Chapter 233: Yan Jiu Comes to Pay New Year’s Greetings
Jin Sui still met Yan Jiu once before the wedding, because he came to pay New Year’s respects to Grandpa Ling.
Jin Sui knew he was doing it on purpose; he couldn’t possibly not know that Grandpa Ling was in the refugee camp, he was just finding a reasonable excuse to see her.
She made Yan Jiu wait in the living room for half an hour. Yan Jiu truly sat there, drinking tea and admiring the snow, without a single impatient word.
Jin Sui sighed inwardly. The man came to pay New Year’s respects on such an important day as the first day of the New Year. He must have gone to the palace early in the morning and then rushed directly to the Taoist temple. To refuse to see him would be too much.
She changed into an outfit for receiving guests, put on a cloak with a red fox fur collar, and came to see Yan Jiu holding a hand warmer: “Lord Yan, Happy New Year!”
Yan Jiu stood up: “Miss Ling, Happy New Year!”
Perhaps this was the last time he would call her Miss Ling. The next time they met, she would be the Empress, and from then on, there would be a distinction between ruler and subject.
“I’m truly sorry to have kept you waiting. Grandpa might not be back until evening.”
“By the way, did you see Jin An in the palace this morning?”
Yan Jiu smiled and nodded: “His Majesty kept him in the palace for lunch.”
The two sat facing each other, suddenly unsure of what to say. Since the opportunity was rare, it was best to discuss business!
Jin Sui took out a new sea chart first. This time, the sea route was even longer, reaching Tianzhu and then the Red Sea.
Jin Sui pointed to the route from Tianzhu to the Red Sea: “There’s no need to go that far for now. This is a place to explore in the future.
Let’s go to Tianzhu first! After fully opening up to sea merchants, the Nanyang route alone will not satisfy the appetites of the Great Xia’s powerful people.”
The Nanyang route refers to the island nations in the Nanyang region such as present-day Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan. Currently, among these small countries, only Japan dares to provoke our sea merchants and invade Minzhou to plunder; the other small countries are not a threat at all.
There are only some indigenous people, and in terms of both weapons and military strength, they are simply not enough to contend with Great Xia.
These islands are rich in heavy metals, spices, precious timber, and grain. Our special products such as silk, cotton and linen, sugar, tea, and porcelain will be bought at high prices once transported along this route.
Their ships can go to farther seas, but it’s a perilous journey, with often only one out of ten ships returning. This is also an important reason for the sea routes provided by Jin Sui.
With the safe sea routes she provided, the Yan family’s fleet has become the strongest merchant fleet in Great Xia. This is also why Gu Changxiao entrusted the matter of building sea islands to the Yan family.
The reason Jin Sui decided to give this new sea route to Yan Jiu in advance was her fear that court officials and powerful families would not be enthusiastic about maritime trade.
After all, we have been an agricultural country for thousands of years. Suddenly asking them to shift their assets and manpower to unknown seas, most people instinctively fear it.
They would rather guard their own small plots of land than explore and venture out. Only by having the Yan family set an example, safely navigate these new routes, and bring back immense wealth, will they become interested.
“Tianzhu is rich in spices, gold, and gemstones. Our silk, tea, porcelain, and sugar will be exchanged for large amounts of their gold. As long as this route is smooth, it will be a highly profitable venture.”
Yan Jiu quietly looked at this new sea route, his heart churning like a hot tide, but his expression remained unchanged, only a slight furrow of his brows.
He could say that this map only existed in ancient myths and legends, and only vague traces could be found in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
Yet Miss Ling could produce such a detailed navigation chart!
Fortunately, he was steady in temperament. Even with many guesses in his heart, he had no intention of asking.
Jin Sui misunderstood his silence and quickly asked, “You don’t understand it very well, do you? Do you want me to draw it more detailed?”
Yan Jiu chuckled. If it were any more detailed, even the King of Tianzhu himself probably wouldn’t know about these unnamed islands in his waters.
Let alone now, even if it were ten times rougher, presenting it as a map to Tianzhu in the Jianghu would cause countless people to fight desperately for it.
One thing about Miss Ling hasn’t changed: she is always completely unaware of how precious the things she produces are!
Like that copy of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, like the fish oil firearms, the hand crossbows and gunpowder, the penicillin for curing plagues, those fine breeds, and wool textile technology…
And the two navigation charts in his hands. If they weren’t business partners, and she asked for ten thousand taels of gold for this map, many people would still rush to buy it.
Uh, come to think of it, the only thing she truly recognized the value of seemed to be that personal seal, ‘Limitless Wrath’.
Once, a book with that personal seal sold for a hundred taels, and at the time, many people complained about being ripped off. Now, someone is willing to pay ten times that price.
Ever since they traveled together to the Northern Frontier, Yan Jiu had felt that Miss Ling was a woman of great vision, with depth and breadth of mind, and was unparalleled in the world.
It was also under her influence that he began to consider the future of Yanzhou and the entire Yandi, and thus established cooperation with His Majesty.
