“Can a strategist really not ascend to the throne?”
Well, Xi Zhicai thought about it, but it was just a fleeting joke in his mind, nothing he intended to act upon.
Leping is just a county after all; having peace and harmony within its borders is already enough. Maybe for Qiao Yan, having someone who knows the resources of the Taihang Mountains would be more useful than a brilliant talent from Yingchuan.
No matter how you look at it, ruling a county hardly counts as ruling a nation.
He might as well suffer through it himself.
But then, according to the regulations of the Han dynasty officials, they had a rest day every five days. On the rest day, Qiao Yan didn’t stop him from drinking, she just slightly reduced the quantity. On the middle day of the five-day stretch, he could have a little sip and loosen up, while the remaining four days, what was in his cup was definitely something else entirely!
The first day was a thick drink made from yam powder, which was supposed to tonify and replenish energy. The second day was tea brewed with pine needles from the Taihang Mountains, said to dispel wind and drive away evil. A day after that, it was poria tea to strengthen the spleen and nourish the stomach, and on the last day, ginger soup with goji berries to dispel cold.
The names sounded just like what Qiao Yan had said that day; according to Han standards for skilled artisans, earning two thousand coins a month wasn’t just for craftsmen but for young artisans among them. If he said they had to follow the law, they naturally had to meet the standards.
This routine of replenishing energy, dispelling wind, strengthening the spleen, and warding off cold seemed dead set on getting him into shape.
What a situation this is!
Outside, the snow was falling softly, while inside the room, only the sound of the flickering lamp was heard. Xi Zhicai glanced at the ginger soup beside him, intending to write something to his few friends far away in Yingchuan, but he couldn’t get the pen moving.
If he mentioned he was being pressed by the lord in Leping to eat supplements, knowing how spicy he usually was in his letters, he’d probably get laughed at by his friends in no time at all. That wouldn’t do.
Speaking about Qiao Yan’s various measures in Leping might also be off the table.
A savvy strategist knows well what can be revealed to the outside world and what must be kept under wraps on one’s own territory.
If it weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have needed to draft that memorial to Liu Hong for Qiao Yan.
Even though many of his close friends were trustworthy and understood the importance of discretion, in this wintry season, amidst heavy snowfall, it wouldn’t be surprising if a letter were to go missing in transit.
And if any consequences sprang from a lost letter, that would be quite the headache.
Better to just wait a couple of years and invite them to visit in person.
He ended up only mentioning in the letter the sweet pea wine he had recently discovered.
One day, in a moment of inspiration, he stuffed some peas into a clay pot, and after getting caught up in Qiao Yan’s efforts in constructing Leping, he completely forgot about it for over a month.
When he opened that clay pot, the aroma that hit him was something special, infused with the snowy essence from the pine branches outside, giving it a uniquely refreshing flavor.
With the letter, he had someone deliver a small jar of that sweet pea wine as well, a sign that his trip to the north wasn’t a total waste.
That could be considered another form of reassurance.
On the second day, after he arranged for the delivery of the letter and wine, Xi Zhicai sighed in relief and decided to stroll through the streets of Leping County since today was a day off after five working days.
The buildings in the county were unchanged from when he arrived, only the rooftops and the ground thrived under a layer of fresh white snow. However, what he saw was somewhat different from his wintery impressions of the countryside.
In winters past, people would huddle indoors, merely waiting for the harsh season to end to have a chance to step outside.
But just as Qiao Yan had mentioned, due to improvements with mulberry bark clothing, these were now being sold in the county for twenty coins, a price any household could afford and were willing to pay at this time.
Mulberry bark clothing proved its worth with practicality.
The more scarce the materials, the clearer the practical changes became.
What Xi Zhicai observed at present was exactly that.
Wearing a layer of mulberry bark clothing under hemp clothing significantly eased the biting cold for those who had endured hardships, which was already more than enough.
At least beneath that protection, they could venture out to the streets, clear the snow from their front yards, and even climb onto rooftops to clear the snow there too.
They could even chat with neighbors while shoveling the snow instead of rushing back inside like before.
A single piece of mulberry bark clothing couldn’t completely transform their quality of life, but it certainly improved their morale.
This had a critical impact on a territory plagued by natural disasters and the Han dynasty’s ineffectiveness.
Just as Xi Zhicai thought of this, he spotted Lu Yuan hurrying toward the county office, which drew some of his attention.
By all accounts, today was a rest day, and Lu Yuan, as a messenger, should also be resting. Yet, her demeanor clearly showed that Qiao Yan had assigned her a task.
It was obvious that something had prompted Qiao Yan to decide on some matters today.
If there was anything special about today, it may be that the mulberry bark clothing needed by the county’s residents arrived after those from the Black Mountain labor camp received their wages yesterday and quickly completed the last batch.
For the county folk, one piece of mulberry bark clothing was sufficient to get them through the winter; even if it got torn, they could easily patch it up like any other clothing.
This also indicated that the market in Leping County was completely saturated.
Xi Zhicai looked up at the sky.
Today just so happened to be right after the snowfall had stopped, a rare sunny moment, making it a great time to go out.
Looks like Qiao Yan was trying to expand the market.
As Lu Yuan stepped into Qiao Yan’s study, she saw her inspecting the mulberry bark clothing hanging on the wall.
Hearing Lu Yuan’s entrance after receiving permission, Qiao Yan didn’t turn around, merely asking, “I intend to seek some buyers for this item outside the county. What do you think?”
After some thought, Lu Yuan replied, “Given that you’ve been here for barely four months, selling winter clothing should be logical, but it might encroach on someone else’s territory. So, it seems you want to find a big buyer among locals outside Leping, different from the one-off deal you had with the Wang family from Jinyang?”
Qiao Yan turned and shot her a approving glance, “So who do you think I should look for?”
Lu Yuan replied, “Seek balance; the central authority and local interests reflect on each other. Last time you chose the Wang family for another purpose; now it wouldn’t hurt to go for the Tang family.”
Since the supplementary fermentation method only worked on the process and didn’t show on the surface, and the Wang family in Jinyang had tightly grasped this technique, the Tang family couldn’t glean any key insights. Thus, they’ve likely been struggling in the local wine trade these past months.
So approaching them now would be like sending coals to Newcastle.
“Exactly,” Qiao Yan said, “Since we are all part of Bingzhou, we can’t favor one over the other. Having sent such a generous gift to the Wang family, we need to do something nice for the Tang family as well. But…”
“It’s often frowned upon to try to please both sides in business.”
Your point being, should I approach the Tang family differently?” Lu Yuan asked.
“No.” Qiao Yan answered firmly.
“There’s no such thing as a wall that doesn’t leak. Taiyuan and Leping are merely a few mountains apart. If people happen to cross paths here, it won’t stay secret for long, especially since the exchanges will happen frequently after deals are struck. It’s not just us who are clever.”
“So we need to lay everything on the table.”
She walked over to the table, prompting Lu Yuan to come closer. On the table lay three pieces of chess. The one in the middle was the character “stability” that she practiced writing today.
Qiao Yan pointed to the two adjacent pieces and said, “The Tang family has diminished due to family members moving away; can’t the Wang family simply swallow them up whole?”
Lu Yuan watched Qiao Yan’s actions, appearing as though she had a thought brewing.
“Well, I can definitely swallow it, but even though noble families compete, they also have relatives among each other, so we should always leave some room for maneuver.”
It seemed like she vaguely understood Qiao Yan’s meaning now.
“Since you’re the envoy representing Leping, you also represent my position, so I want to entrust this matter to you,” Qiao Yan said. “First, go meet Wang Yang.”
“Once you meet the head of the Wang family, mention that I would like him to act as a middleman to strike a deal with the Tang family.”
Those who can afford liquor likely don’t need to rely on mulberry bark clothing to keep warm in winter; even if there’s some overlap in the market for both, it’s hardly significant.
If there’s no invasion of interests, then a win-win outcome is possible.
Lu Yuan deciphered what Qiao Yan was getting at and replied, “If this method works, then for the Wang family, Qiao Hou would effectively be giving them an excuse to foster good relations with the Tang family. They can say someone developed this mulberry bark clothing, and since the Wang family is influential, they sought cooperation to quickly distribute such life-saving items everywhere. However, the Wang family is magnanimous and didn’t want to continue pursuing the Tang family, hence they guided someone to the Tang family.”
This was how Leping could remain incognito in the transaction.
Letting benefits flow due to justice is exactly what should be loudly promoted in today’s value system.
Therefore, the identity of the initial developer didn’t really need to be revealed.
Of course, this wouldn’t hinder Leping’s men from mastering the crafting of mulberry bark clothing, making it a qualified processing site.
Given the absence of external sales routes and aims for steady, low-profile growth, this was the best outcome.
Moreover, did the Wang family really let go of their profits?
The Tang family would surely feel grateful and offer other conditions in exchange.
And Leping’s profits would definitely surpass what they might have earned directly from the Tang family, since the Wang family would adjust the profit-sharing to ensure the Tang family reaps less.
Lu Yuan, being from a noble family, certainly understood the underlying intricacies.
And to handle this subtle relationship between the two families and gauge the scales of negotiation, she was indeed the most suitable person for it.
After confirming she fully grasped Qiao Yan’s intentions, she decisively accepted the task.
This mission from Qiao Yan could truly be called a heavy responsibility.
“From the profits obtained from the Tang family, procure some salt and meat from Jinyang City,” Qiao Yan calculated the transaction volume, then added, considering Dian Wei’s rather distinctive appearance, “Bring Zhao Yun and Xu Fu along with you for the transportation.”
During the Han dynasty, salt and iron were state monopolies, especially against the sale of private salt; the Tang family surely wouldn’t have any channels for low-cost procurement.
