Chapter 288: Chapter 243: The Merchant
Not good. Not good at all.
Yongjia Square, Prince Zhao Mansion, courtyard.
Princess Anle, Li Nanlei, stared intently at the newspaper article on the table about the Suzhou Water Poison epidemic, almost grinding her teeth to dust.
Brother Shan is going to be sent to Suzhou.
Li Nanlei slowed her breathing and said slowly, "In his capacity as Prince Guang."
She paused for a moment before violently slamming the table, sending the newspaper flying. "Absurd! Selfish! Where was he when other princes and imperial grandsons ignored and insulted Brother Shan? Where was he when the multitude of servants deliberately slighted him? Brother Shan is Prince Guang, indeed, but when has he ever received the income from his fief? It’s always one delay after another. The so-called Prince Mansion can’t even gather the basic personnel; the positions of Changshi, Sima, military advisor, and the like are all vacant. The officials invited all claim illness, afraid to get involved. And where is he now?"
The female official standing behind Princess Anle listened silently to Li Nanlei’s angry soliloquy and said softly, "Princess, be careful with your words."
The "he" in her speech was none other than Emperor Yu, Li Shun.
According to Yu Law, after establishing their own household, princes were to leave the Imperial Palace and establish their Prince Mansions, with subordinate officials and guests. These officials would assist the prince, helping him handle affairs. If a prince was sent to a local area to assume the position of governor, his assisting officials could also enter an official career track, obtaining promotions—equivalent to a shortcut.
Although Li Shan was still studying at the Academic Palace, by age, he was already old enough to prepare to establish his own household. However, with no income from his fief and no favor from Emperor Yu, he faced limitations at every turn, with few people willing to join him.
In this situation, Emperor Yu, still wanting to maintain the Li Royal Family’s image of loving their people as their own children, personally sent his son to the front lines of the epidemic, forcing him to fulfill the deadly duties of a prince.
Is that fair?
Is it reasonable?
Does he have no shame?
If the Water Poison had occurred in the domain of that Prince Yue, Li Hui, Li Nanlei had no doubt that Emperor Yu would not order Li Hui to fulfill his duties in the epidemic area. Instead, he would keep his precious son safe in Chang’an, well-protected.
Such blatant favoritism, so partial... It’s simply...
A mockery of fatherhood.
Li Nanlei’s chest heaved dramatically, and it took her a long time to calm down.
Seeing her emotions stabilize, the female official finally reminded her softly, "Princess, this might be an opportunity."
Opportunity?
Li Nanlei’s brow furrowed slightly, then she quickly caught on.
Indeed, Li Shan faced restrictions at every turn in Chang’an due to his mother’s clan. However, in Luoyang and other places, there were still old officials who reminisced about the era of the Holy Empress. Decades had passed, yet those old factions, once suppressed for supporting the Holy Empress, still wielded significant power. They could not overturn the court, but they could offer Li Shan clandestine support outside of Chang’an.
Secondly, Li Shan’s fief was already in Suzhou. Once he established his household, he would also go there to serve as governor. Instead of taking up the post in a few years, it would be better to seize this moment to find local talent, nurture confidants, and, by managing the Water Poison, accumulate popular support. After all, the image of the Holy Empress remained profound among the people of Yu Country.
Step back to broaden our horizons, eh...
Li Nanlei nodded thoughtfully. "Li Ang is also going to Suzhou this time. With his abilities, even if he can’t solve the issue, he should be able to prevent the situation from becoming too grim."
So now, what we need to do is ensure Brother Shan’s safety...
The Water Poison is merciless.
Moreover, whenever there’s a natural disaster or man-made calamity, someone from some faction of the Demon Sect always jumps out to sow discord among the people, even going as far as assassinating local officials.
Li Nanlei was unwilling to entrust Li Shan’s life entirely to the government troops of the Prince Mansion or the personnel from the garrison.
It would be best if we could dispatch our own people to protect Brother Shan in secret.
Li Nanlei furrowed her brows in thought and said slowly, "This person must be sufficiently covert so as not to attract the garrison’s attention. And they must be fiercely loyal, powerful, and trustworthy... Is Lu Yunan still in East Chang’an?"
Hearing this name, the female official was slightly surprised but still nodded. "She should still be in East Chang’an; she hasn’t left."
"Have her come see me," Li Nanlei ordered.
Lu Yunan was a merchant. More precisely, a merchant from the Northern Black Mountain.
Yu Country’s population was simply too large, so large that even its vast territories couldn’t satisfy its appetite. Given any opportunity, the desire to conquer was almost irresistible. However, the Northern Territory always remained an invisible border for Yu Country. The winters there were so cold that steel would freeze and crack, and horses would freeze to death. Only the hardiest trees, the craftiest beasts, and the strongest barbarians could survive. The howling north winds, carrying shards of ice, and the dense, towering primeval forests limited Yu Country’s northward expansion. They also provided a unique opportunity for the most adventurous merchants to carve out their own profitable trade routes.
