The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 152 Silk Road A visitor comes from the east at dusk

Around the beginning of winter, the northwest wind on the border of Liangzhou became stronger and stronger day by day.

Jiaodaokou, not far from Guzang County, Liangzhou, is the intersection of the North Road and the South Road of Xiyu Road. In the early days, it was a bustling place where merchants gathered, but now it has become deserted. Whether it is the Yunwei Station built by the government or the Yunwei Store run by merchants, there are few cars and horses in front of the door.

Seeing that a golden-red sun had already hung on the treetop of the crooked-necked willow tree outside Di's shop, the shopkeeper Lao Qin raised his head and glanced at the hall. Only less than half of the dozen tables and tables were occupied. He reluctantly I couldn't help walking to the door, opening the felt curtain, and looking eastward. On the two main roads to the east, there were scattered pedestrians heading this way against the wind, but there was no sign of the convoy.

Sihu, the assistant, followed Lao Qin for a few glances and muttered, "Business should be better today, right?"

Lao Qin glared at him angrily, "It'll be fine!" It was expected that big business would come to his door today. However, there will not be too many good days like this. It's almost October now, and the number of merchants going west from Chang'an is becoming increasingly rare. After November, merchants coming from Dunhuang and Xizhou will also be rare... The good days when this store will be overcrowded will not be available until the beginning of next spring. Reappear.

 The shadows of carriages and horses seemed to appear in the distant dust. Lao Qin stared at it for a few times and recognized that the first two horses were both good horses with long legs and strong bodies. There was also a carriage behind them. He couldn't help but perked up a little. He saw the carriage and horses getting closer and closer, but it was "Hu" A loud sound stopped at the door of Yunweiyi a few dozen steps away.

 It turned out to be a serious official’s family living in the post house! The post house has dozens of bright horses, not to mention the exquisite houses and clean courtyards. Who would come to the di shop to take a look at it if they could live in the post house? Lao Qin suddenly lost interest. As he walked back, he ordered Sihu, "Keep a closer eye, don't let the guests feel that it's disrespectful."

The aroma of mutton soup gradually floated in the hall, and several guests sitting in the front hall chatting became energetic. Only two monks from Hedong who were going to Tianzhu recited "Amitabha" and carried it away without knowing it. What scripture. A stranger sitting in the middle of the hall with his arms around the beauty said loudly, "Old Qin, did the chef kill a live sheep today?"

Lao Qin recognized that this was Mi Dalang who had been selling slave girls from Xizhou to Chang'an all year round. He felt a little uncomfortable, but his face was immediately full of smiles, "Da Lang guessed it right! Today is the beginning of winter, so naturally I have to give him a gift." Dear guests, please make some good ones. In addition to mutton soup, there are also mutton horns and mutton wontons."

Mi Dalang laughed heartily and pinched the beauty's chest heavily, "Today is the Beginning of Winter Festival in the Tang Dynasty. If you are good, I will let you eat meat later!"

The woman in his arms was only fourteen or fifteen years old. When he pinched her, a pair of green eyes suddenly filled with mist, and she blurted out a sentence in Li Te language. Mi Dalang's face suddenly darkened, and he said sternly, "How many times have I told you **** that you are going to Chang'an to serve nobles, and you have to speak Chang'an official dialect. Do you think that I, Mi Dalang, have turned a deaf ear to my words?"

The green-eyed woman's face suddenly turned pale with fright, and she tremblingly replied in Chang'an dialect, "I won't dare to do it next time."

Mi Dalang pushed her out, "Go back! You are not allowed to eat today! Let that **** Ah Hong come out to accompany me!"

The green-eyed woman threw herself on another table, her face turned a little blue as a result of the collision. She said "yes" without daring to turn her head and hurried to the backyard.

Lao Qin sighed inwardly. There were many merchants in the slave girl business, but not many were as distressed as Mi Dalang. I heard that he had a backer in Xizhou. So now that the war there is getting fierce, the dozen female slaves he brought this time are even more outstanding, but unfortunately they fell into his hands... I heard someone sighing at another table, "The big man is too merciless." Some." said Wu Liu, a Tang merchant who was also a frequent visitor to the store.

