Unger, a Mongolian with a shy belly, walked arrogantly into the largest restaurant in Xuanzhen. He didn't need to be greeted by the shopkeeper, but went straight to the kang mat at the end, which was covered with brocade mattresses and was heated brightly.
He liked the Han people's fire pit so much. It was much more effective than the best kumiss for keeping warm.
Lin Dan Khan's favorite Sutai Fujin once said that the Jurchens also burned the kang. At that time, Unger, who was standing next to his brother, expressed a Mongolian's envy of the Jurchens, but Sutai Fujin left his two thin petals aside.
With her red lips, she sneered: "Oh, apart from the fact that the Jurchens are good at twigs and can pick them up for fire and keep warm, what else can compare with Mongolia and the Ming Dynasty?"
At this moment, Unger was like a beast king walking into the forest, shouting at the waiter in a rough voice to bring the mutton and oil pancakes.
Behind him, the woman named "He Zhuo" was more like a cautious fox, looking left and right, carefully sizing up this restaurant that she had been to several times.
He Zhuo's eyes quickly fell on another woman.
The other party was wearing an ocher-colored fur-collared robe often worn by Mongolian merchants. However, her black hair was not tied into braids. It was still tied up like a woman from the Ming Dynasty and styled in a "heart bun".
The woman got down from the kang on the other side in a generous manner, and walked up to He Zhuo with a young man in rich fur clothes.
"Simbasa Womo Gak, Vologon Qin." When the woman saluted, a string of syllables came out.
He Zhuo's eyes were filled with surprise.
She did not expect that when the other party opened his mouth, what he said was neither Mongolian nor Ming dialect, but Jurchen dialect, which meant "I'm very happy to see you."
That restrained vibrato came out lightly from the base of the tongue and was quite authentic.
He Zhuo tilted his head and asked, "Are you a Jurchen?"
Zheng Haizhu glanced at the three-eyed pincer dangling from He Zhuo's earlobe. It was the symbol of a Jurchen woman.
"I am from Ming Dynasty, but my most effective assistant comes from Yehe Jurchen." Zheng Haizhu resumed his Chinese speaking.
Xu San on the side was about to translate in Mongolian, but He Zhuo nodded to show that he understood. The surprise of "meeting an old friend in a foreign country" in his eyes instantly faded, but he did not immediately return to a vigilant look.
"What's the matter with you?" He Zhuo narrowed his eyes and asked in Chinese with a not too strong accent.
Zheng Haizhu smiled modestly and said straight to the point: "I am a tea merchant, my surname is Zheng, and I would like to do business with you."
"Oh," He Zhuo raised his chin, and his tone finally took on a hint of arrogance, "You are mistaken. We are not a Mongolian caravan. We want your Ming Dynasty's official tea, and we don't have to spend money to buy it."
The "official tea" she refers to is the "brick tea" favored by the Mongolians. The tea farmers of the Ming Dynasty picked the black tea and dried it, then pressed it into the size of a green brick with wooden tampers to facilitate long-distance transportation.
The food of the northern nomadic people is mainly meat and naan, with almost no fruits and vegetables. Brick tea, which is good for supplementing vitamins and helping to digest meat, has naturally become the highlight of border trade commodities like horses. It was also given to Lin Dan every year by the Ming court.
One of Khan’s gifts.
Zheng Haizhu looked at the arrogant He Zhuo and said calmly: "I know that you are the right-hand man of Su Tai Dafu Jin. You come to receive the Ming Dynasty's market reward. In addition to silver, there is also official tea. But today, I want to treat you to a taste.
Try another tea."
He Zhuo raised his eyebrows.
As a trusted maid who was married to Chahar with Su Tai, Hezhuo was originally a noble of the Yehe tribe. She could not only advise her mistress in fighting for favor in Lin Dan Khan's harem, but also follow the Mongols to and from Dabian Town. She
At such a young age, he has already read countless people.
He Zhuo clicked his finger and saw that the woman in front of him was obviously waiting here deliberately. Her appearance and demeanor were not that of an ordinary merchant, but she was not dangerous.
Unger, who was behind him, also poked his bear-like body out and asked questions in Mongolian, wanting to know what happened.
He Zhuo replied a few words, then turned to Zheng Haizhu and said: "Our nobleman has agreed, you can serve him."
Xu Sanchong waved to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper, who had already received some money, went to the kitchen in person and brought two copper kettles.
The waiter served the stewed mutton, which is fully stocked every day, and the special oil cake from Xuanzhen to Zhangjiakou - "Yi Wo Silk".
Xu San went to pick up the copper pot. Zheng Haizhu said "I'll come", then picked up the pot handle and poured tea into the bowl.
"Two noble ladies, does our tea have a color like amber or agate? It's called black tea."
He Zhuo and Unger both looked at the soup in the bowl. As expected, it was very different from the soup brewed after prying off a few pieces of brick tea. It was indeed like the color of jewelry described by women in the Ming Dynasty, and also like the red rocks in the sunset in the desert. Looking at
It's warm and pleasing to the eye.
