"... Can do."
Old Master Lin finally agreed.
Nothing was more important than Lin Tingwan's life.
Song Qingchao felt amused upon hearing this.
She leisurely sat back down on the chair.
"I'm not greedy," Song Qingchao took a sip of tea. "We'll split the profits fifty-fifty, but I want the final say. If I want to transport something, you have no right to refuse."
"What does that mean?"
Song Qingchao smiled, hooking her lips. "It means, even if I transport something illegal, you cannot refuse."
"This risk..."
"I'll bear the risk. You don't need to worry about other matters, just do your duty as a merchant."
As she spoke, she took out paper, a pencil, and an envelope from her embrace and began writing without any hesitation in front of Old Master Lin.
To others, the writing looked like gibberish.
She wasn't worried at all.
Old Master Lin was surprised by her composure. Although he couldn't understand the unintelligible script, he understood the concept of not looking where one shouldn't.
While Song Qingchao was writing the letter, he remained seated, holding his tea and gazing ahead.
Song Qingchao was very satisfied with Old Master Lin's behavior; he was indeed someone who had managed to build his family business to such a great extent.
His magnanimity was truly immense.
Moreover, in this chaotic era, he was able to remain unattached, not seek personal gain, and disperse his family's wealth.
She liked such people very much.
Song Qingchao wrote down all the tasks for Xiao Guo and then wrote two more letters. One was for the current Princess Li Yanzhu, as she would need her to process the exit permits.
She sealed this letter in a Xi Yun Pavilion envelope, as one couldn't simply meet a princess whenever they pleased.
The other letter was for Xie Yan, the heir of Marquis Anping.
He was very familiar with the Western Regions, and she would need his help as a guide. The reason would also be easy to prepare: she was desperately in need of money, and she didn't expect young master Xie to enjoy seeing her reduced to living on the streets.
After explaining everything in detail, she handed the two letters to Old Master Lin.
"When trade resumes, you just need to bring these two letters to Xi Yun Pavilion, and someone will introduce you. Before that, you only need to prepare the goods you wish to procure and the caravan."
Old Master Lin took the two letters, but he still had some questions.
Before he could speak, Song Qingchao directly handed him a gold-inlaid token, then opened her palm. "The deed of sale."
Old Master Lin's hand, resting on his knee, began to clench his clothes.
This was a gold token!
The suppliers for Xi Yun Pavilion only had silver tokens.
Not only would they receive the highest courtesy, but this was also a symbol of prestige in the business world.
Having been in business for so long, he had never seen anyone with such a gold token.
He felt the weight of what he held in his hand.
Trading these eight people he had found for this gold token was worth it!
Under Song Qingchao's gaze, he called in the young servant waiting outside and, in front of Song Qingchao, explained all the matters.
The servant looked astonished and confirmed with Old Master Lin several times.
"Master, these eight people, you...?"
Old Master Lin, in his anger, slammed his hand on the table.
"Do as you're told! Are you the master or am I?"
The servant quickly bowed and walked out, stealing a glance at Song Qingchao as he left, wondering what kind of person could make Old Master Lin bleed so much. He was truly impressed.
Song Qingchao spoke calmly, addressing the eight people kneeling on the ground. "Alright, you can get up."
The man looked up at Old Master Lin, then at Song Qingchao, and finally chose to lower his head.
Old Master Lin said gravely, "Miss Song values you; it is your good fortune. Following her will be more promising than following me."
After he spoke, several of them responded with "Yes."
So Song Qingchao repeated, "Get up."
This time, they stood up without hesitation, their posture straight.
Song Qingchao walked from one end to the other, looking at each person, finally stopping in front of the one she had first noticed. "You're the leader, aren't you?"
"Reporting to my mistress, I am."
"You're quite obedient. What's your name?" Song Qingchao tilted her head slightly.
The man had a proper face with thick eyebrows and large eyes.
It was a pity for such a striking individual to be a hidden guard.
"Zhou Zhengxi," the man replied.
"Your name is quite auspicious," Song Qingchao nodded, a smile also appearing on her lips. This trip was truly worthwhile.
"You, along with your brothers, take the deed of sale from the servant who just left. Afterward, you only need to prepare a few carriages to send Miss Lin and me back to Guangji Temple, and then you will be free."
She smiled and turned her head. "Old Master Lin won't mind if I take a few more carriages, will you?"
"No trouble at all," Old Master Lin waved his hand dismissively.
However, Zhou Zhengxi was confused. "Mistress?"
"Go first. I still have matters to discuss with Old Master Lin."
Although Zhou Zhengxi was puzzled, he still led his remaining brothers out the door.
From the moment this woman entered, she had captured the attention of their eight brothers.
She appeared delicate on the surface, but observing her, one could tell her aura was incredibly steady, and her physique was not like that of pampered young ladies raised in boudoirs.
The fact that she could discern their hidden positions made her even more formidable.
He still couldn't figure out how he had been discovered.
Had his skills deteriorated from not acting for a long time?
But Old Master Lin was right; they truly had no future in a merchant's household.
Moreover, he felt that this woman was more than what she appeared; her strength was not to be underestimated.
And now, she had retrieved their deeds of sale for them and asked them to retrieve them themselves. Was she testing their loyalty?
After leaving the door,
"Big Brother, can we really leave?"
Zhou Zhengxi glared at his younger brother. "Leave? Where do you want to go? Do you really think we'll be free just because they gave us our deeds of sale?"
He reprimanded his brother with a look of disappointment. "Hurry up and follow. I still need to make some judgments."
Song Qingchao was completely unaware of what these eight people were thinking.
Her thoughts were quite simple; she couldn't possibly do all the dirty and arduous work herself. Having someone charge ahead was good.
She only needed to be the "white lotus" who strategized from behind.
After all, the eldest daughter of the Song family was a delicate and frail beauty.
Her persona couldn't change; otherwise, how could she pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger?
Song Qingchao leisurely stood up. "Let's go."
She looked up at the sky; an hour should be almost up.
"I presume Miss Lin's preparations are nearly complete."