BEGW C54

I accidentally uploaded c54 instead of c53 yesterday

 

Chapter 54

The Xuan Yin Directorate brought the experienced horse-breeders of Zefang Commandery into the military camp.

He was just about to enter the command tent to report this to the Son of Heaven when he saw the latter with eyes lowered, carefully reading a booklet in his hands, with a faint smile between his brows.

Even the aura about him was no longer as overbearing as usual.

The Xuan Yin commander could not help halting his steps and looked to the soldier not far away.

He shaped the words silently: “Is His Majesty busy?”

The soldier immediately answered in the same manner: “Reading the garrison-farming situation.”

Garrison-farming situation?

The Xuan Yin commander could not help feeling puzzled.

Though Zefang Commandery had completed the garrison-farming task on schedule, there was nothing worth highlighting.

Why would His Majesty be pleased by this?

He cast a suspicious look at the soldier again.

The latter, at that moment, nodded to him emphatically.

Seeing the soldier so serious, the Xuan Yin commander could only mutter “Strange” in his heart and withdraw from the tent.

…

Silence fell once more within the command tent.

Ying Changchuan slowly closed the booklet and lowered his gaze to the seat at his side.

—Back in the Xianyou Palace, Jiang Yuxun always sat here.

The desk in the Liuyun Hall stood on a platform slightly higher than the floor.

Jiang Yuxun would often secretly stretch his limbs and, taking advantage of the desk as cover, quietly shift from kneeling to sprawling.

Ying Changchuan had long since noticed this but had not exposed it.

Yet he had not known that, beyond stealthily moving hands and feet, Jiang Yuxun had even written these things right under his nose.

The Son of Heaven did not look further at the booklet but put it away at his side.

The Zherou lived by herding and supplemented it by raiding.

Not only did they not conceal their raids, they even prided themselves on them.

Early the next morning, just as Tang Yimeng had said before coming, the Zherou took the Great Zhou envoys on a tour of their royal court.

—Rather than “tour,” “display” would be more apt.

Leading Jiang Yuxun and the others around the rim of the royal court, the Zherou then brought them into a sumptuous pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, decorated with beads and jade, were piled their spoils of war and the rare treasures they had gathered from various lands.

“…This cloud-patterned bronze censer was sent by your former Emperor of Great Chu,” said the Zherou guide who was showing them the curiosities, in standard Great Zhou speech, the arrogance and disdain in his tone thus all the clearer. “Back then, he sent more than twenty such censers. Some my king kept for his own use, and others he casually distributed to the nobles; only two remain here.”

“Chu” was the dynasty before Zhou.

Though the regime had long changed, seeing this cloud-patterned bronze censer displayed here as a “trophy” by the Zherou, the hearts of the crowd felt as if slapped hard, and anger surged up within them.

Fearing that a big reaction would arouse Zherou suspicion, Jiang Yuxun had not revealed his plan to the other envoys.

This “tour” was nothing short of humiliation for the envoys.

After a moment’s silence, someone could not help grinding his teeth and said, “Relics of the previous dynasty, no more.”

The Zherou burst into loud laughter, not responding but going on to introduce the rare treasures sent by the former dynasty.

The envoys’ faces grew ever uglier.

During this time, Jiang Yuxun, as chief among the envoys, kept to the very back of the group.

The Zherou took this to be vanity and thus did not suspect.

In the vast pavilion, only the voice of the Zherou guide echoed on: “Oh! The carpet under your feet was sent by the country of Qiaoluo. It is made from silk, cotton, and wool; even after a hundred years, it neither rots nor fades.”

As the Zherou continued to boast, Jiang Yuxun silently surveyed the vast pavilion out of the corner of his eye.

There were no tables or cabinets inside; the Zherou’s plundered curios were piled upon the great carpet.

The most precious gold, silver, and jade were heaped in the very center of the pavilion.

The remaining “less valuable” items were placed in the corners.

The old Zherou king had lived in utter extravagance; the items sent by the previous dynasty had long been squandered away.

The Zherou quickly finished introducing the few that were left.

“In that gold plate are dates, a local specialty sent by the people of Qiaoluo.”

Saying this, a Zherou handmaid approached Jiang Yuxun with a gold plate.

She was not only tall but had calluses on the hand holding the plate, left by drawing the bow to shoot.

By this, it seemed that in Zherou everyone indeed honored the martial arts; pull anyone at random and they could take the field.

The Zherou official in charge of the introductions suddenly turned, narrowed his eyes, and smiled at Jiang Yuxun. “Lord Jiang can have a taste and see whether it’s completely different from your Great Zhou’s dates.”

