Tap tap tap…
The horse team of more than ten people divided into two columns and passed through the noisy market. The city called Karabusa was not even half the size of Valley County. The houses were low and there were few tall buildings. The streets were narrow and the earthen bricks were uneven. The filth left by camels and sheep could be seen everywhere, attracting many flies and insects.
Lu Liangsheng sat on the old donkey's back, watching the scenes in the city between the donkey's slowly moving hooves.
He and the four scholars on his left and right waved their sleeves to sweep away the flies that came flying towards them. The streets they passed by were dirty, crowded and full of people. Apart from some curiosity, people were mostly disdainful. The low houses were bare and only covered with a layer of mud. Insects could be seen everywhere in the shops selling alcohol, following the guests coming in and out. A woman wrapped in sackcloth was sturdy and smashed the stale grain in the jar with a wooden stick, staring at this side viciously like a she-wolf.
"The more I look at this foreign land, the more desolate it seems. It's a pity that it's too far from our Great Sui Dynasty. If it were closer, maybe I could listen to the words of the saints and receive some enlightenment."
"How can they understand the words of the saints? What I can see is the blade wielded by Your Majesty."
"That makes sense."
Lu Liangsheng glanced at the four people, shook his head with a smile, and followed the cavalry in front of him through the noisy long street. The road became wider and the ground was paved with rock bricks, neat and flat. There were more palm trees on both sides, shaking their thick leaves in the wind. There was a pool in front of him gushing spring water, with a sculpture of a woman, and the ** part made the four scholars blindfolded.
In the tall official residence, several rock pillars stood in front of the open gate. A figure wearing a loose white robe was lying on a recliner. He took the candied fruit held by the maid and put it into his mouth to chew, while continuing to flip through the parchment scroll.
Outside, a half-armored guard came in, stepped aside and lowered his head.
"Your Excellency the Governor, Dael has returned with the oriental painter."
The man chewed a grape, the juice flowing from the corners of his mouth to his chin. The maid held a silk handkerchief and gently wiped it for him, then stepped aside to the recliner. The man put down the parchment scroll, folded it and handed it to the guard in front of him. When he stood up, a smile suddenly appeared on his thin face. He walked between the rock pillars and raised his arms to greet him.
"Da'er, my loyal captain of the guards, please let me see the painter from the East."
The captain of the guards who had stopped his horse in the distance dismounted, raised his hand across his chest, and bowed: "Your Excellency Governor, it is my honor to serve you."
Immediately, he stood aside respectfully and introduced the man in front of him to the five people behind him.
"Dear Oriental Painter, this is the Governor of Karabusa, His Excellency Tibis."
"I am Lu Liangsheng from the Eastern Sui Dynasty, and I am honored to meet the Governor."
Lu Liangsheng cupped his hands and said this while looking at the official in front of him. He was wearing an open black robe with a circle of gold thread sewn around the collar and delicate buttons on the outside. There was an embroidered gold pattern on each side of the robe. The official was also looking at the man from the East, with his hair piled on top of his head and his robes gorgeous and soft. He couldn't help but take a few more glances, then his thick beard spread out, and he smiled, put his left hand on his chest and bent his body slightly.
"Lu Liangsheng? Haha, what a strange name. But you can speak Greek, which is really rare. It's just that the accent is not pure, like that of the native Egyptians. Painter from the East, come in with me."
Lu Liangsheng frowned slightly, probably thinking that this was just what the person was saying. He nodded casually, and at the other party's invitation, he walked towards the official residence in front.
Sitting on the golden cushioned chairs, several women in white robes brought fruit plates and drinks, bent over and slowly pushed the door open. Tibis raised the drink and toasted Lu Liangsheng, then smiled and nodded to the four scholars who followed him.
"This is a wine that is produced in abundance in Egypt. Have the Orientals ever drunk it?"
"Master, what did the brown-haired, high-nosed barbarian say? Why does he look so smug?"
Among the four scholars, Wang Feng was good at observing people's expressions and felt that the other party seemed to be showing off at the first moment. Lu Liangsheng did not answer him, but just looked at Tibes opposite him, smiled, and took a sip of the sour wine.
