Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 439 The Immortal of Forgetfulness? Such a beautiful name?

They didn't kill him, of course. After beating him up, they left him some rice, and Gu Qingyue even specifically asked them to pack a bag of brine salt they bought in Meng County.

That's really bizarre.

A few days later, in Sanchun City.

Sanchun City was the largest prefecture city on the border between the Great Chu and Nanzhao.

When we arrived in Sanchun City, it was naturally incomparable to Qihe Town. Although it was not as prosperous as Lizhou, the streets were still bustling with people and extremely noisy.

Gu Qingyue lifted the carriage curtain and looked inside.

The architectural style here is not much different from that of the Great Chu, after all, they used to be the same country.

However, the decorations of the buildings and shops here still have a bit of an exotic style, probably the style of the Nanzhao tribe.

Speaking of which, she had also heard Mu Yun Chu mention that there were currently nineteen known small tribes in Nanzhao.

Of course, there should be some tribes with different customs in the deep mountains, but those tribes have small populations and never communicate with the outside world, so the King of Nanzhao would not bother with them.

Of these nineteen tribes, six are characterized by large populations and close ties with the outside world.

For example, the Hacha tribe, the mother clan of the Nanzhao queen, was the largest tribe in Nanzhao.

Yue Zhiqi's mother, Consort Nianyujiao, came from the Hu Ben clan.

There is also the Li Luo clan, from which Yu Mo's maternal grandmother came.

Besides these three minority tribes, the other three larger tribes are the Nami, Qinshu, and Guanli.

These six tribes comprised more than two-thirds of the population of the nineteen tribes.

Therefore, these six tribes had a certain degree of influence in Nanzhao.

According to the system of the Nanzhao Kingdom, an elders' council, which was equivalent to an advisory group, was established below the Nanzhao King and the Shaman Hall.

The seats here are formed by the union of these six tribes.

Therefore, the Nanzhao Heavenly Sacrifice, held every five years, included the election of the Holy Maiden and the selection of members of the Elders' Council.

Of course, the Holy Maiden is not necessarily chosen every five years, but the members of the Elder Council are fixed to change every five years.

The number of elders in the council is fixed, so the tribes will inevitably compete for the seats, and the one who gets the most seats will naturally have more say.

This is crucial for the development of the situation in Nanzhao over the next five years.

Thinking of all this, Gu Qingyue became even more interested in the upcoming Heavenly Sacrifice ceremony in Nanzhao.

Although this council of elders was just an advisory group, in the eyes of the King of Nanzhao, it was merely a symbolic way to elevate the prestige of the various tribes.

However, since the combined population of the various tribes in Nanzhao accounted for almost half of the total population of the Nanzhao Kingdom, it was also necessary to appease and win over these people.

Gu Qingyue pondered the unique national conditions and system of the Nanzhao Kingdom, while Xiao Nian beside her stared at a certain spot in shock, looking somewhat dazed.

Gu Qingyue turned around and saw Xiao Nian's blank little face.

"Xiao Nian, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just feel like I've seen that before," Xiao Nian said, pointing to a pattern on the exterior wall of a shop.

It was a painting of a sunrise over a mountain, done with colored paints. In addition to the mountain, there was a herd of animals galloping at the foot of the mountain, all very lifelike.

Gu Qingyue raised an eyebrow. "Xiao Nian has seen this before?"

"Feng Shuyan," Gu Qingyue called out to the men on horseback beside her.

Upon hearing this, Feng Shuyan immediately spurred his horse and moved closer to the carriage window, saying, "Young Master."

Gu Qingyue pointed to the pattern on the wall over there, "What kind of painting is that?"

Feng Shuyan looked over there and said, "That's the totem of the Tiger Warriors. Although the Tiger Warriors are commoners, they are very brave and have lived by hunting for generations at the foot of Jinyang Mountain."

After a pause, Feng Shuyan lowered his voice, "Ever since Nian Yujiao, the flower of Nanzhao, entered the palace, the Huben tribe has been valued by the King of Nanzhao. He granted them a large area of ​​land to live in and recruited many Huben people to work in the court."

"Tiger Clan?" Xiao Nian tilted her head, trying hard to remember.

He felt the pattern was familiar, and the name of the Tiger Warriors was also familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyue looked thoughtfully at Xiao Nian's earnest little face, her heart stirred slightly, and she fell silent.

By the time the group settled into Lingnan Inn, the largest inn in Sanchun City, it was already nightfall.

It was dinnertime.

So, Gu Qingyue and Gu Yuanen led everyone out in a grand procession.

In Gu Qingyue's words, it was about experiencing the exotic customs of the Nanzhao Kingdom, which were rarely seen elsewhere.

She's never been here!

Moreover, in this ancient era, traveling the world and visiting various countries has always been Gu Qingyue's ideal.

So, upon arriving at the border city of Nanzhao, it was natural to experience the local customs and culture.

For comfort, Gu Qingyue changed back into women's clothing, but she still wore a veil to avoid running into the Holy Maiden's people.

If someone has a portrait of me, it would be bad luck for them to cause trouble.

As she entered the crowd, Gu Qingyue was immediately drawn to the fragrant flowers that wafted over.

"Miss, would you like to buy a bouquet of flowers?"

Among the crowd were some children, each carrying a small basket, selling bouquets to passersby.

The fragrance of flowers emanates from the baskets carried by these children.

The Lingnan Inn where Gu Qingyue and her friends stayed was located on the most bustling street in Sanchun City, so it was perfectly normal for children to come here to sell flowers.

Only wealthy people who stroll around here might consider buying a bouquet of flowers to take home and enjoy; poor people generally wouldn't be willing to buy them.

"Most of these children should be from the Lilo tribe. The Lilo people are good at planting, and no matter what kind of flower it is, you won't be disappointed if you entrust it to them."

Seeing Gu Qingyue looking at the bouquets with great interest, Feng Shuyan immediately came over to explain.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyue raised an eyebrow and glanced at Feng Shuyan. Old Master Feng had given this young man to her; he was truly a treasure trove. Not bad at all!

"Miss, you are so beautiful, this bouquet is perfect for you, please buy it! This is the last bouquet for today, if you don't buy it, it will be gone."

As Gu Qingyue and Feng Shuyan finished talking and were about to continue walking forward, a little boy blocked their way.

He was holding a large bunch of blooming purple flowers, which were staring at him longingly.

Gu Qingyue looked down and saw layers of purple flowers, with dewdrops still on the petals. The fragrance wasn't strong, but it smelled wonderful.

Gu Qingyue looked at the bouquet and liked it very much. "What kind of flowers are these?"

"This is called the Forget-Me-Not Flower. It's unique to my hometown; other tribes can't grow it! This flower blooms very little each year, so it's your good fortune that you've come across it, Miss. If you buy it, it might bring you good luck!"

The little boy's voice was clear and bright, and he showered the boy with compliments.

He spoke with a hint of pride, seemingly quite proud of being able to grow this flower.

"Forget-Me-Not Fairy? Such a beautiful name! How much does it cost?" Gu Qingyue asked the little boy with a smile.

"No amount of money is yours!!"

Just as Gu Qingyue was about to reach out and take the bouquet of flowers, a hand reached out from the side and snatched it away first.