Chapter 31 Tea-Horse Trade
As dawn broke, Shang Yuji opened her sleepy eyes, rubbed her slightly sore temples, and then naturally moved the arm that had been pressing on her waist and hips away. Suddenly, she froze, her gaze slowly shifting downwards.
Whose hand is pressing on my waist?
After recognizing Jiang Xi lying beside her, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiangxi, go ahead. Then it's alright.
...Wait, did she let him share a room with her yesterday?
She sat up abruptly, trying to recall what had happened the night before.
Wait, what exactly happened last night?
Ah...it was she who agreed to let him stay, and what else...?
The arm that had just been torn off, like a snake, wrapped itself around her waist again with ease. The owner of the arm closed his eyes, moved his head to her side, snuggled against her, and fell asleep again.
The person in the middle of a brainstorming session didn't sense anything amiss, so they didn't try to peel off the person who was sticking to them like a plaster, letting the other person do as they pleased.
After a long while, Shang Yuji turned her wildly trembling eyes and stiffly patted the arm tightly wrapped around her waist: "Xi Qu? Jiang Xiaoxi? Jiang Xi Qu? Wake up!"
Jiang Xi groggily opened her eyes, her voice hoarse from just waking up: "Hmm?"
The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Aji's face. Before my brain could process it, my body instinctively broke into a smile: "Aji, good morning."
Her smile was so innocent that she felt even more guilty for forcing herself on the poor, innocent girl!
The villain in Shang Yuji's heart beat his chest in frustration, shouting that he was truly not human, having offended a respectable young man and yet still trying to shirk responsibility out of guilt.
Fortunately, this person is Jiang Xi, so he will definitely forgive me. At worst, I'll let him take advantage of me!
She assumed Jiang Xi was ignorant of many things, otherwise she wouldn't dare to make such outrageous remarks.
Jiang Xi watched as Shang Yuji's expression changed repeatedly, eventually turning into a sigh. Her hand moved from his forehead to his chin, gently and softly, so comforting that he squinted his eyes, raised his head to hold her back, wanting her to continue stroking him.
"I'm sorry about what happened yesterday..."
“Aji didn’t do anything wrong to me.” He looked up at her, lying on his side, and Shang Yuji looked down and saw his long eyelashes and that strikingly red mole.
Suddenly, she grabbed his hand and smeared it haphazardly on his face, then moved it to his neck. The temperature of his body was no longer his usual coolness, but a warm heat with a hint of scalding. Yet, he showed no resistance whatsoever, accepting her ravaging without a second thought.
Shang Yuji hesitated and asked, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"No!" Jiang Xi shook her head slightly, then moved aside, slowly sat up, took small steps closer, and said, "Aji, I want to kiss you."
Her black hair, loose and flowing down her back, swayed smoothly against her face as he approached. Her raised eyelids revealed eyes that seemed to sparkle like stars, a blood-red mole, and crimson lips. Her collar was slightly open, revealing a patch of snow-white skin.
Like bewitching spirits in the mountains.
Shang Yuji touched it again suspiciously. Could she have misunderstood? Maybe it was just normal body temperature after waking up.
Pulling her attention back to herself, she realized what he had just said. After thinking it over, she didn't know how to explain it to him, so she simply said, "We'll talk about it later."
“Ah Ji agreed to my request last night…” he said, feeling wronged.
Shang Yuji wished she could shrink into the corner of the bed, cover her face and protest in a low voice: "Yesterday's words were all nonsense, and nonsense should not be taken seriously."
Seeing that she was really unwilling, Jiang Xi said in a low voice, "Fine."
She parted her fingers that were covering her eyes, and through them she glimpsed his disappointed face. Feeling a pang of pity, Shang Yuji gritted her teeth and said defiantly, "These are things that husband and wife can only do. If we get married later, I'll do them with you!"
Jiang Xi listened to her explanation, a new hope rising in her heart, but she still tilted her head and asked doubtfully, "Husband and wife, getting married?"
Shang Yuji hesitated, feeling the heat wash over her ears. After a long while, she kicked Jiang Xi in annoyance and said, "Let's leave this matter for now. I have something to do. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay~" Jiang Xi agreed.
After washing up and having breakfast, the two parted ways. Jiang Xi went to the backyard to wait for her martial arts master, while Shang Yuji went to the study to handle some matters.
The backyard was specially set aside for martial arts practice. In the past two days, according to Yi Sha's request, several simple martial arts training equipment were set up.
Jiang Xi didn't understand why A Ji wouldn't let him kiss her, but since it was A Ji who said it, he would listen to her.
He quickly put his mind at ease, sat on the steps under the eaves of the backyard, and waited quietly for his master to arrive.
On her way to the study, Shang Yuji calmed the emotions that had stirred up that morning, picked up the bills beside her, and began to calculate the accounts.
She did have some thoughts on the matter of Yangcheng. The Xianbei people were nomadic and would break through the pass next February, burning, killing, and looting the people of Yangcheng, returning laden with spoils. One reason for this was that they did not have enough supplies to get through the winter, and looting was often more convenient than careful animal husbandry.
Setting down the ledger, Shang Yuji leaned back. The trees by the window were lush and green, and birds sang all around. Her fingers tapped slowly on the armrest. She felt that there were other reasons behind the devastation of Yangcheng.
Otherwise, how could a perfectly good Yangcheng be turned upside down and its people suffer so much overnight?
An inside man? A leaked city defense map? Soldiers defecting?
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Shang Yuji picked up the ledger again, her eyes glazed over.
Not enough. This amount of money isn't enough to get things done. Maybe we should pass this hot potato on. The Princess is perfect for this problem, and her subordinate Yining is in Yangzhou, making her even more suitable.
