Tibet

There is a Persian restaurant next to Chang'an East Market. It is actually an inn and restaurant run by Sogdians. It also provides some product information and currency exchange services.

This Persian mansion has a camel shed covering hundreds of acres in Xianyang. After the Sogdian merchants unloaded their goods in Chang'an, they turned around and went to Xianyang. The camels were arranged in the camel shed in Xianyang, while the merchants lived in Dongdong. Inside the Persian mansion in the city.

In the past two months, Sogdian merchants have been very uneasy. News has long been revealed that the imperial court will march westward after the spring. This makes the Sogdian merchants very nervous and affects their vital interests. In the past few months, every day in the Persian residence They were all filled with Sogdian businessmen, inquiring about all kinds of news.

In fact, the Sogdians have a long history of interfering in the politics of the Tang Dynasty, especially the Anshi Rebellion. An Lushan and Shi Siming were both Sogdians, and a large number of Sogdians provided money and resources to support their rebellion.

After the Anshi Rebellion was settled, the Tang Dynasty did not liquidate the Sogdians due to various considerations, also due to financial needs.

But this does not mean that the Sogdians are not afraid. Especially the emperor Li Ye once led his army to the Kang state and was always tough on the Sogdians. Could his western expedition be a liquidation of the Sogdians?

Today is the second day of the first lunar month. Most shops are closed, but some restaurants are still open for business. This is competition. They first opened on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, and later on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. However, under strong competition, major restaurants opened on the third day of the Lunar New Year. Just opened.

But Mo Daojun left early, and there were even more early travelers. Now on the second day of the Lunar New Year, a restaurant has opened.

But the second day of the Lunar New Year is the ultimate, and it is impossible to open a business on the first day of the Lunar New Year. This is a custom. On the first day of the first lunar month, except for the New Year's Day and the New Year's banquet held by the court, most people don't go out.

The reason why Persian Palace opened its doors on the second day of the first lunar month is because of the situation. There will definitely be some news coming out on the first day of the first lunar month, and everyone needs to communicate on the second day of the first lunar month.

The lobby style of Persian Residence is different from that of a normal restaurant. It is decorated in rich colors. The walls and floors are covered with carpets. The windows are closed and the door is hung with thick curtains. Only the clear tiles above the head let in some light. This lobby The interior was dimly lit, and strange incense was lit, making the entire lobby full of exotic atmosphere.

The lobby is covered with thick carpets. Everyone takes off their shoes and sits in small semi-enclosed boxes. In each box, there are several Sogdians sitting cross-legged, drinking and talking together. Their respective small circles and which box they sit in are also fixed.

At this time, the bell at the door rang, and a middle-aged Sogdian man pushed the door open and came in. The shopkeeper, Shi Gaoke, rushed to greet him, "Master Da is here!"

In fact, the surname of people in Kangguo is Kang, the surname of Anguo is An, and the surname of people in Shiguo is Shi. These are their Chinese names. They also have their own Sogdian names in their own country. If they lived in the Tang Dynasty, their Chinese names would have been long, and their own Sogdian names would The name will be forgotten.

The middle-aged man is called Kangda, and he is also a Sogdian. However, he is not a businessman. Instead, he serves as the eighth-grade Sogdian envoy in the Honglu Temple of the imperial court. In the past, there were seven or eight Sogdian officials in the imperial court, but now there are basically none. , only this Kunta is left,

He is very famous among the Sogdians, and almost all of them know him. When they heard that Mr. Da was coming, the Sogdians in various rooms in the living room stood up and looked at him. Kunda waved his hand, "Let's continue eating. It's nothing important." Condition!"

Kunda sat down in a box, and immediately three old men came over with wine glasses and sat next to him.

An old man said: "I'll treat Mr. Da today to pay for his expenses. Mr. Da, please say something!"

Kangda sighed and said: "What else can I say? Everyone knows about the Tang Army's western expedition. One hundred thousand camels and a large amount of supplies have been transported to Jincheng County. Later this month, the camel team will set off. I will tell you about the troop mobilization." have no idea."

Another old man said: "In fact, we don't care about important military information. We are just concerned about whether the Tang Dynasty will annex the nine Sogdian kingdoms like Liaodong this time. Master Da, please tell me your opinion!"

Before he knew it, more than twenty people were surrounding him, and everyone looked at Kunda expectantly.

Kangda had no choice but to smile bitterly and said: "Then I will just say a few words. It only represents my own opinion and does not represent the official opinion. In fact, you can read the latest communiqué from the court. Suiye has been occupied. The Hezhong Governor's Mansion is not Bao, it shows that the main purpose of the imperial court sending troops to the Western Expedition was to restore the Hezhong Governor's Palace, not to expand the territory. Another intention was to strengthen the control of the Sogdian countries and prevent the great food from going north to annex the Hezhong area. Then we analyze this With these two intentions, we can probably understand Tang Jun’s movements. "

At this time, shopkeeper Scooke brought the wine and said with a smile: "Master Da, please tell me more in detail! These guys only care about money, they don't understand the current situation."

