The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 212 Brother and Sister
"Come in……"

Li Erniang glanced across the way subconsciously, only to see her brother looking sullen, his face tense, his gaze fixed on the porthole, as if everything in front of him had nothing to do with him.

She saw her brother's awkwardness, sighed silently in her heart, forcibly suppressed the turmoil in her heart, and calmed herself down to look at the door.

At the same time, the hatch was gently pushed open, and a lean man stepped in, holding a talisman and a letter in his hands, which he gently placed on the table.

Li Erniang's gaze first fell on the talisman—its unique shape and material were the token she left for the shopkeeper Li Quan when she left Tokyo.

Without hesitation, she reached into the brocade pouch at her waist, fumbled for a moment, and took out half a talisman with the same color and texture.

She picked up the two halves of the talisman with her slender fingers and slowly put them together. They fit together perfectly, and even the engraved characters were joined seamlessly.

Immediately afterwards, Li Erniang picked up the letter again, ran her fingertip across the sealing wax, and with a little force, the wax seal cracked open with a soft "pop".

The letter unfolded, the ink still fresh. Yet there were no greetings or pleasantries, nor any lengthy explanations, only a line of small, vigorous characters: "Re-moor the orchid boat on the willow bank, once more share the fine wine with the apricot curtain in the east."

The moment Li Erniang saw these two lines of poetry, she felt a warm sensation rise to her cheeks, and a barely perceptible blush appeared.

These lines of poetry were written in a letter that she had entrusted to someone to deliver when Li Yi was on his western expedition against Qin and Feng.

However, the letter disappeared without a trace, and the other party never replied with a single word.

Li Erniang thought that Li Yi had long forgotten about the matter, and probably had even forgotten what was written in the letter.

But to her surprise, these two lines of poetry were now presented to her exactly as they were.

Li Erniang's lips unconsciously curved upwards, and a small surprise welled up in her eyes—it turned out that the man hadn't been ignoring her after all; at least he still remembered the poem very clearly.

Immediately, a sense of resentment welled up in her heart: That person was really something, using a letter as proof, yet not even a few extra words. Was it so difficult to write a few more words?
I wonder if he wrote these two lines of poetry because he truly hoped for a reunion and a drink together... or if he was just using them to deceive me because he needed them.
But upon further reflection, Li Erniang's mind calmed down.

Yes... If no one else had seen that letter, these verses would indeed only be known between the two of them.

With the addition of their specially made talisman, the two pieces of evidence make it virtually impossible to forge. It is indeed an excellent token of proof.

"Little sister?"

Li Shu turned slightly to the side and noticed that his younger sister's expression was a little strange—she was holding the letter in her hand, her pretty face seemed to have a smile on it, but her eyes seemed to be wandering aimlessly.

He glanced suspiciously at his sister's face and asked, "What did the letter say?"

"No, it's nothing..." Li Erniang immediately came to her senses, quickly closed the letter, folded it in half, and carefully put it into the brocade pouch she wore close to her body.

She pressed the opening of the sac with her fingertips, as if she were slightly relieved.

Li Shu's probing gaze lingered on his sister's face, his doubts growing stronger. But seeing the slight evasiveness in her eyes, he ultimately didn't press the matter further, only letting out a soft sigh in his heart.

My sister seems to have changed... She is still shrewd and capable in managing her business and gentle and proper in dealing with people, but Li Shuneng can keenly sense that my sister is not the same as before.

Ever since her trip to Tokyo and subsequent return to Chengdu, my younger sister has been acting as if she's possessed. She's repeatedly pleading with our mother about the pros and cons, trying to shift the focus of the Li family's business, which they've built up in Sichuan for many years, to the Zhou Kingdom, thousands of miles away.

When asked about the specific reasons, the younger sister kept repeating the same thing: "The Zhou Kingdom has a clear-cutting spirit, and our family should follow the trend and prepare for the future."

However, in Li Shu's eyes, his sister's words were completely unfounded and carried a huge risk.

In the Central Plains, over the course of several decades, numerous heroes rose up, engaging in endless battles, with the royal banners on the city walls changing hands like a fleeting lantern!

Liang, Tang, Jin, Han, Zhou... Five dynasties rose and fell, experiencing several periods of prosperity and decline, but in the end, they all collapsed.

Who can guarantee that the Guo family and the Zhou dynasty, which have only been established for a few years, won't just be another fleeting existence?
How can business in such a war-torn place compare to the stability and prosperity of Shu?

Li Shu tried his best to persuade his sister with the simplest of reasons, but his sister was stubborn by nature. After her trip to Tokyo in Zhou State, she became even more determined to stick to her ways.

After numerous fruitless arguments, Li Shu's doubts had long since turned into deep worry. And for reasons unknown, his mother ultimately agreed to his sister's foolish behavior.

Li Shu couldn't understand why his younger sister, who was so intelligent and always clear-headed in business, seemed to be out of her mind in this matter.
After much thought, he vaguely felt that the root of the problem was most likely Li Yi.

The brother-in-law of the Zhou emperor, who was young but already held a high position, must have been bewitched by some unknown force... Perhaps he lured her with power, or perhaps he bewitched her with words, which made her mind so restless!