SNAP.
In a luxurious residence somewhere in the East Market, a young girl elegantly placed a ceramic teacup on the table. She stretched lazily, revealing the graceful curve of her waist, then lounged on a reclining chair, browsing through a newspaper. She shifted her leg slightly, allowing her maid to massage her foot more conveniently.
She had the typical features of the Black Mountain Barbarians: pristine white hair braided into a slightly elaborate plait that cascaded down her chest, and her blue eyes were as clear and bright as a serene lake.
Four years ago, she had led a caravan across the long and perilous mountain regions of the Northern Territory, forging a trade route to Chang’an. Her caravan brought precious and expensive furs, pearls, and gems to Chang’an, particularly a kind of sturdy, thick, and waterproof northern blackwood that could be made into bottles to keep water hot for a long time. The well-off families of Chang’an were willing to spend several strings of coins to buy them to improve their lives.
The profits from this were so substantial that some people, blinded by greed, attempted to control these barbarians. Fortunately, Lu Yunan chose to cooperate with the Prince Zhao Mansion, becoming their proxy merchant. This allowed her to circumvent some of the restrictions of Yu Law, bringing salt, sugar, rice, tea, and even steel and forges back to her homeland, enabling her people to truly live, not just survive.
"Little Jiu, do you know what the most important Mutated Object is for a vast country like Yu Country?" Lu Yunan suddenly asked with a smile, having thought of something while reading the newspaper.
The maid named Little Jiu tilted her head, stopped her massage, and made a gesture.
"No, it’s not the powerful weapons in the hands of the garrison. Guess again."
The maid made another gesture, but Lu Yunan still shook her head, saying lazily, "Wrong again. It’s not the unspeakable, unknowable secrets in the Academic Palace’s Dongjun Tower, nor even the ultimate weapon deep in the Imperial Palace used to protect the Royal Family’s bloodline.
"Instead, it’s a type of insect. The Nearby Worm. It’s a Level One Demon that resembles a large locust. Its sole ability is to communicate remotely with its kind over thousands of miles. It’s because of the Nearby Worm that managing an empire with such vast territories is possible. Thanks to it, the Chang’an Court can learn the real-time situation of distant State Mansions, rapidly issue important edicts, and control the armies in the border towns. Because they are so important, each Nearby Worm is under strict court control. Only the Academic Palace and Imperial Tributors know how to breed and propagate them. The few Nearby Worms are given to the Sealed Border Officials whom the court trusts. And any private breeding, nurturing, or possession of Nearby Worms is considered the most serious act of treason—equivalent to rebellion."
Lu Yunan paused for a moment and murmured, "It’s precisely because of this insect that the situation in Suzhou can be reported back to Chang’an immediately, and the newspapers in Chang’an can publish articles promptly. If we could have ten—no, just six or even fewer Nearby Worms—we could contact and control our kin deep in the Black Mountain, unite everyone, and resist the annual autumn raids by the Turkic People..."
The eastern frontier of the Turkic people, like the tip of an arrowhead, pierced into the Black Mountain. Every autumn, Turkic Tribe cavalry would enter the Black Mountain, demanding that the hundreds or thousands of tribes there hand over grain, livestock, and materials. As for whether this would cause the Black Mountain people to starve or freeze to death, the Turkic People simply didn’t care—the Black Mountain Barbarians were like chives: cut down one batch, and another would grow back the next year.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
A regular knocking sound came from outside the house. A Barbarian guard walked in and whispered a few words in Lu Yunan’s ear.
Lu Yunan said, "I understand. Ask the female official to wait in the courtyard for a while; I’ll be right there."
The Barbarian merchant girl dismissed the guard, rose, and walked to her dressing table. From a cupboard, she took out several bottles and jars. One bottle contained transparent, gel-like films. When placed over her eyes, they masked her natural eye color. Another bottle held a viscous black liquid. She scooped a little with her hand and smeared it onto her hair, quickly dyeing the white strands black. Combined with other makeup powders and tools, she quickly transformed to look no different from a Yu Country person—even her originally stunning features became utterly ordinary under the effect of the makeup.
She looked at herself in the mirror with satisfaction, nodded once, and stepped out of the room.
A cool breeze wafted in, lifting a corner of the newspaper on the table and turning it to the last page.
The Academic Palace’s man-powered airplane had successfully flown across the Bohai Strait from Dengzhou Port in Henan Road.
Its inventor, Li Ang, had named the airplane Flying Henan.