Mi Yihai reacted quickly, without a moment's hesitation, he nodded with a smile, "That's natural, that's natural. In this day and age, no one really dislikes the feel of money in their hands."
The village chief saw this and realized that Mi Yihai was very obedient to his wife. He immediately understood what was going on.
No matter how high an official's rank, in the end, it was the one with more money who held the sway. The two of them smiled.
Wang Yuanzhi: "Prefect Mi, we've clarified our business. We can finalize it in two or three days and strive to complete it as soon as possible so we can earn money earlier, right?"
Mi Yihai smiled without speaking, giving the village chief a look that seemed to say, "You guess."
Wang Yuanzhi mistook his sly grin as pure joy at the prospect of making money. He returned Mi Yihai's smile and then started chatting with Hua Yunzhe, the prefect of Xiuzhou.
"Prefect Hua, our business of 'Immortal Cream' will have the profits split equally. However, there's one condition: if anyone becomes envious of my business and tries to cause trouble, I'll need Prefect Hua's assistance in coordinating things. This matter requires Prefect Hua's careful attention."
His words were sincere, stating exactly what he wanted to say and clarifying the profit-sharing upfront.
He had been doing business with Wang Yuanzhi for quite some time, and these words were merely a formality. He understood this.
"These are not major issues, but I do have something to say."
The preceding words had pleased the village chief, but the last sentence made him pause slightly. "Prefect Hua, please speak."
Hua Yunzhe took a sip of tea. "Although the money is split equally, there have been some negative opinions about your 'Immortal Cream' recently. They reached my ears, and I managed to suppress them. I had to grease quite a few palms to do so."
Hearing this, Wang Yuanzhi immediately understood what was going on but feigned ignorance, smiling without betraying any emotion while straining his ears to listen.
Hua Yunzhe looked at the village chief, who seemed as unyielding as a dead pig unafraid of boiling water. He decided to cut to the chase and express his thoughts.
"I've appeased all the officials from top to bottom. In this day and age, words are useless; it requires real money to smooth things over. Does Village Chief Wang have anything to say about this?"
Zhao Jiaqi listened and inwardly sneered. He had given half the profit to Prefect Hua and was still not satisfied, wanting to squeeze more out of the village chief. He was too greedy. Wasn't he afraid of being investigated by his superiors one day? How many mouths would he need to feed then?
Clearly, Hua Yunzhe had no intention of explaining himself. He probably didn't think anyone would investigate such a remote place.
Coincidentally, Huangfu Xi was already on his way. If all went as expected, he would arrive tonight at the earliest, and tomorrow at the latest.
At that moment, Wang Yuanzhi's lips curved into a smile, his mind working quickly. "Prefect Hua has already gone out of his way for this small business. How could I let you bear this expense? If I did that, I would be a dishonorable and incompetent person."
After saying this, he paused and then continued after some thought, "How about this: we maintain the current profit split of fifty-fifty for the sale of 'Immortal Cream'. This part remains unchanged."
Hua Yunzhe made no comment, but the slight, unconscious twitch of his brow indicated his displeasure or dissatisfaction.
It wasn't just Zhao Jiaqi who noticed his unhappiness; Wang Yuanzhi and everyone else present could clearly see it.
Wang Yuanzhi chuckled and continued, "How about this: I'll slightly increase the price of 'Immortal Cream.' The extra money can be used to bribe officials. What do you think, Prefect Hua?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Jiaqi wanted to applaud him. This method was truly killing two birds with one stone, something that people with an IQ below a hundred wouldn't be able to come up with.
Not only was the village chief's profit preserved, but the funds for appeasing officials were also resolved. As for whether the prefect actually used the money for bribery, that wasn't something he needed to know.
The only certainty was that as long as one was within Xiuzhou Prefecture, if anything happened, seeking out Hua Yunzhe was only logical.
Hearing this, the prefect's expression immediately improved. "You, Village Chief, are quite adept at handling matters. In that case, I, this prefect, will take it upon myself to manage it."
As soon as he said this, everyone present understood that the money for bribing officials would still end up in his pocket.
Just as the topic seemed concluded, and Zhao Jiaqi picked up her teacup, preparing to change the subject, Prefect Hua, unexpectedly, began a new negotiation.
"From now on, a portion of my dividends will be in banknotes, and a portion will be in gold wares. Send them to my residence."
Gold wares?
Zhao Jiaqi frowned slightly. "Gold wares... are they objects made of gold?"
Hua Yunzhe nodded with a smile, quite proud of his creation. "The areas of Gangshang Village and Gangxia Village are known for their ceramics."
What did ceramics have to do with gold wares?
Zhao Jiaqi didn't quite understand. She suddenly realized that either she was suffering from pregnancy-induced foolishness, or she was still too naive compared to these seasoned schemers.
Hua Yunzhe: "Mold the gold into decorative pieces, then cover them with a layer of mud. Such items wouldn't be wanted if thrown on the street."
Holy cow, this was truly ingenious. To come up with such a method was enough to broaden Zhao Jiaqi's horizons.
*Creak.* The door to the private room was pushed open. First to enter were Wang Zhen and his wife, Wang Tangshi. All eyes turned towards the entrance.
This was Zhao Jiaqi's first time seeing Wang Zhen. He was rumored to be quite skilled in military matters. Earlier, when he was conscripted, everything at home fell to his wife. Because she took care of her in-laws, she suffered a miscarriage. Wang Zhen felt very guilty about this and therefore treated her with great respect.
She had always thought that generals were burly men, but today she saw what it meant to be a man of elegant bearing.
He stood seven feet tall, with a well-proportioned physique, as straight and tall as a green pine. His face was relatively gentle, and beneath his rugged eyebrows were eyes as sharp as a hawk's.
This was hardly the appearance of a man who led soldiers into battle. Looking at his sharp eyes, he seemed more like a businessman.
Following him, a woman entered. She was dressed quite ordinarily, with only a green jade hairpin in her hair and a bracelet of the same color on her wrist. Her face and appearance were average. If she hadn't known she was the general's wife, Zhao Jiaqi wouldn't have been able to recognize her in a crowd.
The two of them looked quite alike. Both had risen from humble origins to positions of influence, like village women. Therefore, Zhao Jiaqi felt a degree of goodwill towards her.