Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 448: Chasing from Xinsongmen to Ansumen [Thank you! Goodbye! I owe you 40k more]

March 1st,

The day when the Jinming Lake was opened in Bianjing City.

北辽
Zhongjing Dading Prefecture

As one of the five capitals of Northern Liao,

The structure of Dading Prefecture was modeled after the city of Bianjing, with three walls: the palace city, the inner city, and the outer city.

There is a large river cutting through the southeast corner of the outer city of Zhongjing in Northern Liao, so a large piece of the outer city wall there is missing.

Also because the southeast corner is adjacent to the river and is convenient for irrigation, the polo field in Zhongjing is also located in the southeast corner of the outer city.

At this time today, spring has already arrived in the north, and foreign businessmen and travelers dressed in various styles can be seen everywhere in the city.

There are people from Dazhou, Dali, U-Tsang, Mongolia, and sometimes you can see merchants dressed in white and high clothes.

Although it is not as prosperous as the big cities of the Great Zhou in the south, the lively atmosphere and scene are already quite large.

8:00 am

The noisy sounds from the city in the distance could be heard faintly.

Yelu Falcon, wearing a purple-red outfit, sat in a luxurious tent on the south side of the polo field.

Inside the tent, one side of the table was filled with young men dressed as Mongolian nobles, while the other side had very few guests.

Watching the pale yellow morning light slanting in from the east,

Under the pale blue sky in the distance,
Flags fluttered on the dark inner walls,
There were guards standing solemnly with spears in their hands, the shiny spear tips and armor gleaming silver in the sunlight.

Looking further away,

The white pagoda built by the Northern Liao officials stands majestically.

The guards on the city walls looked even smaller.

Take your gaze away from afar,
Yelu Falcon looked at the two-meter-high wooden fence beside the polo field, on which were hung many signs made of different materials.

Some brand styles are gorgeous and gorgeous, while others are low-key and luxurious, all of which demonstrate the strength of the brand owner.

This is a popular way of playing polo that came from Bian Jing a few years ago.

Although several years have passed, there are still many Northern Liao nobles who enjoy competing for the ranking of their own brands on the wooden scale.

Looking at the wooden blocks on the sidelines,
Yelu Falcon thought of the polo field west of Bianjing City, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

At this time,

A personal guard dismounted from outside the tent and walked over.

If Xu Zaijing or Qingyun were here, they would certainly be able to recognize that this personal guard attendant was one of the personal guards who accompanied Yelu Falcon in Jinyang Mountain Stronghold back then.

The guards entered the tent.

Yelu Falcon asked directly: "Well, who are the top three in the wood stalls?"

"Your Highness, the first is Zhao Wegan, the fifth son of the Zhao family in Lulong, also known as Brother Gan; the second is Han Honglie, the second son of the Han family in Yutian, also known as Brother Lie; the third is Jun, the third son of the Liu family in Changping."

Yelu Falcon smiled and nodded: "So it's them."

"The Zhao family has been a military family for generations, and their military tactics and martial arts are well-established. It is not surprising that they can take first place in polo."

After finishing speaking, Yelu Falcon switched to Mongolian and said:

"Although you brothers are very skilled on horseback, compared to playing polo, you and these brothers from the Yan family still need to ask for more advice."

Hearing Yelu Falcon's words, the Mongolian noble youths on the side all looked disdainful. The young man closest to Yelu Falcon smiled and said, "Anda, who is stronger will be determined on the field."

Yelu Falcon smiled and nodded: "Brother, what you said makes sense. By the way, did your uncle's tribe receive the tea sent by the Great Zhou some time ago?"

The Mongolian youth smiled even more: "Yes, yes! According to the people from the tribe, the tea sent by the Xu family, the Marquis of Yongyi, is of very good quality, better than the most expensive tea before! We will definitely earn more cattle and sheep if we transport the tea back to the tribe!"

"Father also wants me to thank Anda for this matter. Come!"

As he spoke, the Mongolian youth raised his wine bowl.

"The most important thing is Khatun's decision." Yelu Sun replied with a smile, holding up the bowl.

The Khatun that Yelu Sun mentioned was his biological sister Yelu Ying.

Everyone drank a bowl of wine.

Another guard bowed and touched his chest beside the tent: "Your Highness, the sons and relatives of the Han, Zhao, Liu, and Ma families and other officials have entered the polo field."

