Fan Xian smiled and shook his head, indicating that it wasn't because he couldn't bear the loneliness of the journey. He knew that ever since he often sat in Si Lili's carriage, in the eyes of these people, he was probably inextricably linked to the word dissolute. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly opened his mouth and asked, "We've already walked for so many days. Furthermore, we've been traveling on official roads. Our speed is very fast. We should have already passed the distance from the border to Jingdou … Northern Qi's territory seems to be rather large."
A strange silence fell over the carriage.
After a long time, Ling Jing smiled and said, "Correct. Although the royal court seized a large piece of land from Northern Qi last year, in terms of territory and population, Northern Qi is still the largest country in the world. It's just that there's been constant internal strife, and the hearts of the people are divided. That's why they're no match for us."
Fan Xian frowned slightly. If Northern Qi could really rise to power, then the country he grew up in might be in trouble. As he thought this, he heard Gao Da say in a low voice, "It seems that there's still a large territory waiting for us to conquer."
Gao Da was a man of few words. These past few days, after he was no longer in charge of escorting Xiao En, he would often say a few short words, but they were extremely absurd and hilarious. Fan Xian couldn't help but laugh. The officials of the Kingdom of Qing, under the influence of 20 years of victory, had indeed developed a terrifying self-confidence.
Wang Qinian, on the other hand, laughed bitterly. "I say, Sir Gao, don't take away my role as a sidekick."
...
...
Along the way, the diplomatic mission stopped at various relay stations in Northern Qi. Very few of them stopped in the larger cities. Although the Qing diplomatic mission was somewhat displeased, seeing that the officials of the other side had carefully received them and served them attentively, they couldn't say anything. Everyone knew that Northern Qi had lost a great deal of face by this agreement. Naturally, they would be too embarrassed to let the people of the country see the southern diplomatic mission swagger through the cities.
But along the way, they would always meet some ordinary people. One day, Fan Xian asked a question he had been curious about for a long time. "Why do the people of Northern Qi not seem to hate us? Why do they look at us with contempt and even pity?"
"In the eyes of the people of Northern Qi, we are still southern barbarians, uncivilized objects." Ling Jing smiled. "As for the war between the two countries, the royal family of Northern Qi has kept it a secret. Although the people of the north know that the Kingdom of Qing is extremely powerful, they still look down on us."
Fan Xian shook his head and sighed. "If you cover yourself with a black cloth, just pretend that you're not afraid of the dark."
"After all, Northern Qi is the successor of Northern Wei. They always think of themselves as the rightful ruler of the world, and naturally look down on other countries."
This was the truth. Although the Northern Wei Empire had been destroyed twenty years ago, it was still the most powerful country in the world. It had cast its shadow over all the smaller countries in the surroundings. The might of the barbarians still remained in the hearts of the people of the north. Thus, they had always thought that Northern Qi still retained its former glory and that they were still the people of the most powerful nation in the world. When they looked at other people, they would habitually lift their chin slightly and lower their gaze slightly, boasting, pitying, and respecting themselves.
People were willing to live in the past. Of course, the officials of Northern Qi knew that the world had changed a long time ago. This could be seen from the way they treated the Qing envoys.
"There's one more important point." Ling Jing continued his analysis calmly. "Northern Qi inherited most of Northern Wei's territory and officials, so all the scholars of the world regard Northern Qi as the rightful ruler. The path of literature lies in Northern Qi. This is not wrong. Every year during the spring examinations, Northern Qi's examinations are much more lively than ours. Not only do the scholars of Northern Qi gather in Shangjing, but even the scholars of Dongyi travel thousands of miles to Shangjing. "
Wang Qinian interrupted. "That's right. Even many of the scholars of the Kingdom of Qing went to Shangjing to take part in the examinations a few years ago."
"Preposterous." Fan Xian laughed. "Can people of Qing become officials of Northern Qi?"
Ling Jing smiled bitterly. "Of course not. But it seems that the people of the world recognize this. So as long as a scholar can enter the top three in the Northern Qi examinations, no matter what country they are in, they have the right to be an official. Even our Kingdom of Qing is no exception. Sir, you were once a professor of the Imperial College. Surely you know of Shu Wu? "
Fan Xian nodded.
Ling Jing sighed. "Shu Wu the Scholar took the examinations in Northern Qi. His teacher was Zhuang Mohan. That's why he calls himself Zhuang Mohan's student … Sir, think about it. Shu Wu the Scholar clearly passed the imperial examinations in Northern Qi, and yet he was able to return to Qing to become an official. You can see that Northern Qi's literary style is flourishing."
