Chapter 87: Who Can Be of Use

As the sun set in the west, in the city of Khotan, Zhang Zhao wandered about the slave market west of the city, picking out two deft and clever female helpers for Cao Yanming while casually strolling into a mutton-soup eatery as if by chance.

"One big bowl of broomcorn millet rice, one big bowl of polished rice, two big bowls of mutton soup, and slice up a leg of mutton, with a jin of mixed offal on the side!"

As someone who wanted to quickly grow a little belly, Zhang Zhao had pushed his appetite to the maximum; of all this food, everything except that bowl of mutton soup, which was old Zhang Zhong's, was his.

The dishes came quickly. A large slab of cheese covered the top of the broomcorn millet rice — the most popular way to eat it in Khotan.

Cheese was placed atop foxtail millet rice, while honey and fruit preserves were poured over polished rice; the former was oily and salty and went well with other dishes, while the latter was sweet and sour and whetted the appetite — the earliest form of rice with toppings.

Before long, an old man in a blue gap-side robe walked over. Although the robe was washed somewhat pale, it was kept very clean — clearly the old man surnamed Zhu who had wailed "Does the Son of Heaven in Chang'an know?" the day Zhang Zhao entered the city.

"Young lord! This old man Zhu Qingquan has not failed the trust placed in me. Here is the list of sons of Tang in Khotan still worth employing — eighty-seven men in all, every one willing to follow the young lord in search of the descendants left behind in Anxi and Beiting."

Zhang Zhao had deliberately sung the "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" back then precisely to draw out the Han folk in Khotan who still remembered the Great Tang.

Because he knew that the sort of thing where he raised the Great Tang's name and great numbers of Tang descendants came over to support him and gather under his banner would not happen.

Khotan had no shortage of sons of Tang, but after a hundred years and more, most had become subjects of Khotan; he could not possibly put on a display and contend with his uncle Li Shengtian for population.

Besides, these sons of Tang had lived in Khotan for over a hundred years and had long grown accustomed to it.

They had never seen the Great Tang in their lives, had never witnessed the Great Tang's former glory, and the Great Tang court had never shown them the slightest favor. If you went to them now and talked of restoring the Great Tang, they would surely think you were mad.

To put it simply, these Han people were already Khotanese Han folk.

But there are exceptions to everything, and people are no exception.

There were always some who, even if they had never seen the Great Tang and never felt its benefits, still remembered that great nation for which their forefathers had fought and bled, and still hoped to restore the glory the sons of Tang had once held in Anxi.

Only such people were Zhang Zhao's fellow travelers, only such people were the ones Zhang Zhao needed. These past days he had sent the quick-witted Fan Shun to find Zhu Qingquan precisely to obtain information on these people.

The number was a little small. Zhang Zhao had never made a count in Khotan, but the able-bodied sons of Tang could not be fewer than three thousand, possibly around five thousand — after all, looking out over the main street, at least four in ten had Han features.

Of course, that did not mean four in ten people in the kingdom of Khotan were Han; rather, the Han were mostly concentrated in the cities, while in the surrounding countryside, Khotanese of Scythian appearance and mixed-bloods made up the majority.

"On behalf of the sons of Tang in Anxi and Beiting still under barbarian oppression, I thank you, Elder Zhu!"

Zhang Zhao clasped his hands toward Zhu Qingquan. Though there were only eighty-seven men for now, it was a good start — at least it proved that the sons of Tang in Anxi and Beiting had not entirely forgotten their homeland.

Having them was a good sign, because the Khotanese Han folk were relatively well-off, and their unwillingness to leave with Zhang Zhao was only to be expected.

But the descendants of the sons of Tang in Shule, Kucha, Beiting, Balasagun, and Suyab, who suffered so bitterly, would surely be more willing to struggle and build together with Zhang Zhao.

"I had Fan Shun bury thirty strings of cash under the grape trellis in your backyard. Take it as a token of my gratitude. When you return, Elder Zhu, dig it up. Your grandson's leg ailment should be treated soon!"

Zhang Zhao took the list, wolfed down food that in his later life would have lasted him a day, and prepared to rise and leave.

Zhu Qingquan's face flushed red at once. He grabbed hold of Zhang Zhao's sleeve.

"What is the young lord doing? Do you look down on this old Zhu? I myself am a son of Tang who has lost his country. What I do for the young lord comes from my own heart. Why must you sully my sincerity with worldly goods?"

Zhang Zhao took the hand Zhu Qingquan had clutching his sleeve and gently patted the back of it.

"I know Elder Zhu's heart is true, but these thirty strings are not because you did something for me. You may regard them as the court's compensation to you descendants of the sons of Tang who remained behind in Anxi.

When the Anxi field army entered the Central Plains to put down the rebellion, only seven in ten of their sons went with them; the rest were parted from their parents forever. The pain of that separation of flesh and blood is far beyond what thirty strings of cash can soothe. But this is all I am capable of for now, so please accept it, Elder Zhu!"

"I cannot accept it!" Zhu Qingquan still shook his head. "The young lord is not of the Central Plains court, and this money is not from the court either — it is the young lord's own. There is no reason for the young lord to compensate us on behalf of the Central Plains court!"

"Does Elder Zhu not believe I can accomplish great things?" Zhang Zhao asked with a smile.

"No! No! I believe the young lord will surely accomplish great things!" Zhu Qingquan hurriedly shook his head to show that was not what he meant.

"Then accept it, Elder Zhu. Not only must you accept it, I also need you to make inquiries for me. If there are sons of Tang in Khotan like yourself, or families of Hu folk who once fought and bled for Anxi and Beiting, who are truly in dire straits, I will compensate them as well.

It is only that my resources are limited, so Elder Zhu must keep good watch for me. But rest assured — this money I am merely advancing; someone will settle the account later."

Zhu Qingquan nodded gently and looked at Zhang Zhao for a long while. "Very well! Since the young lord puts it that way, this old Zhu will shamelessly accept. But may I ask — whom does the young lord intend to settle the account with in the end?"

Zhang Zhao released Zhu Qingquan's hand and walked out. He turned back with a brilliant smile. "Whoever sits on the dragon throne in the Central Plains will have to settle the account!"

Then he added inwardly, "If I ever sit on that dragon throne myself, then I'll consider it settled in advance!"

Zhu Qingquan, eyes reddening, watched Zhang Zhao's receding figure. He suddenly knelt and knocked his head loudly on the ground toward Zhang Zhao.

"The young lord will surely accomplish great things! May the Buddha bless the young lord with victory at the first battle!"

After leaving the eatery, Zhang Zhao did not hurry back to Yaotou Ridge. Instead, taking the two slave girls with him, he came to a large compound — the residence his mother, Princess Fengtian, had kept in Khotan before her marriage.

After Princess Fengtian married and moved to Dunhuang, Li Shengtian had forbidden anyone to disturb its furnishings. Only when he missed his elder sister would he come and stay for a time.

On the second day after Zhang Zhao arrived, Li Shengtian granted Zhang Zhao the right to take charge of this compound, which had effectively become Li Shengtian's secondary palace. It was then that all of Khotan, high and low, realized that Zhang Zhao's weight in Li Shengtian's heart was by no means small.

Zhang Zhao did not enter the main hall, but walked toward a small courtyard in a more secluded spot. Since the whole house had become Li Shengtian's secondary palace in name, he certainly would not brazenly move into the main hall. If he slept there tonight, Li Shengtian would probably throw him out tomorrow.

In the small courtyard, a few coughs sounded. Wu Yuan'er, still somewhat pale, was waiting for him.

And beside Wu Yuan'er stood a man of similar build and appearance — none other than Wu Da'er, whom Zhang Zhao had sent to Gaochang to "collect debts."

It looked as though the mission had gone quite well!

All chapters have been cached for you. Download the APP to view them.