The next day, Abba held a large court meeting in Wude Hall, and all the officials of the fifth rank and above in the court attended. Hundreds of civil and military officials were neatly dressed and lined up inside and outside the palace, not daring to breathe. Zuopushe Pei Ji read out his father's edict, first commenting on the achievements, and then discussing the merits and rewards. The second brother was awarded the title of Taiwei, Envoy Chijie, and Daxingtai of Shaanxi Province. Li Zhiyun was granted the title of Shangshu Ling, Envoy Chijie, and Daxingtai, Hedong Road. Other generals who participated in the war also received rewards based on their merits.
Li Zhiyun's original position as Yongzhou Mu is still retained. Of course, the new official positions he has been awarded are still the same as Yongzhou Mu, in name only, and there is no need to open a government office or sit in office.
After the court meeting, Abba held a state banquet in Tianxing Hall. Many relatives of the emperor and senior civil and military officials gathered together. The hall was filled with an atmosphere of singing, dancing, and auspiciousness.
It has been half a year since Li Zhiyun left Chang'an. He planned to take a good rest for a few days when he came back. Unexpectedly, things happened one after another, making him extremely busy. In addition to visiting relatives and friends and attending the fifth sister's wedding, he also had to receive officials who came to congratulate him and participate in various social activities. That day, he had just had some free time and was going to visit the arsenal to learn about the development of new weapons in the days after he left Chang'an. At this time, a servant brought a eunuch to him.
This eunuch was sent by the East Palace and said that the prince was waiting for him outside the palace gate. When Li Zhiyun heard this, he quickly followed the eunuch out of the gate and saw the prince's honor guard neatly lined up on the street, as far as the eye could see.
The eunuch led him to a large and luxurious carriage. When he got on the carriage, he saw that his elder brother was already sitting in the carriage waiting for him. He waved to him to sit next to him. As soon as he sat down, the carriage started. Li Zhiyun asked strangely: "Brother, where are we going?"
"Out of town."
"What are you doing out of town?"
"There is a powerful Qiang man named Pang Qidi." The eldest brother said, "He originally took refuge with Xue Ju, but recently he had a falling out with Xue Ju. He led more than 2,000 of his men to Chang'an and defected to our Tang Dynasty. He was stationed in In Longwan Village, ten miles outside the city, my father asked us to go there to express our condolences."
Longwan Village is located outside Mingde Gate in Chang'an. It was originally a village with hundreds of households. It was destroyed by war a few years ago. The villagers were either killed or fled, and it became an abandoned village. After the Qiang people came to Chang'an, the government repaired the houses in the village and allowed them to temporarily stay in this village.
After arriving at the place, the carriage stopped. Li Zhiyun followed his eldest brother out of the carriage, and the two stood beside the carriage. Li Zhiyun looked up and saw Longwan Village a dozen feet ahead. The houses in the village were uneven, but most of them were low, gray adobe houses. The village is surrounded by fertile fields as far as the eye can see. There is a small river that is not too wide at the west end of the village. There are willows on the river bank, and the scenery is beautiful.
The motorcade stopped on the official road outside the village. Li Zhiyun turned to look at his elder brother and said, "Why don't we enter the village?"
"Wait a minute, the Qiang people will come out to greet us."
As soon as the elder brother finished speaking, he saw a large group of people walking out of the village. Just by looking at their clothes, you could tell that they were Qiang people. The clothing of these Qiang people is varied, some wear clothes made of fur, and some wear clothes sewn from homespun cloth. Everyone wears a hat, which is either made of animal fur or wrapped with strips of cloth, and Everyone wears a few goose or pheasant feathers on their hats for decoration.
The man walking at the front was probably their leader. He was about five feet six inches tall, with a thick build, dark skin, a round face, two thick eyebrows, a pair of leopard eyes, a garlic nose, thick lips and a big mouth. Li Zhiyun estimated that he was probably on the sidelines.
Before Li Zhi went to their arrival, his eldest brother had already sent an envoy to inform them, so he led a group of subordinates out of the village to greet them. He walked forward with a smile and bowed his hands: "The prince and the king of Chu came to express their condolences. I will be very grateful. Thank you for your hard work."
The eldest brother quickly returned the courtesy and said: "General, you are welcome. My two brothers have come to work for the emperor on behalf of the emperor. I hope the general will check the items they carry." After saying this, he waved his hand and the guard next to him quickly handed over the gift list. He took the gift list and looked at it for a few times, nodded with satisfaction, and said with a smile: "Thank you both, I will go to the palace to thank the emperor in person someday!"
Only then did Li Zhiyun realize that the reason why his eldest brother's honor guard was so long was that the carriage behind him was filled with food and other comfort items. Qi Qidi ordered his subordinates to unload all the things on the carriage and transport them into the village, and then said to them: "Two noble envoys, please come to the village to have a rest and have a glass of water." The eldest brother did not refuse, and said: " Okay, then I’ll bother the general.”
"Qiang" was originally a general name used by ancient people for the nomadic tribes living in the western part of the motherland. The Qiang people originated from the ancient Qiang people. The ancient Qiang people were famous for their sheep herding and were an important part of the Huaxia ethnic group. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Yiqu State founded by the Qiang people fought with the Qin State for more than 170 years. Later, the Qiang people were gradually integrated with the Qin State. During the Han Dynasty, the Qiang people were geographically divided into Eastern Qiang and Western Qiang. The Eastern Qiang who entered the Central Plains lived together with the Han people, intermarryed and merged. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Qiang Yao family established the Later Qin regime and ruled all ethnic groups in the Central Plains for 33 years.
