154: Chapter 64 God of Wealth

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the first year of Yongan, it was an auspicious day for weddings, sacrifices, and opening businesses.

Jinling City was decked out in festive lights; a red carpet stretched along the ten-mile long street from the city gate to the palace, a pair of large red lanterns hung every few dozen steps, and even the branches of the old locust tree by the roadside were wrapped in red silk.

The entire city was immersed in a meticulously planned celebration.

On this day, Imperial Concubine Hui, daughter of the Southern business conglomerate the Lin clan, was officially conferred the title of "Imperial Concubine Hui" and held her entrance ceremony into the palace.

The ceremony itself was not particularly extravagant, even being three parts simpler than when the Empress entered the palace.

However, all the details carried deep meaning: the imperial concubine's wedding dress was sewn by hand by a master of Su embroidery, but the material used was rare silk transported by the Lin family's merchant fleet from Sumatra; the incense, candles, fruits, and liquor used in the ceremony were all exclusively supplied by the Lin clan's trading firm; and as part of the "betrothal gift," the first procurement contract for special steel worth 500,000 taels of silver had already been signed by the Ministry of Revenue and the Lin clan's representative before the ceremony began.

Li Ling stood on the steps of Taihe Hall, watching Imperial Concubine Hui walk slowly into the hall, dressed in a bright red ceremonial gown, supported by palace maids.

Her steps were steady, the gold tassel on her crown did not move a hair, and a perfectly measured smile hung on her face—neither overly flamboyant nor appearing stage-frightened.

"Married another one," he grumbled to the system in his heart. "The way I'm acting as emperor, it's like handling an asset restructuring."

[Host, according to the system's statistics, this marriage alliance brings you direct economic benefits of about 800,000 taels of silver per year, and the indirect channel value is unquantifiable. This is already an extremely cost-effective 'investment'.]

"Investment? You call this an investment?" Li Ling maintained a solemn expression while bickering with the system in his mind. "I've even sold myself out, and you call this an investment? This is selling myself!"

[Host, please do not exaggerate. You have only gained a nominal wife, but in reality, you have obtained the allegiance of the entire Lin clan merchant group. This deal is not a loss by any calculation. Moreover, Imperial Concubine Hui's initial loyalty is 72/100, which is significantly higher than the average.]

Li Ling was too lazy to argue further, as the ceremony had reached its most critical part—Imperial Concubine Hui had completed the grand ceremony and officially received the golden book and jade seal, becoming the first Imperial Concubine of the Tang Country.

The wedding banquet that evening was held in the Linde Hall; there were not many tables, but the guests who came were of immense importance.

In addition to the high-ranking officials of the imperial court, more than a dozen core members of the Lin family were all present, all dressed neatly, their expressions containing both honor and nervousness.

They all knew that from this day on, the fate of the Lin family was completely tied to this newly born dynasty.

After the wine had gone around three times, Li Ling took Patriarch Lin Xiaolian to a side hall to speak privately.

The warm pavilion in the side hall was heated by floor heating, as warm as spring.

The two sat opposite each other across a sandalwood tea table, with a pot of hot tea and a few dishes of dried fruits on the table.

Li Ling personally poured a cup of tea for Patriarch Lin Xiaolian; this action made Patriarch Lin Xiaolian feel flattered, and he said repeatedly: "Your Majesty, you are too kind to this old subject!"

"I won't deal with those superficialities with you." Li Ling put down the teapot and said sternly, "Patriarch Lin Xiaolian, I have already seen that 'dowry' of yours—5 million taels of silver in spot goods, a network of banks across twelve provinces, three cement plants, shares in two steel mills, and shipping rights for five ocean-going merchant ships. These things are enough to support the startup capital and material requirements for the first phase of the Five-Year Plan."

Patriarch Lin Xiaolian nodded respectfully: "Your Majesty is wise. I have already cataloged all these things and can hand them over to the Ministry of Revenue at any time."

"However—" Li Ling's tone shifted, "What I want is not just these 'dead things.' What I want is that 'living path' of yours to the overseas markets."

Patriarch Lin Xiaolian's brows moved slightly: "Your Majesty refers to..."

"I heard that you have plantations and trading posts in Java and Sumatra, and that you have a good relationship with the local sultans." Li Ling picked up the teacup, his gaze looking at Patriarch Lin Xiaolian through the rising steam, "I also heard that you have had a few business dealings with the Morgan consortium."

Patriarch Lin Xiaolian was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly: "Your Majesty is indeed well-informed. I have indeed dealt with people from the Morgan consortium a few times, but they were all small trades, not worth mentioning as deep friendships."

"Small trades are fine, as long as there is a path." Li Ling put down the teacup, his voice lowered a few degrees, "I need you to help me open up a secret channel—through Nanyang, to connect to the industrial supply chain of Meijian Country. I need precision machine tools, special steel, and even some military-grade chemicals. If these things go through official channels, it's not that they can't be bought, but they will be marked up, obstructed, or even detained by the great powers. But if they go through trade routes, there won't be so many restrictions."

A glimmer of light flashed in Patriarch Lin Xiaolian's eyes; he understood what Li Ling meant—the emperor did not want ordinary trade, but a "covert line" that was not controlled by the great powers.

The value of this line was far greater than those 5 million taels of silver.

"I understand." Patriarch Lin Xiaolian stood up solemnly and bowed, "I will arrange for trusted aides to go to Nanyang to reopen the communication channel with the Morgan consortium. It is expected that the first batch of materials can be transported to Guangfu Port via merchant ships within three months."

"Good." Li Ling also stood up and patted Patriarch Lin Xiaolian on the shoulder, "Patriarch Lin Xiaolian, as long as you handle this matter well, I will give you the first credit. In the future, the Lin family will always have a place on the Tang Country's maritime trade routes."

Patriarch Lin Xiaolian knew the weight of these words; his voice trembled slightly with excitement: "I... will definitely not fail your expectations, Your Majesty!"

By the time the wedding banquet ended, it was already the hour of the Pig.

Li Ling returned to the Imperial Study, and before he could even drink a cup of hot tea, he saw a military emergency report on the table, sealed with red wax, sent from the encrypted channel of the front line.

He opened it and looked, his gaze tightening.

Commander Zhao Tieshan said in the report that the enemy's outer sentry posts in the northwest direction had all been cleared, and the enemy had not yet detected any abnormalities.

But just yesterday, satellite reconnaissance discovered that the enemy was mobilizing a cavalry unit of about 500 people toward the border line, equipped with Tsarist Russian standard cavalry rifles and several light mountain guns, heading straight for a small trading town near Yumen Pass in the Tang Country.

"Acting in the middle of the twelfth lunar month, trying to catch us off guard during the New Year?" Li Ling folded the report again, placed it on the lamp flame to light it, and watched the paper curl and turn black, turning into ashes, "Pass the order to Commander Zhao Tieshan, let him act according to the original plan. I want to send a 'New Year's gift' to those restless guys before the New Year."

He turned and walked to the window, pushing it open; the night wind, wrapped in the chill of winter, poured in, causing the papers on the desk to rustle.

In the distance, the lights of Jinling City stretched and undulated in the night, like a sleeping giant dragon.

And on the Gobi Desert thousands of miles away, Commander Zhao Tieshan was leading the special forces unit, traveling in the wind at minus fifteen degrees.

They avoided all known patrol routes and silently approached the enemy's assembly area along the dried riverbed.

Everyone's breath condensed into white mist in the cold air, but not a single person made any extra sound.

The moonlight shone on them, stretching their shadows long, like a group of silent leopards closing in on their prey.