Chapter 595 The Silk Road
Having obtained everyone's signatures, Li San Niang felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart, and only then was she in the mood to listen to Xing Yu announce today's lunch menu with everyone.
Lunch was naturally eaten at Xing Yu's private restaurant. Since everyone hadn't had modern cooking for a long time, they were mostly focused on eating and didn't have time to talk.
After filling their stomachs, everyone relaxed and gathered together, drinking barley tea to aid digestion and chatting.
"If all of Dr. Li's suggestions can be approved, it will truly be a great thing for the young lady at this time."
Xing Yu said this with a touch of emotion, thinking to himself: "Although my family doesn't have a daughter, if my wife wants to get pregnant again, it's still very possible that she can give birth to a daughter."
I can't bear to see my child have a baby at fifteen or sixteen.
Li San Niang nodded while sipping her tea. Before she could reply, Bi Qionglan spoke first: "I do have two little granddaughters, who are not even ten years old yet. They are still children."
I had planned to pay for their marriage when they reached a certain age, so that they could at least get married after they turned eighteen.
If your suggestion can attract the attention of the higher-ups, that would indeed be a good thing.
The group chatted for a few more minutes about the young woman's marriageable age, and then Jiang Yiyun steered the conversation to the Emperor's birthday celebration next month.
"Le'an is from the Shi family. His father is the great general who was sent by the sage to quell the rebellion of the Western Turks."
His main purpose in returning to Chang'an this time was to present captives to the Emperor on his birthday next month, in order to demonstrate the grandeur and power of the Celestial Empire.
After glancing at Bi Qionglan and Chang Siyuan, Jiang Yiyun continued to the crowd, "Grandma Bi and Old Chang should be able to attend the banquet in the palace. We can see what it's like."
Yes, Bi Qionglan and Chang Siyuan, one in the Ministry of Agriculture and the other in the Ministry of Works, are both civil servants, and the kind of civil servants whose names are known to the higher-ups for their special contributions (one promoted the cultivation of hybrid wheat, and the other contributed printing technology and the curved plow), so of course they can attend state banquets.
Li Sanniang glanced at Bi Qionglan, Chang Siyuan, and Jiang Yiyun. Yes, Jiang Yiyun was able to say such things, so she must hold some official position, either secretly or openly, and should be under Emperor Wu's command.
Li San Niang noticed that none of the three men had that "I'm awesome, I'm great" look on their faces; they all just remained indifferent.
Although Jiang Yiyun said that, she didn't seem particularly happy about attending the state banquet.
Actually, Li San Niang was quite curious about what the Imperial City, Taiji Palace, and Daming Palace were like at this time, after all, those were the places where the Martial Emperor lived!
This is unlike later modern times, where you can pay a little money to queue up and go inside the palace for a look, and if you pay even more, you can wear a dragon robe, sit on the dragon throne, and take photos.
However, Li San Niang was ultimately just a doctor with a small reputation in Chang'an.
If she achieves something in the future and is summoned by Emperor Wu, she might be able to visit the palace.
However, when Li Sanniang saw the regretful expression on Xing Yu's face, she understood what he meant. She guessed that he felt the same way as Li Sanniang, regretting that he didn't have the chance to see what the palace looked like.
"Alas, the Tang Dynasty is good, and living in Chang'an is good too, but I am just a merchant, which is a bit of a problem."
Xing Yu felt a bit bitter at this moment, but Jiang Yiyun then said, "Didn't I tell you about the Silk Road earlier?"
This time, the sage is really going all out.
Old Xing, don't tell me you're just a small businessman. Among everyone here, besides the Ding family, you're probably the richest person.
If you want to make progress, you can really get involved in this Silk Road project.
If you handle this well, not only will you be able to dine in the palace, but you might even become an official in the Ministry of Revenue.
Jiang Yiyun's words drew everyone's attention. Not to mention Xing Yu herself, even the Ding brothers, Ding Anbo and Ding Mingxuan, who had been quietly standing in the background without speaking, stared at Jiang Yiyun with wide eyes.
"The Silk Road has existed since the time of Emperor Wu of Han, and you all know how important it is."
This overland Silk Road started from Chang'an, passed through Longxi County and Zhangye County, reached Jiayuguan, continued westward, passed through the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, and then entered Europe.
This ancient route connected Asia and Europe, facilitating communication between various civilizations.
Moreover, it wasn't just silk; they also traded porcelain and other items from our Tang Dynasty.
The Silk Road played a pivotal role in promoting religious beliefs and the dissemination of various skills.
In short, gentlemen, joining this is a guaranteed win, a sure-fire way to make money.
Having piqued everyone's interest, Jiang Yiyun stopped talking, leaving Xing Yu, who was very interested in making money, extremely anxious.
"Oh my, Jiang Yiyun, little sister Jiang, why don't you continue?"
How do I join?
Is it an investment or a buyout?
Please tell me properly.
Although Xing Yu was the only one who asked the question, Chang Siyuan and the two Ding brothers were just as eager to know.
Li San Niang herself had her own thoughts.
Li San Niang needs a lot of money to do anything, and she also needs money to support Lu Zhu Er.
Throughout history, who would complain about having too much money?
If we could get involved in the Silk Road and sit back and wait for the dividends, that would be a really good thing.
Ding Anbo and Ding Mingxuan exchanged a glance. Ding Anbo felt a little regretful. Not only had they initially joined Du Qinghui's faction, but they were also opportunists, wanting to switch sides as soon as they saw that this person was stronger. They were really not presentable in front of everyone.
So, ever since Bi Qionglan held the last meeting and talked about hybrid wheat, these two brothers have really given up on the idea and are only thinking about preserving themselves and living their own lives.
(Plot summary of chapters 548-550)
Therefore, when Li San Niang convened another meeting, the two of them were not very active. They would only speak up when asked about themselves, or they would keep their mouths shut, for fear of being punished by Emperor Wu.
Jiang Yiyun fell silent, but Shi Le'an spoke up at this moment.
"Thanks to gunpowder, this battle on the frontier was fought very swiftly, and it can be said that we won a great victory with very little effort."
Furthermore, it showed a lesson to the small countries and some large tribes in the west, as well as some who had submitted earlier but still harbored treacherous intentions. Naturally, they were terrified and all wanted to come to Chang'an to pay homage.
According to the sage's intention, the Silk Road would not only include land routes; the sage had also discussed with General Du of Jiangnan East Circuit that a maritime Silk Road would be developed simultaneously.
Hearing Du Qinghui's name from Shi Le'an's mouth all of a sudden gave Ding Mingxuan and Ding Anbo a big shock!
Under the table, Ding Mingxuan's hands, hidden in his sleeves, clenched into fists, and he felt tense.
However, after saying this, Shi Le'an only glanced at Ding Mingxuan and Ding Anbo, without saying anything else.
"So, everyone, as Yi Yun said, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you want to join, you'd better hurry."
Li Sanniang was probably the only person with keen senses present. She noticed the obvious changes in Ding Anbo and Ding Mingxuan's heartbeats and breathing when Shi Le'an said the words "General Du." "It seems that this General Du is a formidable figure. Perhaps he is the mastermind behind the scenes whom they had previously allied themselves with."
"Interesting. I'll have to find out who this General Du is later."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com