Jiang Yuxun shifted his gaze to the gold plate.

The date palm yields extremely high output—one tree can bear several hundred catties of fruit—and once dried, they are easily preserved.

Yet in this five-inch gold plate, there was only a single dried date… How stingy the Zherou were.

Jiang Yuxun did not taste it at once but smiled lightly and nodded. “These dates have plump flesh and an extremely cloying sweetness; unfortunately, when fresh or not fully ripe they are somewhat astringent and hard to digest—indeed different from our Great Zhou’s dates.”

Then he nodded to the handmaid and casually picked up the date to take a bite.

His expression remained placid, showing not a trace of novelty or astonishment upon seeing a curiosity.

As if he had long been used to such things.

Seeing this, the Zherou official, eager to flaunt, instantly knit his brows. “This—”

Zherou’s rise had cut off Great Zhou’s contact with the Western Regions.

Such dates, native to lands like Qiaoluo, ought to have been completely unfamiliar to Zhou people!

But from Jiang Yuxun’s manner, why was he not surprised in the least?

The handmaid also lifted her eyes with a hint of puzzlement to look at the official.

Jiang Yuxun had precisely stated the characteristics of the date; this was no random bluff.

…Could it be that Great Zhou had dates as well?

The Zherou official cleared his throat and forced composure. “Ahem… You may withdraw.”

“Yes, my lord.” Frowning, the handmaid left the pavilion, and as she departed she couldn’t help casting Jiang Yuxun a suspicious glance.

Dried dates had a unique flavor of their own.

With chewing, the cloying sweetness immediately spread through the mouth, along with a distinctly noticeable astringency.

As he ate, Jiang Yuxun silently sighed: Childish—tedious!

The Zherou offering dates was only to see him show the appearance of a man who had never seen the world, and then mock the people of Zhou.

Pity that of all their calculations, they could never have reckoned he had crossed over from the modern age.

Dates like these were no rarity in modern times; they simply did not suit the Chinese palate, and so never became popular on this land.

In his previous life, Jiang Yuxun had tasted them once and remembered their cloying sweetness and astringency.

He had not expected that after transmigrating, this bit of “knowledge” would prove useful.

Tang Yimeng and the others could not help exchanging glances.

Though they had never seen dates before, upon seeing the Zherou reaction they at once surmised—the lord had it right!

Realizing this, the crowd immediately grew emboldened.

The Zherou official’s face turned ugly.

Only after Jiang Yuxun finished the date and wiped his hands with a silk kerchief did he grit his teeth and lead the group on.

Afraid of a repeat of what had just happened, the Zherou official spoke much more cautiously now.

And the newly emboldened envoys of Great Zhou began to look around freely without scruple.

Jiang Yuxun blended in among them, carefully searching within the pavilion for what he wanted.

Before he saw wheat, his attention was seized by a patch of emerald green.

In one corner of the pavilion sat several heads of greens that Jiang Yuxun could not have been more familiar with!

He couldn’t help biting his lip lightly.

The common vegetables of Great Zhou numbered five; later generations dub them the “Five Greens.”

These five were winter amaranth, chives, soybean sprouts, large scallions, small scallions, and bulb garlic.

Apart from the scallions and chives, most others were no longer much eaten by modern people.

But the patch of green in the corner was different.

Even Jiang Yuxun, who might only go to the market a few times a year, could recognize it in an instant—spinach.

Spinach grew fast and adapted well to the environment.

It was not only cold-hardy and could be planted in autumn and winter; it also had almost no soil requirements.

As Jiang Yuxun looked at the spinach, the Zherou official finally spoke of it.

He did not value this inconspicuous vegetable, and fearing a repeat embarrassment, he passed it by in one line: “This is also a vegetable sent by the country of Qiaoluo.”

Under the original history, after the Zhou–Zherou War, most surviving Zherou merged into the Central Plains, and the remainder fled westward to the Western Regions.

In the ensuing century, they left those Western Regions states in turmoil.

Under this influence, it was not until four or five hundred years later that “spinach” was formally introduced into the Central Plains, where it quickly became popular, was widely cultivated and consumed, and became an indispensable green on the common table.

Jiang Yuxun had not expected the Zherou to have already gathered it here now.

If he remembered correctly, watermelon seemed also to be one of the crops introduced into the Central Plains a bit later than spinach.

When he came, Jiang Yuxun had only intended to look for wheat strains; seeing what was in the pavilion now, suddenly more plans stirred in his heart.

…

Afraid that their boasting would backfire and show them up, this year’s “tour” was much shorter than in years past.

