Tang Dynasty: After living together with Chang Le, Li and his companion were dumbfounded.

Empress Zhangsun looked down at the packet of white sugar on her lap.

Their gaze changed.

It's no longer the detached feeling one has when appreciating food.

Rather, it is a shrewd and sharp gaze.

"Lizhi, do you know how much this thing could sell for in the East and West Markets of Chang'an?"

Li Lizhi shook her head.

She really had no idea.

Empress Zhangsun picked up a small pinch of white sugar and held it up to the candlelight.

The sugar granules refracted tiny sparkles in the firelight.

"The rock honey that Persia presented as tribute was priced at three taels of silver for one tael of rock honey in the East Market."

"The brown sugar from Nanzhao costs several hundred coins per pound."

"But those things have a rough texture, are full of impurities, and are far less sweet than this."

She put the white sugar back on the parchment paper.

"This quality of sugar..."

Empress Zhangsun paused for a moment.

It's like calculating repeatedly in your mind.

"A tael of white sugar can be exchanged for ten taels of silver, and people will be scrambling to buy it."

Li Lizhi gasped.

One tael for ten taels?

That's one hundred and sixty taels of silver per jin!

Lu Chen said that white sugar costs a few yuan per kilogram at his place.

According to his own conversion method, a few dollars was roughly equivalent to a few coins.

Something that costs only a few coins.

It could be sold for 160 taels of silver in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Lizhi's mind went blank for a moment.

Empress Zhangsun smiled gently when she saw her daughter's expression.

"But they can't be sold individually."

Her tone became decisive.

"Selling it loose is a waste of this stuff."

"We must make them exquisite. We must use the best boxes and the best paper to package them, crafting each candy and sweet with meticulous care."

"Ten pills per box, price: —"

Empress Zhangsun narrowed her eyes slightly.

"One tael of gold."

"One tael of gold?!" Li Lizhi almost stood up.

One tael of gold can be exchanged for ten candies.

This price is no longer considered expensive.

That's outrageous.

"Is it expensive?" Empress Zhangsun asked in return.

"Mother...Mother, isn't one tael of gold too much—"

"Not expensive."

Empress Zhangsun interrupted her.

"You need to understand the true nature of this thing."

"It's not sugar."

"It is something that is unique in the world."

"The heads of the five clans and seven noble families have never tasted such sweetness in their lives. Neither the imperial relatives, the high-ranking officials, nor the envoys from various countries have ever tasted it."

"If you sell it too cheaply, they won't be interested."

"You need to sell it at a high price, high enough that they feel it's worthy of their status. Only then will they flock to it."

When Empress Zhangsun said these words, there was a light in her eyes.

Li Lizhi had only ever seen that kind of light when her father, the emperor, was strategizing.

So this is how my mother behaves when she's doing business.

"Tell that expert that the Empress Dowager wishes to discuss the sale of this item with him."

"From selecting boxes to setting prices, from stocking shelves to cashiering, everything was arranged by the mother."

"If the other party is willing to sell, 70% of the profits go to them, and the rest—"

She glanced at Li Lizhi.

"It will not be deposited into the national treasury for now."

"Not going into the national treasury?"

"Once it goes into the national treasury, it becomes the court's money. Once the Ministry of Revenue gets involved, they can forget about doing anything," Empress Zhangsun said calmly. "Let's keep it with me for now. Once we've accumulated a certain amount, we'll give it all to your father in one go, so he can use it for fighting wars and building roads."

Li Lizhi looked at her mother, the Empress Dowager.

Suddenly I realized that my mother deserves half the credit for my father's ability to maintain his rule over the empire.

"There's one more thing."

Empress Zhangsun's tone suddenly lowered.

"Don't let your father know about this for now."

"Why?" Li Lizhi asked, puzzled.

"Your father is good in every way, except he's too impatient. If he knew, he'd want to put it up for sale in the East Market tomorrow. He doesn't care about high-end or low-end."

Empress Zhangsun smiled helplessly.

