Insufficient balance

  On the main street of Huangsha City, there is a strong flavor of the Song Dynasty. Chinese character wine flags and Chinese character shop signs, while the girls here do not wear veils.

  This is the view that Abdoul Matarini is looking at now, he grew up in this city. With it from a small town to the present prosperous city, and he has become an eighteen-year-old big boy.

  Although this is still a small town, it is completely different from other provinces governed by the imperial governor or cities under the caliph.

  The girls here won't cover their faces unless they have to go outside the city. Moreover, the skin of these girls is also better than those outside.

  The houses on the street are also completely different from other places, with a large number of wooden buildings, which look more vibrant after being painted.

  Everywhere on the streets are mixed-blood people, and what they say is also Chinese language.

  This won't be a problem for Abdul Matin, who has grown up here since he was a child and has also developed some Han Chinese habits.

  For example, drinking is one thing (Muslims don't drink), and here you can get this kind of **that makes your blood boil**.

  Like his father, he was inevitably influenced by these things. Therefore, in their home, Chinese would often come out of their mouths.

  "This is the territory of those Song people......!"

  What he had to do today was to go to the real lord of this castle and apply for the annual martial arts tournament in this city.

  For Martini, there's no better show than this.

  Just as his name implies - steadfast and strong, the 18-year-old is about to receive his own position from his father and become an officer under the city lord.

  And from the age of fifteen, he was always the invincible general in the youth group of the martial arts conference.

  Looking at all the prosperity of Huangsha City, he knew it didn't belong to his father.

  Arms, porcelain, silk and those skills that the Song people did not know how to think of, all are available here, which brought a lot of wealth to the Zhao family.

  With these riches, the lord of the Yellow Sand City can turn a blind eye to all their forbidden activities. The governor of Khotan City not far away also turns a deaf ear to what happens here.

  As long as Zhao's family bribes are not less every year, there is no large-scale struggle here, and all of this can still be preserved intact.

  "For Governor Coty and my father, this place is probably just a source of great wealth. As for who it belongs to, only God knows."

  Martini was not as devout when he called out to Allah, at least he would drink and also liked this city.

  Those girls who didn't cover their faces, wearing colorful skirts, walked freely on the street. Martini sat on his horse, looking straight ahead, but his eyes were always drawn to these girls.

  Today he went to Zhao's house to discuss the annual martial arts conference, which was a delightful thing for him. He had been living in the barracks for a long time and hadn't gone out on the street for a long time.

  "What a pity! Father won't let me marry these foreign girls, otherwise..."

  In Yellow Sand City, intermarriage is carried out in a one-way manner.

  Muslims will not marry Han girls, but Hans do not care. Those who become rich due to business often bring Arab girls into their homes as wives.

  So there are many Han men here, but on the contrary, women are not many.

  Although those pure-blooded and delicate Han women are beautiful, as Muslims, there is a rule against marrying outsiders.

  Ma Ti rode a spirited horse with a blue-gray coat, its hooves pounding the ground rapidly. After a short gallop on the street, the high wall of the Zhao family's mansion came into his view.

  The Zhao family's large mansion, located near the port on the side of the city close to the sea, is like a inner city. If this yellow sand city were to become chaotic, the high walls of the Zhao family's mansion that can accommodate standing people are not a good place to enter.

  Inside the high walls that occupied a vast area of land, it was entirely Zhao's domain. The entire port was included, all of which were his family's territory.

  "They're probably still worried about their safety, so they're occupying the dock. If something really happens, they'll leave quickly and smoothly. But the people in their family are all cunning, how could they be unsafe?"

  He quickened his pace as he gazed up at the high wall, intending to finish this errand early and return to the streets for a drink before heading back to camp for martial training. After all, in the land of Black Clothes Great Food, bravery was the reason men got everything.

  The closer they got to the Zhao family mansion, the more pure-blooded Song people there were on the streets, and they were often people who came out of the Zhao family mansion to do errands.

  Abdullah Martini somewhat looked down on them, these Song people looked pale and weak. Martini thought that if he used his sturdy body to collide with them, he would definitely be able to knock them down.

  "I don't know what kind of person the young master of the Zhao family is, are they also as cunning as that Zhao Wuji? Or are they like the Song people here, weak and powerless, if so..."

  Ma Ti thought that if he could defeat the two young masters of the Zhao family, his reputation in Huangsha City would definitely rise.

