One month later.
Xu Fenglei took Li Chengqian away from Wenshui in Bingzhou, all the way north, and finally left Shuofang and arrived on the grassland of Northern Xinjiang.
The two of them had been out of Chang'an for more than two months. They had eaten and slept in the open all the way without paying any attention to maintenance.
At this moment, they were all as black as coal, and their faces were covered with vicissitudes of life.
It was the kiss of wind and sand to them.
Li Chengqian was riding on the horse with a determined gaze. He had gotten rid of the nobility and immaturity of a prince, and his appearance and temperament looked like a swordsman from the Western Regions.
In the past two months, he has transformed a lot.
"Chengqian, this is the grassland you yearn for most."
Xu Fenglei waved his riding whip and pointed forward,
"Have you seen those tents? Prairie people live in tents. They still live here today, but they may change places tomorrow."
"Want to experience what it's like to live in a tent?"
Li Chengqian couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard this.
"This is different from the grassland that children imagined."
He said helplessly,
"When I think about it, the grassland is endless green, and when I look up, I see a clear sky."
"Surrounded by herds of cattle and sheep, there are also beautiful Turkic girls... Well, their clothes are very revealing and their skin is very elastic, so it's about this..."
Xu Fenglei glared.
"You think about it in detail! The Turkic girls are all concrete in your head."
he spat,
"You little rascal! Who taught you this?"
Li Chengqian chuckled and scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Children figure it out for themselves...fantasies are always beautiful."
He spread his hands and said,
"But who knows."
"The grass here is withered and yellow, and the grass is bare. There is no patch here and there."
"There is still so much sand and dust. If it comes out randomly, it will block the sky and the sun. You have to hide behind your horse and you can't even breathe."
"No wonder these Turks want to go south and invade our Central Plains. Their life is... indeed a bit difficult."
Xu Fenglei nodded slightly.
"Our farming civilization is said to rely on the sky for food. In fact, some of them have their own resilience. However, this nomadic civilization really depends on the sky for food. When God is angry and there is a snow disaster or something, a large number of them will die."
He said,
"In the past two years, the reason why we chose to send troops to exterminate the Turks was actually to catch up with the natural disaster! Not only did it snow on the grassland, but it also hailed! A large number of people and animals died, and the national strength was reduced to the lowest!"
"We just took advantage of his illness to kill him and successfully conquered this vast land."
"Now, this Turkic people have become a part of our Tang Dynasty - you see, those Turkic people walking around in fancy clothes, they are all your subjects now."
Li Chengqian looked along Xu Fenglei's fingers.
Ahead, there is a small market.
Many Turks and Tang people set up stalls there, and there seemed to be some faces from the Western Regions among them.
People who came to buy things at the stall included Turks who ran out of tents and Tang people who came out of Shuofang City.
The two parties get along harmoniously, the transaction is pleasant, and there are no disputes.
"Master, are they... doing business?"
Li Chengqian raised his head and asked.
"right."
Xu Fenglei nodded,
"There is a natural basis for mutual trade between the Turks and the Tang Dynasty."
"The people of the Tang Dynasty needed cattle, sheep, horses, milk and various minerals and iron from the Turks, while the Turks needed salt, sugar, silk, tea, etc. from the Tang Dynasty."
"Trading between the two parties can actually promote exchanges and promote the economic development of Datang."
"When the relationship between the two countries was tense, mutual trading was prohibited, but now they are a family. Although they do not pay taxes when doing business, the court turned a blind eye and allowed them to trade."
"After all, the sky is high and the emperor is far away."
Li Chengqian nodded thoughtfully.
"If I become the emperor, I must open a big trading bazaar here and transport the good things of the Tang Dynasty here. In this way, the Turks can rely on the things of the Tang Dynasty and gradually become a real Tang people."
He opened his mouth and said,
"After a few generations, the Turks will be the Tang people, so naturally there will be no need to be wary of them anymore."
Xu Fenglei's eyes lit up.
This guy can do it!
"You finally put yourself in the role of the emperor and think about the problem. You deserve recognition."
He gave a thumbs up and praised,
"However, although what you said is a good idea, it is not that easy to naturalize Turks."
"At least a few generations of people must be wise kings and there will be no internal troubles. It will take hundreds of years of subtle influence. Once there is civil strife in the Tang Dynasty, the restoration elements within the Turks will inevitably rise up."
"...Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go to the market and buy you a tent experience."
