Chapter 4

The vast expanse of green waves stretches boundlessly.

At the port of Guangzhou, ships from Persia, Brahman, Ceylon, Khotan, the White Savages, and the Red Savages come and go.

Huge ships, numbering in the thousands, exchange goods, bustling with activity.

Among the foreign ships, the largest are from Ceylon, with tall sides and towering masts, but the largest of all are the "Yu Damao" ships of the Tang Dynasty.

There is a saying at the time: "Water cannot carry ten thousand!"

This means that no ship can carry more than ten thousand stones of cargo, yet the "Yu Damao" ships exceed this limit. These ships are sturdy and can withstand strong winds and waves, so when you see them at the port, they may not necessarily belong to the Tang people, as many foreign merchants are also buying or renting these Tang ships.

On the docks, mountains of fruits, vegetables, wheat, barley, sugarcane, silk, and porcelain are piled up, ready to be shipped or just unloaded.

A medium-sized ship has just docked, and a Persian merchant approaches, warmly conversing with the ship's captain, a Kunlun man, on the deck: "Ha, it's been a long time, Hanubi! You wouldn't have thought that the Tang Empire would have three emperors in one year, would you?"

The dark-skinned Kunlun captain, speaking in the popular language of the Tang Dynasty, replies: "Yes, I heard that the Tang Emperor was not in good health. His death and the ascension of the crown prince to the throne were expected. But why did the emperor change again so soon after the prince's ascension?"

The Persian man explains: "Well, it happened at the beginning of the year. The Emperor died, and the crown prince ascended to the throne, changing the era name to Sisheng. On the second day of the new emperor's reign, he promoted the father of the empress, Wei Xuanzhen, from a minor official to the governor of Yuzhou. This was reasonable, as he was the father-in-law of the emperor. However, just a day later, the emperor planned to promote him to the position of Chief Secretary.

Hey! It seems the empress was dissatisfied with her father's low rank and was blowing the pillow wind hard! The Chief Secretary is the prime minister of the empire! How could Wei Xuanzhen, a minor official, deserve such a high position? Not only that, the emperor also planned to promote his wet nurse's son to a fifth-rank official. This is truly a case of one person rising to power and all his associates benefiting.

The Chancellor of the Zhongshu Province, Pei Yan, refused to agree and advised the emperor strongly. The emperor became furious and said to Pei Yan: 'Why not give the empire to Wei Xuanzhen? Why should I be stingy about one Chief Secretary?' Pei Yan was shocked and hurriedly reported this to the Empress Dowager. She was enraged and gathered the officials to depose the emperor, making the Prince of Yu the new emperor."

As they were talking, a tall man, about eight feet tall, emerged from the ship's cabin. He was in his thirties, with thick, ink-black eyebrows, prominent cheekbones, and curly sideburns. He stretched lazily, like a drowsy tiger just waking up.

Surveying the bustling scene on the dock, the man raised his thick eyebrows and laughed heartily: "Grandfather was indeed right. The Tang Dynasty is truly remarkable, rich and prosperous, unmatched in the world! I must go into the city to see it for myself!"

With that, he leaped onto the shore. The ship's captain, seeing this, hurriedly left the Persian merchant to stop him. The man, after listening to a few words, impatiently said: "Though I am new here, I am proficient in the Tang language. What do you mean by unfamiliarity with the place? Go about your business. I came here to explore and see the customs and people of the Tang Dynasty!"

He patted the sword at his waist and declared loudly: "I am a lone man with a sword, free to come and go as I please. Do not bother me! I am off!"

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Not far from the front of the Guangzhou Governor's Office, Ah Chou and Niuniu were begging. It was not easy to beg in this area, but to avoid the revenge of Xiao Lang, they had to stay away from places where he could easily find them.

While begging to survive, Ah Chou was also trying to find a way to make a living. He did not want to be a beggar anymore; he wanted to be a self-sufficient person. However, even this humble goal was hard to achieve. Who would hire a ten-year-old child, especially a child beggar, who also had a younger burden to carry?

Suddenly, the gates of the Guangzhou Governor's Office opened wide, and a middle-aged man with a broad robe and a tall figure, accompanied by a refined and elegant middle-aged scholar, walked out slowly. Many attendants and guards surrounded them, making a grand scene.

A passerby remarked: "Look, the man with the hooked beard is our Guangzhou Governor, Lu Yuanrui. Wow! The person he personally escorts out must be a very important person."

Ah Chou looked up and saw the middle-aged man with thick, sword-like eyebrows and a hooked beard, exuding a dignified and authoritative presence. However, when he turned to the refined scholar, his face was full of warmth and smiles.

The Governor of Guangzhou, holding six banners, each representing a military unit, was like a feudal lord of the court, the emperor of Guangzhou. The guest he personally escorted out with a smile must be of high status.

This guest was a scholar in his thirties, wearing a headband and a round-necked, narrow-sleeved robe, with a leather belt and a small sword hanging from it. The edges of his robe and sleeves were adorned with plum blossoms, making him look handsome and refined. However, upon closer inspection, one would realize that she was a woman dressed as a man.

