Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 400 Gold and Silver Transported to Chang'an
In March, the city of Chang'an was already experiencing a warming atmosphere.

However, thousands of miles away on the East China Sea, the winds still howl fiercely, making it hard to believe that it is already early spring.

The sea was rough, and the cargo ship was rocking violently.

The merchants and passengers on board all stayed obediently in their cabins, hoping that the journey would end soon.

This was a large cargo ship carrying tea and silk, as well as some merchants.

Zhao Chiman was one of the merchants.

However, unlike the others, he did not stay in the cabin, but stood on the deck, facing the wind, looking very relaxed and at ease.

The last time he went to Japan, the weather was much worse than it is now, but he still managed to get through it, so this little storm is nothing to him.

At this moment, a middle-aged man in his forties walked over from the side and stood side by side with Zhao Chiman.

"This young man, he probably isn't going to Falcon State to do business, is he?"

This middle-aged man is the owner of the cargo ship.

Zhao Chiman glanced at him sideways and asked, "What makes you so sure?"

The cargo ship owner smiled and said, "We merchants who travel all over the country don't have any other skills, except that we have sharper eyes than others. Young master, you are obviously no ordinary person."

Zhao Chiman said, "Then guess who I am?"

The cargo ship owner looked him up and down and said with a smile, "Young master, you are strong and healthy, so you must be skilled in martial arts. Your speech is also remarkable, so you must be a learned man. At first, I thought you were an official going to take up a post in Falcon Prefecture."

Zhao Chiman's eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "So you don't think so now?"

The cargo ship owner laughed and said, "Because I suddenly realized that the young man beside you is actually a woman. If he were an official, why would he bring his family to a place like Falcon State?"

Zhao Chiman was startled and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Isn't Falcon Prefecture good?"

The cargo ship owner gave a strange smile and said, "Whether it's good or not isn't up to me, but up to the imperial court. Think about it, the imperial court treats Falcon Prefecture as a place of exile, how can it be a good place?"

Zhao Chiman asked, "Then why do you still want to go to Junzhou to do business?"

The cargo ship owner laughed and said, "It's precisely because it's bad that ordinary merchants don't dare to go. Only someone as bold and fearless as me can earn more money for my coffin."

Zhao Chiman said, "Judging from your words, is there danger in going to Junzhou?"

"Do you know which direction we're going?" the boat owner asked in return.

Zhao Chiman asked in surprise, "Aren't we heading towards Junzhou?"

The ship owner shook his head and said, "If we go directly to Junshu, we are likely to encounter Japanese pirates. If we are unlucky, everyone on the ship will die."

Zhao Chiman asked, "Is it really that chaotic?"

The ship owner said slowly, "After those Japanese were defeated by our Tang army, they started fighting amongst themselves. Many Japanese couldn't survive, so they took the risk and became pirates, specializing in robbing merchant ships. If we go directly to Junzhou, we are very likely to encounter these desperate criminals."

Zhao Chiman asked, "So where are we going now?"

The boat owner laughed and said, "Danzhou."

Tam-zhou is Tam-luo, which had already been designated as a prefecture and county by the Tang Dynasty. Traveling from Tam-luo to Japan was essentially taking a longer detour.

Zhao Chiman asked, "Would it be safer to travel through Danzhou?"

The ship owner said, "The Tang Dynasty navy is stationed in Danzhou. They often patrol the East China Sea to wipe out Japanese pirates. As long as we go with the navy, we will be safe."

Zhao Chiman nodded and said, "That's how it is."

The ship owner chuckled, "Go back to your cabin and rest for a while. Danzhou is still quite a distance away." He then turned and left.

Zhao Chiman enjoyed the breeze for a while before returning to his cabin.

As soon as I entered the cabin, a soft, delicate body pressed against me.

"Why did you take so long? You made me wait so long. I was worried you'd fallen into the sea," a sweet, coquettish voice chided in his ear.

Zhao Chiman closed the door, glanced at the pretty woman clinging to his arm, and frowned, saying, "Why are you dressed as a woman again?"

The woman was none other than Tianshui Xiange, Li Jiangzhen, a famous dancer in Chang'an. She smiled charmingly and said, "I'm not going out, so what's wrong with wearing women's clothes? Nobody can see me anyway."

Zhao Chiman walked to the bed and sat down, saying in a deep voice, "Someone has already recognized that you are a woman."

