At this time, a young man with dark skin and wearing a plain brocade robe seemed to have heard the conversation between Qin and Ming.
He walked up to Qin Ming, bowed respectfully and said:
"My Majesty, Li Gui of Champa City, has met your husband. He recognized our country's elephants, but has he ever visited our country?"
Qin Ming was stunned for a moment when he heard this.
Champa State? Southeast Asian countries?
"I have never been there. I have only seen this elephant in a certain book by chance. May I ask, sir, is it from a country south of Lingnan?"
"Yes, the northern part of my country is just bordering Lingnan of the Tang Dynasty."
After Li Gui finished speaking, a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes. He was a spice merchant.
It has been more than a year since I came to Chang'an. I heard Qin Ming explain the living habits of elephants in his hometown, and I thought I had met a fellow villager, so I came over excitedly to see him.
But since he was not from the same hometown, he had no interest in continuing the conversation.
Just when he was about to say goodbye.
Qin Ming suddenly asked:
"May I ask your Excellency, is your country rich in a kind of white rice?"
Li Gui was obviously stunned when he heard this. He did not expect that Qin Ming not only knew about the animals in their country, but also knew about rice.
I have been in the Tang Dynasty for so long, and this is the first time that a Tang Dynasty person has asked me about rice.
It seems that the person in front of me is really a learned man.
So he immediately stopped and his expression became more respectful.
"Sir, learned sir, I do have this rice in Champa."
Qin Ming was overjoyed when he heard this. In later generations, he would like to eat rice the most. He has been in Datang for so long and either eats pancakes or pancakes every day. He has almost forgotten the taste of rice.
He excitedly took the other person's hand and asked:
"I wonder if there is rice in your house, sir? If so, can it be sold to someone?"
Li Gui has been in Datang for so long, and this is the first time he has met such enthusiastic Tang people.
What's more, the young master in front of him is not only gorgeously dressed, but also knows the Champa Kingdom very well. This makes Li Gui feel that the young master in front of him is not simple, and he cannot be said to be a noble queen of the Tang Dynasty.
Thinking of this, he became interested in making friends, so he hurriedly said:
"I'm just an ordinary businessman, but I can't be called sir. There is still some rice in my house."
"Rice is just ordinary food, not worth much money. If you want it, I will give it to you."
Qin Ming shook his head when he heard this. Although this man was right, rice was just an ordinary food in Southeast Asia.
But in this era, if you want to transport food from Southeast Asia to Chang'an City, it is very difficult.
But if he insisted on giving money, he was also worried that the other party would be displeased. Thinking of this, he said:
"Since you don't want to accept money, I will give you some jars of fine wine as a return gift, okay?"
Li Gui was overjoyed when he heard this, because in this way, he had a good relationship, so he said:
"Okay, I'll find some rice when I go back one night. Master, I can send someone to the Champa spice shop in the East Market tomorrow to look for you."
Qin Ming shook his head when he heard this and said:
"Sir, do you think this is a good idea? I'll leave one of my servants here until you have something to do. How about asking him to go back to your house with you to get it?"
Qin Ming also had his reasons for arranging it this way. In his opinion, only by getting the rice as soon as possible can he feel at ease.
If it really drags on for a whole day, I don’t say whether I can find this person in the West Market tomorrow. I just say that after this night, no one can say whether other changes will happen.
This is just like negotiating a business. No matter how happy the contract is signed, it’s all in vain if you don’t receive the payment.
As the old saying goes, it's better to be safe.
Li Gui smiled bitterly upon hearing this, secretly thinking that this young master was too impatient.
But he didn't want to make the other party unhappy because of such a trivial matter.
He just pondered for a moment and then said to Qin Ming:
"Oh well."
Qin Ming was overjoyed when he heard this. He waved to Zishu and said:
"Zizhu, you stay and follow this gentleman back to the house later to get the rice. By the way, arrange for someone to go back to the house and bring back a few jars of wine to give to him."
Zi Shu nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
Qin Ming chatted with Li Gui for a few more words, and then led a group of people to continue walking towards the palace city.
After the group of people were farther away from the elephant, Xiao Qingwan asked:
"Sir, is that rice important?"
Qin Ming nodded and said:
"It's very important. If it is cultivated well, it will be a better food crop than wheat."
The others were shocked when they heard this. They knew that Qin Ming was not an aimless person.
If rice is really a better crop than wheat, it will be the greatest gospel for the people of Tang Dynasty.
At this time, Xiao Changxi said:
"Sir, since the rice is so important, isn't it inappropriate to just let the rat go with it?"
Cheng Chumo also said:
"Brother Qin, why didn't you tell me earlier? If you had known, I should have escorted him back to the house just now. No, I have to go back to find that guy."
After saying this, Cheng Chumo turned around and walked back.
Seeing this, Qin Ming quickly stretched out his hand to hold Cheng Chumo and said:
"It doesn't have to be like this. It's enough to have Zishu alone. It's not good if there are too many people."
Cheng Chu thought for a while and then nodded.
Si She in the crowd couldn't help but move her eyes when she heard Qin Ming's words. Thinking about such an important matter, she had to find a way to report it as soon as possible.
While everyone was talking, they had already arrived outside the Suzaku Gate of the palace city, where many people gathered.
Because the lanterns here are made in the palace, they are larger and more gorgeous than those in ordinary people's homes.
Moreover, the styles of lanterns are also more diverse.
In addition, there are specialized musicians playing unknown music at the gate of the palace.
A group of women in traditional Chinese skirts were standing in front of a large stage, waving their long sleeves and dancing to the rhythm of the music.
The scene was so lively.
This was the first time Qin Ming saw such a large-scale dance. He was curious and asked Cheng Chumo:
"What kind of dance are they doing?"
When Cheng Chumo heard this, his eyes widened and he asked:
"Brother Ming, you can even recognize the animals south of Lingnan? But you can't recognize my Tang Song?"
Qin Ming smiled awkwardly and said:
"This is indeed the first time I have seen these dances in Qinjiazhuang, where I grew up since childhood, and it made Brother Cheng laugh."
Cheng Chumo patted his mouth when he heard this and said:
"Eldest brother made a mistake, but it doesn't matter. From now on, eldest brother will take you to visit Chang'an more. I think with your intelligence, brother, you will be able to understand it soon."
Qin Ming did not know much about many things in Chang'an or the Tang Dynasty.
Just like today when he went to the palace to meet Li Er, he made a joke.
It was only after he asked Xiao Dongzi when he left the palace that he learned that in the Tang Dynasty, there was no need to kneel down to worship the emperor, let alone shout long live.
No wonder Li Er would say he was flattering.
Thinking of this, he nodded slightly and said:
"Then there will be Brother Lao Cheng."
Cheng Chumo suddenly smiled happily.
At this time, Xiong Er suddenly came to Qin Ming's side and asked in a low voice:
"By the way, Brother Ming, it's getting late. Shouldn't we go to Pingkangfang too?"
.......