"Oh? Let's go greet them."

As he spoke, Yelu Falcon stood up with a smile and walked out of the tent.

Entrance to the Polo Field,
A group of high-ranking Han officials' sons from Northern Liao rode on fine horses and accompanied their own carriages into the venue. Not long after they went, they saw Yelu Falcon riding towards them with a smile.

These young masters hurriedly dismounted from their horses and bowed to the Northern Liao Crown Prince Yelu Falcon, touching their chests in salute.

Although they followed the Northern Liao etiquette, the clothes of these noble gentlemen were more in the style of the Great Zhou.

Afterwards, the noble ladies in the carriage got off one after another and saluted Yelu Falcon with their hands together.

Yelu Sunduo smiled and nodded in return.

Sweeping his eyes over the noble ladies who came with his brothers, some had shy eyes, some had cold expressions, some lowered their heads and remained silent. In short, their expressions were all different.

However, the looks on the faces of the Mongolian boys around Yelu Falcon as they looked at these Northern Liao noble ladies were quite intriguing.

After saying a few polite words, everyone walked towards the big tent on the south side.

Before mounting his horse, Yelu Sun looked at the woman who had been keeping her head down and saying nothing with confusion.

Everyone enters the account,

After drinking a few bowls of wine, Yelu Sun's brother stood up and said a few words in Mongolian. The translator in the tent hurriedly conveyed his words, and the last sentence also revealed that this Mongolian youth was Yelu Sun's sworn brother.

Zhao Weigan, who was sitting in the second seat on the other side of Yelu Falcon, smiled and stood up and said, "Since you have invited me, I will fight with you."

Before I finished speaking,

A figure appeared at the door of the tent.

Everyone hurriedly looked towards the door and saw that the person at the door was wearing a gray cassock. You could vaguely see that the pattern on the cassock was embroidered with gold thread.

Seeing this person,

In the tent, whether it was Yelu Falcon, the Mongolian youths, or the sons of Northern Liao officials, they all put down their wine glasses, stood up, clasped their hands, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Master."

"Blessed are all the believers."

The middle-aged monk at the door of the tent clasped his hands together and responded.

The servants in the big tent hurriedly placed a table slightly lower than Yelu Falcon's table.

The monk in a cassock walked behind the table and bowed, saying, "Please do as you please, my good believers."

"Yes, Master."

The people who had agreed to play polo bowed again and then left the tent one after another.

Not far from Yelu Falcon’s tent, noble ladies from several families of Northern Liao gathered in two other tents.

These four great families in Yan were official families from the north who had served as officials for generations in the previous dynasty. Although they surrendered to Northern Liao, they had to learn both Northern Liao dialect and Chinese.

But in private, I still speak Chinese more often.

Watching their brothers coming out of Yelu Falcon's tent, getting on their horses and playing polo with the Mongolian nobles, the ladies in the tent began to talk and discuss poetry behind the table.

The Changping Liu family is a family of imperial examination candidates from Northern Liao. Their ancestral home, Changping County, is very close to the Northern Liao's Nanjing Xijin Prefecture and the northern border of the Great Zhou. Works of great literati from the Great Zhou can often be seen there, and the literary style is also very strong in the family.

The noble ladies who were talking looked at the cold-looking Miss Liu and asked, "Sister Liu, have you come up with any new poems these days?"

Hearing this,

The cold-faced girl from the Liu family nodded thoughtfully, with a hint of a smile on her face.

This smile was like the beautiful goddess in the temple murals suddenly coming to life. This face made the noble ladies in the tent look at it with jealousy or envy. "I saw a new poem in a book some time ago."

A hoarse voice came, which was somewhat different from the cold appearance.

"Oh? Which talented scholar in our Bei Liao wrote this poem?" the girl from the Yutian Han family asked with a smile.

The Liu family girl shook her head slightly. "It was a newly compiled collection of poems from Bianjing brought by our old steward who went to the Great Zhou to do business. It was said to be from the Chai family's stationery bookstore in Cangzhou."

"Sister, please tell us!"

Looking at the people in the tent looking at her, the girl looked out of the tent with longing in her eyes, as if she were standing on a street somewhere, and she chanted softly: "The spring rain on the streets is as soft as butter, far better than the willows in the imperial capital."

