It's mid-October, the weather has turned cold, and there have been two light snowfalls in Guanzhong.

After the light snow, Chang'an seemed to be lightly covered with a layer of silvery gauze, revealing an indescribable coolness and tranquility.

The air was filled with a crisp and moist breath, and every breath seemed to inhale the biting chill, making people couldn't help but tighten their collars.

Even the front door of Da Sima Mansion, which is usually bustling with traffic and traffic, seems to have been affected by the cold air, and there is no longer the bustle and bustle of the past.

The platform of Da Sima's mansion is several feet high, and the steps are made of hard bluestone. The large pillars at the door of the mansion are shiny and smooth.

The lintel is carved with a tiger, its mouth is open and its teeth are exposed, its eyes are fierce, and it is extremely powerful - the prime minister once said in "The Later Departure of the Master" that "in Liangzhou in the north, tigers are on standby".

For thieves, especially those from aristocratic families, the Han Dynasty's most ferocious tiger has a mouth full of blood. It will never be satisfied without enough flesh and blood.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, the entire Da Sima Mansion was covered with golden light, adding a bit of mystery and majesty.

At this time, in front of the empty gate of Da Sima's mansion, a man was standing there quietly, waiting for Da Sima's summons.

His shoulders had been dyed white by frost and snow, as if covered with a thin layer of silver powder.

His face was red from the cold, and his skin was taut, as if it was about to split.

The eyebrows and beard are covered with tiny ice crystals, shimmering with cold light.

It can be seen that he has been standing here for a long time.

And from the firm gaze he looked at Da Sima's Mansion, it could be seen that he still planned to wait.

Tuoba Desert Khan, the eldest prince of Tuoba Xianbei, escaped from the grassland with only two people left in his entourage.

These two people were able to escape because he stayed in Chang'an as a contact person when he was doing business with Zhang Miao.

This trip to the grassland started with confidence.

Tuoba Desert Khan thought that he would bring peace and prosperity to the tribe, as well as all kinds of materials.

Who would have expected that the tribe wanted to kill him for pleasure, and in the end he could only return alone in embarrassment.

Tuoba Desert Khan returned to Chang'an with nothing.

He didn't even know how he would face Zhang Miao.

Fortunately, he had exposed his identity when he was being hunted.

Probably the imperial court felt that he still had some use value, so after sending him back to Chang'an, they placed him in Manyi Mansion, so there was no need to worry about freezing to death and starving to death.

Who knew that Zhang Miao got the information from nowhere, and one day, he took the initiative to find her.

The first sentence he spoke was to blame:

"Brother Tuoba, it's so hard for you to hide this from me! If I had known that you were the eldest prince of the tribe, I would have doubled the cargo the last time I went out."

When Tuoba Desert Khan heard this, he only thought that Zhang Miao was talking sarcastically. He was so ashamed that he wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl in.

I saw him giving a big salute to Zhang Miao:

"Brother Zhang, it was my incompetence that caused you to lose so many goods..."

What Tuoba Desert Khan didn't expect was that Zhang Miao didn't blame him, but comforted him:

"Brother Tuoba, what are you doing? How can there be no risk in doing business? Let alone opening up trade routes, you have to be prepared to lose all your money."

Just these few simple words almost made the man on the grassland cry.

Seeing the other party's appearance, Zhang Miao seemed very satisfied, and said half jokingly and half seriously:

"Do you think I was lying when I said I would double the goods? Brother Tuoba, you underestimate me too much."

"With your status, I wish you could owe me more. The more you owe me, the more you will become rich in the future so that you will not forget me."

Listen, listen!

Not only did Brother Zhang not blame him, but beyond words, he even expressed the intention of continuing to cooperate with him.

At this moment, Tuoba Desert Khan determined that Brother Zhang was his half-brother.

"Brother Zhang, I...how can I deserve your trust?"

Tuoba Desert Khan choked up a little.

Being hunted by his relatives and tribesmen on the grassland, that kind of betrayal made Tuoba Desert Khan doubt his life and feel despair at the same time.

Who would have thought that someone far away in Chang'an would be as close to him as flesh and blood?

Under such circumstances, this friendship is extremely valuable to Tuoba Desert Khan.

It is no exaggeration to say that I encountered a sweet spring before dying of thirst in the desert.

