Chapter 37 Chapter Thirty-Seven

During the days when he did not go on a mission, Zhang Qian fell into the emptiness of boredom. Thirteen years of living as an envoy in the Western Regions made his heart wild. After the Battle of Monan, the emperor ordered him to serve as the Weiyang Palace Guard, but he was not used to this kind of daily routine life, and sometimes he even felt a kind of silent boredom. He has been looking forward to the early launch of the emperor's second trip to the Western Regions.This is not only to fulfill the emperor's long-cherished wish, but also because his Najima and his son are buried at the foot of Congling.

One day, Ji An came to the mansion with the emperor's oral order.The emperor said that it had been several years since Zhang Aiqing came back, but she was still alone and her family was empty, and asked him to find a matchmaker and choose a daughter of a prominent family to marry. Zhang Qian was very grateful to the emperor for his love, but politely declined the kindness of the sequel. Losing Najma was an indelible pain in his life.How could he forget those days when they were stranded at the foot of Kunlun Mountain?In order to be able to return to Chang'an safely, Najima took on the responsibility of raising her two sons.Every time she eats, Najma always lets the children eat first, and she often spends the night with an empty stomach and hunger.

Seeing Najma's disheveled face, which was as beautiful as a golden pheasant, Zhang Qian was very worried. He felt that it was a shame for a man to let his woman bear so many burdens. One day, while the children were sleeping, he advised Najma to take them back to Shan Yuting. Najima looked back at her son beside her, and said with a sad smile: "Qian! Don't say that. Do you know what Najima's heart is? It's the spotless white snow. Husband, look, this is Najima Learn to write Chinese characters." Oh!Dear Najma!Your heart is as bright as the moon, as clear as the Kunlun River.Zhang Qian picked up the sheepskin and found the word "Chang'an" among the crooked characters.

"Qian! Did you know? Our sons have also learned a lot of Chinese characters. They yearn for Chang'an as much as I do!" What else can Zhang Qian say?He hugged Najima silently, savoring the love of eachother. But it didn't take long before news came that Yi Zhixie had defeated Yu Shan's army and ascended to Shan Yu's throne.It is said that Zuo Guduhou died in the war; it is also said that he followed Yu Shan to Chang'an.After hearing the news, Najima burst into tears like snow in Kunlun. "Najma! Cry loudly if you want to!" Zhang Qian kissed Najma's hair.

Najima held back her crying, looked into Zhang Qian's eyes and said, "Your husband, don't think about anything, just find a way to return to Chang'an. Even if Father gets to the side of the Sun God, he will bless us." Once the sea was too difficult for water, his heart could accommodate the vast land of the Western Regions, but he could no longer accommodate another woman. That day, Ji An listened intently to the story between him and Najma, and was moved by their loyal and holy love.Whether he gave these reports to the emperor later, no one knows, but since then no one has proposed marriage to him.

But this person's life is indeed not easy. One day at the beginning of July in the first year of Yuanshou, Zhang Qian was tired of staying in the office. He thought that the alfalfa brought back from the Western Regions must be fragrant with purple flowers and full of bees and butterflies; and the branches of walnuts and grapes must also be full of fruit.So he asked Sima Xiangru to visit Maoling. The two agreed to meet at Du Youting in the west of Xianyang.Zhang Qian went to Xianyang first, and quietly found a secluded inn to live in.Woke up early in the morning, took some refreshments, and rushed to the meeting place.

From a distance, he saw Sima Xiangru riding a tall maroon horse standing in front of the pavilion and waving to him. There was also a young man beside him, but he had never seen him before. After a few feet away, Zhang Qian shouted excitedly: "Master Sima is fast, and he arrived first." Sima Xiangru replied: "In order not to delay the trip, I arrived in the east of Xianyang last night." At this time, the young man on the snow-green horse stepped forward and bowed to Zhang Qian, saying, "I have admired your honor for a long time, and I am so polite to you, junior."

"One step is..." "Hehe! You don't know each other!" Sima Xiangru smiled and said, "He is the son of the Taishi Ling Sima Tan! In the past two years, he has traveled to famous mountains and rivers and collected cultural relics and historical sites. He only returned to Chang'an not long ago. I heard that Maoling After visiting the fruit trees in the Western Regions, I just want to take a look." As soon as Sima Xiangru introduced him, Zhang Qian couldn't help saying "ah": "I've heard that Tai Shigong has a son, and I have a strong record of his extensive knowledge. I didn't expect to meet here. It's really lucky."

As the three of them talked, they urged the mounts under their crotches and ran in the direction of Maoling. I haven't been here for a few years, and Maoling is even more magnificent than before, and Lingyi has also become a very prosperous city with a population of more than 100,000 and merchants gathering. The mausoleum was built on the north side of Sima Road. They entered through the east gate and walked all the way. They saw that the roads in the town were crisscrossed and the streets were densely covered. life here. A storekeeper saw three people in casual clothes with square collars approaching. He guessed that they must be officials from Chang'an. He licked his smiling face and shouted loudly: "Are the three officials going to be top-notch or staying in the store? Please come inside." what!"

