However, Li Jingyun still couldn't completely avoid trouble. Someone found her through Su Gui.
At the entrance of the alley behind the woolen sweater shop, Li Jingyun was munching on a bunch of candied haws when she was blocked solidly by Su Gui and an unfamiliar young scholar.
"Su Gui? What are you doing? You scared me!" Li Jingyun stepped back in a hurry. After taking a good look at the people in front of her, she couldn't help complaining.
"Student Di Renjie, from Bingzhou, pays respects to Princess Chengyang."
Hearing his self - introduction, Li Jingyun understood what was going on. She immediately turned around and tried to leave, but was stopped by Su Gui. "Princess, don't go. Trust me, he is really talented. If not, I wouldn't recommend him to you."
Li Jingyun was utterly annoyed. Deciding to give Di Renjie a chance for Su Gui's sake, she said, "Fine. I'm idle anyway. Let's hear what he has to say."
The man in front of her was thin and had a generous demeanor, far different from the chubby image of Di Renjie in TV dramas. Maybe he only gained weight in his old age.
Di Renjie and Su Gui were childhood playmates, sharing a deep bond. His purpose for meeting Li Jingyun was simple. He was curious about this intelligent young princess and wanted to see her with his own eyes.
As for relying on Li Jingyun's power to enter the official career, not to mention whether Princess Chengyang had such ability, even if she did, he wouldn't do so.
On this point, he was the same as Su Gui. They were determined to pass the imperial examination and become Jinshi in an upright way.
Li Jingyun was hugging a fluffy woolen doll. On the table was a bowl of warm milk, still steaming. Outside, the remaining snow hadn't completely melted, but the few pots of flowers and plants in the corner of the room had unfurled their leaves and were blooming vigorously, filling the whole room with the delicate fragrance of flowers, plants, and milk.
Di Renjie took a brief look around the room. It was quite plain.
There were no ivory ornaments, fragrant cloud silk curtains, glass vases, or rosewood tea sets. It was similar to an ordinary commoner's house, with no expensive items. It was all about being sturdy and practical.
If no one told you, who would have thought this was the residence of a princess?
And not just any princess, but one who was highly favored and held great influence among the court officials and the common people.
"Take a seat, Di Renjie. What do you want to talk to me about?" Li Jingyun rested her chin on the woolen doll and looked at him with big blinking eyes. Unconsciously being cute, she said with a smile.
"By the way, don't talk to me about poetry or the Four Books and Five Classics. I haven't studied those yet." Li Jingyun quickly added.
Di Renjie sat down with Su Gui. Hearing this, he laughed. "Princess, I've just heard of your great name and have some friendship with Su Gui. I just wanted to meet you. No poetry, no Four Books and Five Classics."
"To meet me?" Li Jingyun was immediately amused. "Well, here you are. You've seen me."
This guy was quite honest. He was a bit interesting.
"I've heard that the Turks, Tubo, Uyghurs, and Khitans are all raising a large number of sheep, far more than before." Di Renjie smiled. "What exactly is the meaning of your actions, Princess?"
As soon as he met Li Jingyun, he went straight to the topic of wool.
This left Li Jingyun a bit confused. She glanced at Su Gui. She hadn't mentioned this to Su Gui. How did the news spread?
The Khitan was a small country with a small population, so it was understandable. As for the Turks, many of them died last winter. Due to the shortage of food, they had to buy from the Tang Dynasty. Under the Turkic Khan Tong Yegu, there were several uncles, nephews, and sons who were trying to usurp the throne. In this turmoil, they could only hold on tightly to the woolen sweater trade. It wasn't just for the sweaters, but also to show their stance and curry favor with the Tang Dynasty in the hope of getting help.
The Uyghurs also made a lot of money by reselling woolen sweaters. When the Turks had problems, they also got a share of the benefits. They raised more sheep really to get woolen sweaters and sell them to the countries in the Western Regions to make a profit. The Uyghur's geographical location was more to the north, almost reaching Siberia, and their grain output was even lower.
As for Tubo, this was the most absurd. They raised more sheep simply because the upper - class nobles liked to wear woolen sweaters, which had become a fashion there.
According to what Sangbuza said recently, Songtsen Gampo wore several layers of woolen sweaters every day and even didn't want to take them off when sleeping. With such a king as an example, others naturally followed suit.
Tibet was a cold place, and woolen sweaters could be sold all year round without worrying about the season.
Su Gui also had his speculation. "Princess, a large number of sheep have entered the Tang Dynasty. The wool is made into sweaters, and the sheep are slaughtered for meat. Slaughterhouses and mutton restaurants have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain."
"Did you two discuss this? Then what do you think is the meaning of my actions?"
Li Jingyun then re - evaluated Su Gui and Di Renjie.
She never thought that Su Gui had this side to him. It was amazing!
She always thought that Su Gui just didn't like studying but could do other things well. Who would have thought he could think of this?
And this Di Renjie, since he had a friendship with Su Gui, was surely not an ordinary person either.
"I discovered this. My family lives in Bingzhou. A few days ago, I received a letter from home saying that the Tubo, Turks, and other foreign tribes had driven a large flock of sheep into the Tang Dynasty through Bingzhou." Di Renjie said.
After thinking it over secretly and choosing his words carefully, he said, "It's not for us to comment on the meaning of this action."
Li Jingyun leaned on the soft pillow and shrugged. She thought he would say something about the plan of the system immortal, but who knew he still didn't dare to say it out loud.
The scene fell silent. Li Jingyun didn't reply.
Su Gui and Di Renjie stared at each other, wondering if they had said something wrong.
If they wanted to gain the princess's attention, they must take a bold move to make the princess think they were different.
What was the princess up to now that she wasn't saying a word?
At this time, Li Jingyun heard the immortal's words: Di Renjie is a promising talent and can be taken into your service. In the future, he will be the prime minister of the female emperor's court.
Female emperor?
This term immediately caught Li Jingyun's attention.
She had no intention of ascending the throne and didn't think that position was so good. But this didn't stop her from being curious. Where did the female emperor come from? Who would she be?
Since the immortal said so, he must not be lying to her.
The system suddenly realized it had said too much and became like an ostrich. No matter how Li Jingyun asked, it didn't say anything more.
While Su Gui and Di Renjie were feeling nervous, Li Jingyun was communicating with the system.
"You're also going to take the spring imperial examination this year, right? If you can get good results, I'll tell you the truth. How about it?" Li Jingyun smiled.
If he passed the examination, he would surely enter the court as an official. According to her father's intention, it was normal to be granted a fifth - or sixth - rank official position. By then, telling him the truth wouldn't be a big deal.
Su Gui coughed twice. "Princess? What about me?"
"Let's talk after you finish the exam."
Li Jingyun meant that since they were so familiar, maybe one day she would just blurt it out.
"Thank you, Princess!"
Di Renjie had a premonition that once he got on Li Jingyun's ship, his future would be limitless.