The noble ladies of Northern Liao present in the tent all came from official families, and they had the knowledge to judge the quality of a poem.

This made the tent quiet.
Only the occasional shouts of polo players could be heard outside the tent.

"Sister, which great man in the Great Zhou wrote this poem?"

The Liu family girl shook her head slightly with some disappointment: "The collection of poems only contains the words 'February Poetry Meeting', but it doesn't mention who wrote it."

There were sighs in the tent, and one girl said, "Oh! If I know the name, I can ask the housekeeper to find out more. Maybe I can even listen to a few more songs."

"By the way, speaking of the Chai family, I saw a new recipe for making incense from the Chai family. I heard it's very popular among the ladies in Bianjing."

In the male guest tent,
The middle-aged mage who had already taken his seat smiled as he looked at the people toasting each other.
Yelu Falcon, who was sitting in the main seat, drank a glass of wine from a distance with the Han family members who were paying respect to him from afar. After putting down the wine cup, Yelu Falcon stood up and said with a smile: "I will go change my clothes."

Everyone hurriedly bowed and saw him off.

Behind the big tent,

Yelu Falcon and his personal guards who had lived and died with him waited here for a while.

Soon the middle-aged monk followed out.

Then the two of them walked towards the empty river in the distance.

"Master, what is the matter that brings you to the polo field?"

Seeing Yelu Falcon's respectful look, the middle-aged monk's eyes were full of admiration. He put his hands together and said, "Your Highness, may Maitreya bless you! The Buddhist makeup branch in the Great Zhou territory has sent back accurate news that Maitreya's first disciple has set off for Bianjing in late February."

Yelu Falcon was stunned, and looked at the middle-aged mage with some surprise in his eyes and said, "So, my sister and your plan was successful?"

The middle-aged monk nodded: "It is worth it for the eleven believers from Northern Liao to go to the Pure Land of Maitreya."

When Yelu Sun heard this, he quickly clasped his hands together, closed his eyes and prayed, muttering something.

After a moment, Yelu Falcon put down his hands and looked at the gurgling river not far away: "Master, will Maitreya's first disciple go to the palace to meet the Great Zhou Emperor?"

The middle-aged monk nodded and said, "The ancestor of this Maitreya's first disciple is the one who was once very favored many years ago."

The mage's voice suddenly became lower. If Yelu Falcon hadn't been so close to him, he would have hardly been able to hear it clearly.

After hearing this, Yelu Falcon breathed a sigh of relief: "This way, we have one more thing to prepare for."

The middle-aged mage followed Yelu Falcon's line of sight and looked at the river, his eyes full of disappointment as he said, "No one in Taichung had expected that the Great Zhou could attack Bai Gao so quickly, just like butchering an ox."

Yelu Falcon also replied with some fear in his eyes: "The Great Zhou army is too powerful. Can the prime minister of the Baigao Chuihuan Division be found in Taichung?"

"There was an earthquake in Xingqing Prefecture. The secret place where the Buddhist Dressing Platform was located in the city has become a ruin. The whereabouts of the personnel are unknown. That powerful enemy, the Minister of the Chuihuan Division."

The monk shook his head and did not continue.

"By the way, among the noble ladies from the Yan family who came today, the one who lowered her head and refused to look at anyone, which family is she from?"

Yelu Falcon looked at the monk in confusion and asked.

The middle-aged monk frowned and thought for a moment: "Alas! That is a girl from the Ma family. When His Majesty was defeated in the east, she was captured by the generals of the Jin Kingdom. The Ma family also spent a lot of effort and asked the Liu family to negotiate with the Jin Kingdom in Bianjing to get her back."

Yelu Falcon nodded, then sneered:
"Ah!"

Previously, Yelu Sun was also the cover for the Northern Liao emperor, but was abandoned in the end.

Yelu Falcon calmed down.
"If King Yan of the Great Zhou was still alive."

After saying half of the sentence, Yelu Falcon stopped talking and changed the topic when he saw the monk closing his eyes and playing with the Buddhist beads in his hand.
"The children of noble families in Bianjing are arrogant and frivolous. Once provoked, they will fight. The strategy proposed by my sister and the magician will definitely have some effect."

The monk opened his eyes, his eyes seemed calm, but he nodded complacently and said, "Just like the sons of noble families in our Northern Liao and Yan lands who are appointed as officials and serve as personal guards of the emperor, the Maitreya's first disciple who has a close relationship with the emperor of the Great Zhou must have been arranged in the same way."