Zhang Qian looked at Sima Xiangru and Sima Qian and said, "I'm hungry after walking for half a day, why not find a secluded place upstairs, and eat something before it's too late." As soon as I sat down, the store owner enthusiastically went upstairs to greet me.Zhang Qian then ordered some high-quality wine and selected some delicate and flavorful dishes. The shopkeeper was born with a sharp tongue. Hearing Zhang Qian's words, he said repeatedly: "The official is so delicious. Our shop has recently cooked a new dish called jasper jade. How about serving a plate later?"

"Then go prepare!" When the dish was served, it was indeed green and radiant, very tender, with a bite, it was fragrant and luscious, with an endless aftertaste. Zhang Qian chewed and laughed loudly: "What jasper and emerald, isn't this alfalfa from the Western Regions?" The shopkeeper said in amazement: "The officer has good eyesight. This dish is made from fresh and tender alfalfa. I don't know where the officer came from. How did you know the alfalfa brought back from the Western Regions by my man, Bo Wanghou?" Zhang Qian didn't answer, but silently took out the money bag from his waist, took out a string of money and said, "People are from all over the world, and customers are passers-by. I will pay you two thousand more for this dish, and I don't need to pay more for the rest." asked." The shopkeeper didn't talk much, knowing that he had met an extraordinary person, he only served the good wine carefully. After drinking and eating, the three of them went downstairs and arrived in the western suburbs while talking.Everyone looked from a distance, but saw the alfalfa spread out under the blue sky, and the blooming alfalfa flowers were surrounded by layers of purple clouds. A few people dressed as farmers are concentrating on harvesting alfalfa. The three came forward to salute and inquire, the old man stopped what he was doing and said, "Thanks to the emperor, since the implementation of the 'restricted public land', his family of five has planted a total of ten acres of alfalfa, two acres of walnuts and three acres of grapes. Except for the tender alfalfa, which is sold to the store in the mausoleum, the rest is bought by the government who built the mausoleum to feed the horses. In addition to other grains, after a year, there will be no worries about food and clothing.” "Oh!" Sima Xiangru muttered joyfully, and the three of them shared the joy of the success of the new system. After leaving the clover field, they came to a walnut garden, where branches of walnuts protruded from the dense leaves with green faces, which was extremely cute. Sima Qian thought the name of this fruit tree was very interesting, so he asked Zhang Qian how he came up with this name. Zhang Qian said with a smile: "The people in the Western Regions gave this fruit tree a tricky name. After I brought it back to Chang'an, the emperor tasted it. I thought that since this fruit tree came from Hudi, it would be more concise to call it walnut, so I came up with this. name." Sima Qian felt that he had gained a lot of knowledge, and hurriedly took out the silk from his bosom to write down. Zhang Qian and Sima Xiangru felt that this young man was sincere and eager to learn, and he would definitely have great promise in the future.So he asked him to tell them about his experience of traveling to famous mountains and rivers in the past few years. Sima Qian was a little embarrassed: "The younger generation is clumsy, I'm afraid I can't speak well." Having said that, he still enthusiastically introduced to the two adults what he saw and heard during his travels along the Cangjiang River, and finally said: "The younger generation went down the river. All the way, whether they were Han people or barbarian people, they all admired Zhonglang who would declare the holiness and quell the chaos of the people. The younger generation disembarked at Qianwei Wharf to look for the lord. Unexpectedly, the lord has returned to Beijing to restore the order." Sima Xiangru smiled and said: "It's really not a coincidence, it's really a coincidence." "Hehe! In this way, the two of you are together today, and you have to thank me. My nephew mentioned Shubu and Qiongzhuzhang, which reminded me of one thing. On the way back, I saw Shubu when I passed Daxia. And Qiong bamboo sticks are very delicate. According to merchants, these are all transported from Shendu traffickers. Shendu is about thousands of miles southeast of Daxia. Based on this, Shendu should be closer to my big man than Daxia. If the Southwest Road is opened, there will be no hindrance for me, a big man, to trade goods with a poisonous body." Zhang Qian's words brought the hearts of the three to the distant unknown world, and they were all very excited for the upcoming adventure.Especially Sima Xiangru, since Yuanshuo three years ago, he hasn't heard such insightful words for a long time. "Oh! It's a long story." Sima Xiangru and Sima changed places, and the three of them walked towards a vineyard not far away, "When I came back from Bashu, I proposed to the emperor to open the southwest. But , Not long after, Prime Minister Gongsun went to the Southwest, and after returning, he went to the emperor several times, saying that the opening of the Southwest was a strategy for exhausting China. After that, this matter was put on the shelf.” "Doesn't the