You Tuo was quite pleased with the behavior of those around him, his tone arrogant, "How about it, Lord Su? You've never seen such fine ginseng before, have you? Take a good look around, because once we leave, you won't have another chance to see it again."
Su Wenqian had seen seventy-year-old live ginseng, but he had never seen a three-hundred-year-old dead ginseng. His breathing became slightly heavier, and this slight change was caught by Jin Shanyao.
Seeing her nephew being ridiculed, Jin Shanyao immediately became displeased. Who was being bullied?
Her eyes darted around, and suddenly she pointed to the sky, "Look..."
Everyone was startled by the sound of the Jin Shanyao. They looked in the direction she was pointing, but saw nothing, which made them a little curious.
Su Wenqian coughed twice, " Shopkeeper Jin... what do you want us to see?"
Jin Shanyao in surprise, "Didn't you see?"
Jin Xiaoji covered his crotch and tilted his head to look up, but there was nothing there... Just as he was getting curious, his chair was kicked, and he instinctively looked up.
Then Jin Shanyao smiled and asked him, "Can't others see it either, can't you see it either?"
"Huh??" Jin Xiaoji asked, stunned.
"Wow..." she said, puzzled. "That shouldn't be the case. You Silla people can't be blind to the boasts Silla make."
"You..." You Tuo's anger flared up, but he forcibly suppressed it. He couldn't lose face as Silla person, so he gritted his teeth and mocked, "This... androgynous shopkeeper, you know about ginseng?"
Jin Shanyao sighed softly, looking at him with pity, as if he were an idiot. "You can't even tell the difference between men and women, and your family dared to let you out."
As she spoke, she turned to Meng Anzhi and said, "Go, help the young prince distinguish between three-hundred-year-old and one-hundred-year-old ones, lest he become a laughingstock in the capital..."
You Tuo Jin Shanyao and invited a young girl to appraise his ginseng king, his face darkened to the point of being humiliated... utterly humiliated.
He turned to look at Su Wenqian, wanting to see how this official would react, but to his surprise, Su Wenqian smiled broadly and showed no intention of stopping him.
You Tuo wondered to himself, "Has the Sheng Dynasty become so powerful that it allows a child to step on an envoy's face? Or is Su Wenqian just bluffing?"
He pulled himself out of his thoughts and waited to see what the child had to say.
Meng Anzhi stepped forward. Although she had never seen a 300-year-old ginseng, she knew about the habits, growth conditions, and age of ginseng.
The ginseng from the Silla envoy is clearly of the wrong age.
Meng Anzhi said slowly, "The young prince's ginseng has relatively intact roots and the rhizome is quite old. It can barely be considered a century-old ginseng, more than enough to nourish the body."
Meng Anzhi paused slightly and looked at Su Wenqian.
Su Wenqian laughed and said, "It's alright, just tell the truth. Whether it's right or wrong, consider it as entertainment. I think the young prince is broad-minded and wouldn't hold a grudge against a child."
You Tuo Meng Anzhi's sharp eyes, and furious that Su Wenqian dared to tolerate the merchants bullying them.
Upon hearing this, Meng Anzhi continued, "Judging from the rhizome scars, ginseng skin, and roots of the ginseng... it's obvious that the soil nutrients weren't sufficient, the sunlight was too intense, and the rainfall was uneven. It's already remarkable that it can live for a hundred years..."
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief after speaking, wiped the sweat from her clothes with her palms... She looked up at Jin Shanyao and saw her looking at her with a face full of pride and smugness.
Meng Anzhi unconsciously curled her lips into a smile, bowed to Su Wenqian and You Tuo, and then eagerly returned to her aunt's side.
Shiyan happily greeted Meng Anzhi, but she didn't even glance at him, Shiyan somewhat disappointed...
Meng Anzhi returned to her seat, her belated nervousness causing her to move even closer to Jin Shanyao; she had been terrified just now... Luckily, she hadn't made a mistake.
