The rules of border trade in the Great Qian were strict. Without these three hard currencies, business could not be done at all. But the other party had come with great fanfare and even directly taken over the Tiling Yamen. Everything was strange.
Agula knelt on the ground, picking up the broken jade while advising: "Master, the officials of the Great Qian have always been full of schemes. Let's not get involved. What if the carts are full of stones and sand, and they are deliberately trying to blackmail us..."
"Blackmail? Using the seal of the Chief Military Commission to blackmail a merchant, for what?"
"Uncle is almost unable to hold on in the Royal Court! The people of the Right Luli King have almost taken away the keys to the inner treasury. If I go back empty-handed, my whole family will have to be buried with the Great Khan!"
Sarhan tore open the collar button, gasping for breath: "These thirty carts of goods are the last chance. Even if there is poison inside, as long as it can poison the Right Luli King, I dare to buy it!"
As they were talking, the tent curtain was lifted.
The dazzling sunlight shone on Sarhan's face. The visitor was a young official running errands, dressed in the black uniform of the Great Qian's Tiling Yamen. He didn't dare to go inside, standing by the door and bowing deeply.
"Master Sarhan, the Imperial Envoy has spoken. He invites the great merchants who can make decisions in the border market to move to the Two-World Council Chamber for a chat."
Sarhan's eyelids twitched violently.
The Imperial Envoy, representing the Emperor of the Great Qian to inspect the border, and carrying thirty carts of unknown goods, also set the location at the Two-World Council Chamber.
That place was located at the border between the Great Qian and the Helian Khanate's border market. It was heavily guarded by both sides and had always been a place to prevent armed conflicts between buyers and sellers and to negotiate huge transactions.
Sarhan thought for a moment, turned to Agula and said: "Take the border pass, let's go."
Sarhan hurriedly straightened his collar and strode out of the felt tent. Outside, the yellow sand filled the sky, hitting his face painfully.
But he walked extremely fast, and Agula had to trot all the way to barely keep up.
On the other side, the South Gate of the Great Qian border market.
Thirty large carts slowly drove towards the Two-World Council Chamber under the escort of Li Sheng and other heavy-armored guards.
Xu Qinghuan sat upright in the cart, the cart curtain half rolled up.
In the noisy market, a few unfriendly gazes closely followed the convoy. Behind a stall selling fur goods on the left, two burly men seemed to be sorting sheepskins, but their eyes were always staring at the convoy.
The Two-World Council Chamber was a solid bluestone fortress. The flags of the Great Qian and Helian stood on both sides of the top of the fortress, dancing wildly in the wind.
Sarhan stepped over the heavy iron-clad threshold. The light in the fortress was slightly dim, and Sarhan narrowed his eyes to adapt for a moment.
Behind a wide wooden desk right in front, sat a young woman in a plain brocade robe, without any complicated accessories. She just sat there, and the whole hall was silent.
The Tiling official Qian Fugui shrank his neck and stood with his hands down in the side rear, not daring to breathe loudly.
Sarhan put his right hand on his chest and bowed deeply: "Helian merchant Sarhan, pays respects to the Imperial Envoy of the Great Qian."
Xu Qinghuan leaned back in the chair, her gaze crossed the wooden desk and fell on him, letting him keep bowing for three full breaths.
In these three breaths, a layer of fine sweat seeped out of Sarhan's forehead. The grassland people revered the strong, and the calm posture of this young Imperial Envoy made him feel uneasy.
Qian Fugui clicked his tongue secretly. Sarhan had always been someone no one dared to provoke in the border market, but now in front of this female Imperial Envoy, he lowered his head and didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
"You may rise," Xu Qinghuan finally spoke, her tone flat. "I'm short on time. I need live cattle and sheep, as well as grain. The larger the quantity, the better."
"Of course, silver is fine too."
Sarhan straightened his back. He didn't answer directly. In the business field, whoever showed their cards first would lose the initiative.
"If Your Excellency wants cattle, sheep, and grain, I can provide them," Sarhan straightened his back. "The Helian tribe has three major pastures by the Baima River, with tens of thousands of cattle and sheep."
"But business is about equal exchange," he deliberately dragged out the end of his sentence: "I just don't know what Your Excellency has to exchange?"
Xu Qinghuan didn't speak, just looked at him quietly.
This silence made Sarhan a little anxious. He originally wanted to put on airs, but under the gaze of those deep eyes, the confidence he had just gathered dissipated completely.
Sarhan clenched his fists, and his speaking speed unconsciously quickened, even carrying a bit of urgency.
"Your Excellency, let's speak frankly. I don't want the Great Qian's salt, iron, and tea! I don't lack silk and porcelain either!"
"Next month is the Great Khan's birthday. I need a rare treasure that can make the Great Khan happy! A treasure that no one has ever seen before!"
"What exactly is in those thirty carts of Your Excellency's?"
Xu Qinghuan tapped her fingers, sighing inwardly. No wonder the big shots in those TV shows she used to watch preferred to do this. The oppression of a superior could be revealed through such a small action.
"I said, there is no salt, iron, or tea."
Sarhan breathed heavily: "Then Your Excellency, what exactly is in these carts?"
Xu Qinghuan withdrew her hand and tilted her head slightly: "Li Sheng, show the goods."
Li Sheng stepped forward in response.
His mind replayed the adult's instructions before departure—the more valuable the item, the slower the action of taking it out. They had to make these barbarians feel that even touching it was a blasphemy.
Li Sheng took a deep breath, pushed the horse-chopping sword at his waist back a bit, and then steadily took out a long rectangular red sandalwood box from the chest.
The wooden box had no carvings, only clear lacquer, showing a simple and unadorned texture.
Li Sheng placed it flat in the middle of the wooden desk. Sarhan's gaze was attracted by this wooden box. At a glance, he knew this item was extraordinary, and his feet involuntarily moved half a step forward.
Li Sheng pinched the brass clasp with two fingers.
Click.
The crisp sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet stone fortress. Li Sheng opened the box lid extremely slowly, the wooden shaft rubbing out a slight sound.
Qian Fugui couldn't help but stretch his neck. He wanted to see what kind of arrogant item the Imperial Envoy had brought out.
The box was lined with pure black velvet cloth. In the center of the velvet cloth, two items lay quietly.
A palm-sized wolf sculpture.
And a narrow-necked, round-bellied wine bottle.
The moment Qian Fugui saw clearly, his legs went soft, and he almost fell to the ground. He had been in the border market for more than ten years and had seen countless treasures. But he couldn't even dream of these two items in front of him!
Sarhan was as if struck by lightning—
The wolf sculpture was completely transparent, without any impurities. The wolf's head was held high, the hair was detailed, and even the slightly open fangs were clear.
The grassland people revered wolves, but even the best old craftsmen in the Royal Court could never carve such a divine object with such pure and flawless material!
The wine bottle was also transparent, containing more than half a bottle of clear liquid. Through the bottle body, even the texture of the velvet cloth underneath was clearly visible.
The sunlight outside slanted into the fortress, falling exactly on the wooden box.
The light penetrated the transparent wolf sculpture, refracting colorful light spots on the wooden desk. The light spots danced constantly on Sarhan's face with the sun's shadow.
Sarhan's knees went soft.
With a "thump", he knelt straight in front of the desk.
He trembled and stretched out his hands, wanting to touch the wolf sculpture, but his fingers stopped abruptly half an inch away.
Sarhan didn't dare to touch it, like the most devout believer seeing the true god.
He was afraid that his rough fingers would dirty this heaven-sent divine object.
"This... this is..."
