Chapter 109 Chapter 109 "Congratulations...
"Congratulations to the host for spreading celadon and silk to Shanshan. The progress of the mission [Silk Road Flower Rain] has increased by 2%, and the current progress is 22%."
"Congratulations to the host for spreading celadon and silk to Loulan. The progress of the mission [Silk Road Flower Rain] has increased by 10%, and the current progress is 32%."
Current remaining points: 2400.
Jiang Wan looked at the progress bar above his head, which was less than one-third complete, and wailed inwardly.
Damn it, she's only been to three countries and it's already taken her three months. There are still thirty-three left. How long will she finish?
Especially the Xiongnu, who were such a tough nut to crack. Since she'd traveled through time, she'd been assassinated twice by them. Getting them to accept the porcelain and silk from the Central Plains was practically impossible! Impossible!
The customer service representative, who had been offline for a long time, finally came back online: "Host, although the task is difficult, there is no time limit. Don't worry, at most you can just work on it for a few more years."
Jiang Wan: Are you trying to comfort me?
A sudden breeze rippled the surface of Pearl Lake. Even the early October breeze carried a chill. Jiang Wan gathered her clothes, a thin fox fur coat draped gently over her shoulders.
She turned around, thanked Aigu behind her, and tied the fox fur coat tightly.
Because of Bai Yanyun's injury, the delegation delayed their departure from Shanshan, arriving in Loulan in late September. Fortunately, Fang Hong had done a lot of groundwork during her six months in Loulan, so Jiang Wan had no trouble establishing sales channels.
"What are you thinking about? You keep frowning." Aigu stood beside her and looked at the rippling lake with her.
"I wonder how long it would take to spread porcelain throughout the Western Regions," Jiang Wan complained. "There are thirty-six countries in the Western Regions. I'd be running around for three of them, and there's still the Xiongnu standing in the way."
Ayigu listened, a faint smile playing across his face. He remembered that when they first met last year, he was still a straightforward, cheerful, and passionate young man. After becoming Crown Prince, his emotions became invisible, his handsome face almost expressionless. Only when facing Jiang Wan did he reveal a hint of his former innocence.
"Thirty-six nations may be numerous, but only a few hold any influence. The nations of the Western Regions are interconnected by blood. For example, if you conquer Wusun, it will influence the neighboring nations of Chechi and Dayuan. Therefore, you don't have to visit every country in person. Your delegation has five deputy envoys, right? You should let them do some work. You can't just be the one doing all the heavy lifting."
Jiang Wan smiled and nodded, rolling her eyes at the system customer service with disdain.
Learn this carefully, this is the high EQ way of comforting others.
Customer Service: The avatar has turned gray.
Jiang Wan coughed lightly. "That's true, but traveling between the various countries in the Western Regions is time-consuming and unsafe. I've been thinking of setting up caravanserai along the routes to each country, and renovating the ancient roads connecting them. This will make it easier to transport goods and reduce casualties among the caravans."
Aigu hesitated. "This is a huge project. Currently, the craftsmen in the Western Regions don't have the skills to build houses or roads in sand. Besides, do you have enough funds?"
"Don't worry, craftsmen. Lin Xiangzhi from our delegation is in charge of this. He said he has a solution. As for the funds," Jiang Wan leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Qingjiangju's money is enough to support you in seizing the throne."
Aigu's ears turned red. "My father is unconscious. Although I am the crown prince, I am no different from the king. I don't need you to help me seize the throne."
After a pause, he said, "Since you want to do it, I will recruit some skilled craftsmen. Just tell me what materials you need, and I will try to give you the lowest price."
"You have just come to power, and the waste of money and resources has caused dissatisfaction among the people. I'd better buy it at the retail price and recruit craftsmen at a price higher than the market price, so that the people of Loulan can understand it better." Jiang Wan said.
Aigu tilted her head to look at her, her tone somewhat dejected. "I know Qingjiangju isn't short of money, but...but I always want to help you as much as possible. If the trade route uses Loulan as a hub, it will also be beneficial to development."
"You've helped me tremendously by securing the throne of Crown Prince. I'm alone in the Western Regions, and there's a traitor within the delegation. I don't have many people I can trust, and you're one of them," Jiang Wan consoled him. "This project is massive, requiring many craftsmen, so you're bound to be under considerable pressure. If I were to put you in financial difficulty again, I'd be mortified."
Aigu had nothing to say, so she sat down, pulled out an unopened bottle of Xifenglie, and took two sips. The pagoda in the center of Pearl Lake was reflected on the surface of the lake, swaying with the waves, reminiscent of the Leifeng Pagoda in Lin'an.
It’s just that the mountains and rivers in the south of the Yangtze River are gentle, while the pagodas in the Western Regions are tall, rugged, and a bit desolate.
"I had a small talk with Princess Anding in Lin'an. I heard that the young master Wen Shen, whom you were attracted to at the time, worked as a clerk in your shop in Xiaofangpan City." Aigu stared at the water, her nervousness visible. "Are you still in touch with him?"
Jiang Wan lowered his head, picked up a flat stone, and casually threw it into the lake. The stone bounced three times on the water, stirring up ripples.
"He goes his way, and I go mine." She looked up, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart. "We have nothing to do with each other anymore."
Aigu's eyes lit up instantly, and she moved her butt to her side: "That's such a pity."
