Chapter 8 Looking for You “Why, can’t I come to see you, Madam?…

Yan Siqing was neither blind nor deaf. He heard the conversation between the two people and saw that the tea on the table had not been served yet, which showed that the latter had just arrived.

The mud on the soles of my boots was still fresh.

Yan Siqing's heart sank, and he walked forward to greet him calmly. He was very polite and avoided talking about hosting a banquet, not giving the other party the opportunity to be cunning and slander him.

Twenty-one is indeed not small, but not big either.

No wonder he's so sarcastic.

"If you have something important to discuss with Mr. Jiang, I am sorry for interrupting you. Let's talk about it another day."

Yan Siqing changed her mind and didn't want to have any further contact with the other party before knowing their intentions. She was about to leave and would just leave a manager at the county government office to discuss with He Zhihong. She herself would not stay.

She was about to leave.

"It's not really an interruption. I just want to discuss the local spice trade."

"After all, I just heard that there's a problem with the spice cargo under your control, Madam. If there's a vacancy in the local sales and marketing, wouldn't it be perfect for me to fill it?"

He Zhihong felt embarrassed after hearing this, and Yan Siqing felt it was difficult to leave. She raised her eyes and looked at the young man who was much taller than her.

Liu'er's heart skipped a beat: He has the goods? Where did this guy get the goods? Why does he seem to keep showing up to provoke Madam? Either he's a pervert looking for trouble, or he's the culprit.

Yan Siqing: "Then I did disturb you."

"I just wonder if Mr. Jiang would mind selling the goods on my Shen family's shelves if he has any. After all, the cost of selling them and paving the way for them is not small."

Yan Siqing spoke in a calm tone and did not look angry. Instead, he took advantage of the other party's sharp blade to explore common interests.

Very businessman-like.

Although Jiang Hui had expected that this man was an expert in business and should not be underestimated, he did not expect that this cold and dignified man would be so calm and not avoid him at all.

He doesn't have the goods.

It’s like no one introduced him to He Zhihong, it was intentional.

She saw it.

“I don’t have any.”

He suddenly confessed.

He Zhihong frowned. Why did this person suddenly come to him and talk about running a local business and making large investments?

As a county magistrate, he was about to get angry.

Jiang Hui's skin was fairer and more delicate than that of most women, and she had a half-smile on her face.

"When I left Chang'an, it was the person from Chang'an Yuguifang whom Madam had contacted earlier."

"Why, can't I come to you, my lady?"

Liu'er's face changed drastically.

He Zhihong was stunned and subconsciously looked at Yan Siqing.

Yan Siqing said nothing, just looked at Jiang Hui quietly.

Sitting in the courtyard, with a small rockery in the garden, the maid from the county government office brought tea. Seeing that there were so many people, she was a little confused, but the hideous look of Jiang Hui stood out at this moment and pierced people.

He raised his hands, grasped the two teacups first, and walked forward, taking one step at a time.

"The transaction deadline is approaching, and Madam isn't as thoughtful as before in informing us of the arrival of the goods. Clearly, she's overdue, so something must have gone wrong."

"If you think about it carefully, it's me who disturbed you, madam."

"After all, if I hadn't come, Madam might still be trying to figure out how to reconcile our agreement..."

"But you know, the customers of Chang'an Yuguifang are all important people, powerful people from all directions, royal relatives and nobles. We can't treat them with disrespect. We promised to deliver the spices to these nobles when they arrived, but now the goods are gone. How can we explain to them?"

"They can easily confiscate your property and exterminate your entire clan with just a wave of their hands. Madam, you are worried about this and have gone to such great lengths. Otherwise, it would not be worth the trouble for just a shipload of spices, although they are very valuable."

"So, if I, Jiang, guessed wrong, it means that Madam has other concerns in her mind, and believes that I, Jiang, have ill intentions and intend to harm you, Madam?"

He handed over a cup of tea.

The two cups were originally meant to be one for the host, the county magistrate. No matter who he chose in this business dispute, he was the one who made the final decision. But now, the arrogant Jiang Hui acted on his own and both cups were in his hands.

He distributes.

Whoever it is given to, it belongs to him.

But ever since he mentioned Chang'an Yuguifang, neither Yan Siqing nor He Zhihong could disobey him.

That's not an ordinary workshop.

He is a big customer with connections to the powerful people in the court. The owner must also be a powerful person, otherwise he would not be able to support such a business.

They can't afford to offend anyone.

Yan Siqing lowered his eyes and reached out to hold the cup of tea. Jiang Hui was much taller and saw that the man's fingertips were just a tiny distance away from his own fingers.

Only then did he realize that his fair skin, which had been teased as a boy for his feminine appearance when he was young, was nothing in the eyes of this person.

"So you're a customer of Chang'an Yuguifang. That's not really a bother."

"However, I have no intention of giving Yuguifang a hard time. The lost spices can be found naturally. If there are any shortages, we can just replenish them. This will not delay the actual transaction, nor will it offend the nobles."

