I took A’Du and walked outside the king’s tent in a hurry. The Great Chanyu’s big tent was called the king's tent, which was made of countless pieces of cowhide and painted with gorgeous floral decorations. The auspicious sentences of blessing were written on the snow-white canopy, and the gold powder that filled in those strokes was dazzling under the sun in the autumn, which made people dare not see them directly. While those golden shadows of these strokes were reflected on the ground, one could recognize one or half sentence that praying for the blessing from heaven. In that golden light, I narrowed my eyes to see the familiar but strange figure in front of the tent. Although he was in a common robe from Western Liang, he didn't look like our people. He turned his head and smiled at me. Sure enough, he didn't belong to Western Liang, but a man from Central Plains.
It was Gu Xiao Wu, the merchant who sold tea.
I couldn’t help but ask him, “What are you doing here?” “To marry you.” I looked at him with a stunned look. After a long while, I smiled and asked him, “Hey, you come here to sell tea again?” Gu Xiao Wu didn't answer me this time but slowly moved the object on the ground back and forth with his tiptoe.
I saw that thing and got so shocked that my chin was about to fall.
It was a huge black wolf, almost twice as big as a common wild wolf, just like a little pony. Even though it was already dead, its eyes kept open, as if it was ready to swallow people at any time. While around its left eye, there was a circle of white hair which seemed to be painted with snow-white mare milk. I rubbed my eyes and remained stunned for a while, then I squatted down and pulled off a hair on its left eye, which was white from head to tip. As sure as fate, it was white hair.
At this time, those nobles of Tujue already gathered in front of the king's tent. They looked at this strangely huge wolf in silence, then some bold children rushed up and pulled out the hair on its eyes as I did, looking it at the direction of the sun. Then they shouted, “It’s white! It’s white!” The noisy voices of the children made me feel uneasy, while the voice of grandpa came directly from the crowd, “Whether or not he belongs to Tujue, he is a true warrior.” The crowd gave way to the Great Chanyu, and grandpa slowly walked out. He looked at the wolf on the ground and nodded. Then he nodded to Gu Xiao Wu and said, "Good!" To win the praise from the Great Chanyu was even more difficult than to melt the snow on the top of Tian Gen mountain. However, Gu Xiao Wu killed the White-Eye Wolf King; as the Great Chanyu had promised, anyone who could kill the White-Eye Wolf King would marry me.
I didn’t expect this person to be Gu Xiao Wu. I followed him and kept asking him how he killed the White-Eye Wolf King.
He understated, "I happened to meet a pack of wolves while I was hawking tea with tea merchants. Then I killed that wolf." I couldn't believe it with my mouth slightly opened. It was said that the King of Yuezhi didn't find the White-Eye Wolf King with thirty thousand cavalries in the Tian Gen mountain. However, had Gu Xiao Wu, who passed by while peddling tea killed the White-Eye Wolf King?
I would not believe it!
However, the Great Chanyu must keep his words. There were lots of discussions about the princess of Western Liang going to marry Gu Xiao Wu, who was a tea merchant from Central Plains. Gu Xiao Wu was regarded as a hero, but I still believed he was just bluffing. However, He Shi got drunk that day and they shouted at each other, which resulted in a match.
Their competition was shooting bats on the prairie at night, which was very boring. The one who hit more bats would win.
Only those who had shot bats before knew how difficult it was.
The Turks all believed He Shi would win, but they made a bet on this match. I was also sure He Shi would win, though the bones in his right hand were fractured. Even if He Shi shot with his left hand, nobody in Tujue could match him in this respect.
The match spread rapidly and widely, everyone knowing it in less than half a day. Others said He Shi wanted to marry me. After all, he was the most powerful warrior and might be the most potent general in the Great Chanyu's army in the future. As for me, although I was the princess of Western Liang, everybody realized the Great Chanyu loved me the most. If He Shi married me, the Great Chanyu would trust him more.
I didn't think He Shi had such strange ideas. I thought A’Du might had told him that I was unwilling to marry Gu Xiao Wu.
Although I vaguely thought Gu Xiao Wu was not a usual tea merchant, I hope I would not marry so young.
Singing the hymns, the Turkic priest dripped the sheep blood into two bowls and handed them to He Shi and Gu Xiao Wu, who were about to have a match. Both of them drank it up at one draught. They were going to slug it out tonight. He Shi was an illustrious hero in Tujue and Gu Xiao Wu was regarded by many Turks as a hero thanks to his killing of the White-Eye Wolf King. Everyone thrilled to see their match. However, I was embarrassed that I didn't know who I hoped to win.
If Gu Xiao Wu won, did I have to marry him?
If He Shi won, was I going to marry He Shi?
