Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 197 The Envoy of the Bull Barbarian Kingdom, the Prisoner Wolf Demon Lord Che!
The festive fireworks of New Year's Eve have faded away.

The winter snow has melted, and in the blink of an eye, spring's chill is already in the air. Outside the window, plum branches lean horizontally, their subtle fragrance wafting in the air.

Inside the library of the Duke of Xue's mansion, candles burned continuously.

Jiang Xingzhou buried himself in his books, completely unaware of the changing of the seasons.

The scent of ink permeated his sleeves as he slowly ground the ink in the inkstone, the ink solidifying and dissolving repeatedly.

The books piled up on his desk were like mountains, yet he seemed tireless, the rustling sound of his fingertips turning the pages.

The mayfly, an insect, perched on the desk, keeping Jiang Xingzhou company as he read. Occasionally, it would excitedly flutter its golden wings, becoming the only sound in this deep mansion.

Occasionally, the soft footsteps of servants could be heard in the distance, but they did not disturb his concentration.

His eyes were only on the books in his hands, the ancient or elegant words, as if the world's troubles were none of his concern.

I don’t know when.

A fresh snow has fallen outside the window, thinly covering the green tiles, and then quietly melting away.

Jiang Xingzhou is still immersed in books, unaware of the passage of time.

"Brother Jiang! Today is the Lantern Festival, the whole city is brightly lit, how long are you going to stay buried in these books?"

Gu Zhimian's voice pierced through the window paper, carrying with it the faint noise and bustle of the streets and alleys, and suddenly crashed into the quiet study of the Xue family mansion.

Jiang Xingzhou paused, and the ink from the tip of the wolf-hair brush fell onto the rice paper with a "plop," spreading out in a chaotic mess.

He looked up and realized that the candle wax on the candlestick on the table had accumulated to a thick layer.

Outside the study window of the Xue family mansion, countless glass lanterns for the Lantern Festival had been hung, casting a crimson glow on the night snow.

"It's already the Lantern Festival. Oh well!"

Let's go for a stroll in the city!

He muttered to himself.

His fingertips traced the varying depths of the creases between the pages—the past ten days had long since yellowed from his turning of the pages.

The long street was brightly lit, and Jiang Xingzhou, Gu Zhimian, Li Pan, and others strolled along it, enjoying the festival.

Happy Lantern Festival!

There are numerous poetry and literary gatherings of all sizes in Luoyang, and many of these gatherings send invitations to the Duke of Xue's mansion, inviting Jiang Xingzhou to attend.

However, Jiang Xingzhou declined them all, not wanting to steal the limelight from the other candidates.

—After arriving in Luoyang, he has already accumulated enough fame, so there is not much point in him going to the Lantern Festival literary gathering to steal the limelight.

After all, we must leave some opportunities for the other ten top scholars and successful candidates to make a name for themselves and get ahead!
On the main street, glass lanterns hung in front of vermilion gates and embroidered doors, and exotic songs from Hu women drifted from taverns and teahouses, making this Lantern Festival night even more bustling.

Suddenly, a small group of alien races appeared from the street corner—barbarian warriors with bull heads and human bodies, clad in heavy bronze armor, breathing heavily.

There was a boar-like merchant, whose tusks were adorned with gold rings.

Even more enchanting were fox spirit women who veiled their faces, revealing only a pair of alluring eyes.

They walked through the crowd and lived peacefully with the people of Luoyang.

"Why are there so many barbarian demons in the city lately?"

Gu Zhimian pressed his hand on the sword at his waist, his face showing surprise.

Li Pan stroked his beard and laughed, "This is a sign of all directions coming to pay tribute. Every year-end and Lantern Festival, large and small barbarian and demon kingdoms will send envoys to our Great Zhou Holy Dynasty to offer New Year's greetings."

Just as the year was drawing to a close, various departments and offices of the imperial court had holidays and some leisure time to entertain them.

Although the Great Zhou Dynasty had a long-standing feud with the surrounding barbarian tribes.

But how could the 360 ​​barbarian kingdoms and 81 demon tribes of the world be a single, unified entity?
These pig-barbarian tribes, ox-barbarian tribes, and tiger-barbarian tribes were not subordinate to each other and were even hostile to one another.

