Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 214
Chapter 214 Design Planning
Everyone entered the banquet, and after drinking three rounds of greetings, Zheng Anshun took the initiative to ask, “May I know if His Highness and the general have anything to teach you?”
Li Ke smiled and pointed at Qin Mubai, “Ask him, Xiao Wang doesn’t know anything.”
Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Brother Zheng, to tell you the truth, I do have something to ask.”
“General Meng called me ‘Brother Zheng’. How can I stand it?” Zheng Anshun smiled and said, “The general has orders, so you may as well tell him directly. However, if I am able to do so, I will definitely serve him.”
“Haha, you should be old friends now.” Li Ke helped Qin Mubai and said with a smile, “Mubai created his own brewing method of Qin Immortal Wine. He must have helped your Zheng Clan earn a lot of money, right?”
“Naturally.” Zheng Anshun nodded with a humble smile. “Therefore, my father often warns me to always remember that General Qin is my Zheng family’s best friend and distinguished guest. Whenever General Qin has any requests, he must satisfy them to the fullest extent possible.”
“Alright, then I won’t stand on ceremony.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Actually, if you want to help me with this, it’s hard to say it’s difficult, but it’s easy to say it’s easy. I just want you, Brother Zheng, to co-star in a good show for me.”
“What is acting?” Zheng Anshun asked with interest.
Qin Mubai smiled mysteriously and said, “Before telling the truth, I would like to ask Brother Zheng how long he has been in Xiang Prefecture. Has he made a public appearance?”
Zheng Anshun knitted his brows suspiciously. “I came to Xiangzhou today. Due to someone entrusting me with loyalty, I went to the secretariat office to deliver the letter from Wu Dongjia. I’m just passing through Xiangzhou to buy some silk. I’m staying here for the time being and haven’t shown myself.”
“Excellent.” Qin Mubai smiled even more mysteriously and said, “I want to ask Brother Zheng how much do you know about the grain market in Xiang Prefecture?”
“You should know a little.” Zheng Anshun replied cautiously and asked carefully, “Why did the general suddenly mention this matter?”
“What I need your help with is related to food.” Qin Mubai said, “I’ll tell you the truth! I want you to show yourself publicly in Xiang Zhou. At that time, there will naturally be people looking for you. I’m not looking for you for anything else, but for the Zheng Clan’s intention to purchase 500,000 stones of grain.”
“Five hundred thousand stones?” Li Ke was shocked, “Are you kidding me? Normally, there are only 200,000 to 300,000 stones in the Imperial Court’s Taicang. Why would the Zheng Clan want to buy so much food?”
Zheng Anshun was obviously a little shocked, “Yeah, Brother Qin, how did I know about this news? Where did you get it from? 500,000 stones of grain … That’s a huge number!”
“Haha!” Qin Mubai laughed loudly, “Of course it was the wind that I released!”
Li Ke and Zheng Anshun looked at each other and shook their heads in confusion. However, Chen Yan smiled and said, “If my guess is correct, you’ve been disguising yourself as a merchant for the past two days, so you went out to get food from Xiang Prefecture, right? Do you suspect that there’s a ghost in the food industry?”
“That’s why!” Li Ke suddenly came to a realization and frowned, “This move is not bad, but what if… if there is no problem with the Zhengchang Grain, what do you say?”
“Then we can only pretend to be real and collect 500,000 stones of grain from him!” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “However, how can a grain with no problem be able to obtain 500,000 stones of grain? Even if you can, you wouldn’t dare to sell such a large amount of grain to the Zheng Clan privately! What do you think?”
“I understand what the general means.” Zheng Anshun nodded, “Are you investigating a case in Xiang Prefecture?”
“That’s right.” Qin Mubai admitted truthfully.
Zheng Anshun knitted his brows and said, “If I help you, I will break the rules of the mall … The general is probably an insider, so I don’t need to say anything.” Most of the businesses dealing in grain and salt secretly had private deals. Some even raised a batch of grain or salt owls themselves in order to buy cheaper food and salt. “If I help you cheat Zhengchang Liang Hao, wouldn’t I be laughed at by my colleagues?”
Li Ke curled his lips and said, “There are rules. Zheng Anshun’s worries are reasonable. Mubai, your bad idea isn’t necessarily very good.”
“You’re overthinking it.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Brother Zheng, let me tell you clearly!” My spear is not directed at the Zhengchang Grain Hao, but at the water ghost of the West River Valley! I suspect that the water ghosts that have been exterminated in Xiangzhou for many years have secretly colluded with the government’s grain and salt trades. Help me lure the snake out of the cave. If you want to attack, you will only be able to hit the water ghost. If the Zhengchang grain was clean, then they wouldn’t suffer any damage. On the other hand, if they colluded with the Water Ghost Bandits to kill people and steal goods to the detriment of the public and private interests, then they would be the Heaven-ranked Bandits. Brother Zheng, your Zheng Clan has the golden sign of ‘Great Tang Righteous Merchant’ on its head. Aren’t you interested in helping me get rid of such a scum from the business world? ”
Zheng Anshun’s eyes widened in shock, then he knitted his brows and pondered for a moment before decisively nodding, “Alright, I’ll help you with this!”
“Mubai, Zheng Anshun is a businessman. Businessmen never do anything that is not beneficial.” Li Ke smiled and said, “Shouldn’t you promise him something?”
“Then it depends on whether His Highness is generous or not.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “If we succeed in eliminating the water ghost, the grain and salt market in Xiangzhou will definitely need to be rectified. At that time, we can let the Zheng Clan take over the official grain and salt lines here!”