Before leaving the pavilion, Jiang Yuxun finally saw the ears of wheat placed in a corner.

He silently committed them to memory and never made a sound.

※

Perhaps because the old Zherou king had died, Princess Lianyi, as empress dowager, held a different status than before.

Or perhaps because of the gradually growing national strength of Great Zhou, this time Zherou did not snub the envoys as in years past but set a banquet that night in the royal court.

The nature of this feast was unusual; envoys from several Western Regions states resident here were also invited.

The youthful Zherou king had no interest in such events.

After making a circuit, he departed with extreme arrogance.

There was no moon tonight; the stars scattered like a spilled Milky Way.

Under the moonlight, bonfires glowed gently. The young musician, seated upon the carpet, beat upon the jiego before him, made from ram’s hide, sending out a crisp sound.

This musician looked to be in his twenties, with deep features and slightly green eyes; presumably a man of the Western Regions who had come to Zherou alongside the hostage princes.

Out of curiosity, Jiang Yuxun could not help giving him a few extra glances.

“The music of the Western Regions is cheerful in style, truly quite different from our Great Zhou,” Tang Yimeng said casually after following Jiang Yuxun’s gaze.

Jiang Yuxun, in the middle of drinking water, was immediately choked by his words. “…Cough, cough.”

Puzzled, Tang Yimeng asked, “What is it, Lord Jiang?”

“Cough… Nothing—just drank a little too fast.” Jiang Yuxun hurried to explain.

Just then, Tang Yimeng’s words had suddenly brought to mind that hoary, skin-and-bone court musician in the Great Zhou palace.

Although days had passed, whenever he thought of how he and Zhuang Youli accidentally entered the Water Music Pavilion and were caught by Ying Changchuan, Jiang Yuxun still could not control his embarrassment.

…Calm down—calm down, Jiang Yuxun.

Only he knew this wretched incident here!

Jiang Yuxun drew a deep breath and finally finished the remaining half cup of water.

At last he couldn’t help feeling relieved: fortunately, Ying Changchuan wasn’t here—otherwise, he would be teasing him again.

To flaunt their strength, Zherou had prepared the feast full of beef and mutton.

At this thought, Jiang Yuxun ate and couldn’t help glancing south…

After spending a few days together in the army, he had found that Ying Changchuan truly did eat and lodge with the soldiers, as those chiliarchs had said.

The fare of the North-Pacifying Army was utterly ordinary.

Now, at last, with himself feasting here, Ying Changchuan was suffering in the camp.

Having lived safely in the Zherou royal court for so many years, Princess Lianyi’s emotional intelligence was naturally not low.

Knowing roughly that Jiang Yuxun intended to spread the name of “spirits” into Zherou, she brought out the liquor directly at the feast and praised it in Zherou at length.

Although it was their first time tasting strong liquor, the Zherou nobles present instantly grasped its wonder, and in no time they were tipsy.

Halfway through the banquet, the palace lady beside Princess Lianyi suddenly asked Jiang Yuxun, “Lord Jiang, there is someone who wishes to know—how much grain is required to brew this liquor?”

Following her gaze to the side—if he was not mistaken, the questioner seemed to be the envoy from Qiaoluo?

He thought for a moment and said, “Ten shi of grain can brew one shi of liquor.”

The steaming vats had very low distillation efficiency; overall alcohol yield was not high.

But Jiang Yuxun deliberately exaggerated a bit.

When his words fell, the envoy from Qiaoluo immediately changed expression and could not help sneaking a glance at Jiang Yuxun.

Jiang Yuxun also looked at him at the same time and lightly raised the wine cup in his hand.

Startled, the envoy from Qiaoluo hurriedly nodded back to him.

In the next instant, Jiang Yuxun, taking advantage of lowering his head to drink, hid from that slightly complicated gaze.

—Zherou had played the wrong move.

Zherou’s existence had completely severed Great Zhou’s ties with the Western Regions.

Now, not only was Great Zhou unfamiliar with the Western Regions, those countries were even less acquainted with Great Zhou.

They only vaguely knew that the Zherou somewhat feared Great Zhou’s emperor and no longer forced marriage and tribute as in the past.

They did not understand what Great Zhou’s comprehensive national strength truly was.

Unlike the Zherou, who were dead drunk,

The envoy from Qiaoluo was not only sober but very clever.

On the surface, he was curious about the liquor; in reality, he was using it to gauge Great Zhou’s national power.

This drink was brewed from grain; it was a genuine luxury.

If Great Zhou dared brew liquor like this, did it not suggest that their grain stores were even more abundant than imagined?

