I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 152 Glass Window

Tang Zhao had no idea that just one day later, the Wujia No. 1 had launched a leapfrog attack on the trial soldiers. As soon as he left the west gate, he spurred his horse and sped towards Liulifang.

In front of the Glass Shop, Wu Shier patiently explained, "These glass windows are samples. Without the princess's instructions, the Glass Shop has no right to sell them."

So it's no use bothering me and Manager Gu!
The grain merchants of Shuzhou could naturally understand Wu Twelve's subtext, but the Protector General's Mansion had been busy recruiting soldiers recently, so they couldn't squeeze in at all, and their invitations to see him were like stones sinking into the sea, receiving no response whatsoever.

There was nothing they could do but stay close to Liulifang, determined not to let He Wei gain the upper hand again.

Ignoring the wary looks from the grain merchants, He Wei packed the goods supplied by Liulifang into boxes, sealed the carts, and leisurely returned to Shuzhou.

Wu Shier was thoroughly annoyed by the persistent pestering of the Shu merchants, but the young lady still needed to exchange for the grain they had, so he couldn't afford to offend them easily. He suppressed the urge to draw his sword and watched as the steward played a game of cat and mouse with the Shu merchants.

Tang Zhao saw that Liulifang was surrounded from afar and thought that someone had rebelled. He immediately rode over and shouted, "Who dares to cause trouble in my Wuwei?"

Gu Ci lagged behind by half a horse, closely following Tang Zhao's side.

Wu Shier looked in the direction of the voice and was overjoyed, "Miss!"

The grain merchants instantly abandoned Manager Gu, with whom they had just been on friendly terms, and bowed to Tang Zhao as she rushed towards them, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

This commotion doesn't seem like a rebellion. Tang Zhao slowed his horse and stopped ten paces away from the crowd, asking, "What's going on?"

Wu Shier squeezed through the crowd, stood three steps away, bowed first, and then launched into a long tirade.

According to Tang Zhao's request, Liulifang made glass windows to replace paper windows. They were about to be delivered to the Protector General's Mansion for Tang Zhao to inspect when they were unexpectedly spotted by a Shu merchant who came to pick up the goods. He was immediately amazed by the quality of the glass windows and insisted on buying them.

Tang Zhao was speechless after hearing this. "Gentlemen, this glass window is still in the research and development stage and is not yet available for sale. Please be patient."

The Sichuan merchant nodded, waiting—he absolutely had to wait. "Could I pay a deposit first?"

Tang Zhao chuckled, "You all don't even know how much a single glass window costs, how can you possibly pay a deposit?"

"I'll buy it no matter the price," the Shu merchant said firmly. Such a treasure is worth any price, and even if you sell it for two or three times the price, there will still be buyers!

Tang Zhao immediately became more frank, saying, "As you all know, this princess is not short of money. Even if you offer a high price, whether I sell or not depends on my mood."

"Unfortunately, I'm not in a good mood lately."

The Shu merchants looked at each other and asked carefully, "May we ask what troubles Your Highness? We are unworthy, but we are willing to do our best to help Your Highness."

Tang Zhao dismounted and said, “As you all know, 70,000 disaster victims have come to Wuwei County in just half a month. They are poorly clothed and starving. As the Princess of Wuwei, I am heartbroken to see the people under my jurisdiction suffering so much, yet I am powerless to change the situation.”

"Food is the most important thing for the people, and the most important thing for the people to live in peace is grain." The Shu merchant was knowledgeable and sensible. "Although the grain in our hands cannot make the people under the Princess's rule eat their fill every day, it can ensure that the people of Wuwei County and the disaster victims will not suffer from famine for three months."

"Excellent!" Tang Zhao clapped his hands. "If that's true, then you are all benefactors of Wuwei County!"

The Sichuan merchants repeatedly exclaimed that they dared not, "Then this glass window..."

Tang Zhao was easy to talk to, "Just tell us how much you need, and Liuli Workshop will do its best to make it."