Mi Dalang glanced at him and sneered, "You are so pity for the beauty. How about I give you a hundred pieces of silk before this one blooms?"

Wu Liu waved his hands, "I can't bear it, I can't bear it."

The woman sitting with him burst into laughter and touched his forehead affectionately, "Idiot, it's only a hundred pieces of silk. You want to go back to Chang'an anyway. You can earn at least 50% there. It's so cheap." Don’t you want to occupy it?”

Wu Liu shook his head, "Wu only has a small business, how can he dare to get involved in the horse industry? Besides, taking advantage of others, how to take advantage of Ye Nu? Even if someone takes advantage, I have to teach you to take advantage of it."

Ye Nu covered his mouth and smiled, "You are used to saying these things. Thank God if you can remember to find a slave once a year."

The woman sitting on the other side also laughed, "Agui's ears are getting calloused when he hears sister Ye Nu's complaints. Don't spare him this time!"

Mi Dalang's eyes circled around the two prostitutes, pausing at the younger and plumper Agui's chest before turning away. After waiting for another half day, no one came out of the backyard. His eyebrows suddenly stood up and he sat down at the table. The big man on the other side of the case suddenly stood up and said, "I'll go take a look!"

Not long after, a man yelling and a woman screamed loudly from the backyard. Lao Qin hurriedly lowered his head to figure things out. The two prostitutes looked at each other and shook their heads. The monk in the corner seemed to be chanting sutras more urgently. I saw the big man dragging a fifteen or sixteen-year-old red-haired woman in by her hair. The woman was injured somewhere. There was a trace of blood on the corner of her mouth, and her brown eyes were full of tears, but she was tightly held tightly. Biting her lower lip.

The big man pushed the woman **** the wide stool where Mi Dalang was sitting, "Here comes Ah Hong."

Mi Dalang looked at the woman and sneered, "You have tasted Ye Lun's fists, and you still want to try X's methods? Either you will be obedient, or X will make less money. I will fulfill you tonight, myself Choose!”

The woman named A Hong was stunned, and Mi Dalang easily pulled her onto his lap. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the four tigers at the door saying loudly, "The guest wants to stay at the hotel."

Lao Qin hurriedly raised his head from his calculations. Everyone in the hall also looked at the door, only to see two young men walking in from the door. The one in front of him was slightly older, tall and thin, wearing a uniform. Wearing a dark blue round-collared robe, the one behind him is a young man who is less than twenty years old. Both of them have empty hands. Lao Qin couldn't help but glare at Sihu: Does this look like a hotel guest? They probably either come to the front hall to drink, or they go to the backyard to look for people and ask for goods! Sure enough, the man in green robe smiled indifferently and spoke in standard Chang'an Mandarin, "I don't live in the hotel. I heard that your old wine is very good, so I came here to bother you."

Sihu knew he had made a mistake as soon as he spoke. He smiled, scratched his head, and let the two people in. The man in green robes glanced around the hall and picked a food table against the wall next to the door. Forget about others, the private prostitute named Agui's eyes lit up. She stood up and twisted her waist and walked over. Before she could reach her, the young man stood up and stood in front of her, "My husband." I don’t like to be disturbed by strangers.”

Agui was a little disappointed and stared hard at the green-robed man's face for a few times. Seeing that he didn't even glance at her, she couldn't help but snorted and turned away, muttering, "Consumer, you're so arrogant!"

An angry look suddenly appeared on the young man's face, and the man in green robe waved his hand, "A Cheng, sit down!"

Ye Nu hurriedly stood up and stepped forward to give A Gui a hand, and whispered, "Don't talk nonsense, that person is probably an official!" A Gui was startled, filled with disbelief, but did not dare to doubt Ye Nu He sat down and took a peek over there. But I saw the man in green robe asking Sihu for a pot of wine and two dishes to go with the wine. He spoke very humbly. As for his pale face like a tuberculosis ghost and his indifferent expression as if he had not experienced any luck in eight lifetimes, he looked like a loser. Juzi, how can he be even remotely similar to the officials he sees in daily life?

She was lost in thought when she heard a loud slap in her ear. She looked up and saw that Mi Dalang stood up with an angry face. He wiped his mouth fiercely and cursed, "Bitch, if you don't eat the toast, you'll have to drink the wine as a penalty. If you make me angry, I'll make you a chaste ghost today!"

