Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 501 The Attentive Foreign Merchant
The West Market of Chang'an was much more bustling than the East Market. After all, the East Market was located next to the Xingqing Palace in the Southern Palace, and the surrounding area was mostly residential areas where powerful and wealthy people lived. The Imperial Guards and servants of powerful families often roamed through the area, which inevitably brought a great sense of oppression to the people in the market.

The atmosphere in the West Market was much more lively, with more merchants and ordinary people coming and going. The number of shops and the variety of goods sold far exceeded those in the East Market. As soon as you approached the surrounding area, you were greeted by the bustling and vibrant atmosphere of the marketplace.

When Zhang Dai and his party arrived, the curfew drums sounded. People who bought and sold goods in the West Market but did not have fixed shops or residences began to disperse. The streets were filled with Han and Hu people leading cattle, horses, donkeys, mules, camels, and other livestock.

Most of the Hu merchants dressed like Han Chinese. If they still maintained a strong Hu style, they were either Hu barbarians who had just arrived in Chang'an and had not yet gotten used to the various customs and habits of the Han people, or Hu merchants who specialized in selling all kinds of exotic goods to attract customers.

After all, although Chang'an was a metropolis where Han and non-Han people lived together, the number of non-Han people was still a minority. And almost every day, people from all over the world would come to Chang'an. There were always people who had never seen non-Han people and their customs and regarded them as a novel sight.

When later generations talk about the Hu people in Chang'an, they often picture portly merchants covered in furs and jewels, or beautiful Hu women in silks and satins. Such images certainly exist, but they are extremely rare; you might only encounter one or two out of thousands of Hu people.

Most of the Hu people were actually poor people or servants. They were hunched over, dressed in rags, and had a strong, fishy smell. This was true not only for the men but also for the women. They often did heavy manual labor, and many of them were beggars on the streets.

Only young women of Hu with attractive looks and figures would be hired or bought to stand in front of shops along the street wearing revealing clothes, either selling wine at a counter or peddling other goods.

These Hu women often exude a strong, pungent smell of mugwort, mixed with wine lees, soybean dregs, or other impurities. They may look alright from a distance, but become rather pungent up close, a far cry from the image depicted in ancient poems or later films and television shows.

It was precisely because of some disillusionment that Zhang Dai, although he settled in Chang'an, was not very willing to come to the West Market.

It's not that there aren't beautiful, charming, and alluring Hu girls, but these are usually raised and trained by powerful and wealthy people from a young age, while those seen on the market are often not as good.

The social hierarchy among the Hu people was even more rigid than that among the Han people. Only a small number of them possessed property and personal freedom, while the vast majority were servants. The largest sellers of Hu slaves and women in the western market were often Hu chieftains.

These people were either Di-Qiang people from the Hexi Corridor or the Nine-Surname Hu people from the Hetao region. The Hu slaves they sold were either their own subordinates or prisoners captured during tribal wars. The men were sold as laborers, while the women, either disguised as Persian maids or posing as princesses of Western Region kings, could be sold for higher prices.

The Hu merchants, represented by the Nine Sogdian Clans, had an exceptionally keen sense for wealth and are often depicted in ancient texts as treasure hunters.

Because the market was closing, Zhang Dai and his party took refuge on the left side of the road. However, a group of foreign servants carrying staffs quickly emerged and cleared a path to welcome Zhang Dai and his party into the market. A foreign merchant stepped forward and quickly recognized Zhang Dai's identity. He knelt down in front of his horse with a thud and said eagerly, "So it is the esteemed Zhang Liulang! What do you need today, Liulang? I, Mi Xiaochuan, am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!"

Zhang Dai didn't recognize the foreign merchant. Upon hearing this, he waved his hand and laughed, "Then I won't trouble you. I have arranged to meet with my colleagues at a restaurant in the city. I'll go find it myself."

"Could those who made the appointment be the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices? These officials have gone to the Kang family's winery. I will guide them and respectfully see off Sixth Master!"

The merchant Mi Xiaochuan was not discouraged by the failure to make a deal, and immediately spoke up after hearing this.

These foreign merchants were shrewd and adept at gathering information; they would never miss an opportunity to curry favor with the powerful and influential. Anyone with power or influence would find a way to curry favor with them, doing everything in their power to satisfy their every need. Once they had emptied your pockets, they would then lend you money—a truly one-stop service.

Mi Xiaochuan abandoned his shop assistant and walked ahead of Zhang Dai's horse, leading the way while quickly introducing some of the shop's new arrivals. When he saw that Zhang Dai wasn't very interested, he stopped talking. After leading Zhang Dai to the vicinity of the crossroads, he knelt down in front of the horse and said, "The Kang Family Winery is just ahead. I wish you a very enjoyable banquet tonight, Sixth Master! I am Mi Xiaochuan from the West Market Incense and Medicine Shop. If you need any incense or medicine, Sixth Master, just send me to fetch it. I'm off!"

After saying this, he knelt down and kowtowed twice, then hurried away with a bow. His appearance was somewhat comical, but it left a deep impression on Zhang Dai.

As soon as one foreign merchant left, another foreign man came forward: "Knowing that Sixth Master might be coming today, I have been waiting here. Sixth Master's friends have already been drinking and making merry in the hall for a while, so I will lead Sixth Master into the hall to join them!"

The visitor was a tall, blue-eyed young man, Kang Lide, whom Zhang Dai's uncle Zhang Yang had previously invited to his home and introduced him to. His family was one of the top merchants in the West Market, and this winery was also part of their business.

