Chapter 697

Li Ke already had a forehead full of sweat.

Qin Mu's methods made him feel terrified.

They were actually so vicious!

"Your Majesty, this... I'm afraid it will damage Great Qin's reputation, right?"

Qin Mu smiled indifferently.

"What damage? I have already taken them all into the inner palace. Let those noble families come and snatch them back if they have the ability!"

Domineering!

Li Ke really didn't know what to say.

The people had already been taken into the inner palace; whatever harm should have been done had probably already been done.

Even if they were sent back to Great Tang at this time, the major noble families might not be able to tolerate them out of consideration for their face.

The most likely result would be forcing them to commit suicide.

By comparison, staying in Great Qin's inner palace was the best destination for these women.

"Your Majesty, how can I explain this when I go back?"

Li Ke only now discovered that he had jumped into a quagmire.

Going back to report the imperial decree like this would ruin his reputation for a lifetime!

Qin Mu, however, shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"Then don't go back yet; stay in Changancheng properly and experience the style of Great Qin!

After a while, I will give you a confession letter from the noble young ladies. Let them tell for themselves how happy and joyful they are to stay in Great Qin's inner palace!"

Pfft...

So ruthless!

Li Ke learned of Qin Mu's methods for the first time.

Snatching noble young ladies, filling the inner palace, and still making them say they were very happy!

If this confession letter were passed back to Great Tang, those noble families wouldn't need to see anyone again.

The key was that the major noble families all had daughters left in Great Qin's inner palace, so they would never be able to clear themselves of the suspicion of colluding with foreign countries.

From then on, they would always be questioned by the commoners, and slowly, the reputation they had accumulated would be exhausted!

Extremely despicable!

Li Ke remembered the instructions his father gave him before he left.

If things didn't go smoothly, he should find an opportunity to take action and kill these noble young ladies.

So they wouldn't live and lose face for Great Tang!

His father was truly deep and calculating; he might have already anticipated that it would be such a situation!

"Your Majesty, can you arrange for me to see these noble young ladies? This is for them..."

"Can."

Qin Mu didn't seem to care about Li Ke's little thoughts at all.

Did he think he could change anything by seeing the noble young ladies?

It was also a comfort.

"In a few days, I will arrange for you to meet them. You will see how happy they are!"

After Li Ke left.

Shen Wansan began to report the recent commercial situation to Qin Mu.

"Your Majesty, recently the East and West Markets have gradually gotten on the right track, and the total volume of goods for foreign trade is also increasing.

Luodu colored pottery is sought after by foreign merchants, and the transaction volume is doubling.

However, the supply of Jiangnan silk cannot keep up. Currently, the silk in the East and West Markets is only Shu brocade."

The problem Shen Wansan mentioned was indeed quite fatal.

The so-called Silk Road's largest bulk commodity was silk.

But now, because Great Qin and Great Tang rule by dividing the river, the price of Jiangnan silk sold to Great Qin has multiplied several times.

Foreign merchants were somewhat unable to accept it.

Silk foreign trade mainly relied on Shu brocade.

Shu brocade was good, but the most premium silk was still Jin Ling cloud brocade.

The cloud brocade technique was not passed on, and only some hereditary weavers in Jin Ling knew it.

Qin Mu would certainly not allow such a good brocade technique to be enjoyed exclusively by Great Tang!

"Shen Wansan, go and think of a way to get the cloud brocade weaving technique! Great Qin cannot be worse than Great Tang in any aspect!" This matter was not easy to handle.

Qin Mu also knew.

But it was not completely impossible; it just depended on Shen Wansan's methods.

When Shen Wansan heard he was asked to get cloud brocade.

He said with a miserable face.

"Your Majesty, if I have to handle this, it will be a big trouble. I would have to go to Jin Ling and kidnap the weavers.

But if Your Majesty comes to handle it personally, it would be within reach."

"Why?"

Qin Mu didn't know why it would be within reach for him?

Although he understood many advanced crafts, he really didn't know about weaving brocade.

If he had to handle it, wouldn't he have to go to Jin Ling and kidnap the weavers?

If he kidnapped people every time he went, would he leave a bad reputation for himself in the future?

Shen Wansan chuckled.

"Your Majesty, there are people in the inner palace who know how to weave cloud brocade! Those noble young ladies are not good at anything else, but they have learned to weave brocade since they were young. Weaving cloud brocade is as familiar to them as eating." So that was it.

He hadn't expected that the noble young ladies, whom he thought were useless, would actually have such huge value in this area!

Since there were people who knew, it was easy to handle.

"Good, I will handle this matter personally. But don't think you can escape a disaster.

Nowadays, how many horses are raised? I plan to expand the army!"

Previously, a large number of horses were sold to the commoners for transportation.

Great Qin's military strength had not been expanded on a large scale.

Now, the territory was too large, and a mere few hundred thousand troops were already somewhat insufficient.

Preparations for expanding the army should also be started.

Expanding the army was not Shen Wansan's responsibility.

But all the things needed for expanding the army—horses, cloth, leather, ironware—all had to be prepared by Shen Wansan.

Suddenly hearing the Emperor say he wanted to expand the army.

Shen Wansan was somewhat pleasantly surprised.

Why did he work so hard to make money?

Of course, it was for the country to be strong; to be strong, expanding the army was imperative!

"Your Majesty, a total of six major horse farms have been opened in the north, raising two million horses. Enough to expand the army!" ===== CHAPTER 699 =====