Chapter 21: Merchant Team Transactions

  The caravan rested for three days in a row. By the third day at noon, the leader saw that Amur was only treating him to good wine and meat, but had not mentioned anything about the transaction, as if he had everything under control, and couldn't help but get anxious, proactively asking for a discount, just wanting to see what he would exchange with. Amur actually didn't have any tricks up his sleeve either, and was also getting desperate, not knowing what kind of trick Yuxue was playing, so he could only follow Yuxue's words. When the leader asked him, he said let's talk about it later, first let's drink. He slipped out during the banquet to find Yuxue.

  Yu Xue saw him coming, smiled and lifted a piece of felt blanket, instantly golden light flashed and pearls sparkled. Ah Mu Er was shocked and suddenly understood why Yu Xue borrowed the copper basin, couldn't help but ask where it came from. Yu Xue laughed and said:

  "Dad, don't be afraid. I found this in a cave deep in the mountains two years ago. It's ownerless. Just tell me if it's enough or not."

  A Mu's heart was also uncertain. The two of them covered the gold beads and went to find their leader together. The leader heard that they were exchanging goods for gold, and he was naturally overjoyed. He didn't have to carry heavy loads on a long journey, which saved him a lot of trouble, and he could return to Helin early. He carefully calculated it and opened his mouth with two thousand taels of gold. In fact, these things were very cheap in the Central Plains, and the total cost was only five thousand taels of silver. Along the way, they had already sold one-third of them. Two thousand taels of gold was almost equivalent to forty thousand taels of silver, and he had opened his mouth wide enough. He thought that after traveling thousands of miles just for wealth, if he didn't make a big profit, it would be unforgivable to himself. He thought about this while observing A Mu's expression. At this time, Yu Xue did not know the concept of money, and she was only thinking that the gold beads were worth around eight hundred taels. It seemed that she still had to go with Huang Jin to pick out more gold.

  The leader noticed Ah Mu Er's face sank and hastily said:

  "Head of the clan, this price is already very reasonable. Otherwise, if you pay in gold, I won't need those large carts either, and I'll give them all to you. These are made by skilled craftsmen from the Central Plains, they're very sturdy. Is that alright with you?"

  Amur hadn't spoken yet, when Yuxue laughed and said: "Alright, it's settled then! Father, let's go inspect the goods!"

  The leader felt a sense of relief and was overjoyed, thinking that Li Shiqiu had not deceived him after all. He had never paid attention to Yuxue before, but now he took a closer look and was shocked: there was such a beautiful woman in the world, and she was from the Mongolian grasslands! He had seen many people before, often doing business in Central Plains and Western Regions, and had met countless people. Seeing that Yuxue was still young and already a stunning beauty, he thought that she would be even more breathtaking when she grew up! Yuxue saw him staring at her and felt a bit strange:

  "Uncle, what are you looking at me for? Let's go take a look at the goods quickly."

  The leader's old face turned red and he hastily said:

  "I think we still have a deal that can be made, the princess will definitely like it when she sees it."

  Everyone went to the big car. The leader ordered people to open the rain cloth one by one, and the goods were inspected. There were fifty large cars in total, all loaded with goods. Those tea bricks, salt, grain, wine and other qualities were indeed very good, and the fabrics, ropes, and raw iron were also quite good. Everyone was satisfied. Yuxue saw that the leader had not opened the rain cloth of the last big car, curiously asked: "What's on this?"

  The leader smiled and said, "This is what I said the princess would definitely like. The princess can take a look, whether to buy or not doesn't matter."

  He ordered the tightly tied rain cloth to be untied, and a large wooden box was carefully lifted down. The boxes were lined up in an empty space, and one by one, the lids were opened. The crowd let out a chorus of admiration.

  The first two boxes contained various copper utensils, from large copper basins and copper pots to small copper cups and copper bowls. The next two boxes held the four treasures of the study. Then came two boxes of colorful silk fabrics, which even Yu Xue had only heard of but never seen before. She reached out to touch them, feeling their softness and brightness.

  The next box contained rouge, powder, and hair accessories, which also amazed everyone. The older girls from the tribe all gathered around to take a look, and Yu Yan pulled Yu Xue's arm, exclaiming in surprise. As princesses, they were used to simply tying their hair into two braids with leather straps, and had never seen such elaborate hairstyles before.

  The chief was delighted, and opened another box. The girls let out another chorus of amazement. This box contained countless colorful silk handkerchiefs, adorned with intricate patterns made from tiny pearls. Another box was opened, containing combs, hairpins, small copper mirrors, silver clasps, and other items for women's hairstyles.

  At this point, the girls were all dazzled by what they saw, including Yu Xue, who couldn't take her eyes off the treasures. Another box was opened, revealing two large, wrapped boxes inside. The chief proudly presented one of them. It was a beautifully crafted, four-layered dressing case from the Central Plains.