"Thank you, Kang San!"

Zhang Dai dismounted, and someone naturally came forward to lead his horse away. He chatted with Kang Lide as he walked into the winery.

The Kang family winery is quite large, with several layers inside and out. The street is lined with shops, while inside is a hotel with individual buildings scattered throughout. Laughter and cheerful voices can be heard from many of the halls, and a refreshing aroma permeates the air.

"Sixth Master is late! We drank first, would you like to finish our drinks?" In the hall, the people from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices stood up to greet Zhang Dai as he approached, and some joked with him.

"We're here today to have a good time. Let's not talk about who came first or who came later; we're not leaving until we're completely drunk!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled and said, then gestured to Kang Lide, "Bring up any good wine left in here."

Upon hearing this, Kang Lide smiled and responded, then strode out. Zhang Dai, on the other hand, went into the hall and first addressed the official sitting in the hall.

Although the Court of Imperial Sacrifices currently has Grand Minister Lu Xiangxian and Junior Minister Wei Tao, these superiors would naturally not go to the market to drink and frolic with their subordinates. Therefore, the highest-ranking official in the court is Zhang Luzhen, the Vice Minister of Imperial Sacrifices.

"I went to the market today to seek pleasure at the invitation of my colleagues, and I couldn't refuse their hospitality. Now that I've been seen by Attendant Censor Zhang, please don't submit a report to the emperor in the future!"

Zhang Luzhen, who was in his early thirties, hurriedly left his seat when Zhang Dai came forward to pay his respects, saying with a smile.

The Tang law prohibited officials of the fifth rank and above from entering the market, out of concern that officials engaging in commerce might abuse their power and disrupt market order. Zhang Lüzhen, whose official title was Chaosan Dafu and whose position as Taichang Cheng was also a fifth-rank official, was right on the edge of the prohibition.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai laughed and said, "If we don't do business, then we won't break the rules. Minister Zhang, you're simply asking me to settle the accounts after the drinks. I'll agree to that now, so Minister Zhang can enjoy himself without worry!"

Zhang Lüzhen was the son of Zhang Wei, the Duke of Deng. Zhang Wei was already from a very wealthy family. In his early years, he used his money and connections to befriend the current sage and made successful investments, thus reaping rich rewards. His deeds were comparable to those of Lü Buwei.

However, since he had no family lineage to boast about, Zhang Yue had never been particularly fond of Zhang Wei in his early years and looked down on him. It wasn't until recently, when they were working together on the North Gate, that their relationship became somewhat harmonious, and Zhang Luzhen also became acquainted with Zhang Dai.

So when Zhang Dai entered the hall, Zhang Luzhen raised his hand and gestured for the beautiful Hu woman serving wine beside him to come and serve Zhang Dai at his seat.

Zhang Dai noticed that there were only two Hu women serving wine in the hall. One had been brought to his side by Zhang Luzhen, while the other was moving around the hall serving wine. He was immediately displeased and pointed at Kang Lide, who was bringing the wine into the hall, saying, "How can there be wine without beauty? There are more than ten of us, and Kang only brings two prostitutes to serve us. What kind of hospitality is this?"

"Please forgive me, Sixth Brother! A noble family in the North Ward is hosting a banquet at our residence today. They went to the market early this morning to borrow women from various families, including ours. Even the two women in the hall are my younger sisters. If we weren't such distinguished guests, how could we bear to send out servants?"

Upon hearing Zhang Dai's question, Kang Lide immediately bowed with a bitter face and said, while the two Hu women also hurriedly bowed to his left and right, begging for mercy in a low voice with apprehensive expressions.

Hearing Kang Lide say this, Zhang Luzhen, who was seated at the head of the table, couldn't help but ask curiously, "You, Kang Lide, are also a well-known person in the West Market. Who is worth your family lending out a group of courtesans, even neglecting your own livelihood?"

"I wouldn't dare to gossip behind people's backs, but this family is one we absolutely cannot afford to neglect, otherwise we might lose money or even our lives!"

Upon hearing this, Kang Lide quickly lowered his head again and said, "The servants have not met my expectations, which is truly a failure of my hospitality. Today, I can only offer a lavish feast to our distinguished guests, without incurring any expense. Tomorrow, when the courtesans return to their quarters, I will cordially invite you all to come here again to enjoy yourselves to your hearts' content, is that alright?"

The crowd had grown tired of the entertainment these days and had little need for it. When they heard that Conride was willing to pay for it for free, they stopped caring about it.

After hearing what Kang Lide said, Zhang Dai seemed to be deep in thought. However, a strong fragrance soon filled his nostrils and rushed to his head. Kang Lide's sister, on her brother's instructions, was constantly fawning over Zhang Dai, which made him unable to pay attention to anything else. He was drinking and chatting with his colleagues while stroking the blue-eyed Persian cat that was rubbing against him.

Since there were no geishas to entertain them, no one indulged too much. After each person was a little tipsy, they went to their respective rooms to rest.

Zhang Dai then beckoned Kang Lide over and asked him, "The noble family in the North Ward you mentioned, is it Wu Wenshen? What power or special abilities does he possess that could easily cause your family to lose everything?"

Kang Lide opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly his expression changed, and he knelt down in front of Zhang Dai with a thud, saying in a trembling voice, "Sixth Brother, please forgive me, Sixth Brother, please forgive me! I really didn't mean to stir up trouble, I had completely forgotten about Wu Shi and Sixth Brother..."

(End of this chapter)