“No! No need!” Zheng Anshun smiled but firmly waved his hand, “It’s just a matter of raising your hand. I don’t dare to ask for anything in return.” My father often lectures me. Being able to do more for the Imperial Court is a virtuous act that I can’t hope for. The chicks still know how to feed back, let alone humans? If it weren’t for the support of the Tang Imperial Court, would the Zheng Clan be safe today? “General Qin, please tell us what to do!”
Qin Mubai nodded and smiled, “The Zheng Clan’s knowledge and mind are indeed extraordinary. No wonder they were able to become the leader of the business community and manage such a large family business.” Brother Zheng, let’s talk about ugliness first. If Zhengchang grain number is indeed linked to the water ghost, its sin naturally should be punished, this needless to say; “If I misjudged … then I might have to fake it and cause you to receive a large amount of grain.”
Li Ke laughed loudly, “Mubai, you are so cunning! Do you know how much 500,000 Stone Lake Yang White Rice is worth?”
Zheng Anshun lightly smiled and said, “I will roughly calculate the price of grain in Xiangzhou. It should be worth about 40 million yuan!”
Qin Mubai chuckled dryly, “Forty million … With my salary, I’ll have to compensate you for dozens of years. Therefore, I have no choice but to go and corrupt you!”
“How dare you! I will be the first to expose and impeach you!” Li Ke was willing to shout with a straight face.
Zheng Anshun chuckled, “Brother Qin is too good at joking.” Zheng Anshun was still able to take care of a mere 40 million yuan, and he could also take action. Moreover, 500,000 stones of grain could earn a lot of money! If General Qin hadn’t secretly helped and opened the door to convenience, I would have dared to openly collect and sell such a large amount of private food in Xiang Prefecture? “In that case, I won’t be able to thank you in time!”
“Uh! … I’m truly worthy of being a merchant!” Qin Mubai and Li Ke were both speechless!
“Haha, I’m joking.” Zheng Anshun smiled and cupped his hands to Qin Mubai. “I’ve heard for a long time that General Qin is wise and courageous. It’s a blessing for me to be able to cooperate with General Qin against bandits once in my life. In that case, let me listen to General Qin’s detailed plan.”
Li Ke waved his hand and said, “You should discuss such a confidential matter privately. My study room is temporarily borrowed from you. The four treasures of the study room are all ready. There are some things that should be written down as evidence in advance, so it’s better to write them down.”
“Your Highness is still very thoughtful.” Qin Mubai and Zheng Anshun said in unison. Then, they got up and went to Li Ke’s study.
After the two of them left, Li Ke picked up his glass and said to Chen Yan, “Maiden Chen, there are only the two of us left at the table now. May I ask Maiden Chen to accompany Little Wang for a few drinks?”
“No, thank you for your kindness, Your Highness.” Chen Yan had a smile on her face, but she refused very straightforwardly. Finally, she added, “Your Highness, forgive me. Chen Yan has never drunk in her life. She only made an exception once.”
“Which time? Who did you drink with?”
“Qin Mubai!”
Li Ke grinned awkwardly and was speechless for a long time. He laughed dryly and said, “Why can’t we drink with him and not with Xiao Wang?”
“Because when a woman is drunk, there will always be a lot of troubles.” Chen Yan gently raised the corner of her mouth. She was half joking and half serious. There was also a trace of mockery and contempt as she said, “But with Mubai, I can rest assured that there won’t be such trouble.”
Li Ke’s hand that was holding the wine cup stiffened for a long time, and he was really speechless. Finally, he could only shake his head and smile bitterly, “Forget it, serve tea!”
…
In the study room, Qin Mubai and Zheng Anshun discussed for a long time and discussed the arrangements and details very clearly.
“General Qin has indeed considered Zhou Xiang thoroughly. I really admire him!” After the discussion, Zheng Anshun cupped his hands and said to Qin Mubai, “Your reputation is well deserved. General Qin is indeed extraordinary!”
“Haha, I’m flattering you. I’ll just talk about it on paper. How we do it and whether we’ll succeed or not depends on Brother Zheng’s kung fu.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “With your Zheng Clan’s golden signboard, I estimate that the Zhengchang Grain Hall will be convinced for the most part.” But people like them have always been extremely cunning and treacherous. You have to be careful. It might be a little dangerous. I’ll send a few Baiji soldiers to disguise themselves as your followers and follow you at all times, right? “First, it is conducive to your safety. Second, it is also convenient for us to keep in touch with each other.”
“How dare you?” Zheng Anshun smiled and said, “The Hundred Cavalry are royal subordinates. Can An send me as a follower of this merchant?”
“No problem!” Qin Mubai laughed loudly. “There is only one Zheng Clan in the world, and there is only one Zheng Clan Young Master. It’s only natural for you to have a Baiji Guard! Besides, aren’t you helping me? How dare I let you take risks? Let’s settle this. There’s no need to be so courteous.”
“In that case, I would rather be obedient than respectful!” Zheng Anshun cupped his hands and said, “Tomorrow, I will go to Xiangyang Harbor to take a walk. By the way, let out some news to my peers that I want to buy a batch of private grain. In this way, the people from the Zhengchang Grain Company will take the initiative to find me.”
“Definitely.” Qin Mubai said confidently, “They’ve probably been looking for me in the city for the past few days. Now that they’ve met your lord, how can they not take the initiative to go up there? At that time, you just need to keep your mouth shut with me and not wear a gang. Everything else can be handled naturally. You’re better than me at negotiating prices, so there’s no need for me to say anything else.”
“En … this is an interesting matter.” Zheng Anshun smiled and said, “I, the North-South Traveling Merchant, have been in danger before, but I haven’t had the excitement and excitement this time. So we have agreed that tomorrow, I will go out for an activity. If there is any news, I will inform you immediately.”
“Alright, it’s a deal!”