The Sichuan merchant was overjoyed, but first asked, "How much does one of these glass windows cost?"

They also had to calculate how many fans they could buy with the grain they had.

"Thirty taels per fan. Order over a hundred fans and get a 10% discount, order five hundred fans and get a 20% discount, order a thousand fans and get a 40% discount," Tang Zhao promoted. "The more you order, the bigger the discount." So cheap? They thought each fan would cost over a hundred taels!
The Shu merchants, stunned by the huge pancakes thrown by Tang Zhao, rushed to place orders.

"I want three hundred fans!"

"I want three hundred fans too!"

"I want a thousand!"

"..."

"No problem, but you'll have to wait a while," Tang Zhao glanced at Steward Gu and Wu Shier, who seemed to snap out of a daze and hurriedly wrote down the order.

The Sichuan merchants repeatedly said they were willing to wait as long as it took.

Tang Zhao's implication was quite direct: "You are all willing to wait as long as you like, but the people of Wuwei City have no rice to cook, and they cannot wait even a day longer."

The Shu merchant tactfully said, "This humble one can first deliver the remaining grain from the grain convoy to the princess. This humble one will return to Shu Prefecture to procure more grain and guarantees that the grain will be delivered within a month."

"This princess understands the principle that scarcity increases value. It is natural that grain prices have risen due to the floods in the south. However, I also ask you all to understand that merchants value their promises and should never break their word or raise prices arbitrarily."

"We dare not! We swear that we will trade with Your Highness at the same price as last year."

Tang Zhao nodded in satisfaction, "Then this princess will look forward to your return to Wuwei."

The Shu merchants bowed and agreed, then returned to Wuwei City to send the remaining grain to the Protector General's Mansion, while they themselves led their men back to Shu Prefecture day and night to procure more grain.

Inside the Liuli Workshop, glass windows, almost identical in size and transparency to those in modern times, were carefully erected by craftsmen. Wu Shier personally stepped forward and turned the handle to test opening and closing the windows.

Tang Zhao asked with concern, "Can it be closed tightly?"

"Yes," Wu Shier nodded, "but it will take some effort."

"Don't worry about the effort," Tang Zhao instructed as he walked out, "make them according to the dimensions of Liulifang doors and windows, install and test them. Once we've confirmed there are no problems, we'll increase production." He added, "Make sure to seal the glass and wooden frame tightly to prevent air leakage."

Wu Shier readily agreed.

Manager Gu personally checked the five hundred mirrors and two hundred sets of glass cups that Tang Zhao had requested. After watching the carriages and horses leave, he returned to the furnace workshop to continue supervising the work.

Gulibaer was off duty today and was waiting at the pass early in the morning. As soon as he saw Tang Zhaogu Ci, he spurred his horse and galloped over, calling out, "Brother and sister-in-law!"

He said somewhat embarrassedly, "We originally agreed not to rush for the goods, but unexpectedly, an urgent report came from Tibet. My uncle and aunt are anxious to return, so I troubled you to pass on a message to my sister-in-law. Please forgive me."

Tang Zhao sighed, "It's only because of you and Grandpa Guli that I withheld the goods destined for Luoyang and Jiangnan, prioritizing your family. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to gather so many goods in such a short time."

Gu Ci looked up at her and then hummed in agreement.

Gulibalton felt deeply indebted to him, saying, "If my sister-in-law ever needs anything in the future, I will do my utmost to help her."

"You said it yourself, didn't you?" Tang Zhao, ever the gossip, asked, "What's going on over in Tibet?"

Gulibal sighed, "The chief of the Ger clan has passed away, and my aunt and uncle have to rush back to observe the mourning period."

The topic was a bit heavy, so Tang Zhao didn't press the matter further. He followed Gulibar back to Guli's residence, exchanged goods with Gerdoji, offered a few words of comfort with a sorrowful expression, and only after leaving the Gorge Pass did he happily drive his sheep and horses back to Wuwei.