Li Jiangzhen covered her mouth and exclaimed, "Ah!" She then asked, "Won't something bad happen?"

Zhao Chiman said, "It's alright. He didn't recognize my identity. Besides, now that we're out at sea, I'm not afraid of them finding out. You stay by my side."

Li Jiangzhen's eyes showed emotion. She knelt beside Zhao Chiman, rested her head on his knees, and said softly, "Actually, as long as I can follow you, even if I am just a maid, I will have no regrets."

Zhao Chiman gently stroked the back of her snow-white neck and said slowly, "Since I promised to give you a title, I will never go back on my word."

When Changsun Quan persuaded Zhao Chiman to go on a diplomatic mission to Japan, Zhao Chiman agreed, but only on one condition: that Changsun Quan help him convince his mother to take Li Jiangzhen as a concubine.

Changsun Quan kept his word, but unfortunately he underestimated his mother's prejudice against social class.

No matter how much Changsun Quan tried to persuade her, Changsun refused to accept a dancer into the Zhao household, not even as a concubine. She only agreed to let her son take her in as a family prostitute.

Zhao Chiman was extremely indignant.

He never liked the wife his mother had chosen for him, and now that he saw that his mother wouldn't even give in to taking a concubine, he decided to resign from his official post and leave Chang'an with Li Jiangzhen.

When Changsun Quan learned of his thoughts, he felt guilty and went to Changsun Wuji for help.

Changsun Wuji then came up with a compromise.

He instructed Zhao Chiman to petition the emperor for permission to be transferred to Junzhou as an official.

In this way, Zhao Chiman could bring Li Jiangzhen along, so that the two could be together without affecting their careers.

Once Li Jiangzhen gives birth to Zhao Chiman's child, the deed will be done, and Changsun will have no way to object.

Li Zhi was unaware of the intricacies involved; he only knew that Zhao Chiman was a talented individual who was also familiar with Japan.

Court officials avoided Falcon Prefecture like the plague, and no one wanted to be transferred there, as Falcon Prefecture was in dire need of officials. At this time, Zhao Chiman volunteered, which Li Zhi considered a very sensible act.

So he wrote a letter and not only agreed to Zhao Chiman's request, but also promoted him to the position of Sima of Junzhou.

The position of Governor of Falcon Prefecture is currently held concurrently by Liu Renyuan, while the position of Chief Administrator of Falcon Prefecture is still vacant. As the Military Advisor of Falcon Prefecture, Liu Renyuan is essentially the second-in-command and is also in charge of the security of Falcon Prefecture.

Seeing the emperor's trust in him, Zhao Chiman was determined to make a name for himself. He didn't bring any servants with him, but instead had Li Jiangzhen disguised as a woman and follow him around.

The two traveled all the way to Laizhou, boarded a cargo ship bound for Junzhou, and took up their posts.

Li Jiangzhen was not actually a Han woman, but a Qiang woman, and her father was a minor chieftain of the Qiang tribe.

When the Tang Dynasty attacked Tibet, Li Jiangzhen's father chose the wrong side and helped Tibet fight against the Tang Dynasty.

Ultimately, the Tubo Kingdom was destroyed, and Li Jiangzhen's clan was also annexed by the Tuyuhun, and her father was killed by the Tuyuhun people.

Li Jiangzhen then fled to Tianshui, changed her name to Han, and was bullied by a local bully. Fortunately, she was rescued by Zhao Chiman, and she devoted herself to following him.

Qiang women are known for their passionate and straightforward nature. She bravely confessed her love to Zhao Chiman, but unfortunately, she was rejected.

Later, when Zhao Chiman went to Chang'an to take up an official post, she followed him without ever abandoning him, which finally moved Zhao Chiman.

Now that she has finally been able to be with Zhao Chiman, she has no other desires. She pressed her face against Zhao Chiman's knee and said softly, "With your words, my love, even if a sudden storm arises and we drown, I will have no regrets."

Zhao Chiman quickly said, "Don't talk nonsense. You can't say these things casually at sea, or you'll easily incur taboo."

Fortunately, Li Jiangzhen was not a jinx; the journey was smooth, and several days later, the cargo ship arrived in Junzhou.

The port where the ship docked was very spacious, and it was the place where the Japanese used to train their navy.