"Can't you understand this? Those are the lands of the Tang Dynasty that need to be restored, Suiye, Juzhanti, Julan City, Talas City, and Aral Sea County. And then I guess I will escape this time. If it is not lost, it will be annexed by the Tang Dynasty. The only ones left are Dong Cao and Shi Guo. Let's see their luck! The biggest mistake Dong Cao made was to occupy Juzhanti. If the Tang army wanted to retaliate, Dong Cao would be doomed, and Shi Guo would be the main one. It has always been in collusion with Dashi, so it depends on its luck. As for other Sogdian countries, I think the imperial court will continue to retain it. "

Everyone was happy, but Shi Xiangnan, a businessman from the Shi Kingdom, said with a sad face: "Is our Shi Kingdom going to be destroyed?"

"Then you have to ask yourselves. Suiye fell. It is said that the army came from your Stone Kingdom. If this is true, if the Stone Kingdom is destroyed, no one else can be blamed."

"How would I know? How could a small businessman like me know the inside story?"

"Everyone has dispersed and let Mr. Da eat."

The shopkeeper greeted them and everyone dispersed. Sgok whispered to Kanda: "After dinner, come to the back!"

Kanda nodded and drank and ate without showing any emotion.

After dinner, Kanda came to the backyard of the Persian residence and saw a Sogdian man sitting in the sun.

Sgok introduced Kanda: "This is the eldest prince of our Shi country. He just arrived in Chang'an yesterday!"

Sgok introduced Kanda to the eldest prince. The two of them greeted each other quickly. Sgok invited them to sit in the room.

The eldest prince was called Shi Shuting. He said to Kangda, "I set out in September last year, that is, after Suiye fell, and I didn't arrive in Chang'an until yesterday. I want to meet with the high officials of the court and explain the reasons why Suiye was attacked."

Kangda nodded, "I'm afraid it will be the fifth day of the first lunar month at the earliest. Be patient and wait a few days!"

Shi Shuting sighed and said, "It doesn't matter if I wait a few days, as long as I can meet the high officials."

Kangda smiled, "It should be possible. After all, you are here on behalf of Shiguo, and it is at this sensitive time."

Although this year's New Year is the first anniversary of Li Ye's accession to the throne, it is actually very ordinary. The family came to Huaqing Palace in Mount Li for a vacation. In official language, it means that the emperor brought his concubines and princes and princesses to Huaqing Palace.

After offering sacrifices to the ancestors at noon on the 30th day of the first lunar month, the family set off accompanied by a large group of palace maids and guards. Dugu Xinyue successfully managed her pregnancy and was able to ride in a carriage.

Huaqing Palace, also known as Li Palace, is backed by mountains and faces the water. There are several hot springs here, which were favored by the rulers of the Tang Dynasty. Since the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, they began to build a winter palace here. It was originally called Tangquan Palace. After Li Longji invested heavily in making it beautiful, it was renamed Huaqing Palace.

Li Ye had long wanted to bring his family here for a winter vacation, but he was worried that it would affect Yang Yuhuan. That night on the top of the tower, he found that she didn't care at all, so Li Ye decided to bring his family to Huaqing Palace for a hot spring bath during the New Year holiday.

On the morning of the fourth day of the first lunar month, Li Ye's family was skiing on the ski slope in Huaqing Palace. This was the ski slope built by Li Shimin specifically for the concubines. The slope was only 45 degrees, and the slope was very flat, without even a small stone. Everyone sat on the skis and rushed down the hillside about 300 steps long, especially the children were so excited that they laughed loudly.

In front of the wooden house next to the ski slope, Dugu Xinyue was half lying on a wide recliner, with a thick mattress underneath and a soft and thick duck down quilt on top. She looked at her husband with a smile on her face as he took the children skiing. The ski sled roared down from the height, and the older children were all in one sled.

The two or three-year-olds were sitting in their father's arms, shouting with excitement.

Next to Dugu Xinyue sat Zhang Qian, who was named Lady of Luo State. Originally, she had no place to go on vacation in Huaqing Palace this time, but Dugu Xinyue gave her husband face and brought her along, so that she wouldn't be a complaining woman in the palace alone, and she was also needed to join the women playing mahjong.

Zhang Qian was very excited, and she hoped that she could have another son and integrate into this big family. Unfortunately, Li Tengkong felt her pulse and thought it would be difficult for her to get pregnant again.

Zhang Qian suddenly saw Yang Yupei, who was sliding down the cable car at high speed and laughing heartily. She suddenly felt a little suspicious. A trusted palace maid beside her told her that this Madam Yang was most likely the Madam Guoguo of that year.