Prime Minister know that the people in the southwest are eagerly looking forward to the civilization of the Han Dynasty?" Zhang Qian asked. "He doesn't know. He always regards the Southwest as a wild land, and regards the people there as aliens." "How can the emperor listen to his one-sided words?" "That's his strength. For example, Ji An often confronted the prime minister in front of the court, saying that he was duplicity, but instead of being annoyed, he even pretended to be dull. The emperor thought he was really powerful!" "After the heir ceremony, the prime minister couldn't afford to get sick. Now it's Li Cai who is acting as prime minister. Is this person..." Sima Xiangru stopped talking, and he also despised Li Cai's personality. Sunlight casts large and small spots on the ground of the garden through the grape trellises. Occasionally, a gust of wind blows, singing "rustle".Stepping on the soft ground, the force on the soles of the feet was silently dissipated by the mud. As soon as he was about to walk out of the vineyard, Zhang Qian said: "When I return to the capital, I will go up to the emperor and mention again the opening of the southwest and the road to the poison." Zhang Qian's words made Sima Xiangru feel that Zhang Qian not only had a wider vision than the original advice to open the Southwest, but especially had great significance in spreading the prestige of the Han Dynasty.He was so happy that he blurted out a sigh of emotion. The Han River flows east and west, reaching the great river and never returning; Kunpeng soars and goes westward, flying high across the Guanshan Mountain; Hearing the emperor's voice, I feel homesick, and drink dew and frost to return; Zhigao lives thousands of miles away, looking far into the sky... Following Sima Xiangru's poems, Zhang Qian's heart flew to a distant mysterious country. If the people there knew that there was a big man thousands of miles away, how would they feel the vastness and breadth of the world! Many years later, when Sima Qian was traveling in the vast sea of ​​history in the middle of the night, writing biographies for neighboring countries, he often thought of the unforgettable afternoon of the first year of Yuanshou. What Zhang Qian didn't expect was that three days later, when he entered the Proclamation Hall with his memorial in his arms, he encountered Liu Che's long-standing passion—— "Ah! Zhang Aiqing, you're here! I'm looking for you!" The emperor expressed his enthusiasm for Zhang Qian with joy, which made him a little puzzled, did the emperor already guess his purpose? "Ai Qing, don't rush to tell me, let me guess the purpose of your visit." Liu Che twirled his beard and looked at Zhang Qian with a smile. "If I'm not mistaken, Aiqing must be going to tell me about the affairs of the Southwest Yi?" "Your majesty is wise!" Zhang Qian was very surprised, and took out a roll of bamboo slips from his pocket, "I came here for this purpose. This is my memorial, and I respectfully invite the emperor to read it." Liu Che took the memorial, sighed and said, "It's my loss that I ran aground in the middle of opening the Southwest Yi. At the beginning, I considered that building Shuofang City would consume too much manpower. If we continue to dig the Southwest Road, we will be divided. The day before yesterday, I summoned When Shi Qing and Zhuang Qingzhai were together, they said 'inclusiveness, everything is one', which gave me an epiphany." "One moment and another moment! If you let it go at that time, there is a reason to let it go." Zhang Qian paused here, and there was a layer of emphasis in his tone, "Please reopen the present, and talk to Zhong Zhong again." Lang will say something different." "Oh!" Liu Che became interested in Zhang Qian's words, "What's the difference, tell me quickly and listen to me." "The minister's so-called access to the southwest is not only to let the emperor's virtue spread to the southwestern barbarians, but also to open the trade between Han and Shendu." "Shen Poison Country? This is the first time I've heard of it." Zhang Qian took out the complete map of Han and the countries of the Western Regions from his bosom, spread it out on the desk and said, "Please take a look, Your Majesty." Following the narration with his fingers, he started from Chang'an and slowly moved towards the southwest. To the southeast, when he crossed the border of Daxia, he stopped, and said: "I met merchants in Daxia, and they said that their products came from the body. Later, I found out that those are from the Shu County and the Han Dynasty. Southwest Dian Kingdom. Shendu Kingdom is in the southwest of Dahan, more than two thousand miles away from Daxia. If you do business with me, you can not only exchange what you need, but also make our Han civilization spread far and wide.” Based on the information obtained from the people of Great Xia, Zhang Qian described to Liu Che the terrain, products, and customs of the Shendu Kingdom to the best of his ability, and then shifted the focus of his speech to the road from Shu to get rid of Shendu. . Liu Che's gaze followed Zhang Qian's fingers, and finally stayed quietly in that blank area, which was obviously an unknown land.But his thoughts have traveled in a time and space that is higher and farther than Zhang Qian's, riding the wind of imagination.When his eyes left the map, those pair of bright pupils