Chapter 78 four

In summer, Shangdu Royal Garden. Creeks, lakes, forests, green areas. Flocks of sika deer, yellow deer, goats, and antelopes are looking for food, and thousands of falcons domesticated by hundreds of falconers also live here.There are blooming flowers everywhere in the forest garden, and many unknown birds are chirping non-stop. Kublai Khan dressed in hunting clothes, galloped on the green grass by the lake.More than a dozen domesticated cheetah cubs are agilely chasing doe, goat and yellow deer. In a blink of an eye, the leopard pounced on the prey and bit off their throats.Kublai Khan reined in his horse to watch, and the attendants scattered around, calling for the little leopard one after another. The extremely well-behaved little leopard immediately ran back to the owner's horse with its prey in its mouth.

"Very good, very good." Kublai Khan held a strong bow in his hand, and slung his quiver across his shoulders, laughing loudly, "Send all these prey to the eagles." "Yes." The servants left in response. The creek winds around the endless grassland and flows slowly to the east. A fast horse galloped towards Kublai Khan and stopped firmly in front of him. "Brothers Nicolo Polo and Maffeo Polo, merchants of Venice, ask to see the Great Khan." Kublai Khan's spirit lifted, and his brows were beaming with joy: "Tell me." After nine years of absence from China, Italian businessmen Polo Brothers once again set foot on the beautiful land of Jinlianchuan.

Nine years ago, that is, in the third year of Zhiyuan (1267), the Polo brothers were received by Kublai Khan in Kaiping City at that time. During the conversation, they learned that they would return to Europe in the near future, and Kublai Khan immediately gave them a generous gift. Rewards, and asked them to bring a letter of credence and two unparalleled gems to the Pope.One of these two gems is a chicken blood ruby ​​​​produced in Burma, and the other is a cornflower sapphire produced in the Himalayas. Kublai Khan used this as a gift to the Pope. As the ruler of a huge empire, Kublai Khan was deeply influenced by his grandfather Genghis Khan, and he adopted an inclusive and equal attitude towards any religion. In view of the fact that Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Nestorianism (a type of Christianity) and Shamanism all developed in China Soon, Kublai Khan hoped that the Pope would send a hundred missionaries who were proficient in Christian doctrine and the seven arts to preach in China.Unfortunately, the Polo brothers had a hard journey, and when they returned to Europe nine years later, Pope Clement IV passed away just as Pope Clement IV passed away, and a new pope had not yet been born.

As a last resort, the Polo brothers could only go back to their hometown first and wait for the result.After returning home, Nicholas learned that his wife had passed away when his son was two years old, and his son was brought up by his uncle and aunt.Two years passed in a flash, and the Polo brothers anxiously waited for the news from Rome. Finally, a new pope was born. They immediately set off for the Holy See to meet the new Pope Gregory X, and sent the Mongolian Khan Kubi Strong credentials and gifts presented to the pope.The Pope was very happy after reading the letter, and expressed his willingness to recruit qualified missionaries from France, Germany, England, Italy and other countries to go to China as soon as possible according to Kublai Khan’s request. For a while, for this reason, he asked the Polo brothers to bring back his autographed letter to Kublai Khan first.

This time, although the Polo brothers failed to bring back the one hundred missionaries that Kublai Khan needed, they brought back a blond young man—the son of Nicolo Polo, who was only 21 years old. Co Polo. The biography of Kublai Khan aimed to hold a banquet in the imperial garden to welcome the Italian businessmen Nicolo, Maffeo, and Marco Polo, the son of Nicolo. There is a beautiful pine forest and birch forest in the center of the imperial garden.There are several pavilions built in the forest, with jade railings overlooking the pavilions and columns decorated with gold. The column is two feet high and about two feet thick, with a golden dragon on it.The dragon's head is raised high, connecting upward to the cornice of the pavilion, the dragon's claws are spread left and right, and the dragon's tail is drooping. Under the sun, it is dazzling and majestic.The bamboo roof is painted with thick tung oil.

All the kings, concubines and civil and military ministers in the capital gathered in the imperial garden. Nicolo, Maffeo, and Marco came forward to kowtow to Kublai Khan. Kublai ordered them to rise. "Please get up, there is no need to be too polite. I know you have worked hard these years, and you must have suffered a lot of grievances. You returned as promised, and let me see your loyalty and sincerity. Nicolo, Maffei Oh, the former, I have entrusted you two to negotiate with the Pope and send a hundred missionaries who are proficient in the seven arts to my court, how is it going?"

