Shu Yan stared at Xiao Mo, whose cheeks were already flushed, and then looked specifically at the square-head clogs Xiao Mo was wearing. At that time, men's and women's clogs had different shapes, with men's clogs having square heads and women's clogs having round heads.

"I can teach you, but I want to ask you, why do you always say you are a woman?"

Xiao Mo secretly laughed in his heart: You are so frank and honest! Nowadays, the Jin Dynasty ritual system is loose and can even be said to be chaotic. Men wear powder and women wear men's clothing. Don't you know that many women wear square-toed clogs like men? How can you tell a man from a man by his shoes?

!

"Well," Xiao Mo coughed unnaturally, "I have told you before, because I have been active and naughty since I was a child, so my parents wanted me to be quieter and gave me a name

Give me a softer name, dress me in girl's clothes, and raise me as a girl. I have been a girl at home for twenty years. It was only in recent years that when I went out to play, for the sake of safety and convenience, I became a man. So

, at certain times, I would say I was a girl due to a slip of the tongue."

"You really don't look like a man."

"Of course. After being a girl for twenty years, I have the temperament of a girl in every move I make."

"Do you Qiang people all look like this? Tell me what story you have."

"We Qiang people look similar to you Chinese. In terms of race, among the Hu tribes you call the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie, Di, Qiang, etc., the Qiang people have the closest bloodline to the Central Plains people compared to other ethnic groups. In

In ancient times, the ancestors of the Chinese people and the ancestors of the Qiang people had a deep relationship. Yu the Great once granted Shun's youngest son the title of Qiang

In the land, the Qiang people respected Shun's youngest son as their chief. Since Shun was named "Youyu", the Qiang people claimed to have the Yu clan. Later, due to the continuous migration of the Qiang people and the continuous integration with the local indigenous people, they were divided into many different tribes.

The tribes have gradually drifted away from the Central Plains people, and their living customs, clothing and language are also quite different from those of the Chinese."

"You said that your father's surname is Hua, so your given name should be 'Hua Xiaomo', but why are you called 'Jiang Xiaomo'?"

"Because my mother's surname is Jiang. In ancient times, regardless of the difference between Jiang and Qiang, both had the character 'sheep'. Moreover, Emperor Yan was also surnamed Jiang, and the Qiang people are proud of the surname Jiang."

"Are the Qiang people inherited through the maternal line? Why do you take your mother's surname instead of your father's surname?"

"It's not entirely true. The ancestors of the Qiang people did use their father's and mother's surnames as their names, but that's not the reason for me. Because my father is not a Qiang, but half-Chinese. I grew up in the Qiang area.

Of course I have to take my mother’s surname.”

"Chinese?" Shu Yan was puzzled.

"Well, my father can only be considered half Chinese. My grandfather is the real Chinese."

"What are the real Chinese, half-Chinese? I am getting more and more confused."

"Of course you are confused, that's why I look different from ordinary people." Xiao Mo said with a smile, "Have you heard of the ancient Silk Road? In the pre-Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Bowang Hou Zhang Qian as an envoy to the Western Regions with the intention of uniting

All the countries in the Western Regions attacked the Xiongnu together. Unexpectedly, the political goal was not achieved, but a trade channel was opened unintentionally.

The Road of Trade. After that, merchants from various countries exchanged what they needed along this ancient Silk Road, transporting Han silk, tea and other items to countries in the Western Regions. Countries in the Western Regions sold their horses, jewelry, fruits, vegetables, etc. to the Central Plains.

Trade was quite prosperous. My grandfather was one of these merchants, and his camel

The team transported comprador silk from Chang'an to the Western Regions, and then transported the comprador goods from the Western Regions back to Chang'an, and even went as far as Persia. Originally, the business situation was very good, and my grandfather's business was booming, and he was still doing well.

He was engaged to the daughter of a wealthy local businessman in Dawan. But who would have expected that politics would

The storm was rising, and war broke out in most countries in the Western Region. Seeing that this prosperous ancient Silk Road, which had been opened with great difficulty, was about to be cut off, my grandfather knew that it would be difficult to return to China if he waited for the Silk Road to be cut off, so

He gave all the unsold goods to his unmarried father-in-law, indicating that

He wanted to return to China and proposed to terminate the engagement. The wealthy businessman agreed. Because he knew that if his daughter married a man, once the ancient silk road was broken, he would never see his daughter again. My grandfather got the promise

, immediately packed up his luggage simply, rode fast and lightly, and prepared to leave Dawan

, before I ran far, I saw a veiled young woman standing by the roadside. Seeing my grandfather's horse coming, I blocked the road. My grandfather recognized it at a glance and knew her only once.

The fiancée. The woman stared at my grandfather for a long time. My grandfather knew that he wanted to go home. This must be the reason.

He came to stop him, and he didn’t know how to face this woman, although they had never spoken. He was at a loss when he saw the woman suddenly turned to the side of the horse, took my grandfather’s hand, and stepped on the stirrup.

, got on the horse, and my grandfather realized that she was going to follow him - no, say

Elopement should be more appropriate, because she didn't bring any package with her, and she obviously ran out privately with her parents on her back. The woman hugged my grandfather from behind. My grandfather was deeply moved, and he didn't care about etiquette and ethics.