In addition to sending envoys, the various barbarian kingdoms also send trade delegations!

He pointed in the direction of the Honglu Temple in the distance, "Look at those people carrying the Black Bird Flag, they are the Feathered Clan of the Southern Border Bird Kingdom who have come to pay tribute."
Those camel caravans carrying demon swords must be merchant caravans from the thirty-six minor demon kingdoms of the Western Regions.

Jiang Xingzhou stared at the crowd.

A pair of fierce tigers, father and son—the tiger cub was tiptoeing to reach the sugar figurine, its rough tiger paws carefully clutching a few copper coins.

He couldn't help but sigh: "Beyond the war, there are also ordinary people in the marketplace."

Li Pan looked at the bustling market stalls and bought a gilded folding fan painted with mountains and rivers, which he slowly unfolded under the lamplight.

The fan surface features a "Map of the Nine Regions of China," exuding a subtle scholarly air, with golden light faintly flowing between the mountain and river formations.

"Brother Jiang, Brother Gu, everyone, please take a look,"

He lightly tapped the gilded area in the center of the fan with his fingertip, "My Great Zhou possesses ten fertile lands in the Eastern Divine Continent, with a cultural lineage stretching for 30,000 miles, abundant resources, numerous literary treasures, and is skilled in alchemy and artifact crafting."

The brocade of Jiangnan, the cinnabar of Sichuan, and the black iron of Jibei—these were all highly sought-after commodities.

With a flick of his fan, he pointed to the dimly lit areas on the edge of the Divine Continent, "And these barbarian kingdoms and demon states are scattered throughout the Divine Continent, in remote corners!"

The fan surface suddenly rippled.

Crimson mists rise from the malaria-ridden lands of Lingnan, while azure light appears on the icy plains of the north, and islands and sea kingdoms lie in the East China Sea.

The endless icy plains of the North!

The scholars held their breath, as if they could hear the weeping of the South China Sea mermaids and smell the bloody scent brought by the sand foxes of the Western Regions.

"The various barbarian and demon kingdoms are rich in furs and rare medicinal herbs."

They traded three-hundred-year-old snow ginseng for our salt and iron, and used the pelts shed by nine-tailed foxes to purchase writing implements to teach their own descendants.

As Li Pan closed his fan, a gentle breeze arose, dispersing the dust on the jade pendant at the waist of the barbarian merchant not far away. "Perhaps you all do not know this?"
Last year, the number of registered students from barbarian and demonic races in various schools, including the Honglu Temple, the Imperial Academy, the Luoyang Prefectural School, and private schools, reached a staggering seven hundred.

This was Li Pan's third trip to Luoyang for the imperial examinations, so he was naturally quite familiar with these situations.

"so much?"

Gu Zhimian was taken aback.

Jiang Xingzhou stared at the luminous pearl inlaid at the end of the fan rib in Li Pan's hand—the very treasure sold by the East Sea shark merchants.

Suddenly, the clear sound of a copper bell came from the street corner. A delegation from a barbarian country, wearing bronze masks, was heading to the Honglu Temple near the imperial city. The corners of their robes were still covered with grass clippings from the foot of Kunlun Mountain.

The crowd parted like a tide, and a figure as tall as an iron tower strode in with heavy steps—golden ribbons wrapped around its bluish-gray horns, and its large, copper-bell-shaped eyes gleamed with a moist light under the lamplight.

"Brother Jiang! Moo!"

The call, tinged with a heavy nasal tone, made Jiang Xingzhou feel as if he had returned to the painted boats of Jinling.

But it was an old acquaintance—no, a familiar acquaintance.

The Niu Man ambassador from the Niu Man Kingdom south of Lingnan had previously attended a Qixi literary gathering and drank wine together on a painted boat in Jinling City, Jiangnan Province.

That night, the Milky Way seemed to hang upside down over the Qinhuai River. The envoy from the Niu Man Kingdom, after listening to the "Magpie Bridge Fairy - Delicate Clouds Weaving Patterns," was incredibly moved and considered him a kindred spirit. He even grabbed a bucket of fine wine, insisting that they drink until they were both drunk.

