With a million soldiers, the empress begged me not to rebel

After Xiaoyu left, Lu Yan stood up and walked to the window, looking at the night outside, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.

He wanted to make Shannan Prefecture a prosperous trade center.

A bridge connecting the East and the West, a pioneer leading the trend of the times.

"Xiaoyu is such a treasure."

Lu Yan thought of Xiaoyu's performance just now and secretly admired her in his heart.

Ever since I discovered that Xiaoyu is meticulous and intelligent.

Lu Yan gradually handed over some of the affairs in the mansion to her, and Xiaoyu never let him down.

"Maybe I should give her more chances."

Lu Yan pondered in his heart.

He turned back to the table, picked up a pen, and wrote a few words on a blank piece of paper:

"Shannan Chamber of Commerce".

Lu Yan put down his pen, blew on the paper with the four big words "Shannan Chamber of Commerce" written on it, and handed it to Xiaoyu beside him.

"Xiaoyu, what do you think of this name?"

Xiaoyu took the paper, looked at it carefully, and surprise flashed in her eyes.

"Shannan Chamber of Commerce? Your Excellency wants to..."

Lu Yan nodded, a confident smile on his face.

"Exactly! I'm going to establish the Shannan Chamber of Commerce, which will be responsible for Shannan Prefecture's foreign trade. And you will be the president of this chamber of commerce!"

Xiaoyu was stunned, and the paper in her hand trembled slightly.

"Me? Sir, this... this is probably inappropriate. Xiaoyu has never done business before, so I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to handle this..."

Lu Yan looked at Xiaoyu's slightly flustered expression, smiled and patted her shoulder.

"What are you afraid of? You're thoughtful and intelligent. How can such a small matter faze you?"

"Besides, I've got your back. Just go for it. If anything goes wrong, I'll take care of it!"

Xiaoyu bit her lip, hesitation flashed in her eyes, but she finally nodded firmly.

"Since you trust me, I will do my best to live up to your trust!"

Lu Yan laughed and rubbed Xiaoyu's head.

"This is the Xiaoyu I know! Just do it boldly, I'm rooting for you!"

Encouraged by Lu Yan, Xiaoyu took action immediately.

She first summoned some officials in the palace who were proficient in arithmetic and clerical skills.

"Master Zhang, Master Li, I have a favor to ask of you."

Xiaoyu saluted the two officials respectfully.

"What are your instructions, President?" asked Lord Zhang.

"You can just call me Xiaoyu. It's like this. I'd like to ask you two to help me set up an accounting office for the Chamber of Commerce to be responsible for the financial management of the Chamber of Commerce."

"This is great news! President, please give us your orders. We will do our best."

Lord Li stroked his beard and smiled.

"Then I'll have to trouble you two adults."

Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief. With the help of these two experienced officials, the financial management of the Chamber of Commerce should not be a problem.

Then she began to recruit experienced businessmen, translators and sailors familiar with navigation from the public.

"Have you heard? Shannan Prefecture is going to establish a chamber of commerce to do business with Western countries!"

"Really? That's a great opportunity! If I could join the Chamber of Commerce, I'd be incredibly successful in life!"

For a time, there was a lot of discussion in Shannan Prefecture, and applicants came in an endless stream.

Xiaoyu personally interviews and selects the best talents.

"Hey, young man, what's your name? What business did you run before?"

Xiaoyu asked a young businessman.

"My name is Chen Er. I used to do some small business at the docks, so I know a thing or two about the situations in Western countries."

Chen Er answered respectfully.

"Oh? Then how much do you know about the customs and practices of Western countries?"

"President, I have been to the Western Ocean several times on merchant ships and have a certain understanding of the customs and trade rules there."

Xiaoyu nodded, very satisfied with Chen Er's answer.

"Okay, you're hired! Report to the Chamber of Commerce tomorrow."

In just a few days, the Shannan Chamber of Commerce has taken shape, is fully staffed, and all departments are in good order.

Looking at the busy and orderly chamber of commerce, Lu Yan nodded with satisfaction.

"This little girl is really efficient!"

Xiaoyu set her sights on Western countries as the destination for her first overseas trade.

She planned to sell tea, silk, porcelain and other commodities produced in Shannan Prefecture to these countries.

In exchange for local spices, rare woods and other goods that were not available in the Datong Dynasty.

"Sir, this is the list of goods I prepared for the first batch of overseas trade. Please take a look."

Xiaoyu handed a list to Lu Yan.

Lu Yan took the list and looked at it carefully.

"Tea, silk, porcelain... well, these are all fine products of our Datong Dynasty and should be able to fetch a good price. However, in addition to these, we can also consider some other commodities, such as..."

"For example, some exquisite handicrafts, calligraphy and paintings, etc."

Xiaoyu added.

"Although these items are not valuable, they can showcase the cultural heritage of our Datong Dynasty and attract some foreign collectors."

"Yes, that's a good idea!"

Lu Yan looked at Xiaoyu with appreciation.

"Then do as you wish."

In order to ensure the quality of the products, Xiaoyu also specially arranged for craftsmen to learn new techniques.

Improve product quality to meet the needs of different countries.

Even personally participate in the design of the product.

We strive to make Shannan Prefecture’s products high-quality and secure a place in the international market.

At the same time, Lu Yan also began his own deployment.

He summoned Night Owl, the leader of the special forces.

"Night Owl, this time the Chamber of Commerce is going overseas for trade, which is of great significance. I need you to lead the special forces to secretly travel to various Western countries and make preparations in advance."

Lu Yan's face was solemn and his voice was low.

Night Owl clasped his fists and accepted the order: "What are your orders, sir?"

"You need to secretly infiltrate various Western countries, gather intelligence, understand market conditions, and safeguard the trade activities of the Chamber of Commerce."

"Focus on investigating local customs and practices, trade rules, and demand for Datong Dynasty products."

"In addition, we must secretly investigate whether there are hostile forces in various countries, and the strength of these forces, so that we can prepare for response in advance. This matter is of great importance, so we must be extremely cautious!"

"My subordinate understands!"

Night Owl spoke in a firm tone, with a gleam in his eyes.

"Remember, all actions must be kept secret. Do not reveal your identity and cause unnecessary trouble."

Lu Yan reminded again.

"Don't worry, sir. I will definitely fulfill my mission!" Ye Xiao clasped his fists again and turned to leave.

After receiving the order, Ye Xiao immediately summoned his men, began to disguise themselves, and carried out detailed deployment and division of labor.

"For this mission, we need to infiltrate various Western countries in batches, disguise ourselves as different identities, blend in with the people in the market, and secretly collect intelligence."

Night Owl spoke to his men in a serious manner.

"Boss, what's the most suitable disguise for us?"

One of the men asked.

"According to the intelligence we've gathered previously, Western countries are quite interested in merchants, scholars, and travelers from the East. We can start with these identities."

Night Owl said after a moment of thought.

"Remember, our mission this time is to gather intelligence, not to fight, so we must keep a low profile and avoid unnecessary conflict."

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison.