This way, she seemed to vaguely understand Qiao Yan’s intention.

“You, as the emissary of Le Ping, represent my position. Therefore, I want to entrust this task to you,” Qiao Yan said. “You should first go see Wang Yang.”

“Once you meet the head of the Wang family, tell him that I would like him to act as an intermediary for a deal with the Tang family.”

Those who could afford to buy alcohol usually didn’t need the paper-bark coats to keep out the wind in winter.

Although there might be some overlap in the market for these two goods, it wasn’t significant.

Since they weren’t encroaching on each other’s markets, they could aim for a win-win situation.

Lu Yuan understood what Qiao Yan meant and replied, “If this plan works out as you intend, the Wang family will gain a legitimate reason to strengthen their relationship with the Tang family.

Publicly, it can be said that someone developed these paper-bark coats and sought out the powerful Wang family to collaborate, aiming to quickly distribute these life-saving items.

The Wang family, being generous, didn’t want to continue pressuring the Tang family, so they directed the inventor to them.”

This would allow Le Ping to remain hidden behind the scenes.

Benefiting others out of righteousness was something highly praised in the current era’s value system.

So, the initial inventor wouldn’t need to be known.

Of course, this didn’t prevent Le Ping from becoming a competent production site due to their experience in making the paper-bark coats.

Without an external sales channel and aiming for a stable development strategy, this was the best approach.

Moreover, did the Wang family really give up their profits?

The Tang family would surely be grateful and offer other conditions in return.

Le Ping’s gain would certainly exceed what they would get from dealing directly with the Tang family, as the Wang family would help adjust the profit distribution, reducing the Tang family’s share.

Lu Yuan, coming from an aristocratic family, clearly understood the underlying subtleties.

Handling the delicate balance between these two families and managing the transaction was indeed best suited for her.

After confirming she fully understood Qiao Yan’s intentions, she decisively accepted the task.

The task Qiao Yan entrusted to her was indeed a significant responsibility.

“With the profits from the Tang family, purchase some salt and meat from Jinyang City,” Qiao Yan calculated the transaction volume and, considering Dian Wei’s distinctive appearance, added, “Take Zhao Yun and Xu Fu with you to transport the goods back.”

The Han Dynasty strictly controlled the sale of salt and iron, especially cracking down on private salt trading.

The Tang family couldn’t possibly have low-cost procurement channels.

Just ensure the payment is adequate and the subsequent cooperation terms are well-defined.

This would also allow her to stockpile some salt in the warehouse for emergencies.

Meat was preserved through curing, and every household needed a substantial amount for daily cooking.

Salt was more expensive than rice—even in relatively peaceful times, the price of a sack of rice could only buy four or five pounds of salt.

During periods of frequent warfare, it would be even more expensive.

Failing to stockpile salt now would lead to trouble during subsequent inflation.

Although Lu Yuan didn’t know history as well as Qiao Yan, she could foresee some trends from the current situation.

Given that Qiao Yan provided escorts to prevent the large amount of salt from being robbed on the way, she could handle this task with peace of mind.

The paper-bark coat transaction needed to be expedited, so she didn’t worry about whether today was a rest day.

She immediately sought out the two men and set off.

Even if this task wasn’t assigned by Qiao Yan, the fact that this deal would bring Le Ping a steady income and potentially save many people in Bingzhou from freezing to death was enough to motivate everyone involved to ensure the paper-bark coats were seen as highly effective.

Qiao Yan watched the convoy leave the city, leaning against the county office door with a satisfied expression.

Having assistance was indeed less stressful than working alone.

At that moment, she suddenly heard the system’s voice: [Contacted! I’ve made contact with the neighboring system!]

Qiao Yan’s expression turned serious.

To avoid displaying any unusual expressions while communicating with the system, Qiao Yan immediately returned to her room.

As she closed the door, she heard the system excitedly repeat, [I’ve made contact with the closest martial arts system, 060. It says the exchange can be done, and it can add it to its own sign-in rewards.]

“So, your sign-in rewards only have temporary attribute cards because you don’t have much inventory?” Qiao Yan asked, hitting the key point based on the information from the strategist system.

The system hesitated. [This… this is not important.]

It couldn’t dare tell Qiao Yan that it initially didn’t have much hope when it reached out.

Despite being only eight numbers apart in the sequence, indicating they were produced around the same time, the other system acted like an elder brother.

The other system explained that equivalent exchanges were allowed, especially when a system and its host were not entirely compatible with their environment.

For survival, it was natural to seek ways to stay alive.

Comparatively, it felt like all it was good for was functioning as an alarm clock and a map.

However, it was also a competent recorder.

Before the neighboring system could figure out what its host had to offer for exchange, this strategist system had already recounted everything its host had done since being bound to it.

“Let’s not dwell on that. What did the other system say?” Qiao Yan’s interest in martial arts manuals stemmed largely from the fact that the strategist system lacked such content.

Although it could evaluate physical strength and skills, it was more about a broad assessment of attributes rather than changing their essence.

It could assign skills like horseback riding because, historically, the six arts of a gentleman included rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics.

The charioteering could extend to horseback riding.

However, skills like spear techniques, swordsmanship, and the like were not included.

At least, when Qiao Yan, out of curiosity, watched Zhao Yun perform a basic boxing set and tried it herself, the system did not recognize it as a new skill.

So, when the system mentioned that a trade was feasible, she couldn’t help but feel a bit excited.

She indeed had high expectations for this matter.

The system replied, “It said it has plenty of survival methods suitable for ancient settings, and there’s no need for a money exchange.”

Firstly, Qiao Yan was not yet in a position to plunder resources through conquest.

Secondly, martial prowess often entailed breaking the law, and it wouldn’t be difficult for the system to make its host rich.

【But it’s very interested in one of your skills!】

The system, feeling proud after receiving recognition from another system about its host, raised its tone slightly, sounding quite pleased.

Although it didn’t understand why the other system had used a somewhat odd tone after hearing about Qiao Yan’s actions, it knew that, according to the protection rules between systems, they couldn’t lie.

Therefore, the praise was genuine.

Fortunately, the other system needed something, and with this trade feasible, the system could finally give Qiao Yan a satisfactory answer.

【It said it wants its host to learn your skill of ‘speaking to people in a way that suits them’…】 Realizing the wording might be off, the system quickly added, 【It didn’t mean to insult you. It just feels that relying solely on its debating skill library doesn’t match your level. So, it wants you to write practical tips on how to communicate effectively with people.】

Qiao Yan felt a bit amused.

Then the system continued, 【The other system also mentioned that martial arts require long-term effort. To avoid delaying the transaction’s effectiveness, it can first give you a spear manual, and we can complete our part of the exchange later. However—】

【It doesn’t have many spear techniques. After evaluation, it concluded that only one is most suitable for you.】

As the system spoke, it displayed the spear manual before Qiao Yan.

The cover had seven bold characters: (Remnant Mountains and Rivers Fatal Spear Technique).

Seeing the manual, Qiao Yan felt a surge of excitement.

This was an opportunity to bridge the gap in her current capabilities and gain a practical martial skill, which was crucial for her survival and effectiveness in this ancient setting.

【It’s a deal then. You write up those communication tips, and I’ll make sure you get this spear technique manual immediately,】 the system concluded, pleased to have facilitated this beneficial exchange.

Qiao Yan nodded, her mind already racing with ideas on how to draft the communication tips.

This exchange was not just about gaining a new skill but also about leveraging her unique abilities to ensure her ongoing survival and success in this challenging environment.