Linzhi

How difficult it is to train a Ganzhou native to grow into an An Ren, just look at Xue Tan's extra white hair.

Gao's injury healed, and her original appearance was restored. Although her hands were hard to hide, she still did not lose Xiaojiabiyu.

The way she stood quietly, she really had the demeanor trained by the palace people-according to her pretended identity, since Gao's mother was a palace servant, she would definitely teach her manners in the palace since she was a child.

When He Rong came in, he saw Xue Tan put a large pile of hairpin jade on the table, and Gao Shi knelt by the desk, upright and meticulous, completely different from the downcast state she was in when she was rescued a few days ago.

"Isn't this good?" He Rong praised Xue Tan, "Yu Shen is good at teaching people."

Xue Tan said quietly: "Thank you for the compliment, did you have fun outside?"

He Rong: "So-so."

Xue Tan: "..."

He Rong turned to Gao Shi: "How are you learning Mandarin now? Say a few words and listen."

Gao hesitated for a moment, then said: "It's sunny today...do you want tea, sir?"

He Rong shook his head: "The speed of speech is too slow. It sounds like you didn't grow up in Chang'an. You have to go faster."

Xue Tan was a little bit crazy: "It's almost over, and we have to leave in ten days. I'm afraid that she will reveal her secrets when she talks to Princess Zhending!"

Gao's face showed guilt: "I'm sorry, I'm too stupid."

He Rong: "Don't be discouraged. On the [-]th, such progress is already very good."

Xue Tan sighed, opened the box next to it, took out all the jade hairpins and gold hairpins inside, and displayed them on the table.

"Can you recognize which one here is made by the Supervisor of the Shaofu in the Palace?"

After careful identification for a moment, Gao picked up one of the jade hairpins hesitantly: "This?"

Xue Tan: "Wrong! There is nothing in it. I bought them all in the silver building of this city, but there are only a few of them. When you are in front of Princess Zhending, she will definitely doubt your authenticity and test your identity. Yours, if you can't answer these questions, you won't be able to get closer to her and let her be close to us."

Gao was so trained that he couldn't hold his head up.

He Rong patted Xue Tan on the shoulder: "I'll do it."

Xue Tan had no choice but to give up his position.

He Rong wiped all the jewelry on the table aside.

"Actually, you don't need to remember any of these."

Gao looked up in surprise.

He Rong: "Yu Shen has already taught you what you should know. The rest is up to you. Even if you learn how to distinguish jewelry, what if the other party takes out a utensil? You have to remember that no matter what, Don't panic, and then, learn to move people with emotion."

Gao chewed on the last four words: "Move people with emotion?"

He Rong: "That's right, you were chased and beaten by Mrs. Pu earlier, and you pulled Yushen's sleeve to ask him to save you, and won his sympathy. This is a kind of affection."

Xue Tan touched his nose, feeling a little embarrassed.

He Rong: "I have never met Princess Zhending, and I don't know what kind of temperament she is, but one thing is for sure. She has a deep attachment to her homeland and the Central Plains. Otherwise, there is no need for people to buy Central Plains every year. Rouge, if you want to impress her, you have to poke at the softest part of her heart. In your opinion, what impresses her the most is the hairpin or utensil in the palace?"

Gao thought about it seriously, and after a while, said softly: "Food, the taste of my hometown."

He Rong: "Why?"

Gao: "I was sold to the Zhang family since I was a child. I have long forgotten what my parents looked like, and I don't even remember where my hometown is, but I always remember a stewed mutton with green radish. Although I also ate it in Zhang's family, it was completely different. It doesn't taste like that anymore."

Xue Tan was stunned: "So, we still have to cook for Princess Zhending? Do we want to cook Chang'an's famous dishes, or the dishes in the palace? The court dishes of the previous dynasty are also a little different from this dynasty, right?"

He Rong shook his head: "Leave this to me."

In fact, he is quite satisfied with Gao Shi. If it were someone else, he might not be able to draw inferences from one instance and be as clever as Gao Shi.

"What's your name?" He asked suddenly as if remembering something.

Gao: "My concubine's name is Changning."

"Changning," these two words passed He Rong's lips, "Changning is Ankang, my hometown is my peace of mind, this name is very good, there is no need to change it."

Gao's heart was bitter. This name was deeply imprinted in her mind when she often heard her parents yelling in her ears when she was a child, but now, this is the only name left for her.

She began to understand Princess Zhending's mood a little bit.

Ten days passed in a blink of an eye, and the caravan headed for the Western Regions set off before dawn, and the three of them, He Rong, were among them.

He Zhan and Chen Qian sent them to the city gate, and they wanted to send them off again, but He Rong stopped them: "We are disguised as identities, and we are in the caravan, so don't send them off anymore. The return date is uncertain, and the rest is up to you." , I’m counting on you guys.”

He Zhan: "Third brother, don't worry."

Although he was reluctant to give up, in front of others, he was still able to hold up his posture, and even his words became less.

Chen Qian also said: "Shaoqing, take care, we will definitely spare no effort!"

He Rong nodded slightly, patted He Zhan's arm lightly, got up on his horse, and left with Xue Tan and Gao Shi who were already waiting for him in the caravan.

He didn't have to look back, and he knew that He Zhan and the others behind him watched him off for a long time.

Xue Tan said, "It won't be a big problem if we just leave Wulang and the others in Zhangye?"

He Rong: "The young eagles have to be released in order to soar. It would be a pity if Goro's aptitude has been kept under wraps. He should have the opportunity to be alone."

Xue Tan teased: "Even if you let go, he won't be willing to fly."

He Rong: "You are jealous that I have a good brother, I know."

Xue Tan snorted.

After the caravan traveled for a while, He Rong turned his head slightly and looked back.

Within the line of sight, the figure of the person seeing off the pedestrians has disappeared, only the Zhangye City Gate stands erect, and the world is lonely.

……

The days passed.

Gobi yellow sand, looking far away.

But this is not completely yellow. There is a river passing by under Sanmi Mountain. It is said that there are large and small lakes not far away. The nourishment of the water source makes this place full of vitality. In addition to the yellow color, there are many dark green and light green. The branches and leaves are horizontal and the water flow is very clear. The white clouds in the sky are reflected in it, large and small tents are placed in random order, and the largest king's tent is surrounded in the middle.

A conspicuous totem of the king's flag hangs on the top of the king's tent, indicating that the people living inside are the most noble people in Western Turks.

This is the Turkic royal court. There are no bricks, no walls, only knights galloping by from time to time, and Turkic people in fur coats.

There were quite a few people coming and going, including some Han Chinese. The leader of the caravan led them through the tent, familiar with the way, and came to the area where the crowd gathered.

"This is where the Turkic people trade with foreign caravans. It's a bit like the market in our Central Plains, but you must not run around. Someone will come to meet with us later. I will take you to see him, and then we will meet again." Let's see if the other party is willing to pass on a message to Ke Dun for us." The leader of the caravan told He Rong and the others.

This caravan has just come from the Central Plains and is going to Persia. West Turkic is just one of the stops on their way. Come here to meet the princess who has become Turkic Ketun.

Among them, He Ronggao pretended to be a brother and sister, and Xue Tan pretended to be a merchant who sponsored the brothers and sisters to come here.

Xue Tan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know some Turkic, so I won't cause trouble for you."

The face of the caravan leader did not relax: "The Turkic people are fierce and domineering. They know that we are a caravan, and extorting property is indispensable, but sometimes they suddenly rise up and arrest people in the caravan as slaves, taking the opportunity to ask for more money. If you refuse to redeem someone with property, or if you take too little, that person will be taken away directly, no matter whether you can speak Turkic or not, when you get to someone’s land, naturally we can’t let us.”

Xue Tan looked at the two slaves who were hurrying past holding the water jar and lowering their heads not far away: "Are there many slaves here?"

Caravan leader: "Many, some were taken directly from the border towns, and some were captured from the surrounding homeless people when they robbed them."

Xue Tan: "Didn't the Turks take the captured Han people as hostages and demand money and goods from the border town government?"

The leader of the caravan sighed: "The Turkic lions opened their mouths. How can the government take money to redeem these people? Besides, even if the court can pay, the Turkic people can't release them all. The captured Han people are full of men." As slaves, women who are a little bit pretty will be captured and warmed the beds of those Turkic nobles. If there are too many people to support, the Turkic people will directly take them to the wild and kill them, and let the vultures eat their bones, so as not to Waste of food."

The words made several people feel heavy, and even Gao Shi, who was listening, showed a look of impatience on his face, and subconsciously pulled down the hood that covered his face, covering most of his face.

The caravan quickly unloaded all the exchanged goods from the horses and carriages. There was salt that everyone in the Turks needed, as well as some cloth and satin, and Central Plains utensils. The latter two were mostly sold to the Turkic nobles. Naturally I can't afford it.

Soon, many Turkic people gathered around and began to pick things out. Turkic people had no currency, and both sides were bartering. The Turkic people exchanged some prey fur and animal bone products.

Gao Shi was a little curious, but she kept in mind the instruction not to talk too much, no matter how many questions she had in her mind, she resisted it.

He Rong noticed her expression and asked, "What's the matter, are you feeling unwell?"

Gao Shi: "No, I was thinking that even if a caravan is accompanied by a few people who are skilled in martial arts, if it comes to the territory of the Turks, it is tantamount to a sheep entering the tiger's mouth. With the greed of the Turks, they can directly sell the goods of the caravan. Snatch it away, why barter with them?"

He Rong smiled, but there was no warmth in the smile: "Do you think they don't want to? But if they do, there will be no more Central Plains caravans passing by here, and they won't bring anything to them. The Turkic people are not stupid, and they also know the truth of fishing in a dry marsh. You see, the Turkic people live as nomads. To them, cattle and sheep are as cheap as pigs in the Central Plains, but they exchanged so many of us with a piece of cowhide. For the salt, several utensils should be added."