Nicolo respectfully presented the letter and gift list from the new Pope Gregory X to Kublai Khan. Mr. Xue Xue received the letter and handed it to the interpreter. The interpreter read clearly: After hearing the reply letter from Pope Gregory X, Kublai Khan was very happy. "If I remember correctly, Brother Poluo left Shangdu in the third year of Zhiyuan. Counting it, more than nine years have passed. For your hard work, I will double the compensation." Nicolo and Maffeo looked at each other.Time flies, and unconsciously, the black hair has been turned white. Nicholas said with great emotion: "Nine years, so fast. I remember that year Maffeo and I set off for Rome with the letters written in Mongolian and Latin that His Majesty forwarded to Pope Clement IV. After walking for more than 20 days, Baron Kegadar, who was traveling with us, fell seriously ill. As a last resort, we had to stay in a small town in Mobei. After discussing with all the people in the same group, it was decided to leave Kogadar to recuperate, and the others continued on their way. Fortunately, we have the gold medal bestowed by the emperor, and we have been well taken care of along the way. All expenses along the way are borne by the local provinces. , and escorted by guards. However, although Your Majesty has provided us with such convenient conditions, the God of Heaven is not willing to be beautiful. Along the way, wind, frost, snow, rain, freezing weather, and flooding often make it difficult for us to move. Therefore, Three years later we arrived at the port of Lyasus in Lesser Armenia, after a long and difficult journey."

Kublai Khan expressed his understanding. "During the break in Acre, we learned the news of the death of Pope Clement IV from the business traveler, and we were very anxious. At that time, the ambassador appointed by the Pope happened to be stationed in Acre, and we conveyed to the ambassador the mission entrusted to us by His Majesty. The ambassador told us that we must wait for the result of the election of the new Pope, and only when a new Pope is produced can we fulfill our mission. We accepted his advice and decided to use this time to go back to our hometown in Venice and visit me who has stayed at home for many years Unseen wife and child. I didn’t know until I got home that my wife had died when the child was two years old, and my son Marco had grown into a fifteen-year-old boy.”

"Is that the handsome young man beside you?" Kublai Khan asked lovingly. "Yes. This is my son Marco Polo." Niccolo pushed his son forward and introduced him to everyone present. Marco Polo has regular facial features, smooth and fair complexion, and a protruding aquiline nose that perfectly sets off the vividness and intelligence of his facial expressions. "Welcome, my little guest." Kublai Khan fell in love with this young man who was only 21 years old and looked extraordinarily vigorous, "From today onwards, I will order your name to be included in my In the roster of honorary attendants. To celebrate the return of the Polo family from traveling across the ocean, I have set up a feast to welcome the Italian friends."

Marco Polo smiled blankly and kept nodding. Niccolo and the translator finished translating Kublai Khan's words, and knelt on the carpet on one knee. "We will always be His Majesty's servants. On the way here, my son Ma Ke has mastered some Mongolian, Chinese and all the etiquette systems of the Yuan Dynasty. It's just that he hasn't improved yet." "Leave this matter to Xu Heng of the Imperial College Jijiu. I don't know how many talents Xu Jijiu has cultivated for our Yuan Dynasty over the years! I believe that you can learn a lot from entrusting your son to him." Something." Kublai Khan returned to the throne, and asked Chabi in a gentle voice: "Queen, can the banquet begin?"

