Chapter 131 “Khatun, Khatun, quickly let…”

Chapter 131 "Khatun, Khatun, hurry and—"

Su Li was stewing in frustration, as if trying to prove something. He relentlessly pursued Lan Zhu afterward.

"Lan Zhu, I've got a fine horse, hauled all the way from Ferghana. I’m giving it to you." Su Li eagerly led a magnificent horse to her.

Lan Zhu replied, "I’ve got my own horse. Don’t need yours."

With that, she ignored him and turned to go home.

A while later, Su Li showed up at her tent, carrying a pile of gold and silver jewelry. "I seized these raiding the Jie. They’re all for you. You like 'em?"

Lan Zhu glanced at them and scoffed, "These can’t hold a candle to what Ah Yan gave me. I don’t care for them."

Su Li’s expression froze.

Her again? Nothing good ever came when she was involved.

Su Li set the jewelry down and gave her puppy-dog eyes. "Come on, it was just a misunderstanding! I thought you liked that Han pretty-boy, so I jumped him in a rage. Do you really have to stay mad at me for so long? I barely landed a hit on him, and instead, the Khan worked me over so bad I couldn’t sleep at night."

"Look at my face—it’s still swollen." He leaned his neck toward her and prodded his swollen cheek.

Lan Zhu found it somewhat amusing, but mostly infuriating.

She set her jaw. "You still don’t think you did anything wrong."

Su Li hurried to explain, "I already got my beating from the Khan, and I even apologized to that Han guy. What more do you want?"

His explanation only made Lan Zhu angrier.

"He was Ah Yan’s guest. How dare you attack him without a second thought? Do you even respect her?"

Su Li curled his lip and muttered under his breath, "Who knows what kinda goddamn spell she’s got to make all of you side with her..."

Lan Zhu: "..."

"Get out!"

He was incorrigible, impossible to reason with. Lan Zhu had no patience left and shoved him out of the tent, yanking the flap shut behind him.

Su Li stood there sulking, staring at the tent, torn between wanting to go back in and fearing he’d upset her further.

Just as he hesitated over whether to leave, the tent flap rustled open again.

Su Li’s eyes lit up, and he took an eager step forward. "Lan Zhu, you forgive me—"

Before he could finish, a wooden box was shoved into his chest.

"Take your things with you."

"..."

Su Li’s hopeful look died right there.

He’d come crawling back for forgiveness, only to make things worse.

Su Li had tried every trick in the book, yet Lan Zhu remained unmoved. Frustrated, he scratched his head raw.

Unconsciously, his thoughts circled back to what Duan Muqi had said—

"I heard Lan Zhu is very close to the Xianbei queen and listens to her. Why don't you go ask her for help?"

Do I really have to seek help from that Han Chinese woman?

No, no—Su Li shook his head violently. He refused to grovel before Han Chinese like General Modolou or Chigan Balie. Besides, he had just offended her—she definitely wouldn’t help him.

—

With a few hundred additional workers, Jiang Congyan could finally focus on her own plans.

First, she organized an exploration team to prospect for coal and iron deposits. She marked several locations—from what she recalled, these were rich, high-quality reserves that were relatively easy to mine, mostly located in Henei and Hedong. The Xianbei also had iron and coal deposits not far from Tumochuan (a Xianbei settlement). Perhaps they were buried deeper and hadn’t been discovered yet, hence remained untapped.

In any case, Jiang Congyan believed casting a wide net would eventually yield a few viable mining sites.

Considering the current population distribution and transportation conditions, she ultimately decided to build a large-scale smelting plant near the Yellow River, between the Front Bend [of the Yellow River] and Tumochuan.

This location was close to the mines, had access to water, and could rely on the densely populated fertile Hetao plains region for ample labor—it was simply ideal.

Last year, she had discussed with Fu Blacksmith about transitioning from the stir-frying method for steel to the co-fusion method for steel. Though numerous experiments in the workshop had proven the process feasible, it remained unstable and required refinement.

Once the technique matured and the large smelting plant was built, iron production would skyrocket. With iron, they could forge tools to boost productivity.

Aside from iron smelting, farming was the second most crucial task.

Everyone knew iron production was under her management, so Jiang Congyan spread the word: tribes willing to cultivate land would receive iron farming tools next year—and perhaps even weapons.

This tempted many tribes near the Hetao region. Jiang Congyan dangled sugar as an incentive and used last year’s heavy snowfall as a warning—relying solely on herding was too risky. If livestock died, the herders would lose their livelihood. Combining farming with herding would significantly improve their resilience. Through such persuasion and Tuo Baxiao’s influence, several tribes agreed to cultivate a quarter of their land this year.

However, these tribes lacked farming expertise, so Jiang Congyan discussed with Ruo Lan and dispatched some instructors. A year later, many Xianbei had learned farming techniques.

It was already April—late for planting, meaning wheat yields would be limited. But every endeavor had to start somewhere; without a beginning, there could be no progress.

Meanwhile, plans for kang beds (heated brick beds, called kang) were also underway.

Last year’s heavy snowfall had hit the Royal Court less severely, but other tribes suffered significant losses—many people and livestock perished.

Moreover, based on Jiang Congyan’s historical knowledge, the weather in the next two years would be even harsher. This extreme climate would become the catalyst for Wudati Hou’s southern invasion.

