Chapter 1131 Old Qiang

Chapter 1131 Old Qiang

Chapter 1131 Old Qiang
The sky gradually darkened, bonfires were lit one after another, and the aroma of roasted meat drifted in the evening breeze, lingering for a long time.

After Yuan Dan came back from the toilet, he did not rush to take his seat, but stood there, walking around and looking around.

The pine resin was burning fiercely in the brazier. Twelve Qiang men with disheveled hair, wearing ghost masks on their heads, were whistling incessantly.

The priest rang the bronze bell in his hand.

The Qiang men shouted together, and danced on the grass with neat and rhythmic steps.

In the music and dance system of the New Dynasty, dance is formally divided into vigorous dance and soft dance. The burly men in front of us are naturally dancing vigorous dance.

They were dressed in yak leather armor, holding a dagger in one hand and a shield in the other. Their every move and stillness were filled with masculine and simple flavor.

When the firelight shone on their masks, they added a hint of mystery.

Yuan Dan stood aside with his arms folded, not very interested in these dances that were "all about emotion and no skills", and his eyes searched the crowd repeatedly.

Soon, he found the King of Qin.

Yao Yizhong, the governor of Nan'an, and Pang Cheng, an elder from the largest local aristocratic family, sat on his left and right. Pang Cheng was said to be a descendant of Pang De, a powerful local clan that had never been at peace since the Han Dynasty.

Yuan Dan continued to observe.

The King of Qin changed into another set of military uniform, smiled, and talked to Yao Yi Zhong and Pang Cheng from time to time.

For some reason, Yuan Dan felt that the King of Qin had changed a little.

Before the age of fifteen, he either studied and learned to read in the palace or practiced martial arts. After the founding of the country, he was granted the title of King of Qin and had his own officials. Until then, his life was smooth sailing. His status as the eldest son naturally attracted compliments from others. There were countless scholars who privately begged to see him. If he was not a scholar, he was not qualified to see the King of Qin, and was directly blocked by the subordinates.

To be honest, he is not as experienced as the King of Qi and the King of Chu in terms of life experience.

These two were older and had more opportunities to be with the emperor, and they even fought in battles together. Especially when he captured Pingyang, they followed the emperor from Jinyang and taught by example all the way.

Later, when they conquered Liu Han, they were responsible for supervising the transportation of food and grass. In terms of ability, the King of Qi and the King of Chu are much stronger than the current King of Qin. The main reason is that they are nine and seven years older respectively.

The advantage of age brings advantages in experience, knowledge and perception. The emperor also saw this, so every prince had to serve when he was fifteen or sixteen years old and was carefully observed.

This western tour to inspect the palaces and armories had a great impact on the King of Qin. Yuan Dan had always been by his side and was very clear about this.

Simply put, King Qin saw a completely new world.

Perhaps I could understand these things from reading in the past. But sitting in the palace and reading dry texts is the same as experiencing the local customs, meeting real people, and seeing all kinds of things in person.
Yuan Dan felt that the King of Qin was a little out of control...

"Ring, ring, ring..." Another bell rang.

Yuan Dan suddenly came to his senses, only to see that the group of fit dancers had already left and were replaced by a dozen young girls.

The girls were young and lovely, probably only about thirteen or fourteen years old, but they already knew how to flatter powerful men.

A moment later, they held vine circles in their hands, walked barefoot, and turned in front of King Qin one by one. Their eyes were charming and seductive, and the bells hanging on their ankles added a unique charm.

After the girls turned around, another girl in a white dress came in. The snow-white dress fluttered in the night wind, like a lotus blooming on a glacier.

The girl had silver ornaments on her forehead that sparkled in the moonlight, and the ends of her hair were adorned with green gems that looked like magnificent treasures hidden in the firelight.

The sixteen girls quietly moved away from the girl, giving her the brightest and most conspicuous position in the night sky, and began to sing ancient Qiang songs.

The girl was completely focused on dancing.

When the skirt spins, it looks like waves stirred up by a glacier.

As his body leaped up and down, he looked like a white deer running in the woods.

Shao Jin had already put down his wine bowl.

He had high standards and had admired many dances, but the one before him was of a different style that he had never seen before.

The key point is that this girl is very pretty and has a bit of wildness. When she danced and looked back, the look she gave him was filled with inquiry, curiosity and even - contempt?
Shao Jin's interest was piqued.

Of course, he wouldn't show it obviously. Even though he was fifteen years old, his mother would never hesitate when it came time to punish him.

But who is Yao Yizhong? Shao Jin thought he had hidden his thoughts very well, but in the eyes of the old fox, he saw all the flaws.

He leaned close to Shao Jin's ear and whispered, "The lead dancer is my daughter, who is the same age as Your Highness. Her mother... well, I can't remember which one it was, but she was also very good at dancing and music. She is educated, can write poetry, and is familiar with rituals and music. If you like her, take her back. It's her good fortune."

Shao Jin immediately sat up straight, shook his head and said with a smile: "I am here to inspect the armory of the mansion. The master is drunk."

"Alas." Yao Yizhong sighed and said, "I don't know how many people are eyeing this girl. If Your Highness doesn't marry her, she will marry those rough guys sooner or later. They don't understand romance, and my girl will cry every night."

When Shao Jin heard that this person was going to marry into the family of a tribal chieftain or a frontier noble, her heart tightened and she thought it was a pity.

However, he remained calm and only asked jokingly, "How many sons and daughters does the Lord have?"

"Forgot." Yao Yi Zhong laughed.

If you joke that someone can't remember who his child's mother is or how many children he has, he might get angry. But for Lao Qiang, not only is he not angry, he's proud of it.

Old Qiang is fifty-two years old this year. He already has more than thirty sons and forty daughters, and the data changes every year - generally showing an upward trend - it is normal to lose count. The lead dancer in front of him is probably the most beautiful one among Yao Yizhong's forty daughters, and he wants to sell her for a good price today.

As for making friends with the prince, it’s no big deal.

It may be a taboo for court officials, but it doesn't matter much to Yao Laoqiang, who can mobilize tens of thousands of troops and eight thousand elite cavalry.

This is called the value of united front. Even though Yao Yizhong doesn’t know this term, the logic is clear to him.

Moreover, as the most powerful group among the Qiang people, after Fu Hong's family was relocated and Yang Nandi fled, the Old Qiang had a great influence among the two major ethnic groups of Di and Qiang and was able to incite many people.

Even Jin Zheng, who was as domineering as he was, had never humiliated Yao Yi Zhong. This is evident from the fact.

As they were talking, the lead dancer was already not far from the desk. After completing the last move, the woman fell on her back, with her long ebony hair hanging down just an inch in front of Shao Jin's desk.

The evening breeze blows gently, the hair rises and falls slightly, creating ripples.

Shao Jin picked up the wine bowl and took a sip.

Yao Yizhong winked, and after the dancer stood up, he pulled her over and stuffed her into Shao Jin's arms, saying with a smile, "If Your Highness likes it, we can get married tonight, and you can give her to me as your wife in the future."

With the sweet and soft beauty in his arms, Shao Jin's expression froze.

The beautiful woman buried her face in his arms, almost completely covered by her beautiful hair. Her chest rose and fell, and she was obviously extremely nervous.

"Good!" The surrounding Qiang chiefs all started to make a noise, while the young nephews standing behind them had sour and complicated expressions on their faces.

"Lord Yao is a powerful figure in Longshan. Who among the noble families in the six counties of Nangan, Lueyang, Tianshui, Wudu, Yinping, and Longxi doesn't know the name of Lord Yao?" Pang Cheng said on the side, "If my niece finds a good home, the six counties will be happy."

Shao Jin was a little at a loss.

In an instant, he thought of the various political taboos that the officials in the palace had instilled in him over the years, and then he thought of his mother's disappointed eyes and the "weapon" of the ruler that was almost engraved in his soul. His mind was in great chaos.

Yao Yi Zhong's face gradually became stern and he snorted coldly, but didn't say anything.

The faces of the chiefs around them gradually turned cold, as if they felt extremely humiliated.

Pang Cheng's face was filled with panic, and he gestured to Shao Jin repeatedly, as if the Di and Qiang tribes in the six counties were about to rebel together in the next moment and sabotage the emperor's great cause of conquering Cheng.

Shao Jin understood the look in his eyes, but he really didn't know what to do. At the age of fifteen, he was a rookie and had never encountered such a thing. His mind was racing, but he was hesitant and worried about this and that.

There were hurried footsteps, and the left attendant Yuan Dan squeezed into the crowd and said with a smile: "This matter——"

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Shao Jin took a deep breath, stretched out his hand to stop Yuan Dan from talking, gently lifted the chin of the beauty in his arms, and asked, "What's your name, girl?"

"Qiongxuan." Yao said softly.

"Pour some wine for me." Shao Jin helped her up and said.

Yao nodded, blushed, sat aside, and started pouring wine.

Yao Yi Zhong and Pang Cheng looked at each other, then quickly looked away.

Yuan Dan breathed a sigh of relief. The most important thing at this moment was to ease the situation. He could discuss whether to agree or not later.

In addition, he deeply suspected that Yao Yi Zhong did this on purpose.

Shao Jin was the eldest son and naturally had the advantage of inheriting the throne. His country was named Qin, his fief was in Fufeng, and there were many Guanxi scholars in the palace. It was normal for him to attract Yao Yi Zhong to invest.

Moreover, this guy likes to pretend to be stupid and honest in the guise of a Hu person, but in fact he is full of tricks and should not be underestimated.

However, the Old Qiang are still the Old Qiang after all. Their methods of doing things are still somewhat different from those of the Han scholars and are a bit rough. There may be hidden dangers, although it may not be a big deal in the eyes of local tyrants like the Old Qiang.

After thinking about this, Yuan Dan looked at the King of Qin quietly again.

Just a moment ago, the King of Qin was forced into a corner, but he finally came up with quick wit and resolved the crisis.

People in their thirties or forties might have many ways to deal with this kind of thing, but the King of Qin was only fifteen years old and had little experience. He was attacked suddenly and had no psychological preparation at all. It was good that he resolved the situation in such a hurry, at least he could fool people for the time being.

At this time, Yuan Dan suddenly thought of the emperor.

As expected of a biological father and son!

The emperor won the hearts of the gentry in western Henan by marrying Empress Yu, and from then on he had a stable rear area with no shortage of money, food, and able-bodied men.

If the King of Qin could really win over Yao Yi Zhong - you know, the old Qiang family is still very wealthy, and his soldiers have been fighting for years and are not a mob. Not only can they control Nan'an, they also have influence in the surrounding neighboring counties, especially the Di Qiang group and the Han nobles who have close ties with them.

The biggest hidden danger now is what Your Majesty thinks? Yao Yizhong should not be so clever as to harm the King of Qin.

Over there, Shao Jin had already started chatting and laughing with Yao and Yao Yi Zhong, and the atmosphere had returned to harmony, as if Yao Yi Zhong's gloomy face and the dangerous looks of the Di Qiang chiefs had just been a show.

Your mother and maidservants are all worry-free! Yuan Dan sighed secretly.

(End of this chapter)