The government officials were shameless and accepted everything that came their way. They took whatever was offered and asked for it. I've never seen such shameless government officials.

Green City, the City Lord's Mansion.

“My dear daughter, look at the Jincheng government. They’ve been lukewarm towards us. We’ve brought the goods in, but there’s been no response from them. It’s like all the things we sent in were just wasted.”

Yan Linglong lowered her eyes slightly, "Father, don't worry. Most of the merchants in Jincheng who could leave have already left. In Linghe Town alone, quite a few merchants have left, leaving only a few dozen households."

Those dozens of households, weren't they said the Jincheng government arranged for them to go in? Even if all those merchants are accommodated, such a large castle will definitely need other merchants involved. That'll give us an opportunity."

“Daughter, you may not know, but the opportunities in Hongcheng are much greater than in our Green City. The He family, a merchant family in Hongcheng, has sent a lot of good things over there.”

Compared to the He family, those merchants in Hongcheng, we still can't compare.

Upon hearing this, Yan Linglong paused for a moment, then thoughtfully suggested to Yan Shanxing.

"Father, how about we arrange a marriage alliance with the He family? We can marry our eldest sister into the He family, forming a marriage alliance. That way, it will be a win-win situation."

Otherwise, it's very likely that, just as her father said, this huge pie will be swallowed up by the He family. "Although the He family of Hongcheng is just a merchant family, their wealth alone makes them so famous that they are almost on par with the Hongcheng City Lord's Mansion. She was naturally aware of this."

I'm afraid that everyone in the surrounding cities knows about it; it's practically a household name by now.

Yan Shanxing had a sudden thought: marriage?

That seems like a good idea.

"Given Qingxue's temper, I'm afraid this young master of the He family won't be interested," Yan Shanxing said hesitantly, thinking of his eldest daughter's temperament.

If Qingxue messes things up, her relationship with the He family will likely become strained.

Although the two companies didn't have much interaction before, things were never bad, and there had never been any conflict, except for the incident at Jincheng Linghe Commercial Street.

"Father, how can you say that our Yan family is a prestigious family? Even the daughters of prestigious families look down on us. Do you think we can climb up to the royal family?"

"I'm a woman from a prestigious family marrying down; the He family should be happy to accept. Father, you just need to express that sentiment."

"That makes sense. I'll make the arrangements and send an invitation to the Yan family."

**

Yan Shanxing listened to Yan Linglong's words and then went to Yan Qingxue's courtyard.

Yan Shanxing had only visited this courtyard a handful of times, and each time he came, it was for a specific reason, a fact that Yan Qingxue understood very well.

Upon seeing Yan Shanxing, Yan Qingxue became suspicious. What heinous thing had she done this time? Why had her father suddenly come over?

Yan Qingxue naturally assumed that they had come to interrogate her.

But when Yan Shanxing spoke frankly about his purpose, Yan Qingxue was furious. "What? Father, you actually want me to marry a merchant?"

Of course, she didn't mean to look down on the merchants, but her words sounded like she had been bewitched by that little bitch Yan Linglong again.

It must have been that little bitch Yan Linglong's idea again.

Yan Qingxue stared at Yan Shanxing expressionlessly and sneered, "Father, was this Yan Linglong's idea? Was it Yan Linglong who made you marry me off to a merchant?" Now she's finally made her move against her!

Yan Shanxing's face darkened. "That was also for the sake of my Yan family. It doesn't matter whose idea it was, as long as the idea works."

Yan Qingxue's eyes were cold and frosty.

“Oh, really? Father, how about this? I also have an idea for you, which is definitely better than hers. You should marry her off to the He family.”

If Yan Linglong were to marry into the family, they would definitely agree. How could they not be happy to have such a celestial maiden in their home?

"It's much more secure than me marrying down, Father, what do you think?"

Yan Shanxing's expression turned even colder.

Isn't that obvious? Of course, but Yan Linglong is his greatest asset. How could he possibly give away such a treasure?

Without Yan Linglong, the Yan family is nothing.

"Enough! All you ever think about is how to deal with Linglong? She works so hard for this family, and you don't like her at all? Can't you be a little more responsible? Learn from your sister. You're such a grown woman, yet you don't act like a pampered young lady."

The invitation has already been sent. If nothing unexpected happens, we should get a response in a couple of days. If they agree to let us visit, you should go and get to know them properly, meet the young master of the He family, and don't act like a spoiled princess here." After saying this, Yan Shanxing left with a cold face and a flick of his sleeve.

Yan Qingxue clenched her fists tightly. Yan Linglong!

That's really clever!

Yan Linglong did indeed intend to get rid of Yan Qingxue to avoid seeing her and getting annoyed, so she pulled this stunt to remove her from the situation and sent her out the door.

Because Yan Qingxue wasn't the only candidate to marry into the family; there was another candidate, Yan Linglan.

For the Yan family, Yan Linglan was the best choice to marry into the family. She was quiet, didn't cause trouble, and had a calm temperament, making her a suitable sacrifice for their interests.

However, she wanted to take this opportunity to get rid of Yan Qingxue, who always liked to find fault, so she chose her as the person to take the job.

It was indeed intended to make things difficult for her. In Yan Linglong's view, merchants were nothing more than lowly households, and this was an insult to Yan Qingxue.

Yan Qingxue didn't think there was anything despicable about the merchants; she just resented that Yan Linglong controlled and arranged her life.

Why should her life be in the hands of this little bitch? Even if she's manipulated by others, it's better than being manipulated by the person she despises the most.

Marry into the He family?

Do you think you can please that little bitch? Don't even think about it!

Since this arrangement has been made to marry her off to the He family, she has no choice but to make her father unhappy.

How could she possibly let that little bitch manipulate her?

Oh!

Yan Qingxue sat in front of the dressing mirror, her eyes lowered, making it impossible to see her expression, but her whole body exuded a chilling aura, as if it were tangible.

The young maid standing next to Yan Qingxue, who looked to be about the same age as Yan Qingxue, frowned, her brows furrowed in worry. Unable to dispel Yan Qingxue's troubles, she could only offer words of comfort.

"Miss, don't be sad. Although the city lord said so, I don't think the He family is an ordinary merchant family. They won't agree to something like this easily. The He family is a proud and wealthy family. How could they easily compromise with a prestigious family?"