Chapter 80: The New Year on the Fuzi Grassland is very lively. …
New Year on the grassland? It is lively in its own way.
In previous years, Tushetu Khan would hold a banquet in the royal tent, and perform the five-animal ceremony the next day, wishing for abundant grass and water and thriving livestock in the new year. However, this year, there was no news of preparations, so the news was announced a few days in advance, asking Prince Dorji and Ahai to prepare the banquet together.
Muxue frowned when she heard this. Since the decree that allowed her to naturalize and establish a government was issued, Tushetu Khan had not talked to her alone. Muxue had sent two messages to the king's tent, intending to pay respects to the Khan, but the reply she received was: The weather has been cold recently, and the Khan is not feeling well and is not convenient to see guests. The princess appreciates her filial piety and will talk about it later.
But? This future... is hard to say. After all, if she waits for a while, she will set off to the south of the desert.
To be fair, Mu Xue felt that whether from the perspective of a grandfather or a prince, Tushetu Khan would definitely not be happy about the news that she was going to move. This was human nature.
But she didn't want to let the situation stagnate here. First, he was the Khan of the Tushetu Khanate, and his status was there. After moving in the spring, she wanted to build a military post road, and she would need the Khan's approval. Second, he was the grandfather of her lover. If she kept a grudge in her heart, it would not be a good thing for Dorji. Both in terms of interests and emotions.
I still have to find a way to find an opportunity to talk things out face to face, Mu Xue thought.
She stood in front of the bookshelf, and looked through the books in the sunlight coming through the ceiling. Many of the books she brought out from the palace were here. The vertical traditional Chinese characters were not something she was used to at first, but after years, she got used to it. During those days of depression, she had nothing to do, so she just buried herself in books and ignored the world. Although many words were forgotten after reading, some words left an impression and would pop up when they were needed.
Mu Xue ran her fingertips over the blue book, and finally pulled out a copy of "Strategies of the Warring States" and flipped through it, reviewing the past and learning new things. According to her current situation between the Qing court and Khalkha, the idea of forming alliances is not worth pursuing.
At dusk, after finishing his work, Dorji returned to Muxue's tent. As soon as the tent of the kitchen was opened, the aroma and warmth of food came to his face, and the copper pot was roasted by the charcoal fire, bubbling.
"Shall we have hot pot today?" Dorji threw his cloak to his follower and walked over with a smile.
Mu Xue closed the book in her hand and handed it to Rong Er. "Yes? Try this mutton and see how it tastes."
Two eunuchs came in one after the other, carrying two things. The one in front was holding a roll of frozen mutton, and the one behind seemed to be holding something iron.
It was the first time that Dorji saw this thing and he looked at it curiously.
The two eunuchs cooperated with each other. One of them held the frozen mutton roll, while the other pulled the chopper and pushed down hard, cutting out many very thin mutton slices with a snap.
Because the mutton slices were too thin, they were all rolled into a ball. Someone else stacked them together. The red meat and white fat alternating between them looked really good in color.
Dorji picked up a piece of food with chopsticks, dipped it into the boiling soup, and ate it with the sauce.
"It tastes slightly different from fresh-cut lamb, but it's still okay." He was more interested in the iron thing and leaned over to take a look. "This one has some advantages. Anyone can slice very thin lamb."
Mu Xue nodded and said, "That's why I asked the craftsmen to make it specially for this purpose."
This kind of mutton roll that is sliced thinly and rolled up is quite common in hot pot restaurants in later generations. It is placed on a plate, and looks beautiful and full. But when you pick it up, you find that there is a plate of ice underneath.
Dorji smiled and said, "It's quite interesting. How come you suddenly want to do this?"
"I was wondering if we could transport mutton in winter. Otherwise, I always felt that I couldn't do anything in the long winter and my business always suffered some losses." Mu Xue said, "Later, I occasionally saw them throwing slaughtered sheep into the snow and freezing them to eat later. Then I thought that maybe we could freeze the slaughtered mutton into rolls and then transport them."
It is like using nature as a natural refrigerator. In this way, there is no need to drive live sheep to trade in autumn and winter, which would cause too much loss on the road. Now that the method of transporting frozen mutton has been figured out, it is also logical to think of the model of using this mutton slicer to cut frozen mutton into mutton rolls. This thing is not complicated. The craftsman figured it out after several months, and the effect is not bad.
Dorji said: "You always think of many strange and interesting things. Come, I will help you scald the mutton."
In such a cold winter day, the mutton rolls are bubbling in the pot. Eating them makes you feel comfortable all over, and the whole room is filled with delicious fragrance.
Mu Xue had almost finished her meal. She scooped a bowl of mutton soup and drank it slowly. She asked, "The New Year is coming soon. I originally wanted to go to the Khan to pay New Year's greetings. But the old man doesn't seem to come out to meet guests. I'm a little worried. Is he angry with me?"
"It's not that serious." Dorji put down his chopsticks. "I went to pay my respects to the old man a few days ago. When he scolded me, he was full of energy. But since five days ago, his voice has become a little hoarse. He is too lazy to talk and just sleeps. It's true that he is not feeling well."
Mu Xue sipped the mutton soup and said "hmm". If that's what she said, then Tushetu Khan must have scolded Dorji.
But Tushetu Khan is already old, and catching a cold in winter is really not a good thing, so he needs to be well taken care of.
She originally wanted to ask Doctor Zhang and Qiuhua to take a look. Perhaps the imperial physicians from the capital could provide some additional treatments.
But when the words came to her lips, she felt it was inappropriate. He was the Khan of a tribe, the Prince of Mobei appointed by Emperor Kangxi himself, not an ordinary person. If she rashly let her own doctor go there and cure the disease, it would be good, but what if he was not so good and the medicine was not effective. Or maybe it was fate, if something happened, the first person to be held accountable would be her doctor, and then her.