No tribe opposed the idea of kang beds, especially after arriving at the Spring Fair and hearing how last year, many tents had collapsed under the snow, while Jiang Congyan’s rammed-earth houses remained sturdy. Intrigued, they came to seek advice.

Though rammed-earth houses seemed simple, rammed earth was a skill-intensive task. To make them sturdier, ingredients like glutinous rice mortar and lime powder were needed.

Sugar production also required glutinous rice, which the Xianbei lacked in sufficient quantities. Fortunately, Trader Qu Yao’s merchant connections allowed them to purchase it from the Central Plains.

Last year’s border trade, aside from the autumn government-organized iron-and-horse trade, was loosely regulated, creating opportunities for many to exploit loopholes—and making it easier for her to procure supplies from the Central Plains.

Jiang Congyan’s planned house was also under construction—not near her tent but on a newly marked plot a few hundred meters away, closer to Rouge Lake (Yanzhi Hu). The compound wasn’t large, with some twenty rooms, including quarters for A Fei and her maids. But she was satisfied—this was a home she had built with her own hands.

…

Zhang Xun was on official duty and could hardly spare the time for this trip to the Xianbei. After staying for over ten days, he finally prepared to return to Liangzhou.

Jiang Congyan was reluctant to see him go but didn’t voice it. Instead, she had the horses fed with the finest fodder and asked Auntie Zhu to prepare non-perishable provisions and various sauces for Third Brother to take on the road.

Of course, she also included letters for her grandparents and siblings. Besides official matters, she specifically wrote to her cousins about how Third Brother had been mistaken for a love rival and beaten by Su Li. She was sure they’d never let him live it down.

Aside from the unfortunate early death of her second brother, the Zhang family had six surviving grandchildren in total. Among all the siblings, Third Brother was the slyest.

He was always the one watching others squirm—now that he finally had an embarrassing story, it was only fair to share it with everyone.

Zhang Xun took her letter and shot her a sidelong glance. "What did you write in there?"

Jiang Congyan gave a small smile.

Even if she didn’t say it, Zhang Xun could guess. "Grandmother says you're the best-behaved among all the younger generation. I think she misjudged you."

Jiang Congyan pouted, shooting him an annoyed look.

"Alright, enough squabbling. It's time for me to leave."

Jiang Congyan ordered her prepared gifts to be loaded onto the cart. Seeing this, Zhang Xun said, "Enough, enough. Don’t overload it, or the horses won’t be able to pull it."

Jiang Congyan huffed, "These are all gifts from the heart. You must take them back to Liangzhou safely—not a single item missing or damaged."

Zhang Xun sighed, "As you command, my dear cousin."

Now we're talking.

Once everything was packed, Zhang Xun finally set off from the imperial court just as the sun rose.

Jiang Congyan went to see him off, and to her surprise, Tuo Baxiao also came in person.

He said, "He is your elder brother. It’s only proper for me to bid him farewell."

Such a noble-sounding excuse—but couldn’t he at least try to hide his barely-contained glee? Jiang Congyan gave him an exasperated eye-roll.

Zhang Xun had arrived with a sizeable retinue, but today, only about twenty riders accompanied his departure.

Though the two had just exchanged a few teasing words, when the moment of parting truly came, Jiang Congyan still felt a pang of sadness.

"Safe travels, Third Brother," she said, addressing him by his birth order.

"You too. Stay well in Xianbei." After speaking, Zhang Xun turned his attention to Tuo Baxiao. "Prince of Mobei, I hope you will continue to cherish Ah Yan as you do now. That way, the clan elders in Liangzhou can rest assured."

Tuo Baxiao replied solemnly, "You have my word."

"Then farewell, until we meet again." Zhang Xun gave a fist salute, tightened the reins, and urged his horse southward.

Jiang Congyan watched his receding figure until it completely vanished from sight, yet she remained standing there, her heart feeling empty.

Tuo Baxiao was secretly delighted but maintained a composed expression. Taking her hand, he said, "Let’s go back. The wind is strong—don’t get chilled."

Jiang Congyan suddenly turned her face to him, scrutinizing him. "Are you happy right now?"

Tuo Baxiao played innocent. "Not at all."

Jiang Congyan: *You’d better keep up this act for a few more days.*

After Zhang Xun left, Jiang Congyan returned to attending to business in her quarters.

On the way, she encountered Su Li, who kept stealing glances from a distance, though he made no move to approach.

Jiang Congyan asked Tuo Baxiao, "What's his problem?"

"Why bother about him?" Tuo Baxiao replied casually.

Since that was the case, Jiang Congyan couldn’t be bothered to guess. But she soon found out what Su Li meant.

"Yo!"

"Hey!"

Jiang Congyan heard the commotion outside and stepped out to see Su Li being chased by Lingxiao, frantically scrambling away. He kept swatting at it, desperately shielding his face with his arms.

"Get away, you stinky bird! Don’t claw at me—I didn’t provoke you this time, did I?" Su Li dodged while muttering curses.

"General Su Li? What are you doing here?"

Hearing her voice, Su Li perked up. "Khatun, Khatun! Please rein in your bird. If it scars my face, Lan Zhu won’t ever forgive me!"