Cao Mao did not continue frightening the monk before him.
He asked about the situation in the Western Regions.
Great Wei had inherited the dynastic succession of Later Han and likewise established a Chief Clerk's Office to govern the Western Regions.
The states of the Western Regions all fell under the jurisdiction of the Chief Clerk's Office. Whenever a new king succeeded to the throne or the succession changed, they had to report it to the Chief Clerk's Office and then obtain the imperial court's approval.
They also came to Luoyang to offer tribute, trade, and engage in other activities.
Unfortunately, the distance was simply too great, and the Western Regions were vast. However capable the Chief Clerk's Office might be, its knowledge of local conditions, especially among ordinary people, probably could not match that of a widely traveled monk like Zhu Fahu.
Zhu Fahu then described the situation there.
With the Chief Clerk's Office overseeing things, the local states remained relatively peaceful. Though they had disputes with one another, they did not dare resort lightly to arms.
In recent years, the constant warfare in Yongliang had prevented many trading caravans from reaching the Central Plains. This had even affected the succession in some small states. For many small states in the Western Regions, trade was sometimes more important than farming.
If trade were interrupted, serious unrest might break out within their borders.
Cao Mao listened very attentively as the monk spoke, moving from folk customs to farming conditions and then to caravan routes.
Zhu Fahu had traveled to Tianzhu with a trading caravan from the Western Regions.
Cao Mao spoke with him for more than two hours before allowing him to leave.
Before he left, Cao Mao reminded him, "The south has only just been pacified, and there may