The Prince of Travelers

Travel to Quanzhou

“Prince, the troupe is ready to leave,” reported Wang Hongli as the head of the guard. Li An nodded as well. He still has a chat with Ali a little more, “Good, soon we leave.”

“Ready, Prince,” Wang Hongli saluted him.

“You always exceed my expectations, Prince,” said Ali with his friendly smile, “Who would have thought that the shy little boy had become such a great and famous figure by now?”

“There is nothing special about it,” Li An replied flatly. His name is known to many now, but he did not have enough influence to realize his duties from the emperor's father. He is still very weak compared to his other brothers. It could be, he was removed from the imperial stage if one acted just a little.

“Well, well,” Ali agreed because he already knew the prince who quietly washed away it, “These are the names of the caravans I had prepared in Quanzhou. You can simply call them when you get to Quanzhou later.”

“Thank you,” Li An received a roll neatly tied with a dark colored ribbon. He also saluted and resigned. However, before he could get out of his place, Ali called him back, “By the way, Prince. Are you still not willing to accept it?”

Ali's question made Li An speechless and pondering. He is thinking about a lot of things now. In addition to what was asked by Ali, the delusion became more and more. He shook his head, “Sorry, I can't seem to. I still have a lot of other business to do.”

“This has absolutely nothing to do with those affairs,” exclaimed Ali as Li An had already turned away from him. Li An stopped. He looked back and replied, “There is. A lot of it.”

Ali remained silent. He muttered something and turned to his house. In front of the entrance, Zainab stood up later. Seeing that, Ali shook his head slowly, then said hello to his sister and said, “Honey. Prince still does not want to accept it.”

“Ha? Then why should report to me?” zainab asked with a face that seemed astonished. Ali also stroked his chin which began to bearded. He then sighed, then said, “Hah ..

“Iya, know. So why?” asked Zainab again with a hint of red hue decorating her cheeks, her tone sounding awkward this time. He threw away the face, trying to remove the shadow that appeared in his mind. The girl then puffed her cheeks when suddenly Ali laughed at her.

Li An's entourage was walking at a constant speed. With the large number of horse carriages and cargo inside, they would not be able to walk quickly. Their trip from Guangzhou to Quanzhou will take about a week more.

“Once again we leave Guangzhou,” speech Li Huanran broke the silence inside the main horse carriage. Li An opened her eyes upon hearing the Third Princess' voice. He also looked out the window. The great wall that fortified the city.

“You are really evil. Why not stop by Uncle Fengying's residence first?” asked Li Huanran protest. Li An frowned. He then replied, “Yesterday has it? I also said goodbye to Uncle Fengying kok yesterday.”

“Yes, at least will stop by once again before leaving earlier,” Li Huanran does not want to look wrong. He spread his fan, hiding half his face as usual. Li An simply sighed resignedly, letting his older sister win, “Iya, anyway. We also have left. Time to go back again.”

“Nevent gone,” reply Li Huaran with her beautiful reviewed smile, “Oh, yes. How can you monopolize most spice transactions brought by foreigners anyway?”

“Hm? That's easy. The people of the Southern Isles who produced the spice had a close relationship with Arab traders and Pars, while the Arab traders had a complex trade regulation in their religion,” explained Li An while twisting the ends of her hair, “I just learn their language, continue to deepen the regulation. So, they will feel safe every time they work with the Fuli.” Trade Union

“Wah, do you know all the languages of foreigners?” li Huanran asked curiously.

“Cuman who has a close relationship only,” replied Li An while staring out the window. If only he could read and write comfortably in this horse-drawn carriage, he would. There were several Arabic books that Ali presented to him.

Li Huanran followed the direction his sister looked at. The widespread agriculture managed by the people of the Tang Empire. They look very hard at work. The green sea of rice becomes a beautiful sight that cools the eyes.

“They are great people,” murmured Li An as he continued to stare out the window, “Without their existence, the Tang Empire will not be able to stand this solid.”

“Well, therefore, we as the imperial family should be able to bring prosperity to them,” Li Huanran closes back his fan. Li An looked at him who was focusing on looking outside. He seemed to be able to know the contents of the child's almost adult mind. With her soft voice, the Third Princess sighed and muttered, “Hah .. how quickly time passed.”