Chabi nodded with a smile. "pass!" "Great Yuan Dynasty—the grand ceremony begins!" Qie Xuechang sang loudly with a long voice. The drum music suddenly played, piercing the clouds and cracking the rocks, and the eight tones played repeatedly, endlessly. In a blue ocean, the gorgeous "horse fraud banquet" officially began.According to the usual practice, the uniformed blue grandson clothes were lined up for the banquet today. Therefore, more than two thousand princes and ministers were all dressed in sea blue brocade grandchildren clothes. "I heard," Kublai Khan curiously asked Marco Polo sitting next to Empress Chabi through an interpreter, "there is a steep mountain in the middle of Greater Armenia. Noah's Ark is parked on the mountain, I wonder if there is such a thing?" "Yes, Your Majesty. This mountain is called Ark Mountain, also known as Mount Ararat." Marcus could wipe the oil off his fingers with a clean white towel, and replied respectfully, "This mountain occupies a very large area. Walking along the foot of the mountain is not enough for two days. The snow on the top of the mountain does not melt all the year round, and every time it snows, the new snow will pile up on the old snow, so no one can climb to the top of the mountain. The snow melts, the soil is fertile, and the vegetation is lush. Even if livestock from neighboring countries gather here, there is no need to worry about the lack of forage. There is also an oil well in the border area of ​​​​Greater Armenia, and the oil that spouts must be loaded with many camels. This The oil cannot be eaten, but can only be used to make an ointment to treat skin diseases or other diseases of humans and animals, or to be used as fuel for lighting fires." "Marco, is there really an eagle-shaped emblem on the right shoulder of the monarch of Gu'erzhi (that is, Georgia)?" Prince Zhenjin also raised an interesting question. "The ruler of Gu'erzhi is called David Melik, which is what the Europeans call King David." Although Marco was young, he was very knowledgeable. People here do have an ancient tradition. Once their monarch is born, there is an eagle-shaped symbol on his right shoulder. But it is not born with it, but people burn it with a red-hot iron. Gu'er only People are well-trained brave sailors, experienced archers, and skilled warriors. At the same time, they are also Christians, maintaining the rituals of the Greek church, and their attire is the same as that of Western priests, with short hair on their heads." "Alexander the Great built an iron gate at a dangerous pass in Gu'er. Do you understand the reason?" Kublai Khan has always had a strong interest in and respect for Megatron and Alexander the Great from the non-continental. "At that time, Alexander the Great tried to continue to expand through the Kingdom of Guerzhi, but he gave up because he was blocked by a pass in the southwest. This pass is four miles long, with one side facing the sea and the waves are surging, and the other side is surrounded by mountains and lush forests. It is really a dangerous place where Niwan closed off. After Alexander the Great's eastward plan ran aground, in order to prevent the invasion of Eastern iron cavalry, he ordered to build a city wall there. Fortresses and archery holes were built on the city wall to resist the invasion of foreign enemies. Because of this The pass is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is extremely strong, so Alexander the Great named it "Iron Gate Pass". I saw a record many years ago, which is very strange and interesting. There is a monastery dedicated to the saint Luna in the Kingdom of Guerzhi , this monastery is located by a saltwater lake. The lake is about three days away. There are usually no fish in the lake, but on the first day of Lent, the fish will flock to it. There are countless fish. After Easter, The school of fish disappeared without a trace. This saltwater lake is called Lake Gelucharat. There is a beautiful city in the Kingdom of Gurzhi called Tevellis. The suburbs of the city are surrounded by many armed fortresses. The residents in the city are mainly Armenia, Gu’er is mainly Christian, but there are also some Muslims and Jews. The city’s silk industry and commodity manufacturing industry are very developed, and the residents surrender to the Mongolian Khan. These are the general situation of several neighboring countries in the north of Armenia. I don’t know what I’m talking about. Does it satisfy His Majesty the Emperor?" Marco Polo's rich knowledge of history and geography, his well-organized narration and his astonishing memory cannot but make everyone present look at this blue-eyed young man with admiration.Queen Chabi untied a beautifully made jade pei from her neck, tied it on the button of Marco's coat, and looked at him tenderly: "Young man, you speak very well. You must be feeling thirsty, right? Let's take a sip of horse tea to moisten your throat first." Ma Ke was a little shy, and his fair face flushed slightly: "Yes, queen." Ma Ke was indeed talking dry, and reached out to pick up the black horse and took a sip, but he was choked and coughed.Queen Chabi patted him on the back gently. Ma Ke raised his eyes and stared at Queen Chabi.He didn't regard the empress's outpouring of love as a great honor, he just felt that he hadn't experienced this kind of warm and soul-stirring maternal love for a long time since he lost his mother since childhood.From this moment on, the beautiful, noble, graceful and elegant image of Empress Chabi was deeply engraved in the gallery of his memory. "I heard that there is a kingdom of Badahashang, where women's clothes are very special, is that true?" Queen Chabi asked gently. "That's right. The local women's clothing mentioned by the queen is indeed a special kind of clothing popular among women of the upper class. All their skirts below the waist are cut like trousers. According to their own financial resources, they spend eighty or sixty." Earl (an ear equals forty-five inches) of fine cotton, folded heavily over one's hips. The man with the most bloated hips is considered the most beautiful." Queen Chabi was so teased that she leaned back and forth.Seeing how happy she was, Kublai Khan smiled humorously and said, "This point is similar to people's ideas in the Tang Dynasty. People in the Tang Dynasty regard fat as beauty, which symbolizes the prosperity of the country and the people! Strictly speaking, this can also be regarded as a Tang dynasty. Dai Yifeng, right? My sixth younger brother Xu Liewu is truly blessed!" After a short pause, Kublai Khan saw that Negro was inadvertently showing a little tiredness, so he said considerately: "The moon is in the middle of the sky, it is not early, and the guests from far away should rest. If you have any questions, please choose Let’s talk about it tomorrow.” This night, it was July 15th. The moon hangs high in the sky, round and thin, like a paper-cut pasted on the night, shining a soft luster through the floating clouds.In the grassland in the distance, frogs and cicadas sing, which is remote and far-reaching. Only young Marco is tireless. Still feeling unfinished, Marco's eyes met Zhen Jin's.Zhen Jin smiled at him, and Ma Ke suddenly felt that this smile was so familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before. In that short moment, Marco had already regarded Zhen Jin as his best friend in his life deep in his heart. Kublai Khan asked Marco to come forward: "My little guest, during this period of time, I will let Xu Jijiu, a well-learned man from our country, be your teacher. You must study hard from him. If one day, you can fluently Use Mongolian and Chinese, and I will send Prince Zhenjin to accompany you to visit Shangdu and Dadu." Marco was pleasantly surprised: "Really?" "I keep my word."