Chapter 153

In Chang'an City, the ancestral hall of the Sogdian people is located in the Liquan square to the north of the West City, only separated by a 100 meter wide jinguangmen street from the west city.

After a while, they rode to the gate of Yi temple.

Unlike Taoism or Buddhism, the Yi Temple of Zoroastrianism does not set up gods.

There is a fire altar in the Yi temple, with copper tripods of different sizes, which are burning with flames. This is the holy fire worshipped by the Yi religion.

The sacred fire worshipped by Zoroastrians is to extract fire from the flame worshipped by Sogdians and believers whose beliefs, words and deeds are very pure.

The precious wood is used as the ignitor to burn continuously in the Yi temple for believers to worship.

They found the Zoroastrian priest in the Zoroastrian temple and asked to see Sabao to talk about something.

Sabao in Chang'an city is named miriman. He is the political and religious head of the Sogdian in Chang'an and has a high status.

Although he had no official position in the Tang Dynasty, Li Er received him many times and gave gifts to win over the Sogdians because the Sogdians controlled the Silk Road trade.

Milliman didn't think much about it when he learned that a group of Tang Dynasty princes were visiting. He asked the priest to invite them into the Yi temple.

"You little gentlemen, I've lost your welcome. What can I do for you?" Milliman is a middle-aged man, whose appearance is similar to that of Persians. After seeing the dandies, he was kind and saluted each other.

Seeing the Zoroastrian Sabao's attitude, all the dandies were relieved. I think it should be very easy to ask Zoroastrians for a trivial female slave with their face.

Li forgot to worry and bowed to Milliman: "Sabao, we have something to ask for. Please give Sabao a convenience."

"Oh? I don't know what?"

"I heard that there is a female slave from Daqin in your sect. I wonder if it's convenient to buy this female slave from your sect?" Li forgot to worry and put forward his request with a smile.

But as soon as he spoke, Milliman's face changed: "I'm afraid you've made a mistake, little Lang, we don't have any female slaves from Daqin. Where did you hear that, little Lang?"

Seeing Milliman and hearing the female slaves of the great Qin Dynasty, he immediately restrained his smile. All the dandies were stunned. Did Milliman really want to do this to save face?

Li forgot to worry and said with a smile, "I'm very curious about the women of the great Qin Dynasty and I'm looking for them everywhere. The petty officials of the county government of Chang'an County told me that you have female slaves of the great Qin Dynasty in your hands, so someone came to the door to buy them sincerely. Please make it convenient for Sabao. The price is easy to say. Sabao will never suffer."

In Chang'an West City, although there are all kinds of Hu Ji for sale, there are few European women.

The main reason is that the distance is too far. Selling women from distant Europe to Datang is not a cost-effective business. Most of Hu Ji in Chang'an West City are women from Central Asia, West Asia and even South Asia.

Hu Ji, who enters Datang, must apply for a place at the border crossing and must provide a coupon. When entering Chang'an City, you must also register with the county government.

Therefore, Aphrodite was brought into Chang'an by the Sogdian Caravan and registered in the county government of Chang'an County. The petty officials of Chang'an County really knew about it.

Milliman still shook his head, with a little impatience in his tone: "I did have a female slave of the Qin Dynasty before, but a few days ago, I was seriously ill and died."

"You..." Milliman denied it and lied with his eyes open. Cheng Chuliang was in a hurry. As soon as he wanted to accuse Milliman of lying, he was pulled by his brother.

He remembered that they had promised the owner of the Hu people's wine shop and would never tell the truth. If he questioned Milliman's lying, he would betray the Hu shopkeeper.

Seeing Sabao miliman's denial and even the pretext of sudden death, Li forgot to worry.

In the face of the political and religious leaders of the Sogdians, even the dandies can only ask for words. However, regardless of Li forgetful and the dandies' various requests and their willingness to pay for the ransom, Milliman just sent them off with the death of the female slave.

Where have all the dandies been so angry? If they hadn't scruples about the influence of Zoroastrianism, they would have become noisy.

Seeing this, Li forgets to worry. He can only perfunctorily say two words. He has no choice but to say goodbye to a group of dandies and quit the Yi temple.

"Zhiniang thief, this Milliman doesn't shed tears when he doesn't see the coffin! He's full of nonsense!" Chumo whipped his horse on the wall as soon as he came out of the gate of the Yi temple.