I slapped the horse on the butt and ran away. That woman is my grandmother."

"Your grandfather was loyal to the Han Dynasty, and your grandmother was loyal to love. This is certainly respectable, but you said that your grandfather was from Chang'an, and your Qiang land is still far away from the Silk Road. Why did they not return to Chang'an, but to you?

Qiang land?”

"Don't be anxious, just listen to me. The two of them traveled eastward and went through many hardships. They were about to reach the border of the Han Dynasty. But who would have thought that the Han Dynasty had also changed. The princes were fighting in chaos and the soldiers were looting everywhere. According to the original

It was no longer possible to return along the Silk Road, so they turned south and planned to return to Chang'an. When they reached the territory of our Qiang people,

When I was a child, I was robbed by a local tribe. Fortunately, I met my grandfather, who was the chief of our tribe. He brought my grandparents to our tribe. After some time, my father was born. My father was smart and handsome.

He has been very popular with my grandfather since he was a child, so my grandfather betrothed his youngest daughter, my mother, to him."

"Oh, so your grandfather is Chinese, your grandmother is from the Western Regions, and your mother is Qiang. It's no wonder that your appearance is a bit special. Plus, your dual personality of both sexes makes it really special..."

"Is it particularly ugly?"

"No, no, of course not. It is a kind of unique and unique beauty. It's just that you are a mixed race of three races and have a dual personality, which is really difficult for people to fully understand."

Xiao Mo smiled: "Is there anything I can't understand? In fact, I am a very simple person, but my life experience is a bit more complicated."

"It turns out that you are not a commoner. Your grandfather is a chief. He is considered a small prince in the Central Plains. You should also be considered a noble."

"Where is it? We Qiang people do not have a formal patriarchal system. When the tribe is strong, a certain tribe can establish itself as a chief; when the tribe declines, it is bullied by other powerful tribes and then forced to rely on other tribes. Although my grandfather is

Chief, but now our tribe is declining day by day and is no longer as prosperous as it used to be." At this point, a trace of worry flashed across Xiao Mo's face, "Not only our tribe, but the entire Qiang people will also suffer great oppression."

"How do you say this?"

Xiao Mo paused and continued: "Because, although the Qiang people are ancient, their population is not large; although they are nomadic people, they are not good at riding and shooting, so overall, they are not strong. But other tribes are growing rapidly.

The earth rises like the Xiongnu and Xianbei

The Qiang tribe is not yet established. If one day, the civil strife in the Jin Dynasty declines, they will definitely take advantage of the opportunity. By then, there will be Qiang Jin on one side and Qiang Hu on the other. We, the Qiang people, will be caught in the middle and will inevitably be in a dilemma.

, the consequences are unpredictable.”

"You mean, you Qiang people may follow the Huns and attack the Jin Dynasty like the Xianbei?"

"It is possible, but it does not necessarily mean that you have to stand on the side of the Xiongnu and Xianbei and specifically deal with the Jin Dynasty, but...for your own interests, act according to the opportunity."

Shu Yan lowered his head and said nothing after hearing Xiao Mo's words.

"Brother Shu, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking, if Jin and Qiang really start fighting, what will you and my brothers do?"

"Well, there's no way a fight could really break out. I'm just worried about it." Xiao Mo smiled and suddenly asked, "What if a fight really breaks out?"

"Well, well, you can claim to be Chinese. Because your grandfather is Han Chinese, according to the Han people's lineage inheritance point of view, you should be Chinese. Nowadays, many wealthy families have Hu women as maids, and there are many of them.

Although it is disgraceful for a Chinese man to have an affair with a Hu woman and give birth to a child, most of these children are accepted by their families, and you are naturally different from them and are upright."

"Why do I call myself Chinese? Although my grandfather is Han, I grew up in Qiang land. Including my mother, I was surrounded by Qiang people. Naturally, I am Qiang. That feeling is indelible.

, how can you just change it if you just say it?" At this point, Xiao Mo suddenly felt a burst of unknown fire, "You can't talk about sworn friendship. I see, at a young age, you are already serving in the imperial court.

Official, he has a bright future, and he will definitely work hard for the court. If Jin and Qiang really fight, you will never think that I, a sworn brother, will definitely turn against me. Instead of doing this, it is better for us to cancel the sworn vows we just made now.

The oath of time!" At this point, Xiao Mo changed his tone, pulled Shu Yan, knelt down again, and wanted to cancel the sworn vows.

Shu Yan regretted his mistake and made Xiao Mo angry. He knelt down with a plop and said to the cases: "No matter how the overall situation changes, I will never change my relationship with brother Xiao Mo. It is the same as ours."

If I violate the oath I just made, I will..."

Just when Shu Yan was about to swear, Xiao Mo suddenly laughed. He covered Shu Yan's mouth and said, "Forget it, I have sister Zhixin to testify for us, so I can rest assured. It's not too early, you have to be on duty tomorrow.

Let's go to bed early." After saying that, he went back to his room with satisfaction.
Chapter completed!