Chapter 2: Su Liang Presents Treasures, His Name Fills Changancheng

Just as everyone finished bowing and expressing their gratitude.

A crisp cough echoed throughout the entire imperial court.

Su Liang slowly stepped out from the back.

He walked slowly to the front of Emperor Li Shimin, bowed slightly, and slowly took out an object.

"Your subject has the Heirloom Seal of the Realm to present to Your Majesty!"

In an instant.

The entire hall was shocked, silent, and one could hear a pin drop!

Everyone present stared fixedly at the Heirloom Seal of the Realm in Su Liang's hands; it was four inches square, with five dragons intertwined on the knob.

"May this old man take a look? I have had the fortune of seeing the Heirloom Seal of the Realm up close before."

Minister of Rites Yu Shinan asked.

After examining it carefully.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, it is indeed the Heirloom Seal of the Realm!"

Li Gang, Xiao Yu, and others also stepped forward to confirm it one after another.

"We congratulate Your Majesty on obtaining the Heirloom Seal of the Realm!"

"We congratulate Your Majesty on obtaining the Heirloom Seal of the Realm!"

At this moment, Li Shimin’s face blossomed with joy, beaming with delight, his smile crinkling like a chrysanthemum.

"Eh, why is one corner made of gold?" Cheng Yaojin asked bluntly.

"Hahaha, you reckless Cheng, listen as this old man explains it slowly, so as to clear up the confusion for our colleagues who do not know the inside story."

Yu Shinan said leisurely.

"After Emperor Ai of Han passed away, Wang Mang usurped the throne, but because he lacked the jade seal, his position was neither righteous nor justified."

"To consolidate his regime, he repeatedly demanded the Heirloom Seal of the Realm from the Grand Empress Dowager, Wang Zhengjun."

"The Grand Empress Dowager not only refused to hand the seal to Wang Mang but also cursed him roundly, denouncing him for being disloyal and unrighteous."

"In the end, forced by circumstances, she handed over the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, but she was also furious and threw the seal onto the ground, causing the dragon on the seal to break off a corner, which Wang Mang later mended with gold."

The Heirloom Seal of the Realm was carved from the He Shi Bi by Prime Minister Li Si under the order of Qin Shi Huang.

On the front, it is inscribed with the eight seal-script characters: "Having received the mandate from Heaven, may one enjoy eternal prosperity."

It serves as a token of "imperial power granted by Heaven and legitimate legality."

It is the proof of legitimacy for every orthodox emperor since the Qin Dynasty.

"Su Liang, I ask you, it is rumored that when Yang Guang was killed in Jiangdu, Empress Xiao fled to the northern desert of the Turks with the grandson of Emperor Yang of Sui, Yang Zhengdao, and the Heirloom Seal of the Realm."

"Now, why is the Heirloom Seal of the Realm in your hands?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, a year ago, your subject happened upon two groups of men in black fighting over the Heirloom Seal of the Realm in Jingyang County. Hearing that the seal had been stolen by the Turkic royal court and fearing it would be lost abroad, I killed them all and obtained the Heirloom Seal of the Realm."

Su Liang said calmly.

"Since that is the case, what reward do you want, my loyal subject?"

"Your subject has practiced martial arts since childhood, and now I lack a suitable weapon. I would like to ask Your Majesty to bestow two weapons upon me!"

"Oh? Which two weapons?"

"The Drum-Beating Golden Hammers and the Phoenix-Wing Gilded Halberd!"

"The Phoenix-Wing Gilded Halberd was the weapon of Yuwen Chengdu, so I shall bestow it upon you."

"As for the Drum-Beating Golden Hammers, they are the relics of my third brother..."

Hearing this, Su Liang felt a chill and let out a soft sigh.

It was all the fault of that damn system; it still hadn't given any weapon rewards.

Currently, the only weapons in the world that could interest Su Liang were those two.

A moment later.

"Forget it, forget it. Considering that you could be said to have helped the Prince of Zhao, I will bestow them upon you as well."