Su Wenqian felt a sense of satisfaction at having avenged a great grudge. He raised his wine cup and smiled at You Tuo, "Young Prince, please don't take offense. This girl is the young master of the Anzhi Hall. She has studied medicine since childhood, and her family owns several mountains where they grow medicinal herbs."
"If you want to purchase medicinal herbs, you can talk to her... However, Anzhi Hall's medicinal herbs are not easy to obtain..." he said, looking at Jin Shanyao.
" Shopkeeper Jin, have you finished harvesting the medicinal herbs this year?"
"The harvest is complete, and the crops are currently being dried... They will soon be transported to various locations."
Su Wenqian sighed with regret, "This whole thing... but it's alright, you can cooperate again next time..."
You Tuo, enraged, laughed, closed the wooden box, pretended nothing had happened, and continued chatting and laughing with Su Wenqian.
"Last year we acquired Map of the Nine Border Regions from a previous dynasty, and we brought it with us this year."
His gaze swept over the students at the table. "I've heard that Qingzhou Prefecture has three academies, and each academy has produced students who pass the imperial examinations, become officials, and support the Sheng Dynasty dynasty."
You Tuo, having said this, turned to Su Wenqian and said, " Lord Su, I don't quite understand this map. Could you, fellow scholars, please explain it to us? Let our Silla delegation witness the demeanor of future officials of the Sheng Dynasty."
Su Wenqian knew perfectly well that this was You Tuo testing the Sheng Dynasty's economic strength and the capabilities of its future officials.
He tested his way through Qingzhou Prefecture, Jing'an Prefecture, Sui'an Prefecture, one by one. By the time he arrived in the capital, he had a fairly accurate grasp of the general situation of the Sheng Dynasty.
The attitudes of the various government offices are the source of Silla's confidence in this negotiation trip to the capital.
Whether a country pays tribute or not, what to send as tribute, how to send it, and how often to send it... all depend on what the country sees and hears along the way.
Su Wenqian looked at Zhao Cheng, the dean of the Green Mountain Academy. He had once been the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy and knew all the intricacies of the matter.
Zhao Cheng understood and was about to get up and step forward when You Tuo stopped him, " Headmaster Zhao, please wait."
He glanced around the room. " Lord Su, didn't you hear me clearly? If I remember correctly, Sheng Dynasty just took the provincial examination last year, didn't he?"
You Tuo his fingers, a smile playing on his lips. "Many of you here are probably newly appointed scholars. How about... we invite them to speak?"
"Let me also witness the grandeur of the next provincial examination in this Sheng Dynasty..."
Upon hearing this, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Su Wenqian's smile remained unchanged, but his hand clenched slightly inside his sleeve. He looked at Zhao Cheng, Zhao Cheng shook his head almost imperceptibly.
He knew these students well; they were all gentle and polite. As for a spy like the young prince, who was all sweet talk, even he, let alone the newly appointed scholar, would have to be careful what he said.
The pressure was like an invisible bandage, wrapping around every student, making it hard for them to breathe. Everyone stood up straight, their palms sweating. They dared not back down, nor could they back down.
To back down now would not only disgrace the academy and Qingzhou Prefecture, but also tarnish the integrity of the scholars of this Sheng Dynasty.
But who will be the one to take the lead?
That was a good answer; it helped my classmate out of an awkward situation and brought honor to the academy.
A poor answer could lead to public embarrassment at best, and expulsion from the academy at worst, so no one dared to step forward.
Looking at their varied expressions, You Tuo finally felt relieved. He leaned back lazily in his chair, toying with the wine glass in his hand.
"Even the scholars of the Sheng Dynasty are nothing more than..." Before he could finish the sentence, two children stood up from the table. They were Zhao Zhiyuan and Meng Anci.
The two exchanged a glance, neither willing to sit down first. Zhao Zhiyuan was afraid that Meng Anci too ruthless, while Meng Anci was afraid that he would be too lenient.