Chapter 57 "It's me, Baili Xunzhou."...
The day before the opening of the mutual market, Lu Mingzhu and Gu Chunwen accompanied Feng Mian to inspect the market early in the morning.
The market was located on a flat, open area outside Heishigou. It was a semi-enclosed market surrounded by a wooden fence, with two watchtowers at the entrance for warning purposes.
Behind the watchtower lies the inspection area where officials verify identities. Merchants participating in the trade can enter smoothly after their documents and goods are verified. This is to prevent unscrupulous individuals from taking advantage of the situation.
Upon entering the market, one can see several large areas marked by simple ropes. A wide central square separates the commercial areas of Dayong and Beiyi into two "banks." Government officials would be on duty here to resolve trade disputes between merchants from both sides. Several interpreters brought by Gu Chunwen, who were fluent in the Beiyi language, would also provide translation services here.
The dirt roads in the countryside were tamped down very firmly, making them flat and clean, without any dust flying around.
In the Dayong commercial district, stalls of all sizes were almost completely occupied, and merchants were carefully sorting their goods in a very orderly manner.
The corresponding northern barbarian trading area was completely empty and extremely deserted.
The seven northern tribes that sent the invitation letter have still not replied.
Seeing this, Lu Mingzhu was somewhat worried. "Should we send someone to ask again?"
“No need,” Feng Mian waved his hand and said, “Forced melons are never sweet. Besides, the benefits they gain from the trade far outweigh those of Dayong. If they don’t come this time, they will be the ones who regret it.”
"The market will be open for a full half month. At worst, we can just hold a market for internal trade within Dayong for the first two days, which will still be very lively. When the Northern Barbarians see that we are really holding a proper market and they are eyeing our tea and salt products, they will naturally come."
If they still haven't arrived by then, she can still send someone to "coerce" them a bit.
Gu Chunwen agreed, "That's right. If we keep inviting them, they might become more worried that we have ulterior motives. It's better to just relax."
Lu Mingzhu thought about it for a moment and realized that this made sense.
It's not business to be rushed. Besides, the Dayong Kingdom is much stronger than the Northern Yi, so it shouldn't be them begging the Northern Yi tribes to participate in the trade.
"Princess!"
Just then, the guard Feng Jia ran in from outside: "The Holy Maiden of the Canglang Tribe has gone to the post station where the Princess is staying and requests an audience."
Fengmian's place of stay was a small post station in the county where Heishigou was located.
The two-story building with a small courtyard was simple and natural. There wasn't enough room for many of Feng Mian's group, so they had to set up camp near the post station.
In the small courtyard stands a thatched pavilion, shaded by trees. Looking out, one can see the thriving wildflowers and weeds, making it Feng Mian's favorite place for meetings lately.
Moreover, with a wide field of vision, a quick glance would reveal several people in the courtyard, so neither side needed to worry about any ambushes hidden nearby.
The guards led the group of the Canglang tribe's holy maiden, who were dressed in very exotic attire, to a few steps outside the pavilion and then stopped.
"Please remove your weapons," the guard said, and then naturally reached out to take the sword from Herlin, the head of the guards behind Mi Tu.
Herlin reacted for a moment, unsure whether to obey or pretend not to understand the Dayong language. Just as he was about to look at Mi Tu and ask for a clear instruction, a slender, snow-white hand firmly gripped the guard's wrist.
Mi Tu turned to look at the figure sitting in the thatched pavilion and said in fluent Dayong dialect, "Dayong likes to say 'guests are always welcome.' Is this the way of the guest?"
The person in the pavilion sat sideways, with a corner of the thatched pavilion obscuring half of her body. All that could be seen was that she was wearing a smoky orange high-collared, diagonally-fastened silk shirt, paired with an indigo blue cotton skirt. She was as light and beautiful as the morning light, without any glittering gold or jade, but one could see the composed demeanor cultivated over the years.
She raised her wrist and flicked it gently, causing a pair of silver bracelets to clink together softly, producing a delicate, clear sound. Along with this, her clear, melodious voice rang out, "It's alright, please take a seat, Holy Maiden."
"Yes, Princess."
The guard took a step back, and Mi Tu snorted, shook off his wrist, and strode towards the thatched pavilion.
The person sitting in the pavilion did not move, but looked up at her as she approached, gave her a slight smile, and pointed to the seat in front of him, saying, "Holy Maiden, please sit down."
Mi Tu didn't move either. She stood in front of Feng Mian and looked her over from head to toe. Her gaze went from Feng Mian's small bun, which was only adorned with a plain silver hairpin inlaid with tourmaline, to the pair of blue cloth shoes with bead embroidery that were visible under her skirt.
The tips of their shoes were covered in mud, indicating they had walked quite a distance.
