Chapter Thirteen: King's Cooperation
The moment the imperial plaque bearing the inscription "Diligent Merchant" was hung in front of the Dou family's shop, the entire business community of Chang'an was shaken. That gilded wooden plaque not only represented the emperor's boundless grace, but also sent a clear signal—this young woman, who had once been easily manipulated by Cui Jiulang, was now on a different stage of the game.
Liu Bao'er did not move back to the Dou family mansion, but instead rented a quiet little courtyard near the West Market. The first thing she did after settling in was to write a letter and send it to Cui Jiulang's residence.
The letter contained only one concise line:
"Three days later at noon, at Zuixianlou, we will discuss the settlement of the Silk Road, with a fifty-fifty ratio."
There were no pleas, no excuses, only an equal invitation and a promise of profit sharing.
Three days later, at Zuixianlou.
It was still the top-floor private room, and the air was still filled with the elegant scent of sandalwood. Cui Jiulang arrived a few minutes later than the appointed time. His moon-white robe was spotless, but his expression held a more indescribable caution than before.
His gaze swept over Liu Bao'er, who was sitting opposite him—still wearing a simple dress, still with that face that hadn't fully matured, but the composure between her brows was completely different from what it had been a few months ago.
"Madam Dou." He nodded slightly and sat down opposite her.
"Ninth Brother." Liu Bao'er poured tea for him with a smooth and graceful motion.
Without exchanging pleasantries, she directly spread a thick roll of mulberry paper on the table. The paper didn't contain text, but rather an extremely intricate diagram—centered on Chang'an, with lines radiating outwards to Dunhuang, Liangzhou, Yangzhou, and even further west to the Western Regions. Next to the lines were labels such as "salt permit," "tea permit," "silk," and "spice," interspersed with nodes like "bank counters," "flying money," and "payment."
"What is this?" Cui Jiulang's gaze was completely drawn in.
"The Silk Road Financial Settlement System." Liu Bao'er pointed towards Chang'an. "We've standardized salt certificates, tea certificates, silk, and spices, creating 'Silk Road Gold Certificates' in different denominations."
She began to sketch out the blueprint:
Two-way collateral: When a caravan deposits gold, silver, or goods of equivalent value in Chang'an as collateral, its contact point in Persia must also provide corresponding guarantees.
Withdrawal with voucher: Datong Store issues "Silk Road Gold Vouchers" based on the deposit, using a special anti-counterfeiting technology.
Cross-regional redemption: Caravans could take gold certificates to cooperative locations such as Dunhuang and Samarkand and redeem them for local gold and silver goods by presenting secret codes and seals.
Water collection period: A redemption period is set for water collection; if the period expires, re-verification is required.
Cui Jiulang was stunned. With his extremely keen business acumen, he instantly understood the immense power contained within, enough to overturn existing business models!
"How can we control the risks? How can we guarantee our reputation?" His voice was a little dry.
"Risk is controlled by the 'fluctuation range' and 'margin' system. Reputation—" Liu Bao'er raised her eyes, her gaze sharp, "is endorsed by the century-old reputation of your Cui, Lu, and Zheng families, and by my 'Diligent Merchant' imperial plaque."
She perfectly embodied the meaning of "official cooperation".
Cui Jiulang remained silent for a long time. His mind raced, calculating the potential benefits, risks, and the danger posed by the woman before him.
Finally, he put down the teacup he hadn't touched and leaned forward slightly:
"Madam Dou," he spoke slowly, each word crystal clear, "if you fail, you will die without a burial place; if you succeed, the five surnames and seven clans will be rewritten because of you."
Liu Bao'er met his gaze, and a genuine smile finally appeared on her face, carrying the wildness and determination of a predator of capital.
"Then," she said softly, as if stating a given fact, "bet everything."
Outside the window, the sunlight of Chang'an City was just right, shining on this ancient capital that was about to be reshaped by capital.
As Cui Jiulang got up to leave, he paused briefly at the door:
"I will return in three days with members of the Lu and Zheng families."
Liu Bao'er sat alone in the private room, her fingertips lightly tracing the trade route that ran from east to west on the mulberry paper.
She knew that from this moment on, she was no longer fighting alone. The alliance of capital and power would give her enough leverage to face all the rules of this era.
What she has to do is extend this path of capital all the way to the ends of the earth.
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