After Gu Lan agreed to this business deal, he looked at the family around the table with ease and comfort.
At that moment, the room was warm and quiet.
Two complicated gazes fell on him. Mu Yuyan’s limpid autumn-water eyes reddened slightly, and she could hardly hide the emotion in her heart!
Jing Kingdom was truly saved this time!
When Gu Lan said those words, it was as if she saw light amid boundless darkness!
Of course, what moved Mu Yuyan to tears of joy even more was that she had never misjudged him!
Though Gu Lan was only a mere scholar, his breadth of mind and noble character were enough to make even her, the Empress, feel deeply impressed!
“Wife, why are you about to cry again?” Gu Lan stared at her, utterly confused.
He had only agreed to sell some grain seeds. They would go bad if they could not finish eating them anyway. Was there any need to be so moved?
“No, husband. You saw wrong.”
Mu Yuyan did not want to lose her composure, so she quickly turned her pretty face aside, pressed her lips together, and refused to admit it.
Gu Lan shook his head in bewilderment, looked toward the other two, and said in surprise:
“Eh! Little Xi, why are your eyes red too?”
“Holy crap, Old Yang, not you too!”
Gu Lan curled his lips. When girls looked like that, they seemed pitiful and charming, but when a grown man wore that expression, it was far too off-putting!
“Young Master, Old Yang just thinks that when you said you’d sell them to our common people at the same price, you looked really handsome, hehe…”
Old Yang scratched his scalp and laughed foolishly.
If other rich merchants in Jing Kingdom had such precious grain seeds, who knew how expensive they would make them!
His own Young Master was a commoner, yet he could make such a decision. Old Yang found it unexpected, but also gratifying!
“Ahem, well said!”
Gu Lan praised him with a smile, then said, “Then I’ll leave this business to you. If you’re too busy, let Little Xi help you. In a couple of days, we’ll open a Gu Grain Store next to Gu Teahouse. Our first deal will be to sell off this batch of rice seeds we have.”
“Got it. Don’t worry, Young Master!”
Old Yang thumped his chest and guaranteed it.
…
3 days later.
Gu Lan had more or less absorbed all the good things he had looted from Huajian Sect.
His cultivation settled at around 40,000 years.
Aside from the top-grade spirit stones and merfolk pearls, there was also one other thing among them that was rather useful.
『saint grade · Blazing Flame Furnace』
When Gu Lan first saw it, he was startled. How could a mere second-rate sect like Huajian Sect possess a saint grade treasure!
But after examining it carefully, Gu Lan discovered that this thing was actually a ruined defective item. Its artifact spirit had been forcibly extracted by someone before, leaving only an extremely sturdy shell behind.
The vessel remained, but its spirit was gone. The chance of repairing something in this state was minuscule, so no wonder it had ended up gathering dust in Huajian Sect’s warehouse.
Gu Lan sighed lightly in regret.
Still, he carefully stored it away. After all, the material of a saint grade item was right there; perhaps it would come in handy someday…
In the afternoon, Gu Lan sat peacefully by the window reading.
In the courtyard, warm sunlight like shattered gold spilled over Mu Yuyan. She was leaning against a bamboo chair, reading the new storybook Gu Lan had written for her, 《Dream of the Red Chamber》. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was thoroughly absorbed.
At that moment, Old Yang’s voice could be heard from far outside the gate.
“Young Master, Young Master!”
“Something has happened to our Great Jing!”
With national fortune declining like this, wasn’t it normal for something to happen to Great Jing? This Old Yang makes a fuss every day… Gu Lan’s voice drifted faintly from the study: “Just say it. I can hear you.”
“Oh, it’s like this. Haven’t I been opening the grain store these past few days according to your instructions, Young Master? But this morning, when I went out of the city to hire people, I passed by the city gate and found that a huge crowd had gathered around the notice board. I wanted to squeeze over and take a look &％&*％￥#…”
“Get to the point.”
“Oh! The notice board had a proclamation from the capital denouncing the demons. I heard our Great Jing is going to war with the Demon Realm!”
When he heard this, Gu Lan froze for a moment!
A national war?
That couldn’t be right. Why did he remember that in the original novel, the war only began in the 5th year of Jiaqing… Could it be that because he killed a demon king, the timeline had moved forward?
“Don’t tell me you misread it, Old Yang?”
“Absolutely not. The capital’s proclamation has been distributed across the 13 provinces, and it even has the Empress’s seal on it!”
