“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 266: Yuan Xi Returns to Ye
When Tian Feng led Yuan Xi to the celebration banquet, it was a tense affair, but apart from Guo Jia greeting them briefly upon arrival, no one else paid them any mind.
Which, honestly, made sense since the real star of this banquet was Qiao Yan. They were celebrating her reclaiming the brewing rights along with salt and iron matters, ensuring a tighter grip on resources for the impending reforms and expansions.
Tian Feng and Yuan Xi had nothing to do with it.
After the banquet, discussions on when to release the liquor, how much to sell, and what pricing to set would gradually come to a close.
Guo Jia, holding his iced tea, couldn’t help but show a glum expression.
He had thought that since it was a celebration banquet, there’d be some final hurrah where he could indulge himself, but Qiao Yan said it was merely an internal meeting for low-key discussions, so drinks were off the table.
“You know, if we want Tian Yuanhao and Yuan Xiangyi to stumble a bit more into the trap, wouldn’t it be better to make them think they’re spilling secrets when drunk?” Guo Jia grumbled to Xun Yu.
Xun Yu replied, “The Grand Marshal might be worried you’d actually start spilling secrets.”
Guo Jia: “…”
Ouch, that hit right where it hurt.
But not being able to play the drunken truth-telling game wasn’t all that bad.
Just like Qiao Yan had said, Guo Jia was using cat-and-mouse tactics with Tian Feng and Yuan Xi, carefully biding his time to strike without raising suspicion.
The bait he had placed was already in position, and saying more might only alert them. Better to keep things as they were—
Everyone at this feast was sober, meaning no one would reveal more insider secrets, leaving the two of them to act with caution for self-preservation.
Yuan Xi sat at the table, listening to Qiao Yan express her gratitude for everyone’s assistance in letting her create something as effective as soy sauce, enabling her to barter for a share of the brewing market.
But how soy sauce was made? Qiao Yan had no need to, nor could she, explain that here.
Only those who had journeyed with her from Bingzhou responded, acknowledging that this product had finally made its way to the forefront.
Yuan Xi noticed the harmony between the leaders and their followers around him, a façade of shared glory, but his mind was filled with questions.
He had heard of sauce and oil, but soy sauce? That left him completely puzzled.
Fortunately, at this banquet with no liquor, there was still food, and through the dishes, he got a taste of what it was, somewhat clearing up his confusion.
But this revelation didn’t ease his complicated emotions; instead, it added to them.
As long as he could think reasonably, he wouldn’t fail to see the huge impact this product could have on the salt market once it was released.
Qiao Yan was okay, since the salt used in the soy sauce came from her end, but what about Ye City?
Would Yuan Shao allow this trade to creep into Ji Province?
If he blocked it, he would offend these powerful merchants and keep useful goods out that should flow into Ji. Plus, he’d be alienating the noble families making the soy sauce, pushing them more towards Qiao Yan.
But if he didn’t block it, soy sauce would take a bite out of the salt market, effectively undermining the fiscal benefits of both Ji and Qing Province.
It was blatant scheming!
Yuan Xi found the food in front of him tasteless.
Earlier he had consoled Tian Feng that to achieve Qiao Yan’s desired gains, those old foxes would certainly peel off some profits from her.
But in the current scenario, whether she was losing profits was uncertain, yet Yuan Shao’s losses would absolutely exceed hers!
Tian Feng whispered to him, “I’ll find a way to get a few bottles of soy sauce first, and you can take some back for Ming Gong to decide.”
Yuan Xi nodded seriously.
Things like bean sauce and fermented bean paste were usually made in winter, using traditional fermentation methods.
Even if this stuff was impressive, due to seasonal fermentation and required time, producing soy sauce in bulk would take at least until next year.
They had more than half a year to react; maybe they could even unravel its mysteries.
But little did Yuan Xi know, people in the Tang Dynasty were baffled by why previous dynasties had only made sauce in winter.
Once the full ingredient brewing technique replaced the old method of first producing soy before sauce, seasons ceased to be a limitation, and summer sauce had a better flavor.
Ultimately, they concluded that making sauce in winter was to occupy the idle hands of those not engaged in farming, decided by the rulers above, becoming an established practice over time.
In other words, Qiao Yan bringing up this bargaining chip in May and June was precisely to allow those with new formulas and techniques to dive straight into production.
And this point was clearly highlighted in the formula given to them.
Those who got the new recipe would undoubtedly praise her for her generosity.
Only those like Yuan Xi and Tian Feng, who were only half in the loop, thought they still had ample time to adapt.
After the feast, Tian Feng led a roundabout conversation about wanting to purchase two bottles of soy sauce for better meals, and was told that the Grand Marshal’s government storehouse had enough stock, available at low prices for internal personnel starting tomorrow.