"Your Excellency the Governor, the small countries on the western border pay tribute to this kind of wine every year. In our Great Sui Dynasty, it is just a tasting for entertaining guests and cannot be served on the table."
Lu Liangsheng could see that this person was showing off. If that was the case, how could he allow the other party to humiliate his country? "The Eastern Great Sui has a vast land. It faces the vast ocean to the east, the snowy grassland to the north, the hot jungle to the south, and the vast desert to the west. The land is vast and the products are numerous."
After describing the whole thing, Tibes was stunned for a moment, and his eyes fell on the scholar's robe: "Your clothes are also..."
"Of course." Before the other party could finish, Lu Liangsheng interrupted him with a wave of his hand and placed the golden cup filled with wine on the table. "Your Excellency Governor, is there anything else you want to ask the five of us to come over? If not, we will leave."
The scholar spoke in a calm tone. How could Wang Feng, Ma Liu and the other three who had been following him for a long time not fail to hear that he was furious? They immediately put the wine glasses in their hands on the table, baring their teeth and brows, looking ferocious.
"hehe… "
Tibes leaned against the swan cushion and put down the wine glass gracefully. No matter how powerful the five people were and how long they had traveled to Egypt, they were only five people. He was not in a hurry. He tapped the table with his fingertips, smiled, and leaned forward slightly.
"Your Excellency sold me a painting of the captain of the guard yesterday. I appreciate art very much. Art from the East is rare here. I like your painting very much. If it is not a landscape but a portrait of me, it would be even better. Respected painter, don't you agree?"
Lu Liangsheng just sat opposite him and looked at him. After a while, a smile appeared on his face.
"Your Excellency the Governor wants a painting, so I will paint one for you. But in exchange, can you tell me how to get to the east?"
"Is this all the respected painter needs to know?"
Seeing that he was speaking sincerely and that he had nothing to lose, Tibes tapped his feet happily, waved to Lu Liangsheng, and asked him to follow. He stood up and walked to the study of the official residence, which was paved with red carpet and had several bookshelves filled with books piled on parchment. Tibes walked behind the desk, picked up a reed pen, dipped it in ink made of fine charcoal and lampblack, and drew a line on a piece of sheepskin. At the last marked place, there was a huge trench.
"Once you reach Constantine, go east, but when you get there, ask the others."
He handed the parchment scroll to Lu Liangsheng, then left the study, raised his finger and shook it a few times, reminding him: "Dongfang Painter, I have paid, and it is time for you to repay me."
Lu Liangsheng took a look at the extremely simple map, put it in his sleeve, walked out of the study, and signaled Wang Feng and the other three to bring the bookshelf over. Without saying much, he ground the ink, took out the brush, and started to write heavily on a blank scroll. While looking at Tibis who was sitting on the chair with his legs crossed, he carefully outlined it.
Two hours passed unknowingly, and the portrait drawn with blue ink had reached the last stroke. Lu Liangsheng put down the brush, blew away the ink that had not yet dried on it, stretched out his hand for the guard waiting beside him to come and take it away, then he packed up his brush and ink and stood up to say goodbye.
"The Governor and I owe each other nothing, so I'll take my leave now."
He bowed his hand, walked straight out of the mansion, put the bookshelf on the old donkey's back, took the reins, walked to the gate of the mansion, and felt his apprentice's unhappy mood from the gently shaking bookshelf, and the voice of Toad Taoist rang out.
"Liangsheng, this kind of person should be killed. He is a foreign barbarian anyway."
"hehe."
Lu Liangsheng looked ahead, just smiled, pulled the old donkey under the bright sunlight, and continued to move north amid the chattering of the four scholars.
The wind blew up the sand, and among the swaying palm trees on the road, in the official residence, Tiberius, who was sipping wine, leaned back and looked at the oriental painting set off by two guards with ease.
The figure above was exactly himself, and except for the inky blue color, it looked lifelike.
Soon, he raised his hand and called the captain of the guards.
"Da'er, look at how beautiful this painting is. There are many other exquisite things on the Oriental man's bookshelf, but none of them are mine... What a pity! It would be great if they were mine, don't you think?"
The man standing next to the governor lowered his head silently, took a few steps back with his helmet between his legs, walked out of the official residence, waved his hand to call his subordinates to mount their horses, and chased after the few Orientals who had just left.