Chapter 55: Shepherding sheep to become the people in the painting, Mu Xue is also the first...
This is the first time for Mu Xue to be a person in a painting.
When he heard that she wanted to have someone paint her portrait, during breakfast, Dorji excitedly took out a lot of necklaces, rubies, turquoise, and corals. He put them on her body one by one and said, "Each one looks good on her. How about painting a few more?"
After this try, I went out a little later. After all, it was a picture of a sheep in the grassland, so it shouldn't be too expensive and ostentatious. In the end, Mu Xue picked a set of red coral jewelry to wear.
She was unsure how to draw it, so she asked Zhou Qiniang, "How should I do it? Should I just stand there holding the sheep and let others draw it?"
Zhou Qiniang was stunned: "This..."
Looking at her expression, Mu Xue knew that it was not right. Well, the methods of Chinese painting and Western sketching are definitely different.
"It's okay, I don't know much about painting, just tell me slowly."
Zhou Qiniang slowly explained that although she had not painted many figures, she knew a little about them. Usually, she would paint based on a pre-existing powder model, or the painter would paint based on his impression after observation. After all, dipping the brush, laying out the paper, and then applying the colors layer by layer would take a lot of time. It was not appropriate to let the noble wait for such a long time.
"I see? That's how it is. How long will it take to draw?"
Zhou Qiniang originally wanted to say the fifteenth day, but she was worried that the princess would be dissatisfied with it because it took too long, so she gritted her teeth and said, "Seven days, the painting can be completed in seven days."
"Seven days?" Mu Xue asked, "But I remember that the caravan will set off the day after tomorrow, right?"
Fan Yuqi, who was standing by, took the opportunity to say, "Qiniang is willing to stay here and paint. I will pick her up next time I lead a caravan to come here."
After hearing this, Mu Xue did not make any comment, but just asked Zhou Qiniang: "What do you think? It doesn't matter, it's up to you whether to stay or not."
Zhou Qinnan looked at her husband, then at the princess, seeming a little conflicted.
Fan Yuqi's heart was beating wildly in his chest. However, in front of everyone and the princess, he couldn't give any advice.
Qiniang, Qiniang, you must stay calm. Opportunity cannot be missed, as it may never come back!
However, he was in a state of torment after a moment of silence, until he heard Zhou Qiniang softly say, "I am willing to serve the princess, please grant my wish." Fan Yuqi's wildly beating heart finally felt better.
He secretly sighed deeply and bowed: "This is the blessing that my wife and I have been longing for. I beg Princess to help me."
"Since you have made up your mind, let's do this." Mu Xue ordered, "Qiu Hua, you will take care of Zhou Qiniang when the time comes."
Since the matter had been settled, Mu Xue did not ask any more questions. She just asked Zhou Qiniang to simply draw a shape with ink as a line drawing.
Zhou Qinniang is really good at painting. With just simple ink lines, she can really depict the expression of her holding the sheep.
Mu Xue looked at it for a while and asked, "Can you use this ink pen to draw something abstract? Like this?"
She scribbled a few strokes on the new paper, imitating the Q-version comics she had seen before traveling through time, but when she was done she felt that it was... a bit too abstract.
"If you don't understand, just forget it." Mu Xue didn't want to make things difficult for others, so she put down her pen and sighed.
"I can give it a try." Zhou Qinnan picked up the pen, pondered for a moment, and outlined a new shape on new paper.
Mu Xue leaned over to take a look—it was vivid and lifelike.
She couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "You draw really well."
I have never come across this kind of painting before. Time was tight and I was nervous in front of her, but he was able to accurately depict her expression. If he were in modern times, he would definitely be a master.
Zhou Qiniang smiled shyly, not knowing how to respond, and only said, "I will definitely paint well."
"Well, if you need any painting materials, just tell Qiuhua directly."
After finishing the matter of the painting, Mu Xue was surrounded by the crowd and went down to see the last batch of sheep that were driven over.
Yunqi reported to her softly: "...We have agreed that before the count, they will be responsible for any loss of sheep; after the count, it will be ours. The experienced shepherds under their command have also arrived and formed groups, with each person herding 200 sheep. They move in groups, so that if one or two sheep are left behind, the ones behind can drive them back."
Mu Xue nodded: "That's great. I always trust you to do things."
She looked at the servants behind her and deliberately led Yunqi forward two steps. Rong'er noticed her movements, exchanged glances with the other maids, and slowed down their pace.
After they were a certain distance away, Mu Xue said to her, "I will ask His Majesty for permission to open the official sheep and horse market and the Beijing Sheep Road. The post roads are fast, and perhaps the imperial edict will be replied before you arrive. You should pay attention. Some sheep will be distributed in Guihua City. Some sheep will be rushed to the capital along the Beijing Sheep Road. When you get there, find an Anrong Pawnshop. The shopkeeper is a capable person. Discuss the matter with her."
Since she couldn't make the trip in person, Muxue told Yunqi most of what she had planned.
Sheep trading is an important part of the process, and another part is to transform the proceeds from sheep trading into goods again.