Li Chengqian was stunned.
"Ah? Can I buy this too?"
he said in surprise.
Xu Fenglei laughed, took out a piece of silver from his arms, and said:
"Money can make all the difference. There is nothing in this world that cannot be solved with money. If there is, then add more money!"
"Walk!"
After that, he was already riding his horse and headed towards the market ahead.
Li Chengqian also quickly followed.
"Come on! The best calf only costs 300 bucks!"
"Brown sugar malt, brown sugar malt, take a look, child, come here and try it?"
"Ten pounds of broken tea. I don't want anything else. I'll give you two sheep in exchange. If you don't want to buy it, take a look!"
"..."
Above the market, the vendors were shouting.
The Turkic people who can come here to do business can all speak Tang dialect, but it is a bit lame and has a strong Turkic flavor, so they can barely understand it.
It was the first time for Li Chengqian to come to such a market. He looked around curiously and was almost grabbed by the enthusiastic vendors.
Although this boy is swarthy now, he is still handsome, and he leads a horse, so he is naturally popular.
Xu Fenglei took him to the stall of a Turkic woman.
"Guest, this is freshly made cheese, using the freshest mare's milk."
The Turkic woman said enthusiastically,
"It's very cheap. It only costs 50 yuan per catty. Can I weigh it for you?"
Next to her, there was a little girl with dark skin but big eyes, looking at Xu Fenglei with dazzling eyes.
"Dear guest, please buy some."
The girl held up the cheese and offered it to her, saying softly.
"What a pretty little girl."
Xu Fenglei smiled and said to Li Chengqian beside him,
"Look, is this the Turkic girl you are looking for?"
Uh-huh.
Li Chengqian's eyes fell on the girl, looked at her for a few times, and couldn't help but laugh.
"It seems that there is something about Turks that fits my beautiful imagination."
He scratched his head and said to the little girl,
"Girl, what's your name?"
The little girl grabbed the sleeve of her mother beside her and said:
"Guest return, my name is Tuduo."
Li Chengqian nodded, stretched out his hand and said:
"My name is Li Gaoming, nice to meet you."
Gao Ming is Li Chengqian's diminutive, so it's just right to use it as a pseudonym at this moment.
The girl hesitated slightly, but still shook his hand.
"Hmm...this cheese tastes delicious."
Xu Fenglei sniffed it gently and praised,
"Let me buy some. It won't break easily, right?"
When the Turkic woman saw that Xu Fenglei was about to pay, she immediately smiled.
"No, no, this can be stored for a long, long time, and you can still eat it next year!"
She continued,
"You can take it home and eat it slowly. It tastes really good. I won't lie to you!"
Xu Fenglei nodded.
"Then give me two pounds."
He casually unhooked a money bag from his horse and dropped a bunch of copper coins.
In Chang'an, he can be a money-spreading boy.
But when you are away from home, you cannot be a wealthy person. If you are too wealthy, you will easily be targeted by people with malicious intentions.
"Thank you guest, thank you very much!"
The Turkic woman smiled happily and was busy cutting cheese for Xu Fenglei.
"You speak Tang dialect very well."
Xu Fenglei looked at her busy appearance and smiled slightly,
"Doesn't look like a Turk."
The woman was startled slightly and wiped her hands.
"To do business, you must be able to speak Tang dialect. Every household in the Turkic region can make cheese like mine. If you only know how to make cheese, people in Tang Dynasty will buy it and try it out. So I will listen hard and learn it hard, and I will be able to understand it."
She said with a silly smile,
"No, I also taught my daughter that she must be able to learn Tang language these days."
"I was still thinking that Tuduo could marry a Tang man, so that she could move into Shuofang City and not have to endure the hardships on the grassland."
Xu Fenglei laughed.
"Your plan is good."
He said,
"The girl is very beautiful. She will definitely be able to marry into the city."
"By the way, I want to ask you something. Can the tent you live in on the grassland be rented out? We want to sleep on the grassland for one night."
The Turkic woman was stunned.
"rent?"
She wondered,
"Is there anyone who doesn't live in a house in the city and wants to live in a tent on the grassland?"
Xu Fenglei: "..."
Yes, there are.
The two of us were such swindlers. We left our house in the city unoccupied and came out to eat and drink.
"We are from Chang'an and want to experience grassland life."
Xu Fenglei coughed dryly and said,
"Not much, just one day."