Fan Xian laughed and shook his head. "No wonder His Majesty has been trying so hard to make a name for himself. It's probably because he can't stand this kind of vexation."
"Correct. When it comes to martial arts, no one can compare to our Kingdom," Ling Jing said. "It's just that when it comes to literature, there have never been any true talents."
"Literature is the end of the road," Fan Xian said.
Ling Jing thought of something and laughed. "Of course. Sir Commissioner, you appeared out of nowhere and provoked Northern Qi's Zhuang Mohan into vomiting blood. After that, I'm sure no one would dare say anything to our Kingdom of Qing."
Wang Qinian repeatedly said yes, and Gao Da also nodded. Although Fan Xian's rise in the capital did not necessarily make all the powers feel comfortable, on the level of the outside world, to be able to have another talent outside of the battlefield who could suppress Northern Qi's arrogance was presumably a situation that all the people of Qing wanted to see.
— — —
This kind of boring journey without the company of beautiful women was boring. Fan Xian hoped it would end sooner. However, the long road seemed to have no end. The carriage's four wheels stirred up yellow dust, rising up on the wide road like a yellow dragon. However, it was firmly bound in the middle of the road by the two rows of trees on the side of the road, unable to leap out. It looked like it was pitifully struggling, twisting incessantly.
The leaves of the trees that blocked the dust on both sides of the road varied in size, but overall, compared to the leaves of the Kingdom of Qing, they were much wider. The trunks were thick, and there were trees every few feet. Fan Xian stuck his head out of the carriage window and squinted. Facing the wind, he watched the trees flash past his eyes. For some reason, he thought of that world that he hadn't thought of in a long time. He still remembered many years ago, when he was on the train to Beijing, passing through Hebei. At that time, on both sides of the tracks, there were trees like this, and they were thrown backward in this boring manner.
There was no dust at the window because Fan Xian, as the envoy, was sitting in the first carriage. Naturally, the ones who ate the dust were his pitiful subordinates and Northern Qi's reception officials.
Without any warning, a black shadow appeared at the end of the road. It abruptly piled up on top of the gradually tapering line of trees. It looked somewhat frightening.
Fan Xian thought it was a dark cloud and couldn't help but smile. Although he wasn't going to call for everyone to collect their clothes like he had done on the rooftop in Danzhou, he was going to remind the driver to put on a raincoat.
…
…
The carriage gradually moved forward. Everyone finally saw the dark shadow clearly. At this moment, the clouds suddenly parted, as if to welcome guests from afar. They cast down the warm light of the spring sun, shining on the shadow.
So … it was an enormous city.
This city was even taller and more majestic than the capital of the Kingdom of Qing. It was built with large pieces of limestone, and its 30-foot-tall walls were slightly slanted. But it still gave everyone who had come from afar an indescribable sense of oppression, as if the walls could crush them at any moment. There were still buildings with double eaves on the walls, perhaps used as corner towers. Soldiers were walking back and forth on the high walls, patrolling.
A solemn and majestic feeling emanated from this huge city wall.
The area in front of the city gate had long been cleared. There were no idle commoners lingering there. The relevant officials of Northern Qi were waiting in the square for the arrival of the Qing diplomatic mission.
On the official road, the carriage gradually slowed. Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and pulled his head back from the window. He hadn't thought that the capital would appear in front of him in such a shocking manner. He wasn't prepared at all.
They had arrived in Shangjing, Northern Qi.
— — — —
The ceremonial music began, and both sides greeted each other. The Northern Qi officials wore bright and luxurious clothing, while the Qing diplomatic mission was tired from the journey and couldn't help but look tired. Comparing the two, it was very obvious.
Fan Xian calmly looked at all the complicated procedures in front of him. Only when it was time to introduce himself did he nod slightly in acknowledgment. In the eyes of the Northern Qi people, this handsome young official was an arrogant little man, but Fan Xian didn't care at all what kind of impression he left on them.
His attention was completely focused on the buildings of Shangjing, Northern Qi. This enormous city had stood on this piece of land for who knew how many years and how much wind and rain it had weathered. The edges of the huge limestone had been weathered, but it still stubbornly maintained its hardness.
Fan Xian felt a little emotional. His emotion was different from that of other travelers. He only felt that after coming to this world 17 or 18 years ago, he could finally touch upon the history of this world, even if it was only a remnant of history. Although the capital of the Kingdom of Qing was also very large, everything seemed to have a certain freshness to it. Fan Xian knew that this smell was left behind by his mother, so he could see the ancient buildings today, and he felt a strange sense of vicissitudes.
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