Chapter 58

Luo Du City

Although the weather had already turned warm, the once bustling streets were occasionally traversed by carts carrying corpses, one after another.

Chen Yuan, known as the "prince of street vendors," had just finished his morning stall, selling only two items after much persuasion and even throwing in a small pendant.

The number of people clearing the streets was increasing, while the number of visitors on the streets was sparse, making one anxious.

He hadn't eaten all morning, so even though he drank a lot of cold water, his stomach still felt empty and uncomfortable.

The title of this prince came from his ancestors.

It was said that he was a descendant of the envoy group left behind by the Great Qin (Byzantine) Empire in the Central Plains, and the last branch of a royal family from a certain dynasty of Great Qin over a hundred years ago.

In fact, not long after their mission to the Central Plains, news came that a coup had occurred in Great Qin, and the old royal family had been almost completely exterminated.

Chen Yuan's ancestor, who served as a deputy envoy, wept bitterly and then voluntarily gave up his Great Qin citizenship, becoming a naturalized citizen in the Tang Dynasty, granted the surname Chen, married a woman, and entered the imperial service as a long-term guard.

Thus, after six generations, his appearance had become indistinguishable from most Tang people, except for a hint of blue-gray in his eyes, the last trace left by his ancestor who had settled in the Central Plains.

However, with the gradual decline of imperial power, the lives of these foreign envoys and guests attached to the court's Four Directions Institute also deteriorated. Various treatments and provisions could not last for two generations, and they had to find their own ways to make a living.

After all, even the Tang Emperor had once been a pawn in the hands of various military governors, who cared about these foreigners?

By the time of Chen Yuan's father, the family had fallen into such a state of decline that they could only make a living by working as interpreters and street vendors at the Western Barbarian Hall.

As a spiritual pillar of the family, he could only imagine a perfect Great Qin (Roman) Empire based on the fragments of family history and some street literature, as a source of self-motivation.

In this generation, a teacher gave him the courtesy name "Xuan Sui," expressing the hope of a noble lineage.

However, this name did not change the family's increasingly dire situation. After his parents died in poverty, he was left with only a dilapidated house in a shared courtyard, barely able to survive, and could not even afford a decent shop, relying on street vending.

Because he could not forget the glory of his ancestors but had to engage in the lowly profession of a street vendor, he earned the nickname "prince of street vendors."

On the other hand, his daily livelihood was to go to acquaintances in the Western Market of Luo Du, borrow a batch of crudely imitated foreign goods, and then, under the guise of a fallen prince, sell these items to people from other regions as relics of an ancient country, using both persuasion and deception.

If he couldn't sell them all in time, he would have to endure a life of alternating hunger and fullness, relying on picking garlic sprouts and stealing vegetables from residents' gardens to survive.

However, his favorite pastime was to squat outside the entertainment quarters and listen to stories, using historical figures similar to himself to inspire himself.

Since the Tang Dynasty's revival in the Qianyuan era, its influence extended overseas, and many foreign royal families came to the East. Besides the small states that rose and fell quickly, there were also descendants of royal families from large countries like Parthia and Great Qin.

Among them, some, after their countries fell, brought their last followers and wealth to the Central Plains to seek refuge, hoping to restore their countries with the help of the Tang Dynasty or to find a safe haven.

The most famous story was that of the Persian prince Li Siyuan, also known as Bahram IV. After the Persian prince Peroz fled to the East and received the title of General of the Wuwei Guard, his bloodline continued to the fourth generation, with only a few relatives and a single old servant remaining.

However, he was fortunate to live in the era when Liang Gong was rising to prominence. Liang Gong discovered this prince, who had fallen into obscurity and become a singer in a Zoroastrian temple, and carefully cultivated him.

He eventually led a small army, active in the eastern regions of his fallen country, fighting in unfamiliar lands, and then waited for the Tang Dynasty's western expeditionary force to arrive. He finally achieved the restoration of the famous Sasanian Kingdom, which has continued for twenty-one generations.

Another example was Prince Xue Yu of Bactria, whose homeland was usurped by a powerful minister of the Abbasid Caliphate. He fled to the Tang Dynasty and was recognized by Liang Gong, who privately supported him with troops. He successfully eliminated the usurper and expanded his territory in the regions north and south of the Pamir Mountains.

"Prince Chen..."

"Have you found the ancestral treasure yet?"

The nearby stall owners, who were mostly residents of the surrounding city blocks, greeted him with kindness or teasing. They had all fallen on hard times and had to sell their household items to survive, so they could empathize with each other.

"If you restore your family's glory, like the Lin family, be sure to help us old neighbors a bit."

