Chapter 148: Ruined Reputation (asking for monthly ticket)

After getting Li Xiang's promise, Li Su became more interested in the stall left by Li Xiang.

Li Xiang was also very satisfied. Just for the promise of a title, he could get free labor. Why not?

He is becoming more and more adept at making promises.

The only difference between him and the unscrupulous bosses in later generations is that Li Xiang really intended to realize the pie after he had drawn it.

This time when Li Jingren returned from the grassland, the goods he brought back had to be digested first, and then exchanged for goods suitable for the grassland in the inland of the Tang Dynasty. After the spring, he would go to the grassland for trade again.

These more than 100,000 kilograms of wool were temporarily handed over to Li Shu, who was asked to urgently make a batch of warm clothing in preparation for military supplies.

As for these cattle and sheep... Li Xiang was thinking about whether he could breed a group of dairy cows and sheep.

As we all know, eating enough meat, eggs and milk is the best way to keep fit.

As for lactose intolerance... this problem is not a lifelong one. It's simply because you drink less. You'll get used to it if you drink more.

Babies can digest lactose, but some people stop drinking milk when they grow up, and the corresponding digestive enzymes are not produced, so they become lactose intolerant.

And we must believe in the power of natural selection. Everyone in the Tang Dynasty drinks milk. If someone cannot drink it, his genes will naturally be eliminated.

The proportion of lactose intolerance in Westerners is small because when milk became popular, the intolerant genes were eliminated.

This is especially true for people on the grasslands. They have never heard of any intolerance. After all, their daily food consists of various dairy products, such as milk tofu and milk tea, which they have already consumed.

Besides, even if you get diarrhea from drinking cow or goat milk, it's better than eating Guanyin soil and tree bark, right?
He told Li Shu about this plan, but Li Shu grabbed his ears and twisted him.

After twisting it, I realized that Li Xiang did it unintentionally.

So Li Shu comforted Li Xiang for a long time, coaxing and rubbing him, and finally he managed to appease Li Xiang.

In fact, if Li Shu hadn't twisted him, Li Xiang wouldn't have realized that this matter had to be avoided.

After returning to the palace, Li Xiang’s first stop was Lizheng Hall.

After all, the return of the caravan is such a big deal, and it should be reported to Li Shimin.

"Aunt, Li Jingren has returned with the caravan." Li Xiang reported to Li Shimin, "Before we set out, we spent 6,300 strings of cash on goods, and bought more than 113,400 kilograms of wool on the grassland. We couldn't bring back the rest, so we changed to buying cattle, sheep and other livestock. We bought a total of 2,346 sheep, 1,580 cattle, and 2,300 horses."

"So many?" Li Shimin put down the "Wenxuan" in his hand and asked in surprise.

"We can't help it. The grassland people are too welcoming. It's because Aweng has great reputation." Li Xiang said with a smile, "I heard it was a caravan from the Tang Dynasty. The leader of the Huihe people, Tumidu, and the leader of the Khitan people, Dahe Kuge, each gave more than a thousand horses and sent people to escort the caravan back to the Tang Dynasty."

"Look, those grassland people who are escorting the caravan are having dinner in the restaurant now." Li Xiang added.

The caravan needs to be rewarded, and of course these grassland people who sent escorts for free should also be rewarded.

After all, the Tang Dynasty is the Celestial Empire and a country of etiquette. It is not right to ignore other people's kindness - of course, there must be a limit.

"That's thoughtful of you." Li Shimin nodded to express his affirmation of them.

Look, this is the demeanor of the Heavenly Khan.

The phrase "I have a heart for it" seems to be a matter of course.

Li Xiang once again learned from Aweng what it means to remain calm in the face of praise or criticism. He still needs to learn more from him.

"After the expedition to Goguryeo next year, you will follow me to Luoyang first." Li Shimin picked up the Selected Works again and said, "You want a navy, don't you? You will be in charge of the navy."

"Okay." Li Xiang did not refuse and said with a smile: "Aunt, just wait and see, I will train you an elite army!"

"Hmph." Li Shimin laughed and didn't say anything else.

The post of the Pyongyang Road Chief of Staff must not be given to Li Xiang. After all, he is still very young and cannot convince the public, so it is better to let Zhang Liang take on the post concurrently.

With the help of veterans, we can be sure of success.

Having got a title, Li Xiang happily left Lizheng Hall. When he returned to the East Palace, he suddenly realized that Li Shimin did not give him a specific position, but only let him be fully responsible for the navy.

Could it be that this old... old man wants the horse to run but not eat grass?

It's very possible!
Li Xiang was depressed in the Eastern Palace, and a caravan of Shandong nobles also came to the grassland.

"Uncle, will it work this time?" Cui Jian asked Cui Tingzhi hesitantly.

