Chapter 37 Dialogue
The next day, the tribute envoys said goodbye, and Zhao Yan saw them off according to the reception standards of the government office.
As he was leaving, Mahmud said, "Your Excellency, we had no intention of agreeing to open commercial exchanges until last night."
Zhao Yan, dressed in official uniform and with a noble and aloof expression, spoke with a characteristic official air, "Purchasing and trading in the name of the government will only bring more benefits to the tribute envoys. For us, we've found more customers for the common people and spread our craftsmanship to more distant places. It's a win-win situation."
"The spice trade the tribute envoys rely on will also be able to enter Quanzhou. The major ports in Tonghai Lane will also sell all the spices to all parts of the country within a few days. Although I am an official transferred from abroad, I will do my best to ensure that any matters I handle will last for ten years. The tribute envoys don't have to worry."
Mahmud looked at the governor in front of him and said, "Since Governor Zhao has said this, I promise him that when I return to my homeland, I will propose to the Turkic king that Quanzhou lanterns be used as both common lanterns and for the nobility."
The officials accompanying him were delighted when they heard this.
The court has always evaluated the performance of officials over the years. If this trade transaction is successful, the lives and incomes of the people here will change dramatically.
This is a credit to the officials involved.
It was not until half a day after the tribute delegation left that Zhao Yan instructed the heads of various departments to register the incident.
Afterwards, he wrote a memorial about the trade between the two places and submitted it to the capital.
After finishing the day's work, when I returned to the courtyard, the sky was full of stars.
Anfu followed the young master out of the car, and when he turned around, he saw Baili drinking tea and Miss Yu coming out of the house with hot water.
"Master Zhao is back?" Baili put down his teacup, fanned himself and bowed.
Zhao Yan ignored him and went straight into the courtyard. When he reached Yu Huatang, he said, "Dengshitang will serve as a local business and will supply the Turks."
Yu Huatang reacted and thanked happily, "Thank you for your hard work, everyone from teenagers to elderly people in their forties can now have something to eat."
"Local people have been worried about sales before, and we craftsmen don't have any other skills, so we can only work hard on our craft, hoping that passing merchants will see these and find another way to sell them."
"The power of one person is ultimately limited, but someone has to do it. Now that we have adults to help us, we feel that our efforts have not been in vain."
Her words made Zhao Yan feel that after so many years of serving as an official, he finally found the answers he wanted here.
He was confused and had difficulties at first.
Because he was too upright in the Ministry of Works, he could not stand his colleagues enriching themselves, forming cliques for personal gain, and colluding with each other to exaggerate the project debts by dozens of times.
In recent years, he has been excluded from the political center, and his colleagues, to whom he has made reports, have also openly and covertly squeezed him.
He originally thought that studying, passing exams, and serving the people were the duties of an official, but the cruelty of the facts also made him doubt, but now he no longer has doubts.
As a woman, even though she knew that she might not succeed, she still did not give up and continued to contribute her own glimmer of light.
As the governor of the state, he must have a stronger inner belief. What she can do, he must do more!
His heart was bright, and he felt a lightness he had never felt before.
She was like a beacon in his heart, whom he admired and admired from the bottom of his heart. He wanted to be close to her, to cherish her, and to walk with her.
Calming down his excitement, he said, "I am also very happy to receive your praise."
Baili saw that the two of them were so engrossed in their conversation that they had forgotten there was another person present. He shouted in dissatisfaction, "Huatang, when are you going to refill my tea? It's getting cold."
Yu Huatang reacted, "Sir, would you like to have a drink too?"
"good."
The three of them drank a few more cups, and it was getting even later. Yu Huatang was worried that Baili would have a long way to go, so she urged him to hurry up, "Aren't you going back to Fuzhou tomorrow? Go back now."
Baili was reluctant to leave so soon, but thinking that if he could bring her something new, she might be happier next time, "Okay, okay, okay. I came to give you a gift today, but you refused to accept it, and now you're trying to get rid of me. I don't know when I'll ever achieve my goal."
After saying that, he approached her and said, "How about you come with me to my house when I come back next time?"
He added, "Look, Lord Zhao is here too. If you're worried, just let him be a witness. I'm not just saying this casually."
Yu Huatang was stunned for a moment, "Okay, stop messing around. I want to rest too, so please leave quickly."
Baili Feng's eyes were filled with grievance, knowing that he couldn't force her, "Okay, then next time I come back, you have to accept the gift I bring you."
"I'll tell you next time you come back."
This was a complete disagreement. Baili felt relieved and finally left dejectedly.
With one person gone, the yard returned to peace. He heard Baili's words clearly. Yu Huatang saw that he was still hiding under the osmanthus tree as before, with an unclear expression and no sign of joy.
She asked, "Would your Excellency like to have some tea?"
Zhao Yan shook his head and asked, "Why did you stay in Fuzhou for so long last time? Did something happen to you?"
Yu Huatang packed up and said, "I went to the old man's house and was supposed to come back right away. But I met some folk artisans, so I stayed a few more days. A hundred miles later, I met a business customer and will come back after he finishes his work."
He saw that she answered naturally and couldn't tell whether she had any feelings for Baili, but what Baili said when she left just now made him a little flustered.
He originally thought that he could approach her slowly, but a strong woman is afraid of clinging men, and what if she agreed in a fit of rage?
He didn't dare to think about it, and blurted out, "Will you agree with Baili?"
He regretted asking as soon as he asked, because he had offended her given their current relationship.
"Your Excellency is overthinking this. I won't choose anyone." Yu Huatang put his things back into the room and came out again with a pile of cloth in his arms. "The money the government has given us is enough. Your Excellency can take these cloths back."
Zhao Yan didn't take it. "I don't need it. You keep it."
"It's not nice to accept something from an adult without any connection to me. If you don't take it back, I'll just throw it away."
Zhao Yan was choked and speechless. He took it with both hands and walked out in silence.
The two were speechless for a moment, and could only sigh that things in the world are impermanent, and people will eventually change in the long river of time.
Since what happened that night, Zhao Yan hasn't seen her for half a month. It can be said that it was intentional or unintentional.
The two were clearly neighbors but couldn't see each other. Even Anfu found it strange that Miss Yu wanted to avoid adults.
Three days ago, he got up early and had just cleaned the carriage when he saw Miss Yu walking to the Dengshi Hall.
Anfu then realized that Miss Yu had gotten up early just to avoid them.
I think it's because it's awkward for a divorced couple to meet each other, and his son is quite interesting.
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