In the main hall, the entire building was constructed entirely from intertwined vines, with roots intricately tangled and branches luxuriously leafy. Inside, fragrant scents wafted everywhere, surrounded by blooming flowers. What was even more remarkable was a crystal-clear fountain in the center of the main hall. The fountain continuously bubbled up from its spring source, flowing along small carved channels in the floor, slowly meandering past the front of every seat in the hall. In front of each stream of water, two beautiful young maidens dressed in thin gauze garments knelt in the water, constantly pouring fruit nectar and cream from their hands into the water and gently stirring it.
As soon as Qing Xia entered, she smelled an intoxicating lingering wine fragrance, mixed with the fresh, clean body scent of women. Jin Shaohuang stood to one side and explained indifferently: “This is white spring water diverted from Canglang Mountain, flowing here through redirected underground river channels. It absorbs the heat from underground buried ground flame jade shoots, then is deliberately cooled by stored ice, creating the most suitable three-cold water for brewing wine. These fruit nectars and creams are all premium ingredients for mixing wine, difficult to collect. So this white spring fine wine is even more fragrant and aromatic, mellow and beautiful to taste. Since Lord Xia has come, you must properly savor it.”
Qing Xia’s heart grew cold – this Jin family was indeed wealthy and powerful beyond measure. Just for drinking wine, they actually modified underground river channels – it was simply unthinkable. However, on the surface she showed no expression of surprise and calmly sat in the seat of honor. Chu Li, Le Song and the others were all considered her attendants, sitting on the accompanying seats behind her.
Dongfang Li brought Yu Xian and others who were also at the banquet, sitting in a row below beside Qing Xia, with Jin Shaohuang and a crowd of Dongnan wealthy families seated opposite them.
The Jin family truly lived up to their reputation as Dongnan’s richest family. Even the dancers they invited for entertainment were famous courtesans from Dongnan, and even the musicians playing pipa and guzheng beside them were renowned music theory masters from Dongnan. At the banquet were numerous high officials and nobles, all people of broad knowledge and experience. With just a brief glance, they could see famous courtesans and musicians who were normally difficult to meet even once, making them secretly sigh in admiration. Those from wealthy merchant families were somewhat better off, but some officials who ate imperial grain couldn’t help but feel somewhat clumsy and awkward.
Flowing water banquet dishes were brought to the table one after another, with charming young maidens serving beside them. The banquet table was filled with various rare delicacies difficult to see – elk throat, wild camel hooves, deer lips, leopard fetus, butter cicadas – everything was available. With each dish served, servants would loudly announce the name of the famous chef who prepared it. The flavors were so exquisite that one’s tongue nearly melted with pleasure.
The high officials attending the banquet, even the corrupt officials among them, had never seen such grand extravagance, and couldn’t help but secretly sigh at the wealth of these Dongnan clans.
Qing Xia noticed that Chu Li had actually brought that yellow-clothed young woman into the banquet as well, sitting right behind her, which made her feel somewhat blocked up inside. She paid no attention to these delicious rare delicacies, and unlike the other officials who would exclaim in praise after each bite, she absentmindedly drained whatever cup was offered and ate whatever dish was presented, not bothering to consider how many processes these things required.
A single cup of white spring fine wine required diverting through crustal river channels from Canglang Mountain, heating with underground fire, cooling with ice, being tenderly cupped by the warm small hands of eighteen-year-old maidens, soaking with eighteen types of seafood, smoking with sixty-seven kinds of medicinal herbs, then supplementing with fruit juices from seven kinds of wild fruits and mountain delicacies for color, adding seven types of rice wines, cooking on-site, filtering and warming – a full forty-plus processes to complete. Others were all sipping it in small mouthfuls, wishing they could compose a poem of praise after each sip, but she drained it in one gulp and still complained it wasn’t enough to quench her thirst.
The officials beside her couldn’t help but feel awe-struck upon seeing this, secretly thinking that she was indeed worthy of being the Grand Commander – this bearing, this perspective, this boldness…
“Grandfather, I’m going to sit at Lord Xia’s table.”
Just as Qing Xia was feeling vexed, she suddenly heard Dongfang Yu’er’s delicate voice from the side, making her head immediately grow two sizes larger. Seeing his granddaughter’s interest in Qing Xia, Dongfang Li’s eyes turned and he nodded, saying: “You young people have things to talk about, go ahead, go ahead.”
Qing Xia’s head immediately became as big as a barrel. Just as she was thinking how to refuse, Dongfang Yu’er had already run to her side, her cheeks red as she said: “Lord Xia, you… you talk business with grandfather and the others first. Yu’er… Yu’er will just sit behind you.”
Having said this, she completely ignored Qing Xia’s expression and nimbly passed through the crowd, sitting at a seat behind Qing Xia, flanking Chu Li left and right with the yellow-clothed maiden, delighted beyond measure.
This development left not only Qing Xia dumbstruck, but even Dongfang Li and Chu Li somewhat unable to save face. Dongfang Li looked toward Chu Li with surprise. Although he felt the man had a rather noble bearing, he still couldn’t see exactly what kind of sacred personage this was. But no matter what his status, how could a mere minor advisor in the Governor’s Office be worthy of his granddaughter? He thought to himself that he must have a good talk with Yu’er when they returned home – matters of lifelong importance couldn’t be left to her whims.
Qing Xia turned her head back, her gaze indifferently sweeping over the yellow-clothed maiden and Dongfang Yu’er, then she frowned slightly and looked at Chu Li. Seeing Dongfang Yu’er smiling as she filled another cup of rice wine for him, Qing Xia nodded slightly without showing any emotion, only saying softly: “Drink less wine.” Then she turned her head back around.
“Ever since Your Lordship took charge of Dongnan, the entire region has been renewed with fresh vitality. Opening sea trade prohibitions, pacifying Japanese pirates, forming alliances with overseas territories – your boldness is shocking and your methods superb. Truly, heroes have emerged young since ancient times.”
A clear, bright voice suddenly rang beside her ear. Qing Xia turned to look and saw Jin Shaohuang raising his cup with a light smile, speaking to her warmly.
Looking at his clear, indifferent eyes and soft mouth corners, even though Qing Xia knew in her heart that he was just an ordinary merchant and all this was merely surface courtesy, with who knows what shrewd calculations underneath, she still felt a familiar aura lingering around her. No matter how much wariness she had toward him, at this moment she couldn’t help but develop some favorable feelings. She raised her cup and smiled lightly: “Thank you for Young Master Jin’s praise. Young Master Jin, at such a young age, single-handedly supporting such a large family business – that is truly remarkable.”
“Each generation produces its talented people, with students surpassing their teachers. Commander Xia and Young Master Jin, one in commerce and one in government, are both pillars and supports of our Dongnan.” Dongfang Li’s voice was kindly, laughing heartily as he spoke loudly.
As soon as these words were spoken, all the officials and merchants at the banquet raised their cups in celebration, with flattering conventional phrases flowing out like water.
Qing Xia gathered her spirits and cast aside all those inappropriate emotions. Developing ocean-going fleets, winning over Dongnan scholar-gentry families, enticing wealthy merchant households, thereby using common interests to form a massive interest group, utilizing all available wealth and personal connections to consolidate the achievements of ocean trade throughout Dongnan and even all of China, and using their enormous financial resources and networks to reduce the court’s economic burden, allowing shipbuilding, commerce, navigation, and naval forces to benefit from civilian assistance to prevent the plan from failing due to excessive treasury burden – this had always been her direction of effort. Now time was not waiting for anyone. She had to devote all her attention to dealing with the matters here. Maintaining good relationships with Dongnan wealthy merchants while making them willingly contribute money and jump aboard this great ship of ocean trade and commerce – the key was whether she could properly balance kindness and authority. She couldn’t let the government become a mere decoration, yet had to give full support and trust. This relied on patient, gradual work.
Today was merely a probing situation – for her it was so, and for Jin Shaohuang it was even more so. They were both trying to find appropriate cooperative partners to jointly launch this great ship of ocean trade. The only question was that they weren’t yet certain the other party was the person they were looking for.
“Last night this official heard that Young Master Jin had presented large quantities of Nanyang seeds, said to be high-yield varieties producing two thousand catties per mu. Is this matter true?”
Before Jin Shaohuang could speak, Dongfang Li hurriedly said from the side: “Indeed so. Young Master Jin also promised that if the common people don’t believe it, the Jin family will pay the people’s harvest for one year in advance. This way, with assured harvest regardless of drought or flood, even if Heaven doesn’t cooperate today, the people will surely have warm clothing and full stomachs.”
“Oh?” Qing Xia raised her eyebrows slightly and said: “Young Master Jin is so generously magnanimous. As the parental official of Dongnan, this official truly must thank the young master on behalf of Dongnan’s people. But I wonder if the yield really is two thousand catties per mu? If it’s truly as the young master says, the Jin family’s profits from grain alone this year would be enough to make the entire realm take notice.”
As soon as these words were spoken, all the merchants at the banquet immediately widened their eyes. They had also thought about the various situations involved for a long time. Now the only question was whether those yellow seeds were truly high-yield varieties. If they were real, then the Jin family’s wealth would rise to yet another level.
Jin Shaohuang remained unperturbed, hearing this he smiled lightly and replied: “These seeds are exotic varieties that my household retainers brought back from Nanyang. The Nanyang merchants swore earnestly that they would definitely yield two thousand catties per mu. But everyone knows that Nanyang merchants’ words are mostly unreliable, so Jin cannot be certain either.”
Everyone immediately voiced agreement in unison, with some even saying Young Master Jin was being too careless. Clearly Nanyang merchants didn’t have a very good reputation in the Dongnan region. Hearing this, Qing Xia smiled and said: “If that’s the case, why didn’t Young Master Jin test-plant them for a year first before promoting them widely?”
Jin Shaohuang was clearly confident, smiling lightly as he said: “Our people have always been xenophobic. Even if Shaohuang tested them for a year and proved they truly yield two thousand catties per mu, without high profit guarantees, the common people still wouldn’t dare try them boldly. Moreover, Dongnan has suffered from continuous warfare for years. Having finally achieved peace is a perfect time for recuperation and recovery. Shaohuang boldly attempts this method – though there’s a possibility of complete crop failure and heavy losses, once successful, all the people of Dongnan will see the hidden abundance and benefits together. By this time next year, with high grain yields, the people will naturally have warm clothing and full stomachs, without waiting another year.”
Lord Yu Xian sighed and said: “Young Master Jin is magnanimous and worries about the country and people – truly admirable.”
Others immediately voiced praise in unison for Jin Shaohuang’s righteousness, caring for the people, and noble character.
Qing Xia sneered coldly in her heart, thinking to herself: Such a huge business deal, and you want to monopolize it all by yourself? With me here, how can I let your wishful thinking succeed? She immediately sighed and shook her head, saying: “Young Master Jin’s great benevolence and righteousness – if there truly comes a day of abundant harvests with granaries overflowing, all the people under Heaven should erect monuments and tablets for you, offering three sticks of incense morning and evening to your longevity tablet, to show gratitude for your gift of full stomachs.”