Cui Tingzhi sat in the carriage calmly, stroking his beard with his hand, with the demeanor of a hermit: "Of course it can be done. The most scarce commodity on the grassland is tea; the most useless commodity on the grassland is wool. How can it not be feasible to exchange useful things for useless things?"

Cui Jian asked in confusion: "Have the grassland people never thought of using wool to keep warm?"

"People on the grassland usually make fur together with the sheepskin and wool, not just the wool." Cui Tingzhi patiently explained to his nephew.

Cui Jian still didn't quite understand: "Since wool can be made into fur, why is it the most useless thing on the grassland?"

"Haha." Cui Tingzhi smiled mysteriously. Cui Jian's thirst for knowledge obviously satisfied his desire to preach: "What you don't know is that if you want to make fur, you need to kill the sheep and then take the fur. How long does it take for a sheep to grow from a lamb to an adult to be used for fur? Do I need to tell you?"

"Making fur is a one-time thing, but wool is like your beard, it can grow back." Cui Tingzhi pointed at Cui Jian's chin: "The beard you just shaved a while ago has grown back, right? It didn't cost you your life."

Cui Jian touched his chin which was covered with stubble. He had just shaved it before he left, but the hair started to grow wildly again.

Generally speaking, men do not grow beards before getting married. This can be seen in Zhang Zeduan's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" in the Northern Song Dynasty. After all, there is a shaver painted on the painting.

“So that’s how it is.” Cui Jian suddenly realized and crossed his arms towards Cui Tingzhi: “Nephew, I will teach you!”

Cui Tingzhi smiled complacently and said nothing more.

Soon, they arrived at the territory of Xueyantuo.

Seeing the caravan of the Five Surnames and Seven Families, the Xueyantuo herdsmen cheered.

"Look, it's the Tang Dynasty caravan!"

"Yes! The Tang Dynasty caravan is here!"

"Now we have tea to drink!"

Hearing the herdsmen's cheers, Cui Jian scratched his head and asked, "Uncle, what are they talking about?"

Cui Tingzhi, who could understand the grassland dialect, lifted the curtain to take a look and said with a smile: "They are welcoming us to the grassland."

"It is indeed so!" Cui Jian said happily, "It seems that tea is indeed a material that the grassland urgently needs. Otherwise, they would not be so happy."

Cui Tingzhi stroked his beard and said nothing, but the smile on his face betrayed his mood.

This time, it’s a sure thing!

They traveled all the way to the Xueyantuo Khan's tent and met Zhenzhu Khan Yishiyinan. When he heard that the Tang Dynasty's caravan had arrived, Yishiyinan was overjoyed.

The last time the Tang Dynasty caravan was in Huihe, the goods were distributed according to the tribes. The tea that the Xueyantuo received was only enough to last until the beginning of spring, which was not enough at all.

The Tang Dynasty was conducting trade peacefully, and with so many tribes watching covetously, it was not easy for the Yi people to take more than they wanted.

But now, the Tang Dynasty caravan arrived at the Xueyantuo camp with a full load, which means that the first stop was not the Uighurs, but the Xueyantuo!
It seems that the Heavenly Khan still loves me! Yishi Yinan thought happily.

After seeing Cui Tingzhi, Yi Shiyinan began to feel uneasy.

Remember the last caravan that came here, the leader was a young man?
He did not think much about it, but smiled and said: "Welcome the Tang Dynasty caravan to Xueyantuo to exchange what you have."

"Greetings to His Majesty Zhenzhu Khan." Cui Tingzhi was very polite.

"Stand up," Yishiyinan said with a smile, and then called Cui Tingzhi and said, "Since your distinguished envoy has come to Xueyantuo, this Khan will certainly entertain you well. Let's not talk about business for now. This Khan will take you to enjoy some grassland songs and dances first!"

Cui Tingzhi found it interesting.

It seems that the Xueyantuo are really eager for supplies from the Tang Dynasty!
Since the other party sincerely invited him, Cui Tingzhi naturally had no intention of refusing, so he smiled and said, "Then I will respectfully obey your command."

Yishiyinan's idea was very simple. He would first entertain the Tang Dynasty merchant caravan well and then send out a sugar-coated bullet. Then when the two countries did business, the Tang people would not ask for a high price and would definitely take good care of our Xueyantuo.

Therefore, Yi Shiyinan worked very hard to entertain Cui Tingzhi.

In addition to the normal singing and dancing by women, Yishiyinan, taking into account the martial spirit of the Tang Dynasty, also asked the men of the grassland to come out and perform dances.

"Commander Cui, do you think my elite soldiers are powerful?" Yinan pointed at the men who were dancing a strange and powerful dance in the center of the field and asked Cui Tingzhi.

