Chapter 817 Okay

Three days had passed since the unprecedented ceremony of bestowing titles upon the king.

The people of Fengxin City were still talking about the sight of their own Prince carrying the son of the Prince of Jingnan while the Crown Prince trailed behind him on the high platform outside the West Gate of Fengxin City that day.

They also continued to discuss the Emperor's profound grace towards their Prince under the three imperial edicts.

The former generals of the Jingnan Army, who had left their posts without permission, repeatedly cried out "Greetings, Young Lord," revealing the iron blood and loyalty of soldiers.

Furthermore,

At the Prince's grand banquet, the Prince's amiable and caring words spread among the guests, who, upon returning home, enthusiastically relayed them to those around them.

If one didn't know better, they'd think the Prince had actually shaken hands with each and every guest and offered them his personal greetings. Otherwise, how could they all describe it with such vivid detail, as if they themselves were that hand?

Rumor had it,

That night, the Prince and the envoy of Great Yan drank wine and sang songs together, speaking with great enthusiasm and discussing plans for universal peace.

Moreover,

The Prince also instructed the former Fifth Prince, now the Fifth King, about the hardships of the people's livelihood and the importance of being mindful of their difficulties.

After listening,

The Fifth Prince remained in a daze for a long time, as if he had achieved a profound understanding.

Naturally, one's words would lean towards whoever they were aligned with. The soldiers and civilians of Fengxin City naturally picked the pleasant aspects to listen to and, of course, chose the pleasant things to say.

As for the deeper meanings hidden beneath these events and the undercurrents lurking within,

To say nothing else, just the incident of the Jingnan Army's generals arriving would have likely pushed the relationship between Jindong and the Imperial Court to the brink of war, had the Emperor not preemptively laid the groundwork with three imperial edicts.

But,

Who cared?

Heaven would send rain, and a mother would marry.

Although they had enjoyed a few years of peace, everyone had not forgotten the chilling atmosphere of swords, spears, and arrows.

If there was a spectacle to watch, they would watch.

If there was a story to tell, they would listen.

If there was a bargain to be had, they would seize it.

If the Prince wanted to raise an army, regardless of where they were fighting, they would follow the royal banner and get to work!

As for the Prince of Pingxi, in the true inner chambers,

Being drunk out of his mind, nearly behaving like a madman,

Toasting this one, toasting that one, toasting the family,

Such private matters would naturally only be known to those close to him.

…

Still Welcome Guest House,

Still the same elegant room on the third floor by the window,

Still a few exquisite side dishes accompanied by the finest Huadiao wine.

On the east and west sides, Proprietor Miao and Proprietor Lu were still seated.

But on the north and south sides, there were also people sitting today.

On the south side, Proprietor Xiao's face was weary. In his early years, he had transported goods through Zhennan Pass, where both sides would turn a blind eye. After smoothing things over, it wasn't convenient to travel during the day, but at night, they could proceed openly.

The Chu army even engaged in warhorse trading with the Pingxi Prince's Estate. Those at the top ate meat, while those below followed and drank a bit of broth. Everyone felt at ease.

But this time, Proprietor Xiao had taken the route from Fancheng to Mengshan, which was difficult, troublesome, and long. Therefore, not only was he late, but he was also covered in dust.

On the north side, Proprietor Fei, a Yan person, was seated.

Proprietor Miao smiled and said, "Proprietor Fei, we all thought you wouldn't be coming this time."

It was truly a novelty for Yan merchants to be more apprehensive about doing business on Yan territory than foreign merchants.

Proprietor Fei smiled and nodded, saying, "I'm here to make a handover this time. The business and shops here will also be mortgaged to the Prince's Estate."

"Oh, you're not doing it anymore?" Proprietor Miao asked with some curiosity, "Can someone else take over the mortgage?"

Proprietor Lu gently slapped the table and teased Proprietor Miao, "Sure, can your head be hung somewhere else?"

Small business was small business, in a village, a town, a prefecture.

But when business was done between a commandery, a state, or even several states, it was simply impossible without a patron standing behind it.

They were all seasoned foxes, so there was no need for any pretense.

The several proprietors at the table were well aware that they were all just a layer of skin that their respective masters wore on the outside.

"The Prince's Estate will organize a merchant fleet to ship goods westward," Proprietor Fei said. "If I meet you all again in the future, it will be in Yingdu. I'm afraid I won't be coming to Jindong often anymore."

