Three
"Great Prince! Third Prince!" The old man let out a grunt from his nose and turned his head away, remaining silent.
"Amoche, you have eaten the lady's hand-grabbed meat." The old man came over and patted Amoche's shoulder
The female slaves certainly did not have the courage to call him "Glasses Dragon"; they all referred to him as "Little Hesa." Although Big Hesa never explicitly stated who would inherit his position, it was well known that the old man enjoyed having Amoche by his side. However, Amoche was aware that his mathematical skills were not very good; he was merely diligent, and sometimes he could not keep up with the old man's pace of instruction. At such times, the old man would sigh deeply while holding a wine jar, lamenting that if he had been as foolish in his youth, he would have been killed by Old Hesa long ago. Nevertheless, Amoche knew that his mathematical skills were not very good; he was merely diligent, and sometimes he could not keep up with the old man's pace of instruction. At such times, the old man would sigh deeply while holding a wine jar, lamenting that if he had been as foolish in his youth, he would have been killed by Old Hesa long ago
"Xiao He Sa, we do not understand the will of the gods; you do. Is there really such a thing as a fate star for people?"
The old maidservant glanced around with a somewhat mysterious expression, but Amoche noticed that the busy maidservants nearby suddenly paused and turned their heads in this direction
Ghasa wants to stay, so I had the slaves clean a large tent
Most of it is kept for making salted dried meat, half of it is roasted, and another half is prepared as hand-grabbed meat. The lady mentioned that tonight we should leave the large dish of salad in the tent to eat before returning.
Amoche took a few bites, licking the oil off his hands, glancing at Mrs. Ying and then at the old man
The tent flap was suddenly pulled open, and a slave entered and knelt down, "Madam, the heir has awakened!"
In the prince's tent, an oil lamp was lit, and beneath the light by the window sat a doctor from the Eastern Land, dressed in wide robes, who was feeling the prince's pulse by grasping his wrist. Upon seeing three people enter, he hurriedly raised his hand to stop them. Da Hesa and Lady Ying did not dare to speak, quietly standing at the entrance of the tent, watching as the doctor gently finished taking the pulse and covered the prince with a fur blanket. He picked up the lamp and gestured for the three to follow him outside. The old man clearly wanted to go over and take a look, but he was restrained by the doctor's gaze. Da Hesa and Lady Ying also did not dare to speak, quietly standing at the entrance of the tent, watching as the doctor gently finished taking the pulse and covered the prince with a fur blanket. He picked up the lamp and gestured for the three to follow him outside. The old man clearly wanted to go over and take a look, but he was restrained by the doctor's gaze. Amochi knew the doctor's identity; he was one of the most renowned physicians in the Eastern Land, named Lu Ziyu. Originally, he had come to travel and gather herbs, but he was presented with gold, silver, and furs by the great lord, and thus he was compelled to stay.
"Xiao He Sa is truly a master at skinning otters." An elderly maid came over and handed a piece of cotton cloth
Ghasa ... ... Suma ... ...
Amos shook the blood off his hands and wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve. He had spent the entire afternoon with the female slaves in Lady Ying's tent, skinning the groundhogs. The pelts were coated with lime and stuffed with hay, then hung out to dry in the wind, each one resembling a small, plump bear. In a copper basin, the groundhog meat was cut into strips, marinated, and prepared, promising a hearty meal for the evening
Before the man in the tent came out, the old man threw away the horse stick and turned back into the tent. Amoche followed him inside and saw the old man sitting on the bed, slowly polishing the flint, lighting a bowl of tobacco in the jade-green pipe, and taking a long drag. The smoke curled up, enveloping him. Amoche felt hesitant to move; the old man rarely appeared so solemn. He lowered his head, watching the flickering red glow on the tobacco bowl, and remained silent for a long time.