"Because you are the eldest prince of the tribe!" Zhang Miao said matter-of-factly, "And I have inquired, and Tuoba Xianbei is now the largest tribe on the grassland."

"So," Zhang Miao said with confidence, "as long as you can return to the tribe in the future, no matter how much goods I lost, I will definitely make them back a hundred times a thousand times."

It's okay that Zhang Miao didn't mention this. When he mentioned this, Tuoba Desert Khan's face was full of bitterness:

"Brother Zhang, don't you understand? I'm no longer a prince, I'm just a lost dog."

"A lost dog? No, no, no! Brother Tuoba, how can you be so presumptuous about yourself? Just having this identity is worth a thousand dollars."

If the man in front of him hadn't been his own brother, Tuoba Desert Khan would have thought he was sarcastic.

"This...Brother Zhang, I don't quite understand what you mean by this."

"Alas, Brother Tuoba, in the northern desert now, all the barbarians admire the Han, and all tribes and tribes are flocking here."

"Only," Zhang Miao pointed to Tuoba Desert Khan and then to the northeast, "the Hu tribes in the north of Youzhou have never surrendered."

"And you, my friend, wanted to lead your tribe to join the Han Dynasty, but unexpectedly you were killed by a traitor and almost died."

"However, you have never regretted your return to the Han Dynasty. You came to Chang'an this time just to express your desire to the Han Dynasty."

When Tuoba Desert Khan heard this, he was immediately stunned:

When did I have such thoughts?

Although I do have some yearning for the Han Dynasty, I have no intention of attaching myself to the Han Dynasty.

Thinking of this, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and a vague thought flashed across his mind.

Before he could catch him, Zhang Miao could be heard saying with some sadness:

"Brother Tuoba, why are you still confused now? You are the eldest prince of the tribe!"

Tuoba Desert Khan looked at Zhang Miao inexplicably, "I am the eldest prince, yes, but I am the deposed prince who was expelled by the tribe."

"What happened to you this time was precisely because you had a heart for the big man, so you were unfortunately killed by a traitor in the clan, do you understand?"

Zhang Miao emphasized it again.

The speaker has no intention, but the listener has intention.

Tuoba Desert Khan's expression suddenly changed, and the vague thought just now suddenly became clear.

Your Excellency has always wanted to unite with the Wei people to fight against the Han people. No, in fact, he has actually already formed an alliance with the Wei people.

It was only because he had argued his own interests that the lord agreed to come to Han to try it out.

So... what Brother Zhang said is most likely true.

Someone must have taken advantage of him to leave his tribe and come to the Han Kingdom, taking the opportunity to gossip with the adults, and even deceive the adults and slander himself.

As soon as he thought of this, the figures of several brothers seemed to appear in front of Tuoba Desert Khan:

Tuoba Xilu, Tuoba Chuo, Tuoba Luguan.

Especially Tuoba Xulu, who often competes with himself for favor in front of adults...

The more Tuoba Desert Khan thought about it, the more sad and angry he felt.

What's sad is that adults don't believe in themselves.

I was angry that my brother was so cruel.

"Brother Tuoba, brother Tuoba, what are you thinking about? Did you listen to what I said?"

Zhang Miao's voice seemed to float from a distance, bringing Tuoba Desert Khan's thoughts back to reality.

"Brother Zhang, if so, if this is really the case, what should I do?"

Tuoba Desert Khan took Zhang Miao's hand and asked eagerly.

Zhang Miao didn't expect that the other party was so wise. He was so happy that he quickly said:

"This is an easy matter. The fact that the imperial court can place Brother Tuoba here means that it recognizes Brother Tuoba's identity."

"What Brother Tuoba has to do is to find a way to tell the court about his experience and beg the court for help."

"The imperial court only sees Brother Tuoba's intention to fight against the Han Dynasty. Even if it cannot send troops to help for a while, at least it will not treat Brother Tuoba badly."

"As long as Brother Tuoba can settle down in Chang'an, make friends with powerful people, find connections, and wait for the help of noble people in the future, and persuade the court to send troops to help, why can Brother Tuoba not be able to return to the clan?"

When Tuoba Desert Khan heard this, he hesitated:

"I am just a fugitive now, can I really get help from the imperial court?"

Zhang Miao smiled and said meaningfully:
To be continued...