Therefore, when the caravan traveled to Tokyo, his sister insisted on personally escorting it, and Li Shu also insisted on going along. He wanted to see for himself what kind of person Li Yi was, the one who had made the Shu army "flee at the mere mention of his name."

On the other hand, Li Shu was also worried about his younger sister. If things changed, he would give up the huge fortune to protect her and bring her back to Chengdu safely.

“Third Brother…” Li Erniang stood up, her plain skirt brushing against the table.

She looked at her brother and said softly, "Since General Li has sent people to meet us, it is both proper and polite that we should show up to greet them."

Upon hearing this, Li Shu's body visibly stiffened, his hands resting on his knees clenched slightly, and he unconsciously pulled his left foot, which was resting idly on the ground, back down.

He turned his gaze to the window, avoiding his sister's eyes, and said in a low voice, "You can go by yourself. I... I'm a little tired, so I won't go."

Li Erniang moved her lips slightly, the words she wanted to say reaching her lips, but ultimately turned into silent heartache.

She knew the reason for her brother's reaction—a few years ago, he had fallen from a horse and broken his left leg. Although the pain from the broken bone had healed, it had left him with a permanent limp.

The once dashing young man, who rode valiantly across the land, now found it difficult to walk with even steps, and because of this embarrassing defect, he became increasingly reluctant to be in front of others.

Li Erniang knew in her heart that if her brother hadn't been worried about her safety, how could he, who usually stayed at home and rarely went out, have traveled such a long distance to Tokyo with her?
She couldn't bear to force him any further, so she simply nodded slightly and didn't say anything more.

Immediately, she picked up a plain veiled hat from the side and put it on with practiced ease. The thin veil obscured her beautiful face, leaving only a hazy outline.

Then, she walked lightly around the table and headed towards the cabin door.

The moment the door was pushed open, the noise outside and the sunlight rushed in, instantly filling the slightly dim cabin.

Meanwhile, the lean man who had come out first led Zhao Pu and Wang Renzhan, walking briskly towards them on the creaking planks of the boat.

The remaining guards stood silently on the shore, like rocks, vigilantly scanning the surrounding crowd.

When the three approached, Li Erniang gave a slight curtsy and said, "This servant is Li Erniang, greetings to the two gentlemen."

Upon seeing this, Zhao Pu and Wang Renzhan quickly returned the greeting with clasped hands, saying "We dare not," to show their respect.

However, a hint of surprise couldn't help but cross their minds.

They came under orders, knowing only that "Li Erniangzi" was a wealthy merchant from Sichuan. But since she could open shops from Chengdu to Tokyo, had established a relationship with their commander, and was out in the public eye doing business, she must be a shrewd and experienced middle-aged woman.

The woman before them, though her face was veiled and her features obscured, possessed a graceful figure and light movements. In particular, her voice was clear and melodious, like pearls falling onto a plate, indicating that she was not very old!
But it's no wonder their expectations were wrong. They had only been under Li Yi's command for a short time and only knew that their commander had business dealings with this Li Er Niangzi.

As for what kind of person this woman was, how old she was, and what she looked like, the commander-in-chief never mentioned it, so naturally they had no way of knowing.

Not to mention them, even Li Yi's brothers and confidants, apart from a handful of people like Ma Renyu and Li Hanchao, had never seen Li Erniang's true face.

At this moment, Li Erniang said apologetically, "My brother has had a long journey and is feeling a little unwell. He is resting in his cabin and is afraid he will be unable to get up to entertain guests. If he has been impolite, I hope you two gentlemen will forgive him!"

Zhao Pu reacted quickly and said gently, "It's alright. Your brother is unwell and should rest well. How could it be considered impolite? Second Madam, please don't take it to heart."

Wang Renzhan, standing to the side, seemed much more straightforward. He didn't care about Li Erniang's brother; he was only concerned about the tasks assigned by the commander.

He asked, "Li Erniangzi, the Commander-in-Chief has specifically ordered us to come and meet you. It would be best if we could get to Tokyo as soon as possible. I wonder if we can depart today?"

"Of course I also want to set off as soon as possible. Every extra day of delay on the road means a day of uncertainty. But I'm afraid it's not possible to depart today."

As she spoke, Li Erniang explained softly, "The caravan is carrying a huge amount of goods this time. Just unloading and counting them, and then sorting and loading them onto carts and pack animals, is something that can't be rushed. Even though my family has been operating on this route for many years and has made all the preparations, with such a large amount, we should still be more meticulous to ensure that there are no mistakes."

Upon hearing this, Wang Renzhan's thick eyebrows immediately furrowed, clearly dissatisfied with the answer.

He was about to speak instinctively when Zhao Pu coughed lightly and replied, "In that case, we will follow Second Madam's arrangements. Please feel free to ask if you need our help. However, time is indeed tight, so could we expedite the process?"

Li Erniang hesitated for a moment, seemingly estimating the time, before saying, "If nothing unexpected happens, the earliest we can set off for Tokyo is the day after tomorrow morning."

Zhao Pu cupped his hands and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Second Madam!"

(End of this chapter)