Seeing Mi Zhu's attitude, Liu Bei also showed a satisfied smile.

"We are interested in forming a marriage alliance with the Ailin family, but we are struggling to find someone to act as a matchmaker. Therefore, we would like to ask Manager Zimi to act as a matchmaker and accompany me to propose marriage!"

Firstly, it's to show respect to the Erin family; secondly, it's to demonstrate the power behind me, making my future actions easier!

Liu Bei did not hide anything and explained his purpose to Mi Zhu in detail.

"Brother Xuande, please wait a moment. I'll go and make the preparations right away!"

Mi Zhu didn't waste any words and agreed immediately.

Afterwards, Mi Zhu had a formal invitation written, changed into a formal suit, and even prepared the betrothal gifts required for the marriage proposal.

"Brother Zizhong, you're so kind!"

Mi Zhu's sensible and meticulous approach immediately won Liu Bei's favor, and Liu Bei began to address him by his courtesy name.

Mi Zhu said politely, "Brother Xuande, we are both serving His Majesty, so there's no need for us to be so formal. Let's go and not keep them waiting!"

"Alright, Brother Zizhong, please!"

Liu Bei smiled and nodded, then left the office with Mi Zhu and headed towards Ai Lin's house.

Behind them followed forty strong men carrying gifts such as silk, tea, and porcelain wrapped in red cloth.

Before long, the group arrived at the front of Erin's house.

At this moment, the gates of the Erin family's house were wide open, and a butler, accompanied by ten servants dressed in new clothes, stood quietly in front of the gates, clearly waiting for something.

Upon seeing Liu Bei and his entourage approaching, the steward quickly went to greet them.

While bowing, he spoke in broken Chinese: "This humble servant greets Imperial Brother Liu and Manager Mi!"

As the person in charge of all the Han merchants in the Egyptian province, Mi Zhu's status was undeniably high.

Even Governor Pecney was always very polite when he met Mi Zhu.

Otherwise, they would not be able to buy any goods from the Han merchants.

Furthermore, trade between the Han Dynasty and Rome was a seller's market; how much money you could earn depended entirely on how much goods I gave you.

This is especially important for the Egyptian provinces, which rely on maritime trade.

It is no exaggeration to say that a large portion of the economy of the Egyptian provinces today is controlled by Han Chinese merchants, led by the Royal Merchant Guild.

Therefore, the steward of the Ailin family was extremely respectful to Mi Zhu.

After glancing at the steward, Mi Zhu stepped forward, took out the visiting card, and handed it to the steward.

"I am Mi Zhu, the manager of the Rome office of the Great Han Royal Merchant Guild, here to pay my respects!"

"Please wait a moment, Manager Mi. I'll go and report right away!"

After respectfully accepting the visiting card, the butler from the Erin family hurried towards the mansion.

Upon receiving Mi Zhu's invitation, Ailinklo was overjoyed.

He never expected that his future son-in-law would have such ability to invite Mi Zhu to propose marriage.

With this connection between Liu Bei and the Royal Merchant Guild, it would be difficult for the Ailin family not to grow stronger.

Then, Elinclos personally went out to greet them and invited the marriage proposal team to his home.

Regarding the matter between Liu Bei and Ai Lin's family, both sides were already interested, and with Mi Zhu coming to act as matchmaker today, they naturally hit it off immediately and set the wedding date for five days later.

After finalizing the marriage between Liu Bei and Elena, Elinclo looked at Liu Bei with a solemn expression: "Brother Liu, now that we are family, there is something I would like to ask you to help me make a decision about!"

"Father-in-law, please speak frankly, and I will do my utmost to help!" Liu Bei said resolutely.

"Here's what happened: In April of this year, Augustus mobilized his army to march on Parthia, but the provinces were short of funds, so he borrowed some money and grain from our Egyptian province."

Now that the war is over, the money recovered by the provincial armies is insufficient to cover these loans. What do you think we should do...?

Liu Bei smiled and said, "Then it depends on my father-in-law. Do you only want the money back, or do you want more?"

"How do I ask for my money back? And how do I ask for more?"

Upon hearing Liu Bei's two questions, Elinkloo asked with a look of interest,

"If it's just about money, that's easy. Now that the land trade routes are open, they can repay the loan through the profits from trade. It'll just take a little longer!"

"What if you want more?"

Upon hearing Liu Bei's answer, Elingclo asked the next question immediately.

Liu Bei said in a deep voice, "If you want more, then use those loans to invest in their trade and share the profits."

In this way, one can gain control over both land and sea trade, not only securing a stable and long-term income but also allowing one to influence commercial dealings in various provinces, thus placing oneself in a dominant position!

"Great idea, great idea!"

Upon hearing Liu Bei's suggestion, Elingclo immediately applauded it.

Aside from the various benefits described by Liu Bei, what pleased him most was Liu Bei's insight and talent.

With such a visionary son-in-law, the Ailin family's rise to prominence is just around the corner.

Then, Elingclo looked at Liu Bei expectantly: "How about we entrust this matter to my brother Liu? We'll split the profits fifty-fifty!"

Liu Bei also said solemnly, "I am deeply grateful for your kind words, Father-in-law. I will certainly not let you down!"

"Haha, very good. Whatever needs Brother Liu may have in the future, just say the word, and the Ailin family will definitely give you our full support!"

Upon seeing that Liu Bei had accepted the task, Elingclo excitedly expressed his support.

Liu Bei thought for a moment and then said, "This matter involves the entire province of Egypt. My father-in-law will need to travel around and unite all the nobles to form an alliance of interests."

Only with more support can we accomplish this task more effectively.

Elinclo nodded: "You're right, I'll take care of this. Our Elin family still has some influence in this Egyptian province!"

Liu Bei added, "In addition, we also need to form a guard team so that we can use force to protect the interests of the alliance in critical moments!"

"That's a good suggestion, but we need to make sure things are handled well with the governor first!"

While agreeing with Liu Bei's suggestion of providing armed protection, Ailin Clo also offered a reminder.

"Therefore, I thought of having my two brothers marry the governor's two beloved daughters. In this way, we can not only bring the governor to our side, but also get involved in the military and political affairs of the Egyptian province!"

Seeing this, Liu Bei took the opportunity to bring up his idea of ​​setting up a fighting arena for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, recruiting warriors, and building momentum for them.

"That's a good idea! I can contact other nobles in the city to offer our support!"