dognovel Chapter 3 First Arrival in the Tang Dynasty
Chapter 3 First Arrival in the Tang Dynasty
Before they knew it, the father and son were talking until midnight, about the turbulent twenty years of the Sui and Tang dynasties that the old man had lived through.
After listening, Chen Yue was filled with ambition and determined to make a name for himself in the Tang Dynasty, which was a vast untapped market.
When Chen Yue woke up, it was already 2 p.m. After washing up and eating something, he began preparations for his first trip to the Tang Dynasty.
100 yuan is not much in today's society, and its purchasing power is very limited. To earn a profit of 100 yuan, he would simply give up and abandon the business in modern times. But in the Tang Dynasty, anything is possible.
According to Chen Shan's experience, refined salt, white sugar, and glass products were very attractive to people in the Tang Dynasty, especially white sugar, which was known as "divine sugar" and was considered a hard currency.
Some food, lighters and such are secondary.
Based on the timeline, it should have been the fourteenth year of the Zhenguan era when he arrived, while the Tang Dynasty only sent envoys to India to learn the sugar-making method in the twenty-first year of the Zhenguan era.
Sugar is an extremely scarce commodity and is very expensive.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Chen Yue compiled a list.
打火机2个（2¥），精盐10袋（30¥），精製白砂糖5袋（30¥），德胜蛇药片1盒（20¥），二手高碳钢匕首1把（18¥）。
According to Chen Shan, the exit of the time portal in the Tang Dynasty was the "Shennong Temple" in Zhongnan Mountain.
No one knows what will happen on this journey.
He had enough refined salt and white sugar to exchange for what he wanted; the antidote and dagger were for emergencies, and could also be sold if necessary.
While waiting, it was already the first day of the eleventh month. In the past few days, in addition to preparing his things, he spent a lot of time searching for information online, all of which were related to the Tang Dynasty, especially the events that occurred during the Zhenguan era, which should be helpful for his trip.
It was around 5 a.m., and Chen Yue was about to begin his journey to the Tang Dynasty.
He got up and took a special shower, then changed into the clothes and wig his grandfather had prepared, making him look quite like a young master from the Tang Dynasty.
"Shennong Temple was built in the third year of Wude. After its completion, the villagers in the vicinity would hold a sacrifice every year. I was the temple keeper in charge. They all called me Shennong Envoy. I don't know if these people still remember me after ten years."
The sight of Chen Yue stirred up memories in the old man's heart. The identity of Shennong Envoy was something he had fabricated to deceive others and facilitate his travels in the Tang Dynasty.
In the eyes of the Tang Dynasty people, the things that Chen Shan brought were incredible. It was reasonable to say that he was asked by Shennong to bring them.
"Grandpa, you have quite a few ideas, and this is indeed a good one."
Chen Shan checked the time.
"That's about it. You should set off now. Remember, you absolutely must stay alive. Don't die there as soon as you get there. And don't forget what I told you."
Chen Yue took two deep breaths and managed to calm himself down.
"Am I that stupid? Just wait for my good news at home."
As he spoke, he slowly walked towards the portal, and the moment his hand touched it, those small words reappeared before his eyes.
The time portal has met the opening conditions. Shall we open it now?
"Activate".
As soon as he finished speaking, the portal suddenly began to distort, forming a black vortex. Chen Yue then swept his hand, and the prepared items flew into the portal.
Besides allowing him to travel to the Tang Dynasty, the time portal also functions as a warehouse, storing large quantities of supplies that can be retrieved at any time.
"Grandpa, I'm going."
Chen Shan stared intently at everything, smiling and nodding.
As Chen Yue took a step out, his figure immediately disappeared through the door, but several things fell down.
Chen Shan's face darkened immediately upon seeing this; these were the very tokens he had given to Chen Yue.
Since these are all valuable goods, Chen Yue cannot take them with him at present.
……
Chen Yue had prepared himself for all sorts of discomfort, but the scene inside the door greatly surprised him.
There was absolutely no discomfort, and my mind was perfectly clear. It was as if I were in a historical corridor, with ancient scenes flashing by like slides. Besides the Tang Dynasty, there were also the Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, and so on...
