(The second chapter is around 12 o 'clock. There is a third chapter before dawn.)
More than 50 camels formed a line and moved forward with difficulty on the Gobi Desert. The members of the caravan wore silk masks and most of them were leading the camels. Only a slender figure was riding on a young camel. The person leading the camel was an old but still burly man. His attire was simple and refreshing. He was obviously the leader of the caravan. A large water sack made of lamb skin was hanging on his waist. The person riding on the delicate soft saddle between the two camels always had some kind of question. Most of them were bold and unrestrained. Even the experienced old man was caught off guard and did not know how to answer. Along the way, they actually encountered two mirages that were hard to come by in a lifetime. Both mirages were rare scenes of an isolated island on the sea. Perhaps only the legendary Hovering Mountain of the Daoist Sect could be comparable. The person riding the camel asked about the origin and authenticity of the mirages. The old man who cared about his reputation could only stammer. He was pestered until there was no way out. He had no choice but to change the topic and said some anecdotes of wild fox spirits that he heard.
The person riding the camel said softly, "Grandpa Hong, will we reach the big city in the north after crossing the Gobi Desert?"
The old man smiled and said, "Miss, there is still a way to go in this Gobi Desert. Remember the Flaming Mountain last time? It looked close but it took us half a day to walk. The ancients said that a mountain would run a horse to death."
The person on the camel back was actually a woman. She reached out and removed some of the silk scarves that blocked the yellow sand from entering her mouth. A pair of watery eyes that made people feel refreshed was revealed. She asked curiously, "Grandpa Hong, we don't have much water. Why did you give that scholar a sack of water? He said that he would give you money but you didn't accept it."
The sturdy old man with the surname Hong said softly, "When you're outside, it's always a good thing to be able to form good karma, no matter how big or small. Back then, when I was in trouble in the desert, it was Miss's grandfather who helped me. Otherwise, Hong Bai would be a skeleton under the yellow sand today. Besides, we don't have many water sacks with us. If we are really in trouble, we can still kill the camel to get water. At most, we will have one less camel's goods. Money is dead after all. It can't be compared to living people. "
The woman nodded and smiled.
The old man praised sincerely, "Miss has a Bodhisattva's heart since young. Good people will be rewarded. In the future, she will definitely be able to find a good match for her. "
This time, the woman who had snuck into the camel caravan asked again, "Grandpa Hong, I've read those novels about scholars and beauties that were printed in Jiangnan. Young ladies from noble families all fall in love with down-and-out scholars at first sight. I've never seen any woman go looking for a husband of equal social status. Why is that? "
The old man felt a headache coming on. After holding it in for a long time, he said, "Young Miss, you see, most of those scholars will also pass the imperial examination, return home in glory, and then grow old together with women. Young Miss, when you read this kind of forbidden book, you can't only see the absurdity of the noble young ladies. Those young ladies have good taste. Tens of thousands of scholars go to the capital to take the imperial examination, like carps jumping over the dragon's gate, but only a few can jump over the dragon's gate, yet they have taken a fancy to them. The Young Miss in this manual has even more sinister taste than us businessmen who have been doing business for half of our lives. If the Young Miss unfortunately makes an error in judgment and gets on the wrong sedan chair to marry the wrong man, the author won't be happy to write the book. "
The young woman suddenly understood. She smiled with some shame and said, "In the past, when I stole forbidden books from my brothers, I only cared about watching them being intimate under the moonlight. I blushed and then forgot about it. I really didn't understand this principle. Fortunately, Grandpa Hong explained it clearly."
The old man laughed and said, "If a scholar and a beautiful woman can't reunite, then what kind of scholar and beautiful woman are they? Young Miss, when you get married in the future, you have to live well. If you are bullied, Grandpa Hong will fight to be kicked out of the house by the old master to teach him a lesson. "
She shook her head and said, "I don't want to get married. Father, mother, and brother treat me so well, that's enough. If in the future my husband has three wives and four concubines and indulges in debauchery, I will cry to death. "
Between Liang Mang, other than the Tea Horse Road on the surface, there were also a few silk roads under the surface. Under the guise of all kinds of trade, most of the silk roads were bought by border merchants from Gangnam-do of the Liyang Dynasty and the old Western Shu to sell to the nobles of the Beimang Imperial Court. The Empress, who ruled the country strictly, was still somewhat humane and turned a blind eye to it. She did not ban those few silk roads. As long as there was a connection, it was a business with little capital and huge profits. However, it was a long journey of thousands of miles, and the money earned was hard-earned money. In the early days, many of the silk road merchants had died on the road. It was only in these years that Liyang and Beimang were peaceful and the war stopped that the silk road ushered in its heyday. Because most of the silk was carried by camels, Gangnam-do had a lot of names like Camel Bridge and White Camel Bridge.
This camel caravan belonged to a branch of the Tantai family of the Southern Dynasty. Tantai was a big surname, and a big family naturally had the spirit of a big family. However, to support the style, one had to rely on all kinds of ways to make money. The eldest branch of the Tantai family had always considered themselves as a scholarly family. A gentleman would stay away from the kitchen, and their two sleeves were very clean. Not to mention dealing with prostitution, the dirty and tiring work fell on the branch of the Tantai family. The Tantai family had many branches and leaves, and the old master had many children and grandchildren. He might not even remember half of their names and faces. The branch that Hong Bai belonged to was just a small branch. Otherwise, the young lady would not have dared to sneak into the camel caravan. This spoiled girl was called Tantai Changle. She yearned for the old Western Shu of the Tantai family. Coincidentally, the caravan had thousands of mu of Shu mulberry trees in the old Western Shu. When she entered Shu, it was the beautiful scenery of Sang Rou and the surrounding suburbs. She almost did not want to go home. After passing the border of Liang Mang and going north along the Silk Road, it became more and more desolate and difficult to travel. Fortunately, she could bear the hardship and always found joy in the hardship, which made Hong Bai's burden much less.
This Miss Tantai who grew up in the Vermilion Gate building always had inexplicable questions. This time, Hong Bai almost emptied his stomach of ink when he went south to the old Shu and north to the palace. In less than half a day, he would pass through the Gobi Desert and reach the edge of the imperial tent. When he returned home, the young lady probably would not have the time to ask why. At this time, Hong Bai was telling her about the origin of the Silk Road to Beiliang. He talked about the official robes of the Liyang Dynasty and then the robes of the titled madams. When he talked about this, the old man who had experienced many hardships also had a deep feeling. "The official robes of the Southern Dynasty evolved from the Central Plains during the Spring and Autumn Period. For example, the madam's robes at the celebration court meeting were the fourth rank of the secondary class. It was true that a woman's status depended on her husband. Of course, there were also many women who obtained wealth because of their sons, especially those concubines in the imperial palace during the Spring and Autumn Period. "
She tilted her head and asked, "But my father is a military general, why is my mother's robe a bird's robe?"
Hong Bai smiled and said, "Miss, this is particular. A woman's elegance is beautiful, she worships literature and does not worship martial arts. However, there really is a woman's official robe in the world. Perhaps it has never been seen before and will never be seen again. "
She opened her eyes wide and asked, "Whose is it?"
Hong Bai led the camel and walked on the scorching saline-alkali Gobi Desert. He smiled and said, "The King of Beiliang's imperial concubine's robe is a first-rank lion's robe. It is rumored that it is extremely gorgeous and can be said to be flawless. Even if it is hung together with the King of Beiliang's official robe, it does not lose the least bit of elegance. "
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