"Moreover, once your father finds out, Changsun Wuji will find out, Fang Xuanling will find out, and then the entire court will know."

"By then, before the business even started, it had already been targeted by those people."

"The sense of smell of aristocratic families is even sharper than that of hunting dogs."

"We must get the first batch of goods out before they realize what's happening and establish a foothold."

"It's not too late to tell your father after the deed is done."

Li Lizhi gave Empress Zhangsun a deep look.

She used to only know that her mother was virtuous, gentle and generous.

I only realized today that my mother's mind is sharper than all the merchants in Chang'an combined.

"Your subject understands."

Empress Zhangsun nodded in satisfaction.

Then--

She picked up the bowl of rock sugar pear again.

I drank every last drop of soup from the bottom of the bowl.

She put down the bowl and gently patted her stomach.

"This sweet soup is really good."

She glanced at her daughter.

Is there any more tomorrow?

Li Lizhi smiled.

Yes, plenty.

…………

That evening.

When Li Lizhi returned to her bedchamber, her steps were much lighter than usual.

"Lu Chen".

She stood beside the dividing line and, unusually, called him by his full name in a proper manner.

Lu Chen was lying in bed scrolling through his phone when he heard the sound and sat up.

"What's wrong?"

Li Lizhi hesitated for a moment.

"My mother asked me a question... Could we sell this sugar in Chang'an?"

She spoke very cautiously when she said this.

It doesn't seem like it's conveying Empress Zhangsun's message.

It seemed more like they were testing Lu Chen's attitude.

After all, the white sugar belonged to Lu Chen.

Whether to sell or not depends on his approval.

Lu Chen was stunned for a moment.

"Selling white sugar?"

"Hmm." Li Lizhi roughly recounted what Empress Zhangsun had said. The five noble families and seven powerful clans monopolized the financial resources, the court was short of money, and Li Shimin's wars were also costly. The Empress Dowager wanted to use this money to help the Emperor.

After she finished speaking, she looked at Lu Chen quietly, waiting for his reply.

Lu Chen did not answer immediately.

He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the ceiling.

My mind was racing.

There's nothing inherently wrong with making money from the Tang Dynasty by selling white sugar.

But what they earned was silver and gold.

Silver and gold of the Tang Dynasty.

He couldn't afford it back in the Tang Dynasty.

He couldn't possibly move to live in the Tang Dynasty.

but--

Lu Chen's thoughts suddenly took a turn.

He had already verified it before.

He could cross the dividing line into the Tang Dynasty, and he could also bring things from the modern era.

Yesterday, Li Lizhi even tried pushing a copper coin over—

People couldn't come over, but coins did.

That is to say-

Things from the Tang Dynasty can be brought to the modern era.

Lu Chen's breathing suddenly became rapid.

What if we could bring back the silver from the Tang Dynasty?

A pound of white sugar costs three and a half yuan in the supermarket.

If we had taken it and sold it according to Empress Zhangsun's plan, we could have exchanged 160 taels of silver just from selling the loose stock.

The silver from the Tang Dynasty was brought back—

One tael of silver weighs 37 grams, and the modern price of silver is about six yuan per gram.

One tael of silver is worth about 220 yuan.

One hundred and sixty taels—

Thirty-five thousand yuan.

The cost is three yuan and fifty cents.

A return of 35,000.

Ten thousand times.

Lu Chen's hands began to tremble.

It's not fear.

It's excitement.

Even crazier ideas popped into my head—

The reverse is also true.

We brought back the gold from the Tang Dynasty.

Unlike antiques and paintings, gold does not have the issue of dating.

No one can tell whether a piece of gold is from the eighth year of the Zhenguan era or from 2024.

There is a huge price difference between the purchasing power of gold in the Tang Dynasty and its market price in modern times.

Exchange modern cheap goods for the gold and silver of the Tang Dynasty.

Then bring the gold and silver back to the modern world to convert them into cash.

Infinite loop.

Unlimited profits.