Torn between feeling a bit unprincipled and convincing himself that in this clash between two factions, notions of fairness didn’t hold water, he began packing up for the trip back.
“Not considering staying longer?” Guo Jia popped by amidst his busy schedule when he heard Yuan Xi was heading back.
After all, he had previously taken Yuan Xi around the outskirts of Chang’an, and though Yuan Xi clumsily smashed some of his garlic essence, it wasn’t worth overthinking with the son of a colleague.
Clearly, he didn’t take that to heart.
As he spoke, he casually opened Yuan Xi’s luggage and saw that apart from his clothes and some money, there were soy sauce, garlic essence, and a few kinds of external medicine available in Sili.
The latter was a weakened version of the military’s wound treatment formula.
“Is just this enough? You should also bring some local specialities, or else it looks like we’re lacking in the Son of Heaven’s own domain.”
Hearing Guo Jia ask that, Yuan Xi sighed with relief, “Father wants me to return only to show the family how things are in Chang’an. Just a few symbolic items are sufficient—to show that there’s food to eat, medicine to heal, and treatments for injuries. If I can convince the family to move here, next time I visit, I won’t just be alone to see Father.”
Guo Jia’s gaze seemed casual as he glanced over Yuan Xi, noticing that with summer approaching, Yuan Xi’s clothes looked a bit heavier than usual, his suitcase also showed signs of stuffed padding, indicating he brought more along but chose not to expose Yuan Xi.
He simply replied, “If that’s the case, it couldn’t be better. Your father scrimps and saves in Chang’an, hoarding money, not even willing to send his clothes for repairs, doing it all himself. It’s a shame he probably doesn’t have the talent for it; his sewing skills are quite lacking. It’d be better if someone could assist him.”
Tian Feng: “…”
He didn’t need reminding that in the past six months, besides mastering how to be an undercover agent, he also learned how to sew.
If not for this, he wouldn’t know how to sneak in the three new types of paper from Chang’an along with agricultural and medical texts into Yuan Xi’s clothes.
What’s more, he was grateful that Guo Jia brought this up casually without realizing the issue, instead showing more interest in Yuan Xi bringing others in to assist after returning.
“Since Zi Gu is someone Lord Junhou values, it makes sense for his family to come here too.” Guo Jia rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful, “How about this? I’ll take charge and make this trip back home more grand!”
So when Yuan Xi stepped out of the city gate of Chang’an, he was sporting a bag that Guo Jia described as the summer trend.
“Riding a mule with a weird cotton bag—what’re the odds?”
Yuan Xi couldn’t shake off this feeling that something was off about his current appearance.
But if we’re being honest, Guo Jia was just trying to be helpful.
According to him, there was a mule that had grown a bit underweight for carrying military supplies. So, why not lend it to Yuan Xi for the journey? It’d be much less strenuous than trekking back to Ji Province on foot or cramming into a crowded cart.
Just need to make sure not to get distracted on the road this time.
While he wouldn’t smash into any other mule carts and spill garlic oil everywhere, getting back to Ji Province does require traversing some hills, and any hiccup along the way could turn into trouble.
Yuan Xi had no choice but to accept this kindness.
So what if the mule was a bit odd-looking? He successfully completed his little mission to sneak into Chang’an and sniff out some juicy secrets!
“What do you think Yuan Benchu would say when he sees this?” Qiao Yan mused as she watched Yuan Xi ride off on the mule, a playful grin on her face.
He thought he’d leapt out of a cage, but really, he was just snagged from a mousetrap by a cat with a taste for mischief.
Still, there’s something to be said about ignorance being bliss sometimes.
The mule he was on didn’t come from some military supply reject pile. Qiao Yan had actually searched three provinces to find this sturdy adult mule; it could carry a lot more than some toothless old mule he’d seen before.
Because of how rare this mule was, Qiao Yan had put in quite a bit of effort to track one down.
With this mule around, Yuan Shao would probably believe more deeply that “Qiao Yan is breeding mules to transport military supplies,” which is better than any other excuses he could think of.
And Yuan Xi did a bang-up job bringing back all those secrets for Yuan Shao!
Guo Jia chimed in, “Mixing the truth with lies is easier for smart folks to swallow than a whole dish of lies. That’s the pickle Yuan Shao’s in.”
It’s practically impossible for Yuan Shao and his strategists to avoid every intellectual trap.
“But the lord still surprised me,” Guo Jia added after a moment’s thought.
Qiao Yan turned to look at him, “Surprised by what?”
Guo Jia said, “Of course, I’m surprised by the lord’s decisions.”
Qiao Yan’s gaze swept over the cityscape of Chang’an, catching a glimpse of the new road’s color in the distance, and her heart felt a bit more settled.
“For us, standardizing farming practices lays the groundwork for the people of the three regions to connect, and it offers newcomers a straightforward way to integrate. All the factors accumulating earlier enable us to push forward, while Yuan Shao’s circumstances differ.”
