Chapter 1379 - 1302: Shan Feng
The Palace Attendant brought a seat and placed it in the middle of the grand hall for him. Shan Feng was clearly not expecting Zhao Hanzhang to treat him with such courtesy. He paused, then bowed deeply, and only then rose to take his seat.
The court officials on both sides silently watched him, while the officials in the two rows behind quietly craned their necks forward to get a better look at him, noting that although he was evidently in his prime, he seemed as though he had reached old age.
Once, Shan Feng was also of noble family descent. Though his family was poor, he was well-learned and talented, with a sizeable library at home. Both his parents were alive, and his wife and daughter were delicate and beautiful.
But during the Eight Kings’ Rebellion, first his parents succumbed to illness and died due to hunger and cold, then his wife and daughter faced disasters, and he himself was set back to this point.
Who amongst the officials seated in this hall hasn’t experienced that chaotic war?
Each person had relatives or friends who died in the previous dynasty’s Eight Kings’ Rebellion, and as Shan Feng sat upright on his seat, the empathy for him among the officials in the hall reached its peak.
Zhao Hanzhang also spoke in a gentle tone, asking, "Mr. Shan, can your leg injury still be treated? Does it hurt when you walk daily?"
Shan Feng’s mind raced, and a sudden thought appeared in his mind: the new emperor intended to use him!
Shan Feng suddenly felt a pang in his nose, his eyes involuntarily filling with tears. He immediately lowered his gaze to hide his expression, swallowed twice, and pressed his tongue hard against his palate until the overwhelming emotion in his throat subsided, finally responding calmly, "Your Majesty, the minister’s injured leg is numb and unfeeling, but I can walk as usual."
"You should still have the Imperial Physician take a look and take care of your health," Zhao Hanzhang turned to Lai Qing, who was attending to one side, and said, "Please have the Imperial Physician take a look at Mr. Shan after the court is adjourned."
Lai Qing agreed.
Zhao Hanzhang then inquired about how many languages Shan Feng knew and what those languages were.
He knew all the languages spoken by the officials in the Court of State Ceremonial, and beyond that, there were no languages that the officials knew but were recorded in books that he did not know.
Shan Feng had a natural gift for languages and could speak various dialects from a very young age. Because he lived near the Xiongnu and the sons of the Xianbei hostage tribes, he often interacted with the entourage and servants they brought along, so he learned Xiongnu and Xianbei languages early.
Speaking was as simple to him as drinking water, and many languages could be categorized.
Many languages sounded different, but they could belong to the same language family, with similar pronunciation and word formation patterns. Once you study them thoroughly, you can learn one language after another with ease.
For example, the Xiongnu, Eastern Hu, and Bai Di all descended from the Xiahou Clan, the descendants of King Xia’s son Chunwei, so the three languages have commonalities.
Even among the Xiongnu, there are differences between the languages of different tribes, but why is it that once you know one Xiongnu language, you can roughly communicate?
Because they have commonalities.
It might take an average person three to five months to discover these commonalities and then transform them, but Shan Feng could grasp them in one go.
Therefore, he once had a vast sky of opportunities in the Court of State Ceremonial, a promising future, and whether the Jin State was oppressed by the Xiongnu or on the rise, during a time when ethnic minorities and neighboring nations were so active, he would have been heavily utilized if he hadn’t rebelled.
Because of empathy, the officials’ rejection of him was considerably reduced, although some still disagreed with his past actions.
After all, working in the same court as a criminal slave is not something many find themselves thrilled about.
Zhao Hanzhang was assessing Shan Feng; she was also someone with a great talent for languages.
She could speak Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie Clan, and Di Clan languages, and even the Yue language, all learned in recent years. After all, her Zhao Family Army included people of all kinds.
Aristocrats, merchants, farmers, refugees, and prisoners, she could find the most authentic teachers for whatever language she wished to learn.
Shan Feng demonstrated various languages to her on the spot, highlighting the characteristics of different tribes. A single "The Emperor of the Hua Country sends an envoy to visit" was said by him in various languages.
Some languages, once spoken, could be understood by the court’s officials, as everyone could speak the powerful languages of the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Jie Clan.
Indeed, people at this time were so strong, at least those sitting in this court, none were fools. Even military generals like Zeng Yue, Pingxin, and others could speak these three languages with no problem in daily communication.
But more than these, they could not manage.
So, midway through the assessment, all the civil and military officials were listening with blank and confused eyes to the exchanges between Shan Feng and the emperor in languages they did not understand, and towards the latter part, Shan Feng would teach a phrase, and Zhao Hanzhang would follow along.
Shan Feng’s eyes grew increasingly bright, unable to help but look directly at Zhao Hanzhang, regarding her as if she were a piece of fine jade.
Lai Qing noticed and wished to reprimand him for daring to look directly at Your Majesty.
But Zhao Hanzhang made no comment, and Shan Feng soon lowered his eyes slightly, no longer daring to look directly, and Lai Qing held back.
The civil and military officials were all astonished at Zhao Hanzhang’s linguistic abilities, momentarily failing to notice Shan Feng’s breach of protocol.
Though they couldn’t understand, they could tell, Zhao Hanzhang learned very similarly. They attempted to quietly follow and learn from Shan Feng, only to produce sounds that were unlike the original. The main issue was, as Shan Feng’s words fell, they would already have forgotten the first half of the sentence, capturing only sporadic syllables.
Truly, it requires talent.
Even if they prided themselves on being intelligent, few could speak such a long sentence after hearing it only once.
Fu Tinghan raised his head, looking at Zhao Hanzhang, unable to suppress a proud smile.
Among the whispering on the great hall, Zhao Hanzhang quickly determined that Shan Feng could not only fulfill the job in terms of language, due to his research into various languages, his research on various nations and people was also profound.
Her gaze swept over his injured leg with some regret, wondering if his leg would affect his mobility.
Zhao Hanzhang decided to have the Imperial Physician conduct a thorough diagnosis for him; it would be a great pity if such talent were buried due to this.
Zhao Hanzhang appointed him on the spot as the Deputy Director of the Court of State Ceremonial and as one of the deputy envoys for this mission to the Western Regions, while Zhao Xin was appointed as the Vice Director-General of the Court of State Ceremonial, serving as the Left Envoy, and Zhang Shi as the Right Envoy.
Officially, the delegation is led by Zhang Shi, but secretly, Zhao Xin is the principal.
After the court adjourned, Zhao Hanzhang specifically kept Zhao Xin and Shan Feng behind, telling the two, "This time you go to the Western Regions; the nation’s authority rests on you two. If you encounter danger, send someone to deliver a message back to Prince Qin in Chang’an. Although Chang’an is far, no matter where you are, the court is your backing, and as long as we receive word, we will certainly send aid."
Zhao Xin agreed.
Shan Feng, prostrating on the ground, said, "Your Majesty’s immense gratitude, I could die a thousand deaths and still not repay such grace, I will certainly not bring shame to our nation abroad."
Zhao Hanzhang got up and helped him up from the ground, saying, "I have already requested the Imperial Physician wait outside, take this time before you set out to have him examine you thoroughly and get your body in good order. For this mission, I will arrange for an Imperial Physician to travel with you."
"If you find any valuable herbs or good seeds along the way, remember to collect and document them, and bring them back," she said. "Though our nation now has many species, we know far too few, and we must strive to learn more about the world."
Zhao Xin and Shan Feng respectfully agreed.