In the front hall of the Lin Clan …
Li Ke recounted to Lin Wenyuan the contents of the telegram Li Zexuan had sent him last night. Of course, in the process, Li Ke also gave Lin Wenyuan a brief explanation of the current situation between the Great Tang and the Turks.
As soon as his voice fell, Lin Wenyuan pondered for a moment, then stood up and cupped his hands towards Li Ke, saying in a deep voice, "I am indebted to Marquis and His Highness for thinking so highly of me. Although this Lin is a merchant, I also know that the rise and fall of the country is related to the happiness of my generation. Without this peace and prosperity, how can a merchant like this Lin do business in peace? I can only become a slave of a fallen country!
This Lin has also heard about the Imperial Court's recruitment of elite soldiers the day before yesterday. After hearing Your Highness's explanation today, this Lin feels that the current situation is not optimistic. Although we merchants do not receive a salary from the Imperial Court, the only reason we can do business in peace is because Your Majesty has created peace and prosperity for the people of the realm!
Now that the country is in danger, no matter what others do, as long as I can help the Imperial Court defeat the Turks, this Lin is willing to use up all my wealth! Marquis and Your Highness have instructed me to raise military funds, so this Lin will definitely do my utmost to gather all the merchants I can to raise sufficient funds for the frontline soldiers! "
The merchants of this era, especially those who had experienced the Five Barbarian Rebellions and the chaos of the Sui Dynasty, understood just how difficult it was to obtain peace and prosperity. Without peace, let alone glory and wealth, it would be difficult to even keep one's name!
Lin Wenyuan's words came from the bottom of his heart and could be said to be powerful and resonant. Li Ke couldn't help but be moved. He stood up and cupped his hands towards Lin Wenyuan. Then, he said with a sigh,
"This humble prince is deeply moved by Lord Lin's righteousness. The Yamachō truly did not misjudge you!"
Lin Wenyuan shook his head. "Your Highness praises me too much. This old man is just a crude man. How could I bear the weight of Your Highness's' profound righteousness'?"
"Haha, Lord Lin is too modest!"
Li Ke smiled, then continued, "You're right.
"Then I will leave this matter to you. Later on, I will go to the Datang Daily's editorial department and ask Li Yu to publish a notice from the Yan Huang Chamber of Commerce calling for merchants to raise funds for the military. Old Master Lin, you will use the name of the Yan Huang Chamber of Commerce to mobilize all the personnel and resources within and outside the Chamber of Commerce. Three days later, we will hold a donation gathering in hopes that the Chamber of Commerce will be able to raise enough funds for the imperial court!"
"Yes! Your Highness! "
Lin Wenyuan cupped his hands and accepted the order.
This was the first time the Lin Family had accepted a mission from the Imperial Family. Lin Wenyuan immediately felt that he was shouldering an extremely glorious mission. If he succeeded, then the Lin Family's status among the common people would rise, and he, Lin Wenyuan, would become the ancestor of the Lin Family!
No matter what, this matter had to be done beautifully!
Lin Wenyuan said to himself in his heart.
Li Ke brushed his sleeves and cupped his hands to bid farewell. "Yamachō's message has been delivered. I will leave the rest to Boss Lin. I still have to make a trip to the workshop, so I will take my leave now!"
Lin Wenyuan hurriedly said, "Farewell, Your Highness!"
Li Ke smiled and said, "No need to send me off! I came here quietly, so I will leave quietly. There is no need to make a fuss! Here, this is the Wang Residence's token. If you encounter any problems that you cannot solve during this period, you can use this token to find me at the Wang Residence! "
As he spoke, Li Ke took out a token and handed it to Lin Wenyuan.
Li Zexuan had left this matter to him, and whether this matter could be done well depended on Lin Wenyuan's ability. Therefore, Li Ke was very willing to help Lin Wenyuan within the limits of his ability.
Lin Wenyuan was flattered and hurriedly took it with both hands. He said in fear and trepidation, "Thank you, Your Highness!"
"No need!"
Li Ke waved his hand and turned to leave. He really came here quietly and left quietly!
…
After leaving the Lin Residence, Li Ke rode his horse towards the East Gate of Chang 'an City.
After dealing with Lin Wenyuan, his next stop was to deal with the editorial department of Datang Daily!
He could just send a guard to explain to Li Yu and let Li Yu handle the rest. After all, Li Yu was in charge of the editorial department of Datang Daily. However, this was something that Li Zexuan had asked him to do. He was worried that his subordinates would not be able to convey the message clearly. Moreover, Li Ke had his own thoughts on this matter. He felt that it would be better to communicate with Li Yu face to face.
When he reached Yong Ning Lane, Li Ke suddenly heard the sound of horses galloping behind him. He could not help but rein in his horse and turn around. He saw a black mass of imperial soldiers heading towards his direction. The people in the lead were familiar faces: Dugu Xin, Dugu Feiying, and Li Tai!
Li Ke could not help but be startled. From the looks of it, people who did not know the situation would think that Li Tai was going to lead troops to the frontlines. However, he knew his own situation. With Li Tai's physical fitness, it was already good enough that he could barely ride a horse. How could he lead troops to the frontlines?
Li Ke let his horse stop at the side of the road. When the troops behind him caught up, he said, "Qingque! Where are you going? "
As Li Ke had been busy with the formation of the Gold-Robed Guards, he had not entered the palace for a few days. Therefore, he did not know that Li Tai had entered the palace to bid farewell to Li Er yesterday!
"Eh? Little Ke, why are you here? "
Seeing Li Ke by the roadside, Li Tai was a little surprised and could not help but exclaim in surprise.
Seeing that Li Tai did not answer his question, Li Ke had no choice but to reply, "The Yamachō asked me to go to the workshop to do something. I was just about to leave the city! Qingque, where are you going with so many imperial soldiers? "
Li Tai replied, "Hasn't the Yamachō always wanted to build a telegraph relay station in the north? Yesterday, everything needed for the telegraph relay station was prepared, so today I plan to bring the students and teachers of the trump card project to the north to build the telegraph relay station! Now that the Tang Empire and the Turkic Khaganate are like fire and water, Father and Teacher Wen Ji are worried about our safety, so they have added so many guards. Hey, Little Ke, you go to the workshop. I'm going to the academy now. It's on the way, so let's go together! "
With that, the little fatty kicked the belly of the horse and waved his hand to signal for the team to continue moving.
Li Ke hurriedly urged his horse to follow. He looked at Li Tai and said with some dissatisfaction, "Of course I know about the telegraph relay station, but I didn't expect Qingque to leave today. Why didn't you tell me about such an important matter in advance? If I had known, I would have gone with you to the north today! "
Even without Li Tai saying it, Li Ke knew that this trip to the north was very risky. If not for the fact that he had to take on several positions, he would definitely have gone with Li Tai.
Hearing the concern in Li Ke's words, Li Tai's heart warmed. He smiled and said,
"Hey! Do you think I don't know that Little Ke has a lot of things to do? Don't worry, with General Dugu and the others escorting us, there won't be any danger! Just wait for our good news in Chang 'an! "
…
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