that he would find out where the three Romans would be taken and where they would live behind the Great Wall. Then it will be possible to buy them back, so he said. The young brothers were so upset by this news that they burst into tears and hid in a corner.
Lacius was also worried. He could not talk to Chow, he did not know whether his Saet had survived, and if so, how she would put up with the separation from her son Zeno. It was difficult for him to understand why Fortune had first lured him with hope, and now decided to punish him again.
Blind Paul Domician took this blow of fate steadfastly. He understood Lacius, but he hoped that the new Chanyu of Xiongnu tribes would like his songs and he would be able to survive there. He did not believe the old nomad Goju, considering him a traitor. Young Zeno cried and tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. Mark reassured him, but it was not easy for him to comprehend this thought, too.
Lacius heard all this and could not fall asleep for a long time. Only at dawn did he fall into a short, anxious sleep. He dreamt of Zhi Zhi with an arrow in his nose. Chanyu laughed all the time, gurgling blood bubbles from his open mouth, and the arrow was twitching in time with his laughter. Then the senior Han eunuch appeared, he was replaced by the dead warrior in the black robe with surprise frozen in his eyes, he was replaced by Emilia, but for some reason her face was covered by a cloud. Lacius heard her crying. Her figure floated past and disappeared. The last to appear was the chief of the guard, Fu Xing. But he never disappeared. He just shook his shoulder harder and harder, repeating some words with displeasure.
Finally, Lacius woke up and realised that the chief of the guard was not dreaming and was trying to wake him up. Saying goodbye to my comrades was difficult. Lacius and young Zeno dragged their iron shackles as if doomed to death. Paul held on to the rope tied to Lacius’s belt. The Romans lowered their gaze, many had tears in their eyes. Their chains had already been removed and replaced with ropes that did not rub their legs as much as iron. Mark and Zenon hugged and could not part for a long time. They were forcibly torn away from each other and hit several times with a stick.
Lacius did not remember the way to the palace gates. The old barn immediately gave way to a small room, where they spent the whole night and the next morning. In the afternoon, the eunuchs came and ordered to follow them. Lacius checked the knife tied under his belt and thought that ending his life by killing several eunuchs would also be a good idea. Though, it was stupid and not as honourable as in battle, with a sword in his hands. Probably, dying at the hands of the strong warrior in the black robe would be much better than in a dimly lit room, where they were going to be made sexless creatures, but there was no choice.
However, no one was going to emasculate them. The eunuchs showed where to wash and what clothes to wear. Then they stepped aside and began to wait. After the Romans had washed, they were led through strange narrow streets between high walls and out into a small garden. There were about ten trees that looked like cherry trees. The eunuch bowed to the figure dressed in a light green robe on a bench under a tree and turned to Paul Domician.
– You will sing together with impeccable Mingfei. She will tell you what to do. And to your son. And you, – he turned to Lacius, – will have to stand and listen. – If they ask you, you must answer. If not, shut up! – the eunuch went to the bench and sat down behind the girl. The second eunuch stood on the other side. Five or six more were sitting under the trees. They were holding in their hands some musical instruments with strings, small tambourines, copper cymbals, bells, and flutes. There were flowers nearby. Quite fresh. Lacius suddenly realised that for today his long road to an unpleasant future was over.
– Come closer, please! – a ringing voice rang out with a slight tinge of sadness. Paul and Zeno approached. Lacius stood behind them. Mingfei turned out to be a very pretty girl with incredibly regular facial features, a small nose, and thin eyebrows. Only the eyes were different from the eyes of other Han women, they were wider and larger, attracting the gaze. The black eyelashes further enhanced this impression, and they seemed to take up most of the face. A small nose and neat lips did not spoil, but complemented this beauty. There were two earrings hanging in her ears, to which two translucent balls made of aqua-coloured gemstone were attached to the bottom. The hair was gathered on the head in a fancy hairstyle: the knot at the back of the head was fastened with three gold knitting needles. Two tufts of hair extended from it in different directions, which, without touching the ears, flowed further down in smooth semicircles, to a thin, delicate neck. The upper part of the hair from the back of the head to the forehead was covered with a beautiful composition of golden flowers with stones and pearls. On the forehead, it turned into a thin mesh of tiny shiny stones and ended in the shape of a triangle, directed between the eyebrows to the nose. There, at the very edge, a small oval medallion with a red stone was fixed. The collar of the robe was raised and went around her neck in an even, smooth line, emphasizing the contours of her face. “A precious bird in a golden cage,” thought Lacius. The girl raised her fan and made a sign to a eunuch. The fat man immediately brought her a long instrument with several strings. – Sing me your songs, – she asked, and Paul and Zeno began to sing what they had learnt during the transition to the capital. Mingfei played along with them, finding the right sounds, and soon they were trying to sing together. Lacius was bored and silent.
A few days later the girl began to ask them about the Xiongnu tribes and Parthia, Asia and Rome. At the same time, listening to the stories of Lacius or Paul, she drew strange drawings of lines on long strips of paper, which attracted the attention of Lacius more than empty talk about an incomprehensible harmony.
– Beauty is always associated with the strength of the body and the flexibility of the mind, – Paul once answered her when Mingfei asked him to describe this word. – A strong man is like a big tall tree, but a strong wind can break him. – And an intelligent person is like a blade of grass, it is not afraid of the wind, but any animal can step on it or eat it, – he said with inspiration, flattered by her attention. – That’s why it’s important to be strong and flexible.
– It’s quite interesting. I believe that beauty is the harmony of the four principles, – answered Mingfei. – The first is rhythm. This seven – string qixianqin29 helps to understand the whole world and all people. It reflects the strings of their soul. The second is an understanding of the symbols and colours of nature. To do this, you need to be able to draw and read the paintings of others. Third is harmony. Harmony helps you perceive every day in a new way and find something new in it. What was big yesterday may become small today. And small is big. But they will always be together at the same time. This is what calligraphy teaches. We learn to write from childhood. The fourth is the ability to think and reason. Thought is endless, it cannot be interrupted or stopped. To understand this, one must constantly guide it between two opposing forces, of which there are many in nature.
– And a man should be able to do all this? – Lacius asked, unable to bear it.
– No. For what? A man does not need to own beauty. – He needs to own a woman, – the concubine answered with a naive smile, as if she were teaching him simple truths.
Returning to the room in the evening, Lacius called her the Han Cicero, to which Paul and Zeno heatedly objected that he did not feel her words and thoughts, which were like beautiful birds in the blue sky.
– Right, I don’t know half the words she says! – he was indignant and added with irritation: – And I don’t want to know. Why do I need them? Do they help you sing? It’s good for you, you don’t have chains on your feet. You can walk from place to place. And for me it’s hard.
– You’re right, – Paul agreed. – Well, one of the eunuchs said that she has “a mouth like a crystal waterfall”, but to me she sounds like a mountain stream…
– Shut up, you, little creak! – Lacius could not stand it. – I can’t stand it! It’s so hard for me…
– Sorry…