He dejectedly kicked the counting rods in disarray, lifted the tent flap to get some fresh air, and suddenly heard low voices carried by the wind, faintly mentioning the title of 'Heir' and seemingly the words 'Gu Xuan'. His heart skipped a beat; for a stargazer, 'Gu Xuan' was indeed a taboo term. He secretly glanced over and saw the female servants of Lady Ying, who seemed to have risen at night for the last time to tend to the horses. They walked slowly with oil lamps in hand, their eyes glancing towards the heir's tent, the light from the lamps casting long, flickering shadows that resembled phantoms wandering in the dark night. He secretly looked over again and saw the female servants of Lady Ying, who seemed to have risen at night for the last time to tend to the horses. They walked slowly with oil lamps in hand, their eyes glancing towards the heir's tent, the light from the lamps casting long, flickering shadows that resembled phantoms wandering in the dark night.
Amoche no longer has the energy to manage these matters. Lady Ying prepared a dish of hand-grabbed otter meat placed on black millet rice, alternating in red and white, finely smeared with pepper and large grains of salt, and sprinkled with fragrant wild vegetables. A layer of rich otter oil covered the black millet rice, exuding a scent reminiscent of cured meat, without any hint of gamey odor. He grabbed it with both hands and stuffed it into his mouth, nearly biting his own fingers.
The child nodded slightly, their eyes weakly closing, and there was no sound of breathing.
Beichen is the star of the war deity
The setting sun is blood-red, hanging in the western sky. In front of the tents in the northern capital, columns of cooking smoke rise, drifting up to the sky before slowly dispersing.
Amoche rubbed his palms together, and his stomach let out a growl. The old man gave him a light slap on the head and said, "You little ghost who is starving, you act like this when you see food. How will you manage in the future?"
Mrs. Ying lowered the tent curtain, blocking his view
The old man and Mrs. Ying were attending to the fainted heir, while Amochi had nothing to do, so he helped the female servants in skinning the marmots. His ancestors were hunters, and even now, his father often carried a bent bow and a lasso to go hunting. When luck was on their side, they could bring back long-legged, agile yellow sheep and plump marmots over a foot long. His father would happily hum a tune while taking Amochi along to skin and butcher the game. Those were the happiest times for Amochi, as he inhaled the scent of sheep dung burning in the campfire, feeling warm all over. His ancestors were hunters, and even now, his father often carried a bent bow and a lasso to go hunting. When luck was on their side, they could bring back long-legged, agile yellow sheep and plump marmots over a foot long. His father would happily hum a tune while taking Amochi along to skin and butcher the game. Those were the happiest times for Amochi, as he inhaled the scent of sheep dung burning in the campfire, feeling warm all over.
I just dozed off!" Lu Ziyu lowered his voice, "I was just a bit restless earlier, which is why I woke up for a moment.
He slightly bent his waist to bow, did not say goodbye, and just took the medicine bag and left, a sense of regret hidden in his indifferent expression
Hmm. The old man tightly embraced with both arms, nodding slightly while hunched over
The old man suddenly jumped up as if his behind was on fire. Lady Ying also hurriedly followed him out, while Amoti, reluctantly holding a piece of otter meat in his mouth, quickened his pace to catch up with the two.
The ailment of the heart is beyond the grasp of my teacher, and I am powerless as well. Ancient texts mention a technique for heart restoration that can open the chest cavity and repair the heart. Eight years ago, after my teacher treated the heir, he returned to the Eastern Land and has been tirelessly researching the knowledge of the heart and blood vessels. Even on his deathbed, he could not forget, saying that the technique for heart restoration may never again be seen in this world. Lu Ziyu sighed, stating, "Human effort has its limits; my aptitude is not as good as that of my teacher, and saying more would be of no benefit."
A sudden chill inexplicably swept over him. Just as he was about to lower the tent flap, the old man, who had been on the verge of falling asleep, suddenly sprang up with a start. The old man, who had just been swaying unsteadily, now looked fierce like a man-eating leopard. He circled the tent and grabbed the thickest horse stick, kicking open the flap and striding out. Amochi tried to hold him back but was sent tumbling instead.
"Dahesa, let's eat something first," Lady Ying said with a somewhat melancholic expression, "the heir will wake up."
The Beichen star cluster, as calculated by Amoc, truly rose from the Tongyun Mountain.
The old man smiled crookedly at him, yet did not eat any meat. At some point, he filled the white copper wine jug again, merely gazing absentmindedly at the pile of fire warming the copper stove. General Muli did not return to the tent for a meal, and only Lady Ying was beside him, sewing a lambskin tube in companionship.
In the stillness of the deep night, Mrs. English also took her leave to return to sleep, leaving only Amoc and Dahesa in the tent
His heart suddenly sank as he stared blankly towards the east. The crimson clouds at dusk loomed over the entire eastern horizon, resembling a natural barrier that separated the barbarian tribes from the ancient forest city-state of Ningzhou. A faint golden edge adorned the boundary between the mountains and the sky, shining with a somewhat dazzling brightness. However, the setting sun could not suppress the brilliance of the stars; seven iron-blue stars rose from beneath the crimson cloud mountains, their light carrying a chilling coldness, akin to freshly forged iron swords
The wooden plow did not want the heir to live here. Lady Ying wiped the needle with the oil on her head and continued to sew with her head lowered
"What nonsense is that?" the old man asked with a gloomy expression.
Amoche stood outside the tent, the moonlight filtering in. He turned back to look at the child's delicate face in slumber, thinking of the mute girl who babbled softly, and realized that this child had awakened from a state of extreme weakness solely out of concern for that little mute girl
Amoc returned to his senses, "Hmm."
Amoche wiped his hands and smiled broadly. He often visited Lady Ying's tent, and the maidservants were quite familiar with him, knowing that this young nobleman was down-to-earth and enjoyed conversing with them.
"Summa is fine, Summa is fine." The old man shook his hand, "You will see her tomorrow."
Amoche glanced from a distance, the heir lay quietly there, his eyes brightly gazing at the top of the tent. When they entered, he turned his head slightly, but remained silent
With a loud bang, the old man heavily slammed the wine jar onto the small table. "What is Mu Li? Wasn't he just a slave's offspring back in the day? Trampled by thousands, stepped on by tens of thousands, destined to a life of herding sheep without any chance of rising up! Not even able to touch a single hair from a horse, and yet he goes to war? Now he is a noble, commanding troops, and he has this kind of airs!"
Pojun, Wuqiu, Lianzhen, Wenqu, Lucun, Jumeng, Tanlang ... ... "Amoc counts the stars in the cluster one by one.
However, they said ... ...
Does Xiao He Sa know about the Crown Prince's matters? The old maid lowered her voice
What kind of heir is this? He is still just a child! Is this idea of moving the plow the suggestion of those people from the eldest son's den?
Well
Amoche responded with a sound, and at the moment he turned around, he saw the busy female servants coincidentally turning their heads to look at the backs of the three of them. He was taken aback for a moment, feeling that those gazes were so unfamiliar, entirely unlike the simple and kind women he knew. The old man noticed his distraction and turned to look as well; the female servants then lowered their heads again to continue their work, as if nothing had happened.
Let us start from the beginning... We must begin with the history of our barbarian tribe. The old man stood up and threw a few pieces of dry wood into the campfire, and the faint sparks rose up, illuminating his gaunt face. Perhaps you have heard people sing the stories of King Xun and King Qindahan while pulling the horsehair lute, and you might think that is the history of our barbarian tribe. However, how many heroes like King Xun and King Qindahan have there been in our barbarian tribe over the past few thousand years? The true history lies beneath every blade of grass on the Hanzhou grassland. However, how many heroes like King Xun and King Qindahan have there been in our barbarian tribe over the past few thousand years? The true history lies beneath every blade of grass on the Hanzhou grassland.
The old man and Mrs. Ying watched his back in silence for a while
Muli is the name of a barbarian belonging to General Liu Hai. He was once a shepherd slave of the prominent Chao family. The great lord Lu Song married the daughter of the Chao family and promoted Muli from slavery, bestowing upon him the surname Donglu and naming him Liu Hai. He now commands an entire force of six to seven thousand cavalry in the Tiger Wing Camp. Amochi knows that the old man is quite familiar with Muli, yet he has never heard him mention these old stories.
Then the young master's old ailment ... ...
Amos felt a sudden heaviness in his heart
Lady Ying let out a low sigh, continuing to sew without looking up. "The heir is the one I delivered; I cannot bear to part with him. The Grand Prince wants me to be the heir's wet nurse, and even Mu Li does not dare to say anything about it. However, if even he thinks this way, along with the rampant discussions below, it is always detrimental to the heir."
The matter concerning the heir apparent
Ghasa, wait! Amoc chased after him.
Unfavorable
The fragrant otter meat was served in a small copper basin, and the spicy aroma could be detected from afar
"Don't bother, just give me a jar of good strong liquor." The old man rubbed his belly, "And some hand-pulled meat rice, I'm hungry too."
"Amoche, you are my student, and perhaps the future of the barbarians is related to you. Therefore, there are some things that a teacher must tell you." He scratched his bald head, "But how should I put it..."
Amoc clapped his hands and laughed, saying that the hand-grabbed meat in Lady Ying's tent was the most delicious. Both he and the old man enjoyed it, and the old man liked to bring him to stroll around Lady Ying's place, mostly to enjoy the hand-grabbed meat. The setting sun cast a deep crimson hue over the summer grassland, where the female servants gathered in small groups, softly humming songs that Amoc could hardly understand. Some were applying grease to the hanging otter skins, some were preparing meat, while others were using blowpipes to ignite sheep dung cakes. A sense of lazy abundance and joy filled his heart as Amoc stretched and looked around.
"I would like to borrow my wife's tent to stay in tonight, and see how the young master is doing tomorrow morning," the old man said
How should the meat be prepared? Amoc handed the cotton cloth back.
The old man sat cross-legged on the ground, taking a bite of the otter meat followed by a sip of wine. It was unclear how long he had been eating this way, as he hummed a tune commonly sung by the herdsmen on the grasslands, seemingly a bit tipsy. Amochi could not sleep; he merely leaned against the tent entrance, lost in thought. He thought of the bright-eyed heir, the mute girl, the rising North Star, and the red lacquered box that the great lord had received from the Ninth Prince. As he pondered, he spread out the counting rods on the ground and began to calculate the trajectory of the North Star, but the more he calculated, the more confused he became, as if something was always missing, and the equations just wouldn't come together.
He smoked a cigarette and fell silent for a long time
He turned his gaze and saw several female slaves pressed against the side of the tent, eavesdropping. They scattered like a startled herd of deer, fleeing into the darkness. By the light of the fire, Amok saw the old face of the elderly female slave from the evening, bearing a certain mysterious expression.
At the moment he was about to close the tent flap, he suddenly heard a low voice, "Hesa..."
"What are you doing here?" The old man's voice brought Amok's thoughts back.
The Crown Prince truly does not care about this. No one expects the heir apparent to genuinely inherit the position of the sovereign. If the Crown Prince is to compete, it will be against the Third Prince; Mu Li would not go to such lengths just for the sake of the Crown Prince
"Asule! Asule!" The old man paused for a moment and then shouted out uncontrollably
Come! The old man patted the bed beside him, inviting Amok to sit down next to him
"Little He Sa." The old maidservant cautiously inquired from the side
There is nothing serious; the journey has been overly exhausting. Moreover, according to the physician accompanying the Ninth Prince, the heir apparent was rescued from the chaos of battle and seems to have suffered a great shock. In recent days, he has eaten very little, slept even less, and often wakes up in the night for no apparent reason. Given his physical condition, he certainly cannot endure this. Now that he has fallen ill, being able to settle down is actually a good thing for him
Amoche pondered for a moment, "Astrology is the most complex aspect of star divination, and I have not studied it in depth. However, Dahe Sa said that to calculate a person's fate, one needs to compute the trajectories of dozens or even hundreds of stars, and even then, the results are often inaccurate. To deduce a person's fate based solely on a single star of destiny... I think that is not possible."
The old man became agitated, snatched the oil lamp from the doctor's hand, and rushed over, his eyes fixed intently on the young master, startling A Mo Chi as well
Lu Ziyu stepped forward and forcefully tugged at the old man's collar, dragging him up. This doctor is also notoriously irritable; when he sees patients, nobles and high-ranking officials must wait outside the tent, without exception.
The expression on the face of the old maid suddenly changed, as she stuffed the cloth napkin back into her waist and lowered her head to carry the copper basin filled with otter meat to wash it. Amochi raised his eyes and saw Dagesa walking out of the tent with Lady Ying, her hands tucked into her sleeves. That tent was designated for the Crown Prince; Amochi had heard that the Crown Prince would not reside in the tent of the side consort, but would instead stay with his mother.
This is a rare celestial phenomenon. During this season, the North Star is usually submerged beneath the crimson clouds of the mountains. These seven stars are not among the twelve principal stars in the firmament, yet throughout the years, their brilliance has illuminated the entire night sky, slowly traversing from the east across the horizon to the west. Each such cycle may last for several decades. Accompanying the North Star are often the rising smoke signals.
"Mr. Lu, how is the heir doing?" asked Lady Ying.
He was momentarily taken aback when he saw the old man, brandishing a horsewhip, standing beside his white horse in a posture reminiscent of a warrior ready for battle. Dressed in a coarse linen robe that was opened at the chest, he was illuminated by the flickering light, casting a faint red glow around him. He swayed slightly, belched out a breath of alcohol, and suddenly seized the iron stirrup from the saddle, vigorously striking it with the horsewhip. The metallic clang resonated sharply in the dim night, as if it could split open a person's skull. The already sleeping flock was startled, and the sound of neighing horses came from behind. The female slaves were even more frightened, trembling as they knelt in fear, not daring to approach, and hurriedly retreating in panic.
Amoc is not from a prominent noble family, and prominent nobles would not send their children to study astrology. Although the Great Hesa is a figure of such nobility that ordinary people dare not look up to, it is uncertain how many children studying astrology will inherit the status of the Great Hesa. Moreover, the Great Hesa, who has grasped the divine will of the celestial deity, is ultimately not a god. Countless generations of Great Hesas have perished in wars, burned alive. Choosing the wrong master, the Hesa becomes a sorcerer. When Amoc's father sent him to the Great Hesa's tent to study astrology, he patted his son's head firmly before leaving. To this day, Amoc often reflects on his father's silence at that moment, a vague understanding that he cannot articulate, as if he grasped something profound.
Although it is summer, not the most succulent season for the groundhog, this is the most delectable offering on the grassland, incomparable to venison or mutton. When roasted, it exudes a delicate fatty aroma, and a single bite fills the mouth with oil. The prince's hunting cavalry surrounded a hill full of groundhog burrows, capturing over 100 groundhogs, and sent 50 of them to Lady Ying through her attendant, Zhalie. Lady Ying's husband, General Muliyi, is a prominent figure in the Longzi Wopeng, a fact well known to all. The prince's hunting cavalry surrounded a hill full of groundhog burrows, capturing over 100 groundhogs, and sent 50 of them to Lady Ying through her attendant, Zhalie. Lady Ying's husband, General Muliyi, is a prominent figure in the Longzi Wopeng, a fact well known to all.
The old maid hesitated for a moment, her lips moving for quite some time, "It's all just hearsay, saying that the young master is an ill-fated person."
He has always been like this, not much different from the old shepherd tending his sheep, showing no regard for appearances. However, Amoche felt that he seemed to have something on his mind, his gaze lowered and absent-minded.