Diqin Designer

Chapter 319 Arrival at Fahrenheit City

Gan Yu and others returned to Daqin with the monks of Tanmolidi, while Yao Zhi and others continued their diplomatic mission to Hua City, the capital of the Peacock Kingdom.

Hua City is located in the northwest of Tanmo Lidi, not too far away. After several days of traveling, a huge city appeared in the eyes of Yao Zhi and others.

Through long-distance visual comparison, Yao Zhi and others came to a shocking conclusion that Hua City is larger than Xianyang City. It is more than twice as long as Xianyang and more than four times as wide. Its overall area exceeds that of eight Xianyangs.

As they got closer, Yao Zhi and others discovered that their visual observation was correct; this city was indeed larger than Xianyang.

The city was surrounded by a wide moat. As the city was too long, the defensive wall was also very long. At a glance, there were at least hundreds of towers on the defensive wall, as well as many city gates. For example, the wall they were facing now had more than a dozen gates.

People constantly come in and out of these city gates, showing that this is also a prosperous city!

The guide who led them pointed at Huashi City and said to Yao Zhi and others with a smile: "Dear guests from Daqin, you have arrived at your destination. This is our capital - Huashi City!"

Yao Zhi and the others knew that this person was showing off to them, but the city was indeed very big, and Yao Zhi did not hesitate to praise it: "It is tall and majestic, and it is magnanimous and broad. It is worthy of being the capital of your country!"

The guide was very pleased with this, and he smiled even more. He said, "Hua City is not only the largest city in our country, but also the most prosperous city. The prosperity of the city will surely surprise you again."

Yao Zhi smiled and said, "Then we will definitely take a good look after we enter the city!"

Following the guide, Yao Zhi and others arrived at the city gate. However, since they were an envoy from a foreign country, they naturally could not enter the city casually. They had to report their origins first and wait for the Peacock Kingdom to send someone to contact them and obtain permission before they could enter the city.

Soon, several officials from the Peacock Kingdom led a group of people to the city gate. The leading official looked at Yao Zhi and others and asked, "Are you the envoys from the Qin Kingdom who came to our country to meet the emperor?"

What audience? We are here to visit you. It's as if we are vassals of your Maurya Kingdom, coming to pay homage to your suzerain state.

Yao Zhi saluted the official and replied, "I, the Qin man Yao Zhi, follow the order of His Majesty the Emperor of Great Qin..."

Before he could finish his words, the official waved his hand impatiently and interrupted him, "Okay, okay, I know you are envoys from the Qin State. Come over to register and all the things you bring will be checked."

While Yao Zhi and others were registering their identity information, several other officials brought people to check the things Yao Zhi and others brought with them. When they saw the glassware, their eyes were drawn to them.

Unfortunately, they could only look at it but didn't dare to take it. This was a gift from a foreign envoy to their king. If they took it, they would be committing a serious crime. They could only check it and make sure it was not a weapon and was not harmful before putting it back into the box.

After registration and inspection, Yao Zhi and others were allowed to enter the city. From outside the city, one could tell that it was very big. In fact, it was indeed very big, but despite the vast area, it seemed a bit crowded because there were too many buildings and people in the city.

Pedestrians come and go on the streets, shops are lined up on the street, and there are all kinds of mobile vendors, making the streets crowded with people.

In terms of liveliness, it is very prosperous, but it seems very disorderly and even a bit messy, as if there is no good planning and all kinds of things are piled together.

Yao Zhi and others noticed that there were many monks on the street, but unlike the monks in Tamolidi, they did not put down a piece of cloth and sit on it with their eyes closed in meditation, leaving the believers to provide food and water themselves. Instead, they took the initiative to beg for alms in various shops.

Yao Zhi thought to himself: "There are still so many monks in Huashi City, which means that the current king of Peacock Kingdom has not yet suppressed them."

The locals also noticed them and looked at this strange group of people curiously, but when they saw officials leading them, they did not dare to get close.

The city is also filled with all kinds of strange smells, including the smell of food cooked by the locals, the stench of feces and urine, and the smell emanating from animals. Although there are many trees, flowers and plants planted in the city, these smells still cannot be covered up.

But it didn't take long before Yao Zhi and others knew where the smell of feces and urine came from. They saw a local doing something uncivilized in a corner.

Although we only see this one person now, there are many more that we don’t see. If there are people defecating and pissing in corners and under trees everywhere in this city, it is not surprising that there is a smell.

