"If I leave, it might take a year for the round trip. What if something happens to me at sea..."
"Big sister, don't say such things! You are a blessed person, how could such a thing happen! I can't accept this money!" With that, Jiang Zhishan stubbornly stuffed the silver note back into Jiang Ling's hand.
"Just keep it for my older sister. She can give it to me when she comes back, okay?"
After much persuasion from Jiang Ling, Jiang Zhishan reluctantly agreed. Jiang Ling then gave him a few more instructions before leaving.
Jiang Ling brought Nianci to the Third Prince's mansion. After hearing Jiang Ling's explanation of the whole story, He Shunsu patted his chest and agreed to take care of Nianci. Jiang Ling looked at Jiang Shan and finally decided to take Jiang Shan with her.
Afterwards, Jiang Ling went to the Six Doors and explained her purpose to Ye Feng and Jiang Wenxi. Ye Feng and Jiang Wenxi were very surprised after hearing this. Although they both wanted to go with Jiang Ling, reality did not allow it. Jiang Wenxi, in particular, immediately cried her eyes out after Jiang Ling left. It took Ye Feng and Jin Feng quite a while to coax Jiang Wenxi back to her senses.
After everything was arranged, three days passed quickly.
Early on the third day, Zhao Liuqing's carriage stopped at the entrance of Qingxin Courtyard. Jiang Ling and Jiang Shan sat in the carriage, and the group soon arrived at the dock.
The boat that was waiting for them had already docked at the shore. Zhao Liuqing led the group onto the boat, and the boat slowly sailed away from the shore. Jiang Ling watched as the figures on the shore became more and more blurred until they could no longer be seen at all.
Bored out of her mind, she lay alone in the cabin, gazing at the scenery.
Half a year is neither a short nor a long time. Fortunately, Jiang Ling did not get seasick, otherwise her body probably would not have been able to withstand the journey before they even reached the shore.
As the ship slowly docked at the Persian pier, Jiang Ling saw many people with yellow hair, blue eyes, and white skin whispering among themselves on the shore.
As soon as they came down, enthusiastic applause erupted from the crowd.
One of them, a blond, blue-eyed man in his thirties dressed in red and yellow silk, spoke in extremely broken Mandarin: "Welcome to Persia!"
The man blushed as he spoke those words, while Jiang Ling smiled faintly and greeted him in fluent Pahlavi.
After a flurry of greetings, the man looked surprised and gave Jiang Ling a thumbs up.
Everyone was very curious about Jiang Ling's actions. Although Zhao Liuqing understood some Pahlavi, she couldn't understand a single word of Jiang Ling's conversation with the man.
At this moment, sweat beaded on his forehead again. He couldn't help but sigh that it was fortunate that he had begged the Emperor to bring Jiang Ling over, otherwise this matter would have backfired.
"What...what did he say?" Zhao Liuqing leaned close to Jiang Ling and asked in a low voice.
“Oh, he said his name is Parnaqis, the eldest prince of Persia. He was very surprised to receive our emperor’s letter and is looking forward to our arrival! He has already arranged accommodations for us!” Jiang Ling explained in a low voice.
The group followed the eldest prince to their assigned residences.
After a short rest, Zhao Liuqing, Jiang Ling, and Jiang Shan arrived at the Persian King's palace.
Before Jiang Ling could bow, a man standing not far from him suddenly ran to Jiang Ling's side, grabbed her hand excitedly.
Jiang Shan thought the other man was a lecherous scoundrel and was about to make a move when the man started babbling incoherently in a language that Jiang Shan couldn't understand.
Jiang Shan hesitated in mid-air with his outstretched hand until Jiang Ling gently shook her head, at which point Jiang Shan withdrew his hand, but his gaze remained fixed on the man in front of him.
The man was very excited when he saw Jiang Ling, and his whole body was trembling slightly.
Before long, the Persian king came in from behind. The man ran up to the Persian king in a panic and whispered something to him.
The Persian king suddenly smiled and burst into laughter.
"Good! Good! Good! I didn't expect the Great Hua Dynasty to be so full of talented people. This is my youngest son, Broyevmirt. Last time, it was you who helped him out of a predicament in the Great Hua Dynasty. After returning to Persia, my youngest son kept talking about you!" The Persian king walked to Jiang Ling's side and said.
Zhao Liuqing heard most of this part of the story. He breathed a sigh of relief. With the previous rescue, things would probably be much easier from now on.
Just as Zhao Liuqing had predicted, with Jiang Ling's connection to the little prince, Jiang Ling became very close to the Persian king. In just a few words, she made the Persian king laugh heartily and give Jiang Ling a thumbs up.
Dinner was an international meal; it looked delicious, but it was actually quite unpalatable.
Jiang Ling finished her food on the table with a stale, tasteless gravy, planning to cook something special for herself when she got home.
Unexpectedly, the Persian king stopped Jiang Ling and Zhao Liuqing. It turned out that earlier, the Persian Kingdom had also experienced a locust plague, which caused the country to lose a lot of food, and many Persians starved to death because of the lack of food.
The Persian king heard from his youngest son that there was a woman named Jiang in the Great Hua Dynasty who had once controlled locusts. The Persian king wondered if he could send Jiang Ling back to inquire about this woman's methods for controlling locusts.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling's lips curled up slightly. She never expected that her reputation had spread overseas.
Jiang Ling immediately said, "King of Persia, I am the Anren that your son mentioned. My surname is Jiang, and everyone calls me Jiang Shi! If you don't mind, you can call me Jiang Shi too!"
Upon hearing Jiang Ling's words, the Persian king's face immediately lit up with joy. He stretched out his hands toward the wall painted with flames, his middle and index fingers together, his ring and little fingers together, and finally, he spread his thumbs as wide as possible, and began to pray to the wall.
Jiang Ling knew that this was a unique gesture of their Zoroastrianism, which meant continuous life and prosperity.
After the Persian king finished his prayers, Jiang Ling began to explain the prescription. She had secretly modified the prescription several times, and now it was so good that it had no smell when burned.
Jiang Ling then explained the usage and precautions, and the Persian king immediately ordered his men to go to the pharmacy to find the corresponding medicinal materials.
Afterwards, Jiang Ling chatted with the Persian King for a long time. The Persian King repeatedly praised Jiang Ling's talent and wisdom, while Zhao Liuqing, standing to the side, awkwardly smiled along.
The Persian king was very hospitable and specially arranged for the eldest and youngest princes to take Jiang Ling and her entourage on a tour of Persia. Jiang Ling also bought a lot of local specialties to take back and share with the children.
On this day, the weather in Persia suddenly turned cold, and it began to snow heavily. All the Persians, even the Persian king, were shivering from the cold.
When Jiang Ling appeared before the Persian king wearing the cotton-padded clothes she had brought with her, the Persian king was very surprised.
He pointed to Jiang Ling's clothes and asked, "Jiang, what are these clothes of yours? They look amazing, you're not even trembling!"
Jiang Ling smiled faintly and explained, "This is a cotton-padded coat; it's filled with cotton!"
"Cotton? No! No! Impossible, Jiang, you must be joking, right?" The Persian king shook his head repeatedly upon hearing the word "cotton."
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