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

Chapter 99 The Foreign Merchant's Pawn Money (Seeking First Subscription)
Li Xian was taken aback by Liu Jianjun's sudden question.

She then rubbed her forehead, saying with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, "The officials in the Prince's Palace all have established rules, so where does this 'Chief Textile Officer' come from?"

He turned to the father and daughter merchants from the Hu region who were already at a loss because of the name of the Prince of Pei, and explained in a gentler tone: "Old man, young lady, there is no need to panic."

"Liu Changshi's words were witty and unintentional."

"His meaning is that since the young lady is proficient in the initial processing of buttercream, she is a rare talent. I value this matter very much and wish to hire her into the royal palace to be in charge of the processing of buttercream. She will not be an ordinary servant, but will be treated with the respect due to a craftsman or master craftsman."

"As for salary and benefits, you two will definitely not be treated unfairly."

Li Xian thought for a moment and then said, "As for the mortgage debt you owe for this house, I will take the liberty of paying it off for you. What do you say?"

Liu Jianjun nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I meant!"

This time, Aisha's bright blue eyes were wide open, as if she couldn't quite process this huge turn of events.

From almost being forced to buy a "mattress" to being suddenly invited to work at the residence of a prince of the Tang Dynasty?
She instinctively gripped her father's sleeve.

The elderly merchant was so excited that he trembled all over.

These merchants from the Central Plains, wandering in foreign lands, what was their greatest wish? Wasn't it to have a stable and prosperous place to rely on? Now, this huge windfall had fallen right on their heads, and it was from the Prince of Pei's mansion, a place of imperial nobility!
His jewelry jingled as he almost immediately pulled his daughter to kneel and express his gratitude: "Your Highness Prince Pei..."

"No need to be polite."

Li Xian raised his hand to stop them from moving, then looked at Liu Jianjun and asked, "Are you still going to Yankangfang to find textile craftsmen?"

Liu Jianjun then slapped his forehead and looked at Aisha, asking, "You know how to weave, right?"

Aisha clearly realized this was a huge opportunity for their family, and hurriedly nodded: "Yes! Yes! Chief Secretary... I can weave plain cloth with a simple waist loom. I've seen my mother use a more complicated loom before!"

Seeing Aisha's affirmation, Liu Jianjun immediately grinned and looked at Li Xian: "Then we don't need to go for now. This girl can handle the basic textiles! We can talk about the advanced ones later!"

Then Li Xian looked at the old merchant and said, "Alright, you and your daughter should pack your things and come with me to the Prince of Pei's residence. From now on, your food, clothing and other necessities will be provided according to the Prince's residence's customs, and you will not be shortchanged."

"As for the contract and payment, Chief Secretary Liu will discuss it with you in detail."

Li Xian didn't know how much money the so-called cotton cloth could "get" for the Prince of Pei's mansion, so he simply handed the matter over to Liu Jianjun.

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Chief Secretary!"

This time, the elderly merchant bowed down with genuine sincerity, his voice choked with emotion.

Aisha awkwardly followed her father in bowing, her face flushed with a mixture of surprise and apprehension.

……

The elderly merchant spent a long time packing his luggage and valuables. While he was doing so, Liu Jianjun instructed a guard to hire several donkey carts and had the guards in the mansion help the elderly merchant move his luggage.

At this moment, Aisha cautiously approached, first glancing timidly at the guard standing beside Li Xian, then bowing to the ground and asking, "Your Highness, Prince Pei!"

Li Xian was naturally not worried that a young girl from the Hu people would hurt him, and he generously gestured for her to stand up and speak: "No need for formalities, what is it?"

Aisha did not get up immediately, but maintained a respectful posture: "Your Highness is kind and has waived my father's collateral fee. Aisha and my father are extremely grateful and are willing to serve Your Highness and the Chief Secretary to the death."

"But... but the pawn certificate is still in the creditor's hands. As long as it is not redeemed, my father will be uneasy, fearing that something unexpected might happen..."

“Aisha dares to ask Your Highness for permission to grant me the two and a half bolts of silk that were promised to me, so that my father can redeem the contract immediately and be at ease, free from all worries, and wholeheartedly serve the Prince’s Palace.”

After she finished speaking, she seemed to have exhausted all her courage, her head hanging even lower, her slender shoulders and back slightly tense, awaiting the verdict. Li Xian was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but then understood.

This little girl is thoughtful and considerate, and her filial piety is commendable.

He didn't feel offended; on the contrary, he admired her straightforwardness and sense of responsibility.

At this moment, Liu Jianjun also heard the commotion and came over, grinning as he said, "This little girl is so clever, she's worried we'll scare her."

Then, smiling, he asked Aisha, "Does the pawnshop where your grandfather owes money accept silver?"

The pawnshops in Chang'an were different from these foreign merchants; they almost exclusively accepted copper coins and silk, and rarely accepted silver. It seems that Liu Jianjun also knew about these kinds of things.

“I acknowledge it! I acknowledge it!” Aisha kowtowed repeatedly, saying, “The pawnshops in Chang’an and our Hu people all use silver in their dealings!”

Liu Jianjun nodded, then took out a silver ingot from his cloth pocket and said, "One tael of silver is enough to cover the two and a half bolts of silk. Consider the extra a reward for you!"

Aisha took the silver, kowtowed twice, and shouted, "Aisha will go and return the loan right away, without delaying the work at the Prince's Palace!"

Then, amidst the tinkling of silver bells, they rushed into the depths of the West Market.

While the guards were still helping the elderly Hu merchant carry his luggage, Li Xian, having nothing else to do, asked with a smile, "You value Aisha highly?"

Liu Jianjun did not respond.

Li Xian was puzzled and turned his head to look, only to find Liu Jianjun staring blankly at Aisha's running waist.

So he laughed and scolded, "Why is your mind filled with nothing but love between men and women!"

"Slander! This is slander!"

Liu Jianjun snapped out of his daze, glanced at the elderly merchant with a guilty conscience, and after realizing that the old man wasn't paying attention, he continued, "I was thinking about your question... What did you ask just now?"

Li Xian chuckled and asked again, "You value Aisha highly?"

"of course!"

Liu Jianjun became interested and started analyzing for Li Xian on his fingers: "First, she knows how to remove the seeds from cotton."

"Don't underestimate those two broken rollers. They are the core tools. With them, we can turn the raw cotton harvested from the field into usable lint. This is much more efficient than picking each cotton grain by hand!"

"Secondly, did you see her mattress just now? It no longer has the shape of cotton, which means she still knows how to fluff cotton, making it fluffier so that it can be spun into thread."

"Third, she can even weave cloth on the simplest loom!"

"In other words, she has seen, touched, and practiced the entire process from raw materials to finished products!"

"With her, we've almost completed half of the process of making money from cotton!"

Li Xian smiled and looked at Liu Jianjun, retorting, "But you still haven't said how to turn cotton into silk thread. If this step fails, wouldn't it be a complete waste of effort?"

"It will definitely work."

Liu Jianjun's eyes were full of confidence.

……

(End of this chapter)