That Ah Hong fell to the ground, covered his face, and said nothing. Seeing Mi Dalang kicking Ahong again, he kicked Ahong away two steps, and took a step forward to make a move. Wu Liu hurriedly smiled and said, "It's such a big deal, why should Dalang spoil the fun? Let's let it go." It’s important for Lao Qin to serve the mutton soup and wine.”

 Lao Qin also stood up, with a smile on his face, "It's all my fault, Sihu, tell the cook to bring hot soup quickly."

Mi Dalang snorted coldly, frowned at Jelun and said, "Drag this **** down and deal with her at night!"

Ye Lun went over with a sullen face and dragged A Hong up. A Gui frowned secretly. Although she had stayed in this shop for less than a year, she had also heard that Mi Dalang was cruel and ruthless. He once froze to death for disobedient people. Slave girl, it looks like this red-haired woman is going to end badly...

Her eyes subconsciously glanced at the "official" again, only to see him sitting there with a slight frown on his face. When the red-haired woman struggled to stand up towards him, she suddenly opened her eyes slightly and stared at him with good eyes. On her face, she didn't look away until her figure disappeared from the door. She was lost in thought for a long time, and suddenly picked up the wine glass. She didn't know how to drink it, and downed two glasses in the blink of an eye. The face of the young man sitting on the side changed. "Alang, please don't drink in such a hurry. Be careful..." The man in green robe was stunned for a moment, shook his head and smiled, then slowly put down the wine glass, then raised his head and looked thoughtfully. Mi Dalang glanced at him.

 Turns out she is also a womanizer! Agui snorted inwardly and turned her head to stop looking at him. But he saw a big man named Yelun walk in from the back door angrily, sat down heavily next to Mi Dalang, picked up the wine bottle in front of him, poured a large glass, and drank it in one gulp, Mi Dalang also drank. He took a big sip, wiped his still sore lips, and said fiercely, "This bitch, if I don't deal with her today, Mi will have walked this road for thirty years in vain!"

The two of them drank one gulp at a time, and then talked about how to find better slaves in the current chaos, how to use some contacts in Chang'an West City to sell them at high prices, etc. They quickly drank the bottle of wine in front of them. He was clean, and just as he was about to ask the waiter to come again, he heard the man in green robe beside the wall say loudly, "Shopkeeper, another pot!"

The two were startled and couldn't help turning their heads to look. They saw the man in green robe pushing forward the obviously empty wine bottle in front of him. Lao Qin was also stunned for a moment, then he personally took a bottle of wine and walked over, smiling, "Young Master has a good drinker!"

The green-robed man smiled faintly, "My father-in-law brews good wine, which is more fragrant than the Sanle wine in the West Market."

Mi Dalang and Ye Lun looked at each other, and Mi Dalang smiled and said, "Does this gentleman often go to the West Market?"

The green-robed man nodded, "Exactly, I had to go back to work every two or three days when I wasn't on duty."

Mi Dalang smiled quickly and asked, "I wonder where Mr. Lang is on duty?"

The man in green robe said calmly, "At that time, I was just working as an errand in the Wei Mansion. I am a small official, not worth mentioning."

Mi Dalang's smile immediately became warmer, and he racked his brains to find a few topics to chat with this person. However, the man in green robe was quite reserved and did not like to answer the conversation very much. After a while, he became a little cold.

The man in green robe took another sip of wine, suddenly sighed, turned to the young man and said, "I don't know how long it will be before we get to Xizhou. I've been drinking like this all the way. It's so boring. It's like competing for money with my colleagues in Chang'an." Did you enjoy the wine?"

Mi Dalang's eyes lit up and he hurriedly said, "Mi is also feeling bored. If Mr. Lang is interested, why don't we make a fortune?"

The man in green robe smiled and said, "Pei doesn't want to compete with strangers." He said with a bit of arrogance, "If you win too much, others will not look good."

　　So, thank you for your support. The second half finally opened. Because of the exam at the end of November, from tomorrow to the end of the month, the number of updates may only be 2,000 per day. Please forgive me.

 (End of this chapter)