"I have prepared all the people you may need, and the next road depends on how you go."

Lu Pheasant looked at this ignorant princess, and it was difficult to speak, so he had to recite it silently in his heart.

Take 10,000 steps back, even if Zhang Ao, the king of Zhao, himself has no objection, just in terms of the environment of Zhao State, for Lu Yuan, it is already an unmanageable Longtan tiger's den.

Although the Zhao State is also considered to be a middle land, for hundreds of years, it has been intertwined with the Xiongnu, Lou Fu and other nomadic peoples in the north for a long time, and the territory has a large span from north to south, and the land in the north is relatively barren and not suitable for farming, but it is very conducive to commercial development.

The unique geographical environment and style, as well as the integration of multi-ethnic cultures, have shaped the folk customs of Zhao State, which are very different from the core hinterland of the Central Plains since ancient times.

To borrow Tai Shi Gong's evaluation, during the Warring States Qin and Han dynasties, the biggest tradition of the Zhao people was to "rely on the opportunity to eat and eat", they were good at business, and compared with practical farming, they admired dexterity and wit to make a living.

The national conditions of the vast land and miscellaneous customs, thin land and large number of people also determined that the rulers of Zhao State have always attached equal importance to agriculture and commerce, and paid great attention to the development of handicrafts.

The social atmosphere of advocating business, which is reflected in the body of the men of Zhao State, is that they love to gather and have fun, are prone to sad songs and generosity, have a wide open and closed temperament, do not follow the law, and let chivalry be traitors;

And the imprint on the woman of Zhao is extremely pragmatic and utilitarian.

The local women are good at drumming and singing, good at singing and dancing, aggressive in marriage, never legalistic, charming and rich, and all over the harem of the princes.

In Zhao Di, in order to make the family prosperous, it is common for husbands to send their wives and fathers and brothers to send their daughters into the harems of various countries, and the list is endless.

The sister of Li Yuan, a Zhao man who was presented to the king of Chu by Shenjun of Chu in that year, later became the queen of Chu;

And the Handan Zhao Ji presented by Lü Buwei is the mother of the first emperor.

There are also legendary heroines such as King Zhao Mourning Xiang and King Zhao Wuling, all of whom are ambitious Zhao women, who either acquiesced in the secret obedience, or simply took the initiative to participate in the whole process of entering the harem and climbing to the pinnacle of power.

In the face of the many concubines in the palace of King Zhao alone, Lu Yuan, who had mediocre qualifications, was already in a dilemma, dwarfed by it, not to mention, the undercurrent in it was far more than the battle between the women of the harem in the inner house.

However, for Lu Pheasant, since her daughter willingly went to the tiger's den and Longtan alone, in addition to helping the horse and giving her a ride, others can't do more.

The palace people who sent so many accompanying people did not expect her to be in the harem of Zhao and strategize, but only hoped that she would be safe, and at the critical moment, try not to become a hostage in the hands of King Zhao.

Of course, I believe that Zhao Guo also knows that trying to threaten Emperor Liu Ji with the lives and safety of his children is tantamount to a fool's dream.

In Liu Ji's world, there is no concern about the so-called rat trap, for him, in order to get rid of unsatisfactory mice, a jade bottle and a jade bowl are nothing.

"Say a thousand things and ten thousand, of course I hope that you and Zhao Wang Qinse are harmonious, happy and happy.

But you always have to remember where your true home is. ”

The queen mother's parting words are still in her ears, the mountain rain is about to come, and the wind is full of buildings, and a family affair that should be happy seems to be mixed with a trace of unusual solemnity.

Lu Yuan once again leaned his face close to the carved window, gently lifted the splendid screen cover, and looked at the solemn team accompanying him outside the car.

At this time, in her eyes, this was not like a wedding honor guard, but more like a team of soldiers on an expedition.

***

Lu Shizhi, who was sitting in another car, was also constantly observing the scenery along the way.

As the car drove north, he saw the sky outside his window getting higher and wider, and the lush jungle was gone, replaced by an endless plain.

Naturally, there are still trees, but they are all hidden in the mountains in the distance.