One hour later.

Vermilion Bird Street.

The backyard of the Su residence.

It was time to forge a suitable weapon for himself.

Now that he had transmigrated.

He wondered if Li Yuan, the Prince of Lujiang, would rebel, or if the Eastern Turks would move south.

Su Liang thought to himself.

Thinking carefully, that fool Li Yuan, the Prince of Lujiang, probably wouldn't rebel; Li Shimin’s throne was now perfectly legitimate.

With the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, the Great Tang was now stable, and the people had lived in peace and contentment for several years.

He shouldn't be willing to give up being a comfortable prince to raise an army in rebellion.

Li Yuan, the Prince of Lujiang, was a cousin of Li Yuan, a total fool, cowardly and incompetent.

At the beginning of the ninth year of Wude, he was appointed as the Grand Governor of Youzhou, and Li Yuan sent the Right Guard General Wang Junkuo to assist him; he now held tens of thousands of troops.

The fear was that he would be tricked by Wang Junkuo; historically, he had been seduced by Wang Junkuo.

Wang Junkuo had gathered a mob to be bandits in his early years, plundering everywhere; he once occupied Jingxing Pass, then defected to Wagang, and returned to the Tang after Wagang was destroyed.

Hopefully, it wouldn't happen.

Su Liang examined the Drum-Beating Golden Hammers and the Phoenix-Wing Gilded Halberd before him.

The Phoenix-Wing Gilded Halberd weighed 400 jin; it was too light to use!

The Drum-Beating Golden Hammers, a pair weighing 800 jin, didn't feel right to use!

He didn't know how to forge them.

"Ding: The system has detected the host's current situation and issued a new task: Forge a peerless divine weapon."

Accept task: Reward with Qin-Han smelting methods and modern alloy technology.

Reject task: No reward.

Complete task: Reward with a warhorse, the Cloud-Stepping Black Stallion.

"The Cloud-Stepping Black Stallion understands human nature, travels a thousand miles by day and eight hundred by night!"

"Damn, damn."

The system was so thoughtful; whatever he thought of, it provided, and there were even unexpected surprises upon completing the task.

With this system, why worry about not being able to forge a peerless divine weapon!

With this system, why worry about not having a fine steed!

Su Liang preferred swords and even more so spears; he wondered if he could forge them all.

One month later.

The backyard of the Su residence.

Su Liang looked at the weapons he had forged, the blades like autumn frost.

The spear was one zhang, three chi, seven cun, and three fen long, bright silver throughout, weighing 900 jin!

Its tail was shaped like a dragon playing with a pearl, its body surrounded by nine dragons, with the words "Roaming Dragon" engraved on it.

With a casual flourish, the cold glint arrived first, like a dragon emerging from the spear. To be struck was to die, to be swept was to perish!

"From now on, I shall call you the Roaming Dragon Army-Breaking Spear."

The sword was three chi and seven cun long, bright silver throughout, sharp enough to cut a hair, and could slice through iron like mud!

"From now on, I shall call you Heart-Questioning."

Finally, so as not to waste material, he made a small dagger; he thought it would be nice for peeling fruit or cutting meat.

I'll give you a name too; let's call you "Little Three," since you were the last one born.

"Ding: Congratulations to the host, task completed! Do you wish to claim the task reward?"

"Claim!"

"Please collect it outside the residence gate."

A while later.

"Neigh..."

Accompanied by a horse's whinny, a fine steed appeared outside the gate.

Its body was black satin, shining with oil;

Its back was long, waist short and straight, and the tendons and joints of its four limbs were strong and well-developed;

Only its hooves were as white as snow, as if stepping on auspicious clouds, hence the name Cloud-Stepping Black Stallion.

"Good, good, good, what a fine Cloud-Stepping Black Stallion." Su Liang said "good" three times in a row.

A month of hard work had not been in vain; he had gained a divine weapon and a fine steed.