"Heh."

Proprietor Miao didn't mind adding fuel to the fire.

"You Yan people are just very strange."

A business with the background of the Secret Service was actually directly admitting defeat in front of a feudal lord.

Jindong was located at the intersection of the Snow Plains, Yan, Jin, and Chu, and was inherently a place where commerce thrived. Coupled with the Prince's Estate's own series of industries, as long as one could get the goods and sell them, there would be no worry about sales. Anyone who could stretch an arm in there, or even just nudge a toe into the circle, would be an enviable morsel.

Proprietor Fei glanced at Proprietor Miao and

Asked with a smile;

"I'm also very curious. When will you Qian people be able to stand up on the battlefield like real men?"

Proprietor Lu and Proprietor Xiao immediately said:

"Too far, too far."

"Too difficult, too difficult."

Regardless of whether you were a Yan person, a Jin person, or a Chu person, as long as you were humiliating the Qian people, they had to help out.

Proprietor Miao seemed to be used to it and wasn't angry, at least he didn't show it.

He shrugged his shoulders,

Leaned back,

He didn't understand the saying "Weak nations have no diplomacy," but having traveled north and south, he could clearly perceive the contempt from other countries.

No matter how much silver you had, no matter how well you dressed,

When the ordinary commoners of Yan knew that you were a Qian person, no, even if it was a porter temporarily hired in Yan, waiting for this wage to buy rice for his family's dinner,

When he knew that the proprietor was a Qian person,

He would reveal that kind of smile:

Oh, a Qian person.

The work would still be done, the money would still be taken, and people would still laugh.

Proprietor Fei didn't pursue the matter relentlessly but instead raised his wine cup and said;

"May we meet again. If you all have the time, you can come to Yingdu to find me next time, and I'll be the host."

Behind Proprietor Fei stood a chamber of commerce. The owner, in fact, was just like him, a layer of skin;

Strictly speaking, his merchant fleet had belonged to the Min family a long time ago, then to the Sixth Prince, then it was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue, and then it returned to the hands of the Sixth Prince;

Now,

It belonged to the Emperor.

The Prince of Pingxi had once said to the Sixth Prince with disdain, "You are a prince, and you also manage the Ministry of Revenue, and you continue to do your own business, enriching yourself at public expense. Your eating habits are so ugly that they have reached the extreme";

Later,

The Sixth Prince became the Emperor,

And suddenly, it became perfectly natural.

But sometimes, doing business under the banner of the government was not so easy. Therefore, this layer of skin had to be retained.

The Emperor also had a knot in his heart,

Especially after learning about the business model and current operation of Fengxin City,

He regretted that when the Zheng fellow ridiculed him at the time, he hadn't grabbed him by the neck and spat in his face:

"Don't you look at yourself, you've even arranged the people's coffin money in your own territory!"

"The mountains don't turn, but the water does. Who knows what will happen in the future? Although we are not from the same country, and our names are marked on the foreign yamen of our respective countries, let's put it this way, whichever of us brothers can't make a living one day;

I, Lu Xiong, spit a nail with every word. If I really put down everything I have, it's no problem to get you three small tile-roofed houses;

Nothing more than that, haha."

The other proprietors laughed upon hearing this, and everyone raised their glasses together for a toast.

The small banquet ended, and Proprietor Miao paid the bill.

Walking to the entrance of the inn, Proprietor Miao put his hands in his sleeves, closed his eyes, swayed slightly in the sunlight, and then opened his eyes again, heading in the direction of his merchant team.

Proprietor Fei had to continue to handle the mortgage matters and had to make a final handover with the "foreigners" of the Prince's Estate. It was just a pity that he didn't happen to meet Boss Dai here today.

Proprietor Lu had drunk the most and wouldn't be returning until tomorrow, so he didn't go out but fell asleep in his room.

Proprietor Xiao had just arrived and had many things to do. His subordinates had already been waiting at the entrance of the inn with a carriage. He got into the carriage, and just as he sat down, he saw Dai Li sitting inside. He didn't shout or yell but silently took out a box from under the carriage, filled with gold cakes.

Boss Dai yawned and said:

"You've had a hard journey."

"Look at what you're saying, Boss Dai. When it comes to earning money, how can we talk about hardship?"

"Heh."

Dai Li nodded and reached out to press the box down.

"Boss Dai, don't worry, there's more tonight..."

