Yu Rong parted her lips slightly, "Someone from Baicheng."

Anle narrowed his eyes. "Bai Cheng?"

"That's right, the Jincheng government has already investigated and found out that the person came from Baicheng, from the Bai family of Baicheng."

"The Bai family?"

Yu Rong nodded. "There are many prestigious families in Baicheng. The Bai family is the head of Baicheng and one of the thirteen prestigious families. The closer you get to the capital, the more prestigious families there are."

Especially among these thirteen prestigious families, the Bai family is one of the leading families.

The Bai family has a diverse range of businesses, primarily dealing in textiles. They also own restaurants, wineries, jade shops, gambling dens, and other businesses. They are a powerful and influential family that should not be underestimated.

The reputation of these thirteen prestigious families almost surpasses that of the royal family. Although they may seem to be on par with the royal family now, they are actually several times more significant.

Even the royal family sometimes has to avoid their sharp edge. If these thirteen prestigious families were to unite, even the royal family would absolutely be unable to control them.

The royal family is very wary of these thirteen prestigious families.

Their fame doesn't just come from their large size and power, or merely from the hype of their titles; it comes from the real power they wield and the military force they possess.

It was this power that made the royal family wary.

Moreover, each of these thirteen prestigious families is incredibly wealthy, far surpassing ordinary families. It can be said that these other families are simply insignificant compared to the thirteen prestigious families.

Ordinary prestigious families have the advantage of a good-sounding name, but these thirteen prestigious families possess absolute strength.

Their financial and military strength gives them an absolute dominant position. The thirteen sects possess the power to deliberate on national affairs, participate in national matters, and have the right to vote and make decisions.

It can interfere with a country's future and prosperity.

The royal family often had to do things that were not in the royal family's favor because of the influence of the thirteen noble families. Many of their actions were simply the result of being forced by circumstances.

Just like back then, when the royal family promised the Luo family, the city lord of Jincheng, two cities and agreed to cede territory as a gesture of goodwill, it was a last resort, a result of joint deliberation and decision-making by the royal family and the thirteen prestigious families.

This is the terrifying aspect of the thirteen prestigious families; they can interfere with and decide any major national event.

Anle tapped her fingers lightly on the table, muttering thoughtfully, "The Thirteen Famous Families." This wasn't the first time she'd heard the term "Thirteen Famous Families"; she'd heard it quite often from her three older cousins ​​and Anxian.

At the time, I didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that these kinds of gimmicks were just outsiders stirring things up and making a fuss.

I never expected to hear this from Yu Rong. It sounds like he's a very important person, not some child's plaything.

Do they possess the strength of an army and absolute financial resources?

Indeed, it sounds like something that deserves serious attention.

Yu Rong explained so much to her, making it so clear, in order to make her take these thirteen prestigious families seriously, to give her some understanding of them, and not to underestimate them.

Does it hold a dominant position in the economy and military?

Tsk tsk, it seems the Bai family has set their sights on the business and wants to snatch it from her.

It's a pity that all that good planning has come to nothing.

Her source of goods is self-sufficient; it's not something she got from somewhere else. Even if she knew about the greenhouse, she absolutely couldn't take it away, and she wouldn't even dare to try to take it.

After all, it's nominally Islail's territory, so who would dare touch Islail's things?

Even if the thirteen prestigious families of Tianqi had the desire, they wouldn't have the guts to do so.

Ah, the mere mention of Islail is enough to strike fear into their hearts.

"Alright, I understand. Don't bother with this Bai family."

"If anyone tries to come knocking on our door to take our fruits, vegetables, or greenhouses, just tell the Jincheng government not to be polite and to kick them out. Be arrogant and show them your true colors." Anle said casually, seemingly unconcerned.

Anyway, it's the royal family that's wary of the thirteen prestigious families, not Anle, and certainly not Islaier.

If the Tianqi Royal Family is willing to give her face, that's their business, and it has nothing to do with Jincheng's side. They should keep to themselves.

They've already set their sights on Jin Cheng, so don't blame her for being ruthless.

...

After hearing the report from the people who went out to investigate, Bai Naijiong, the city lord of Green City, naturally understood the source of the fruits and vegetables in the Linghe Commercial District and personally paid a visit to the Jincheng government office.

They want to cooperate with the Jincheng government and discuss business matters.

The business deal naturally involved fruits and vegetables. Ever since he heard about these fruits and vegetables from Yan Qingxue, he had come out of curiosity to taste them himself, and they were indeed fresh and delicious.

You absolutely cannot find this in Baicheng.

Even in the imperial palace of the capital, it was unheard of.

If they could get their hands on these goods and sell them in Baicheng or the capital, the Bai family could make a fortune.

In Baicheng and the capital, they're not afraid of expensive things; they're afraid of not having anything new to attract attention, set trends, lead crazes, or create a fad.

As long as there is such a novel food, wealthy families are willing to pay for it, and there is absolutely no need to worry about not making money.

But ideals are beautiful, and ideals are just ideals.

When he arrived, he was turned away and didn't even get to see the person in charge. They had no intention of cooperating with him, let alone listening to him discuss cooperation.

The moment he opened his mouth to mention it, the consul's officer nipped the idea in the bud.

The officials in Jincheng seemed too busy to pay him any attention, but he sat there by himself for an hour, drank a lot of tea, and then returned looking rather pathetic.

The lord of Jincheng is indeed as arrogant as the legends say. Is it because he has Islael backing him up that he dares to treat people from Baicheng like this without any fear?

He was truly too cowardly to act recklessly, because the other party was the lord of Islail.

To provoke the Lord of the Golden City of Islail is tantamount to provoking Islail's national prestige; this business deal could easily escalate into a national affair.

"Qingxue, you work for the Jincheng government, have you ever seen the lord of Jincheng? I heard that this legendary lord has never shown his face."

Even a personal invitation from the imperial family in the capital couldn't get them to come; they certainly put on a very high-handed attitude.

Yan Qingxue was taken aback. "Eh? Really? Does Lord Jincheng have such a high and mighty attitude?"

I feel that he has done a good job, he is very generous to us subordinates, and he is even more kind to the people in the city.

He's such a conscientious boss! I think the reason Jincheng has been able to be so well-governed and renovated is entirely due to his effective management.

However, as a lowly subordinate like myself, I naturally have no chance of seeing the lord in person.