"After exchanging it for cash, you only need to buy silk and tea, and then transport them back to the grassland. This cycle will continue to expand, and this transaction will be truly completed. As for the silk matter, we must notify the Jiangning Weaving Factory. I will arrange it in advance. The quantity we want is not large, and they should not refuse my face. After taking the silk, you can also buy some cloth, and then take out a part of it and use the silver to set up a workshop nearby in Shanxi and other places, cut it in Hada, and then transport it back to sell directly."
"There is one more thing you need to pay attention to. We need to have our own camel team. We can talk to the Fan family and ask them to recommend camel breeders they know. We can also look for useful talents on the road and set up a business of our own. The Fan family also has their own business, and their signboard is certainly not easy to change, but it would be strange if we always use the Fan family signboard."
After explaining everything in detail, Muxue patted Yunqi on the shoulder and said, "During the Han Dynasty, there was Zhang Qian who pioneered the world. Today, you are my Zhang Qian. Whether this grassland Silk Road can be opened depends entirely on you."
Yunqi said hurriedly: "The princess has pointed out the way forward, and I will do my best to do it."
Mu Xue nodded: "I believe you."
She smiled and said, "If this is done, I will share the 20% profit with you."
The cake was drawn, and the words to encourage morale were spoken, but the most important thing was to really tie the interests together. She certainly believed that Yunqi would do it well this time. But in the long run, they would share the glory after all.
Yunqi was such a smart man that he knew the princess's intention after hearing this and bowed solemnly: "I will never dare to fail the princess' trust."
It is always easier said than done, but the princess is still young. Although she values business, she is not as penny-pinching as some misers. Instead, she knows how to give benefits to her subordinates in a down-to-earth manner.
Mu Xue helped her up. "This is our first trip, so there may be many problems along the way. This is normal. We just need to finish the journey, not perfect it. As long as we open up this trade route, there will naturally be merchants willing to follow us and sell their goods in Saishangguan. This is also a blessing."
The herders can benefit, and the merchants in the pass can also have a job. Just like visiting relatives, the two sides can truly communicate and interact, and the relationship will become better.
On the day the caravan set out, Mu Xue got up early to see them off. Climbing up the grassy hillside again, she saw flocks of sheep moving slowly, like clouds in the sky falling to the ground.
It seems like a peaceful and idyllic life.
However, for those who are herding sheep on the road, it may not be so beautiful.
"Aunt Yunqi, three sheep are missing."
Yunqi, who had just finished directing everyone to set up the tents, rubbed his forehead, took a deep breath, and then followed others to check.
"Where's the sheep? What's going on this time?"
Although a plan for lost sheep had been made in advance, if the sheep of the first team were lost, the shepherds of the next team would come together to drive them over. However, in practice, when the last two teams were resting, they would often find one or two sheep missing.
The word "herding sheep" has always been used to describe a scattered group of people, and it is not without reason. Sheep graze on the road, nibbling here and there, and when they are so happy that they forget about their companions and the shepherd, it is normal for one or two sheep to fall behind.
As for where the stray sheep went, some were taken in by herdsmen stationed along the way. They were like the people who waited on the street to pick up the "moth snow willow gold thread" that was accidentally squeezed away during the temple fair. One day, I suddenly received the gift of nature and picked up a sheep.
If you ask, the answer is "I didn't see it". Anyway, the desert is vast and sparsely populated, there is plenty of space to hide a sheep, and at worst you can hide it in your stomach. With a sly mouth, he said cunningly, "Who knows where it went?"
It takes too much time to search for a sheep or to torture someone.
Fan Yuqi counseled Yunqi: "It is normal to lose a few sheep. In the first few years of the war, the Khalkha herded sheep for military rations, and the officers and soldiers had to collect them. They had no time to bother with the few who took advantage."
Yunqi had to find another way and announced that if the shepherd did not lose any sheep or only lost one sheep, he would be rewarded with a sheep when he arrived at Guihua City.
In this case, the shepherd is indeed very concerned, but sometimes losing the sheep is really helpless, like now.
"Aunt, the sheep must have been taken away by wolves." The shepherd complained, "We have so many sheep but few dogs. The wolves are very smart. They took away a sheep secretly at night when people were resting."
This is indeed something that cannot be solved immediately. Yunqi can only write down this lesson in his little notebook and take the dog with him more often next time.
In this way, we stumbled along the way and finally arrived at a small gathering point a few days away from Guihua City when the grass turned yellow. There were some traveling merchants here, all of whom were looking for ways to do business in Uliastai. There were troops stationed there, and some military supplies had to be transported there by merchants.
After traveling for such a long time, the merchants were very happy when they suddenly met familiar people who spoke Chinese. They lit a bonfire at night and drank and sang.
Yunqi was not interested anymore, so he went to watch the sheep with a lamp in his hand.
She felt a little distressed because the sheep had become thinner after the long journey. After all, the price was based on weight, so if the sheep lost a pound, she would be charged less.
Yunqi touched a sheep and sighed, "Why are they all so thin?"
"It's inevitable to travel a long distance. In fact, if you have some free time, you can raise the sheep on the pasture outside Guihua City and sell them when they are fat, which will bring more profit."
A strange male voice sounded, Yunqi turned around cautiously, and saw a young man with a scar on his right cheek. He was wearing a patched cloth shirt, and it was obvious that he was a traveling merchant who didn't make much money.
"Don't be offended, my dear. I am Wang Xiangqing. You all call me Wang Erbazi. I just want to share some experiences with you."
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