Those mountains lie at the end of the line of sight, drastic, endless, endless, and their length is not known for thousands of miles.

Lu Yuan, who grew up in the Yangtze River Basin, constantly exclaimed at the unfamiliar beauty, while Lu Shizhi did not have the mood of a young daughter, what he saw in his eyes was a vast and unfathomable territory that he had never set foot in.

He knew that the side of the mountains did not belong to the Han Empire, but there were Xiongnu iron hooves that haunted from time to time.

In this way, the guard of honor walked slowly for many days, and finally arrived at Handan City.

***

Zhao is located in the north of the Han Empire, during the period of Chu and Han conflict, Liu Ji established Zhang Er as the king of Zhao, and then merged Qin's Handan County and Julu County into Zhao State, and gave Zhang Er jurisdiction.

At present, Zhao has jurisdiction over five counties: Handan, Julu, Qinghe, Hejian and Changshan.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhao is the throat of the Central Plains, the place where soldiers must fight, after entering the Han Dynasty, Zhao continued to take Handan as the capital.

Handan is the ancient capital of the Warring States Period, and is also a world-famous iron smelting, handicraft and commercial center, with developed transportation, extremely prosperous, and because of the long-term border with foreign races, Hu and Han are mixed, and merchants gather.

And the palace city of King Zhao is located in the highest place in Handan City.

This is a royal city expanded on the basis of the old city of the Warring States period, composed of three palaces in the west city, the east city and the north city, the shape is huge, and it is not inferior to the north and south palaces of Luoyang.

In the majestic and solemn, it reflects the afterglow of the powerful Zhao State in the Golden Age, which once fought against the Qin State alone.

And this group of people from the Luoyang Imperial City felt the scorching heat of this afterglow in the first banquet held in the Zhao Palace.

In order to welcome the returning King Zhao, as well as the new queen who came from afar, Jiancheng Hou Lu Shizhi and others, prepared by Zhao Cheng and others, a grand and grand reception banquet was held in the main hall of Longtai in Xicheng.

Zhang Ao and Lu Yuan, who were dressed up, were in the honorable position, and under the hall sat the doctors of Zhao in turn, including the prime minister who commanded the officials, the prince of the auxiliary king, the internal history of the people, and the lieutenant who held the military position, all of which were indistinguishable from the Han court.

Lu Shizhigui is the brother of the queen, the uncle of Queen Zhao, and the marquis of Jiancheng, and the monarchs and ministers of Zhao did not dare to snub him, and repeatedly invited him to take a seat.

And he humbly excused himself, looked left and right, and finally found a face that was whiter than others among the strangers.

Can become such a person in vain, except for Zhang Cang, who else?

He had already known Zhang Cang, Wang Ling, etc., and when they met in Zhao Di at this time, they just had the feeling of meeting their old acquaintances in a foreign land, so they insisted on sitting beside him.

I saw Zhang Cang comfortably pick up a piece of tender lamb breast that had been roasted to yellowing on both sides and bubbling with oil from the copper plate on the case, and dipped it in a plate of white powder for a few dips before putting it in his mouth and chewing it contentedly.

Lu Shizhi looked at the plate of powder carefully, and could vaguely distinguish that it was salt, and there were some small brown particles mixed in it, which smelled spicy and pungent, and he didn't know what it was.

"It's called pepper, and it's from the Western Regions.

Ground and eaten with mutton, it is very delicious. ”

Zhang Cang has lived in the border area for a long time, and he is clear.

"Merchants of the Western Regions, can they also come here?"

"You can get there anywhere.

This was resold from the Xiongnu through border merchants, after several twists and turns. ”

Zhang Cang said, picking up another piece of fatter lamb chops.

"What about Liu Jing? Liu Jing left so soon? ”

Lu Shizhi inspected everyone in the hall and asked.

"Yes.

We also found a way to buy silk for the Yan clan, and got in touch with the Xiongnu royal court.

They promised to see him, and he had set out in a hurry two days before. ”

Zhang Cang munched on the lamb chops and said vaguely in his mouth,

"By the way, Liu Jing kept chattering before leaving, saying that he was really expected by the queen, and he still had to go through the relationship between the Yan family."