"It is indeed powerful and unstoppable!" Cui Tingzhi narrowed his eyes, wondering whether Xueyantuo could be of great use.

"See if my warriors are strong?" Yi Nan asked again.

"It is truly a team of bears and tigers!" Cui Tingzhi exclaimed with a smile.

"Hahahaha..." Yinan was extremely satisfied after receiving the affirmation from the "Tang Dynasty's envoy."

After three rounds of drinking, Yi Nan gathered the leaders of the tribe together.

When discussing business, the same rule applies on the grassland: drink first.

Wouldn’t it be nice to talk after drinking?
"Master, how much cargo did you bring this time?" Yimang Tulishi asked anxiously.

Since Yishi Yinan favored his legitimate son, the goods allocated to Bazhuo were far more than those given to him. How could Yemang not be anxious?

"This time, I brought a total of 20,000 tea cakes and 20,000 kilograms of salt..."

Cui Tingzhi stroked his beard and proudly counted the people of the Xueyantuo tribe.

As he reported the numbers, the eyes of the tribal leaders became wider and wider.

Cui Tingzhi was extremely proud. These barbarians had never seen the world. Just a small batch of goods made them lose their composure.

After hesitating for a while, Cui Tingzhi smiled and said, "Don't worry, everyone. There are a lot of goods this time. Let's talk about it in detail."

"Okay, I'll listen to Master Cui." Yinan said with a smile.

After all, the Tang Dynasty caravan had promised last time that the price next time would definitely be more reasonable and fair, and they would never suffer any loss.

"Well...how about exchanging cattle, sheep and other livestock according to market prices?" Cui Tingzhi asked.

"Very good!" Yi Nan and all the leaders nodded.

"Do you have any wool?" Cui Tingzhi confirmed.

Yi Nan slapped his thigh and said, "There are still hundreds of thousands of kilograms of wool in the tribe!"

Upon hearing Yi Nan's words, Cui Tingzhi was secretly delighted.

It’s good to have wool. We must eat all these hundreds of thousands of kilograms.

"I heard that wool is quite useless on the grassland," Cui Tingzhi said with a smile, twirling his beard. "I'd like to take a loss. How about a piece of tea cake in exchange for 200 kilograms of wool?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present fell into astonishment, leaving only the crackling sound of torches and bonfires.

Cui Tingzhi thought that they were frightened by the reasonable price, and he felt even more satisfied.

Today is the day for us Shandong nobles to make money!

However, what he didn't expect was that Yi Nan suddenly asked back, "The last time the caravan came, they agreed with us that the price of wool would be 10 catties of wool per tea cake. Why did they reduce it to 200 catties this time?"

"Last time?" Cui Ting was stunned: "This is the first time my caravan came to the grassland. We have never been here before."

Yi Nan suppressed his anger and asked again, "Isn't your Excellency a member of the Tang Dynasty merchant caravan?"

Cui Tingzhi smiled and said, "It's not the Tang Dynasty caravan, but the Shandong nobles who are concerned about the shortage of goods on the grassland, so they formed a caravan to come here to exchange what they have."

"So they are from Shandong aristocracy." Yi Nan sneered, "I heard that Shandong aristocracy has been famous for generations, with five surnames and seven families, all of which have been passed down for hundreds of years. Are they the top families in the Central Plains?"

"That's right." Cui Tingzhi said proudly.

"Bullshit!" Yi Nan cursed.

"Your Majesty Khan, why are you angry?" Cui Tingzhi was stunned.

Yi Nan pointed at Cui Tingzhi and said angrily: "I will kill you for your thousand-year-old family! What generations of noble families, a hundred years of inheritance, I'm afraid it's just a bunch of petty tricks!"

"You know, the last time the imperial court came to trade with us, they agreed to give us ten kilograms of wool for one tea cake! They also explained to us in detail what they were going to do after purchasing the wool!"

"The court has shown us its sincerity, and we are grateful! And what about you? You claim to be a Shandong noble family, but what you have in mind is a sinister plot! I'm afraid you have stolen the court's woolen yarn recipe from somewhere, and you want to take advantage of this opportunity to make a fortune!"

"I...I..." Cui Tingzhi broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't understand why the situation had turned out like this.

He didn't understand why the court would give up the good business of buying low and selling high, and instead do this kind of loss-making business.

"Great and generous!" Yinan looked at Yimang.

"Here!" Yimang stood up immediately.

Yi Nan pointed at Cui Tingzhi and angrily cursed: "Go and take your people to notify the various tribes. Make sure to notify the Khitan, Huihe, Pugu and other tribes. Let them know the sinister faces of the so-called Shandong nobles, the Five Surnames and Seven Families!"

"Yes!" Yimang touched his chest, took the order and left.

(The first update is here!)
(End of this chapter)