It was time to take a good look at this Changancheng, hehe...

Pingkang Ward, here I come!

Just as Su Liang was indulging in wine and pleasure in Pingkang Ward.

The long-absent voice of the system rang in his mind.

"Ding: The system has detected the host's situation and issued a new task: The host must drink and compose one hundred poems in Pingkang Ward."

"Complete task: Reward with papermaking and movable type printing."

"Reject task: Reward the host with ten days of impotence."

"Damn, damn, damn!"

"In this Pingkang Ward, the system is actually so base!"

"The evil system is simply maddening and utterly disgusting!"

Su Liang suddenly flew into a rage and cursed loudly.

The current Su Liang could fight against the heavens and the earth.

It could be said that the joy was endless.

Yet, he alone could not defeat the system.

The power of the system was beyond imagination!

In the end, he still reluctantly accepted the latest task issued by the system.

"Heh, the system is afraid that my reputation isn't prominent enough," Su Liang chuckled to himself.

Thus came the scene in Pingkang Ward.

Su Liang acted as if crazed, reciting a hundred poems while drinking.

"The brocade zither has no reason for its fifty strings, each string and bridge recalling the years of youth."

"The world laughs at me for being too mad; I laugh at others for not seeing through it."

"The flower path has never been swept for a guest; the humble door opens today only for you."

"How many times in this life does one grieve over the past; the mountains remain as they were, pillowing the cold stream."

"A traveler for ten thousand miles in the sorrowful autumn, I climb the terrace alone, burdened by a hundred years of illness."

"Drawing a blade to cut the water only makes it flow faster; raising a cup to drown sorrows only makes them deeper."

"The Great Peng rises with the wind in a single day, soaring ninety thousand miles straight up."

"When life is successful, one must enjoy it to the fullest; do not let the golden goblet face the moon empty."

"Heaven made my talents for a purpose; after a thousand gold pieces are spent, they will return."

"Cheng Chumo, Qin Huaiyu, bring the wine, do not stop the cups."

The ninth year of Wude of the Great Tang, July 10th.

Changancheng, inside Pingkang Ward.

Su Liang recited a hundred poems while drinking, his name filling Changancheng.

For a time, paper in Changancheng became expensive, and Su Liang was even called the Exiled Immortal.

Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaiyu, seeing Su Liang's poetic inspiration burst forth,

took the initiative to step forward and make his acquaintance.

Regarding the illustrious reputations of Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaiyu,

Su Liang naturally knew of them.

Qin Huaiyu, son of Qin Qiong.

Cheng Chumo, son of Cheng Yaojin.

Especially Cheng Chumo, who visited brothels at age eight—everyone in Changancheng knew it!

Although the two were playboys of Changancheng,

they suited Su Liang's taste.

So he wrote them into his poetry.

"Ding: Congratulations to the host for completing the 'recite a hundred poems while drinking' task."

"Task rewards: Papermaking technique, movable type printing."

For over half a month,

Su Liang stayed overnight in Pingkang Ward every night.

His uninhibited style drew praise from countless scholars and literati.

They even praised him for having the spirit of the madmen of the Wei and Jin dynasties.

At the same time,

Su Liang's body was also being hollowed out.

He met a charming little enchantress in Pingkang Ward.

He didn't know when the system would give him a real man's physique.

During this period, Emperor Li Shimin also invited Su Liang to enter officialdom many times.

He was rejected by Su Liang with the words, "I would rather die drunk on a beauty's lap than die among the flowers and willows."

It made Li Shimin stomp his feet in anger.

However, Su Liang also gifted Xue Rengui to Li Shimin.

Seeing that Xue Rengui possessed the peerless courage of his ancestor Xue Andu, he stopped forcing Su Liang to become an official.

Xue Rengui was a descendant of the famous general of the Liu Song and Northern Wei dynasties, the Prince of Hedong, Xue Andu.

