Chang 'an, the most magnificent city in the world, naturally lived up to its reputation. Because the city was so huge, the empire had opened 18 city gates in the east, west, south, and north directions. But even so, the officials, nobles, and common people who entered and left the city still blocked these city gates from time to time, forming a long queue on the official road.
Ning Que and Sangsang waited in the long queue until dusk. Ning Que, who was sweating profusely, could not help but think of the big traffic jam in the capital of another world when he saw the solemn sergeants carefully checking their luggage. He shook his head and scolded them with a smile.
He cursed in a low voice, but the residents of Chang 'an around him cursed in a particularly loud voice. The people of the Tang Empire were simple and fierce. Few people were afraid of those seemingly solemn soldiers. However, no one dared to ignore the strict laws of the empire and barge in like this.
Finally, it was Ning Que and Sangsang's turn. The soldier took the document from the Military Ministry that Ning Que handed over and found that the lad was actually a comrade of his and had made many military achievements in the frontline. The serious expression on his face suddenly became much gentler. However, when his gaze fell on the three hilts on Ning Que's back, he could not help but frown.
"This is a family heirloom sword. My ancestor once told me …" Ning Que carefully explained.
"As long as the sword lives, the man lives. As long as the sword dies, the man dies …" The sergeant glanced at him with boredom, waved his hand and said contemptuously, "I have to hear this 800 times a day. Little guy, save it. Take off your luggage. You two are so small. You don't look like you are here for an exam. It looks like you are moving house."
He turned to look at the big black umbrella on Sangsang's back, frowned and asked, "What kind of umbrella is this? Why is it so big? "
Sangsang held the middle part of the big black umbrella behind her back and looked up at the sergeant coldly. She said, "As long as the umbrella lives, the man lives. As long as the umbrella dies, the man dies."
The sergeant looked at the little black girl and gave her a thumbs up. He praised, "That's … creative."
Ning Que was untying his bag with a bitter smile on his young face. He thought to himself that he was probably the only one in the world who knew that Sangsang's words were not a joke.
There were bedding, blankets, and other miscellaneous items in the large bundle. The only thing worth paying special attention to was the boxwood bow and the quiver of arrows. When the soldier flipped through these items, his expression changed slightly.
…
…
The city gate of Chang 'an was long and dark. The exit on the other side of the city was very far away and looked like a small hole that could light up. One could vaguely see the setting sun in the distance. The red light slanted in but was swallowed up by the darkness and noise before it could spread far.
Ning Que and Sangsang followed the crowd to that place. Sangsang weighed the heavy bag on her back to make it more comfortable on her shoulders. She asked curiously, "Young Master … Are all the people in Chang 'an as talkative as that soldier?"
"Almost." Ning Que answered, "All the wealth and power in the world are concentrated in this city. It's inevitable that the people in Chang 'an are a little arrogant. But the more arrogant they are, the more polite and tolerant they appear to be to outsiders. That's because they want to show their elegance. And they are indeed a group of very elegant fellows."
"But if they don't show their arrogance, anyone would feel anxious. What about the people in Chang 'an? … They talk! From horse carriages to government offices, all the people in Chang 'an are very good at chatting. From the secrets of the royal family to the anecdotes of brothels, it seems that there is nothing in the world that they don't know. Of course, what they like most is to talk about the wars and affairs of the countries or the counties of the Tang Empire in a light tone, as if each of them is a prime minister. "
Sangsang giggled, which showed that she was really amused by Ning Que's words.
Previously, when they were checked at the city gate, there was no tragic scene of people being killed or their swords destroyed. Now the big black umbrella was on Ning Que's back, and the three swords on Ning Que's back were put into his bag. The boxwood bow was also unstrung. After that, the talkative soldier let them go without making things difficult for them.
The Tang people worshiped martial arts. If they didn't have a few weapons at hand, it would be more painful than killing them. Therefore, the Empire had always been very lax in this aspect. In Chang 'an, people were allowed to carry swords, but not knives. They were allowed to carry bows and arrows, but they had to be unstrung. Crossbows were forbidden. Other than that, there were no other restrictions.
As for whether one would secretly nock the bowstring and take out the saber after entering the city, no one would care. The Chang 'an Local Government would not care. The Military Ministry would not care. Even the emperor in the palace would not care about these things.
Ning Que and Sangsang were used to living in the frontier fortress. Every night in the City of Wei, there were no lights except for the taverns. Apart from the soldiers gambling, there were no other sounds. Therefore, when they entered Chang 'an at dusk, they thought that they would see a quiet city about to sleep. Unexpectedly, at night, Chang' an was still …
Everywhere was lively.
The street was full of lights, which illuminated the flat bluestone road as if it were daytime. The pedestrians on the street were weaving, either stopping in front of the stalls or pointing at the stars to look at the sky. The men and women who stopped in front of the stalls were already together, while the men who pointed at the stars to look at the sky had probably just begun the process of hooking up.