Fang Yiai also looked angry: "Ziyou, what are you going to do now? Sabao miriman doesn't enter the oil and salt, he's really an asshole!"

"If you want me to say, it's better to take Hu Ji directly! Do they dare to report to the official?" Wei Chi Baolin's words made a group of dandies nod again and again, which was in line with their ideas.

Li forgot to worry but shook his head: "in this way, I'm afraid things will make a big deal. It's difficult to ensure that the Sogdians won't complain to the court, which will trouble the brothers. How can the little brother make it difficult for the brothers for himself."

He's telling the truth. Robbing people with force will bring endless trouble.

Not to mention that after taking back Aphrodite, her identity problem is difficult to solve. That is to say, after Zoroastrians suffer losses, they will certainly tangle with the Sogdians to make trouble and ask the court to deal with the dandies. At that time, Hou Chumo and others will certainly be affected.

Chumo angrily scolded: "these damn profiteers, nine surnamed Hu are not good things! The court should order to arrest these nine surnamed Hu Tongtong!"

"Neither left nor right. Ziyou, what do you say? Is that all?"

The dandies are furious now. It's not just the Li family's little girl who wants to redeem a female slave, but they feel that their face has been swept to the ground by Milliman.

If this is done, these dandies will be hard to calm down and lose face on Zoroastrians.

For the dandies, the world is big and the face is the biggest. Zoroastrians taught Sabao not to take these dandies seriously. If this matter gets out, how will they gain a foothold in Chang'an City in the future?

Li forgot to worry and was speechless for a moment. He silently watched the flame in the bronze tripod on the fire altar of Yici not far away, and carefully calculated how to break the game.

The reason why things have become so complicated is to start with the identity of Aphrodite.

According to the information learned by the manager of the Hu people's wine shop, the female slave named Aphrodite was not an ordinary person, but the daughter of an aristocrat in the Byzantine Empire.

Several wars broke out between the Byzantine Empire and the Persian Empire in the past century. A few years ago, the Persian Empire sent troops to attack Byzantium again, and the fifth Persian Byzantine war broke out.

At the beginning of the war, the Persians broke into the Byzantine Empire, captured the city of carlsidon, and began to siege Constantinople.

The noble girl named Aphrodite was captured when the city of Carleton was conquered by the Persians. At that time, the girl was only twelve or thirteen years old.

However, the subsequent war ended in the defeat of Persia, and the Persians lost.

They need to return the occupied Byzantine territory, release prisoners of war, return the "Holy Cross" robbed from Jerusalem, return all the property robbed from Byzantine, and repay the military expenses for several years.

The Persian who became angry with shame poured his anger on Aphrodite. Lied to the Byzantine Empire that she had died in the war, secretly sold her to the Sogdians, and asked the Sogdians to sell her to the distant Eastern Empire.

And asked the Sogdians to demote her as a prostitute, so as to humiliate the Byzantine Empire and vent the anger of the losers.

The Persians and the Sogdians believe in the same religion, and the Sogdian Sabao naturally obeys the requirements of the Persians.

So poor Aphrodite became the victim of the war between the two sides, and was forced to follow the Sogdian caravan, trekking tens of thousands of kilometers, and spent a year and a half from distant Europe to Datang.

Sabao miriman of Chang'an gave the girl to the shopkeeper of Hu people's wine shop and asked him to teach the girl well and send her out to receive guests and become a prostitute.

In this regard, Hu shopkeeper naturally dare not disobey.

So when Chumo asks to buy Hu Ji girl, he refuses.

It was not up to him at all, and he just obeyed Sabah miriman.

In order to save Aphrodite, there is only one way to force Milliman to let go, except to take it directly, as weichi Baolin said.

Li forgot to worry and looked at the sacred fire burning in the Yi temple. Suddenly he asked, "what do you say if the sacred fire in the Yi temple is extinguished?"

"Just put it out. It's a big deal to light it with a fire fold." Chai Lingwu replied angrily.

Wei Shuyu was so angry that he slapped him on the head: "do you think it's the stove in your kitchen? If the sacred fire in the ancestral hall goes out, I'm afraid these suds will go crazy."

He knew about Zoroastrianism and knew that the sacred fire in the Zoroastrian temple was the lifeblood of these Sogdians. Once extinguished, the consequences were unimaginable.

Li Qieyou suddenly smiled and showed eight white teeth: "brothers, I have a way! Let's go and prepare. Let Milliman kneel and bring me Aphrodite!"