When Yun Ye was planning to go to the seaside to see the giant vessel, Li Jing and his wife returned again, entering the lord’s mansion with laughter and conversation. Li Jing spoke with Yun Ye about spices—he also wanted to get involved. This time what Li Jing discussed with Yun Ye was no longer about the Bearded Warrior, but rather the changes around Chang’an City. Li Jing had never imagined such changes.

Yun Ye understood very clearly that when agriculture had consecutive years of abundant harvests, commercial society would inevitably arrive ahead of schedule. A diversified society would sooner or later destroy a singular agricultural society.

In recent years, the proportion of land income in a large family had already become very small. Grain was no longer capital that a clan could use to show off. Mountains of piled grain couldn’t be exchanged for much money. Chang’an people always said Chang’an rice was expensive, but actually this was a reference to the total cost of living.

Land prices were rising, labor costs were rising. When grain was baked into flatbread, the price more than doubled. Old Lady Cao’s meat pies used to cost two wen, but now required one large coin—the price had jumped more than fivefold. For a large family wanting to reside long-term in Chang’an, the living costs paid were astonishingly high.

When land was insufficient to maintain a large family’s continued luxury, commerce naturally rose to the agenda. The Emperor’s eastern expedition had emptied the Ever-Normal Granaries of grain. The happiest people were the farmers—finally the grain stored at home could be sold to the Ever-Normal Granaries at the state’s protected price.

The honest farmers themselves also discovered that after planting grain and paying rent, although there was much grain, it couldn’t be exchanged for much money. The wife needed needles and thread, the children needed to study, the daughter needed flowery clothes, and he himself needed to buy a jin of Yun family’s distilled liquor to enjoy with like-minded neighbors. But grain simply couldn’t fetch a good price, which made people sad.

With grain piled throughout the entire house, dare you say my family isn’t wealthy? A couple years ago even landlord families didn’t have this much grain. What to do? The whole family eating three solid meals a day still couldn’t finish it. That damned landlord was black-hearted—when you delivered grain to his door to pay rent, his face would drop to his crotch. When Er Gou’s family slapped a handful of copper coins on the accountant’s table to pay rent, they were immediately treated as honored guests, and all the bone sticks with thick layers of meat from the big pot were given to Er Gou…

The wife fed the chickens with the golden yellow corn from the bin. This wasteful woman! Just as he was about to take off his shoe to teach her a lesson, he remembered that this flock of chickens was the family’s treasure for getting copper coins, so he peeled off another handful of corn kernels from the corn cob and scattered them for the chickens to eat.

Having grain but no money—those city people who didn’t farm weren’t eating much grain anymore. Many people didn’t even eat wheat anymore, but should eat rice instead. Damn it, Guanzhong people not eating noodles but eating rice instead!

It was absurd—water chestnut rice growing by the stinking ditch had a higher price than wheat. Water chestnut rice was something you only ate a couple bites of during famine years, but now everyone in Chang’an was eating it. A bowl of water chestnut rice at a restaurant could match two bowls of noodles.

His Majesty had only been on the eastern expedition for a bit over a year—why couldn’t he campaign for two more years? Hadn’t the Goguryeo people not been destroyed yet? Just press on with one vigorous push and finish them off, so this grain at home could have somewhere to go.

A few years ago people still treated grain as life itself, but these past few years grain had become less and less important. Everyone preferred copper coins. The benevolent His Majesty had continuously reduced agricultural taxes these two years. Previously it was one-tenth, now it had become one-thirtieth. If this continued, the land could be farmed for free.

Er Gou’s family actually stopped farming. The old grandfather at home just planted some vegetables in the courtyard. What they couldn’t eat themselves, they took into the city to sell when Er Gou went to the city to work. It was said that Er Gou’s wife and daughter were both working in the yarn factory opened by Her Majesty the Empress. The money they earned in a year was even more than what he, a strong laborer, earned. Her Majesty was benevolent and certainly wouldn’t treat her workers poorly. His own eldest daughter was already fourteen, a clever and deft good child—could she also go into the city to work?

Farmers were the most resolute and thorough group in this country. When they all began seeking change, the era of great transformation had already arrived.

“You kid still had foresight. Previously when I saw you dividing up the Yun family estate, I thought you were avoiding disaster. Who could have imagined that you quietly completed your family’s strategic layout?”

“That son of yours who’s already become a demon, together with your fat steward, bought all my family’s grain at low prices, then turned around and ground it all into flour and sold it to the grasslands. The cattle and sheep they got back in exchange were countless. Most infuriating is that your son even sells sheep separately—mutton at one price, with sheepskin at another price, sheepskin with wool at yet another price. This old man bought a hundred or so sheep from your family, only to discover they’d even sawed off the sheep horns. If your family doesn’t get rich, there’s truly no justice.”

“What does the child understand? Isn’t it just a few old servants managing things at home? He’s just fooling around. This junior is only curious—there are many goods in Lingnan, so why do you only want spices and not other things?”

Li Jing threw his head back and laughed heartily. Hong Funv was also very proud. Who knew what kind of matter could make them so happy—could it be because he had just agreed to give their family some spices?

“This old man has his own methods for other goods. No need for you to worry.”

“That’s impossible. Right now there are only so many families that can provide you with goods. I’m afraid it won’t be easy to bypass the Yun family. Unless newcomers join the ranks of suppliers—what kind of newcomers would have such courage?”