Just pay them enough and set the cooperation terms clearly.
She could also take this opportunity to stockpile some salt in the storeroom for unforeseen needs.
As one should know, meat preservation relied on salting for storage, and households needed quite a bit in their daily cooking; thus, salt, naturally, was more expensive than rice. Even in relatively peaceful years, the price of a stone of rice could barely buy four to five jin of salt, and during subsequent turbulent periods, it was even more dire.
If salt isn’t stocked up, it could get troublesome during phases of inflation.
Although Lu Yuan wasn’t as historically knowledgeable as Qiao Yan, she could still discern some clues from the current situation.
Since Qiao Yan had provided escorts, there was no worry about a large quantity of salt being robbed on the way, allowing her to focus on fulfilling this task.
Delaying the mulberry bark clothing transaction wasn’t wise; she didn’t even consider if today was a day of rest and immediately went to look for two people to start off.
Regardless of whether this was what Qiao Yan assigned, just the fact that this deal meant Leping would gain a steady income soon and help prevent many in Bingzhou from freezing to death was enough to motivate everyone involved in the operation to be on high alert, striving to make the effects of the mulberry bark clothing even more remarkable.
Qiao Yan watched the caravan leave the city, leaning against the county office door, a hint of joy shining in her eyes.
Having assistance surely relieved a lot of pressure compared to going solo.
It was at this moment she suddenly heard the system’s voice: 【I’ve made contact! I’ve reached the neighboring system!】
Qiao Yan’s expression tightened.
To prevent her demeanor from giving away anything during her communication with the system, even without speaking, her expressions could still betray her, and she immediately returned to the room.
Just as she shut the door, she heard the system excitedly repeat, 【I’ve made contact with the nearest martial arts system 060. It says this exchange is doable and can neatly link into its sign-in rewards.】
“So, your sign-in rewards consist only of temporary attribute cards because you have hardly any stock?”
Qiao Yan caught the key information from the strategist system and immediately asked pointedly.
【……】 The system hesitated. 【This… this isn’t important.】
How could it dare tell Qiao Yan it initially didn’t expect to get through but found out they were only eight numbers apart, which indicated they hadn’t been manufactured too long apart, yet the other party was clearly acting all big brother-like.
The other side even mentioned that barter exchange is allowed by systems, especially when some systems and their hosts aren’t completely compatible with their environment. Naturally, for self-preservation, it’s logical to find ways to ensure survival first.
By comparison, it was as if its only task was to act as an alarm clock and map.
No, it was still a qualified recorder. Before the neighboring system clarified what usable items the host had to barter, it had broadcasted everything its host did from the moment they were bound to the system.
“Enough about that, what did the other side say?”
Qiao Yan’s strong demand for manuals largely stemmed from the strategist system lacking corresponding content.
Though it could evaluate combat strength and physical attributes, that leaned more towards providing a rough framework of four-dimensional values and could not change its essence.
Identifying horsemanship as a skill was only because, since ancient times, the standard for the six arts of a gentleman included rituals, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics, where charioteering could further extend to riding horseback.
However, gun techniques and sword techniques were out of its reach.
At least, based on curiosity, when she watched Zhao Yun execute a basic punch routine and tried it herself, the system’s panel didn’t register any related skills.
Thus hearing the system declare the possibility of a trade, she couldn’t help but feel a thrill.
She truly held great expectations for this matter.
The system replied: 【It said it’s looking to survive in an ancient backdrop, it has plenty of techniques, and if it’s a monetary transaction, there’s actually no need…】
On one hand, Qiao Yan wasn’t yet at a stage where she could plunder wealth, on the other, chivalry often comes with a ban on gaining wealth through violence, making it easy for the system to facilitate her ability to profit.
【But it’s very interested in one of your skills!】
Having perhaps gained recognition for its host from another system, the system felt somewhat proud and raised its tone.
Though it didn’t know why the other side had spoken in a strange tone after hearing her actions, it still followed the rule that systems cannot lie, and the praise was genuine.
At least the other party did need something; if this deal goes through, it could give a satisfactory report to Qiao Yan.
【It said it would love for its host to learn that charming skill of yours, conversing eloquently with people and with ghosts…】 It seemed to realize the phrasing was somewhat off and quickly added, 【It wasn’t meant to insult you; it just thinks relying solely on the system library of eloquence doesn’t seem to achieve your level, so it wishes for you to write practical tips on how to converse with people.】
Qiao Yan found this utterly ridiculous.
She then heard the system say: 【The other side mentioned that mastering martial arts relies on honing, so to avoid delaying the transaction’s effectiveness, it can first provide you with the gun technique manual and the supplementary trade terms from our side can wait, but—】
【It doesn’t have many gun techniques in stock, and according to its assessment, there’s only one that suits you best.】
As the system spoke, it displayed a gun technique manual right before Qiao Yan.
The cover showed seven large characters—”Broken Mountains and Remaining Waters” Lethal Spear Technique.