Thinking of that, I was shocked. On behalf of me, He Shi just wanted to teach Gu Xiao Wu a lesson to make him less arrogant.
It reminded me of He Shi punished the boys who sang outside A’Du's tent. If they were too noisy, He Shi would figure out a way to calm them down. Gu Xiao Wu killed the White-Eye Wolf King, but no one was convinced. However, he didn’t care about that at all, just openly telling grandpa that he wanted to marry me.
That's why He Shi wanted to teach him a lesson.
Even the Great Chanyu heard about their competition. Quite excited, he also wanted to have a look. I was upset, following grandpa in the crowd to the riverside. The warrior guarding the Great Chanyu's tent took arrows and piled them at the feet of Gu Xiao Wu and He Shi. He Shi was about to use his own bow, but when he saw Gu Xiao Wu empty-handed, he said to Gu Xiao Wu, “I will lend my bow to you.” Gu Xiao Wu nodded, but the Great Chanyu said with a smile, “In our Tujue people's camp, we may lack everything but bows." The Great Chanyu gave an iron bow to Gu Xiao Wu. I was worried about him. This iron bow was heavier than common bows. Gu Xiao Wu looked so gentle and frail that it might even be difficult for him to tighten the bowstring. He Shi also thought of this, but he didn’t want to take advantage of Gu Xiao Wu. He said to the Great Chanyu, “Let him use my bow. The Great Chanyu, please give this bow to me.” The Great Chanyu shook his head, saying, “I won't marry my granddaughter to a man who can’t even tighten a bow.” The onlookers laughed. Many of them didn't believe that the White-Eye Wolf King was really killed by Gu Xiao Wu, so they poured scorn on him. Gu Xiao Wu took the bow, plucking the string with his fingers as if he was playing a guzheng¹. The bowstring vibrated, making the onlookers laugh even louder. He was a fair-skinned gentleman, like the Central Plains musicians Tujue nobles bought. Just now he really played the bowstring, which made the Tujue people look down on him much more.
The evening closed in, bats hovering above the river. The Great Chanyu nodded and said, “Get the competition started.” He Shi and Gu Xiao Wu both had a pile of hundred arrows at their feet. The one who shot one hundred bats first would be the winner. He Shi first pulled back his bowstring. Although he used his left hand, every arrow reached its mark, which dazzled the others. In just one blink, bats dropped from the sky one after another. However, Gu Xiao Wu acted unhurriedly, notching five arrows to his bowstring.
I called Gu Xiao Wu by his name. Although I didn’t know if he could shoot, he should know that only one arrow should be notched a bowstring each time. Gu Xiao Wu looked back and smiled at me, then drawing back his bowstring.
To be honest, it had never occurred to me that Gu Xiao Wu pulled back the bowstring easily. Not only that, he shot five arrows in succession. The end-to-head arrows flew as fast as a meteor, which surprised people around Gu Xiao Wu. "Lianzhu arrows, Lianzhu arrows (arrows fly in rapid succession like a chain of pearls)!" Several Tujue nobles exclaimed and even the Great Chanyu could not help but nodded. There was a senior general in Central Plains who excelled at shooting Lianzhu arrows and killed Zuotu Shewang of Tujue in this way once he confronted the Tujue army. But after all, it was a legend. Nobles in Tujue had never seen anyone shooting Lianzhu arrows again for decades. Gu Xiao Wu shot five arrows at a time and finished shooting Lianzhu arrows in one smooth motion. Although the bats fluttered everywhere, they were shot down by Gu Xiao Wu's arrows that flew in rapid succession. Bats fell down at his feet like a torrential rain. He Shi shot fast, but he was no match for Gu Xiao Wu, who completed shooting that one hundred arrows in moments. Slaves picked up bats and piled them up on one bank of the river. One hundred bats were like one hundred strange black flowers, piling together to form a large black hill.
He Shi shot slower than Gu Xiao Wu, though he also shot down one hundred bats. He Shi said calmly, "You win." Gu Xiao Wu replied, "I can only shoot Lianzhu arrows by using a strong bow. If I used your bow, I would shoot slower than you. Furthermore, your right hand is injured and you shot only with your left hand. Winning this competition will bring no honor to me."
"Neither of us lose. You are a warrior, who I can not match if your hands were in good condition." The crowd were stunned by Gu Xiao Wu's shooting skills and could not help but applauded him for his frank words. People in Tujue had a candid disposition and loved those who did things outright, for example, Gu Xiao Wu. The Great Chanyu smiled frankly, saying, "Good. Our Tujue warrior does not lose." Fixing his eyes on Gu Xiao Wu, he said, " You Central Plains man, tell me what kind of reward you want?" "Your Great Chanyu, you have bestowed your most precious thing on me." Gu Xiao Wu seemed to smile, saying, "What is more precious than your little princess in this world?" The Great Chanyu roared with laughter and other nobles in Tujue were filled with joy. The marriage was settled in this way.