"Brother Niu, how have you been?"

Jiang Xingzhou smiled and clasped his hands in greeting.

"I'm fine!"
After parting ways on Qixi Festival, I returned to the Niu Man Kingdom.

Our Bull-Man King was so moved after reading your poem for the Qixi Festival that he melted down 30,000 catties of bronze overnight to build a Magpie Bridge in the palace so he could meet the Weaver Girl!

The ox-man envoy clapped his hands, making his chest armor clang loudly. The white breath exhaled from the ox's nostrils instantly blurred the ink, transforming it into a hazy, misty scene of a magpie bridge in the rain.

"This time I brought two cartloads of Lingnan Moonlight Rhinoceros Horns, just to exchange them for your Hanlin Academy scholars to personally write some poems and articles about the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl!"

It suddenly lowered its voice, and the bull's horns almost touched Jiang Xingzhou's forehead.

"Our Third Princess of the Bull Barbarian Kingdom even embroidered your Qixi Festival poem on her personal sachet and wears it every day!! She adores you!"

Do you want me to be your matchmaker, this top scholar, and bring my princess together?

My princess is of marriageable age and has long admired you. I guarantee this will work out!

It snorted heavily, and its bell-like eyes flickered with mischievous fire, reflecting a bull-woman princess picking out rouge not far away.

Jiang Xingzhou looked in that direction and saw a tall and imposing Niu Man princess, dressed in a pale yellow dress, standing in front of a cosmetics stall.

The gold hairpin in her hair swayed gently with her movements, the magpie bridge pattern shimmering with tiny golden light in the sunlight.

"I can't do it! I can't do it!"

Jiang Xingzhou was startled and hurriedly took two steps back, his sleeves fluttering as he nearly stumbled. He waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Your Highness is of noble birth; how could I presume to presume upon such a position? This, this..."

His ears turned bright red from holding back his words, but he swallowed them back and could only shake his head with a wry smile, looking like he was caught in a dilemma.

"A princess weighing a thousand pounds?!"

Ambassador Niu Man was taken aback. He scratched his head with his thick hooves, his copper bell-like eyes darting back and forth between Jiang Xingzhou and the princess.

Jiang Xingzhou was slender and graceful, weighing about 100 pounds.

Meanwhile, the third princess of her own Niu Man Kingdom had broad shoulders and a back, a body weighing a thousand pounds, and a strong waist. She possessed the brute strength to overturn an oxcart with one hand.

"Oh dear! I've been so forgetful!" Ambassador Niu Man slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing, "It was my oversight!"

Brother Jiang, with your small frame, I'm afraid you can't withstand the pleasures of my princess's bedchamber!

It smacked its lips, shook its head and sighed, its eyes full of regret.

You should know that the Third Princess of the Bull Barbarian Kingdom is the dream girl of countless Bull Barbarian warriors throughout the country.

Her agile and strong figure, bronze-like arms, and iron-barrel-like waist!

That strength, that...!

cough~
In short, it is an existence that would make even the strongest bull-like creature feel inferior.

Countless noble families desperately wanted to marry into the family, but they couldn't even touch the tail of the bull under the Third Princess's skirt.

"What a pity~ What a pity that my third princess has admired you for so long, if only she could become the son-in-law of our Niu Man Kingdom!"

That truly reflects your saying, 'A single encounter in the golden autumn breeze and jade dew surpasses countless meetings in the mortal world!'

Ambassador Niu Man sighed heavily again, puffing out two puffs of white breath from his snort. "Such a handsome young man as Young Master Jiang is unworthy of such a blessing!"

"Brother Niu! What brings you here after such a long and arduous journey from the southern border to Luoyang?"

Jiang Xingzhou quickly changed the subject.

"We just arrived in Luoyang and wanted to discuss trade with the Great Zhou."

Although my Niu Man Kingdom is located in the remote and desolate southern border, it is rich in wood ear fungus, linzhi (a type of mushroom), and black iron fire sand.