Thinking about it again now, he still underestimated Miss Ling. If he considered something, his first thought would be whether it was beneficial to the Yan family?
Even His Majesty, his first thought would be whether it benefited imperial power? Many emperors promoted policies for the people’s welfare, precisely because these things benefited the world, but not imperial power.
Only Miss Ling is different. When she does things, it seems to be always from the perspective of whether this matter benefits the world? Benefits the common people? On the other hand, she doesn’t seem to care much about her personal interests.
She truly achieves merit for the present and benefits for generations to come! Such breadth of mind, vision, and foresight, yet she is just a girl of about ten years old.
Yan Jiu felt that if there were truly immortals descending to the mortal world, it should be someone like Miss Ling.
Unfortunately, Yan Jiu only praised her in his heart and did not say it out loud. If he had praised her directly to her face, he would have surely coaxed Jin Sui into acting like a child and immediately drawing him even more detailed sea routes.
Jin Sui thought more than he imagined. Expanding maritime trade, Yan Jiu saw it as her earning money for the court and also alleviating the internal constraints caused by land reform.
From the perspective of the gentry and powerful families, it meant wealth for everyone to share. It was good to make money overseas, so they wouldn’t all focus their attention on land, leading to bloody conflicts.
For the common people, it meant increased employment opportunities. Even with the impact of cheap grain from overseas, farmers’ grain prices would still be protected.
This is because our secondary food products are sold at higher prices, especially alcohol. Previously, the court had issued a ban on alcohol due to grain shortages. Now, alcohol can be brewed freely. High-proof alcohol is used in medicine, and grain alcohol is also popular overseas.
Jin Sui’s ultimate goal, a long-term objective, is to advance us into the industrial age ahead of time, making Han Chinese technology and civilization the pinnacle of the world.
The short-term goal is naturally to provide Gu Changxiao with the funds to build a navy and warships, and to conquer that land of Japan to become our maritime farmland!
She personally also needs a large amount of gold and silver, because she is about to become the Empress. Both building public hospitals and elementary schools require silver.
If she were to use the national treasury’s silver, she would surely be obstructed by all the officials, and even public hospitals and schools would be halted.
Therefore, developing sea merchant trade is also something she urgently needs. She didn’t ask to sell the navigation charts; she’s not a merchant fixated on petty profits.
However, in Yan Jiu’s eyes, she is the epitome of selflessness, generosity, and open-mindedness.
Yan Jiu had regretted countless times in the dead of night. When he was at the Northern Frontier Royal Court, he watched Gu Changxiao climb into the Divine Palace where Jin Sui was imprisoned, yet he did nothing.
That incident made him lose the chance to compete with Gu Changxiao for Jin Sui. Later, when Gu Changxiao ascended the throne and became Emperor, he couldn’t help but wonder, even if he had won Jin Sui, could he have kept her?
Did he have the right to compete with an emperor for his beloved?
Looking at this navigation chart now, that sense of regret, jealousy, and sorrow filled his chest again, and his heart ached.
He had a chance. Jin Sui had such a detailed navigation chart, and they could truly go to overseas lands that Gu Changxiao couldn’t find, to the ends of the earth.
Unfortunately, that night he only hesitated for a moment, and forever lost the girl he loved.
He looked up at Jin Sui, his gaze burning like fire, gritting his teeth tightly. For the first time, he lost control, fearing he would blurt out the question.
If that night, I had also climbed into the Divine Palace, who would you have chosen?
He longed to hear the answer, yet feared hearing it.
His reaction startled Jin Sui a little: “Lord Yan, are you feeling unwell? Or do you think there’s a problem with this sea route?”
His gaze was a little frightening, as if he wanted to brand her into his soul. It was burning with sorrow, like a lake that had been calm for eternity, suddenly stirred by waves, and then quickly returned to peace.
Yan Jiu slowly rolled up the sea chart, as if calming himself in this way.
He shouldn’t have come. Each meeting deepened the wound in his heart. He knew it was hopeless, yet he couldn’t help himself.
Drinking poison to quench thirst, his soul and heart were both wounded.
“Yan has lost his composure, Miss Ling, please forgive me. I was simply too excited to see this sea chart.”
Jin Sui chuckled. You’re this excited just by reaching the Red Sea? If I showed you the world map, you’d probably faint from excitement!
I didn’t expect you, Yan Jiu, to have moments of excitement! The last time I saw you excited was when you found Miss Yan’s belongings in the bandit’s den.
“It’s alright, let’s continue discussing maritime trade! After the New Year, His Majesty will likely focus on drafting laws and taxes for sea merchants.”
Yan Jiu, however, stood up and said: “It’s too late today. Yan will take his leave for now and discuss it with Miss Ling another day.”
Jin Sui felt a sense of loss. “Another day” would mean separated by a screen, with the Empress sitting inside and you standing outside.
Imagining sitting face-to-face and talking freely like this again would be impossible.