The priest chose an auspicious and crisp day in autumn, on which our wedding ceremony was about to be held. Being very hesitant about the marriage, I asked A’Du secretly, "Which is better, to marry him or not?" A’Du looked at me with her black eyes. There were always calm and serenity in her eyes. I couldn’t make up my mind. Finally, I mustered the courage to make a date to meet Gu Xiao Wu.
I didn’t know what to say to him, but if I married him in such a hurried fashion… I felt a little uneasy.
A cool wind blew in the autumn night. I gathered the fur robe around me, walking up and down the riverside while hearing the river gurgling. The honk of geese coming from afar made me look around. There had been a bright star rising in the west. The sky was dark purple, like a grape jelly.
The achnatherum splendens rustled in the wind. Gu Xiao Wu walked on achnatherum splendens¹ in my direction.
I suddenly felt panic. He wore a Tujuese robe and a scimitar at his side as all other Tujuese did. These days, Gu Xiao Wu had won the great Chanyu's favour. He was not only proficient in shooting arrows, but also Turkish. Therefore, he came from Central Plains though, the Great Chanyu trusted him more and more, and gave him the iron bow. Moreover, He Shi had been like a brother to Gu Xiao Wu since the competition that night. Gu Xiao Wu taught He Shi how to shoot Lianzhu arrows, and He Shi taught Gu Xiao Wu local custom on prairie. When the Great Chanyu saw them, he couldn't help but feel gratified. He Shi even exchanged his scimitar² with Gu Xiao Wu – Tujuese only changed their scimitar with a sworn brother. Sworn brothers, willing to die for each other when fighting enemies, had a closer relationship than real brothers did. So Gu Shi Wu actually wore He Shi's scimitar at his side. As soon as I saw the scimitar, I remembered the last time He Shi had handed it to me and urged me to go first.
Gu Xiao Wu also saw me. He smiled at me in the distance, and I also gave him a smile. Seeing his smile, I suddenly calmed down. Although neither of us spoke, he must know why I made a date to see him here. Sure enough, he said to me: “I brought something to you.” My heart beat fast – was it a belt? If he wanted to give me his belt, what should I say? According to the custom of Tujue and Western Liang, a man had to give his belt to his lover after singing a song… He did not sing to me. I felt very embarrassed with my heart beating wildly, but he said, “You are not full up tonight, right? I bring a large rack of lamb to you!” I suddenly got so irritated that I couldn’t even say a word, I pouted for a long time and finally said, “You are the one who are not full up yet!” Gu Xiao Wu was confused, “I certainly have enough… I noticed that you didn’t eat anything tonight, so I bring a rack of lamb to you.” I remained silent and angry, listening to unknown birds singing in the distance. The river was flowing, and a fish jumped from the water, leaving a splash. I indeed ate nothing at night, because all I thought was the date with Gu Xiao Wu by the river, so I lost my appetite. Now I saw this large rack of lamb Gu Xiao Wu put in front of me, my stomach rang. He laughed and handed the knife to me and said, “Eat!” The lamb chops were delicious! I ate it and my mouth was moist with oil, I asked him happily, “How do you know that I love lamb chops?” Gu Xiao Wu said something in the Central Plains language. I didn’t understand it. He repeated it to me again in Turkish, “Where there is a will, there’s a way.” I had never heard of such a sentence, and my heart skipped a beat. What kind of people could be called as people with a will? Although we met not long ago, I always felt that I had known him for a long time. Maybe it was because we had experienced so many things, every time he would help me and protect me. Though every time what he said would make me angry, but this sentence didn't.
We sat silently by the river, and the singing of Turks was floating from the distance. It was a subtle love song. Turkish warriors would always sing outside the tent of their beloved girl to convey their innermost thoughts and feelings.
I had never felt that the sound of singing was so beautiful, and it sounded like a fairy melody. The fireflies flying in the grass near the river resembled ethereal meteors, as well as a handful of scattered golden sand. I even believed that those little shining insects were the messengers of the gods. They carried delicate lanterns and flashed in the cool night. There were also tiny flames in the camp on the other side of the river, and the laughter of people sounded far away. I suddenly realized that if the gods looked at the world from the clouds in the heavens, would they have such feelings? These so ethereal, so illusory, so distant and blurred feelings.
Translator's Notes:
1. The zheng or guzheng (literally: ‘ancient zheng’), also known as a Chinese zither, is a Chinese plucked string instrument with a more than 2,500-year history.
(Original Translation from WWW。wangmamaread。com)
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