Old Sun shielded Yun Mu behind him and slowly retreated backward. Old Liu’s crossbow was already prepared in his hands. If he discovered anything amiss, he would immediately strike to kill. Just now, the young lady had broken away from them and entered the tent alone—it was truly too dangerous. The Tubo man sitting before them was definitely not an ordinary person.

There was no need to speak much with this Tubo barbarian. Announcing their names would only make them appear timid. Right now, it was all about one’s momentum. Ludongzan didn’t obstruct them either. Seeing them exit the tent, he didn’t move, only watching Yun Mu, who stuck half her head out and looked back with curiosity, and said: “You wanted to get your dog slave’s wife and children back for him? Why are you leaving?”

Old Sun stopped the girl who was about to speak and said to Ludongzan: “The person the young lady wants, you’ll naturally give.”

“Oh? Not necessarily. Are you planning to take them by force? I heard that here there are only herdsmen, no bandits.” Ludongzan picked up another silver bowl, poured himself a cup of milk tea, and continued drinking. The appearance of a Central Plains noble girl on the grasslands was truly novel. Could it be that the Tang people had officially incorporated the Yinshan region into their territory? Otherwise, why would family members be staying here?

Old Sun picked up Yun Mu and said over his shoulder to Ludongzan: “Don’t entertain any ideas about the young lady. Even the King of Tubo cannot bear this responsibility.” After speaking, he hurriedly left with Yun Mu. This place made him feel very uncomfortable. After returning, he should tell the madam to take precautions early, because the way that man had just looked at the young lady was very wrong.

“Old Liu, if you had made a move just now, what were your chances of success?” Old Sun asked Old Liu, who followed behind.

“Not good. Within two zhang should be the distance where the Swallow Wing crossbow has the strongest power, but my feeling was bad. It seemed that if I made a move, the one who would die would be me.”

“I had the same feeling. This person is extraordinary. How did the young lady end up finding him?”

“I want to get Danzhu’s wife and children back. Danzhu said they’re always hungry at the chieftain’s place.” Yun Mu said indignantly. Just now, if Grandpa Sun hadn’t come in, Wang Cai would have gone to bite that man and would surely have rescued Danzhu’s wife and children.

Old Sun had no way to explain what had just happened. The little girl still didn’t know how dangerous it had been. That person clearly wasn’t someone Wang Cai could handle. He could only carry Yun Mu back, with Wang Cai following closely behind. If this person still remained nearby after the Day of Tribute, that would indicate harboring ill intentions. Then they could deal with him. Old Sun recalled Yun Ye’s instructions before they came—do good deeds openly, evil deeds in secret. Don’t seek expansion, only seek stability. The Yun family had no need to make themselves into villains.

Shortly after Yun Mu left, a group of people entered the tent and sat properly in the lower seats. Ludongzan didn’t ask questions, so they didn’t speak. This was Ludongzan’s habit—he didn’t like people who talked too much.

“What caused those weeping people to turn into smiling faces in an instant?”

“Madam Na Rimu agreed to let those small tribes move down to Yinshan. This year’s cattle and sheep need not be paid, but from now on, the wool will belong to the Heavenly Khan.”

“Who is Madam Na Rimu?” Ludongzan was somewhat puzzled. The leader here was actually a woman.

“The concubine of Marquis Lantian Yun Ye. Originally a Turk, because of her exceptional beauty, she was taken in by Yun Ye. This entire stretch of pasture actually belongs to the Yun family. They are the only Central Plains household on the grasslands with a fief.”

“She has a daughter?”

“Her name is Yun Mu. She’s four years old this year and is the Yun family’s eldest daughter. She’s extremely favored. Even Hou Junji is very fond of her.”

“A child like a little fairy. I like her too. If we took her away, what would be the consequences?”

The Tubo man answering the questions suddenly raised his head and looked at Ludongzan in shock, saying: “War, death, a great war, many deaths.” After speaking, he pressed his nose to the ground and dared not speak further.

He didn’t want to reveal how many people had already died on the grasslands because of this little girl and her mother. Not to mention those who wanted to abduct the little girl—even two tribes that had shown the slightest disrespect to Na Rimu had already been exterminated. And that little girl’s status was clearly even more noble than her mother’s. Once she was abducted by the Prime Minister, given the Tang people’s temperament, this matter could only end in mutual destruction.

Ludongzan chuckled and said: “I merely took notice of that child’s concentrated auspicious energy. Our children don’t have it. So be it. Knowingly taking what cannot be taken—the wise do not do this. Who gave that little girl the dog slave? Then send the dog slave’s wife and children over together. Just say it’s from a strange man.”

After his Tubo subordinates acknowledged the order, he tightened his leather robe at the waist, strolled out of the tent, and without bringing a single attendant, wandered idly through the sparse crowd. Sometimes he scooped up a small handful of wheat from bags that Han merchants had set out, examining whether the grain was good quality.

“Guest, please try some. This is last year’s finest wheat from Guanzhong, winnowed clean, dried thoroughly, absolutely no sand or dirt mixed in.” Seeing that the richly dressed Ludongzan was interested in the grain, the merchant hurried forward to make conversation.

Ludongzan tossed a few grains into his mouth, bit them open, chewed, and nodded, saying: “Indeed fine grain, not damp, not moldy. You conduct business quite honestly.”

