The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

Heavy rain in mid-April.

"Uncle, Uncle, it's raining so hard!"

Xiao He ran happily to Chen Huai'an, who was lying down, and then climbed up on her little legs.

Chen Huai'an stretched out his arm, picked up his little niece, sat her on his stomach, and pinched her little nose: "You knew it was raining, yet you still ran around?"

"Uncle, I missed you." Xiao He said softly, her big eyes wide open.

Chen Huai'an couldn't stand it anymore, so he gently tapped her forehead and scolded her, "You're getting more and more cunning now. You weren't like this before."

"Mother said that Uncle was always very cunning," Xiaohe said with a straight face. "Mother also said that it was Uncle who led me astray."

"I don't think this is right. Uncle is such a good person, and Xiaohe is such a well-behaved girl. How could they have led her astray?"

"Haha, that's right." Chen Huai'an laughed heartily, "Xiuya doesn't know anything. It's normal for a nephew to resemble his uncle. Besides, there's nothing wrong with you doing this. At least you won't suffer losses in the future."

Xiao He tilted her head, her two neatly tied pigtails swaying back and forth, looking incredibly cute.

"Uncle, who is Xiuya?"

"Well..." Chen Huai'an grinned, "You can ask your uncle, but he might not be able to answer you. Anyway, Xiuya is a very close person to you, so why don't you ask your mother?"

"I still have close relatives?" Xiaohe's eyes lit up. Her mother often talked about Chen Huai'an when she was little, but never told her that she had any close relatives besides Chen Huai'an.

Could it be... that I have an aunt?

Xiaohe didn't suspect Chen Huai'an was lying to her, but when she thought of this possibility, she couldn't sit still anymore.

She climbed off Chen Huai'an with her short legs and said, "Uncle, I'll go ask Mom if I can bring back some pastries for you later."

Chen Huai'an watched her trot away, suppressing a laugh, and waved, saying, "Okay, remember to take it to your uncle."

"Okay."

Xiao He's voice gradually faded away. Without hesitation, she ran to the study and found Chen Sujin writing.

"Mother, Mother!"

Xiao He called out before she even entered the door. Upon hearing this, Chen Sujin put down her pen, looked at her daughter rushing towards her, and a tender look appeared in her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Didn't you just go to see your uncle?"

Xiao He hugged Chen Sujin, tilted her little head up, and asked, "Mother, who is Xiuya?"

Chen Sujin: ?

Her eyes changed instantly; all the gentleness vanished, replaced by coldness.

For some reason, Xiao He suddenly shuddered.

"..."

"Wow!"

A loud cry echoed throughout the Chen residence, and several curses could be faintly heard. Chen Huai'an listened intently, chuckling to himself.

"How dare you call me 'Xiuya'? You're asking for it, aren't you? I'll beat you to death!"

"Waaah... Uncle, Mom's hitting me! Waaah! Uncle, come quick!"

You could tell that Xiao He's bottom was probably taking a heavy hit.

Chen Huai'an squinted slightly, listening to the sound of rain falling and Xiao He's cries.

I felt incredibly satisfied.

However, he hadn't enjoyed it for long when Chen Sujin came over angrily, followed by Xiao He, who was clutching her bottom, her eyes red, and crying.

Upon seeing this scene, Chen Huai'an immediately understood that Chen Sujin had clearly finished dealing with Xiao He and was now preparing to deal with him.

In the entire city of Chang'an, only Chen Huai'an knew that Xiuya was Chen Sujin's former name.

Chen Huai'an got up almost without hesitation, ready to run away.

Just then, Feng Zhidai walked in holding an umbrella and called out, "Huai'an."

Chen Sujin paused, glanced at Chen Huai'an who was grinning smirking, turned back and glared angrily at Xiao He, then pulled her away again.

Xiao He looked at Chen Huai'an with despair and hope, hoping that he could save her.

However, Chen Huai'an acted as if he hadn't seen anything and warmly greeted Feng Zhidai.

Xiao He: "......"

Xiaohe didn't understand, and she felt very wronged.

Also, who exactly is Xiuya?

"..."

"Huai'an... what's going on here...?"

Feng Zhidai didn't react at first, but he had just seen Chen Sujin's strange expression and Xiao He's crying, so he was a little confused.

"Oh, it's nothing. Xiaohe made a mistake, and my sister is disciplining her. She's just a kid," Chen Huai'an explained casually.

Feng Zhidai didn't think much of it, put away his oil-paper umbrella, and said, "My father sent a message that the unrest in Lingnan will be resolved soon. He will come to Chang'an to report on his duties around June and will wait until you and my younger sister get married before leaving."

Chen Huai'an nodded: "Okay, let's see when Uncle Feng arrives. When he does, we'll go out of Chang'an to meet him."

"Okay." Feng Zhidai smiled.

Chen Huai'an's words, "We'll go out of Chang'an to greet you," are enough to explain a lot.

"You came here today, surely it wasn't just for this matter?" Chen Huai'an asked, leading him into the house and instructing Yunyan to serve tea.

"That's right." Feng Zhidai sat down and said frankly, "With the support of the Central Plains and the cooperation of my father, Lingnan has initially built a canal route to the Central Plains."

"However, some waterways have not been completely cleared, allowing only one boat to pass at a time, preventing large-scale navigation."

"The locust plague is getting more and more serious now, and the number of victims is also increasing. Based on past experience, May is the worst month when locust plagues occur."

"By May, the imperial treasury may be under great pressure, after all, we still have to prepare for war against the Eastern Turks. Therefore, I asked you to suggest that we start preliminary trade."

"Leaving aside salt and such, even silk from the Central Plains is quite valuable in Lingnan."

Chen Huai'an pondered and asked, "You mean, we should simultaneously engage in trade and construct the Grand Canal?"

"Yes," Feng Zhidai replied. "If we wait until it is fully repaired, it will take a lot of time. The locust plague is so severe, so it is better to start trade first."

"Since a feasible route has already been initially established, it's not unreasonable to start trade first."

Chen Huai'an stroked his chin and thought for a moment before agreeing: "Sure, there are many things in the Central Plains that your Lingnan region needs, and many things in Lingnan are equally valuable in the Central Plains."

"But how should we conduct trade?"

Feng Zhidai was stumped by the question. After a moment of contemplation, he asked in bewilderment, "How else can we trade?"

"You are in charge of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, and industries such as refined salt, ironware, and papermaking are also under your control."

"You can sell your goods to the Feng family, and then the Feng family can buy them with money, or you can barter with them. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

Chen Huai'an's gaze suddenly became subtle; to be honest, he really wanted to laugh.

Perhaps Feng Zhidai was a skilled warrior and also quite talented in literature; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was both a man of letters and a woman of martial prowess.

But... in some ways it does seem a bit... well, slow.

"..."