“This old man won’t hide it from you. In the South Sea, you Yun Ye truly can be said to have absolute authority, but past the straits, can your Lingnan Navy still command the maritime heroes?”

Hearing Li Jing’s words, Yun Ye suddenly stood up and called for Old Zhao to come over, preparing to find out exactly who on the other side of the straits had taken advantage of him. The Arab pirates had already been sun-dried into human jerky by him. At this time, the other side of the straits should be in a period of leaderless competition for supremacy. This process would generally continue for two or three years before a new leader could emerge. Then he would just send people to exterminate them again—whoever appeared, he would kill, absolutely without mercy.

“My lord, I heard that on the Arab side, a group of ruthless and vicious bandits have appeared, specifically plundering Arab and Quilon merchants. They’re called something like the Sea Dragon King, but I haven’t heard any news of them attacking Great Tang merchant ships.”

Because there was no threat to Great Tang merchant ships, Old Zhao didn’t care. His own lord’s reputation spread far across the ocean—no one dared attack Great Tang vessels. Naturally, the minor matter of a few pirates far away fighting over territory didn’t warrant alarm.

After sending Old Zhao away, Yun Ye sat opposite Li Jing and said: “Impressive. The Bearded Warrior actually managed to escape. Next time I capture him again, for the sake of you two, I still won’t kill him. I’ll imprison him at the ends of the earth and see if he can escape again.”

Li Jing said with a smile: “A fall into a pit makes you wiser. Zhongjian couldn’t possibly fall into your hands again. He’s also abandoned the idea of establishing a state and is wholeheartedly devoted to roaming the seas. Now he’s already a hegemon with a hundred or so warships under his command.”

The couple was very satisfied with the Bearded Warrior’s transformation. This time they had hired seven or eight merchant ships and sent people to drift on the ocean for a full eight months searching for the Bearded Warrior’s traces. Finally, from Arab merchants’ mouths they learned of the Sea Dragon King’s whereabouts. Their household general had personally seen the Bearded Warrior and brought back a letter from him, informing Li Jing of his thoughts. He had also sent many goods, so naturally there was no need to procure additional goods.

After hearing Li Jing’s words, Yun Ye noncommittally shook his head and said to Li Jing: “Just a bunch of chickens and clay dogs. They can be destroyed in one strike.”

Hong Funv became furious, slapping the table and rising to point at Yun Ye, saying: “Zhongjian is now not in Great Tang waters, and doesn’t harm Great Tang merchant ships. Why must you pursue him relentlessly?”

“I am an official, he is a bandit. We’re natural adversaries. What do you mean ‘not Great Tang waters’? Under heaven, is there any land that is not the sovereign’s? To the shores of the earth, are there any who are not the sovereign’s subjects? Wherever my Great Tang warships reach, that place is Great Tang waters. This is the creed of the Lingnan Navy and cannot be changed. Auntie perhaps doesn’t understand the meaning of these words, but the Commander surely does.”

Li Jing turned back to Hong Fu and said: “Yun Ye’s words are not wrong. As a general, if one doesn’t have the ambition to swallow the four seas, what kind of general is that? Zhongjian chose the path of opposition himself—he can’t blame others. That Yun Ye could spare his life already shows full respect to us as a couple. We cannot hope for more.”

Hong Fu several times wanted to open her mouth to speak with Yun Ye about Zhang Zhongjian’s affairs, but was interrupted by Li Jing’s interjections each time. Li Jing himself was also a Great Tang general—excessively protecting a pirate was inappropriate no matter what.

“This nephew will go to the seaside tomorrow to watch the Emperor’s launching. Commander, why not go together and see whether my Great Tang navy can enter your distinguished eyes?”

“Excellent. This old man has spent his life intensively studying land warfare. Watching naval combat is my long-cherished wish. Tomorrow we’ll observe it together.”

During the conversation, Xinyue had already prepared the banquet and invited them to take their seats. Since Li Jing had come to Lingnan, Yun Ye had not yet formally entertained the couple, which was extremely impolite. Now that the Bearded Warrior had already escaped, naturally there was no longer any hard feelings. The meal was eaten with both host and guests happy.

Returning to the guest room, Li Jing sighed and said to Hong Fu: “Madam, today I shouldn’t have mentioned Zhongjian’s affairs with Yun Ye. Zhongjian acts too freely as he pleases. As your husband is a Great Tang general, it’s inappropriate to be too entangled, otherwise it will bring great disaster to the whole family.”

“This humble woman was only indignant at Yun Ye’s wild boasting. He said Zhongjian was a chicken and clay dog—does he regard all heroes under heaven as nothing?” While helping Li Jing change clothes, Hong Fu was still furious.

Li Jing sat in a chair, drank a mouthful of water, and shook his head saying: “Madam doesn’t know—the Lingnan Navy is indeed the hegemon of the ocean now. Although Zhongjian has a hundred warships and appears to have strong power, in reality he cannot withstand a single blow. His subordinates are all slave people, so they inevitably act cruelly and viciously. This is not a long-term plan. When Yun Ye says he can take them down in one strike, these are not empty words. Tomorrow as long as we see the warships under his command, we’ll understand the gap between the two.”

“Zhongjian actually also wants to leave a way out for our family. Now Chang’an is becoming increasingly strange. This humble woman can no longer understand these times. You should retire early.”

“If His Majesty doesn’t speak, your husband can’t go anywhere. A heart full of ambition, ultimately burdened by descendants, self-imprisoned in Chang’an—I can’t go anywhere!”