The widely circulated narrative poem "Qiangge War" of the Qiang people records: In ancient times, the Qiang people once lived in the northwest prairie. Due to wars and natural disasters, they were forced to move westward and southward. A group of Qiang people who moved south encountered The strong "Goji people" fought on both sides, and the Qiang people were defeated repeatedly. They were about to abandon their land and move away, but they received a revelation from God in a dream. They tied woolen threads around their necks as symbols and used hard dolomite and wooden sticks as weapons. They defeated the "Gorgies" and finally were able to live and work in peace and contentment. They were divided into nine groups and scattered throughout the country. This legend reflects a period of migration history of the Qiang people. Combined with historical documents and archaeological data, it confirms the origin of the Qiang people.
After Li Zhiyun and his eldest brother followed Pang Qidi and others into Longwan Village, they walked into an adobe house made of rammed earth. This room is quite spacious, about ten square meters, but the interior furnishings are very simple. There is a shrine on the north wall, a fire pit in the middle of the room, and seven or eight low wooden benches placed around the fire pit.
The fire pond is of great significance to the lives of the Qiang people. People eat by the fire pond, entertain guests, and even offer sacrifices to the gods. In the Qiang culture, one cannot cross the fire pit, quarrel beside the fire pit, or say unlucky words, otherwise it will be disrespectful to the God of Fire.
Probably due to limited conditions, the fire pit in the house is very simple. It is only made of three white stones. A pot is placed on the stone for barbecue and steaming. It is the so-called "three stones and one pot". The reason why white stones are used is because the Qiang people prefer white and hate black. White stones not only serve as a symbol of the gods, but also represent auspiciousness and joy. Bringing a white stone into a house on the first day of the first lunar month means bringing in wealth. White stones are also used as gifts when visiting relatives and friends.
How you sit next to the fire pit is also very particular. The Qiang people call the side of the fire pit next to the shrine the "upper eight seats". This is the most noble position. Opposite the "upper eight seats" is the "lower eight seats", which is second to the "upper eight seats". The position of "upper eight" is again the position of the other two sides.
As distinguished guests, Li Zhiyun and his eldest brother were invited to sit in the "upper eight seats" and sit side by side in the "lower eight seats". Several other accompanying generals sat on both sides. After Li Zhiyun sat down, he found that the banquet had already been set up. The Qiang people regard "nine" as good luck, so nine large bowls are placed around the fire pit. The dishes in the coarse porcelain bowls are similar to those of the Han people. There are "pig fat" made of smoked and roasted pork, which is similar to bacon, cut into small pieces and mixed with vegetables. Stir-fry together, add pepper and chili pepper to enhance the flavor; and stuff pig blood and other things into the pig intestine. After cooking, it is called blood sausage. This is a kind of dish when banqueting guests to have wine; there are also cabbage and round roots. Soup made from pickled cabbage (turnip). The staple food includes cornmeal steamed buns and rice cooked with cornmeal in rice, commonly known as "Yinbaojin". In addition to dishes and staple food, there is also a jar of wine.
The wine that the Qiang people generally drink is called suck wine, which is called "Rimaixi" in Qiang language, which means Qiang people's wine. Cook highland barley and mix it with distiller's yeast, seal it in a jar, and ferment it for 7 to 8 days before drinking. When drinking wine, the Qiang people do not use a wine vessel. Instead, they open the wine jar and sip it through a thin bamboo tube. When sipping, they take turns sipping in order of the oldest and the youngest, and constantly pour cold water until the taste is light. .
According to Qiang people's rules, the eldest brother drank first, and then it was Li Zhiyun's turn. He took a few sips through a thin bamboo tube. The wine was sweet and refreshing, refreshing.
The two brothers drank and ate vegetables with several Qiang people, laughed and chatted, and soon became familiar with each other. Everyone was lively and happy. In the middle of the banquet, Li Zhiyun wanted to relieve himself, so he excused himself and left the banquet.
When he came back from the hut, he passed by the door of a house in the village and saw the door open and a bench at the door. He looked inside the house, wanting to go in and see the house where the Qiang people lived. Just as he was about to move the bench, he suddenly heard someone calling him.
Li Zhiyun turned around and saw one of his eldest brother's guards coming over. The guard came to him, clasped his fists and said, "King Chu, you can't go in."
"Why?"
"Look," the guard pointed with his hand, "there is a red note on the door of this house, and there is a bench at the door, which means there is a patient in the house. According to the customs of the Qiang people, patients are not allowed to meet strangers. of."
When Li Zhiyun heard this, he stuck out his tongue. He didn't understand the Qiang customs and almost got into trouble.
The banquet lasted for nearly an hour. After Li Zhiyun and his eldest brother had eaten and drank, they said goodbye to Pang Qidi and others, left Longwan Village, and took a carriage back to Chang'an.
A few days later, the Minister of Honglu Temple sent a message to Li Zhiyun. He opened it and saw that it was an invitation sheet, stating that at Shen time tomorrow, Abba would hold a banquet in Guangming Hall to entertain the Turkic envoys, and he was invited to attend.
This is an important foreign affairs activity, and Li Zhiyun certainly does not dare to be careless. The next day, he put on the Nine Python court clothes and the crown, and took a carriage to Tai Chi Palace early.