flickered with a spirit of seeing thousands of miles away. "I remember that when Aiqing first returned to Chang'an, she said that the genus of Dawan, Daxia, and Anxi are all big countries with many strange things, and the folk customs are quite similar to those in China; while in the north there are the genus of Yuezhi and Kangju, If the soldiers are strong, if we can bribe them with goods, lure them into the court, and then educate them with etiquette, then our great Han has a vast land of thousands of miles, and all languages ​​are translated into each other, and the customs are compatible, and the mighty virtue is everywhere. .” Zhang Qian stopped talking and looked straight at Liu Che. What kind of ambition is this?The emperor wants to build a huge empire with harmony among all races, such a grand plan roughly made his thinking froze in an instant. Indeed, he couldn't keep up with the emperor's wandering thoughts for a while. Maybe this kind of thinking sprouted in Liu Che's heart from the day he returned to Chang'an, but today's discussion between the monarch and his ministers finally broke the ground. And out.He suddenly felt that the memorials he had spent several days carefully carefully now seemed too narrow and superficial. "Zhang Aiqing!" "Zhang Aiqing!" "Hahaha! Did I scare you?" Liu Che laughed loudly, Zhang Qian woke up from the surprise in his loud voice, and when he realized that he had lost his composure, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed and said: "Please forgive me, my... my... ..." Liu Che didn't care about Zhang Qian's expression, and continued: "Yes, Emperor Gao, Emperor Wen, and Emperor Father have never thought about what I am thinking, let alone you? If this is done, then The Huns in the north will be isolated, and border troubles will be eradicated." Zhang Qian could no longer restrain the turmoil in his heart, got up and knelt down in front of Liu Che: "This humble minister is dull, and has failed to understand the deep meaning of the emperor!" Liu Che stepped forward to help Zhang Qian: "Looking at it now, my original intention of sending Aiqing to empty the Western Regions was a bit narrow. It was Aiqing's trip to the Western Regions that opened my eyes, and I have the strategy I have today!" Having said that, the mind between the monarch and his ministers is unimpeded.Liu Che revealed his plan to send Zhang Qian to Shu County and Qianwei County to implement the "Tongshen Poison Way". "The meaning of this trip is definitely not under the hollowing out of the Western Regions. Feel free to ask Aiqing for any requests, and I will try my best to meet them." Zhang Qian was very moved and said: "I have no other request, I just hope that the emperor will send envoys who are familiar with the customs and languages ​​of the various ethnic groups in the southwest." "It's not difficult. Wang Ranyu of Shu County, Bai Shichang of Qianwei County, and Lu Yueren were Sima Xiangru's deputy envoys. They are not only familiar with the situation in the Southwest, but also good at diplomatic strategies. Ai Qing can go there Tweak." After Zhang Qian heard this, he was overjoyed: "Thank you, the emperor, I will leave for Shu County and Qianwei County in a few days to announce the emperor's will." Zhang Qian was about to leave, but remembered something again, and asked, "Your Majesty! I will leave Beijing soon, but this Weiyang Palace Weiwei Weiwei..." "Oh! It's better for Aiqing to concurrently serve as an official, you are not an official..." "Your Majesty's grace, I'm so grateful." Zhang Qian felt the weight of this trust. Walking out of the Xuanshi Hall, Zhang Qian's joy was written on the corners of his brows and eyes. His wandering and lonely heart suddenly became solemn again this morning. He couldn't tell what kind of emotion this was, he laughed at himself in his heart, thinking about going out of Beijing all day long, now that the emperor gave him this opportunity again, he hesitated instead?Perhaps, it is because this mission is too important! Zhang Qian quickened his pace, he wanted to tell Sima Xiangru and Sima Qian the news.His only wish now is to prevent war on the northern frontier, so that he can successfully complete the mission of the imperial court. But in fact, three months after he left Chang'an, the war in the north became tense... The envoy of the Huns who participated in the grand ceremony for the establishment of the crown prince of the Han Dynasty returned to the Shanyu Court of the Huns in August of the first year of Yuanshou. Yizhixie's emissary, Yelu Yahan (who is now the Marquis of Zuogudu), felt that compared with the cold reception he received in Chang'an, he felt a kind of kindness towards the grassland as a son returning to his mother's arms. Regardless of the galloping horses, he bent down and pulled a handful of grass, put it between his nose and sniffed greedily, when he raised his head, he saw the horse team coming to welcome him. "The envoy is back, and the second king is waiting in the Qionglu!" Indeed, when it comes to looking forward to the return of Yelu Yahan, Xin Zhao is much more urgent than Yi Zhixie.After returning to the Huns in the Monan War, his heart has been suffering from pain. This is not because of guilt and self-blame because of Liu Che's favor in the past many years, but because he very much hopes that the Han and the Huns can live in harmony.