"So, I want to borrow a tent to live in for a while...Look, is there anyone on the grassland who is willing to rent it out?"
The Turkic woman hesitated slightly.
Tuduo beside him said:
"Mom, don't we have two free blankets at home? My brother and dad have gone out to graze."
Snapped!
The woman quickly covered her mouth and whispered:
"Don't talk nonsense!"
It is very dangerous to go out and let others know that your man is not at home!
"Grandma, don't worry, we are not bad people."
Li Chengqian said,
"We are traveling and just want to have fun in Turks."
"Look... it's quite hard for you to sell cheese. Why don't you let me and my master stay in your tent for one night? I'll buy all the cheese here and the pile of bits and pieces." ,OK?"
Xu Fenglei glanced at him.
This kid, isn't he just looking for sex?
Otherwise...why are you so enthusiastic? Covered all this stall?
At a glance, this would cost at least a thousand dollars!
"this……"
When the Turkic woman heard this, she couldn't help but feel moved.
If she sells these cheeses herself, she may not be able to sell them out in ten days, but now there are people with deep pockets who are willing to book the place.
This is easy money, of course she wants to earn it!
But there was no man at home, so she and her daughter were at home. If two men were brought in... would it be inviting a wolf into the house?
She hesitated, raised her eyes slightly, and looked at Li Chengqian carefully, and then at Xu Fenglei carefully, as if she wanted to read some information from their faces.
These two people are kind to each other...
"Are you really from Chang'an?"
she finally asked.
Xu Fenglei nodded.
"Yes, we are both from Chang'an. We went to Bingzhou and then to Shuofang."
He pointed at Li Chengqian and said with a smile,
"It's this kid. If he has to run out to play, I have no choice but to take him."
"If it's inconvenient for you, it's okay. Please help contact a Turkic family who is willing to rent it out, and we will buy you a few more kilograms of cheese as a reward."
When the Turkic woman heard this, she immediately became unhappy.
If you buy a few more pounds and the whole package, there is a big difference!
"It can be seen that both of you are noble people."
She struggled for a moment, then finally made up her mind and said,
"Okay! Please come with me."
"Tuduo, pack things for the two distinguished guests. Grandma is going to invite them to her home."
Tuduo nodded, quickly packed up all the cheese, and then presented it to Li Chengqian.
She smiled brightly and narrowed her eyes into crescent moons. Li Chengqian was stunned and his heart beat several times in despair.
"Why are you so dazed!"
Xu Fenglei slapped Li Chengqian and spat,
"Mount!"
"Oh! Oh..." Li Chengqian finally came to his senses, took the package from Tuduosong, and put it on the horse.
At the same time, he also untied a money bag and handed it to Tuduo.
"You count, take back more and make up less..."
Wow!
The copper coins were poured out of the purse, and Tu Duo counted them carefully, his smile getting brighter.
"Mom, how much is the total?"
She turned around and said.
"It's not much, just charge nine hundred dollars,"
When the Turkic woman saw Huang Chengcheng's big money, she also smiled and said,
"Come on, pretend to be here. Your father and brother will be happy when they come back."
Tuduo counted the coins, poured them into an urn, sealed it tightly, and held it in his arms!
This is her wealth and life!
The rest was returned to Li Chengqian and said with a smile:
"You are so rich!"
"Hehe, okay, okay..." Li Chengqian scratched his head.
For him, the prince of the Tang Dynasty, this amount of money was nothing but water and not worth mentioning.
"Two distinguished guests, wait a moment."
The Turkic woman said,
"You may not be used to our Turkic food. I'll go to the market to buy some fresh vegetables and water and make a stew later."
Hearing this, Xu Fenglei stopped her.
"How can I waste your money?"
He handed Li Chengqian's money bag over and said warmly,
"Just use the money here to buy it, and if you have more, just give it back to us."
"Thanks for the hospitality."
When the Turkic woman saw this, her expression became a little more relaxed.
"Your distinguished guest is really particular about people...good, good."
"Hold on."
With such a small move, her wariness towards Xu Fenglei and Li Chengqian dropped several notches again.
After all, what could these two wealthy, polite, and handsome masters want to do with them?
This time, 80% of the time, I have met a real noble person!
"Thank you. No need to buy too much. We will leave tomorrow."
Xu Fenglei greeted with a smile.
Looking back at Li Chengqian——
Good guy, this guy is already chatting with this Turkic girl!
(End of chapter)