But she wouldn’t force Yan Jiu to stay if he wanted to leave. She escorted him to the second gate and found it was snowing again. She turned and handed him an oil-paper umbrella:
“Be careful on the road, Lord Yan. Farewell.”
Yan Jiu’s hand paused in mid-air for a moment. His slender fingers were a little red now. He took one end of the oil-paper umbrella, lowered his gaze, bowed, and saluted: “Thank you, Miss Ling.”
A thin layer of white snow sprinkled on his shoulders and head. His snow-white cloak was tinged with a touch of cold detachment against the snow.
A true gentleman, gentle and refined. Yan Jiu was the man Jin Sui had met in this era who most resembled the gentlemen in ancient poetry.
“The umbrella, I’ll send someone to return it tomorrow.”
Jin Sui waved dismissively: “It’s just an umbrella, no need to return it.”
The yellow-brown oil-paper umbrellas made at Grandpa’s Taoist temple had no artistic merit or value.
Yan Jiu walked out of the second gate, and Jin Sui was still standing under the plum tree, waving goodbye to him. After all, he was an important partner, and she had to show him respect.
She also lamented the vast difference between Yan Jiu and his brother Yan Shiyi. If Yan Shiyi had come today, they would probably have already set up a hot pot, drunk yellow wine, and chatted cheerfully about which young master had done something foolish again, or where there was something fun to do.
But in front of Yan Jiu, Jin Sui always felt unnaturally reserved, always feeling like she was talking to a superior when speaking with him.
I wonder what he was thinking just now? His emotions changed so drastically all of a sudden. Even after cooperating with him for ten more years, she couldn’t fathom his personality.
I wonder what kind of wife our Lord Yan will marry in the future? She would have to be incredibly intelligent and kind-hearted to be in sync with Yan Jiu.
After returning to her room, Jin Sui remembered that she hadn’t looked at the New Year’s gift from Yan Jiu yet!
She quickly had someone bring the boxes in. That’s right, our Lord Yan’s New Year’s gifts were delivered by the box.
Among them, the stationery set and a saddle were clearly for Jin An. Some rare Taoist books and Taoist artifacts were clearly for Grandpa.
It was difficult for him to collect these items. It was funny, Grandpa’s Taoist temple didn’t even have a single inherited artifact; they were all made or bought on the spot.
Haha, in the future, when attending ceremonies with other Taoist temples, they would present something and say it was a hundred-year inheritance from their master’s sect, or a thousand-year inheritance from the Taoist sect.
And Grandpa would pull out something and say, “Hmm, made last year, bought this year…”
The more she thought about it, the funnier it became. She wondered if Gu Changxiao’s private treasury had any treasures from the Imperial Commissioner’s supervision? She could ask him for a couple to give to Grandpa to save face.
What he gave her was a set of pink pearl hair ornaments, about the size of longan. She gasped, both because the set was too beautiful and because the gift was too valuable.
This should have been given to the Empress as a wedding gift. Now that it’s a New Year’s gift, what will you give for the wedding?
The Yan family is indeed a major sea merchant household. They have so many good things.
Also, you’ve given such a valuable gift, how can we reciprocate? Let Jin An go to the Yan family to pay New Year’s respects on the third day of the New Year! I’ll pick something novel from the space to give him.
However, Jin Sui did not know that on his way back, Yan Jiu tightly gripped the oil-paper umbrella, feeling no cold from the wind and snow, only an intense heat in his heart.
Upon returning to the Yan mansion, the Lord Yan was about to report who had come to pay New Year’s respects that day, and who the Eleventh Young Master had received, and so on.
Yan Jiu said in a deep voice: “We’ll discuss it later. You may go. Do not let anyone disturb me.”
He entered the study, and even Yan Shiyi dared not come to find him after hearing this.
Closing the doors and windows, Yan Jiu carefully took out a box from a hidden compartment. If anyone saw what was inside, they would surely scoff.
The dignified Lord Yan actually treasured a pile of junk.
Inside was a pure white tea cup, the one Jin Sui drank from on the way to the Northern Frontier.
A blanket, which Jin Sui used to cover herself on the journey. A blood-stained silk handkerchief, which Yan Jiu used when his hand was accidentally cut and Jin Sui bandaged it for him.
There was even a pair of grasshoppers, which Jin Sui taught Twelve Niang to weave in the Northern Frontier. Twelve Niang, impatient, quickly gave up learning.
The pair of grasshoppers woven by Jin Sui were casually discarded by her, and no one knew that Yan Jiu had picked them up and brought them back to the Yan family from the Northern Frontier as if they were treasures.
The most treasured item, naturally wrapped in silk, was the copy of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, the only book for which Jin Sui had written a dedication poem.
Now, an oil-paper umbrella had been added to this hidden compartment.
Yan Jiu felt like a thief, only stealing these things related to Jin Sui in secret, just like those insignificant moments of interaction with Jin Sui.
They were precious items that he would cherish and recall for a lifetime.
