Shen Mu said, "The Turkic royalty originally had yellow hair and blue eyes, but that was a matter of long ago. The Turkic nobility originally called themselves the 'Blue Kin' and the ordinary Turks the 'Black Kin', because the appearance of the 'Black Kin' Turks is not much different from the people of the Central Plains. For several hundred years, the Turkic nobility had many marriages with the Black Kin and other races. Moreover, many of the Turkic nobility had gathered foreign beauties to serve them, causing the appearance of their descendants to be very different from their ancestors. Although there are still some who maintain the characteristics of their ancestors, there are also many descendants of the royal family who look no different from us. Look at Wuzhile, he is also a descendant of the Turkic nobility, but now he has black hair and black eyes. How is he different from the people of the Central Plains? "
Wuzhile nodded. "Correct! My grandmother is a Han, and my wife is also a Han. Some of my sons are tall and burly like me, but some of them are very scholarly and weak. When they put on your robes, it's impossible to tell that they are children who grew up on the prairies. "
Shen Mu asked, "What, your plan is related to this matter?"
Yang Fan replied, "Correct! I must first confirm that my appearance is identical to Ashina Musi's before this plan can be carried out! "
Without another word, Shen Mu immediately shouted to the entrance of the tent, "Go! Call Zhang Yi over for me! "
A short while later, Zhang Yi came running in, his clothes in disarray. He excitedly said to Shen Mu, "Third Brother, is there another battle?"
Shen Mu pointed at Yang Fan and asked, "Zhang Yi, I know that you have a good eye for people, but this matter is of great importance. You must seriously confirm that Erlang and Ashina Musi are identical, without any flaws?"
Zhang Yi was startled, but seeing Shen Mu's solemn expression, he did not dare to be careless. He carefully examined Yang Fan and said, "Erlang, please stand up. Let me take a closer look!"
Yang Fan stood up and stood in front of him. Zhang Yi circled around Yang Fan a few times as Wuzhile and Shen Mu watched with bated breath. Zhang Yi slowly turned back to Yang Fan and nodded, saying, "Identical in appearance!"
He looked up and down a few more times and said, "The height is exactly the same!"
Wu Zhile and Shen Mu could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. Zhang Yi continued, "Fat and thin … Mu Si is a little fatter than Erlang, but there is a limit. Even if you look closely, it is not easy to tell. But Erlang's skin color … En, if you look closely, Mu Si's face is a little redder than Erlang's."
Because of the special climate of the area, the cuticle of the face was too thin, and the capillaries were dilated, forming a reddish, blood-like redness. Even the most pampered nobles would inevitably have this kind of skin color in such an environment. Yang Fan had only been here for a short time, so it was natural that he was different from Musi in this aspect.
Shen Mu said: "Nothing else? Eyes, beard, and so on. "
Zhang Yi said, "No, Musi doesn't have a beard either. Hmm, if there's anything different, it would be the accent. Other than that … there's nothing else."
Shen Mu nodded and said, "Alright, you can get lost now. Recuperate for the next few days and get some rest. I need you to do something, so don't fool around all day!"
Zhang Yi agreed with a cheeky grin and quickly retreated.
Shen Mu turned to Yang Fan and said, "If it's just adding a little redness to the face, it's very easy. But I wonder what Erlang's plan is?"
…
On the banks of the Jiqu River, cattle and sheep were breeding, forming herds along the road. There were also some places where barley and other crops and vegetables were planted. When Princess Wencheng married, she brought over the advanced technology of the Central Plains, such as textiles and medicine, including farming, which greatly improved the agriculture here.
A caravan of camels from afar entered the Tubo Kingdom with the melodious sound of camel bells.
The city was very prosperous. With the Jokhang Temple as the center, the circular streets were bustling with activity. On the streets, there were stalls selling all kinds of fruits and pastries, such as steamed cakes, wontons, soft sheep noodles, and white meat. There were also shops selling silk and satin, porcelain, knives, hairdressers, saddlemen, cobblers, and divine sculptors.
The believers shaking the prayer tubes, the rich people in loose robes, and the refugees begging on the streets formed a very complicated picture. In front of them, a few warriors in red walked with their heads held high. Tubo worshiped red, and the warriors always tried their best to make their armors, flags, and helmets red, which was very eye-catching.
At this time, more than a dozen tall horses galloped over. The riders on the horses scratched each other, and both sides began to quarrel. A moment later, a fight broke out. One by one, they unsheathed their swords and began to fight fiercely. The passersby quickly moved away, but there was not much panic on their faces. It seemed like they were already used to this kind of scene.
Over the years, Tubo had annexed many other tribes, such as Supi, Yangtong, and Tuyuhun, so there were often conflicts between them, and a small conflict would lead to a big fight. And Tubo's original internal tribes, the royal family and the eunuchs, the Buddhists who quickly became the mainstream religion of Tubo, and the local believers of Tubo's old religion, the rising nobles and the declining nobles, could be said to be full of contradictions.
Street fights like this were common, even wars between two tribes were common. Therefore, since the time of Songtsen Gampo, Zampu and the ministers who were actually the leaders of the big and small tribes would hold a small alliance every year, a big alliance every three years, and now it had even developed into two alliances every year.