Li An's trip was much longer than expected. It was because of Li An's desire to settle for a day in every village he had beside. In that day, he made many observations, interviews, and interactions with the surrounding population. Although he did not reveal his name as a prince, the citizens could immediately tell that he was part of one of the imperial noble families.

“You sure this is okay? If your partners go how?” li Huanran asked as the group again stopped in one of the villages. They will come to Quanzhou the next day if they leave soon.

“I sent a courier to go first. Quanzhou Branch Director who will take care of it first,” Li An replied casually. He was sitting in the shade of a big tree. His hands were busy keeping a journal of the journey he had been through. He is very confident that this journal will be useful in the future.

“Hais .. You are busy continuing the same book,” lamented Li Huanran who then sat next to his sister, “You can not take care of the others?”

“Hm, time?” li An asked without turning his head slightly from the paper and the questioner, “Urusan kayak what Big Brother meant?”

“Hm .. e.,” Li Huanran hangs for a while his words, “Infiancee! The other princes are already having fiancees at your age now. Some are even married.”

“Kakak himself will be worse than me,” this time Li An turned away from the paper. He looked at Li Huanran with an astonished look as if asking, “Kok Sister even said it was like to me anyway?”

“This is wrong who tried,” Li Huanran immediately spread his fan and throw away his face, pretend to sulk, “I used to also have a fiancee know. If not for you ...”

“Eh? Brother still hasn't let go of that bastard?” Li An frowned while slightly tilting her face in disbelief.

“No! No way!” refute Li Huanran. His empty left hand immediately clenched an emotion. An old memory suddenly flashed through his mind. He wanted to catch Li An to release his emotions.

“Hmph!,” Li Huanran immediately leave Li An. He walked to the horse-drawn carriage while grumbling in annoyance. Li An could only sigh at her brother's emotional behavior.

In the past, Li Huanran had indeed been bound in a political bond with one of the sons of a prominent nobleman. Even if it was just a political engagement, the Third Princess still loved her fiance. He even instantly loves at first sight. His fiancee showed the same thing. If viewed from afar, they might be the most harmonious couple candidate this century.

Li Huanran's fiance often paid a visit to Aixin Pavilion. He even liked to give Li Huanran many romantic gifts. The words spoken from her lips always contained deep gestures of love. Li An as the owner of the house until annoyed to hear it. He hoped that at least the noble's son would know the place. However, he did nothing because it was none of his business.

Well, Li An thought so at first. He did not care at all about the presence of the noble's son in his residence. However, things changed when the noble son showed his true face.

He looked down on Li An whenever Li Huanran was not with him. Stupidly, that noble son even dared to mock Li An blatantly outside of Aixin Pavilion. Of course in a place where no one can defend his opponent.

Li An immediately asked Wang Hongli to investigate the noble's son. In less than a day, the Eighth Prince instantly got a shocking information. He was even willing to leave his ongoing lessons back then to return to his residence with Wang Hongli's squad of soldiers.

Li An's hasty arrival certainly made the residents of Aixin Pavilion astonished. Moreover, the Eighth Prince came with the warrior squad of the Swordsman Cenangkas Twins. He slammed the door of his house hard, making Li Huanran and his fiancee who were talking in the garden shocked for a moment.

Without explaining anything, Li An immediately asked his soldiers to check all the gifts that came to his brother. He even asked for food in the park to be checked as well.

While Li Huanran was still in a state of confusion and wonder, came Yun Jili and Mimi with a renowned medicinal expert. Mimi who immediately hugged her daughter's master greatly surprised Li Huanran, while the noble son who became the princess' fiance was being held by the sword by Li An's soldiers. The young man from the famous family exclaimed furiously at their disrespectful treatment.

The medicine expert who came with Yun Jili found an aphrodisiac substance in the food served in the garden. The soldiers also found fragrance candles, perfumes, and various other gifts containing similar substances. That fact made Li Huanran very surprised. He saw his fiancee in disbelief.

At the same time, the troops docked to Aixin Pavilion increased. They were the imperial family's bodyguards who had come on orders from Emperor Yung Wei to capture Li Huanran's fiancee.

All of that passed quickly under Li An's supervision and direction. Ever since reports from Wang Hongli that his brother's fiancee is a man who likes to visit brothels and play women, he immediately asked a courier to convey it to Emperor Yung Wei. Therefore, Emperor Yung Wei quickly moved to overcome it. The order of the emperor made the ministers and scholars look at the case with different points of view.

The noble family in question immediately broke off his relationship with their son who had been betrothed to Li Huanran. The engagement was also cancelled. Their electability in the empire also plummeted instantly.

“Kakak was the one who was most shocked when he heard and saw the evidence,” muttered Li An who was now sitting alone under the tree, “She even locked herself in a room for a few days.”

The case was also one of the reasons Li Huanran was still single to this day. Since her engagement was annulled, she was no longer willing to accept engagement with the nobles. He preferred to continue with Li An as his guardian.

“If you used to be married to that son of a bitch, who would be able to replace him as my guardian?” li An said, then smiled bitterly, “Being a family of emperors is really troublesome. I can't even put my true trust in my own family.”

As Li An walked in following her brother to the horse carriage, she immediately thanked him in a sad voice. Li Huanran who was still a little annoyed became astonished by it. Li An made it clear, “Kakak, thank you for being a sincere person to your sister.”

Li An's journey continued. They reached the Quanzhou gate in the afternoon. Jian Hai, the Director of the Fuli Trade Union of Quanzhou branch welcomed them there. Li An received a report from him during the trip to the lodging that had already been prepared.

“Everything is well recorded according to your orders, Prince,” Jian Hai closed his report. Li An nodded as well. He received a billion books containing trade union data, then allowed Jian Hai to leave.

“Thank you for your hard work,” said Li An who was replied with a nod of reverence by Jian Hai. The middle-aged man said, “It is an honor for me to be able to work for the Eighth Prince.”

After Jian Hai left, Li An invited Wang Hongli to dinner. At the predetermined table, Li Huanran was already waiting with Mimi and Yun Jili. They looked as if they were laughing together when Li An and Wang Hongli arrived.

“Finally, you guys came too,” welcome Li Huanran happy. He immediately invited Li An to sit beside him. Third Princess also asked in protest, “How long has it been?”

“Usually it is a long time,” reply Li An flat, “There are many I have to check after this.”

“Hais .. don't overdo it. Later you are sick,” Li Huanran reminded. Li An nodded obediently. In the middle of dinner, Yun Jili opened a topic she had just researched. He expressed his admiration for the rules laid down by the foreigners of Arabia.

“They do not want to receive flowers of any kind, even though this is very profitable for businesses if they are good at playing it,”, said Yun Jili, “In their belief, it is called usury whose laws are illegal or forbidden.”

“Yes, I agree with them,” Li An said as he placed the chopsticks in his hand, “Basically, the practice harmed one of the parties in the transaction. Large companies that are stuck in interest debt can go bankrupt at any time because of their swollen arrears. The interest generated can even be more expensive than the original price of transaction goods.”

“True, the practice of flowers in the middle community is not much different,” Yun Jili agrees, “This can cause enormous economic inequality. In the worst case, the person in question may sell the children or their families to pay off the unreasonable debt. Sometimes, it is still not enough to pay off their debt”

“So practice tends to be done by people who like to gamble,” Wang Hongli entered in the chat, “They are wrapped in debt that accumulates because of defeat to the heart of selling their children as slaves.”

“Hais .. the men, they always talk about heavy things,” Mimi sighed. In her lap, a tiny baby about two and three years old was soundly asleep. Li Huanran only chuckled at the grunts of his ladies, commenting, “Well, that is their capacity. It would be great if they also had the same level of attention on feelings.”

The night in Quanzhou is getting late. However, the lanterns in the city's shopping center are still beautifully lit. The wealthy paced there, enjoying the beauty of the night in the bustling trade city. A middle-aged man came to the inn managed by the Fuli Trade Union. He asked permission to meet with Li An.

“Salam, Eighth Prince,” a messenger boy approaches Li An and his family at the end of dinner, “I Yuan from the mayor's residence. The mayor invites you to a banquet. There is something he wants to talk to you about. Please Prince deign to come.”