Unger, like most Mongolian nobles, was addicted to tea. He smelled the aroma that seemed more fragrant than brick tea, and sniffed intoxicatedly. After a while, when he saw that the heat was no longer so intense, he was about to pick up the tea bowl.
He Zhuo blocked his big furry hand, raised his eyelids and said to Zheng Haizhu: "You drink first."
Zheng Haizhu knew that she was wary of people poisoning her, so she didn't hesitate, picked up the bowl and took a sip.
After putting down the bowl, he said sincerely: "If you listen to my detailed explanation of my purpose, you will not suspect that we are people with malicious intentions."
He Zhuo pursed his lips: "Since you know that I am from Sutai Dafujin, and you want to get close to us, why don't you let your subordinate of the Ye He tribe come with you? It's easier to talk."
"Her name is Aya. She is already dead. She was killed by spies sent by the Ministry of Construction to the Ming Dynasty," Zheng Haizhu lowered his eyes and said, "When she died, she didn't know that the entire Ye He tribe had been annexed by Nurhaci."
He Zhuo's expression froze.
When the news of the destruction of the Yehe tribe reached Chahar, she and Sutai Fujin faced the east and fell to the ground weeping bitterly for their hometown of Yehe.
He Zhuo was only distracted for a moment when he noticed Unger's face showing displeasure at being left out, and he hurriedly translated for Lin Dan Khan's cousin and favorite.
Unger actually laughed, grabbed the mutton chops, pulled them apart, and gestured: "Half body, half body."
No need to understand Mongolian, Zheng Haizhu also guessed the meaning from his demonstration.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! Zheng Haizhu, who is familiar with the feud between Ye He and Jianzhou, understands that Unger, a Mongolian, has a mentality of watching from the other side when he mentions the leader of Ye He's Jurchens, Bu Zhai.
When he went to attack Nurhachi's Jianzhou Jurchen, he was defeated and died. Nurhachi split his body into pieces and sent only half of the body back to Yehe tribe.
Zheng Haizhu stared at He Zhuo and said: "I don't think this is funny at all. Jianzhou is your enemy of Ye He, and also the enemy of our Ming Dynasty. A few years ago, with the help of the loyal female companion of Ye He, I
The imperial court that had helped us fought hard against the Ministry of Construction in Fushun."
"Yes, it's not Chahar's turn yet. Naturally, these Mongolians still don't understand." He Zhuo made a gesture. "Zheng, please sit down and talk. You must respect Lin Dan Khan's cousin."
The place is called 'Zaisang', but for me, just call me by my name, my name is Hezhuo."
Zaisang was the pronunciation of "prime minister" by the Mongolians in the Yuan Dynasty who imitated the Han Dynasty. However, in today's era when Mongolian ministries are fragmented, Zaisang has lost its original meaning. Many subordinate officials of the king of Khans and tribal leaders have been lumped together.
The local name is "Zaisang".
After Zheng Haizhu saluted, he sat down and looked at Unger, who was eating mutton in his left hand and eating cakes in his right hand. After his mouth was full of oil, he served him the newly brewed black tea.
Unger eats boldly, but when he sips tea soup, he is very elegant like a Han literati "tasting tea".
However, he was gentle for only a few breaths, and his facial expression became exaggerated again.
"Sweet tea, sweet tea, is better than official tea, which is bitter." He praised He Zhuo.
Xu San immediately translated it to Zheng Haizhu.
Zheng Haizhu raised his eyebrows, picked up another copper pot, and mixed the black tea with the milk that the shopkeeper had boiled in advance.
Then he took a paper bag from Xu San, opened it, put a handful into his mouth, and explained to He Zhuo: "This white thing is very sweet, it's called sucrose, and our Ming Nanhai has begun to produce it."
He Zhuo calmly said: "Well, I believe you, it's not arsenic."
Zheng Haizhu responded with a slight smile, scooped up the sugar with a silver spoon, sprinkled it into the milk tea, and stirred it well.
"Black tea without adding anything is best when paired with food rich in oil and meat. But let's try the second way of drinking it, sweet milk tea."
This time, He Zhuo's appreciation was obviously greater than Unger's.
"It tastes much better than butter tea," she said, holding the tea bowl.
Zheng Haizhu nodded: "Such a good thing should also come out of the fortress. Not only can it be enjoyed by the Great Khan, Zaisai and Fujin, but you merchants from Chahar can also exchange it for horses and sell it to other tribes in Mongolia, or sell it to other tribes.
In the north, we trade fur goods with those who fish in the sea. In fact, if Lin Danhan and our Ming Dynasty can block the interference of the Jurchens from the west in Jianzhou, the mutual trade will not only be located in Zhangjiakou, but also Chahar can open several."
He Zhuo raised his eyes, and his thoughtful gaze met Zheng Haizhu's gaze.
"Who are you?"
"I am a businessman and can also be regarded as a member of the Ming Dynasty. He Zhuo, I can be an envoy and escort you back to Chahar with the sergeants to meet with Lin Dan Khan and Sutai Dafu Jin."