They were referring to another story.

It was said that the Great Qin kings had no fixed lineage, and succession was based on merit and favor, leading to frequent changes in rulers. Even Tang people could once rule the country and establish a dynasty.

The most famous story was that of the Lin family siblings, Lin Shenhe and Lin Shenyeh. When the Tang people first opened sea routes to the West, they aided the Great Qin royal army. Among them were these siblings, who became known for their culinary skills to the Great Qin crown prince. This prince later ascended the throne as Leo IV of the Isaurian Dynasty.

The Lin siblings rose in status and were favored by the emperor. During the rebellion of Empress Eirene, they led the navy to protect the emperor, and the sister was made a concubine, while the brother was appointed as the chief minister and naval inspector.

Empress Eirene attempted to ally with the Franks to split and occupy the western regions of the empire and proclaim herself Augusta. Emperor Leo led the campaign to suppress the rebellion and appointed the Lin brother as one of the regents to assist in governing the country.

Later, Emperor Leo IV was assassinated by the iconoclasts at the Milan Thermal Baths. The Lin siblings restored order, acting as regents for the young emperor, who was only seven years old and died of illness. With the support of the ministers and the recognition of the Khazars and Liang Xia, they officially ascended to the throne, using the hibiscus flower as their emblem, and established the Sinicized Golden Hibiscus Dynasty.

Although several dynasties have since changed, the descendants of the Lin family still possess a large territory in northern Anatolia, as a hereditary vassal state of Liang Xia, continuing to this day.

Therefore, in the Tang Dynasty, many people claimed kinship with the Lin family, leading to various anecdotes and evaluations, which were seen as examples of the Tang people's success in foreign lands.

However, for Prince Chen, his immediate concern was a different problem.

Business was getting worse, and if he accumulated too much debt, he would have to sell himself to pay it off, such as marrying the only daughter of the Dongyuanzhai shop owner in the Western Market, who was eight feet tall and had a waist of eight feet, nicknamed "Xiaomi" and "Jiji," to inherit her family's wealth of several hundred guan.

But the thought of marrying a human-shaped fat pig, and having his nickname changed to "Chen Eight Feet," made him shudder with disgust, temporarily forgetting his empty stomach.

"Here you are again..."

A young official in a green robe, representing the lowest rank, walked over, waving a short stick as a threat.

"Still haven't learned your lesson, huh?"

"Brother Pengju..."

Chen Yuan immediately changed his expression, smiling and flattering.

"Don't get too close..."

The young official scolded.

"Aren't you making things difficult for me?"

"I haven't even opened for business yet... I can't just pack up and go back."

"You little rascal..."

He secretly threw him a leaf-wrapped object, which turned out to be a palm-sized pancake.

Chen Yuan had been driven away by this official, Pengju, many times, and they had become familiar with each other through this cat-and-mouse game.

"Today might be the last time I drive you away..."

The young official, Pengju, said with a hint of sadness.

"What do you mean?"

Chen Yuan was slightly startled but still smiled and flattered.

"Are you joking? I still need your help with my business."

"The government has posted a notice, saying that due to difficult times, they need to cut expenses, and one of the measures is to reduce the number of low-ranking officials."

"Even us city guards and postmen are included... We will have to find other ways to make a living."

"What are we going to do?"

Originally, city guards were a prestigious position, created by Liang Gong, selecting strong and virtuous young men to patrol the two capitals and thirteen prefectures.

The most prestigious were the city guards of the two capitals, known as "sword-bearers of the heavenly streets," as they were responsible for clearing the streets under the command of the Left and Right Jinwu Street Commissioners.

There was a folk saying, "Not afraid of the street tigers, not afraid of the Jinwu, but afraid of the city guards," because the street tigers, who were low-born, only dealt with minor issues in the market.

The Jinwu, on the other hand, were too distant from the daily lives of the common people.

Only the city guards, responsible for maintaining order and clearing the streets in major cities, had the authority to act with the greatest discretion.

However, after the Yiwei Rebellion, the status and importance of city guards declined. Their jurisdiction shifted from the Jinwu and the four imperial guards to the various military guards, then to the Jingzhao Prefecture, and finally to the county level. The tradition of selecting veterans was replaced by low-born individuals, and their equipment changed from swords and leather armor to cheap cloth and short sticks.

Their duties were reduced to driving away street vendors, but at least they could still eat and find some extra income.

But now, even this position was about to be eliminated, causing great despair.

"Maybe I'll join the army. I don't believe that as long as I have my limbs, I won't find a job."

The official, Pengju, forced a smile.