"Which of you is willing to take a trip to the Huns?"
After hearing the emperor's question, Shusuntong and Liu Jing shouted almost simultaneously, "I am willing to go."
The solemn and bleak atmosphere in the hall due to the humiliation was slightly relieved by the two of them. Liu Ji couldn't help but smile.
"Shu Sun Tong, if you are older, don't go to the north to do anything.
Liu Jing is still young, looks physically stronger than you, and is good at eloquence and eloquent. How about letting Liu Jing go this way? "
"Liu Jing doesn't know how to ride a horse. Does he have to ride all the way to the grassland?" Zhang Cang said half-jokingly.
Liu Jing said anxiously,
"What's the difficulty in riding a horse? I hereby issue a military order and promise to learn it within ten days."
Seeing that Liu Jing had a look on his face, Guan Ying bulged his eyes and said, "I also want to go there. Your Majesty, please send me to go with him."
"Liu Jing came here to make peace, not to kill people. If I take you with me, trouble will happen."
Liu Ji waved his hand and was too lazy to pay attention to him anymore. He turned to Liu Jing and continued,
"You are currently a doctor, and you are sending an envoy with this official title. It is supposed to be enough, but I am afraid that the Huns do not know the goods.
Well, I'll give you another title, let's call you Mr. Fengchun. "
Lu Pheasant also laughed and said,
"The Huns probably don't know what the title of doctor is, these are all red tape in the Central Plains.
You might as well ask Liu Jing to bring a decent knot and bring more palace supplies. "
"That's right." Liu Ji thought for a moment and said to Xiao He,
"Go and tell the young master to design a special joint for the Xiongnu envoys.
This festival is longer than those held by the Guanglu officials who guard the palace, so as to show the prestige of our Han family.
Let Yang Chengyan take charge of this matter in person, and he must do it in a grand manner. "
Yang Chengyan was also an old man under Liu Ji. As early as the beginning of the army, he joined the Han army as a military craftsman. Later, he took charge of the Shaofu and was in charge of all the palace's food, clothing, daily life, hunting and other needs.
Xiao He hurriedly said,
"It's just that Yang Chengyan is going to Guanzhong tomorrow. He is going to survey the terrain of Chang'an City. Do you want him to wait a few days before leaving?"
"Well, let him go a few days later. You should work harder. First, hurry up and complete the festival, and then prepare together the gifts to be sent to the Xiongnu."
"You might as well make a few more knots just for messengers. I think they will be useful for many occasions in the future."
Lu Pheasant reminded them that with so many countries in the Western Region and the countries in South Vietnam, they would have to send envoys to and from each other frequently in the future, so how could one knot be enough?
Liu Ji nodded and glanced at Chen Ping. He understood and quickly took notes.
"As for the materials to be brought, such as grain, fine wine, silk and satin, etc., Xiao He will discuss with Zhisu Nei Shicheng and report the approximate amount."
At this time, Zhang Ao, who had been wandering in the sky, suddenly interrupted as if waking up from a dream,
"Your Majesty, the harvest of summer wheat in my kingdom is good this year. If you want to send some grain to the Xiongnu, why not let me do it?"
Liu Ji looked at him with a half-smile, waved his hand and said,
"Wheat is not as delicious as millet. It is better to give millet as a gift to the Huns for the first time.
Your heart is good, just stay calm for a while, I will have something else to tell you in a few days. "
"Also," the emperor remembered something again,
"The queen will be in charge of the gifts to the Hun royal court. She will try her best to select some good things and send them. Don't let that Mao Dun Shanyu underestimate us.
That’s it, try to get everything ready within half a month and set off as soon as possible, be sure to be in time—”
The emperor's words came to an abrupt end, but Lu Pheasant knew very well that he must pacify the Xiongnu before Yan King Zang Tu started to make big moves.
***
Within two days, Yang Chengyan personally designed the Han Festival and had already made samples.
Liu Ji was too lazy to take care of these trivial matters and ordered people to present the prepared samples to the North Palace for the Queen to take a look at.