Gao: "Then the caravan will lose everything?"

He Rong: "There are still profits, but the profits will be less, and this is not the final destination of the caravan. They will not pass through here on their return journey."

Gao was stunned.

While talking, a Turkic soldier came over. The leader of the caravan was overjoyed when he saw this, he stepped forward to hold him and said a few words, and then brought him over: "My lord, this lady is the old friend of Sister Ke Dun. Before the deceased passed away, she told her to come to Ke Dun, could you please accommodate me?"

The Turkic man looked Gao up and down, and seeing that the latter covered most of his face, he stretched out his hand and ripped off her turban.

Gao pretended to be panicked, and took a few steps back to hide behind Xue Tan.

When she came here, she purposely smeared her face with plaster, and her complexion looked dark, but she didn't show any beauty.

The Turkic man lost interest, frowned and shook his head, speaking with a blunt Chinese accent: "Kedun hasn't seen anyone recently!"

He Rong thumped, wondering if the worst they had imagined had happened?

Xue Tan reacted quickly, stepped forward and stuffed a gold hairpin into the opponent's hand, and asked in Turkic.

The Turkic man's expression gradually relaxed, the two exchanged a few words, the other party shook his head, Xue Tan stuffed another piece of gold cake, chattered for a while, the Turkic man showed hesitation, finally nodded, turned and left.

Xue Tansong breathed a sigh of relief, and said to He Rong: "He promised to help us to ask. In fact, he is just a small boss here. He can't meet Ke Dun in person. At most, he can only get in touch with Ke Dun's maid. It is said that Ke Dun I’ve been feeling unwell recently, so I usually don’t see people.”

He Rong: "What about Moli Khan?"

Xue Tan: "I didn't dare to ask, because I was afraid that the other party would be suspicious."

After waiting for almost a stick of incense, the Turkic talent appeared. He said a few words to Xue Tan, and Xue Tan asked a few more questions. The other party quickly became impatient and turned to leave. After talking good things for a long time, he said to He Rong and the others: "He asked us to go with him and wait first, but Dun is on lunch break, and the maid didn't dare to disturb her. She will decide whether to see us or not after she wakes up."

The three of them bid farewell to the caravan, followed the Turkic man, walked all the way forward, and came to a small tent.

The Turkic man said: "This is one of Ke Dun's tents, you stay inside first, don't run around, Ke Dun wants to see you, so naturally someone will call."

Regardless of what they said, they just left.

The three of them had no choice but to sit down in the tent and wait.

After waiting for almost an hour, someone lifted the curtain of the tent and entered.

They thought it was Ke Dun's maid, but after asking, they found out that the other party was just the lowest slave around Ke Dun, not even a maid, but just sent to deliver drinks.

But it is a good thing that someone came over, which shows that Ke Dun or the people around Ke Dun have not forgotten them.

He Rong realized that something was wrong. If Princess Zhending was free now, she wouldn't have to go to such lengths to see everyone, and something might have happened to West Turkic.

"Gentlemen, please use." The woman put the hot mare's milk on the table.

Xue Tan was born with a feeling of pity for women, so he couldn't help asking, "Are you from the Central Plains?"

The woman said softly: "Yes, the Turkic people disturbed the border and broke the city, and captured the slaves."

Xue Tan: "Do you have any relatives in your hometown? If there is a chance, we will pay you to redeem you. Would you like to go back with us?"

The woman raised her head quickly, first in disbelief, then in ecstasy, and then that touch of joy disappeared, turning into deep sorrow.

She shook her head and smiled bitterly: "Thank you for your kindness, but my parents have already died under the iron hooves of the Turks. Even if I go back, I don't know what I can do..."

Xue Tan shook his head in disapproval: "Could it be better for you to stay here as a slave or a handmaid than to go back to your hometown?"

The woman was silent for a while, and sobbed silently again.

He Rong felt that Xue Tan's sympathy was a bit abused, so he didn't let them continue this topic, and asked instead: "Is your Ke Dun really sick? Or something happened?"

The woman hurriedly wiped away her tears and shook her head: "I don't know!"

There was fear and alert on her face, it was obviously not ignorance, but she knew but dared not speak.

Afraid that He Rong and the others would ask any more questions, the woman hurriedly prepared to leave.

At this time, there was a noise from outside the tent, and the woman who had just taken half a step turned back, with a look of panic on her face, and quickly said to them: "You stay here, no matter what happens, don't go out!"

Before the three of them answered, the sound of footsteps outside was approaching from far away.

The next moment, the curtain of the tent was lifted abruptly, and a tall figure appeared by the door.

The woman subconsciously took a few steps back and fell directly to the ground.

It must not be an ordinary person who can scare her like this!

Xue Tan and He Rong looked at each other.