On October 25th, the temperature was getting lower and lower. A layer of ice had formed on the river. The Warm Tower of Princess Xinxing was becoming more and more bustling. It was filled with people every day, and even the errand boys were making a fortune.
This business model was similar to the take - out service in later generations.
Equally prosperous was Li Jingyun's sweater shop. Li Jingyun had found suitable locations in the south and north of the city and planned to open several more branches.
Snow was coming soon. The disaster brought by the heavy snow in the Turkic region had already been witnessed in Yan City. Li Jingyun didn't want such a disaster to befall the people of the Tang Dynasty.
Manjing, who was by her side, even dreamed about that heavy snow. It was a vast expanse of whiteness, which had taken the lives of her whole family.
On the second floor of the Warm Tower, it was still the same private room and the same group of people.
Zhenzhu Tong Sijin still wanted to put on an air to show that the Turkic people were not weak. However, his health was really poor. He would cough for a while after just saying a few words.
After fainting at the end of the last magic show, he was so eager to recover that he had asked several doctors for strong prescriptions. After taking the medicine, his body was completely ruined.
Although the apprentice of Taoist priest Sun Simiao was young, he had a lot of knowledge and was skilled in prescribing medicine. He thought that Zhenzhu Tong Sijin couldn't die on his watch, or there would be endless troubles. But rural doctors didn't care about such things. They would prescribe the same medicine for pigs in the countryside. If the patient died, it was just bad luck.
"Greetings to the princesses," Zhenzhu Tong Sijin said as he bowed.
Princess Xinxing put down the milk tea in her hand and said with a smile, as if chatting casually, "Envoy, I have another business deal with you. How about it?"
"Please go ahead, princess."
Zhenzhu Tong Sijin gasped heavily. It was difficult for him to even say these few words.
Li Jingyun was eating the delicate snacks. She blinked her eyes and watched her elder sister and Zhenzhu Tong Sijin sizing each other up. Her elder sister hadn't told her what they were going to do at all. She had just said that she would invite her to drink milk tea, so she had come.
"My Warm Tower is short of some milk. I'd like to buy a few hundred cows. You can just send them here together with the sheep later. Three thousand five hundred cash for each cow. How about it? The price is quite fair, isn't it?" Princess Xinxing continued.
Zhenzhu Tong Sijin coughed once and took a sip of warm water to soothe his throat. "Princess, we agree. How many cows in total?"
"Five hundred. I can only raise five hundred cows here for now. There should be more female cows." Princess Xinxing herself hadn't fully decided yet. She only had a rough idea.
"Okay, princess. We understand."
After being frightened by the strange creature last time, his vitality seemed to have been sucked away. Now he was sickly and crazy - looking.
"Sign and seal. The envoy is really straightforward." Princess Xinxing said with a smile. She clapped her hands, and immediately someone brought paper and a brush.
The person who brought the things was exactly the waiter who had cooked the laxative milk tea for Zhenzhu Tong Sijin last time. After putting down the things, he joked, "Envoy, would you like me to cook another cup of milk tea for you? My skills have improved a lot this time. You can have a try."
"You, get out of here quickly! Cough, cough, cough..." Zhenzhu Tong Sijin saw this face, and the painful memories welled up in his mind. He pointed at the waiter and scolded.
"Yes, yes, yes. I'll go right away. Don't be angry, sir."
The waiter's eyes were almost invisible from smiling. He nodded repeatedly and left with the tray.
As soon as the door opened, there was a crowd outside. There were also a lot of diners downstairs looking up. He quickly waved his hand and closed the door tightly. He lowered his voice and said, "Everyone, why are you all here? Go do your own things quickly."
"No way. Those Turkic guys are here again. We can't let the princesses be bullied again!"
"That's right. I missed it last time. If those Turkic people dare to be disrespectful to our princesses this time, I'll go up and teach them a lesson!"
"Our own princesses being bullied in the Warm Tower. Isn't this an insult to us?"
"The Turkic people are not weak, but our Tang Dynasty is even stronger! We're not afraid of them, right, folks?!"
"Right!"
The waiter waved his hands repeatedly. "Everyone, calm down, calm down. You're disturbing the business negotiation inside. This time, the Turkic people won't dare to cause trouble. It's completely under the control of our princesses. You may not know this, but His Majesty has said that no princess will be married off. The Turkic people won't even dare to say a word."
"Really?"
"Would I lie to you? Alright, alright. Don't be impatient. His Majesty and the senior officials must have a plan in mind. Let's not get involved blindly. Everyone, disperse."
The waiter lowered his voice, afraid that the people inside would hear. He tried his best to persuade them.
"They can hear everything inside. You're standing right at the door. How can they not hear?"
After a while, a pretty little maid came out of the room. She pulled the waiter aside and whispered in his ear, "You don't know. Zhenzhu Tong Sijin's face turned really ugly when he heard what you said. He didn't dare to say anything in front of the princesses. He looked so pathetic."
"Disperse, everyone. Disperse."
Hearing this, the on - lookers all left.
The more arrogant Zhenzhu Tong Sijin and his entourage had been at the beginning, the more desolate they were now.
It became quiet outside. Then, Zhenzhu Tong Sijin pushed open the door and walked out. He strode out of the Warm Tower.
"Sisters, do you want to go to my new sweater villa with me? It's very lively there, and the food cooked by the chef is super delicious!"
After the outsiders left, Li Jingyun showed her true self, lively and naughty.
She pulled the sleeve of Princess Gaoyang with one hand and the arm of Princess Xinxing with the other. "Sisters, please go with me."
"Okay, okay. We'll go with you, Hongxuan. We'll also taste the food that makes you miss it every day."
They doted on their younger sister so much that they naturally wouldn't refuse.
They took the same carriage there. Li Jingyun still muttered, "I want to learn how to ride a horse. Third aunt can ride a horse. Father said she looks very imposing on a horse."
"That's something for men to learn. What do you, a little girl, need to learn that for? Be obedient. It's dangerous." Princess Gaoyang persuaded her gently.
She was a bit worried. If her mother heard this, wouldn't she go to argue with father again?
There was a difference in their educational concepts. Empress Zhangsun hoped that her daughters would become the kind of gentle and elegant ladies recognized by the world, well - behaved and polite, observing all the rituals and rules, and staying by her side peacefully.
Just like her first daughter, Li Lizhi.
However, Li Shimin hoped that his daughters would be resourceful and intelligent, so that they wouldn't be bullied after marriage. For a gifted girl like Li Jingyun, who had been favored by the immortal, she should be cultivated even more.
"I'll go to Sixth Brother and ask him to find someone for me. I can learn in another place so that they won't see me. I don't study reading and writing in Hongwen Hall either." Li Jingyun said confidently.
"You're a girl with your own ideas."