Nader Shah. Historical novel. Yunus Oghuz

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СКАЧАТЬ uncle, what does it mean “to be against Murad’? How can Murad damage us if he is in the palace?

      – He can damage us very much, my nephew! Don’t be a milksop, my nephew! You said that he was a brave boy! Didn’t you say that?

      – I did!

      – He will ingratiate himself with the Shah; he will consider his service to the Shah to be the main part of his life. Then gradually he will be promoted to higher posts. One day you will see that he has soiled our name and he is in our post. Do you understand? How do you think, won’t it be like this?

      – It will be!

      Fatali khan raised his voice:

      – Do you want me to tell what will be then? For example, when he is in the palace he may bring complainers to the reception of the Shah without informing us. He may creep into the Shah’s favor and request the Shah to listen to their problems, to find a way-out. Won’t it be like this, my nephew?

      That time Jalal bey nodded his head decidedly:

      – It will be, my uncle, it will be! I am astonished at your wisdom! You have thought all about it in detail!

      Fatali khan boasted and raised his finger to his head:

      In order to think one needs a head, my nephew! It is necessary to be watchful! Pay attention to everything!

      Jalal bey became worried:

      – What can we do, my uncle? I think you have already found a way-out!

      Fatali khan said majestically:

      – Of course, I have already thought! Firstly, we must lay obstacles in Murad’s way of coming to the palace! Murad mustn’t come to the palace!

      – How? How can we lay obstacles?

      – In order to prevent him, you will need about thirty or forty brave boys able to keep a secret. You mustn’t tell them about Murad, who or what he is, or why he has been punished. Simply, you will tell them that the khan knows about his faults; the khan wants to see this man before him with bound hands, that’s all!

      – Must we go to the hamlet and bring him here, my uncle?

      Fatali khan felt nervous:

      – What are you saying? You have become awkward! Your master taught you nothing! Well, then we may speak about this problem. Now, listen to me attentively! Don’t you understand that at that time all the people will know that I have punished him and thrown him into prison? Do you understand the essence of it? It means that the news will reach the Shah’s ears. What may happen then?

      – Yes… Yes… it is true! What must we do?

      – Listen to me, my nephew, all the people in the hamlet must know that Murad has gone to work in the palace. After leaving the hamlet Murad will come to Kaleybar. While coming from Kaleybar to Tabriz your brave boys will catch him and bring to me. That is why you must also be in Kaleybar together with those boys to foll ow and to catch him. Only you can know him, you have seen him before. In Kaleybar you must be watchful not to let him to enter Tabriz alone. Do you understand?

      Jalal bey’s eyes goggled and he tried to understand what he had heard, so he would be able to realize the plan:

      – Yes, there is no other way -out!

      – I am fully confident of you, my nephew!

      – You must trust me, my uncle! But… but… I am thinking about one problem. If suddenly the Shah remembered Murad and asked why he didn’t come to the palace. What can we do then?

      Fatali khan said waveringly:

      – I don’t think that the Shah will remember Murad if he doesn’t come. -If he asks about Murad we may tell him that: “He hasn’t come yet, maybe something has happened”.

      Jalal bey thought for a while and then shook his head:

      – It is clear, my uncle, when must I leave for Kaleybar?

      – If God pleases, you must be in Kaleybar after three more weeks. Remember well, no one must know about it. Till you bring him to my prison no one must know that I am aware about his punishment. Is everything clear, my nephew?

      – It is clear, my uncle, let me go to make some preparation. I want to go Kaleybar to learn about the local situation…

      …On the Shah’s account Murad held a good wedding. In the hamlet there hadn’t been held such a kind of wedding. At last, the third day of the wedding they brought Qelemnaz to Murad’s home like a bride. The young boy and girl who have been longing for each other for years remained in gerdek20. for three days. Murad couldn’t believe his happiness; he sleeked Qelemnaz’s hair, took her hair, and enjoyed seeing her in his home. At the end of the third day there was the “appearing” of the bride. For the “appearing” of Qelemnaz, Murad’s mother took her silver waistband from the chest, fastened it round her waist and said: “Be happy! I wish you only happiness! Don’t let me long for a grand i child!”

      Though both of them didn’t know how long their happiness would last, they felt themselves happiest of all. Though Murad didn’t want to part with Qelemnaz he was eager to go to the palace. Now all his future wishes and cares were connected with his job in the palace. As soon as he would be placed in the palace and knew about his new job, he would ret urn and take Qelemnaz to Tabriz. He thought that his children would study in madrasa, (religious school of Mos- lems) and would learn science. Qelemnaz, who had become more beautiful after the wedding knew that she would miss a lot in the hamlet without Murad, but she kept silent because of having no other route; because the Shah who had helped them to join together had also called him to go to the palace to work there. She consoled herself that Murad had promi sed to return and to take her to Tabriz after having settled in his job in the palace. Before Murad left she was waiting for his returni ng. All her wishes were connected with Murad. Qelemnaz was so happy.

      There was one who wasn’t happy, and was sad after the meeting with the Shah. Jafar kishi was upset and downcast. He wasn’t sad for his girl’s marrying with Murad. On the contrary, after that event all the people showed respect to Murad, because he was the only man in the hamlet who would work in the palace side by side with the Shah. He considered it an honor. His daughter’s husband would work in the palace. Jafar kishi was proud of his daughter’s husband. He was thinking about another problem; about the talk with Fatali khan which couldn’t come true. The khan could damage his daughter’s husband. Even when Jafar kishi went to return twenty pieces of gold which the khan had given him for the bashliq, the khan didn’t take the gold and said to him smiling bitterly: “Let it be my wedding gift to the newly married persons!” Then he had said to Jafar kishi: “Look here, Jafar kishi; it is very bad when the happiness of the wedding is spoilt”. Jafar kishi was thinking about the words of the khan. He knew well that if the khan had any chance he would punish him for being upset. By those words, the khan wanted to tell him that once he had spoilt his happiness and then he wouldn’t let his daughter be happy. That was why Jafar kishi was worried. He had lived his life. He was afraid that the khan could damage Murad and his only daughter would be unhappy. If Murad remained in the hamlet, Jafar kishi would console himself somehow. If Murad would work in the СКАЧАТЬ