This kind of alliance meeting was where everyone sat in rows, complained about their grievances, vented their anger, and then shook hands and made up. At the end of each alliance meeting, Zampu would preside over the ceremony. In the small alliance, sheep and dogs would be killed, their feet broken, and then their stomachs and intestines would be cut open. The shaman would offer a sacrifice to the gods of heaven and earth, and everyone would swear together, "If anyone has a change of heart, conspires against each other, and kills each other, the gods will know, and will punish them like animals."
When there was a big alliance every three years, dogs, horses, cows, and donkeys would be killed as animals. Sometimes, in order to show the grandeur, they would even use humans as animals. Zampu would personally offer a sacrifice to the gods, asking the ministers to work together to protect Zampu, and whoever broke the alliance would be slaughtered like those animals. This kind of alliance meeting could not be said to be completely useless, but there were still contradictions, and naturally, it could not completely solve the problem.
The camel team that had just entered the city saw the two groups of warriors fighting in a mess in front of them, and stopped for a moment. Then, with the guide leading them, they turned into another road.
Yang Fan was wearing a Tubo robe, and his hair was also Tubo style. He was riding on the back of a camel, watching the scenery on the street with great interest. On both sides of the street were residential houses. Most of the residential houses here were relatively simple and rough houses, and those with better family backgrounds mostly had stone masonry buildings, and the outer walls were painted milky white or beige.
Soon, they stopped in front of a masonry building with a white outer wall.
Standing at the door waiting for them was a man and a woman, and they seemed to be a couple. The man wore a khaki-colored robe diagonally, with one sleeve hanging casually at his side. He was tall and strong, with a broad forehead, and his dark face glowing with oil, appearing quite dignified. The woman was about the same age as him, also in her thirties. She had a strong body, with a thin braid wrapped around her head, and many coral bone beads and other similar ornaments hanging down.
Seeing Yang Fan's group of camels, the couple immediately came up to greet them. The woman was more talkative, talking to the guide of the camel team with a smile, and greeting everyone. The man just bowed, and then led the camel, silently leading everyone to the backyard.
The backyard was very wide, overgrown with weeds. It seemed that after it was enclosed into a courtyard, it had not been used for much. The camels were not tied up, and they were directly released to graze freely in the yard. Yang Fan and the others were led into the building and arranged rooms for them.
The guide was a Tubo man who had lived in the Han area since childhood. Today, his name was Yu Qingshan, and he had been doing business on the Sichuan to Tubo route. Of course, he was also Shen Mu's man, and this time he was Yang Fan's guide, and also the person responsible for arranging this task for him.
After Yu Qingshan put down the luggage, he went to Yang Fan's room. Yang Fan was standing in front of the stone window, looking out at the street with the curtains. When he saw him come in, he put down the curtains, returned to the carpet, and sat down. He invited him to sit beside him, and asked: "Who is this family? Are they reliable? "
Yu Qingshan said: "They are ordinary people, named Lun Zhu Xia, and their family is not bad. Some of my business is done for them. They only know that I am a foreign merchant from the Han area, and never ask about my business. They are a very dutiful family. Moreover, this family is a follower of the Bon religion, so even if they find something wrong, it is unlikely that they will make things difficult for us. "
The Mo religion mentioned by Yu Qingshan was the traditional religion of Tubo, which had been passed down for nearly a thousand years. When Buddhism first spread to the east, it bypassed Tubo and spread to other places because it was resisted by the Bon religion.
But starting from Songtsen Gampo, Tubo Zanpu began to believe in and vigorously spread Buddhism. Many Bon disciples were excluded and had to flee to other places. Most of the Bon believers who stayed in Tubo were extremely dissatisfied with Zanpu, so it was unlikely that they would become supporters of the Tubo court.
Yang Fan grunted and said: "So, when can we start?"
Yu Qingshan said: "There is no hurry, we will stay here today, and tomorrow I will go out and prepare to sell the goods we have brought. Our business needs to be carried out in the meantime, so that we will not attract attention. When I came here to trade before, I dealt with the housekeeper of the Minister of Internal Affairs. Tomorrow I will try to contact him. "
The Tubo imperial court officials were mainly divided into two categories. The first category was the Prime Minister. Among them, there was a Great Prime Minister called Da Lun, which was equivalent to the Prime Minister of the Tang Empire. Under the Great Prime Minister, there was a Deputy Prime Minister called Xiao Lun. There was also a Marshal of the Army and Horses with a Ping Zhang Shi, and a Vice Marshal of the Army and Horses with a Ping Zhang Shi.
The second type was the Prime Minister's subordinates. Among them, there was the Great Minister of Internal Affairs, who was in charge of domestic affairs, the Great Minister of General Affairs, who was in charge of criminal laws, and the officials who were in charge of foreign affairs and financial affairs. These officials were all inherited by their sons after the death of their father, and if they had no sons, it would be inherited by their close relatives. Once someone broke the tradition of inheritance, it would inevitably lead to a huge dispute.
The Minister of Internal Affairs mentioned by Yu Qingshan was called Bolun Che. He was the highest-ranking official in charge of the Tubo Kingdom's prisons. Moreover, he was extremely loyal to Zanpu and opposed Lun Trinling's dictatorship. He was a representative of the royalists!
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