Ignoring these shortcomings, Hua City is indeed prosperous. Walking through the streets, Yao Zhi and others saw many things that they had never seen in Tamakuri.

The buildings in the city are also very peculiar, with orthodox Maurya-style architecture, which looks quite beautiful. However, probably because there are too many people and not everyone has the money to repair their houses, the architectural style in the city is not unified, with some good and some bad, and some good and some bad.

An earthen tile house was built in the villa area, and a cement apartment emerged among a group of earthen tile houses, giving Yao Zhi and others a strange feeling of chaos, disunity, and makeshift living.

Their feeling was correct. Even in modern times, people in this area still live this way.

But after passing through the downtown area, this feeling disappeared, because what appeared before them was a complex of buildings of the same style. There were no vendors or pedestrians here, and the air was much fresher, without the strange smell just now.

Yao Zhi and others knew that they had arrived at the government area of ​​the city, where ordinary civilians were not allowed to enter, so the environment here would naturally improve.

Several officials from the Peacock Kingdom brought Yao Zhi and others to a large courtyard. The leading official pointed to the courtyard and said, "This is where you can rest. You can arrange your own rooms. Someone will come to notify you when it's time for meals every day. If you need anything else, please inform the guards."

"The audience with the king will be in five days. During these five days, someone will come to explain the etiquette of the audience with the king. Learn it well and don't lose your manners in front of the king!"

"You may be considered important figures in the Qin State, but this is my Peacock State, not the Great Qin State where you all come from. If you anger the king, no one can save you!"

Several officials then led Yao Zhi and others into the courtyard. The courtyard was very large and there was a special area for feeding livestock. It should be an inn built by the Maurya Kingdom to accommodate foreign envoys.

After the check-in was completed, the leading official said, "The king heard that you all arrived today, so he specially asked us to host a banquet for you. Now follow us."

After finishing the banquet for entering the city, Yao Zhi and others returned to the courtyard. In the room, one person said, "These Peacock people are too self-righteous. Although those Peacock people didn't say it explicitly just now, the meaning of their words clearly showed that they treated us as people from a small barbarian country."

Someone nearby also said, "The leader seemed to be reminding us, but in fact he was saying: Your Great Qin is a small barbarian country, and cannot be compared with our Peacock Country. Don't bring your Great Qin to the Peacock Country."

Another person said, "What's so annoying about this? Wasn't it the same during the battle at Tanmo Lidi? They have never seen the strength of our Great Qin, so of course they don't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is, and think that they are stronger. When they see it in the future, they will naturally not have such thoughts." Although they said so, being looked down upon still made everyone a little unhappy. How dare such a country think that it is the strongest country in the world and look down on Great Qin? Just like a wild dog dares to show off its power when there are no beasts in the mountains.

Yao Zhi smiled and said, "We also looked down on them before, thinking that the Great Qin was number one in the world and that no other country could match it. It is normal for them to have the same idea. The world is big and there are many countries. Although the Great Qin is strong, it cannot surpass all other countries in every aspect."

"For example, Huashi City in the Peacock Kingdom is larger than Xianyang City at this time. So, everyone, we can regard Daqin as the best in the world, but we must not look down on other countries and must be cautious. Don't be disrespectful because your country is small, and don't be careless because your country is weak!"

"In five days, we will meet with the King of Peacock Kingdom. We must be well prepared and not make any mistakes..." Everyone collected their thoughts and listened carefully to what Yao Zhi said.

In a blink of an eye, it was the day to meet the King of the Peacock Kingdom. On this day, everyone wore the prepared clothes, brought gifts, and went to the palace of the Peacock Kingdom.

The city of Hualien is so big, so the palace naturally covers a large area. It is built in a very magnificent and beautiful way. There are many trees planted in the palace, and the grass is green. It looks more like a castle in a garden than a king’s residence.

According to Yao Zhi and others, it is beautifully built, but lacks a sense of majesty and solemnity!

Entering the palace hall, the space is very large and one must pass through a corridor to reach the main hall.

Under the gaze of the princes and nobles of the Peacock Kingdom, Yao Zhi, holding the banner, led more than a dozen members of the delegation to the main hall and said to the Peacock King who was sitting on the throne: "Yao Zhi, a Qin man, is here to visit your country on the order of His Majesty the Emperor of Great Qin. I am here to meet the King!"

The Peacock King nodded, looked at the banner in Yao Zhi's hand, and asked curiously, "What is this?"

Yao Zhi replied: "This is the 'Jingjie', which was bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor. It symbolizes His Majesty's order and is also the proof of Yao's status as an envoy of the Great Qin. It can only be bestowed when sent on a diplomatic mission to a foreign country."

