Chapter 259: Chapter 214 City Gate
"..."
The Turkic girl couldn’t help but fall silent. The Yabghu in the Turkic lands was second only to the Khan, a hereditary position held by the children of the Khan or the strongest among his clansmen. Zhang Yuan, as a foreigner, had taken on the role of Yabghu among the Turkic people, and even without leading a tribe, his achievements were undeniable.
Countless times, the Turkic girl had heard her parents, uncles, and other tribespeople talk about life in the past. Back then, a blizzard could take the lives of a tribe of ten thousand, and an epidemic could kill tens of thousands of cattle and sheep, plunging the tribe into desperate hunger. It was the arrival of Zhang Yuan that changed all this; it was he who approved the mission to enter Chang’an.
"So what are we doing here?" The Turkic girl gritted her teeth. "Isn’t it enough that we bow our heads to Yu Country every year, sending brothers and sisters as hostages? Do we have to surrender completely and let Yu Country occupy our land?"
"Observe, listen, learn." The young man spoke in a calm tone. "Just like the wolves on the grassland, they don’t pounce on their prey upon first sight. Instead, they hide in the shadows, following their target, quietly observing, and waiting for the moment of laxity, of weariness. Turkic power has already weakened compared to Yu Country; this is a consensus between the Khan and Mr. Zhang Yuan. But we are the future of the Turkic people, and we still have time. In the Former Sui era, the Sui Country was even larger, and the disparity in military strength compared to neighboring states was even more pronounced. Yet the result was the assassination of the Emperor, and the massive country crumbled to pieces almost instantly. Even the Academic Palace couldn’t save it. According to Mr. Zhang Yuan, the states of the Central Plains follow a cyclic law. Their territory is too vast, their population too large. As a result, once the state falls ill, it develops into an uncontrollable, major ailment. Any opportunity could become the turning point from the peak to the decline of a Central Plains Dynasty. What we can do now is to learn and wait. Wait for the moment when Yu Country weakens."
As the young man spoke, the carriage procession slowly moved forward. Ahead, enthusiastic calls in the Turkic language could be heard. Ashide Tumen, a Zaiqian third-year student at the Academic Palace, rode through the Mingde City Gate, approaching the caravan.
The young man pushed open the wooden door of the carriage, stepping out to greet Ashide Tumen with a radiant smile and a big hug for his cousin, whom he had known since childhood.
Ashide Tumen patted the young man’s shoulder, speaking fluently in Turkic, "Brother Que Teqin, you’ve grown taller."
The young man named Ashina Que Teqin returned the warmth, "Brother Tumen, you’ve become stronger. It seems the food in Chang’an is good."
"Haha," Ashide Tumen said with a laugh, "you should say the Academic Palace’s food is good. Come on, I’ll take you around Chang’an."
————
「Western Chang’an, Golden Light Gate.」
Different from the noisy chaos of the South City, the Golden Light Gate was orderly. The envoy of the Haotian Taoist Sect, with solemn and dignified expressions, walked on the red carpet already laid out, proceeding towards the Golden Light Gate. On both sides of the road, Haotian believers from Chang’an City crowded together, holding fresh flowers, watching the Taihao Mountain Envoy with devout reverence.
This is Chang’an. Yu Feiyu narrowed his eyes slightly, looking up at the majestic and grand city walls. Compared to the memories of his childhood, the walls of Chang’an City seemed to have remained the same height, still towering into the clouds. Arrow towers, Armored Soldiers, and flags adorned the city walls, shrouded in the morning sunlight as if merging with the rays, overlooking the tiny, ant-like masses below. The number one majestic city in the world...
Officials from the Honglu Temple and Priests from Yu Country’s Daoist sect courteously and gently ushered the delegation into the city. After all, Taihao Mountain was the center of the Haotian Taoist Sect, and Yu Country’s citizens were still Haotian citizens. Whether out of faith or interest, the officials from Honglu Temple always maintained a respectful attitude towards the Taihao Mountain Envoy.
"According to the agreement, you may reside in the Haotian Temple in East Chang’an for meditation, or in the Haotian Temple in Da Ning Square. Here are thirty Chang’an City gate tokens, each with a unique mark, which will allow you to pass through the various city gates. Our Honglu Temple will also assign someone to accompany you in the temples; if you wish to tour Chang’an, you can ask them to serve as your guides..." The Honglu Temple Deputy Minister, surnamed Dou, explained warmly to the guests from Taihao Mountain.
The delegation’s arrival in Chang’an involved a whole set of complex and tedious processes. They needed to rest and bathe first, and would not meet with Emperor Yu until the evening at the Great Ming Palace. The leader of the delegation, Faith Cultivation Cardinal, nodded and replied calmly, "Thank you for the trouble, Deputy Minister Dou."
"Not at all, not at all." Facing one of the four cardinals of Taihao Mountain, the Honglu Temple Deputy Minister unconsciously softened his stance and quickly performed a deep bow before retreating.
After the Deputy Minister had left, Faith Cultivation Cardinal called over Yu Feiyu, "Feiyu, please distribute these tokens. I’m going to rest."
"Yes." Yu Feiyu nodded, took the tokens, and distributed them to the older disciples. The number of these tokens was limited, and with their unique markers, the City Gate Guards would undoubtedly take note and register them whenever used to pass through the gates. This design was clearly in place to prevent the loss of tokens or their theft by unscrupulous individuals for other purposes. Perhaps they might even be reclaimed after the exchange concluded.
Yu Feiyu couldn’t help but smile silently, unsure how to judge the Yu people’s astuteness and meticulousness. As the Taihao Mountain Envoy traveled through Jing Country, Zhou Kingdom, and others, they enjoyed the highest honors in each state, but in Yu Country, they were guarded against like thieves— Truly...
"Heh." Shaking his head, Yu Feiyu stepped out of the Haotian Temple and approached a clerk from Honglu Temple. "Excuse me, where can I purchase the latest issue of the Academic Palace journal?"
"Just across the street. Envoy, please wait a moment; I’ll go purchase it right away." The clerk from Honglu Temple, obviously a devout Haotian believer, was excited to be addressed by Yu Feiyu and hurried across the street. He bought dozens of Natural Science publications from the opposite bookstore and refused the money Yu Feiyu offered.
Yu Feiyu didn’t insist and casually flipped through the publications, his brows furrowed slightly. Besides the extensive coverage on various new discoveries brought about by the microscope, the new issue lacked a familiar name. "Li Ang, why hasn’t he published any articles recently?"
"Is the Envoy referring to Mr. Li from the Academic Palace?" the Honglu Temple clerk answered. "I heard that Mr. Li is currently dedicated to developing a new medicine and is not concerned with worldly affairs."
Yu Feiyu’s eyebrows raised. "A new medicine?"
The clerk nodded. "Yes, apparently it’s a drug no less effective than Allicin. What’s it called... Qingmei Acid? I only heard it from a friend, so I only know roughly what it’s called. Allicin was extracted by Mr. Li from garlic, and Qingmei Acid, I suppose, must also be extracted from green plums? However, it’s also possible that Mr. Li named it in memory of his childhood sweetheart."