“If new methods don’t suit him, he needs to be cautious. The populace won’t embrace such sudden changes without tangible yield evidence unless he experiments with his own lands for a year. But he’s already missed this year.”
Qiao Yan remarked, “What seems like a loss may very well disrupt his plans.”
There’s a saying, “Those who imitate me thrive, but those who copy me perish.” For Yuan Shao, it might just be “Those who imitate me perish too.”
“The gap that’s formed over the years is significant. Unless the Wei River floods and Guanzhong is obliterated, Yuan Shao won’t manage to bridge that gap by simply grasping a load of seemingly useful info. It’s better he starts researching shipbuilding in Qingzhou sooner rather than later.”
Guo Jia couldn’t help but chuckle.
Now that’s a real roast of Yuan Shao!
Studying shipbuilding in Qingzhou? That’s basically code for “Hey Yuan Shao, why not consider a sneaky escape by sea?”
But perhaps Guo Jia laughed not just because of the jab, but also for the confidence shining through Qiao Yan’s words.
In her prime, she had a knack for revitalizing her ranks, so in these shifting times, she no longer feared anyone mastering her tactics.
Because she’s still moving forward, staying ahead of everyone, leaving no room for anyone to catch up to her strategies.
On the very day Yuan Xi returned to Ye City, the results of a submission contest in Chang’an were revealed alongside the plans to build the Painting Institute and recruit talent.
Painting?
The people of Chang’an had just seen a ten-year-old squabble over various doubts and publicly paint a corner of Chang’an street to prove himself, and now they were met with this fresh news.
Given current conditions, most kids grew up without toys, so many resorted to drawing in the dirt with sticks to amuse themselves.
Just like how early oracle bone script looked more like art than writing, it was a great way to express their feelings.
However, in their eyes, this also seemed one tier beneath actually being literate.
So when the announcement hit, it sparked some confusion on why they’d need a formal institute for painting.
They read through the notice, and even the illiterate began to grasp the significance of this Painting Institute.
On the notice, there were four illustrations.
The first depicted this year’s newly opened Weishui irrigation channels, encouraging folks to cultivate land within its reach.
The second illustrated the field division method from the “Fan Sheng Zhi Shu,” clearly laid out to show the standard farming operations.
The third showed an emergency response illustration for snake bites.
The fourth provided a visual-and-text relationship to highlight the learning aspect of the picture.
The existence of this Painting Institute wasn’t just a pastime for the scholars; on the contrary, it was aimed at educating the illiterates!
So when they found out that only drawing talent was needed, and literacy wasn’t a requirement, topics exploded once more in the streets of Chang’an.
This beckoned a new path for those wanting to switch careers from solely farm work.
“The head of the Painting Institute is Zhao Qi. Are you familiar with him?” someone from the crowd asked.
Zhao Qi was getting on in years, which might be a downside for some things, but not in this case.
Born in 108 AD and now in 192 AD, he’d certainly amassed plenty of stories worth talking about.
In his youth, he offended eunuchs and was forced to escape to Beihai to sell pancakes, later rescued by those who admired his integrity.
He’d served as Governor of Bingzhou, had a bit of history with the Marquis of Leping, but was imprisoned for over a decade due to the Prohibition of Factionalists, where he penned “Mencius.”
He’d also been appointed Prefect in Dunhuang, but chaos from rebellious factions almost turned him into a hostage—he had to rely on his eloquence to escape.
He was the sort who had horrible luck in politics, yet represented a grounded faction among scholars.
Having someone like him as the head of the Painting Institute seemed quite fitting from the perspective of the Chang’an populace.
On the day of the notice, someone lingered underneath it who fixated on the emergency response illustration, his eyes glinting with surprise.
When he received a handwritten invitation from Qiao Yan, Zhang Zhongjing had his doubts about attending, but the allure of fine wine tipped his scales toward visiting Chang’an.
Now upon seeing this painting, he realized that Qiao Yan’s various initiatives in promoting medical skills may be unexpected, but they were undeniably practical.
Only someone like her could support him in consolidating those troublesome typhoid cases!
He hadn’t made the wrong choice!
It was time to pay Qiao Yan a visit!
Of course, it was also time for Yuan Xi to meet with Yuan Shao.
This mule was tough and great for long trips. Yuan Xi deeply appreciated this as he neared Ye City, wishing he could fly straight to his father and share the spoils of his journey.
But at the city gate, he was intercepted.
His complexion had darkened considerably from the sun after weeks of travel.
That was one thing.
But here he was, riding a creature that looked like a half-donkey, half-horse, sporting a weird large bag, dressed in clothes that looked like they’d been patched up by a blindfolded tailor.
Zhang He stared at him for a good while before hesitantly saying, “Er… Second Young Master?”
