Chapter 794: Creating Something to Trade

"The old Taoist used to travel among the four nations. He visited many clans and told me a bit about them." Ye Qianning had studied every tribe. They might seem small, but if they grew strong and united, their power could rival that of a small vassal state.

They could even make the empire wary!

"So you’ve had this planned for a long time."

"One must always plan ahead. Only with a strong enough foundation can we leave those who drove us out of Beili in the dust." Ye Qianning had never forgotten.

The suffering they had endured in Beili.

Gu Shuo fell silent for a moment. ’In the end, I’m still not as sharp and efficient as this little girl.’

Ye Qianning noticed the shift in his mood and reached out to take his hand. "Dad, you’re the most brilliant businessman I’ve ever seen."

Gu Shuo laughed at her words. "I think you’re the brilliant one."

"Well, of course. Whose daughter do you think I am?"

"Haha, you... you’ve changed so much from when you were little." Gu Shuo’s laugh was full of affection. It felt like a dream; he had never imagined a moment like this, when she would hold his hand and tease him so playfully.

"It wasn’t my fault when I was little, either." ’Back then, I actually reined in my temper a bit because I was so young.’

"It was all my fault, all my fault. Even now, when I think about it, I want to stab myself a couple of times. I had such an adorable daughter, and I actually pushed her away." The scene of their first meeting at the Drunken Immortal Inn had always been seared into Gu Shuo’s heart.

He had lost count of how many times he had dreamed of it over the past ten years, and each time he couldn’t help but want to slap himself.

"Let’s not talk about the past. But, Dad, have you been to see my mother?" Ye Qianning asked.

Gu Shuo nodded. "I have. I had someone move your mother’s memorial tablet to Fushou Temple. Once things in Dayu City are settled, I’ll go with you to pay your respects to her."

"Okay. And Fourth Granny?"

"I had a residence purchased for her, and she has people taking care of her. Don’t worry. Fourth Granny is still in pretty good health right now."

Ye Qianning felt a little more at ease hearing this. "After we’re done with business, let’s go see Fourth Granny first, then we’ll go pay our respects to my mother."

’She was my mother in name only. Though I have some memories of her, we weren’t very close.’

"Okay."

Gu Shuo nodded firmly.

Ye Qianning gathered the contracts from the table and glanced at the sky. "The various clans of Guanghai have prepared a banquet. Dad, you should come with me."

"I was thinking the same thing." Gu Shuo was worried those people would bully her. It wouldn’t do for her to go without someone there to back her up.

"The business side of things will still need you to handle them, Dad. Let’s go. We can talk on the way." Ye Qianning stood up.

Gu Shuo stood and followed her out the door. With Nanyuan’s businesses pulling out, he had been thinking about some new ventures anyway. This little girl had given him too many surprises today.

’I have no idea how she discovered that the wild fruits covering the Barbarian Clan’s mountains could be made into such rich and fragrant food.’

A business like this was novel and challenging. It was just like when the Immortal Sea Building first started dealing in seafood—taking the best of something and presenting it, going from obscurity to a household name. That was its own kind of achievement.

「On the carriage.」

Ye Qianning briefly explained her cooperative ventures with Loulan and Beijiang. When the time came to put them into operation, she would need Gu Shuo’s people to step forward.

"Loulan, Beijiang, and the Barbarian Clan have their merits, but places like the Wastes, the Deserts, and the Northwest... there’s absolutely nothing there to trade."

"If there’s nothing to trade, then we’ll create something to trade. Just like with Nanyuan back then. Aren’t ’winter grapes’ all the rage in the four nations now?" Ye Qianning said.

Gu Shuo didn’t understand. "Why help them like this?"

The Wastes, the Deserts, and the Northwest were no ordinary places. The Wastes were almost completely barren, making both farming and commerce extremely difficult. The same was true for the Northwest, and the desert routes were simply impassable.