of Fu'er. This is a rare opportunity. If Lao Wu's job goes wrong because of you and he misses this great opportunity, then you will be the sinner of the entire Fan family!"
Was Zhou Qinnan frightened by these words?
She packed her luggage while crying.
Fu'er had been coaxed to sleep by his nurse, and was sleeping soundly in the cradle. Zhou Qiniang leaned over and kissed the child's face, feeling very reluctant to let him go. She imagined how sad he would be when he woke up and couldn't find his mother.
As she thought about it, she burst into tears.
The nurse also rubbed her eyes and advised: "Fifth Young Master's wife, there is nothing we can do about it. I left my child and came to your house. She was not even one year old at that time. Don't worry, I will take good care of the young master."
Zhou Qinnan suddenly raised her head and looked at her wet nurse, and they both cried together.
Finally, he was urged to get on the mule cart, escorted by servants, and quickly headed to Shaohukou.
Arriving in Datong, they stopped to repair and replenish supplies. At the invitation of the prefect and the general, Mu Xue and others went to explore the ancient sites and see the Yungang Grottoes and Yungang Temple.
"Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, Princess Heshuo, please look up. The plaque above was inscribed by the Emperor himself when he came here two years ago." The prefect introduced enthusiastically.
Muxue looked up and saw the four words "Solemn Dharma Appearance" written on the plaque, which was indeed Khan Ama's handwriting.
She had not studied Buddhism much, and her impression since she traveled through time was mainly the small Buddhist temple of Concubine Yi. It was popular among the concubines in the harem to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures. But she was particularly depressed and quiet at that time, and Concubine Yi did not even let her do trivial things like picking Buddha beans.
I was confused at the time, but later I understood a little. Concubine Yi probably thought that this little girl was already very negative and escapist. If she continued to chant Buddha, who knows what kind of personality she would develop. She couldn't raise a princess who wanted to become a nun, right? That would be a death sentence.
Therefore, Mu Xue couldn't even memorize the Heart Sutra, and was just skimming the surface. The prefect was praising Emperor Kangxi's divine appearance and wonderful writing style, and the fourth and fifth princes were annoyed by what they heard, but they couldn't ask them to shut up, so they each walked in different directions.
The prefect stood there for a few breaths, looked in the direction the Fourth Prince had gone, then looked at the direction the Fifth Prince had gone, and after some hesitation, he and the general finally followed the two princes separately, not forgetting to ask his deputies to entertain Princess Heshuo and her husband well.
The deputy official had no experience in receiving a young princess and didn't know what to do for a moment, and even spoke with a stutter.
Mu Xue simply told him that she liked quietness and was willing to watch it slowly by herself.
The official seemed to be pardoned, and he led his men and followed behind, so as not to disturb the four princesses' enjoyment.
He was looking casually, his eyes inadvertently passing over Dorji behind him, but he was looking very seriously.
Come to think of it, Mobei is a place where politics and religion are combined, and the living Buddha on the grassland is his great-uncle, the brother of the current Tushetu Khan. To some extent, it can be considered a family tradition.
"The temple here is quite different from the one near your home, isn't it?" Mu Xue asked him out of boredom.
"It is indeed quite different." Dorji said, "The buildings are different. There are prayer flags and wind horse flags of many colors with scriptures engraved on them. They look very beautiful when the wind blows. You will like them. There is a Yellow Sect temple in Guihua City. I will take you to see it when the time comes."
He watched the scenery during the day and returned to the official residence at night. The price reports submitted by the Fan family and Nanny Wu were all out.
Mu Xue asked Duo Dian to light two lanterns and then compare them with the light.
The paper presented by Aunt Wu was relatively simple. He went from shop to shop on the street to ask after daybreak. Therefore, most of the prices were today's.
The Fan family was more detailed, giving the approximate prices of the past three years. It was obvious that this family had a sense of recording prices.
The two documents covered similar current prices. Fried rice, a common food on the grassland, could be bought for one tael of silver. Second-rate brick tea cost two cents of silver per piece, while first-rate brick tea cost seven cents of silver. White cloth cost six cents of silver per piece, while silk cloth cost three taels of silver per piece.
She watched it for three consecutive nights and had a rough idea of the prices here.
After resting, the wedding party set off again, and the group marched along the ancient road towards Shaohukou.
Shaohukou is one of the passes of the Great Wall, located west of Datong. If you want to go to Guihua City and the grasslands in the north, you must pass through this place.
Hearing that it was a pass of the Great Wall, Muxue got out of the sedan chair and planned to take a look.
The weather in April was warm and springtime, but wherever she looked, it was earthy with a few green bushes here and there. There was a lot of sand and wind here, and even the Great Wall looked grayer than the end outside the capital.
She turned her eyes away from the city wall and looked back.
Standing on the high ground, she could clearly see the winding wedding procession. At the end of the procession, there was still a large empty section, and then there were many mules, huddled together with people far away. Like a broken tail, they followed timidly behind the procession.
She squinted her eyes and looked, trying to see more clearly.
Among those people, some in the front were dressed decently, leading donkeys or mules. The mules, with their shoulders full of goods, stopped for some reason and pawed their hooves to try to find grass to eat.
The appearance of those who came later was not so optimistic. They wore tattered coarse cloth clothes with patches of dark and light colors, and carried farm tools such as hoes on their backs.
"Who is that?" Mu Xue asked the city guard official who came over to pay his respects.
The official followed her line of sight and said in fear and trepidation: "Oh, I am guilty of my duty. Those behind me should be merchants and people traveling by geese. It is really unbecoming. I will ask someone to drive them away right away."
"No need." Mu Xue thought about it for a moment and roughly understood it.
These people probably saw that her wedding procession was going outside the Great Wall, so they wanted to take advantage of the situation and follow behind. With soldiers in front, the chance of encountering bandits was greatly reduced. The road was also trodden by most troops, so it was not too difficult to walk.
She asked again: "What is a wild goose walker?"
The young official looked a little embarrassed.
Mu Xue said: "Don't be afraid, I don't mean to accuse you, I'm just curious. Just think of it as telling me a story."
The official hesitated and said, "Although the control was very strict in the past and people were not allowed to pass through, there were still some brave people who ventured to the frontier to farm. They left in spring and returned in autumn and winter, just like wild geese, so they were called wild geese. A few years ago, during the war, the control was relaxed a bit, and they dared to go through the west gate."
"West exit?"
"It's Shaohukou. Because it's the western section of the Great Wall, the country folks just call it the West Pass."
Why does it sound familiar?
Mu Xue looked at the people walking in the same direction from afar, and repeated the two familiar words "Xikou" over and over again.
"West Exit... Go to the West Exit? Go to the West Exit!"
Her eyes suddenly widened.
Could this be the beginning of the famous population migration movement to the west in modern times, which is as famous as the Chuang Guandong Movement?
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