"Then find a chance to find some sons of dukes and marquises to establish your authority."

"But, Master, I have a question. Will the Great Zhou Emperor really punish the son of a nobleman because of Maitreya's first disciple?"

The monk looked at the trees on the river bank and said, "Your Highness doesn't know much about what happened back then. You don't know how favored that imperial concubine was! That family competed with the Guo family for the position of queen, and after losing, they were suppressed by the Guo family with all their strength. Many maids in the mansion were sold, and the Buddhist Dressing Table bought maids from their family."

"According to this woman who has turned into an old woman, this Maitreya's first disciple looks very similar to that imperial concubine."

"It is said that the imperial concubine died at the most beautiful age. In the heart of the Great Zhou Emperor, she has never aged. When he sees her face, he is seeing his own youth."

Yelu Sun nodded, not quite understanding: "His appearance is his golden ticket to avoid death."

The monk smiled and turned the Buddhist beads in his hand: "That first disciple has always been smart. No matter what position he holds, he will find an opportunity to plant a few thorns in the heart of the Great Zhou Emperor."

"I see! Master, this is also a beauty trap in the art of war, right? I am not very knowledgeable, but after listening to you, I think this will definitely work."

The monk in front of Yelu Falcon lost his smile, and unexpectedly there was no elation in his eyes. He just said with some reminiscence: "May Maitreya bless you! I hope so!"

Seeing Yelu Falcon's inquiring expression, the monk said sadly:
"Your Highness, there is a saying in the Great Zhou Dynasty: 'Man proposes, God disposes'. Anything may have some extremely unexpected circumstances."

"For example, a sickly person suddenly passed the imperial examination."

Bianjing of the Great Zhou Dynasty,

West of the city,

Jinming Pond Garden,

The emperor frowned as he sat on the dragon throne in the Linshui Palace.

Zhao Zilong, who was standing nearby, was whispering, "Your Majesty, the doctor who went to Zhang's house today to check Pan'er's pulse came back to report that Pan'er is now fine after taking two doses of tranquilizing medicine from yesterday to this morning."

"The arm of Pan'er's personal guard is not easy to recover."

The emperor nodded.

He glanced at Xu Zaijing, who was sitting behind a desk under the colorful tent outside the palace with a droopy look on his face, and asked, "Have you changed the place where the Zhang family's child lives?"

"Your Majesty, it has been changed."

Zhao Zilong also glanced at Xu Zaijing under the colorful tent: "It must be something that ordinary people can't find."

The emperor nodded slightly: "Yes!"

Zhao Zilong bowed and retreated outside the hall.

The emperor glanced unhappily at the queen who was talking to the ladies in the distance, and at Zhao Fang who was feeding his two sisters fruit, and whispered:

"Humph! He even asked someone where they lived. What does he mean by that? Is he planning to knock on their door?"

At this time, the only person beside the emperor was a eunuch holding a whisk and standing beside him.

The emperor frowned and whispered, "Speak!"

The eunuch bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I have also heard about what happened. According to the soldiers guarding the outer city wall, Jing Ge'er was shot with a strong bow and sharp arrows, and was chased from Xinsong Gate to Ansu Gate."

"If it weren't for Brother Jing'er's great martial arts, he might have been stabbed by several arrows right now."

"If Brother Jing is really injured, I wonder how sad His Highness will be."

The emperor frowned and looked at the eunuch beside him.
The eunuch felt the gazes above his head but just lowered his head and remained silent.

The emperor looked outside again helplessly.
Just then I saw Xu Zaijing still sitting there with his head down, looking embarrassed, but his hand was reaching out for the fruit on the table in front of him.

The emperor gritted his teeth and looked away.

When I look elsewhere,
Just then, he saw Rong Xian, who was wearing a bright suit of armor for his personal guards, talking to the young man from Pei's family, Duke Xin. As he spoke, he grimaced and crossed his hands, touching the armbands on his arms hard.

After touching the armband, I laughed out loud.
After laughing, he pulled hard at the red tassel on the top of his helmet. His whole face was deformed in a funny way by the helmet strap, as if he was reenacting a certain scene.

"Go, tell Rong Xian to come over here!"

(End of this chapter)