At this, the envoy from Qiaoluo could not help asking a few more questions.

Jiang Yuxun answered each patiently.

Only Tang Yimeng at the scene knew that Jiang Yuxun was searching for wheat strains.

As the banquet drew to a close, he could not help lowering his voice to ask, seated on the same carpet, “Lord Jiang, when do you plan to speak of the wheat strains?”

“No hurry,” Jiang Yuxun lightly shook his head. “We are strangers here; better to wait until these people of the Western Regions come to seek us out.”

Jiang Yuxun and his party could not remain long in Zherou. Seeing two days pass, Tang Yimeng could not help fretting. “What if they do not come to seek us?”

“They will.” Jiang Yuxun’s tone was particularly firm.

Since losing to Ying Changchuan, Zherou’s attitude toward the Western Regions states had grown ever more hardline; naturally these countries would not be content.

The histories record that after the end of the “Zhou–Zherou War,” facing the Zherou who had migrated to the Western Regions, Qiaoluo and other states first sent envoys to seek aid from Great Zhou.

It was just that, no sooner had the envoys arrived than Great Zhou splintered with Ying Changchuan’s passing.

Thereafter, the Western Regions entered a century of chaos.

Not until centuries later did close exchanges with China resume.

The musician was still beating the jiego; with the lively drumbeat, Jiang Yuxun could not help lifting the wine ewer for a sip.

He found that his ambitions seemed to grow day by day with time.

At first, Jiang Yuxun had only wanted to use spirits to scout the Zherou’s map.

Later, he wanted to use Zherou as a springboard to find suitable wheat strains.

Until today, Jiang Yuxun not only wished that vegetables and fruits which would otherwise take hundreds of years to reach Great Zhou could appear early,

He even wanted… the Western Regions to be stable and peaceful, to exchange with Great Zhou.

Commerce could not only increase tax revenue and enrich resources, but also drive the development of various industries alongside.

How could one hope to create a flourishing age without these?

The jiego suddenly grew louder, and the dancing girl stepped to the center of the carpet to dance with the music.

The commotion finally dragged Jiang Yuxun’s attention back.

Realizing what he had been thinking, he was startled by the thought.

“Hahaha, Lord Jiang, take the wine!”

“Mm?”

Hearing Tang Yimeng, Jiang Yuxun saw that the dancing girl at the center of the carpet had already brought a cup of wine to him.

Seeing she had waited long, he hastened to reach out and take the wine. “Thank you.”

Everyone had drunk more or less.

The mood at the banquet also grew lively with the sudden quickening of the jiego’s rhythm.

The envoys had not been humiliated today; thanks to Jiang Yuxun’s handling, they had even suppressed the Zherou.

By night, they were in higher spirits than usual.

Seeing the dancing girl pass wine to Jiang Yuxun, the envoys seated on the same carpet began to tease, “Was Lord Jiang just now embarrassed?”

Jiang Yuxun’s eyes widened. “How was I?”

From leaving Zhaodu to visiting Zherou, unawares, more than half a month had passed.

In that time, the party had become familiar with one another.

Whoever started it, he suddenly asked Jiang Yuxun, “Come to that, Lord Jiang is no longer young; is there anyone you fancy?”

“Cough, cough…” Choked by a mouthful of wine, Jiang Yuxun hurriedly waved his hand.

At this, even Princess Lianyi grew curious. “Lord Jiang is yet unmarried and unbetrothed?”

Though she had come to Zherou at twenty, her marriage had been arranged years earlier.

“In reply to Your Highness, this minister has not married.”

In Great Zhou, men could marry at fifteen or sixteen; even if not urgent to wed, one would at least first be betrothed.

Hearing this, Princess Lianyi found it curious. “Such a situation is rare for Lord Jiang.”

No sooner had she spoken than she suddenly thought of something and asked those at her side, “But then, His Majesty has yet to open the harem to this day?”

Tang Yimeng nodded at once. “Yes, Your Highness.” He said no more.

As aunt, Lianyi naturally could appropriately inquire into the junior’s personal life.

But as courtiers, unless they had tired of living, they would never be curious about this question.

Knowing what they feared, Princess Lianyi did not dwell on the topic.

She only joked in Zherou to the handmaid beside her, “It seems I have two such rarities about me.”

The handmaid laughed with her.

Officials dared not jest about Ying Changchuan, but Jiang Yuxun could not escape being gossiped about.

As the banquet was drawing to a close, the talk grew ever more free.

He had no choice but to lift his cup along with the crowd, fending off his colleagues with the same excuse as before—“single-minded in career, no intent to start a family.”