  When the top layer was opened, it revealed some exquisite silver combs, hairpins, and other items; the second drawer contained some pearl flowers and ornaments, which were even more beautiful than those in the previous boxes; the third layer held some golden utensils; and the fourth layer had two small, delicate golden boxes. This dressing case was something that only the daughters of wealthy families in the Central Plains would possess, but these grassland women had never seen anything so beautifully crafted!

  The leader smiled and said: "This is a must-have dowry for the daughter of a wealthy family in Central Plains when she gets married. The more money, the more valuable the jewelry inside. Clan leader, there are two here, just right for your two princesses, one each. I can be considered to have foresight!"

  A Mu Er could only dryly laugh, knowing that the leader was making a sales pitch, but he didn't have any spare money to buy these things! Even those daily necessities were paid for by Yu Xue, and they were still worried about not having enough! The leader looked around and said with a clicking sound:

  "It seems that your tribe not only has money, but also produces beautiful women! These little girls, any one of them who goes out is a top-notch talent! Each and every one of them is fair-skinned and beautiful, unlike our Mongolian women! They're even more beautiful than Han Chinese beauties! As for you two princesses, it's not even necessary to mention. The older one must be the number one beauty in Mongolia! Truly, a phoenix emerges from the deep mountains!"

  He kept talking, but his words made Ah Mu'er's heart sink. Seeing the people in the merchant group staring at them with wide eyes, he couldn't help but feel anxious. He didn't understand why the girls in their tribe had become more and more beautiful over the years. Was it really because of the good water and soil? If the news that Zhebu was producing beauties got out, it would be a disaster! Yu Xue listened and shifted her attention to look at them, and her heart suddenly became alert. These were all girls who followed her to learn Taoism, and they usually spent their days practicing their skills, not paying attention to beauty or ugliness. Now that she looked at them, she realized that something was off. They had all taken the heavenly treasures of Xuan Yu Lu and Zhu Guo, which had washed away all impurities from their bodies, and they had all cultivated Taoist methods, so each one had skin as white as snow and a temperament that was extraordinary compared to ordinary people. They were indeed beauties. Yu Xue's expression turned cold:

  "Uncle, hurry up and open the last two trunks."

  The leader laughed and said: "This is something that only Han people would use. The princess will definitely not recognize it!"

  As she opened the box, Yuxue was overjoyed and couldn't calm down. It turned out that they were all well-packaged musical instruments. There were more than a dozen gold-inlaid bamboo flutes and shengs, two pipas, and three guqins. Yuxue had long understood music theory and could read sheet music, but the songs passed down from her mother couldn't be practiced because she didn't have any instruments. Now that she had these, it wouldn't be in vain to pass on the musical knowledge to her.

  The leader observed her expression and knew she recognized him, somewhat surprised:

  "This is the several Khongirad princesses of the Chen nation's uncle, the King. This time I sent them over, they said that no teachers were invited and the Han people's instruments are too difficult, so they let me take them away. Are you acquainted with the princess?"

  Yu Xue didn't say much more: "I want all of these things. Just name a price in gold."

  The leader was overjoyed again. He smiled and said: "I won't haggle with the princess either, add another 2,000 taels, it's all yours!"

  These things are luxuries, but in the Central Plains they're nothing special. Nowadays, all the small and medium-sized tribes of Mongolia have been worn out by war, who has extra money to buy these useless things? Only the big tribal nobles have real money. They conquer cities and plunder wealth, these things are already beneath their notice! Therefore, the merchant team didn't bring many, they didn't sell much on the way, now being bought up by Yu Xue in one breath, as if they've never seen them before, he still doesn't take advantage of it to make more money!

  Jade Snow nodded: "I'll give it to you tomorrow morning. Now first move these twelve chests into my tent."

  Headman Nuo, busy people carefully lifted the box in. Amur dismissed his tribesmen and asked Yuxue if there was still gold. Yuxue nodded. Only then did he feel at ease and entertained the merchant group.

  Yu Xue and Huang Jin picked up the gold coins for a long time, filling several large cowhide bags. After weighing them, they stopped when the weight was almost even. Huang Jin smiled and said:

  "You thought it was useless at first, but now you should know that these are treasures in people's eyes!"

  Yu Xue called Yu Yan and Si Lian sisters to sort out those boxes, dividing them into many gifts. Every girl in the clan had a share, including Si Lian sisters who also received many. Then they sorted out the copperware, keeping only a few copper basins and mirrors for themselves, and gave the rest to the elderly in the clan.

  She tidied up the tent. A dozen or so boxes were arranged in a T-shape in the middle, serving as both a dressing table and a desk. On either side of the head, there was a dressing case and a copper mirror, with an ancient zither placed in between. The straight row was filled with books and stationery, while on the wall hung flutes, pipas, and other musical instruments. After finishing the cleaning, she looked around with satisfaction, and it actually resembled a woman's boudoir.

  The next morning, Ah Mu'er handed over the gold to the leader and settled the account. He then pulled him aside and quietly stuffed four jade snowflakes into his sleeve, telling him not to spread rumors about Zhebe's affairs. The leader smiled and agreed, then led his team away.