The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 226 I’ll help you, husband (first update)

Chapter 226: 226 I’ll help you, husband (first update)

Yelu Yan, with a smile lingering on his lips, drew Li Xianyun into his embrace, undressing her as the temperature between them rose, and their breathing became fast and heavy, changing the atmosphere around them.

Li Xianyun clasped her own clothes, dodging backward with a laugh, "Husband, I think I’ll take them off myself."

"Aren’t you tired? Just rest, let me help you," he said.

As he spoke, Yelu Yan took hold of Li Xianyun’s slender wrist and pulled her entirely into his embrace.

By the time Li Xianyun wanted to stop him, it was already too late.

Yelu Yan kissed her and teased her; he had a thousand ways to make Li Xianyun give in.

Just then, Zhuo Ma called out from outside, "My lord, the hot water is ready."

Li Xianyun, as if granted amnesty, finally found an excuse. Her smooth little hands pushed against Yelu Yan’s solid chest, "Husband, I’d like to take a bath."

"Together," Yelu Yan said and lifted Li Xianyun horizontally from the bed, heading straight for the door.

Li Xianyun, terrified, hurriedly straightened her clothes, "Don’t."

By the time they reached the door, Li Xianyun’s face had turned red with urgency.

That’s when Yelu Yan finally stopped, looked down at her with a smile, "I’m just teasing you."

Li Xianyun heaved a sigh of relief, struggled down, and gave him a sidelong glance before heading to the Erfang to bathe.

The next day, Li Xianyun got up, got ready, and had her meal without seeing a trace of Yelu Yan, who had many official duties to attend to and was as elusive as ever.

After putting herself together, Li Xianyun went to the Border Market with Zhuo Ma, Youlan, and Bater, bringing along candied apricot and peach preserves.

The Border Market was a bit of a distance from Tianshui County, it took an hour’s ride in a carriage to get there.

The Border Market here had developed into a considerable scale, not just a simple small market, with no random makeshift stalls. The roads were wide and flat, and each stall had been well planned out.

These stalls were built on platforms one foot high, constructed from stone, with stone-made partitions between the stalls and stone tables, all very neat and clean.

Each stall displayed goods that were characteristic and rare from various countries, a feast for the eyes, with everything that one could wish for.

The small stalls were uniformly arranged, and so were the larger shops, which were all built on the east side. Each country’s architectural style was distinct, making it easy to distinguish one from another.

In the corner of the Border Market was a place to store carriages and horses, with a checkpoint beside it. Everyone passing through had to undergo a strict examination.

The overseers included Han Chinese, Khitan, and Uyghurs, with members from each ethnicity, ensuring fairness.

Being a powerful state, the Khitan had significant influence in the management of the market.

Apart from maintaining order at the Border Market, they also managed the currency exchange between different countries.

After a thorough inspection, Li Xianyun and her entourage entered the Border Market and, following the direction of the overseers, arrived at a stall.

This stall was quite far from the large shops on the east side.

Looking at the official, Li Xianyun asked, "Sir, there are several empty stalls on the east side. Could we set up our stall there?"

The guide was a young man with a mustache at the corners of his mouth, which would spread wide when he laughed, making him look quite comical.

"Moving there is not impossible, but we’ll have to discuss the price," he said.

Zhuo Ma interjected, "Isn’t setting up a stall in the Border Market free?"

To promote the rapid development of the Border Market, under Yelu Yan’s instruction, with Ma Zhaoming presiding, stallholders entering the market were exempt from rent to attract more people to do business there.

Little Huzi became somewhat furious with embarrassment, "Judging by your fine clothes, I thought you were someone important, but it turns out you’re just a bunch of poor wretches, unable to even pay this small amount, dreaming of doing big business."

Zhuo Ma wanted to grab Little Huzi and teach him a lesson but was stopped by a pale little hand on her arm.

Zhuo Ma turned her head to look at Li Xianyun, her gaze somewhat stern. Zhuo Ma quickly closed her mouth and retreated behind her.

Li Xianyun looked at Little Huzi and asked, "How much does it cost to set up a stall in the east side?"

Little Huzi, with an air of superiority, looked at Li Xianyun and extended five fingers, not very amiably.

Li Xianyun was truly delicate in appearance, a perfect example of a ’pretty boy.’ His skin was coarse and tough, and he loathed those ’pretty boys’ who dallied with young girls most ardently.

Youlan said, "Five Wen?"

Little Huzi suddenly put his hand down, displeased, "Look down on whom? Five taels of silver."

Zhuo Ma was unhappy upon hearing this and was about to speak out, but was stopped by a look from Li Xianyun, "Youlan, pay with silver."

Little Huzi was smug. There had always been people wanting to set up stalls on the east side; that area had big shops, and if the shopkeeper of any shop took a liking to their goods, it could lead to long-term cooperation and significant development.

So he always asked for money from every stallholder who wanted to set up on the east side. None had been willing to pay until today; he had finally found a big sucker.

After Little Huzi received the money, his attitude improved immediately, and he led the group to the stall in the east side.

Li Xianyun specifically requested a location close to one of the Houliang shops.

Little Huzi hesitated for a moment but still agreed.

Money makes things easy. He who takes another’s pay is beholden to them, that was the logic.

After securing their spot, Li Xianyun and her group displayed the apricot and peach preserves on beautiful ornate platters, yet not a single passerby stopped to look.

Zhuo Ma felt somewhat disheartened, "Master, by this trend, it seems we won’t sell anything."

Li Xianyun took out two scrolls of rice paper from her bundle and handed them to Zhuo Ma, "Put these up on both sides of the stall’s columns, and naturally, people will buy."

Zhuo Ma and Youlan, not quite believing, took them to be posted.

With the help of Bater, they affixed the papers on the columns on both sides.

The papers bore a couplet that essentially invited passersby to taste the genuine article for free, and if they didn’t like it, they wouldn’t have to pay.

The words were written in Khitan, Han, and Uyghur scripts, plain and easy to understand.

At first, many people looked from afar, finding it interesting but were too embarrassed to come closer until a playful boy approached.

Li Xianyun skewered an apricot preserve with a thin bamboo stick and offered it to him, "Try it, how does it taste?"

All children love sweets, and the apricot preserve was not only sweet but also had the rich flavor of apricots and the stickiness of maltose.

The boy couldn’t help praising, "I have never tasted anything so delicious, what is this called?"

"Apricot preserves, and I also have peach preserves, would you like to try them?"

"But I have no money."

"That’s alright, it is written on the column that it’s free to taste, no money required."

Upon hearing it was free, the boy took the peach preserve that Li Xianyun passed to him and chewed slowly, not wanting to finish it all at once because it was too delicious.

Seeing the boy enjoying his treat, his playmates came over as well, and soon there were seven or eight children gathered around, both boys and girls.

They were all children of the small stall vendors from the Border Market.

Because of these children, the front of the small stall suddenly filled with joyous laughter.

This undoubtedly attracted the attention of many people. Quite a few crowded around, and after trying the preserves, they praised them just as the children had. While some were just freeloaders, most people bought a lot of preserves to take home after the tasting.