When Lu Pheasant saw it, he couldn't help but admire it. Festival is a symbol of monarchy, and those who hold it are the emperor's special envoys, representing great power.
And Yang Chengyan's attainments were indeed unique and outstanding, worthy of the majesty of the Han emperor:
I saw that this joint was seven feet long, almost as tall as herself when it was erected. The main body of the joint was a straight and hard bamboo pole, and the whole body was shiny and smooth.
The top of the bamboo pole is heavily tied with three layers of red knots, all made of long yak tails, fluttering in the wind.
She reached out to touch the silky ox tail hair and thought:
History books say that a hundred years later, Zhonglang General Su Wu was trapped by the Xiongnu in the North Sea to herd sheep for nineteen years. He got up and took care of himself, and all the knots of the Han Festival were gone. If even these rich and dense cattle hairs fell off, Su Wu himself would I don’t know how much pain I have endured.
Lu Pheasant was feeling pity in his heart when suddenly Changqiu Zhan Shi came to report and asked what happened. Zhan Shi was not clear, but asked the queen to move to the courtyard outside the palace and find out at a glance.
Lu Pheasant was puzzled. He walked quickly outside the palace and was stunned by the sight in front of him.
***
I saw that in the originally sparse courtyard, under the pavilion-like sycamore trees, there were piles of all kinds of rare treasures and luxurious furniture. When the sun shone, they were so bright and dazzling that they couldn't see clearly for a moment.
The golden light was so dazzling that Lu Zhi couldn't help but squint his eyes and walked closer to take a closer look.
It ranges from a dragon holder to a screen inlaid with gilt-bronze redbirds, to a bronze mirror with three-ring buttons and cloud patterns, as well as countless palace lanterns—single-pipe, double-pipe, cow-shaped, phoenix-shaped lanterns. There are countless shapes, gilt and silver, dazzling.
Not to mention the piles of pearls and jade ornaments, including gold hairpins, emerald hairpins, golden and jade hairpins, earrings and earrings inlaid with various gemstones and beads, as well as finger rings, belt hooks, and rockers, which are dizzying.
There are also incense burners and feather fans, all of which have traces of use. They must have been placed on someone's desk and shaken in their hands just a moment ago.
And the piles of embroidered robes and gauze clothes that were piled high looked brand new. I don't know who had secretly made them, preparing to dress them up on festival days.
Lu Pheasant looked at it, and he understood in his heart, and asked,
"Are these all sent by ladies?"
Zhan Shi bowed and replied,
"Exactly. In the past few days, you have been busy in your palace selecting gifts to send to the north. Somehow, everyone knows about it.
All the ladies said that most of the objects here were passed down from the Qin Palace and were originally external possessions. Thinking about the treasures that the Qin Dynasty had, it did not bring longevity to the country. It can be seen that extravagance and lust are of no benefit to the family and the country.
Now, if I can use this to help my big man, it will be the blessing of these vulgar things. "
Even though she had lived for more than a hundred years, Lu Pheasant was still touched, and her eyes were slightly warm. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of several carved beds covered with thin peach and bamboo mats in the Jinshan embroidered sea, and she wanted to laugh a little bit. ,
"Who sent that bed? The bed has been given away, how can they sleep tonight?"
"These are sent by the ladies who are currently pregnant."
Hearing this, Lu Pheasant felt a hint of pain and sympathy in his heart, and even more pride.
Although Liu Ji only has one daughter, Lu Yuan, if any of his concubines gives birth to a princess in the future, the mother will worry about the marriage day and night from the day the child is born.
Among these women in the harem, some are favored and some are not favored. I guess they don't have much money on weekdays, but in public and private life, they have actually given the best of themselves.
"You choose one item for each lady from the things sent, and return the rest one by one.
You tell them to live a good life and prepare for childbirth with peace of mind. As long as I am around, there will be no marriage.
And one day, I will get all the things I gave away today intact. "
