The Human Emperor c1-2382
Page 26
After a momentary silence, the two monks suddenly spoke.
“What conditions?”
Wang Chong was overjoyed. Initially, he thought that he would need many rounds of negotiation before he could obtain the right. He didn’t think that the two monks would be so straightforward.
He didn’t expect that the situation would turn out like this!
Wang Chong had expected to encounter difficulties while trying to fight for the right to distribute, but contrary to his expectations, he received such a reply. The two monks actually didn’t have the authority to sell him the right.
“…However, if you agree to a condition of ours, we are highly confident that we would be able to fight for this right to distribute for you from our High Priest.”
The two monks said earnestly.
“What conditions do you need me to meet?”
Wang Chong asked.
“We have brought a total of 300 jun of ores with us on this journey. If you are able to sell all of these Hyderabad ores within a single month and prove your capabilities to us, we can get you the right to distribute in the Central Plains, and perhaps even the entire Eastern World.”
One of the foreign monks said seriously.
“If you are unable to do so, then I’m afraid it would be hard for us to agree to this request of yours.”
The other foreign monk added.
Ssss!
Wang Chong took in a deep breath and calmed his heart.
He knew from the start that changing history wouldn’t be an easy task. He couldn’t possibly convince the Sindhu to sell the right to distribute the Hyderabad ores with just a few mere words. However, Wang Chong didn’t expect that the difficulty of the matter would be so great.
“300 jun of ores, that is equivalent to 90000 gold taels! Furthermore, in a single month!”
Graveness appeared in Wang Chong’s eyes.
He had already realized that this matter wasn’t as simple as he initially thought it out to be.
To the current Wang Chong, 90000 gold taels was something completely out of his league. Even if he were to empty the Wang Clan’s treasury, he wouldn’t be able to fork out such a sum.
Wang Chong understood that it would be a nigh impossible task!
A trade of 90000 gold taels, probably 99% of the top merchants and traders in Great Tang wouldn’t dare to take down this deal.
A month was simply too short!
Perhaps only a genius could do it.
“300 jun of Hyderabad ores isn’t a small sum. How did they obtain so many ores? Furthermore, the distance between the Central Plains and Sindhu is great, how did they manage to transport it over?”
A deep frown lodged itself onto Wang Chong’s forehead.
The sum was much larger than he had previously estimated. Wang Chong thought that they would only have a maximum of 50 jun in their possession. Yet, it turned out to be… 300 jun!
This sum was simply too massive!
“Is this related to the famine in Sindhu?”
Wang Chong thought.
Two foreign monks traveling a long distance all the way to Great Tang with 300 jun of precious ore in their possession; without a doubt, this wasn’t normal.
Clearly, the famine problem in Sindhu was severe and they urgently needed huge amounts of food.
Otherwise, the two monks wouldn’t have listed such a bizarre and nearly impossible request. The one month dateline probably had something to do with it as well.
“This isn’t good!”
Wang Chong was troubled.
If the problem in Sindhu was really serious, this meant that the two monks were forced into doing this. On this aspect, they probably didn’t have much choice.
Initially, Wang Chong had intended to ask them to lower the number, but from the looks of it, it didn’t seem like it was up for negotiation.
“Gongzi, are you able to do it?”
The two foreign monks asked gravely.
Even though the two looked calm, their hearts were actually beating even more furiously than Wang Chong’s. The problem in Sindhu turned out to be worse than they had expected. In the last few days, they had already received numerous messages to hurry by the Sindhu High Priest.
If Wang Chong was unable to accomplish this feat, their journey to the Central Plains would be an utter failure!
“Alright!”
Wang Chong hesitated for a moment before nodding his head solemnly.
90000 gold taels wasn’t a small sum, but as long as he worked hard, it wasn’t an impossible one. Furthermore, if one didn’t enter the den of the tiger, how could they obtain a tiger cub?
i.e If one doesn’t put themselves in danger, they would be unable to reap benefits
The Great Tang had already missed out on the Hyderabad ores in his previous life; this life, the Great Tang was already so close to obtaining it. Regardless of the price, Wang Chong could not allow himself and the Great Tang to miss out on such an opportunity.
“If the two masters have no problems with it, I hope to head to the Court of Judicial Review to prepare and sign the contract now. Also, I hope you will not reach any sort of agreement regarding the Hyderabad ores with anyone else.”
Wang Chong said.
“Of course! It is only right that we do so!”
The two monks were overjoyed. Given the harsh conditions they had imposed upon him through the deal, they thought that Wang Chong wouldn’t agree to it. Yet, contrary to their expectations, Wang Chong actually accepted it in the end.
“Looks like we have underestimated gongzi. We didn’t think that the clan behind you would be that powerful!”
“If gongzi and your clan can accomplish this mission, we would become true working partners and you will earn the respect of all Sindhis.”
The two foreign monks were delighted.
“Hahaha, the two masters are too polite! …”
Wang Chong laughed.
If the two monks were to know the truth, they wouldn’t have thought so. Right now, Wang Chong was trying to catch a fish empty-handed. Given how he had nothing now, there was nothing for him to lose.