The Peacock King said, "It was given by the King of Qin! Why do you call the King of Qin 'Your Majesty'?"

Yao Zhi explained simply: "In ancient times, there were the 'Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors' who had made outstanding achievements. Your Majesty's achievements are even greater than those of the 'Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors'. The title of 'Emperor' or 'Emperor' alone is not enough to show your Majesty's achievements. Only 'Emperor' can do that."

Yao Zhi intentionally omitted the statement "the emperor is the king of kings" in his speech, because saying it might cause displeasure among the princes and ministers of the Peacock Kingdom, and it is better to avoid trouble than to worry about it.

The Lord of the Peacock Kingdom asked again: "I heard that the Great Qin Kingdom is located in the northeast of our country, very far away from our country, and therefore the customs are very different. What religion does the Great Qin Kingdom believe in? Which gods do they worship?"

This question attracted the attention of all the princes and ministers of the Maurya Kingdom in the hall. Although they were already looking at Yao Zhi, they were more concerned at this moment and wanted to know how Yao Zhi would answer.

Yao Zhi replied: "There is no sect in our Great Qin. There are four emperors to worship: the White Emperor, the Green Emperor, the Yellow Emperor, and the Yan Emperor."

At this time, a prince of the Maurya Kingdom asked: "Why are there only four emperors instead of 'Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors'?"

Yao Zhi couldn't answer this question. He shook his head and said, "I am just an ordinary minister of the Qin Dynasty. I don't know the reason."

Another minister of the Maurya Kingdom asked, "Why do you offer sacrifices to the four emperors but not to the three main gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva?"

This question is unreasonable and deliberately provoking. They are from different places and countries, so how can they worship the same gods?
But this minister was just deliberately making trouble. It didn't matter what god the Qin Dynasty was worshipping, what mattered was that they were not worshipping the god of their Peacock Kingdom.

Yao Zhi smiled and said, "The gods are ever-changing. In your country, they are called Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, but in my country, they may not be called by these names. It's like speaking the same words, but in my country, we speak Qinqiang, and in your country, we speak another language. There are differences between the two languages, but aren't they both speaking?"

The minister wanted to continue to attack, but Yao Zhi did not give him another chance and said to the King of Peacock Kingdom: "In order to promote good relations between the two countries, before leaving Daqin, Your Majesty specially prepared a gift for the king!"

The King of the Peacock Kingdom immediately became interested and asked, "What is the gift?"

Other princes and ministers were also curious and wanted to know what kind of treasures these envoys from the Qin Kingdom would bring. According to the news brought back by Tammo Lidi, the treasures brought by the Qin people were extraordinary.

Yao Zhi said: "The gift is outside the palace!"

The King of Maurya Kingdom immediately gave an order, and then strong men carried more than ten wooden boxes into the palace.

The styles of these boxes were different from those in their country, but they were exquisitely made and carved with various patterns, some of which were pictures of mountains and rivers, some of which were scenes of flying birds, and some of which were pictures of the bright moon shining on the sky and the earth.

The way of drawing was something they had never seen before. It looked strange and not realistic enough, but they could indeed understand what was being drawn and it was pleasing to the eye.

The box alone is so precious, the treasures inside must be even more precious.

As the boxes were opened one by one, the treasures inside were presented to the princes of the Maurya Kingdom, and this conjecture was confirmed.

I saw that the first three boxes were filled with utensils made of a kind of transparent gem, which were extremely eye-catching. There were cups, bowls, bottles, plates, and cups... It was obviously a set of usable utensils!

They are all made of transparent gems, pure and clear, without any flaws or stains. They are very high-end at first glance. These are the utensils that suit their status and are what they should use.

Compared with this set of utensils, their gold cups, ivory bowls, and jade plates all looked vulgar.

The princes and nobles were itching to have such a set of equipment. Unfortunately, this was a gift from the Qin people to the king, so they could only ask the Qin people if they had any more. If not, they would have to find a way to buy them from the great Qin State.

Looking at the box at the back, the treasures inside were not as attractive as the set of utensils made of transparent gems. They were also some commonplace things. The statues made of metal and jade, although exquisitely carved and rare treasures, were still not valued by the princes of the Maurya Kingdom.

Then I looked again and saw what was inside. It seemed to be cloth. The cloth in this box looked very good, but the cloth in that box was a bit strange. It was too white, too smooth, and was cut so neatly.

(End of this chapter)