Jiang Yuxun had thought they might quiet down for a while, but unexpectedly they would not let it go.

Seeing him say he had no intention of marrying, Tang Yimeng said, “…Lord Jiang may have no intention, but being so young and accomplished, how could there be no one who likes you? Surely you haven’t noticed, that’s all.”

“Exactly! I don’t believe Lord Jiang has no admirers.”

“When I first met my lord last year, I thought you overly naïve and boyish. Seeing you again this year, I can only feel you clear and unworldly, er… as bright as wind and moon after rain.” The envoy, having drunk too much, was already slurring.

The jiego’s tempo grew ever faster.

The dancing girl in scarlet whirled lightly, passing cups to every person.

With the urgent music, Jiang Yuxun quickly waved his hands. “My lords, please don’t joke.”

Whether because he was unaccustomed to such topics or because he had had a few cups, Jiang Yuxun’s ears flushed faintly red.

“Hahaha—how could this be a joke?”

Tang Yimeng leaned in. “Lord Jiang is not so young; even if not in a hurry to start a family, one should at least set one’s sights on someone one likes.”

“Indeed so.” Princess Lianyi also joined in the merrymaking.

Jiang Yuxun hurried to steer the topic away.

On the steppe, the night was vast and dim.

Though it was spring, nights were still chilly.

The bonfires waned little by little, and the wind had somehow risen.

No sooner had Jiang Yuxun spoken than he couldn’t help sneezing.

Seeing this, Tang Yimeng, rather drunk, said at once, “Sneezing at this hour—surely someone is thinking of our Lord Jiang!”

Seeing Princess Lianyi, seated in the highest place, join in laughter, the crowd began to tease together. “Hahaha—perhaps someone in Zhaodu is thinking of Lord Jiang right now.”

How could that be?

The jiego’s tempo quickened and quickened.

Unknowingly, Jiang Yuxun’s heartbeat was thrown off for a few beats.

Hearing them, he instinctively retorted in his heart: after crossing over, he had gone with Ying Changchuan to the Xianyou Palace and had barely spent any days in Zhaodu.

How could there be “people of Zhaodu” thinking of him at this moment?

…If one must speak of “thinking,” perhaps only Ying Changchuan wants him back to work overtime together?

Jiang Yuxun: ?!

No—that was not a thought to have at this moment.

Why could there not be someone in Zhaodu thinking of him?

Zhuang Yue and Zhuang Youli might be thinking of him right now!

At that, Jiang Yuxun instinctively raised his cup and drained the spirits within.

Forgetting what was in the cup, he was choked again into coughing.

“Guilty conscience!”

“Lord Jiang surely has a guilty conscience.”

Setting down the cup, Jiang Yuxun insisted stiffly, “How could that be? I merely drank a little too fast…”

All the envoys who had come to Zherou with him were already married.

Seeing Jiang Yuxun prevaricate, the crowd jeered at once, “The way Lord Jiang was just now—he definitely thought of someone all of a sudden!”

Those seated to Jiang Yuxun’s left and right leaned in to ask in low voices, “Out with it—who did Lord Jiang think of just now?”

In his previous life, Jiang Yuxun had not been much good at lying.

Now, under the influence of the debuff, he was all the more accustomed to saying what he thought.

He had meant to make up a lie to muddle through.

But after hesitating for a while, he gave an honest answer at last: “I was thinking… perhaps His Majesty wants me to go back and work with him?”

At the same time, he couldn’t help glancing behind, to make sure Ying Changchuan would not suddenly appear.

Tang Yimeng: “…”

Bringing up a superior at a banquet was a real mood-killer.

After all that gossip, Tang Yimeng instantly lost interest.

Another official, straightening up, couldn’t help muttering, “Ay, Lord Jiang truly doesn’t get it! What’s the use of bringing up His Majesty at a time like this?”

Footnotes:

1. Jiego: A double-headed drum of Western Regions origin, often covered with ram’s hide; associated with lively, fast rhythms used in court and banquet music. [Also called “two-stick drum.”
2. Qiaoluo: A phonetic rendering in-text for a Western Regions polity; analogous to names such as Kosala or other trans-Himalayan states referenced in Chinese sources. Identification in fiction varies.
3. Grain measures (shi): In premodern usage, shi could denote volume or weight; historical conventions often used 1 shi ≈ 10 dou (≈100 L) in volume or 1 shi ≈ 120 jin in mass, varying by era and locale. Ratios like “ten shi grain to one shi liquor” evoke low distillation yields in early technology.