After Old Yang finished speaking.
There was no sound from the study. Gu Lan lightly tapped the wooden table with his finger, his thoughts unknown.
In front of the courtyard, Mu Yuyan was not surprised at all when she heard the news. She continued leisurely flipping through 《Dream of the Red Chamber》.
That was right. That proclamation had been drafted overnight by Liu Yexi during her return to the capital over the past few days.
It was both to mobilize the troops of Jing Kingdom’s 13 provinces in preparation, and to tell all under heaven that Great Jing under Jiaqing did not fear a battle with the Demon Realm!
Before, she had endured in silence only because there was no other way. Now that the people had the miracle rice seeds grown by her husband, Jing Kingdom’s foundation would increase severalfold within 3 months!
If they wanted war, then war it would be!
Did they think I was a pushover!?
Mu Yuyan felt incomparably relieved inside!
At that moment.
Seeing that Gu Lan was silent in thought, Old Yang hesitated, then asked again, “Um… Young Master, since a national war is about to start, are we still opening our grain store?”
In wartime, grain stores and banks were the most dangerous. Once the flames of war reached this place, being looted and having one’s property confiscated would be unavoidable!
Old Yang was very worried about this.
However.
After Gu Lan heard him, he gave a clear, bright laugh and said, “Don’t be afraid, Old Yang. We’re in Langzhou, not the western border. The Demon Realm won’t be able to invade this far.”
Although the war had started early, Gu Lan was not worried.
Because in the original novel, even when the Demon Realm raised troops in the 5th year of Jiaqing, when Jing Kingdom’s foundation had declined even further, it still failed to capture the bordering Yunzhou and Xiangzhou.
It merely wore down a little more of Jing Kingdom’s foundation, and both sides wasted several years in vain.
In that national war, the Demon Realm and Great Jing both suffered heavy losses, and in the end, the faction of the grassroots protagonist benefited.
“This is too damn ridiculous. With the protagonist’s fortune, he can pick up advantages no matter what.”
When Gu Lan thought of this, he silently complained in his heart, feeling rather envious.
There were 2 reasons why the national war fell into a stalemate.
First, the one in Demon Emperor City clearly overestimated the unity of his own subordinates, and internal strife broke out later. Second, a commander of Emperor Realm cultivation appeared in Xiangzhou. He used troops like a god and almost counterattacked all the way back…
“Keep opening the grain store. Once the war starts, Jing Kingdom’s demand for grain will definitely be even greater. It will be the perfect chance to make our business bigger and stronger.”
Gu Lan instructed Old Yang.
“Since Young Master says so, then we’ll open it.” Old Yang breathed a sigh of relief.
Even though he also did not know why Gu Lan was so certain this national war would not spread to Langzhou.
“Oh, right! Remember to supply our grain seeds to Xiangzhou’s military farming colonies first. While you’re at it, ask around to see whether there’s a general surnamed Lu there… No, actually, he might still be a soldier.”
Gu Lan recalled as he spoke, describing some of that person’s basic information.
Old Yang listened in a daze, unable to understand why Gu Lan suddenly wanted to find someone.
But since Young Master had given the order, he would do it. He acknowledged it and went out.
At this moment.
Mu Yuyan, who had been reading for leisure, heard that last sentence. Her delicate nose wrinkled prettily, and she asked curiously, “Dear husband, do you also know someone from the western border?”
“I wouldn’t say I know him. It’s just… I want to make his acquaintance.”
Gu Lan smiled faintly. He knew very well that fortune in a xuanhuan world was extremely mysterious. It was said that if one befriended someone with great fortune, one’s own fortune would also rise along with it…
This little soldier surnamed Lu whom he wanted to find was someone with great fortune.
He was none other than the Emperor Realm commander who nearly counterattacked the Demon Realm later on!
Hearing him say this, Mu Yuyan grew even more interested. What kind of person could make her husband want to make his acquaintance despite never having met him?
“Husband, what is that person called? This humble one also traveled in earlier years and knows many famous men of Xiangzhou. Perhaps I know him?”
Mu Yuyan put down the storybook and walked into the study, her beautiful eyes lively.
“He isn’t a famous man… His name is Lu Qiuxian. Have you heard of him?”
Seeing Mu Yuyan shake her head blankly, Gu Lan smiled and said, “That man’s story begins with this War to Pacify the Demons…”