She couldn't stop the Xianbei from entering the pass, but she could weaken their fighting power from another angle.
This idea originated from the tea ceremony of apprenticeship, which was also the famous tea-horse trade in history.
Herders' diets are mainly meat-based, which can easily lead to dryness, greasiness, and indigestion. Tea can effectively remove grease and promote digestion, while also compensating to some extent for the lack of fruits and vegetables among nomadic peoples.
In addition, the nomadic lifestyle is characterized by harsh environments, often plagued by bacteria and diseases, and tea is also considered a medicinal herb...
The tea-horse trade, exchanging tea for their fine horses, cattle, and sheep, was a way to control politics from an economic perspective. Once the Xianbei became accustomed to the tea-horse trade, the initiative in the trade was in the hands of Da'an, and it was the Xianbei who were afraid.
If trade with Da'an were to cease, the Xianbei, who had experienced the effects of tea, would find the impending crisis unbearable.
As for whether they will become enraged and force the resumption of the tea-horse trade by trampling through the Central Plains, that depends on how the Central Plains responds.
She has only proposed an idea for now; how to implement it is up to the Princess's advisors to decide.
After all, the tea business involves a long process from picking to processing, transportation, and sales, and requires a lot of manpower. Her money is not enough to support the entire process, and she has no one to cooperate with.
...It's not that there aren't any; the Wanshang Alliance behind Fulai Inn is a good source of leverage.
I need to find time to meet with Yining to discuss the tea-horse trade and gauge the attitude of the Merchants Alliance before deciding whether to join forces...
Having temporarily finished analyzing the tasks at hand, Shang Yuji couldn't help but think of Jiangxi. Recalling the letters she had written with Cui Shu, she felt an even greater headache coming on.
Jiang Xiqu, Southern Xinjiang, Yi Mingzhu, Jiang Moliu, Seven Star Sect, Gu...
Actually, she wasn't sure if Jiang Xiqu's real name was Jiang Xiqu, because when she first met him, he was so awkward that it was as if he hadn't spoken in a long time, and his mouth shape and pronunciation were not accurate.
At that time, she had not yet awakened her memories; she was a maid who had been sold from the village to a rich man as a servant and had been served by several masters.
The two, who had never learned to read, had no idea what "pity" or "regret" meant. In the end, it was Shang Yuji, who grew up in the countryside, who felt that the sound of the words was something she had seen when she was a child, passing by a stream in the village, and thus accepted his name as "Jiangxi Qu".
Jiang Xi just smiled foolishly and obeyed everything she said.
If "Jiang Xiqu" mentioned in the letter is his real name, then which "qu" is being referred to as "Xi"?
As for the original title, it seems to have been "Jiangxi Qu". Several times she wanted to doubt the content of the text, but the fact that the flood in Jingzhou was mentioned in the corner of the book was confirmed, which brought back some of her trust.
Fortunately, Shang Yuji only took the essence of the original text and discarded the dross, only reading what she wanted to read. In addition, due to the lack of memory of the original text, she could not remember all the contents even if she wanted to.
With a mix of fragmented clues, barring any unforeseen circumstances, news about the quest she posted at the Fulai Inn should be forthcoming soon.
Her reply to the letter about Southern Xinjiang should be arriving in the capital soon. If Southern Xinjiang comes to Yangzhou to find them, they can confront each other then.
Piecing together these clues, Shang Yuji sighed helplessly. She had thought he was just a pitiful, unloved young master of the Jiang family, but he had actually been hiding a lot of tricks up his sleeve!
Let's go to Jiangxi!
Her brain seemed to sense the keywords and immediately replayed the important scenes from last night. A wave of heat washed over her, and Shang Yuji picked up a palm-leaf fan that was placed to the side and fanned herself quickly, trying to cool down the heat on her face.
But when she thought about it carefully, she realized that their relationship had long been more than just a simple one, or that subconsciously, the other person was already her other half.
It was a kind of excruciating pain that left you only to face the sight of blood.
Just as Yang Bai and others tacitly acknowledged their close relationship, didn't she also think so?
Shang Yuji pondered, realizing that this situation was truly one where things couldn't be resolved without marriage.
Okay, now the question is how to explain marriage and the relationship between husband and wife to Jiang Xi.
It's too much trouble to think about. It's better to just tie her up and marry her. Anyway, Jiang Xi won't disobey her.
In the study, Shang Yuji pondered deeply, then sighed, "Real matters are less taxing on the brain. I'll go find Miss Yining first."
Jiang Xi listened attentively to Yi Sha's explanation of the key points, starting with the basics.
Seeing his exceptional flexibility and remarkable adaptability, Yi Sha gradually increased the difficulty level. To her surprise, he completed the entire task with correct posture and movements, paying attention to all the details she had explained. She was increasingly delighted, thinking he truly was a good student.
During the breaks, Jiang Xi stood to one side, listless and motionless. Yi Sha, determined to be a good master, asked, "What troubles you, my disciple? Tell me and see if I can help!"
Jiang Xi looked up, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Master, what is husband and wife? What is marriage?"
"?!" Yi Sha immediately became interested. This was just a small problem between the young couple. She, Yi Sha, knew these things best. "Marriage is a ceremony. After the ceremony, everyone will know that you are husband and wife."
"Then how can we get married?" Jiang Xi asked hesitantly.
It turns out that you have to get married to become husband and wife, and once you become husband and wife, Aji will let him kiss you...
Yi Sha smiled mysteriously: "You should practice martial arts diligently first. Tomorrow I will bring you something good that will definitely resolve your doubts."
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Author's Note: By the time Xiao Ji realized something was wrong, it was already too late. [Heart emoji]
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