The purpose of this trip to Luoyang is to negotiate with the Great Zhou Dynasty, to exchange these rare goods for a million catties of grain!

Ambassador Niu Man stroked the gilded curved sword at his waist, a deep laugh escaping from his bushy beard.

Jiang Xingzhou flicked his wide sleeves and smiled brightly: "Brother Niu has come from afar. Why rush things when you can stay in Luoyang for a while?"
The "Zhuangyuanlou" restaurant in Luoyang has just brewed "Xuelichun" (a type of Chinese liquor). Why don't we go and have a few drinks together? It would be a good way for me to show my hospitality.

Upon hearing this, Ambassador Niu Man's bushy beard bristled, and he slammed his hand on the table, laughing loudly: "Good! How can I refuse an invitation from Scholar Jiang?"

He turned around and waved his hand, calling to the Niu Man people, his voice booming: "Third Princess, brothers, we are fortunate to drink with Jiang Jieyuan today. When we return to the Niu Man Kingdom, we will have something to brag about for three years!"

"it is good!"

"It would be impolite to refuse such a kind invitation from Jiang Jieyuan!"

The Third Princess of the Bull Barbarians and more than ten Bull Barbarian warriors responded with a resounding roar, their eyes filled with excitement.

After all, the young scholar before them was none other than "Jiang Jieyuan," whose talent was renowned throughout the Niu Man Kingdom. His rendition of "The Magpie Bridge Fairy" had even captivated the Niu Man King, who praised it highly.

To be able to sit and drink with him is more than just something to talk about; it's an unparalleled honor!
Inside the elegant pavilion of Zhuangyuan Tower.

Jiang Xingzhou, Li Pan, Gu Zhimian, and other scholars, along with a delegation of more than ten Niu Man envoys from the Niu Man Kingdom, booked a large private room at Zhuangyuanlou.

With a series of heavy footsteps, the wooden floors of the entire attic groaned under the strain.

When the members of the Niu Man delegation took their seats, the carved pear wood chairs trembled three times.

"Please forgive us, everyone, but our physique almost collapsed from sitting on it!"

Ambassador Niu patted his strong arms and laughed heartily, "Later, my family will pay 30% more for the drinks!"

The elegant seats by the window offer a superb view, allowing you to take in the entire bustling cityscape of Luoyang.

Jiang Xingzhou poured wine from a jug, the amber-colored liquor shimmering in the luminous cup as he offered a toast.

"Come, this is newly brewed 'Snowy Spring'! I've heard that the Third Princess is a hero of the Bull Barbarian Kingdom, let's toast the Third Princess!"

"Good wine!"

The Third Princess of Niu Man downed a large bowl of fine wine in one gulp, slammed her hand on the table, and ripped open her brocade outer robe to reveal the sturdy leather armor underneath. "In our Niu Man Kingdom, this kind of fine wine is drunk by the barrel!"

After saying that, she picked up a jar of 30-jin Xue Li Chun liquor with one hand, tilted her head back, and drank it down.

The wine flowed down her wheat-colored neck, shimmering in the candlelight.

After finishing the jar, she simply let out a satisfied burp, her eyes remaining as clear as ever.

"happy!"

Gu Zhimian was stunned, forgetting to put down his wine glass.

The scholars and the barbarians drank and enjoyed themselves immensely.

Niu Manman has a very generous personality. She never refuses a toast and has an enormous capacity for alcohol, drinking by the bucket.

After downing a barrel of liquor, I let out a small burp, and surprisingly, I wasn't drunk.

Dozens of buckets were gone in the blink of an eye, half of them were gone.

Li Pan clicked his tongue, feeling worried. He quietly tugged at Jiang Xingzhou's sleeve: "Brother Jiang, the fifty barrels of Xue Li Chun wine we brought here, each barrel costing several dozen taels of silver, might not be enough!"

"It's alright, just enjoy yourself. We'll just ask the shopkeeper to bring some more!"

Upstairs at Zhuangyuan Tower, Jiang Xingzhou and the envoys from the Niu Man Kingdom were enjoying their drinks when they suddenly heard a muffled sound of horses' hooves coming from outside the north gate of Luoyang.

