For a group of young students from Wanghou Academy, Xiao Hunhou skipped the refraction reaction of the concave mirror and light. They had no objection and liked it.

If you learn less, they will also have less burden.

However, for a group of Jinshi and scholars, I felt quite dissatisfied.

They came to Wanghou Academy to learn the most advanced knowledge of Dachu. Suddenly, they didn't say anything less, and felt like a treasure slipping away from their noses in vain.

"Mr., what is this concave mirror?"

Dongfang Su asked.

"Glass, made of completely transparent glass."

Chu Tianxiu said.

"Glass?"

"Since it is completely transparent, isn't it invisible? Since it is invisible, how can we know its existence?"

All the Jinshi looked confused.

For something you have never heard of or seen before, you cannot imagine what it is.

"Uh, glass...also called glazing! The more transparent the better... it's as transparent as the ice in winter."

Chu Tianxiu thought about it.

The ancient name of glass is different from that of modern times.

It was called Liuli in ancient times.

China has had glazed glass since the Western Zhou Dynasty, but glazed tiles are usually made of ceramics, with a shiny and completely opaque color.

The West also invented "glass", but it is a more transparent glass.

They are all called glazed, but they are actually two kinds of things.

The Great Chu Dynasty had not mastered the technique of blowing glass.

"Transparent glazed? Students have heard of this."

Sang Hongyang's eyes lit up, "The student was doing business in Luoyang. A down-and-out businessman who claimed to be from the Western Regions passed through the dangerous Hexi Corridor where horse bandits and the Huns ran rampant, and arrived in Luoyang.

This man claimed to be a small caravan, but was looted by horse bandits on the way. He only came with two or three treasures and escaped, and was in trouble with Luoyang City.

The student has always liked to make friends, and met this Western Region merchant and took him in.

The students came to Jinling for the exam, so he also came to Jinling City with them.

He said he wanted to find an opportunity to meet the emperor and nobles of Da Chu and sell his glazed treasures. He boasted that his glazed treasures were different from Da Chu and were shiny and transparent, and rare in the world."

Luoyang is also a prosperous northern city with a population of hundreds of thousands, which is relatively close to the Western Regions.

The first merchants from the Western Regions arrived was Luoyang City.

However, due to the war at the end of the Qin Dynasty, Chang'an did not repair it on a large scale, but instead lags behind.

"Merchants from the Western Regions?"

Chu Tianxiu was surprised.

There were almost no Western merchants in the Great Chu territory, only the middlemen - the Huns.

The Huns monopolized the trade routes of the Hexi Corridor. For a long time, the silk produced by the Great Chu Dynasty could only be sold to the Huns.

The Huns made a difference from it and sold it to merchants from various countries in the Western Regions at a high price.

The merchants from various countries in the Western Regions were resold to merchants of the Kushan Empire and merchants of the Rest Empire.

For the Great Chu and the Huns, Kushan and Anxu were already far away in the West. They didn't really want to go to the farther place.

Then what they did not expect was that the Kushans and the Sakuras were also middlemen, and they actually changed hands again and sold them to the more distant Mediterranean Romans.

When it finally came to the hands of the Romans, silk was more expensive than gold.

With so many middlemen making a difference, the merchants of Da Chu have made a meager profit, and they have always been extremely dissatisfied with this. Da Chu hopes to trade directly with the countries in the Western Regions to save the Huns' price difference fee.

The Great Chu Dynasty was established for 60 or 70 years, and due to the threat of the Huns, it has not opened up a safe passage to the countries in the Western Regions.

The most recent battle between the Great Chu and the Huns was ten years ago. The army was dispatched and took the opportunity to briefly pass through a merchant with the countries of the Western Regions. However, after the Huns recovered, they continued to harass the business route.

Without the protection of the army, the Western Regions caravans could not come at all under the harassment of the Huns.

It is definitely a blessing that a Western Region merchant could arrive in Jinling City alive.

"Bring him to see me!"

Chu Tianxiu was a little interested.

He wanted to know about the situation in the Western Regions and trade.

"yes!"

...

That day.

Sang Hongyang brought a businessman from the Western Regions to the Prince Ping's Mansion and asked to see Xiaohunhou.

Chu Tianxiu could see at a glance that this was a rather down-and-out white old man, all dressed in Western Regions. But I can't tell who is from here.

The countries in the Western Regions "Dayuezhi, Dayuan, Loulan, Jingjue, Kucha, Wusun, and Seeds" are said to be as many as 36 countries, some of which are white.

"Which country are you from?"

Chu Tianxiu asked.

"His respected Marquis, Anthony, a merchant of the Great Yuezhi in the Lower Western Regions, comes from the extremely distant Western Empire. I have brought a few treasures, hoping to see His Majesty the Emperor of your country."

The white old man's eyes were full of awe. He had been in the Great Chu Dynasty for some years, and the Central Plains was spoken quite fluently.

Sang Hongyang told him to help him introduce a top marquis of Great Chu, the popular "Little Hunhou" in front of His Majesty the Emperor of Great Chu.

If I could be valued by Xiao Hunhou, I would have entered the circle of the great nobles of the Great Chu.

This opportunity is very rare.

"Show me your goods!"

Chu Tianxiu said.

Anthony hesitated for a moment and looked at Sang Hongyang. He had no idea about the marquis. If the treasure was robbed, he would be miserable.

There are only the last two treasures left on him. If they are gone, they will be completely finished.

"Marquis is my mentor. He is rich enough to defeat a country, so he will definitely not deceive you."

Sang Hongyang nodded.

Then Anthony carefully took out a glass cup wrapped in thick hemp paper from his arms.

A blue transparent glass goblet.

Chu Tianxiu was slightly surprised.

Although the texture is not pure enough, the glass color is a bit turbid and the transparency is a bit poor.

But by the standards of ancient people more than 2,000 years ago, this is definitely a rare treasure - because the Great Chu Dynasty did not have it at all, this is the only one.

At least in the palace and the Hunhou Mansion, there have never been any such items.

Moreover, obviously, a certain Western country has mastered the technology of making glass.

"Marquis, this is the most expensive luxury item in our country.

I and the caravan risked their lives to transport them to the Great Chu Dynasty... but unfortunately they encountered a horse bandit robber on the road, and the caravan lost all their goods, leaving only this one orphan item, called the "Blue Glass Cup".

If the Marquis likes it, just give out the silver.”

Anthony looked extremely proud.

He stretched out a finger.

He didn't say what it was, it could be 100 taels of silver or 1,000 taels of silver. He just waited for the little marquis to speak up the price.

Chu Tianxiu smiled. He had no interest in this blue glass cup and had no offer.

This thing was indeed very valuable before Da Chu mastered the refining and glass-blowing technology.

Even in the next few hundred years, it will always be very expensive, more expensive than silk.

Because glass is too easy to break, long-distance transportation is simply a nightmare for glass and is far more difficult to preserve than silk.

But he knew the technique of refining glass, and he was only interested in this Western Region merchant.

Chu Tianxiu asked with a smile: "The Western Regions do not have this kind of glass refining technology. This is the glass technology of Rome?! You call yourself 'My country', then you are not a Dayuezhi, but a Roman?"

"Well, Lord Marquis... This is indeed the glass technology from my hometown Rome!... But how do you know Rome?"

Anthony was shocked.

The Huns and the countries in the Western Regions he had met almost did not know the existence of Rome.

There are two rest empires and the Kushan Empire in the middle, and the trade routes are completely monopolized and the personnel and information are almost impossible to circulate.
To be continued...