inspire-indiana Chapter 212 News
Chapter 212 News
Luo An accompanied the fake Duoyi and the envoy back to the northern desert; they must have gone to Tumote. If he has heard any news, he should send a message to An Qile and An Liangchen.
Neither An Qile nor An Liangchen received any news. Either Luo An failed to find An Jingchen, or Luo An was in danger. Neither the former nor the latter was good news.
In the vast northern desert, finding someone is no easy task. The person who understands An Jingchen best is probably Luo An; if even he couldn't find him, what chance do others have?
Nianyao stayed in Alan City for a few days, and all she could find out was what An Liangchen told her; there were no more details.
As a hostage, An Jingchen was not well-known to the people of Alan City; they had never even seen him. Batu likely restricted An Jingchen's movements.
Nianyao changed into men's clothing of a nomadic herder from the northern desert and left Alan City for Tumote. If she encountered herders along the way, she would stop and chat with them, and if she found someone she clicked with, she would ask to stay at their place.
Nianyao claimed that traveling ten thousand miles was better than reading ten thousand books, so she bid farewell to her parents and set off to broaden her horizons. She was forthright and unpretentious, able to drink wine from large bowls and eat meat in large chunks, and was very generous and magnanimous, making her very likable.
They met many people along the way, but they didn't manage to glean any useful information.
That day, Nianyao saw a wedding procession on the road. In Dongyang, weddings are accompanied by gongs and drums, while in Mobei, they are accompanied by singing and dancing. The songs were somewhat similar to the work songs of the Dahe Gang, loud, high-pitched, cheerful, and melodious.
Nianyao followed the group slowly, thinking that her meal for the day was sorted. Then she overheard two older women chatting ahead of her:
—After all that picking and choosing, Qiqige ended up picking a blind man? Sigh…
—With Qiqige like this now, where would she find a man to choose from? One is ugly and the other is blind, but neither of them mindes the other. I think they're a perfect match.
Uliji used to be so proud, but now he can't be proud anymore. An ugly daughter and a blind son-in-law, tsk tsk.
—Now they are proud, having heard that the Great Khan has bestowed upon them a great deal of gold and silver, enough to last several lifetimes.
……
As Nianyao listened, she lamented the decline of morality, but upon hearing the words "Great Khan," she suddenly became alert. Just as she was about to ask for details, she heard people cheer; they had arrived home.
The newlyweds' carriage circled the yurt three times before a matchmaker led the bride and groom off the carriage.
Nianyao stood on tiptoe and could only see the bride and groom stepping over the brazier. Both were dressed in wedding attire. The bride's face was obscured by a veil, and the groom's eyes were covered with a white ribbon tied behind his head, confirming that he was indeed blind.
Compared to the burly men of the northern desert, the groom could be described as slender. Although his face was not fully visible, he stood there and outshone everyone around him.
Nianyao stared at him and muttered to herself, "Are there scholar-like men like this in the Northern Desert?"
Someone nearby replied, "We men from the northern deserts don't look like that. He was found by Urina while shepherding sheep and adopted as her godson. Now that Qiqige is disfigured, nobody wants him, so we let him marry into the family."
Marrying into another's family? Nianyao immediately thought of Nanfei. It seems that the custom of marrying into another's family exists everywhere.
Taking the opportunity, Nianyao asked, "Big brother, where is he from?"
The man said, "Who knows? Anyway, they're not men from the northern deserts."
Nianyao asked again, "Big brother, what's the groom's name?"
The man said, "Almu."
As the two were talking, they saw the bride and groom enter the yurt.
The older brother went to prepare for the wedding banquet, and Nianyao went to help. They couldn't get into the yurt, so they were responsible for receiving and arranging things outside: roasted whole lamb, beef, dairy products, wine, hada scarves…
Nianyao was busy following her older brother. Outside the yurt, someone lit a bonfire, and people sang and danced around the roaring fire.
Nianyao asked, "Big brother, aren't the bride and groom coming out to toast the guests?"
Seeing her diligence, the older brother treated her gently: "The groom can't see you, so what's the point of toasting? Brother Uliji and his wife will toast on their behalf. Are you from the groom's family who accompanied the bride? I've never seen you before."
Without hesitation, Nianyao replied, "My parents died early, and no one at home takes care of me. I herd sheep for others and just came to join in the fun today."
The elder brother sighed, "It's pitiful. The Qingming Festival is coming soon; don't you have to go back to pay respects to our parents?"
Nianyao replied, "Yes, of course I'll go back. Big brother, why was Qiqige disfigured?"
The older brother put his finger to his lips and shushed him, saying, "You can't talk about these things on such a joyous occasion."
Just as the elder brother had predicted, the bride and groom never showed up again. However, this did not diminish the lively atmosphere of the wedding banquet; everyone ate, drank, sang, and danced around the bonfire until midnight before dispersing.
After eating and drinking her fill, Nianyao led her horse to a patch of grass to lie down. The northern desert was hot at midday, but rather chilly at night. Nianyao stared at the sparse stars in the sky until her eyes ached.
The sky in the northern desert is higher than the sky on Chongming Island, and the stars in the northern desert are brighter than the stars on Chongming Island. But she still misses Chongming Island.
The Qingming Festival is almost here?! Time flies. She's been wasting her time on the road, completely clueless and without any leads.
Nianyao had previously thought she should find An Jingchen first, then Luo An. Now she thought, what does An Jingchen have to do with her? She should go directly to Luo An and bring him back to Chongming Island, preferably before the Qingming Festival.
Nianyao arrived in Tumote at the end of March. Tumote had a bustling market, and she strolled around the market, chatting idly with an old woman selling glass: "Auntie, my family has an heirloom that we would like to present to the Khan. I wonder if you could grant me an official position?"
The old woman looked around and lowered her voice: "He's an official? Be careful, he might not even be able to save his own life."
Nianyao casually bought a string of glass beads, hung it around her neck, and asked in a low voice, "Auntie, why?"
The old woman said, "The Khan fell seriously ill and almost went to the Western Paradise to meet Buddha. Fortunately, a divine doctor came from Dongyang and barely saved his life. I heard that he is now capricious and will kill people when he is unhappy. He even killed the princess who was sent to marry him."
The divine physician from Dongyang? It must be Luo An without a doubt. The princess sent for the peace treaty is Duo Yi? Duo Yi is dead! Luo An saved Batu's life; he's Batu's savior, so he's safe for now.
Nianyao was overjoyed, all the frustration and disappointment she had felt over the past few days vanished, and she admired Luo An even more: he was indeed very resourceful.
The old woman looked at her suspiciously. Nianyao immediately suppressed her joy and pretended to be serious: "What disease does the Khan have? Even the divine doctor can't cure it?"
The old woman hesitated, then Nianyao took out a silver ingot and stuffed it into her hand: "Auntie, I promise I won't spread this around."
The old woman stuffed the silver ingot into her bosom and whispered in Nianyao's ear, "Tell everyone you were stabbed, but actually your manhood was bitten off. You absolutely mustn't spread this around, it's a capital offense!"
It took Nianyao a while to react. Before she could even burst out laughing, the old lady glared at her and stopped her.
The old woman made a beheading gesture: "Young man, you'll get into trouble if you keep your mouth shut. You'd better watch out."
Nianyao nodded repeatedly, covered her mouth, and walked away. Having received the news, she felt much more at ease and began to plan how to find Luo An.