The Tang people, especially those in Chang 'an, wore simple and plain clothes. They wore tight sleeves, short shirts, and flat shoes, which made them look particularly neat. Occasionally, there were men with wide sleeves, whose cuffs were also very short. Their hands hung out of the sleeves, which should make it easier for them to pull out the sharp sword in the sheath at their waist.
There was a man in a green robe walking with a sword, and his long beard fluttered in the night wind. He looked like an otherworldly swordsman. However, when he saw a juggler on the street, he would also stop and crowd with a group of girls. He would stare nervously, and then clap his hands and cheer loudly. However, when the jugglers collected the money, he would return to the cold look of an otherworldly swordsman, which meant that it was impossible for him to take out dirty things like copper coins.
The women in Chang 'an were also very simple and plain. In other words, they were cool, and in other words, they were naked. In this early warm spring season, the women and girls on the street all had their arms exposed outside their sarong sleeves. There were even some charming young women who were bold enough to wear a tube top on the street, which attracted people's attention with their white and tender breasts.
On the street, bare-chested barbarians looked around curiously with wineskins tied around their necks. The officials of the Yuelun Kingdom, wearing winged hats, stroked their beards and shuttled between the taverns and brothels. The merchants of the South Jin Kingdom leaned against the railings upstairs, watching the stars and drinking. From time to time, their pretentious laughter spread to the street, and a melodious melody came from some house.
The wealth, romance, and temperament of the whole world seemed to be concentrated in Chang 'an. It was so warm that it made people excited and intoxicated. Magnificence and gentleness coexisted, and swords and beauties reflected each other.
Ning Que held Sangsang's little hand and walked in the sea of lights and people. His stunned and admiring look was very much like that of a brother and sister from the countryside.
There was a verdant bird's head for drawing eyebrows, a fragrant millet butterfly powder, jade hairpin powder, and pearl powder on the face. Was that thing called rose cream rouge? Was that small bottle the legendary Floral Water?
Sangsang, whose hand was held by Ning Que, widened her willow-leaf-like slender eyes and looked at the bottles and jars on the street stalls. She felt that she could not walk anymore.
There was a young lady swaying her waist and walking in front of her. How could her plump buttocks under the skirt be so bouncy? A young girl with a drooping ponytail squeezed past her with a giggle. Why did her faint body smell like an orchid? Why did she wink at those charming young women who were picking flowers for men at the stalls? Did she think that the young man was a little cute?
Ning Que held Sangsang's hand and looked around happily. He did not remember that Chang 'an was such a unique place when he was young. He felt that he could not walk anymore.
Since they could not walk anymore, they walked slowly. The street finally became a little quieter. However, before the two visitors from the border town could calm down and relax, they heard a shout in front of them. Countless people of Chang 'an poured out from all directions and blocked a street corner in front of them.
"Duel!"
Through the dense crowd, they could vaguely see two men with swords on their waists staring at each other with hatred. Both of their right sleeves were cut off by swords and thrown on the ground between them.
The world became quiet. All the onlookers tightly shut their mouths. Ensuring the fairness of the duel was deeply rooted in the blood of every Tangs. Even onlookers had their own rules.
"The rule of the duel is that cutting one's sleeve represents a challenge. If you accept, you have to cut off a piece of your sleeve."
Ning Que took Sangsang's hand and squeezed out of the crowd. He explained to her, "This kind of duel is called a live game. It's fine as long as there is a winner. There is another kind of duel called a dead game. It needs to be confirmed by the government. The challenger of the dead game has to cut his left palm. If the opponent accepts, he has to do the same. "
"Can I not accept?" Sangsang asked.
"Of course." Ning Que wiped the sweat off his forehead and patted the big bag on Sangsang's back to make sure there was no thief. Then he continued, "But sometimes people, especially men, can easily become idiots. For example, when they go crazy for women, love, dignity, and other messy things."
The two of them squeezed out of the crowd. Sangsang looked up and asked confusedly, "Why don't we stay and watch? I remember that you liked to watch when we were in the City of Wei. You squatted by the side and watched the whole night when the pig was being killed. "
"I've seen a lot of cows and sheep. That year, the pig was killed for the first time in the history of the City of Wei. Of course I have to watch it carefully. Things like duels happen every day in Chang 'an. If you want to watch it, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. "
Ning Que said calmly, "Moreover, this is Chang 'an. I just want to study in the Academy. I don't want to cause any trouble. From now on, we have to be like two dogs and behave with our tails between our legs."
Sangsang shook her head and thought to herself, "I don't want to be a bitch. As for you, young master, just kill less people in Chang 'an. It's not suitable for you to behave with your tails between your legs."
"Let's find an inn." Ning Que seemed to read her mind and said with a sense of failure, "I'm sleepy."
Sangsang pointed to a building on the street ahead and said, "Look, there's an inn."
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