Chapter 1369 - 1296: Cotton
Whether it was to guard against them conspiring or to prevent them from getting into a fight, Yuan Li sat between the two of them.
This area was for the vassal states, and between the two sat Prince Li of Cheng Country and Yuan Li, with Tuoba Liuxiu beneath them alongside the Heir of Xiliang, Zhang Shi, and his envoys. Ordinarily, Tuoba Liuxiu should have been sitting with his father.
Prince Li seemed puzzled as well. During the meal, he couldn’t help but glance back and forth between the father and son, frowning each time he looked at Tuoba Liuxiu.
Yuan Li knew that this prince was inherently kind and revered filial piety. He was the type who would slit his throat without question if given a dagger by his father or uncle, entirely the opposite of Tuoba Liuxiu.
At palace banquets, it’s scandalous for either fathers and sons or princes of two vassal states to fight, so Yuan Li had to constantly divert his attention, introducing various foods at one moment and asking him about the cuisine of Shu at another, never letting his mind idle.
Tuoba Yilu looked at Tuoba Liuxiu several times, taking advantage of Yuan Li’s distraction to signal him to leave the table so that they could have a proper father-son discussion.
He got up to go to the toilet twice, but Tuoba Liuxiu remained glued to his seat, not budging an inch, leaving Tuoba Yilu quite frustrated.
Didn’t he know the Dai Country was in peril? At this moment, he didn’t care about the father-son grievances anymore; he just wanted to unite against Zhao Hanzhang.
But evidently, Tuoba Liuxiu couldn’t understand him and didn’t want to.
Noticing Zhao Hanzhang looking over, Tuoba Yilu held back a moment but eventually seized the opportunity as the musicians swapped places, got up from his seat, kneeled on one knee, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a petition."
The steps of the entertainer about to perform paused slightly, and she gently retreated to wait at the side.
Zhao Hanzhang gestured for Tuoba Yilu to speak.
Tuoba Yilu ground his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I request the establishment of Tuoba Liuxiu, my eldest son, as the princely heir of Dai Country."
Zhao Hanzhang laughed and said, "It indeed matches today’s auspicious omen—double happiness! Approved!"
The ministers also had no objections, congratulating Tuoba Yilu and his son while praising the Emperor’s wisdom.
Only Prince Li looked puzzled, turning toward Yuan Li and asking, "General Yuan, wasn’t it said that the Dai Country’s father and son were at odds, and the eldest prince of the Dai Country had defeated and captured his father?"
Yuan Li explained, "Just some rumors stirred up by those who fear peace in the world. Even the upper and lower teeth clash at times, let alone father and son."
"It’s merely a dispute between father and son, making a bigger stir. Now, it seems they have reconciled." Yuan Li said with a smile, "Moreover, it seems they will become increasingly harmonious in the future."
Prince Li looked at Tuoba Yilu and Tuoba Liuxiu, who sat separately, feeling half convinced.
But Zhang Shi, sitting below them, didn’t believe it at all.
The competitive relationship between Xiliang and the Xianbei meant they knew each other quite well. Compared to Cheng Country, what happened inside the Dai Country might not be completely known, but it was close enough.
Furthermore, the conflict between the Tuoba father and son had existed for a long time. Years ago, Zhang Shi’s father predicted that if Tuoba Yilu didn’t change his intention, still aiming to dispose of the elder to establish the younger, the Dai Country would be thrown into chaos.
When that time came, if there was no natural disaster in Xiliang, it would seize the opportunity to reclaim the Dai Country for the court.
But now, it appears Xiliang might not need to deploy troops anymore.
Thinking it over, Zhang Shi also stood up, kneeled, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a valuable item to present."
"Oh?" Zhao Hanzhang leaned forward with interest, "What is it?"
Given the brief time of the palace banquet, it’s naturally impossible for all vassal kings and inspectors to present gifts one by one, so they directly accepted the gift lists.
If a treasure was taken out individually, it must be precious.
Zhang Shi presented a box, not very large, slightly larger than a palm.
Lai Qing stepped forward to receive it, opened the box facing himself for Zhao Hanzhang, ensured there was no danger, then handed it over.
Lai Qing felt quite puzzled, not seeing this as treasure; this flower was not aesthetically pleasing.
A small snow-white puff of flower rested quietly inside the box.
Upon seeing the contents of the box, Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but stand up, "Cotton?"
Zhang Shi smiled and said, "Indeed it is cotton. Your Majesty has continuously sent people searching for this thing. Xiliang was fortunate to be aided by heaven and saved a caravan from the Western Regions in the desert last year, which contained this. Xiliang sent people to follow the caravan back, returning with five carts of cotton this May."
Zhao Hanzhang eagerly asked, "Are there seeds?"
Zhang Shi said, "There are."
"The people of the Western Region strictly controlled the seeds, prohibiting external carrying. Fortunately, the Western Region was cold, so our people sewed the seeds into clothes and shoes, smuggling them out."
Zhao Hanzhang was delighted, joyfully saying, "Excellent! Everyone accompanying the team shall be rewarded, richly."
Seeing her happiness, Zhang Shi couldn’t help but ask, "But how is this used? Xiliang’s artisans tried it, and this cotton isn’t as good as our thread for weaving."
He knew it was for making clothes; the Western caravan mentioned that cotton was primarily used for garments in their region.
Zhao Hanzhang inspected the cotton puff, her eyes shining like stars in the sky, "You haven’t found the proper method yet. Apart from being woven into fabric, its primary use is filling and compressing."
With cotton, there would be a solution for clothing and warmth.
Zhao Hanzhang squeezed the cotton as if holding onto something significant.
Fu Tinghan asked, "How many seeds do we have?"
Zhao Hanzhang quickly looked at Zhang Shi.
Zhang Shi proudly stated, "I brought ten gold coins’ worth of fine seeds."
"Isn’t that..." Zhao Hanzhang uncertainly looked at Fu Tinghan, "Even for direct sowing, four to five pounds of seeds are needed per mu, right?"
Fu Tinghan nodded, "With unhulled seeds, that’s required, and perhaps even more."
Zhao Hanzhang then asked Zhang Shi, "How many cotton seeds did you bring back in total?"
Zhang Shi’s heart tightened, and he replied honestly, "Fifteen pounds in total, with Xiliang retaining five pounds."
So, he thought Xiliang offering ten pounds was quite abundant, but apparently not enough?
Zhao Hanzhang asked, "Is the Western Region far?"
"After Shule, you have to head west for another five days to a small newly established country near Dayuan, called Kang Country."
This was their own phonetic translation.
Zhao Hanzhang was aware, and she said, "I will purchase cotton seeds. Regardless of whether from our country or foreigners, anyone who can bring me viable seeds, by this time next year, will receive ten gold coins per pound of cotton!"
The officials drew a gasp collectively, stepping forward in dissuasion, "Your Majesty, think twice."
Chang Ning urgently shouted, "Your Majesty, the national treasury is empty—"
Zhao Hanzhang said, "This money will come from my personal treasury."
Chang Ning was momentarily choked but not pleased, because her personal treasury was always connected to the national treasury for use. If she spent a large sum of money buying cotton seeds, wouldn’t it mean less money available for national expenditure?
In the crowd, only Zhao Hu’s eyes sparkled, quickly asking after their objections, "Cash payment?"
Zhao Hanzhang: "...Cash payment."
Zhao Hu’s heart leaped wildly, ten gold coins per pound of seeds. If he could bring back a hundred pounds, wouldn’t that be a thousand gold coins, a thousand gold coins~~