"Someone wants to see you."

"Oh."

Proprietor Xiao immediately put the box back. The person that Boss Dai would personally lead must be someone of high status in the Prince's Estate.

He didn't ask any more questions and sat there quietly.

The carriage drove into the front street, then circled half a lap, and finally, instead of heading towards the Prince's Estate, it turned into a private residence.

Dai Li got out of the carriage first and stood there respectfully.

There were several masters in the Prince's Estate, and their direct superior was Third Master. Third Master's methods were endless, and his ways of torturing people were so ruthless that it was hard to imagine.

But Third Master was, after all, a true man, easy to coax;

Only this master in front of him made these foreigners under the Prince's Estate not dare to breathe too loudly when they saw him.

The blind man was sitting at a stone table in the courtyard, drinking tea.

Proprietor Xiao looked at Dai Li and then at the blind man over there, and then walked over and knelt down:

"This servant greets the master."

The Chu Emperor suppressed the nobility in the Chu state, but the habits of a country's people would not be so easily changed.

Moreover, in the eyes of the Chu people, the word "servant" was not much different from "lower official" or "small person."

"Did you have a good drink?"

The blind man asked.

"Replying to the master, I had a good drink."

There were rumors in the martial world that the Prince of Pingxi had a warrior under his command who was incredibly strong, agile, and also blind.

Proprietor Xiao had seen more of the world after all and knew more about the affairs of Fengxin City, so he knew that this person in front of him should be the first strategist under the Prince of Pingxi!

"You've had a hard journey."

"This servant is not tired, not tired."

"Is the old master of the Xie family well?"

"..." Proprietor Xiao.

The blind man put down his teacup, changed his sitting position, and said, "Of the four great noble families of Great Chu, the Qu clan has been overthrown, the Shi family has fallen, and the Dugu has declined. Only the Xie clan remains, and because their family fiefdom is in the south of Great Chu, they have been preserved.

Now, your Chu Emperor is using the head of the Xie family at the Wei River, which means he plans to bring out the last treasure at the bottom of the box."

"Master, this servant is just a small steward who runs errands and earns silver for the master. This servant can..."

"Don't be afraid. I know your identity better than you do. This time, due to the war, the mountain roads to Chu have been cut off, and the road to Fancheng has just been opened. Why were you the first one to squeeze in?"

"Was it, was it arranged by you, master?"

The blind man nodded. "I'm usually quite gentle, but after being with my master for a long time, I've slowly come to dislike beating around the bush.

I don't want you to defect, and I don't need you to betray your family. At most, I'll let you take a letter and a few words to your master;

So, you just sit here, and we'll have a good talk. If you really make me annoyed, then you'll just have to die. Wouldn't it be a great waste to die like this?"

"Yes, this servant understands, this servant understands."

"Sit."

"Thank you, master."

Proprietor Xiao sat down tremblingly, looking obedient.

"Did Proprietor Fei tell you that he will be withdrawing?"

"Yes, he said that he would mortgage all the businesses in Fengxin City and sit in Yingdu from now on, looking towards Wangjiang."

"What do you think this means?" the blind man asked.

"This servant believes that the Secret Service behind Proprietor Fei doesn't want to antagonize the Prince's Estate, so..."

"Too shallow. Behind Proprietor Fei is not just the Secret Service, but the Ministry of Revenue of Great Yan."

"Ministry of Revenue?"

Proprietor Xiao's eyes widened. The Ministry of Revenue of the Yan Kingdom was different from the Ministries of Revenue of other countries. The Ministry of Revenue of the Yan Kingdom was the Emperor of Yan's private land, which meant...

"Keep talking," the blind man urged.

"This servant believes that it is the Imperial Court, the Yan Imperial Court, that doesn't intend to compete with the Prince's Estate for profit and is yielding profit to the Prince's Estate."

The blind man nodded.

The Prince of Pingxi's Estate monopolized the channels in this area and could be called the general distributor. Below them were various agents.

The Snow Plains had a harsh geographical environment. Apart from some large tribes that were worth the Prince's Estate personally organizing merchant teams to visit, many other small and medium-sized tribes, relying on their own barbarian merchant teams, especially tribes like the Hailan tribe, which was adjacent to Xuehai Pass and surrendered the earliest, were most suitable to be agents.

The Qian and Chu countries were naturally the same. Because they were foreign countries, it was most cost-effective to let the local snakes solve the commercial routes themselves.