When you are in a melon field or under a plum tree, you must always be on guard against others.
Mu Xue had made up her mind not to let her people get involved in this matter openly. But since she already knew these things, her conscience made her unable to stand idly by.
Especially seeing the worry on Dorji's face. Since his parents passed away, he was raised by his grandfather. The relationship between grandfather and grandson must be deep. He had to go to Tushetu Khan almost every day to take care of him, and was worried that his illness would affect Muxue, so he lived alone in his tent for a few days.
After thinking for a while, Muxue privately called Qiuhua over and asked, "I saw you and the Mongolian doctor had close contact and exchanged medical skills before. I wonder if you can benefit from each other?"
Qiu Hua said, "Yes, I have written some methods for treating bone injuries. There is a lama doctor who is knowledgeable and good at identifying herbs. The herbs he mentioned are all grown on the grassland."
"Teaching and learning are always a good thing." Mu Xue advised, "After all, everyone has his own strengths. For example, we have many wonderful prescriptions for treating colds and other ailments. If the lama doctor you mentioned is lucky enough to see those prescriptions, maybe he can get some inspiration."
Qiuhua was a smart person, and she knew what the princess said must have a hidden meaning. However, she had been busy looking after the princess's dowry and preparing to pack her bags to return to Mo Nan, so she was afraid that she didn't have such a thorough understanding. So she walked out of the princess's tent, turned around and went to find Yunqi, and told her what the princess said to her.
"I heard that the master wanted me to teach the lama doctor how to treat typhoid fever, but I'm afraid I've misunderstood him. Have you heard any rumors recently?"
Upon hearing this, Yunqi said, "I heard that the Khan has been suffering from a cold recently."
She rolled her eyes, understood what the princess meant, and explained, "Just find an opportunity to let the local doctor see the medical books you brought, and don't make it too conspicuous. After all, we are from the Qing court, and we have a special status, so we can never be too careful."
"Then I understand. Don't worry, I know what to do."
During the New Year, except for a brief appearance on New Year's Eve and the first day of the New Year, Tushetu Khan did not see any guests. Everyone was a little worried at first, but later they heard that a lama doctor had offered a new prescription, and it actually improved a little, but he still needed to be well taken care of. Everyone was relieved and could celebrate the New Year with a smile.
Since it was the New Year, there were many etiquettes and occasions that needed to be presided over. It turned out that Tushetu Khan asked his grandson Dorji and his second son Ahai to discuss and handle it together.
But who happened to show up? A princess. Contrary to her previous silent attitude, the princess attended various ceremonies with Dorji and greeted relatives and friends, which was very appropriate.
For a while, he was the most popular person.
Given her status as a princess of the Qing court, Ah Hai could not be compared with his wife.
Muxue even took advantage of the palace custom to give the Taiji's wife who was close to her a handwritten word "Fu".
"As the Zasak of the Second Banner of Xihou, I have always heard that you have a good governance and even your sheep are very good." Mu Xue handed the taiji a red paper with a gold-plated word "Fu" and said with a smile, "If you want, you can raise more lambs. My people have come up with a new way to sell more sheep to the inland. But my sheep are not yet of breeding age. To reach that number, I need everyone's help."
Everyone knows that if we follow the princess's trade route, the price of a sheep sold in the capital can be doubled compared to that on the grassland. The Zasak immediately smiled and said, "Of course, I am willing. Thank you, princess, for thinking of us."
After entertaining guests from all over generously and appropriately, it was finally time to end the banquet.
Mu Xue stepped into her tent and immediately her face fell. She rubbed her stiff smile and ordered, "Put down the warm water, sheep fat soap, etc., and leave me alone."
She wrung the handkerchief and covered her face with it, then lay down on the couch. The slightly hot handkerchief made her gradually relax.
Compared to noisy and lively social scenes, a quiet environment indeed makes her more comfortable.
Muxue enjoyed the silence of the tent.
After a while, she gradually recovered and felt a little happy for herself. Whether she liked it or not, she finally did it. She took this opportunity to show her presence in front of the nobles of the Tushetu Khanate. She had to show her presence because she would not be here for a while after she left in the spring.
You have to make a good impression first, so that it will be convenient to do things even in the Guihua Princess's mansion. Tushetu Khan happened to be recuperating, so it was easier to make his presence felt during this gap. Mu Xue studied all kinds of information about Taiji and his wife in advance, just like reviewing for an exam, and treated this New Year's Day ceremony as if it were a big enemy. She also gave away a lot of furniture as gifts to some Taiji and his wife. After all, she was back in Guihua City, which was close to the capital, so it would not be difficult to get more if she wanted to. Moreover, she would have to carry less things on the road, which would be cleaner.
With this in mind, she pretended to be good at dancing. Congratulations, the effect was good.
She slept for a while in a daze, and when she woke up, she saw Dorji sitting in front of the bed. He looked at her with a smile in the candlelight, his eyes full of love.
"My Muxue is so amazing, she shines brightly among the crowd."
He felt grateful and proud. She knew the princess's character very well, and yet she was willing to do this for him.
Mu Xue half-raised herself and saw Dorji's gaze. She roughly guessed what he was thinking and smiled, "It's worth it to have such a good evaluation from you. Why did you come here today?"
"Grandfather's health has improved, so I dare to see you. I was afraid of the disease before." Duoerji said, "He told me that when you are free, you can go to him to pay New Year's greetings. Do you want me to accompany you to see him?"
Mu Xue smiled and said, "It's okay. I want to talk to the Khan alone, too."
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