There was no need to check for an Adam's apple or wonder why she had no beard; her facial features, makeup, and attire clearly indicated that she was a woman. Women in the Tang Dynasty often dressed as men, but their appearance remained feminine, making them easily recognizable.

Beside this lady stood a little girl, about six or seven years old. The lady had a small sword hanging from her waist, while the little girl carried a long sword, which was taller than her, with the scabbard almost touching the ground and the hilt extending well above her shoulders. The yellow tassel of the sword hung over her slender shoulders, contrasting with her delicate and pretty face.

This unusual combination caught the attention of Ah Chou and Niuniu.

"Let's go, Niuniu."

Ah Chou saw the guards starting to drive away the crowd and knew that he and Niuniu would be among those driven away. He tried to pull Niuniu away, but she suddenly tightened her grip on his hand and excitedly said: "Brother, look, look at the hairpin on her head!"

"Hairpin?"

Ah Chou focused his gaze and noticed that the little girl with the sword had a hairpin in her hair, a butterfly-shaped hairpin, colorful and lifelike.

Ah Chou looked at Niuniu's messy, dry, and yellow hair and felt a pang of sadness. He habitually rubbed her hair and muttered: "Silly girl! You are such a silly girl... Come on, let's go!"

"Okay!"

Niuniu reluctantly followed him, still looking back at the little girl with the butterfly hairpin. She knew she did not deserve such a hairpin, but she just wanted to look, to see it one more time. However, even this wish was a luxury, as the officials from the Governor's Office were already driving away the idle people.

Ah Chou, seeing the light in Niuniu's eyes, gently bit his lip and said: "Niuniu, I will make you a hairpin, a more beautiful one than that little girl's!"

Niuniu's eyes sparkled with surprise: "Really?"

Ah Chou smiled brightly: "Silly girl, have I ever lied to you?"

At a place lined with banana trees, Ah Chou instructed Niuniu: "Niuniu, wait here. Don't run around, or Xiao Lang might catch you."

"Okay, Niuniu won't run around. I'll wait for Brother to come back."

Niuniu obediently squatted under the banana tree, her tattered skirt exposing her bare knees. After a short while, Ah Chou returned, his hands behind his back, a mysterious smile on his face. Niuniu immediately jumped up: "Brother, did you make the hairpin?"

Ah Chou grinned proudly: "Of course! I always keep my promises. Guess what kind of hairpin I made for you?"

"I can't guess. Show me quickly."

Niuniu pounced, and Ah Chou playfully dodged. After a bit of playful chasing, Niuniu finally caught Ah Chou's hand.

"Wow! So... beautiful a butterfly!"

Niuniu opened her mouth wide in amazement.

Ah Chou said: "I caught it for you to make the hairpin."

Niuniu asked curiously: "But the butterfly is alive. How can it be a hairpin?"

Ah Chou smiled mysteriously: "Who says a live butterfly can't be a hairpin? Come here."

He took Niuniu's hand and led her to a quiet spot, where he pulled a thread from his tattered shirt and carefully tied one end to the butterfly's leg. Then he told Niuniu: "Come, lower your head."

"Okay!"

Niuniu lowered her head, and Ah Chou combed a strand of her hair, tying the other end of the thread securely to it. When he let go, the butterfly started fluttering on Niuniu's head.

"Brother, does it look good?"

Niuniu looked at Ah Chou expectantly.

Ah Chou nodded vigorously: "It looks great! It looks better than any other hairpin."

Niuniu smiled happily, pulling Ah Chou's hand and dragging him to a nearby stream. She looked at her reflection in the water, her messy, bird's nest-like hair with a strand standing out, a thread connecting a butterfly that fluttered on her head.

Niuniu smiled, showing her dirty, little face with a few missing teeth.

Ah Chou looked at the reflection in the water, seeing her happy face, and affectionately rubbed her head...

"Gurgling, gurgling..."

After the joy, the hunger remained. Niuniu, while protecting her butterfly hairpin, said to Ah Chou: "Brother, I'm hungry..."

Ah Chou stood up, looked around, and said: "Niuniu, wait by the road. I'll go get some food!"

Ah Chou crossed a small bridge and passed through an archway of banana trees, entering a quiet courtyard. The courtyard was separated from the neighboring taverns by two fences, and a tall pole with a "Qi Wang" flag stood in the yard.

A large wine ladle hung from the top of the pole, with a long blue cloth tied to it. The pole was old, with the paint peeling off, and the wood was cracked, like an old face, boasting the long history of the old tavern.

The wind was weak today, and the wine ladle hung motionless at the top of the pole, with only the blue cloth fluttering weakly.

The boy, hungrier than the blue cloth, mustered his strength, pulled up his sleeves, and wiped his face, then combed his hair to look as neat as possible before entering the tavern.

p: Fellow readers, Guan Guan is robbing with a mask, a weak scholar pretending to be a bandit, robbing all the recommendation tickets. Please vote!

{Piaotian Literature www.piaotia.com Thank you for your support. Your support is our greatest motivation}

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends