Although the door is closed, there are two invitations that must be made.

One was the Sassanid Persian governor of Herat, and the other was Omar, the high priest of the Zoroastrian religion. Yam.

On the journey westward through the Persian Empire, both of these were great men whom we should not offend.

It was early summer in April in Herat, and in order to satisfy the Governor's curiosity about the Han Kingdom in the East, I specially changed into a wide-sleeved Hanfu before leaving.

Hand-sewn by my mother, white silk fabric, beautiful jade ornaments, coupled with a brocade ribbon to tie my hair, and a long Persian knife with a black sheath in my hand, I have returned to the appearance of a beautiful boy in the clear breeze.

And compared with that year, it is more solemn and majestic.

"Brother! My big brother who looks like Pan An is back! ”

Looking at my outfit, the little sister Gulando opened her blue eyes in surprise and smiled exaggeratedly.

"Since people regard us as envoys from the east, then your eldest brother and I are the face of the great Han Kingdom, how about it? It's okay! Hahaha! ”

I laughed with satisfaction, it had been a long time since I had dressed up like this on the way to business.

"Rich! Majesty! Style! Young master, even if you claim to be a prince from the Great Han Kingdom, you will never have the slightest flaw! Hesrull complimented him heartily.

"Young master, I'm worried about whether you can come back after you go out in such a costume! Oh, the Persian woman is like a wolf and a tiger! Do you want me to escort me and the pot helmet and the old man? ”

Qin Chong leaned under a fig tree with an iron pestle in his hand, and looked at me with a wicked smile full of envy.

"Don't worry, I now have Sister Ku, and no foreign woman can enter my eyes! Ha ha! But today, I am glad that the young master, if the visit goes well, I will take you out in the evening and have fun! ”

As I spoke, I took the reins from Grundot and turned on my horse.

"Great, young master, brothers are waiting for your words!" After getting my promise, Liu Zhen'er and Qin Chong are happy dolls.

"Alright, let's get down to business from now on! Qin Chong, Liu Zhen'er, you two stay at the inn and take care of the goods! Gulando, you, Shamihan, and Brother Ruhr are outside the Governor's Palace! Brother Langton, you and I are going to meet the Governor! Let's go! ”

Being in a foreign country, you have to be prepared for everything, and I re-ordered the arrangements that we had discussed in advance.

Then, a group of five of us rode out of the courtyard of the inn, and galloped along a square brick paved horse road towards a gray brick domed castle in the center of Hecheng.

The fort was also the residence of the governor and the largest administrative center in the northern Sassanid frontier, similar to the county of the Eastern Turkish Han Kingdom.

Before parting ways, Gulando released Qingluan, and the big bird flew into the dense forest in the backyard of the mansion in an instant.

In the unlikely event that Langton and I encounter any sudden changes in the Governor's Palace, with just a whistle, Qingluan will fly over and pass on the situation inside to the Gulando.

The ensuing visit made all of our previous precautionary arrangements ridiculous and redundant.

The Governor was a very charitable old Persian man, and he had been in office for less than a month when we arrived in Herat.

When I rode to the Governor's Mansion with Brother Langton and presented the gift of five silks, the Governor received me, a distinguished guest from the Han Kingdom of the East, with the most solemn ceremonies in his inner mansion.

Her three wives and a dozen sons and daughters lined up in a long line from the verandah of the mansion to the altar of fire worship in the hall.

Dressed in gray and white linen, and receiving my blessings with reverence, my visit has become a great honor for their family.

In particular, the princesses of the Governor are of the same age as me, and all of them are of outstanding grace and affection.

Although the beauty of Persia is charming and enthusiastic, although I have heard of it for a long time, today I can see the world and the demeanor of women in the world.

When the Doge introduced his second daughter, Demir, to me, she gave me a generous and warm hug, and whispered a few words in my ear.

It's a pity that I don't know Persian, so I didn't know what this beauty meant.

Although it is a little difficult to control myself, I know who I am at this time, so I dare not have the slightest bad heart.

Instead, he took a step back with the gentlemanly style of the Han family and bowed to Miss Demir, which attracted the laughter of several exotic beauties.

Afterwards, I showed Gulando, what Demir had said, and asked her to translate it for me.

The little girl sneered with a blushing face, "Revered Lightbringer, please accept my dedication!" Brother, you have taken away Miss Demir's spring heart! When I return to Qingfengze, I will tell my sister-in-law and let her clean you up! ”

"Little sister raises your noble hand! Your brother and I haven't done anything, what can other girls do if they like me! ”

After listening to Gurandot's translation, I was a little distracted by the argument.

"Childe is amorous and leaves a grudge, brother, it seems that you have forgotten Shangguan Yanxi, and that Roman Amika!"

The tricky little sister knows where the scar in my heart is, and a word hits the most vulnerable place in the depths of my memory.

After the two sides had finished their salutes, the Governor asked the servant to take out his own oil seals, and left the scarlet seal of the Governor of Herat on the customs clearance document we had brought.

With this stamp, our next journey to the Sassanid Kingdom will be smooth and free of obstacles from the government.

When the event was done, Brother Langton and I politely declined the Governor's invitation to a family dinner, and left the castle in a hurry.

The headquarters of the Zoroastrian Sect is located in a vast mountain forest outside the city, built along the mountain, and only a rugged winding mountain road is connected to the outside world.

It is said that it was originally the site of a Manichaean seminary, and after the Manichaean Church withdrew from the city of Herat, it became the northern headquarters of the Zoroastrian religion.

In addition to the same cross symbols as Manichaean and Christianity, the most conspicuous feature of this large castle is the silver altar of fire in the center of the castle.

After explaining his intentions, a monk led Langton and me into the High Priest Umar. The dark room where Yam meditated and prayed.

There were no lights in the room, and the glimmer of sunlight shining in through the tiny wooden lattice windows gave me a hazy vision, and I saw a ghostly figure in black in a dark corner.

Isn't the Fire Zoroastrian High Priest the spokesman of the God of Light? Why didn't they meet us in a big and bright room, but hid in such a dark room, like a Buddhist family in retreat?

"Mr. Yi Jincheng, Mr. Langton, welcome to the kingdom of the God of Light, may God bless you!"

While Brother Langton and I were panicking, a very kind voice suddenly sounded from the corner.

Then a man in black with a scepter of holy fire stood up and patted the scepter on my head and Brother Langton's head lightly to bless us.

"When will Mr. Yi's caravan leave Herat City?" The high priest sat down again, still kindly asking.

"Back to the priest, we are going to rest in your city for a few days and then continue west!"

I truthfully reported that I don't know what the other party meant by "sir", maybe it was a translation mistake by Brother Langton, which is equivalent to our son or master in the Western Regions of Middle-earth.

"Oh, I wonder if the two gentlemen are willing to convert to our religion and become brothers and sisters with us, so as to spread the blessings of the God of Light to the eastern land and benefit the people there."

Priest Yam asked calmly, drawing a cross on his chest.

In his view, all believers voluntarily joined the Zoroastrian religion in order to seek prosperity in this world and the salvation of the soul.

Now that he is the priest of the church, Langton and I will certainly be flattered by us Orientals to come to the rescue of us lost lambs, and there will be no reason for us to refuse.

"Thank you for the love of the priest, I and other Oriental businessmen are all believers in Buddhism, and we should abide by it to the end, and I hope your lord can understand!"

With that, I bowed deeply to the figure in the darkness.

"Alright! The world is chaotic and sinful is rampant, only God can give light to all beings, may the merciful Lord bless you! ”

After listening to Langton's translation, Priest Yam no longer insisted, and prayed with a cross on his chest.

"Passing through your land, I specially offer five horses of silk from the Eastern Han Kingdom to worship God, show a little piety, and hope that the priest can accept it!"

Brother Langton took the silk and bowed at the feet of Priest Arm.

Before he came to the East, he was already a Fire Zoroastrian in his hometown of Lan City, and now that he saw the priest he had always admired, his anxiety and excitement were also overflowing.

"All things under heaven belong to my Lord!"

A low-level servant stepped out from behind the priest and took the silk from Langton's hand.

"The believers in the city of Herat now regard him as a messenger of light! I sincerely hope that these two gentlemen will convert to this religion and create a great cause with us! It's a pity that the revered Shakyamuni Buddha has taken the lead in your East! ”

After accepting my almsgiving, Priest Yam's attitude became more and more cordial.

"In that case, sir, please listen to the advice of this sect, and if there is no business to be attended, please leave the city as soon as possible! This will not affect your future, but will also allow the followers of this sect to eliminate false and sinful thoughts and concentrate on agriculture and commerce. ”

At the end of this meeting, Priest Yam finally stated the true purpose of calling me here.

He feared that I would ascend in the name of the Fire Zoroastrian Lightbringer and call on his followers to go to the bright and rich Eastern Han Kingdom.

Like the prophet Moses in the Hebrew Bible, he led the suffering Hebrews out of Egypt and into Canaan.

They came to the land where their ancestors had lived for generations, under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.