Then a blinding white light struck, causing Chen Yue to instinctively cover his eyes. When he opened them again, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place.
Cold! That was Chen Yue's first feeling. He rubbed his hands together and looked around.
At five or six in the morning, a thin mist hangs over the Zhongnan Mountains, not much different from modern society.
However, Lantian Town is gone. In front of him, there is only a small Shennong Temple with blue bricks and gray tiles standing quietly, with its double doors tightly closed. He stood in the courtyard, and the surroundings were very clean.
Behind him was a time portal. He took out a yellow cloth bag containing salt and other goods, and then the time portal disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye. His grandfather had told him that the time portal would reappear here in ten days.
Bending down to sling the bag over his shoulder, Chen Yue slowly pushed open the temple door.
The hall was dimly lit, with a few candles illuminating the simple stone carvings inside. Chen Yue stared at them for a moment and was stunned to find that the statue bore a striking resemblance to Chen Shan.
On the stone offering table, several freshly picked fruits still glistened with dew, and a wisp of sandalwood incense, mixed with the fresh scent of mountain plants, slowly swirled in the dim light and morning mist.
"It seems this temple hasn't completely fallen into disrepair in the past ten years..."
Chen Shan said with a smile.
"Who...who are you?"
Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out, startling Chen Yue. Looking in the direction of the sound, he discovered that someone was sleeping in the corner of the temple.
The girl, who looked about twelve or thirteen years old, was wearing a short blouse and long skirt made of coarse linen, which had been washed until they were almost white. Her hair was hastily tied into a bun with a wooden hairpin. She had a rather delicate face, and her big eyes stared at Chen Yue, who had suddenly appeared in front of her, with some fear.
"And who are you? Why are you in the temple?"
Chen Yue was unsure of the situation and decided to ask about the other party's background first. Although Chen Shan had told him a lot about the situation before he came, he still had to rely on himself now.
Perhaps seeing that Chen Yue didn't look like a bad person, the little girl walked over timidly and looked up.
"I am Zhao Qimei, and I have come to clean the temple of Shennong."
Shennong Temple is located on the west side of Zhongnan Mountain, about a hundred miles away from Chang'an City, and is under the jurisdiction of Yongzhou.
Chen Yue remembered his grandfather saying that there was a place called Zhao Family Village around the Shennong Temple. After the temple was built, Chen Shan would hold a sacrificial ceremony every year.
The villagers nearby would offer sacrifices, and villagers would regularly clean the temple. Therefore, Chen Yue guessed that the little girl must come from this village.
He cleared his throat, adopted a mysterious demeanor, and lowered his voice.
"I have indeed been sent by the old Shennong, succeeding Chen Shan as the new Shennong envoy, and will represent Lord Shennong to reopen Shennong City!"
Shennong City was created by Chen Shan back then. To put it bluntly, it was a market where mountain fires were traded. Mountain people brought various mountain products according to his requirements, and he exchanged them for modern goods.
The goods that Chen Shan brought back made the local mountain people rich. He also used the name of Shennong to impart a lot of knowledge to them, so everyone had a heartfelt respect for Shennong.
Every month when Shennong Market opens, many mountain dwellers flock there, and even some high-ranking officials and nobles from Chang'an come to join in the fun.
"Are you Shennong's envoy?"
Zhao Qimei was very surprised.
"That's right. The previous Shennong Envoy, Chen Shan, has completed his mission. From now on, I will take care of everything in the temple."
As Chen Yue spoke, he took out a bag of white sugar from the yellow cloth bag, opened it, poured some into his palm, and looked at Zhao Qimei, whose eyes were wide open.
"Come and have a taste."
Zhao Qimei looked at the white crystal in his palm, her body trembling with excitement. She reached out her small hand, took out a crystal, glanced at Chen Yue, and put it in her mouth.
"Fairy candy! It really is fairy candy!"
After Zhao Qimei finished speaking, she bowed down and kowtowed to Chen Yue.
"Zhao Qimei pays her respects to the Divine Farmer."