"Don't worry, Mr. Jiang."

"As for why we're so concerned about this matter, it really has nothing to do with spices and other goods, but with the ship."

"The current and even long-term value of a ship is far greater than these spices. Furthermore, our Shen Group's shipping business is doing well, with shipping orders already booked until the year after next. Losing a large ship that can directly launch transportation will have a significant impact on the original plan, requiring reallocation. The manpower and financial resources consumed by this is the most troublesome."

The two people in front of him, one was an official who was studying for the imperial examination, and the other was said to be from Chang'an Yuguifang. Yan Siqing did not ask what identity and position Jiang Hui held in Chang'an Yuguifang, but it was obvious that neither of them was a serious businessman and was not good at business operation planning. Therefore, after hearing Yan Siqing's explanation in such a logical way, he had no room to find fault.

But He Zhihong and Jiang Hui were surprised that she agreed to retrieve the spices.

He Zhihong: "Madam, are you sure you can get Chen Tongqing to speak? Then I can take you to deal with that criminal."

Jiang Hui: "I guess the big fish among the managers have jumped out of the water, right?"

The two spoke at the same time. Jiang Hui glanced at the former coldly without commenting.

Liu'er thought of Xu Chou and was secretly shocked at how this man knew the secrets in the management group.

Ruozhao also thought of Xu Chou, noticed Liu'er's behavior, and laughed secretly: Such obvious movements can be hidden from us?

Yan Siqing glanced at the latter sideways, and the two looked at each other for a while.

She knew she was being monitored and that the other party was keeping an eye on her movements.

Jiang Hui also knew that she had guessed it, but he didn't pretend. He just wanted to tell her that he had no good intentions.

"Don't look at me like that, ma'am. Are there any reasonable customers in this world?"

"I did spy on you."

Yan Siqing: “….”

Yan Siqing could endure it and remained gentle: "It's not diving, we can only say that the other party is helping us."

"Although he himself doesn't know this."

Xu Chou is now the prime suspect, and he must have clues related to the hidden ship and goods.

Yan Siqing had obviously sent someone to follow him.

——————

In the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly, not a good time to carry out secret activities, but the situation was urgent, so a servant of the manager sneaked through the bustling area of ​​the city, rode out of the city at a fast speed, and gradually went into hiding...

At dusk.

The servant had entered a village and greeted several villagers at the entrance.

"If you're in such a hurry, why don't you take the water route? We'll be discovered if we go through here."

"They all said not to go by water. It's easy to be targeted by water. It's no wonder that the Shen family is the king of the waterways. They have so many scouts. What ship can go by without being noticed? It was okay before, but now it's clear they're going to investigate. Hundreds of people in the grain store have been mobilized."

"So powerful? We have to be careful. I'll be on the lookout too. Are you sure there's no one behind you?"

"Stop talking nonsense. If I were so confused, why would I do anything with the master?"

The servant on horseback entered the village from the village path and rode at full speed to a river ferry.

In the reed marsh, the gentle wind sways the dusk light and shadows, like the fine hair on the back of a crouching giant beast.

The surrounding dense forests hid the view. Unless one arrived here through the multiple sentry checkpoints in the village or sailed here through the narrow waterway, one would have no idea that there was a large ship... docked at the river ferry outside the village.

The servant walked over clumps of reeds taller than a man that blocked his view and finally reached the ferry. He saw the boat and felt relieved. He also saw the boatmen changing the logo on the hull of the Shen family's ship.

By modifying it and giving it another identity, it can pass the inspection of maritime canal inspection ships and be used for other purposes.

"Hurry up."

"But don't leave any loopholes...according to the original plan...Xiao Li, why are you here? Did something happen with your housekeeper?"

The bearded man who was directing the boatmen pulled his windproof felt hat and became alert when he heard the sound of horse hooves. Several men with sharp weapons also emerged from the reeds, intending to stop them, but they relaxed when they saw that they were acquaintances.

Xiao Li dismounted and patted the leaf debris that had accumulated on him as he passed through the woods. "That woman from the Shen family is investigating, making quite a commotion. After all, they have so many people and are so powerful. If they really deploy force, I'm afraid someone will actually see the boat and find out..."

The bearded man frowned, unconvinced. "That's unlikely. After we captured the boat, it didn't go through the waterway to Yancheng. Instead, it went through Zhacheng. The canal transport there didn't leave any suspicion of us. What else could the people in Yancheng see? They couldn't possibly know we hid the boat here."

The man's words had already revealed the method they used to commit this evil act - they had already taken control of the ship outside the narrow city, and then took the remote waterway of the narrow city to reach this place.

He didn't mention the most serious details, but Xiao Li was a close confidant of the participants and knew the inside story, so there was no need to ask in detail. "Don't underestimate this woman. She's very troublesome. Her attention has been diverted to other places. She's distracted from the search and won't find this first. Besides, she's most suspicious of Xu Chou now. Let's finish this as soon as possible..."

Before he could finish his words, the surrounding reeds suddenly rustled.

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