Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 97 Western Region Merchants (Seeking First Subscription)

How is cotton woven into cloth?

Not only Li Xian, but the embroiderer was also stunned.

"We just weave cotton the same way we weave silk, and find a way to reel it into silk, right?" Liu Jianjun said matter-of-factly.

Li Xian was shocked.

But the embroiderer frowned and said, "Silk is made from silkworm cocoons, which are silk threads themselves. But cotton, where do you get silk threads from?"

"It'll definitely work. As long as we have cotton, I'll figure it out and there won't be any problems."

Although puzzled, seeing Liu Jianjun's eager eyes, the embroiderer still said, "Then you can go to the silk shops or foreign shops in the East and West markets. Cotton has always been sold as a rare commodity by foreign merchants..."

After thinking for a moment, the embroiderer added, "The price is very expensive."

"What if I want to buy three to five kilograms? I'm just planning to make a sample first."

"A jin?!" The embroiderer was full of surprise.

Li Xian couldn't help but remind him, "These things are sold as rare items, and they're sold by the bundle..."

“Selling by the bundle? You, the governor of Yongzhou, shouldn’t you go and chop off the head of this heartless foreign merchant?!” Liu Jianjun seemed very angry. After thinking for a moment, he grabbed Li Xian and said, “Come on, stop eating, let’s go take a look first.”

Li Xian was already used to Liu Jianjun's energetic and impulsive nature. He turned to the embroiderer and smiled helplessly, "You guys eat first. Liu Jianjun and I are going out for a bit."

……

Because of Empress Wu's relocation of the capital, only a small portion of the Sixteen Guards remain in Chang'an, and they are all responsible for guarding the palace and the imperial city, protecting the core area.

As for Chang'an City, it was almost entirely guarded by local troops from the Jingzhao Prefecture, which theoretically reduced its security considerably.

Therefore, Li Xian also brought twenty cavalrymen as escorts when he went out this time, and rode his horse toward the West Market.

Li Xian finally breathed a sigh of relief when Liu Jianjun didn't choose to walk this time.

……

Liu Jianjun was still not used to riding a horse. When he jumped off the horse, he rubbed his legs and swung his arms, which made Li Xian laugh.

"You need to practice your horsemanship. How can the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Pei's mansion ride a horse so erratically?"

Although we had arrived at the West Market, the once bustling commercial district was now much quieter, with many shops closed and hardly any customers.

Liu Jianjun handed the horse to a guard, trotted ahead, and said without turning his head, "As long as it's rideable, it's fine. I'm not counting on riding it into battle!"

Li Xian smiled and shook his head, following Liu Jianjun's steps.

After wandering around for a long time, the two finally found a flower and bird shop. The shopkeeper was an elderly man from the Western Regions, with jingling ornaments hanging from his body. His mustache curled upwards like silver hooks, and his beard was unkempt, spreading out like a lion's mane.

But he spoke Tang dialect very well. Seeing that Liu Jianjun and Li Xian were dressed in fine clothes, he knew that the two were rich and noble. He smiled obsequiously and came up to them, saying, "Gentlemen, I have birds that are unique to the Western Regions, as well as peonies, azaleas, and wisteria. Would you two like to come in and have a look?"

Liu Jianjun went inside, and the old merchant was even happier, enthusiastically introducing, "By the way, we also have a peony here that blooms early. It's quite a sight! If it's kept until spring for the flower competition, it will surely be the queen of flowers..."

Liu Jianjun waved his hand to interrupt, asking directly, "Do you have any cotton?"

The old merchant was taken aback.

"It's white rosemary."

This time, the elderly merchant suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly: "Yes! Yes! How many plants do you want, sir?"

"Bring out as much as you have!" Liu Jianjun waved his hand generously. The elderly merchant hesitated for a moment, then immediately nodded: "Please wait a moment, sir, I'll go and get it right away!"

As he spoke, he wandered among the messy potted plants, eventually disappearing into the greenery.

A short while later, when he came out again, he was carrying three earthenware pots in his arms. The plants on the pots were withered and ugly, but they were very tall, all taller than the old merchant's head.

"You've come to the right place, sir. I'm one of the few places in this West Market that sells rosemary. I have three pots here. If you wait until late summer or autumn, when the plants are covered in white down, they'll be just as beautiful as peonies..."

The old merchant's head was hidden behind a cotton plant, his tone proud, and the ornaments on his body made a pleasant, crisp sound with his movements.

Liu Jianjun interrupted him impatiently, saying, "Only three plants? A full three? And they haven't even bloomed yet?"

The old merchant from Hu paused in his steps, carrying the cotton pottery basin.

Although his head was hidden behind the cotton plant, Li Xian couldn't see his expression, but he could still hear the surprise in his voice: "Are you kidding me? How can rosemary bloom in the middle of spring?"

Liu Jianjun paused, then explained apologetically, "I didn't explain clearly. Do you have any white roses, in full bloom? The plant is fine too. White roses can be stored for a long time, right?"

This time, the elderly merchant frowned and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Sir, your request is truly unusual. You only want white rosewood..."

"No?" Liu Jianjun asked.

"No."

The elderly merchant shook his head honestly. Liu Jianjun subconsciously turned to leave, but the elderly merchant called out again, "How much white rosewood do you want, sir?"

This time, Li Xian also sensed that there was hope. Liu Jianjun naturally stopped and turned around: "The more the better!"

The elderly merchant hesitated and asked, "I don't know, does the guest want whole white rosebuds?"

Liu Jianjun was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

The old merchant was a little embarrassed, but he still continued, "Actually, I was in the business of growing rosemary in the Western Regions. I thought that this thing was a rare item in Chang'an, so I sold everything I owned to get a lot of it, intending to settle down in Chang'an."

"This old man's shop was actually acquired with a loan..."

"Stop, stop, stop! I'm not here to hear your stories!" Liu Jianjun interrupted impatiently.

The elderly merchant from Hu smiled awkwardly and said, "The batch of white rosewood I brought to Chang'an didn't sell much; it all withered. I originally planned to throw them away, but my daughter thought they could be used to stuff mattresses, so..."

"Now, those white rosebuds have become items for my young daughter's boudoir..."

Liu Jianjun interrupted, his eyes gleaming: "How many?"

"About...ten or so pounds? I don't know the exact amount, it was all handled by my daughter..."

"That's it! This is the one!"

Liu Jianjun clapped his hands and then asked, "Old man, where is your daughter?"

The old merchant gave an awkward smile and said, "I was just about to say this. I was short of money back then, and I still owe a lot of money after taking out a loan to buy this shop. So this shop is used for both business and residence. My daughter's bedroom is in the inner room..."

"Please wait a moment, sir. I will go and fetch my daughter."

As he spoke, the old merchant twisted his body and disappeared into the midst of the flowers and plants.

At that moment, Liu Jianjun suddenly turned his head, leaned close to Li Xian's ear, and said in a lewd tone, "The original mattress of a girl from the Western Regions..."

……

(End of this chapter)