Zhao Cheng shuddered, instinctively feeling a little uncomfortable with Jia Shen, but for the sake of business, he patiently said, "Since it's a transaction, your capital is too little."

Sensing Zhao Cheng's willingness to help, Jia asked expectantly, "What else does the young prime minister need me to do?"

"I need to know the situation of all the major merchants in Yunmeng City, not only their businesses, but also their family backgrounds and interpersonal relationships." Zhao Cheng made his request directly. Although Yuan Fei had come to inquire a few days in advance, he only had some fragmented information.

Jia hesitated for a moment, then said, "Young Prime Minister, they are truly sincere in their willingness to cooperate with you. It would be better if you asked them directly about these matters; they will tell you."

“Of course I will ask them,” Zhao Cheng said with a smile. “But what they say may not be the same as what you say. That way, I can get more accurate information.”

Jia Shen's heart tightened, and she suddenly felt that Zhao Cheng's eyes had become terrifying.

He thought to himself, "No wonder this person was able to take over the Jiangyang County market in less than half a year. He's really not easy to deal with."

"But young prime minister, I don't know that much either..."

“Poet Jia, there’s no need for modesty,” Zhao Cheng interrupted. “Judging from your appearance, you’re already in your thirties, and Boss Jia has been grooming you as his successor. How could you possibly lack information?”

Zhao Cheng suppressed his smile and said coldly, "Let me remind you, you're the one who came to me to discuss business, not the other way around."

Jia Shen felt a prickling sensation on her back and quickly said, "What I mean is, if the young prime minister needs anything, I will definitely tell you everything I know, but I'm just afraid that I don't know enough."

"That's fine then." Zhao Cheng nodded and said, "I'll help you with your father's side. If you want to be a poet, I can introduce you to Jin Yong and the others later."

Jia Shen said, "My father can help me; there's no need to introduce me to those great writers."

"Oh?" Zhao Cheng asked suspiciously, "Why is that? Wouldn't it be better to learn from them?"

Jia Shen waved her hand, smiled confidently, and said, "There is no first place in literature. They are just more famous than me now, but they can't learn my style, and I can't learn theirs either."

Looking at Jia Shengsheng's confident expression, Zhao Cheng stood there dumbfounded, utterly astonished.

How could there be such a narcissistic and arrogant person in the world!

They can't learn what you're doing?

The little snake fears the big dragon, the kitten fears the tiger. Since they won't fight, they'll offer their blood and bones... What's wrong with learning this kind of doggerel?

When things don't go well, there's distress. When things go well, doubt arises. Business people truly suffer the most, filled with doubt and uncertainty... What's so hard about this kind of neither-here-nor-there stuff that you can't learn?

Who gave you your confidence and courage?

Seeing Zhao Cheng's expression change as he looked at her, Jia Shen Shen immediately perked up and pondered, "A great poet came from the south, a young prime minister came from the north, a destiny fell from the sky, and a promise grew from the ground. The great poet went to the young prime minister to talk about his dreams, but the young prime minister talked business with the great poet..."

Zhao Cheng didn't linger and turned to leave.

If he didn't leave soon, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to control his hands, which were as weak as a chicken.

Apart from the minor incident of Zhao Cheng's ears being burned by the spiciness, the welcoming banquet proceeded smoothly in all other aspects.

Xu An initially shared Zhao Cheng's concerns and was wary of these merchants. However, after a banquet that lasted for more than two hours, Xu An did not see any pretense among them.

The next day, after sobering up, Zhao Cheng immediately gathered everyone to review the situation. Everyone's opinions were relatively consistent, and they agreed that Jia Shen Shen's words were credible.

Xu An summarized in a rough voice, "When the winery was being built in Hannan City, the three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang set a trap for us because that bastard Wen Hu interfered."

"After we went to Jiangcheng, the Tu and Lu families resisted us, and Qi Bainian helped them deal with us. That's because Tu Wanhu and Lu Yuan had a deep grudge against the young prime minister."

"The reason for both of these troubles was personal, not related to the business itself."

“But now!” Xu An tapped the table and continued, “These merchants from Yunmeng City have no grudge against us; they are the ones who truly think about business.”

"Since we're in business, who would refuse to cooperate with us? Our products have already been proven in Yanchuan and Jingdong County—they work well and sell well!"

Zhao Cheng listened quietly to Xu An's summary without interrupting him. After this trip south, Xu An had become more composed than before, and he was using his brain much more often.

This is a good thing.

This is what both Zhao Cheng and Xu Shouli hoped to see.

Xu An was already a spoiled brat; if he couldn't grow up, he would remain a spoiled brat for life.

By then, no matter how high Xu Shouli's official position becomes, or how big Zhao Cheng's business becomes, he will not amount to anything.

Fortunately, Xu An is undergoing a transformation.

Xu An concluded, "No businessman would turn down money. We've only done business in Jingdong and Jiangyang counties, and Yunjing County has already offered to cooperate with us. Once we've established a foothold in these three counties, people from other counties will surely come to us. In the future, our products will be sold throughout the entire Jing Kingdom, and even the whole of the East!"

"Young Master Marquis has ambition!" Zhao Cheng clapped his hands.

Everyone laughed, not in mockery, but in encouragement.

Xu An said, "Since everyone agrees, let's quickly arrange for Boss Mu and the others to discuss this!"

Zhao Cheng shook his head and said, "No rush. Things will fall into place naturally. Let them wait a few days. Jia Shen Shen will give me some information. You should also go out and explore the area around Yunmeng City these next few days to familiarize yourselves with the situation inside and outside Yunmeng City."

"Understood." Everyone nodded.

...

As promised, Jia Shen gave Zhao Cheng the information he wanted. Zhao Cheng analyzed the information he had gathered from Yuan Fei, and the group held an important meeting. They ultimately decided to begin cooperating with the merchants of Yunmeng City.

Once the decision was made, Zhao Cheng began to build momentum, sending invitations to merchants to attend a banquet three days later, which he named the Yunshang Conference.

At the meeting, Zhao Cheng and Xu An will sign agreements with the merchants.

On the day of the Yunshang Conference, there were more wealthy merchants at each table than at the welcoming banquet. This was because, in addition to the prominent merchants from Yunmeng City, several other well-known merchants from Yunjing County, though not from Yunmeng City, had also arrived in the past few days.

Including the wealthy merchants from Yunmeng City, there were a total of eighteen people.

Looking at this well-organized cloud merchant group, Zhao Cheng thought to himself that this was much easier than when he was developing in Jiangyang County.

These eighteen people, along with the small businesses under them, constitute the entire commercial network of Yunjing County!

After the formalities of the banquet were completed, Zhao Cheng discussed the product quotas and market divisions with them, and then prepared to proceed with the final procedure.

Signing the contract.

Boss Mu, being the most senior and strongest, was undoubtedly the first to walk over and sit down behind the table opposite Zhao Cheng.

"Mr. Mu, please."

Zhao Cheng smiled slightly at him, nodded, and then picked up his pen.

Just then, a series of heavy, orderly footsteps sounded, and a group of people dressed in brown cloth shirts rushed in.

"Stop!"

A loud shout rang out from the crowd.