  "And which one will my sister like......?"

  Yes, as the father of the castle owner had an idea, he wanted to marry his daughter Oria (meaning fragrance) to the Zhao family.

  Although the Zhao family is a pagan, the Song people do not care about religion at all. As for the daughter marrying into their family and eating pork like the Zhao family, it's not a big deal either.

  Although eating pork is a taboo in the Arab world.

  Within a hundred miles of this place, the power of the Arabs cannot compare to that of the Zhao family. Moreover, outside the city walls of Huangsha City, there are only mixed-blooded second-generation descendants, and even true Muslims can only live outside the city.

  What's more, no one has the ability to get as much silk and porcelain as Zhao's family. Since Zhao's family took over this place, all the specialties of Song people can only be bought from their home.

  "The Zhao family is very cunning, you must be careful when dealing with them. I have suffered losses in my dealings with their elders. However, for your future to take over the position of city master, you need to interact with them. In the future, if your sister marries into their family and we become relatives by marriage, then your goal of inheriting my position will be easily achieved!"

  To continue his father's position, for now, is not the choice of young and arrogant Abdul Matin. He wants to go further, to make a name for himself in the world.

  He won't know about today's visit, which will bring him a future he wants.

  "Respectful madam, I have brought a message from the lord of the castle!"

  Facing the three mothers sitting in the main seat, Abdul Matin made a respectful bow according to his father's instructions.

  Although he didn't understand why the Song people wanted women to be in charge of the household, his father had said that now the Zhao family was led by San Niang. No matter whether she was a woman or not, whoever was in charge of the Zhao family had to be treated with respect and courtesy.

  Abdul Matin has a different view on this.

  "Is this respect for the woman or respect for the master of the Zhao family, or are we fundamentally respecting dirhams and dinars?"

  "Hello, handsome son of the castle owner, let me see what kind of news you've brought us!"

  When San Niang spoke, her voice was neither fast nor slow, naturally carrying the majestic demeanor of the Song Dynasty that commanded respect without being angry.

  Just by her words, she had already shocked Martini, who didn't think much of women.

  "What kind of woman is this, why does she give people a sense of pressure when she speaks, could it be that..."

  Speculation in her mind did not affect Martini's completion of his father's task.

  "Respectful madam, the castle lord wants me to inform you that our Yellow Sand Castle's annual martial arts tournament is about to begin. The second young master of your esteemed household has already reached the age of fifteen, so the castle lord invites both young masters to participate in the trial. Furthermore..."

  When it comes to another time, Martini's face is a bit hot. This "another" refers to the money "another", after all, holding a martial arts competition costs a lot of money.

  Originally, in other cities, the wealthy would have taken out their purses, but in this Yellow Sand City, the rich, apart from paying a little tax to the city lord, didn't care about any of the city's expenses.

  The reason is that they are actually Zhao's family business, so even if they are allocated, shouldn't they be allocated to the Zhao family, who are truly wealthy?

  The third daughter raised her hand and stopped Martini from continuing to say "another", showing that she was well aware of every move in the Yellow Sand City.

  "Yuner, bring out the ceremony we prepared for this big competition!"

  "Yes!"

  Shu Yiner responded with a "yes" and quickly turned into the inner hall that also served as an accounting room.

  The third girl finished instructing and then turned to Martini.

  "Please reply to the noble City Lord, as residents of Huangsha City, it is our lofty duty. Everything has been prepared, and the two young masters in our mansion will also attend the trial on time!"

  Having said that, he no longer gave Abdul Matin the opportunity to speak, and instead took a cup of tea from the hand of a maid beside him.

  Ma Ti Ni understood that this was a way for Song people to indicate the end of a conversation.

  He had some complaints about the job of wanting money, but he didn't say much more. He just stood up and took the heavy purse from the most outstanding maid in front of him.

  He turned around and was about to leave, but then stopped in his tracks and turned back, apparently having forgotten something.

  "Your esteemed ladyship, if I may be so bold, I wish to have an audience with the two young masters. You see, the martial tournament has some special rules and I fear they may not understand!"

  Abdul Matin's face turned even redder as he made these excuses. He wasn't going to introduce the rules of the competition, but rather follow his father's orders to make friends with those two young masters.

  And he also has another secret mission, one that comes from his beloved younger sister.

  "Dear brother, maybe you can help me take a look at these two and see which one is more suitable to be my husband in the future!"