“Sir, you’re too kind. Great Tang merchants never adulterate their goods. Business is really about longevity. This old man has been in this trade for a long time and has never done unscrupulous things. I don’t know how much grain the gentleman needs—even if it’s grain for an entire tribe, this old man can supply it!”

Ludongzan’s pupils couldn’t help but contract. He asked strangely: “As far as I know, Great Tang has never allowed grain to flow out. Yet here, old sir, you can openly buy and sell it. Why is this?”

The merchant stroked his beard and said with a laugh: “Sir, you must have lived on the snowy plateau for a long time and don’t know the affairs of the plains. What you mention about grain not being allowed to leave the passes—that was a decree from before the seventh year of Zhenguan. Now, there’s so much grain in Guanzhong that it can’t all be eaten. The court’s Ever-Normal Granaries can’t store much more, and the common people’s homes have surplus grain. What can be done? It needs somewhere to go. It can’t be left to rot in warehouses and be eaten by insects and rats, so it can only be sold to the grassland herdsmen in exchange for cattle, sheep, and hides. Even exchanging for wool is good!”

Ludongzan was left dizzy and dazed by the merchant’s words. When had the Central Plains become so prosperous that grain couldn’t all be eaten? This was impossible. Grain should always be insufficient. Tubo people struggled in ice and snow, wailed in hunger and cold, yet the people at the foot of the mountains had so much grain they couldn’t finish eating it?

“Hehe, old sir is deceiving me. How could there be such an extraordinary thing in the world as having more grain than can be eaten?” Ludongzan asked without revealing his emotions, continuing the conversation. This trip down from the plateau—it seemed he needed to properly observe the customs and products of the Central Plains.

Seeing that Ludongzan didn’t believe him, the merchant became even more pleased. He grabbed a handful of vermicelli noodles from a basket and handed them to him, saying: “That’s because you don’t recognize our nation’s auspicious crops. What you’re holding are vermicelli noodles made from the auspicious potato. This thing produces three to five thousand jin per mu without effort. There’s also corn, which has now begun to be planted extensively in Guanzhong. The yield per mu is also good. Now the court has reduced agricultural taxes again and again. It looks like in a few decades, agricultural taxes will cease to exist entirely. Think about it—eat one more bite of vermicelli or corn and you eat one less bite of wheat. Moreover, now Guanzhong is thriving in raising chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep. Who has nothing better to do than hold a steamed bun and gnaw on it all day? This way, doesn’t surplus grain appear?”

“Three to five thousand jin per mu?” Ludongzan’s eyes filled with intense mockery. You really take me for an ordinary Tubo man to deceive? If one mu yields three shi of wheat, that’s already an incredible good harvest. Three to five thousand jin?

Seeing Ludongzan’s doubt, the merchant simply stopped what he was doing and said to him: “I didn’t expect you to believe it. A few years ago, if someone had said this, even I wouldn’t have believed it. This old man also has land. My wife and son farm it. In autumn, the fields are piled full of potatoes everywhere. They were worried because it took this old man an entire day of carrying loads on my back to get one mu’s harvest home.”

Ludongzan suddenly realized that what this traveling merchant said might not be false, because places bordering Tubo like Jiannan and Nanzhao hadn’t received news of famine for a long time. He’d heard that many tribes had already given up growing highland barley and focused single-mindedly on raising cattle and sheep. At the time, he couldn’t understand it no matter how he thought about it. When Lhasa suffered snow disasters, there was universal suffering, so how could those tribes have the virtue and ability to pass through calamities safely? Could it be that their grain all came from Tang?

Although Tubo had been unified by the Tsenpo, this was merely nominal. That is to say, all the tribal chieftains recognized the Tsenpo as king, but other rights still belonged to the tribal chieftains. They merely paid tribute with some grain, cattle, and sheep each year. The saying “orders do not leave Lhasa” arose from this situation.

“Noble sir, there’s really no need to grow grain on the snowy plateau. Highland barley yields so little per mu, and you don’t know how to farm anyway. Raising cattle and sheep is your proper occupation. I hear that cashmere from the snowy plateau is now worth more than gold. Raise a flock of sheep, shear the wool, comb the cashmere—that’s the real business. Give these things to this old man, and this old man will exchange grain with you. I guarantee the grain you get in a year will be more than what you’d get from farming. I heard that some tribes on the Jiannan plateau have signed contracts with major Central Plains merchants. They don’t farm, just raise sheep, and have become fat as pigs without worries about food and clothing. This old man can’t get a foot in there, so I can only come here to try my luck. If you want grain, just say the word. This old man will definitely prepare enough for you. It’s just that I can’t get up to the plateau, and the escort agencies are unwilling to go. You’ll need to transport it up yourself.”

Ludongzan’s heart had long been as hard as iron and stone, but hearing this merchant’s words, cold sweat continuously streamed down his forehead. Whether Guanzhong had auspicious crops yielding three to five thousand jin per mu, he didn’t know clearly. What he heard from the merchant’s words was a terrifying piece of news that made his liver and gallbladder split—that Tang merchants were bit by bit devouring Tubo. Silkworms eating mulberry leaves still made rustling sounds, but these merchants devouring Tubo were silent and soundless.

People ultimately needed to eat grain. When Tubo people ate mutton, they all wanted tsampa to go with it. How could they not grow highland barley? Not grow it because the yield was low? Good heavens, raising sheep could be exchanged for more grain? What if they stopped exchanging? What would you eat? Placing your tribe’s lifeline in the hands of the Tang people—how shortsighted must one be to make such a foolish and misguided decision?