Jiang Wan glared at him. "Does that look of yours mean pity? Or do you mean it's a good, clever, and excellent division?"
"In that case, can you be my princess?" Aigu raised her right hand. "I promise to marry only you and never restrict you. I will fully support you wherever you want to go and whatever you want to do."
Jiang Wan saw his expectant expression and then realized a little unease. She needed so much from him, but couldn't reciprocate his feelings. It was a very uncomfortable feeling.
Although I trust this friend very much, it is better to trouble him less in the future.
"I'm going to travel all over the Western Regions, and I won't be in one place all year round. By then, your harem will be empty and your offspring will be few. Aren't you afraid of gossip?" Jiang Wan put her hands on his shoulders, her face serious. "As you said just now, the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions are connected by blood, and intermarriage is common. You are the future king of Loulan. Will your ministers allow you not to marry a princess from another kingdom?"
She supported him gently, watching him slowly lower his head, watching the blood gradually fade from his face, watching his body sway, struggling to stand up, and walk away in a daze.
She sighed slowly.
October 8th is a good day for breaking ground or traveling.
Jiang Wan, wearing a conical hat, stood in the leeward side of the sand dune with Lin Xiangzhi, watching hundreds of craftsmen working hard.
Lin Xiangzhi held the blueprint in one hand and covered his mouth with the other hand as he yawned, his face full of fatigue.
Jiang Wan watched him coldly, sensing a hint of worker resentment on his face. She recalled a past life: October 8th, just after the National Day holiday, had brought back the workers, their first day back to work, and they were just as tired. As one of the wicked capitalists in her past life, she couldn't understand.
After traveling through time, she was still a capitalist, and a bureaucratic capitalist at that - but she could actually empathize with others and had some of the same resentment as the workers.
If you work for her, you can see the wages, but if you work for the system, you don’t know when you can see the points.
Jiang Wan looked at the blueprint in Lin Xiangzhi's hand with resentment.
The above is a sketch of the first caravanserai, which is three stories high and has a typical Western style. The overall shape is circular, with a spiral staircase attached to the wall. The outer perimeter is also designed to be windproof and sandproof. From a distance, it looks like a blooming rose.
The name of the hotel is also very descriptive: Rose Inn.
"From a structural perspective, the asymmetrical circle can better reduce wind force. The sand in the Western Regions is soft, so the foundation must be made of steel, which is deeper and more solid. We should also try to choose a plot with higher humidity." Lin Xiangzhi explained lazily.
This caravanserai is located one hundred miles from Loulan City, halfway along the road from Loulan to Shanshan. Lin Xiangzhi made a lot of preparations to build it.
A large supply of building materials was prepared, along with plenty of food and water. Several sand pits had been dug in advance for shade. The craftsmen began work early in the morning, resting in the sand pits during the hottest part of the day, and continuing again at 2:15 PM.
At night, they slept in a detachable tent. They had already bought blankets and fur coats to keep warm, and they had brought plenty of fuel for the fire. Before setting off, Jiang Wan checked everything and found nothing wrong.
This shows how thoughtful, careful this person is, and how solid his professional skills are.
"Lord Lin, if you hadn't dozed off at the morning court, you would never have ended up here repairing the house." Jiang Wan sighed.
Three years ago, Lin Xiangzhi, who had just passed the imperial examination, fell asleep while Emperor Chengde was giving a speech. He was demoted from a fourth-rank Hanlin scholar to a fifth-rank clerk in the Ministry of Works and never got promoted again.
Lin Xiangzhi curled his lips. "It's not as scary here as it is in Lin'an. Master Jiang, don't you notice that I'm more energetic than before?"
Jiang Wan: You went from sleeping eight hours a day to six hours a day. Isn’t it because you slept too much and couldn’t fall asleep?
"What are you looking at?" Seeing her looking at him strangely, Lin Xiangzhi explained, "I sleep a lot because I've been taking sleeping pills for a long time. I stopped taking them after leaving Wusun, so I feel more energetic now."
Jiang Wan was shocked: "Why are you taking sleeping pills? If you take too much of this stuff, your memory will drop, your limbs will become weak, and you'll become mentally exhausted. In the end, you'll become a useless person."
"When I first passed the imperial examination, I rejected someone's offer of employment." Lin Xiangzhi gazed at the vast expanse of yellow sand, lost in memory. "After that, I encountered repeated setbacks and attacks in the officialdom. The most dangerous one nearly severed my right hand, leaving me unable to draw for several months."
"I was really scared that time, but I also knew that if I accepted the offer, I would be plagued by endless troubles and would no longer be able to focus on the project. If I didn't accept the offer, I would be doomed. I could only make myself useless so that they would no longer pay attention to me."
Lin Xiangzhi laughed self-deprecatingly. "As you said, my memory and physical strength have declined significantly. I feel drowsy all day long. The Western Regions are far away, and I guess they can't reach that far, so I stopped taking the medicine. I've been much more awake these past few days, and I feel really good."
Jiang Wan was about to respond when he suddenly saw yellow sand rolling in the sky. A sand column several tens of meters high was spinning and approaching, sweeping up all kinds of grass, trees, sand and stones along the way, and blowing the steel rod into a mess.
The wind howled, and she heard a faint shout in her ear: "The sandstorm is coming! Put on your mask and get into the sand pit!"
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