But to the west was Jinzhong, Jinxi, and the Yan Kingdom. There was actually no difficulty here. Their own people could just go. In the Yan Kingdom, there might be a group of ministers loyal to the country in the Imperial Court who would seize the opportunity to unite and attack the Prince's Estate in order to guard against the feudal lords. But in the local areas, who would dare not give face to the Prince of Pingxi's Estate?

This level was originally occupied by the Ministry of Revenue, that is, the merchants of the Emperor himself.

Now, it was being given up, because Little Sixth was the Son of Heaven himself, so it was equivalent to the Son of Heaven giving the Prince's Estate a "tax exemption" for doing business.

However, in the blind man's view, the wool came from the sheep, and with the temperament of this Yan Emperor, after this concession, the amount of money and grain escorted into the Prince's Estate by the Imperial Court next year or even from the middle of the year would probably decrease accordingly.

He had done the good deed, and the cost had also been offset.

The blind man's fingers tapped lightly on the stone table,

Said:

"In fact, Proprietor Fei had arrived long ago, but he has not entered the city. He is waiting. Do you know what he is waiting for?"

"This servant..."

"He is waiting for the end of the ceremony of bestowing titles upon the king. He is watching the wind direction." The blind man didn't let Proprietor Xiao continue to answer. "You didn't make it to the ceremony of bestowing titles upon the king, but you should know what happened, right?"

"Yes, yes, this servant has heard, has heard."

"Yes, the former officials of the Jingnan Army, one by one, left their posts without permission to pay homage to the Prince of Jingnan's son. The Emperor's three imperial edicts, with their combined effects, turned everything into nothing.

There are actually other things to say here.

For example, they should have teamed up with my Prince's Estate to strengthen our momentum;

Feudal lords, military leaders,

If you have soldiers and horses in your hands and can team up, you can shout a sentence: The Son of Heaven, whoever has strong soldiers and horses will get it.

But after the three imperial edicts, the Imperial Court not only took over the legal and emotional aspects, but also gave all the current garrison generals the handle of leaving their posts without permission.

The situation was reversed all at once.

It is conceivable that the Imperial Court will inevitably use this to control and take back the military power of the former Jingnan Army system."

As Proprietor Xiao listened, cold sweat kept dripping down. Why were these things being told to him?

This level of game was clearly very, very far from him.

"My Prince's Estate is loyal to Great Yan, but my Prince was, after all, born under the command of the Prince of Jingnan. Considering the old relationship, he doesn't want to see the Jingnan Army, which once shook the world, be disintegrated like this;

So,

My Prince's intention is to cooperate with your master."

"Cooperate?"

"Yes."

"After I go back, I will report to my master."

"Take back all the words I said earlier with you."

"Yes, this servant understands, but, master, what exactly do you want to cooperate on?"

"Fancheng is in my hands. You Chu people, you don't dare to attack Fancheng's idea again in a short time, right?"

"This servant... this servant..."

"Besides, Mengshan is not easy to walk. It is impossible for a large army to pass through from there into Jin territory, and supplies are difficult. There is a road that is very easy to walk, wide, flat, and open, and it is one of the two major passes into Jin, along with Zhennan Pass."

"Is Master talking about Nanmen Pass?"

"Yes, it is Nanmen Pass."

The blind man took out a letter and handed it to Proprietor Xiao,

"Give this letter to your master."

Proprietor Xiao reached out and took the letter. If it was just delivering a letter and a message, there was no problem.

"Master, don't worry, this servant will definitely deliver this letter to my young master's hands."

"Okay, as for whether to do it next, how to do it, and when to do it, it depends on your... um, young master?"

"Yes, young master."

"Isn't it being given to Xie, the Pillar of the Nation?"

"Replying to Master, the family head is leading troops at Wei River, and the affairs of the family and clan are now managed by our young master. Our young master is known as a once-in-a-century prodigy of our Xie family."

To do business and talk business, you have to raise your own status so that you can be equal and make a profit;

Moreover, in front of the blind man, Proprietor Xiao was actually a little too nervous, and his words were a little slower than his brain, following his instincts.

The blind man impassively picked up the teapot and refilled his cup,

Asked;

"Oh, how old is your young master?"

"Thirteen."

The hand holding the teacup shook slightly,

Blew on the tea that wasn't even hot,

Nodded.

"Okay."

————

There is more tonight.