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

Chapter 98 Aisha (Seeking first subscription)
Liu Jianjun is such a strange person.

Li Xian was taken aback at first, but when he realized how vulgar yet apt the description of "original quilt" was, he was both amused and exasperated. He scolded Li Xian, "Stop talking nonsense! How can a dignified chief secretary of the Prince's mansion speak so recklessly!"

Liu Jianjun chuckled, seemingly unconcerned, but his gaze was fixed intently on the direction where the old merchant had disappeared, rubbing his hands together as if he couldn't wait any longer.

Before long, the old merchant from the Central Plains led a man out from the inner room.

It was a young girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in an exotic-style dress. She had deep-set eyes, a high nose, and fair skin. Her long chestnut hair was braided into several delicate braids, adorned with small turquoise and silver ornaments, which complemented the old man's accessories.

She clutched a heavy, bulging linen bag tightly to her chest, her eyes timid yet filled with curiosity as she cautiously observed the two elegantly dressed young men in the shop.

Li Xian thought to himself, Liu Jianjun must really like this kind of woman.

Because the girl was light-bodied and had a slender waist, she fit Liu Jianjun's aesthetic preferences. It was just unknown whether Liu Jianjun could accept this kind of "young girl".

"It shouldn't be that bad. This chestnut hair color looks unhealthy, and it's not as straight as Shangguan Wan'er's. It lacks the beauty that belongs to the Tang Dynasty," Li Xian thought to himself.

But then, Li Xian saw Liu Jianjun's eyes light up, and his smile changed...

Hmm...that's a bit strange.

He was muttering something like "ba" or "za".

"Guest, this is my daughter, Aisha," the elderly merchant introduced, then turned to his daughter and instructed, "Aisha, quickly show the distinguished guest the white roses you have collected."

The girl named Aisha responded softly, stepped forward, carefully placed the cloth bag in her arms on a fairly clean table, and slowly opened it.

Liu Jianjun immediately rushed forward, not even paying attention to the girl named Aisha.

He lifted the cloth bag, revealing clusters of clean, white rosettes inside.

The white roses have lost their original appearance and become clumps of fluffy balls, some even merging into one.

Li Xiangang was about to say that the white rosebuds had already lost their shape, so how could they still be useful?

But Liu Jianjun's eyes suddenly brightened, and he subconsciously reached out to grab a handful to take a closer look.

Aisha, like a startled fawn, quickly gathered the bag back together, raised her eyes, and said in a soft, slightly timid voice, "These... these white rosebuds, I've been preparing them for a long time... If you want them, my lord, you can't just take them for free."

It was spoken in very clear Tang language, so it seems this young girl has lived in Chang'an for quite some time.

The elderly merchant from Hu showed a hint of embarrassment and quickly explained, "Please forgive me, sir. My daughter is not stingy. It's just that she picked these little by little from the withered plants last winter, carefully removing the cotton seeds and small leaves. She herself is reluctant to use much of it, only enough to make one quilt..."

Liu Jianjun withdrew his hand, not annoyed at all, but with an even wider smile: "I understand, I understand! Little girl, you're right, there's no such thing as a free lunch... uh, there's no such thing as a free gift!"
"Name your price, and I'll take all of these... and if you have any more at home!"

Aisha blinked her bright blue eyes, seemingly not fully understanding what was meant by "lunch," but she realized that Liu Jianjun was willing to pay for it.

She hesitated, glancing at her father and then at the bundle of cotton, seemingly struggling to assess its value. Finally, she whispered, "This...this is all we have. It took a lot of work...and only my family in Chang'an has this...Could...could we exchange it for three bolts...no, two and a half bolts of silk?"

After saying that, he paused and then said, "And this cloth bag, it's...it's my mattress. Could you give it back to me later?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xian subconsciously glanced at the cloth bag and realized it was rather large; it was almost falling to the ground even in Aisha's arms, and it was embroidered with a white embroidered flower in white silk thread. Liu Jianjun revealed that strange smile again and asked, "Why is it two and a half bolts of silk?"

“Because…because my grandfather’s house still owes two and a half bolts of silk…” Aisha was embarrassed, but still insisted, “Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has moved the capital to Shen Du, and we can’t make money in Chang’an anymore. My grandfather’s house still owes the pawnshop money. If we can’t pay it back…”

"Alright! Two and a half horses will do!"

Liu Jianjun suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Give me this cloth bag too!"

Aisha was initially overjoyed, then paused, looked at the quilt in her arms, and finally gritted her teeth and said, "Okay..."

"And you, little girl, I want you too!" Liu Jianjun laughed heartily.

Upon hearing this, the elderly merchant's expression immediately changed. He stood in front of Aisha, hiding her behind his back, and said angrily, yet with a hint of pleading, "You are a distinguished guest. If my daughter has offended you in any way..."

"You misunderstood!"

Liu Jianjun stopped teasing the old merchant and said with a smile, "Let me introduce you first. This gentleman over here is His Highness Prince Pei of our Great Tang Dynasty, the Emperor's own elder brother!"

The elderly merchant from Hu was startled and instinctively prepared to kneel down, calling out, "Prince Pei..."

Liu Jianjun stopped the elderly merchant and said, "I am the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Pei's Mansion."

The elderly merchant was pulled by Liu Jianjun and couldn't bring himself to bow down, looking somewhat bewildered.

For Hu merchants, ordinary court officials were already top figures they couldn't reach, let alone someone like the Prince of Pei.

As for the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Pei's Mansion mentioned by Liu Jianjun...

He hadn't heard it.

But this did not prevent him from knowing Liu Jianjun's noble status, and he cautiously asked, "Chief Secretary, what... what did you mean by what you just said?"

"I have a question for Aisha: when those white rosebuds were freshly picked, were there some tiny black cotton seeds on them? And how did you remove them?" Liu Jianjun walked past the old merchant and looked at Aisha behind him.

After the initial tension, Aisha is now much more at ease. Perhaps sensing that Liu Jianjun meant no harm, she bravely stepped out from behind the old merchant and said, "Yes, those are seeds of white rose. Aisha picked them by hand at first."

"And then?" Liu Jianjun prompted, "With so many white rosebuds, picking them one by one must have been quite a hassle, right?"

"Well, later Aisha used two rollers clamped together, fed the cottonseed into the gap between the rollers, and pulled it through the gap, so the cottonseeds would be blocked outside..."

At this point, Liu Jianjun suddenly made a decision: "It's you I've decided on!"
"Aisha, would you like to become the chief textile official of the Prince of Pei's mansion...?"

Halfway through his sentence, Liu Jianjun turned to Li Xian and asked, "By the way, does our Prince Pei's mansion have such an official?"

……

(End of this chapter)