Chapter 266 Eye Drops
Gu Huan would not tell the envoy in person what Jiang Ruoxi was.
This matter concerns a princess and the fate and rise and fall of the entire Dali nation. As long as a seed of doubt is planted, they will naturally inquire about it themselves.
The scandal about Jiang Ruoxi could not be stopped in the capital. Even if people were afraid of the Jiang family, which had not yet fallen, they dared not talk about it openly. But as long as someone asked, who would not like to talk about the secret gossip of the rich and powerful families and show off their well-informedness?
What's more, Jiang Ruoxi's desire to marry Mu Junyan has caused a sensation in the city and everyone knows about it.
Any man who meets such a woman who only uses the power of men to satisfy her own selfish desires and has no shame will be unlucky for the rest of his life.
The envoy wanted to ask more questions, but Gu Huan just sighed and said, "There are some things I can't say. The envoy can send someone to Bian Jing to ask casually."
Having said that, the envoy still has something unclear.
His face darkened visibly.
Although the Dali Kingdom was a defeated country, it did not mean that it could be humiliated at will.
Since they are sending princesses to each other for marriage, both sides should show sincerity.
What Dali sent was a real princess. If the emperor of Daliang had no credibility and fooled them, or even gave them some junk, the Dali Kingdom would definitely refuse.
The envoy rolled his eyes and asked, "May I ask which princesses in your country are waiting to be married?"
"The only one who is ready to marry is the third princess Zhao Luorou. She is sixteen years old and has not yet chosen a husband. The other princesses are too young. The oldest is only twelve years old. She is not suitable."
The envoy's eyes lit up: "May I ask which queen gave birth to the third princess Zhao Luorou?"
"She is the daughter of the former Imperial Concubine Jiang, the most favored by His Majesty, and the current Concubine Jiang."
"Ah, so she is the daughter of Prince Heian's younger sister."
Gu Huan smiled, "That's right. Concubine Jiang was deposed from her position as Imperial Concubine because of the Jiang family, but there's no guarantee that she'll be favored again."
The envoy did not respond and seemed to be thinking about something.
Although they are all of Jiang family descent, it would be different if they were real princesses.
Gu Hua smiled and said, "My lord, please have some tea."
Gu Huan didn't care what he was thinking. No one could stop the marriage between the two countries, and it would indeed be beneficial to the peace of the two countries.
Zhao Luorou is even more naive and spoiled than the previous Zhao Luoxuan. If she were to marry into Dali Kingdom, she would not pose any danger to Juzhou.
However, Concubine Jiang knew that her beloved daughter was going to be married to a foreign prince in faraway Dali. I wonder if she could understand the sadness that the Queen and her daughter felt when Zhao Luoxuan was married off?
The envoy suddenly showed an indescribable guilt on his face: "Madam Mu, my new king feels deeply saddened and guilty about the matter of Duke Yong, so I have specially ordered this official to bring you a generous gift to apologize for the late king's behavior. I hope you will mourn for me."
Gu Huan bowed: "When two countries are at war, life and death are unpredictable. Your husband is a military commander and has long been indifferent to life and death. Having said that, it would be great for your country if we could stop the war and let the people of both countries live and work in peace."
The envoys were deeply impressed by her for being able to remain so calm and show no sadness despite having just lost her husband.
Pei Jinglei said that it was Madam Mu's decision to facilitate trade between the two countries and give him money and dividends. Now Madam Mu is in charge of all commercial affairs in the southern border area guarded by the Mu family army.
She is truly a woman with a strong inner heart and wisdom.
"Yes, yes, the new king thinks so too."
The envoy's attitude became more respectful, and he handed over the gift list with both hands: "The gifts can only be regarded as a token of friendship between our two countries. Here is the gift list, please have a look, Madam."
Gu Huan took it with both hands but did not open it. She passed it to Zhou Zhilan.
She doesn't care for gifts, but she accepts advances.
Zhou Zhilan took people to count the gifts.
"I wonder what the envoy thinks about the cooperation between the two countries?"
The envoy was very happy when he mentioned this: "That's great! Moreover, I never expected that I could cooperate directly with Madam Mu and the Imperial Merchant Pei family on this trip."
There was no difference in the middle, it was a direct transaction at the lowest price. Moreover, the Pei family also ordered tens of thousands of Dali specialty samples at once, and the two parties had a very pleasant discussion.
Pei Jinglei smiled and said, "I have heard for a long time that the indigo batik and romantic embroidery of Dali are magnificent. When I saw the samples brought by the envoy, I was really amazed. We have never seen such good things.
There are also rare mountain delicacies, which are extremely expensive in various parts of Daliang and even in the capital. We are blessed to be able to work directly with adults and earn up to 80% in profits. ”
Gu Huan smiled and said, "This is the benefit of a ceasefire and peaceful coexistence. We can all make money together."
"Yes, yes, ma'am, you are absolutely right."