The port was bustling and prosperous, with many merchants, like cargo ship owners, unloading goods, and many Chinese from Laizhou coming to Junzhou to work as dockworkers.

The reason is simple: the wages for dockworkers here are three times that of those in Laizhou.

In addition, there were some Japanese working as dockworkers. They were short and dark-skinned, making them easy to spot.

Although their wages were only one-fifth of those of the Tang people, they still competed to work there. Now that Japan was in chaos, this wage was enough for them to support their families.

After Zhao Chiman led Li Jiangzhen, who was disguised as a man, off the ship, he asked a Tang Dynasty dockworker for directions to the Sima Mansion in Falcon Prefecture.

The dockworker laughed and said, "Young master, this place is not like our Zhengzhou in the Great Tang Dynasty. There is no Sima Mansion here. The entire Junzhou only has two government offices, one is the Governor's Mansion and the other is the Prefect's Mansion."

"If you are looking for Sima of Falcon Prefecture, you can go directly to the governor's mansion of Falcon Prefecture. Sima Langjun should also live there."

Zhao Chiman thanked him and decided to go to the Governor's Office to report to Liu Renyuan.

However, after taking only two steps, they saw an army approaching from a distance.

The army escorted dozens of horse-drawn carriages, and a dockworker shouted, "Look! Another batch of gold and silver has arrived!"

"This should be the last batch."

"Haha, we've got work to do again."

The dockworkers all seemed very excited. Zhao Chiman was quite puzzled, so he asked one of the dockworkers from earlier, and that's when he found out what was going on.

It turns out that the gold and silver that Japan was supposed to pay as compensation to the Tang Dynasty have recently been delivered in batches.

The first batch arrived last month, and this is already the fifth batch.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves was heard in the distance, and another group of soldiers was approaching. Zhao Chiman could see clearly that the leader was Liu Renyuan.

Liu Renyuan asked the caravans carrying gold and silver a few questions, then joined them and headed towards the dock together.

Zhao Chiman winked at Li Jiangzhen, signaling her to wait for him, and then quickly went to greet her.

"Your humble servant Zhao Chiman greets Governor Liu." He bowed respectfully.

Liu Renyuan had met him before, and upon seeing him, he was overjoyed and said, "Zhao Sima, you've finally arrived. Damn it, I've been so busy lately, finally someone who can help me has come."

Zhao Chiman asked, "General, where is my office?"

Liu Renyuan laughed and said, "I've turned Guijing Pavilion into the governor's mansion. You can work there from now on. There are plenty of empty rooms in the back courtyard; you can choose whichever you like."

Zhao Chiman nodded, then suddenly heard the sound of drums. He turned around and saw two warships approaching from a distance.

Liu Renyuan shouted, "Hurry up and load all the goods up, and be quick about it!"

Liu Renyuan did not trust the Japanese, so he only hired Chinese dockworkers to help him, which is why the dockworkers were happy.

With Liu Renyuan personally overseeing things, no one dared to make any underhanded moves.

In less than an hour, all the goods were loaded onto the ship, which, under the escort of the army, headed towards Laizhou.

Just then, a rider on horseback came galloping from afar, shouting, "Commander Liu, there is intelligence from the Japanese army!"

The soldier dismounted and handed Liu Renyuan an official letter. After reading it, Liu Renyuan laughed and cursed, "These Eastern barbarians are all cunning!"

Zhao Chiman asked, "Governor Liu, what's going on?"

Liu Renyuan handed him the official letter and said, "Take a look for yourself."

Zhao Chiman took it and looked at it. After reading it, his eyes flashed.

According to military reports, while the Japanese leaders Naka no Ōe and Takara no Ōe are outwardly still negotiating, they have actually already reconciled in secret and have publicly announced that they will hold negotiations in Shinano at the end of March.

On the day of the negotiations, the Japanese army launched a surprise attack on Noto, which had been occupied by Silla.

Unexpectedly, Silla was well-prepared. Silla Prince Kim In-won turned the tables, luring the enemy deep into their territory before using an ambush to cut off Japan's retreat, thus winning a great victory.

Unable to act covertly, Japan has resorted to open warfare, now deploying a large army to its borders, stationing troops in Echizen Province, and confronting the Silla army.

Liu Renyuan laughed and said, "Let them fight like dogs, we won't interfere. Brother Zhao, come on, I'll treat you to a welcome feast."

(End of this chapter)