“Young Master Chong, someone seems to be following us.”
Just as Wang Chong was about to settle this matter quickly and bring the two to the Court of Judicial Review, he suddenly heard Shen Hai whisper by his ear.
“Oh?”
Wang Chong’s consciousness was jolted. In the midst of his words, Wang Chong inconspicuously tilted half a shoulder over to look toward where Shen Hai was gesturing toward. His peripheral vision immediately changed completely.
Shen Hai and Meng Long was incomparably surprised by his moves.
When did their young master learn such incredible moves? This didn’t seem like something that could be done by a fifteen-year-old child! At this instant, the two found it difficult to associate Wang Chong with that incapable Young Master Chong in their minds.
Wang Chong didn’t know the thoughts of the two. At the corner of his peripheral vision, Wang Chong could see two figures sneaking about in the streets behind him.
“They’re from Yao Residence!”
Wang Chong’s eyelids suddenly twitched.
Shen Hai and Meng Long had yet to identify their origin, but Wang Chong could already tell that they were Yao Feng’s guards.
Back then, the Vast Crane Pavilion was filled with the guards from the Yao Residence. Of the large group that Yao Feng gathered in the room, the duo was also part of the crowd.
By the time the two of them entered, the battle had already ended; his younger sister had already captured Yao Feng. A commotion had already broken out in the Vast Crane Pavilion then, that’s why Yao Feng thought that he didn’t notice these two people and sent them to follow Wang Chong.
Chapter 22: Cousin Zhu Yan
“Those fellow sure react fast!”
Wang Chong frowned.
The response from the Yao Clan came faster than he thought.
“Those
two people had been following us ever since we left the house. I wasn’t able to confirm it back then, but I am sure that they are here for us now.
Meng Long came closer and whispered with an affirmative voice.
Wang Chong didn’t say a word, but a storm had already broken out in his mind.
In the Vast Crane Pavilion, he and his little sister had wrecked Yao Guang Yi’s plan. Wang Chong had tried his best to cover up the matter so as to not incur anyone’s suspicion.
However, Yao Guang Yi was a wily old fox and he was wary of everything. Could it be that his activities in the Vast Crane Pavilion had incurred the other party’s suspicion? That’s why he commanded Yao Feng to see what he is up to?
If that was true, then this wasn’t a good sign.
Wang Chong did not wish to attract their attention so early on!
“Masters, do you know scriptures?”
A thought flashed through Wang Chong’s mind. He abruptly turned around and asked the two Sindhi monks.
“Scriptures?”
The two monks were astonished by Wang Chong’s question. Even so, they replied his question honestly:
“We do know a little bit of it.”
What kind of joke is this? If a Sindhi monk didn’t know Buddhist scriptures, there wouldn’t be a single monk in the world who knew scriptures. Wang Chong’s question was equivalent to asking whether a hen could lay eggs.
“Great! Can I trouble the two masters to chant a line then?”
Wang Chong clapped his hands together and grinned.
The two foreign monks found the situation ludicrous, they were unable to comprehend the significance of Wang Chong’s actions. Even so, after the deal regarding the Hyderabad ores was confirmed, they felt as though a burden was lifted from their hearts.
It was only a small matter to chant a portion of the scripture for Wang Chong.
“Of course we can.”
The two answered frankly. The immediately started to chant a portion of the Sanskrit scriptures for Wang Chong.
…
“What is that lad up to?”
“Is he joking? He left home so early in the morning just to find these two monks to chant scriptures for him?”
Upon hearing the Sanskrit chanting from the streets, by the alley, the two Yao Residence guards stared at one another in shock. They felt as though they had been toyed with.
Wang Chong had left home so secretively, so the two thought that he had received some important intelligence or so. Yet, it turned out that he was just looking for two foreign monks to chant scriptures for him.
This was too ridiculous!
The two of them were completely unable to understand how the thoughts of these rich scions worked.
“What did I say? I said that this lad would never change, and gongzi had overestimated him! See, I am right! Take a look for yourself, is this lad even worth our effort? Our entire morning had been wasted on him!”
The Yao Residence guard with a scar on his face was filled with resentment. Seeing Wang Chong chuckling with joy from afar, he felt his anger surging through him.
“That may not be the case. Master and gongzi probably have their own intentions.”
The other guard said awkwardly.
“Intentions? Heh! You mean this? If I were to say, master and gongzi are simply making a big fuss out of nothing. He is just a kid, what kind of problems can he cause?”
The scarred guard scoffed:
“Besides, shouldn’t we follow his younger sister instead? Weren’t you at the Vast Crane Pavilion as well? The one that was truly impressive was his younger sister, and she should be the one we should follow. that fellow was only a sidekick then.”
The other guard opened his mouth to refute him, but he found himself unable to come up with an argument at all:
“Let’s just watch on for a little longer. Perhaps we might discover something else about him!”
“Discover? Discover what? It is enough wasting the entire morning on him, do you still want to waste an afternoon as well? If you want to wait, go ahead. In any case, I won’t be accompanying you.”