Gu Huan changed the subject: "The marriage delegation will arrive in two months. Will the new king come to Juzhou in person by then?"
The envoy said without hesitation: "Of course. Our new king attaches great importance to this marriage. He will personally bring the princess here to meet with your envoy to further discuss the marriage between the two countries."
"The new king likes the customs and people of Daliang very much. When he was about ten years old, he went to Bianjing by himself, pretending to be a merchant. He had a small accident and disappeared. His mother, now the Queen Mother, was so scared that she almost lost half her life. Fortunately, he came back in the end. The national teacher read the fortune for the new king and said that he would have good fortune after the disaster. Sure enough, he did have great fortune."
Gu Huan smiled: "Your country's new king is really naughty and brave."
"Oh, by the way, the Queen Mother happened to be from Daliang. She taught the new king the Daliang language and writing system. Therefore, the new king is friendly to Daliang."
Gu Huan was curious: "Oh, where is Queen Mother Wang from in Daliang?"
"It seems to be... from Shuzhou."
Gu Huan was stunned.
Shuzhou?
Brother Ji’s hometown.
Gu Huan became more interested in the new king of Dali.
I heard that he is only eighteen years old.
Even though she secretly mediated and supported him, it was still not an ordinary person who could seize the throne from the eldest prince born to the queen.
"By the way, the new king has been worried about something, and I want to ask for your help after meeting with your country's envoys."
Gu Huan was curious: "Oh, what's the matter? Tell me if I can help him?"
"The new king said that when he went to Bianjing, he encountered a local thug who robbed his purse, leaving him penniless. Fortunately, he met a brother and sister who generously donated money to him, allowing him to return home. He has always wanted to find them, return the money, and repay them."
Gu Huan smiled: "There is such a good story. Sir, please ask if there are any clues. We can help you find out."
The envoy was delighted: "That's great."
Gu Hua raised her teacup: "My Lord, please have some tea."
As for the business of using Dali as a passage to transport salt and grain that she had discussed with Pei Jinglei, it could only be mentioned after the marriage and cooperation between the two sides became stable.
In order to avoid being targeted, Gu Huan asked the envoy to find a Dali merchant who was trusted by the new king to sign a sales agreement with Pei Jinglei. The transaction was purely between merchants and did not involve court politics or border trade, thus saving a lot of trouble.
Things went very smoothly and the envoy returned to Dali.
Soon, Chi Yan reported back that after the envoy returned and reported on Jiang Ruoxi's marriage, the new king immediately mobilized spies in Bian Jing to inquire about Jiang Ruoxi's affairs.
The message has not yet returned, and the new king has not made any move for the time being.
The marriage procession continued to move forward.
The first batch of tung oil from Zhao Luoxuan Farm has been refined.
Pei Jinglei also established a relationship with the Cao Gang. Because the price of refined tung oil sold by Juzhou was nearly 40% lower than the price of tung oil from the government, the Cao Gang bought a whole batch in one go and sent a message that they would take as much as they could in the future.
This batch of tung oil alone made a profit of 50,000 taels of silver.
Zhao Luoxuan was simply stunned.
"Fifty thousand taels? I earned that? This is just the first batch."
Gu Huan was lying on the chaise longue with her big belly, looking at her with a smile.
"The princess doesn't believe that she can earn so much money?"
Zhao Luoxuan jumped up and spun around excitedly: "I can't believe this!"
"The Pei family will open a bank in Juzhou, and the money earned can be directly withdrawn from the bank. There is no need to wait for more than a month to see the banknotes."
Zhao Luoxuan clapped her hands and said, "Good, good, good, great! The seeds sent by Manager Pei have been planted. In the future, we won't have to rely on other places to transport fruits and vegetables from Juzhou. Great, really great!"
Gu Huan stroked her big belly, soothing the naughtiest one in her belly, and said with a smile, "The first batch of kesi silks for the girls in the nursing home and the Rose Courtyard have also been made. The kesi silk masters sent by Uncle Pei said that they did a good job. Soon, they will all be able to make a living with their own skills."
Zhao Luoxuan said excitedly: "Today is the seventh day of the seventh month. The city is very lively. Do you want to go for a walk?"
Zhou Zhilan, who was sitting on the side weaving a necklace, brightened up her eyes and said, "Yes, let's go and have some fun."
Gu Huan smiled and said, "Okay, my mother said that I should move more when I am about to give birth so that the birth will be smoother. Actually, I am quite scared."
Zhou Zhilan and Zhao Luoxuan helped her sit up.
Zhou Zhilan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll protect you."
"And me. I can hit people now too!" Zhao Luoxuan raised her arm, clenched her fist and punched out hard.
"Look, isn't my fist as powerful as the wind?"
Zhou Zhilan was happy: "Yes, yes, the wind is so strong that we can light a fire."
Zhao Luoxuan snorted: "Find some time to compete with Sister Zhilan."
"OK."
Several women left the mansion together with laughter.
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