The royal lady was in the countryside, dressed in an unassuming manner, and did not sit alone on a high platform. Instead, she seemed to have personally walked on the yellow earth, as if she were doing something serious.
Feng Mian was also sizing up the saintess in front of her. Her bright face carried an arrogant air, and she was indeed a woman of fire.
Just now, Feng Mian deliberately had the guards come forward to confiscate the weapons, just to test the temperament of this holy maiden of the Canglang tribe.
Her immediate action in capturing the guard indicated that he was not someone to be trifled with and did not fully trust Da Yong. However, after Feng Mian stepped back, she quickly gave him face, showing that she was not a reckless person who acted impulsively without considering the consequences.
We can sit down and talk slowly.
Feng Mian leisurely rolled up his sleeves, poured himself a cup of tea, and pushed it to the opposite side. "The Holy Maiden risked incurring the wrath of the Alna tribe to come here; she couldn't possibly be standing here idly, could she?"
Mi Tu's eyes flashed before she lifted her robe and sat down. She untied the long whip from her waist and slammed it on the table with a "snap," retorting sarcastically, "Your Highness seems to know quite a lot. You must also know that if you try anything funny, I can snap your head off in no time."
Feng Mian's expression remained unchanged, and he even curled his lips into a slightly helpless smile. "It's normal that the Holy Maiden doesn't trust me since this is our first meeting, and it happens within the territory of Dayong."
"But there are only you and me in this pavilion now. I don't know martial arts, so the Holy Maiden doesn't need to be so wary."
As Feng Mian spoke, she spread out her palms for Mi Tu to see. Her palms were soft and tender, without the calluses that martial artists often have; they were the hands of a noble lady from a wealthy family.
Inside the thatched pavilion, only the two of them sat facing each other. The guards outside the pavilion were a few steps away, standing with Herlin and the others, constantly and vigilantly watching each other's movements.
Mi Tu relaxed her tense back slightly, pushed the long whip towards Feng Mian, and then released it. "Since the princess has expressed this, I won't make things difficult for you. Until we finish talking, this whip is yours."
"What are your conditions, Holy Maiden?" Feng Mian didn't reach for the whip, but asked directly. She could tell that this Holy Maiden of the Canglang Tribe was a straightforward person. If she gave an inch, she would also give an inch, and she wouldn't press the issue. There was no need for any roundabout talk.
As expected, Mi Tu immediately revealed his trump card: "Tomorrow, I can bring the other six tribes you invited to participate in the trade. But you must bring grain and ironware in exchange."
"Grain can be bartered, and ironware can be negotiated."
Upon hearing Feng Mian's words, Mi Tu was only pleased for a moment before looking at her suspiciously. It was that simple.
“But I want three border cities of the Northern Barbarians,” Feng Mian said calmly.
"Bang!" Mi Tu slammed her hand on the table, her cold, amber eyes wide with shock. "Are you crazy?"
Feng Mian: "These words should also be given to the Holy Maiden."
"The Holy Maiden surely knows the importance of food and ironware, right? Food is the foundation of the people. The Northern Frontier is already short of food. How can we take food from the mouths of the people to trade with you Northern Barbarians?"
"Iron is the foundation of weaponry. Arrowheads, swords, armor, stirrups, saddles... all require iron to make. If we were to meet on the battlefield one day, wouldn't we be using the very weapons I myself have given away to kill ourselves?"
"I've already said too little if you only give me three cities."
Their eyes met, one cold and hard, the other calm and gentle. In the end, Mi Tu lowered his head first. "Then what can you trade?"
"Cloth and silk, tea and porcelain, and salt."
Upon hearing the word "salt," Mi Tu's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Feng Mian continued, "Holy Maiden, please help me persuade other tribes to participate in the trade market, and also help me find some rare seeds. We can trade these things."
"Seeds?" Mi Tu frowned. "It's not enough to just convince others to participate in the trade market; you also want me to do the work for you?"
Feng Mian smiled and said, "If I can find crops that can be grown and eaten from these seeds, I will definitely trade with the Canglang tribe when the harvest is in full."
Food that can be traded?
To be honest, although everything mentioned in that sentence seemed too vague and unrealistic, Mi Tu was still somewhat tempted. She had originally planned to bring people to participate in tomorrow's trade market, and now that she could gain another opportunity to trade grain in the future, there was no loss in it.
but……
"You... a princess, you know how to farm?"
Feng Mian spoke nonsense with a straight face: "Our Dayong has a vast land, and everyone knows how to farm. Just like how everyone in your Northern Barbarians knows how to ride a horse."
Mi Tu was half-believing and half-doubting, but did not ask any further questions. He only said, "You should first draft a contract. If you go back on your word in the future, the iron cavalry of my Canglang tribe will definitely flatten Black Stone Gully."