The scarred guard spouted impatiently.
The other guard opened his mouth only to close it again. He glanced into the distance and saw that the two foreign monks had already finished their chanting. Wang Chong bowed, invited the two foreign monks onto his carriage and left in the direction of the Wang Family Residence.
It looked like he was prepared to invite the two foreign monks to his home to chant!
“Sigh!”
The other guard sighed and finally gave up:
“Let’s forget it then! Gongzi had asked us to report all news to him as soon as possible, so let’s return to the residence to report this matter to him.”
As they spoke, they silently turned around and left.
“Gongzi, they have left.”
On the carriage, Meng Long released his grip on the hidden window at the back of the carriage and turned his head to say to Wang Chong. He had surveyed the surroundings for a long time and confirmed that the duo had not followed them.
“Great, let’s head to the Court of Judicial Review now!”
As though expecting this scenario, Wang Chong smiled.
Xiyuyu!
The horse neighed and pulled the carriage in a u-turn. Then, turning at a cross junction onto another path, it headed straight for the Central Plains Court of Judicial Review.
…
The Court of Judicial Review was in charge of preceding over criminal cases and settling contractual disputes in the capital.
However, the most important use of this location was to bear testimony to a contract. Any contract that was created here was extremely binding. The contracts made here were almost equivalent to being endorsed by the entire Great Tang Empire.
As such, no one dared to break the contract easily.
For many businessmen who were not well-acquainted with one another, it was the best to sign and file their contracts here. In fact, the first thing that many of the foreign merchants from Abbasid Caliphate, Western Region, Turkic Khaganate, Ü-Tsang, Silla and such countries upon reaching the capital was to head to the Court of Judicial Review to prepare their documents.
There were too many rich merchants in the capital and Wang Chong was worried that some other hiccups may occur if he were to delay the matter. Thus, he hurriedly pulled the two monks to the Court of Judicial Review to sign the contract.
To the two Sindhi monks, the Court of Judicial Review bearing witness to the contract meant an additional layer of security for them.
…
“Hu! I’m finally done!”
Wang Chong shook the contract in his hand as he walked out of the Court of Judicial Review. His heart felt a lot lighter than it did before.
“Masters, thank you! Within a month, I will definitely pay you the money for 300 jun of ores. However, I hope that you both would keep your promise.”
Wang Chong turned around to look at them.
“Of course. The Gods above can bear testimony that we Sindhis never break our promises.”
Below the large chinese scholar tree by the road, the two foreign monks said with a solemn face.
The first time they met, they did not really have high expectations of this young man and as such, they did not think that he would be a suitable collaborator for them in the Central Plains.
However, as they interacted with him, their impression of Wang Chong changed.
This young man’s thoughts were completely different from the average populace. Just to take the ‘right to distribute’ for example, they still weren’t able to get a clear grip on the concept yet.
Furthermore, his identity seemed even nobler than what they had previously thought. They felt this from the atmosphere in the Court of Judicial Review back then.
However, no matter how it was, this was something positive to their sales of Hyderabad ores in the Great Tang.
“Masters, let’s part he
re. We’ll get into contact if there’s still anything else.”
Wang Chong said to the duo.
“Un.”
The two foreign monks nodded their heads and left with widened strides.
Seeing the two disappearing into the corner, Wang Chong retracted his gaze.
“…Right now, I need to find a way to earn 90000 gold taels!”
Wang Chong mumbled.
Even though he got the right to distribute the Hyderabad ore from the Sindhi monks, what was troublesome was the latter part. After all, 90000 gold taels was by no means a small sum.
Wang Chong only had a monthly allowance of a few silver taels. Going by his monthly allowance, he wouldn’t have enough money even by the time he was lying in his coffin.
“My head hurts! I’ll think about the matter after I get back!”
Wang Chong patted his head and turned around to get onto his carriage.
Gululu!
The sound of the movement of a carriage echoed. Wang Chong had barely taken a few steps when something flashed across his eyes. A copper-colored carriage suddenly appeared perpendicular before him, blocking the path between him and his carriage.
Wang Chong was taken aback. He subconsciously lifted his head to take a look. When he saw the familiar flower carvings on the copper, Wang Chong’s face paled as though he was slapped by someone.
“Not good!”
Wang Chong’s face changed and he immediately turned around to flee, but it was too late. A smooth white jade-like hand which exuded the scent of flowers stretched out from the windows of the carriage as though a snake.
The movement of the arm didn’t look swift, but given Wang Chong’s abilities, he was unable to evade it at all. In an instant, his ear was held hostage.
“You little rascal, you dare to flee upon seeing your elder sister?”
From the elegant carriage, a haughty voice of a woman harrumphed. She sounded extremely gleeful, as though she was proud of the fact that she managed to grab Wang Chong’s ear.
“My dear cousin, let go, let go. I won’t flee, I won’t flee…”
Wang Chong’s ear was tugged on and twisted by that jade-like hand. His entire ear turned bright red as though it was scorched by flames and he howled in pain.
“What did you call me?”