The sound was like muffled thunder, causing even the fine wine in the cups by the street to ripple.

Outside Luoyang, a cavalry force broke through the twilight.

The leading general, clad in heavy black iron armor, with snow still clinging to his shoulders, was none other than Tian Qian, the border commander who had guarded the northern desert for twenty years.

Behind him, a thousand armored cavalrymen, bathed in the setting sun, cast a chilling light on the snow.

The most eye-catching feature was the dozens of well-made iron prison wagons in the center of the procession.

Tian Qian raised the fish-shaped tally in his hand, his voice hoarse as if scraping iron, and said to the imperial guards at the city gate, "Victory report from the northern desert! Tian Qian has captured a Snow Wolf Demon Lord alive, along with his thirty-six demon generals and commanders!"

Inside the largest cage, a giant, silver-white wolf demon lay silently.

A bloodstain snaked from its forehead to the tip of its nose, and when its scarlet beastly eyes swept across the city wall, the guards felt a chill run down their spines.

Every time it breathes, tiny ice crystals condense in the cage, shimmering with an eerie blue light in the twilight.

The Imperial Guard general guarding the city frowned, pressed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and stepped forward to inspect it. The black iron armor plates made a crisp sound as they clashed.

Normally, only envoys from barbarian or demonic countries, carrying diplomatic staffs, are allowed to enter the city, with a limit of one hundred.

In addition, only familiar demons who serve as servants of humans are allowed to enter the city, but the number is strictly limited, with each person only allowed to keep one familiar demon in the city.

Wild demons are forbidden from entering the city.

However, this demon lord, with his collarbone pierced by iron chains and imprisoned in a prison cart, had already lost most of his fighting ability.

The Imperial Guard commander, gazing at the pair of scarlet beastly eyes within the cage, unconsciously took a half-step back, yet his voice maintained the authority befitting an Imperial Guard:
"General Tian, ​​according to the Luoyang Law, wild demons who do not carry the envoy's staff are not allowed to enter the city."

Even if it's a demon prisoner.

He glanced at the iron chain inside the prison cart, from which blood was seeping from the Demon Lord's collarbone. "It also requires a document from the Ministry of War."

Upon hearing this, Tian Qian burst into laughter, causing the snow on his shoulders to fall in a flurry.

He pulled an official document from his robes and unfolded it in the twilight: "Here is a document from the Ministry of War! The great victory in the northern desert is a cause for celebration among the people!"

The cinnabar at the end was as red as blood in the firelight.

The cage suddenly trembled violently, and eerie ice appeared on the demon lord's silvery-white fur.

It grinned, revealing its gaping maw and gleaming white fangs: "Tian Qian, do you really think these chains can restrain this demon lord?"

The sound was like an ice pick piercing to the bone, and the torches on the city wall dimmed by a third.

"Noisy!"

"Snapped!"

The iron whip cracked like thunder, sparks flew everywhere, and the Demon Lord let out a muffled groan.

Tian Qian flicked the tip of his whip, bowed slightly to the garrison commander, and his frost-covered brows still carried the unique arrogance of a frontier general:
"The report of victory in the northern desert region was submitted to the Ministry of War ten days ago."

He patted the gilded fish-shaped pouch at his waist. "This Snow Wolf Marquis, captured alive, is a rare find. I specially captured him alive for His Majesty to admire."

"And while we're at it, let's stroll through the Heavenly Street and show the people and young masters of Luoyang what real spoils of war from the frontier look like."

Tian Qian wiped the ice crystals off his beard and laughed.

"General Tian, ​​you'd better keep this beast firmly under control!!"

The commander of the imperial guards guarding the city nodded slightly, and as he watched the twilight deepen, he finally stepped aside.

"rest assured!"

Tian Qian laughed loudly and pulled on the iron chains. The cracking sound of bones dislocating came from inside the cage. "Your collarbone is pierced, what trouble can you cause now?"

This prison cart procession of about a hundred people slowly entered Luoyang City.

The soldiers guarding the city gripped their halberds tightly without prior agreement, until the shadow of the last prison cart completely disappeared into the city lights.

(End of this chapter)