"A promise is a promise." Feng Mian said, taking out the contract he had prepared beforehand, spreading it out on the table, and then arranging the brush and ink. "Please."
Mi Tu: ...
Da Yongran was indeed cunning; she had been prepared all along!
Mi Tu began to suspect that these seeds were what she truly wanted.
But things had come to this point, and she couldn't break her promise at the last minute. After all, she was the Holy Maiden of the Canglang Tribe, a woman of integrity who kept her word!
Mi Tu coldly signed the contract, put his copy into his pocket, picked up his whip, and turned to leave when he suddenly saw a figure rush in through the courtyard gate.
"Little cousin! Ninth brother is here to help you!" Chu Jingqi shook off the guards blocking his way. "Tsk, you bunch of blind fools! My little cousin and I are practically one person. How could she possibly stop me! Make way, make way, all of you make way!"
Mi Tu quickly turned around and sat down, his back to the courtyard gate, his brown eyes blank for a moment.
Feng Mian glanced at her strangely, while Chu Jingqi had already run up to her, happily taking credit, "Little cousin, I've been opening eight soup noodle shops these past few days. When I heard you were going to open a trade market, I was worried that these timid merchants wouldn't be able to help you, so I gathered a few wealthy families from various places to fill the gap for you!"
"How is it? Ninth Brother treats you well!"
Chu Jingqi proudly raised his chin, and Feng Mian chuckled, nodding repeatedly and giving a proper fist and palm salute, "Ninth Brother is so good to me. If it weren't for Ninth Brother's help, this trade market would have been difficult to open. Thank you, Ninth Brother!"
Chu Jingqi was satisfied. He went to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and gulped it down. "To make it to this trade market, I didn't dare to rest for a single day. I rode back at top speed. I'm really exhausted."
"By the way, Feng Yi outside said you were meeting some kind of holy maiden from the Canglang tribe. Where is she? Did she leave?"
As Chu Jingqi spoke, he turned his head and looked around. Feng Mian recalled Mi Tu's obvious avoidance of people earlier and was unsure whether to speak.
At that moment, Chu Jingqi spotted Mi Tu sitting with her back turned and greeted her without any hesitation, "This must be the Holy Maiden of the Canglang Tribe, right? Holy Maiden, I am Chu Jingqi..."
He walked to Mi Tu's right, and Mi Tu turned to his left. He paused, then circled around to Mi Tu's left, and Mi Tu turned to his right. Chu Jingqi's unfinished words were stuck in his throat.
Why does this saintess seem to be avoiding him?
Mi Tu stood up with his back to Chu Jingqi and lowered his voice, saying, "I will bring people to participate in the trade market on time tomorrow. There are matters to attend to in the clan, so I will take my leave first."
Without even glancing at Feng Mian and the other person, she lifted her leg and walked out.
Chu Jingqi was stunned for a moment upon hearing her voice, then sprang to his feet, grabbed Mi Tu's arm, and shouted, "Tu Mi!"
The slumbering figure who witnessed everything: ? Who?
I've been looking for you so hard—
The last notes of Chu Jingqi's wailing were broken up by the sound of the night watchman's clapper.
In the brightly lit room, Feng Mian sat at the table, rubbing his temples with a headache, as if he could still hear Chu Jingqi's wailing.
During the day, Chu Jingqi dragged Mi Tu around and cried his heart out, and only then did she realize that Mi Tu was actually the girl who had "deceived his feelings" under the alias Tu Mi during the incident of burning grain and fodder.
Chu Jingqi, who has always been unreliable, has never given up looking for her since then, but she has already returned to the Canglang tribe, and there is no trace of her in the Dayong territory.
Today, upon seeing that Tu Mi was actually Mi Tu, the Holy Maiden of the Canglang Tribe, he was even more certain of the fact that he had been "deceived in his feelings." His young heart shattered into pieces, and he cried with genuine sorrow. In the end, Mi Tu, unable to bear it any longer, knocked him unconscious, thus restoring peace.
Mi Tu told Feng Mian about Alna's instructions to burn the grain and grass, and expressed her willingness to make concessions and compensation in the trade market.
For the sake of the trade on the second day, Feng Mian had no choice but to agree for the time being.
However, once Chu Jingqi wakes up, there will still be a resolution to what happened between the two of them.
Feng Mian got a headache just thinking about it, and he even wanted to write a letter to his uncle, the King of Qin.
"Knock knock".
Suddenly there was a knock on the window.
Feng Mian immediately became alert and looked at the tightly closed window. He quietly reached into his sleeve and grabbed a dagger. This was the second floor. Who was knocking on the window?
"It is I, Baili Xunzhou."
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Author's Note: I spent a lot of money to upgrade to intermediate VIP today [shy]. Replies to comments should no longer be subject to review!
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