The Prince of Travelers

Chapter 048: Conversation with the Emperor

Ali swallowed his saliva. He never thought that the day of the meeting would happen so soon. No, actually he's been preparing. He was only a little surprised because it turned out that Emperor Yung Wei was participating in the meeting.

"Watch your food comfortably" said Li An, who was sitting next to her, "I've made sure that you can eat it. You don't have to be shy."

"Right, too," Emperor Yung Wei said, "If it's not wrong, there are certain foods that you should not eat, huh? I respected. As An'er said, all the food here has been sorted out to welcome you."

"Thank you for the hospitality and concern of His Majesty the Emperor," Ali replied with ease, but was actually quite nervous in the heart. According to Li An's words, he should have only met Consort Shu, Li Huanran's biological mother. Suddenly, the emperor joined.

"Oh, it was An'er who arranged all this," Emperor Yung Wei sipped his tea, then again said, "Save that thanks for him later."

The dinner did not go according to plan. Emperor Yung Wei had just announced his intention to join the day before the meeting. Concubine Shu who heard that also directly asked Li An to arrange it.

It wasn't a big dinner. There were only Emperor Yung Wei, Consort Shu, Li Huanran, Li An, and Ali. The effect is also very relaxed. Only Ali was nervous and tense. Ah, actually Li Huanran was also nervous, in contrast to Li An who really enjoyed the dinner.

"Hm, this is delicious" praised Emperor Yung Wei. He ate a thick spice soup. The taste of the soup was fitting, neither too salty nor too bland.

"Of course," Li An replied proudly, "This is a meal made with spices from the south. I can get it easily from the foreign merchants."

The conversation flows naturally. Emperor Yung Wei asked Li An and Ali a lot about trading. The two young men were tenacious traders. Of course they were able to give a satisfactory answer to the emperor.

"I came out of curiosity with the person who had attracted my daughter's attention" said Emperor Yung Wei, beginning to discuss the core of this meeting, "When did you first meet?"

"Not so long ago," Ali flashed a friendly smile, "It was the Eighth Prince who brought the two of us together at the Fuli Trade Union. It was a very memorable meeting for me."

"Hm, so it was An'er who set you up?" Emperor Yung Wei turned to Li An. The Eighth Prince nodded briefly, then said, "That was the request of Shu's mother. As a filial child, of course I have to do it with all my heart."

"Shu's mother, huh?" Emperor Yung Wei smiled faintly. Concubine Shu who was sitting next to him was simply speechless with an expressionless face. The woman had already given everything to the emperor since her attempt to find a partner for Li Huanran was known. 

Emperor Yung Wei also invited Ali to discuss various things, especially about ethics and life. He listened well to the view that Ali explained to him. At the end of the meeting, he even declared his blessing.

Ali had not expected that Emperor Yung Wei would so easily allow him to question Li Huanran, the Third Princess of the Tang Empire. He also promised to take care of the princess as well as possible. That promise is full of pure sincerity. Li Huanran bowed deeply upon hearing that.

Once the meeting was over, Ali was welcome to rest in the guest pavilion, while Li An invited Emperor Yung Wei to go somewhere. It has been a long time the two have not talked to each other privately in this relaxed manner. The last time was before Li An carried out his first test.

The full moon rises beautifully in the sky. The light was beautiful to hit Chang'an City which was peaceful and calm. The stars scattered, accompanying him decorated the sky with an infinite breadth.

Li An turned to his father. The two of them were sitting on the spacious balcony of the pavilion. Small dim lantern lights accompany their togetherness.

"You have even become the leader of a great trade union at this young age," continued Emperor Yung Wei, "People are glancing at you. Some want to make you an ally, some want to bring you down. You will need more power. Now it's time for you to build it. You didn't forget the task I gave you, did you?"

"Of course, Father," Li An gave a small nod. He will never forget that difficult task. The duty to maintain peace among members of the imperial family.

"Then, what are your plans for the task?" asked the emperor to know the Eighth Prince's earnestness.

"Possession over the treasury and the trade routes, both the mainland silk and the ocean silk lines," Li An replied straightforwardly. He looked back at the beautiful full moon. There was a faint glare painted in his eyes.

"That won't be enough" Emperor Yung Wei reminded, "For a stubborn person who doesn't care about wealth, your economic pressure will be meaningless in their eyes. Those economic sanctions could potentially even hurt yourself."

"I see," Li An had already thought about it many times, "Thank you for the advice of Father."

"Then, how are you going to build your strength?" Emperor Yung Wei again asked, "You could have married the daughter of a famous noble from the general's family to have military support from them."

"I haven't thought about marriage yet" Li An replied honestly, "The Fuli Trade Union is my priority at the moment."

"Why?" Emperor Yung Wei frowned, "Is it because you want to establish a close relationship with those strangers?"

"Close relationship?" Li An was a little confused about what the emperor meant, but he did intend to maintain good relations with foreigners. He said ambiguously, "Maybe so."

"No way," forbid Emperor Yung Wei.

Li An gasped inwardly, but did not show it in gestures. The union would disband if Emperor Yung Wei were serious about this ban. More than half of its guild members were foreign caravans.

"You can't be related to a foreigner until you've established a kinship with the imperial nobility before," Emperor Yung Wei made it clear, "You must have the support of your own people first. Don't just rely on strangers."

"Ah, I understand," Li An breathed a sigh of relief. The 'close relationship' that Emperor Yung Wei had said earlier turned out to be about marriage. "I'll follow Ayahanda's orders."

"promise!" the Emperor Yung Wei. He was always watching Li An's development. The closeness of his eighth son with a stranger made him worry about something. The emperor wanted to tie him to the empire so that Li An would always remember to go back no matter how far he went.

"I ..," Li An responded to the request, "Promise."