His grandfather Xue Rong, his grandfather Xue Yan, and his father Xue Gui had successively served as officials in the Northern Wei, Northern Zhou, and Sui dynasties, but now the family had fallen on hard times.

Two years ago, Su Liang passed through Longmen County, cured his mother, and he had followed Su Liang ever since; now, one worry was finally settled.

Several days later, Su Liang escaped from Pingkang Ward.

It was time to find something to do.

Hehe...

In the current Changancheng, paper was likely already at a sky-high price.

Recalling the papermaking technique he had just obtained, he couldn't help but smile knowingly.

However, papermaking could not be done in a moment; looking at the scorching summer heat,

a moment later.

Changancheng East Market.

Su Liang looked at the row of shops before him and turned his head to say.

"Cheng Chumo, Qin Huaiyu, have your servants buy up all the saltpeter in Changancheng; send people to the surrounding counties as well. We will start an ice business first. I will take fifty percent of all profits, and you two can split the remaining fifty percent."

When they were in Pingkang Ward, the two had witnessed Su Liang's many methods like creating ice in summer, so they were grinning foolishly now, their eyes shining.

Empty-handed, they were catching a white wolf—it was just that simple.

"Do not spread the method of making ice to outsiders; one doesn't fear thieves stealing, but one fears thieves coveting."

"As for Li Shimin, send some ice over tomorrow; I'm afraid Li Shimin will covet our business, so let's plug his mouth first!"

"Send a bit more to Li Shimin so he can reward those incorruptible ministers; it's also a way to do a favor for Li Shimin."

Regarding Su Liang's constant "Li Shimin" this and "Li Shimin" that, Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaiyu were long since accustomed to it; if it were them, they would never dare.

"As for my share of the profits, help me buy grain with all of it. Pick the rice shops of the Five Surnames and Seven Clans to buy from; buy as much as there is. You can also buy some; if you buy a little, put the grain in your backyards. If there's a lot, have your fathers build granaries. I have a great use for it."

Su Liang continued to instruct.

"Alright, we two brothers will listen to Brother Su."

For over half a month, Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaiyu had long since become Su Liang's little fanboys and believed in him deeply.

"Good, good, good... set the price of ice at one thousand wen per jin. Prepare ten thousand jin tonight; the shop opens tomorrow!" Su Liang said "good" three times in a row, thinking to himself that these two lackeys were truly worth it—they listened and followed orders.

The price of ice in the summer of the Tang Dynasty was ridiculously high, as expensive as gold.

It wasn't until the Song Dynasty that ice freedom was achieved.

The ancient book "Miscellaneous Records of Yunxian" from the Later Tang records: "Ice and snow in Changancheng, by summer, the price equals gold and jade."

At one thousand wen per jin, Su Liang was still being very conscientious.

Within half a day, the news of Su Liang selling ice swept through all of Changancheng.

Everyone was waiting for the shop to open tomorrow, all wondering where Su Liang got the ice; everyone was half-believing and half-doubting.

The Exiled Immortal wouldn't destroy his own reputation, not to mention that two playboys of Changancheng were following behind him.

Taiji Palace, Ganlu Hall.

"Your Majesty, Young Master Su has left Pingkang Ward and gone to the East Market."

Commander of the Qianniu Guard Li Junxian hurried in to report.

"Hahaha, he must have gone to buy medicine."

Li Shimin chuckled to himself, thinking, let him die among the flowers and willows.

"Your Majesty, Young Master Su spent a fortune to buy several shops."

Li Junxian explained from the side.

"Why did he buy shops? Could it be he wants to do business?"

Li Shimin raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Your Majesty, Young Master Su said he will sell ice in two days. He asked Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaiyu to help sell it."

Li Junxian continued.

"Heh... that kid really thinks he's an Exiled Immortal. Where would he get ice? Creating ice in summer? Those two playboys are following along and making a mess."

"Junxian, send the Qianniu Guard to watch closely; if there is any situation, report back immediately!"

Emperor Li Shimin's face was full of disdain.