"Young Master Jiang, what I'm about to say might be unbelievable and beyond your comprehension," Yan Wan said, giving Jiang Bai a boost of confidence.
“Please speak, Princess Consort Han. I have traveled all over the country with my father since I was a child, and I have seen many strange and wonderful things, so there is no need to worry,” Jiang Bai said gently.
“Alright, then I will say it. Three months from now, there will be a severe drought in the Northwest, and the people will suffer greatly.” Yan Wan took a breath and said with a solemn expression.
Even the well-informed Jiang Bai was taken aback, his lips trembling before he found his voice, "Is what Princess Han said true? If so, then why choose to open up the Northwest market?"
“Young Master Jiang, everything Yan Wan said is true.” Yan Wan closed her eyes, as if afraid that the reluctance in her eyes would show.
Jiang Bai turned to look at Jing Xi, who also turned to look out the window with a heavy expression. Who could have imagined that after three months, the Northwest would become a living hell?
"You want to change the Northwest? But distant water can't quench a nearby fire. You should think carefully," Jiang Bai said softly.
“Yes, Jiang Bai, that’s why we’re cooperating with the Hengtong Chamber of Commerce to open up the Northwest market. Only when merchants settle in the Northwest and trade routes are opened up can goods enter the Northwest, and only then will the Northwest have hope,” Jing Xi said earnestly, looking at Jiang Bai.
"In that case, what do you need me to do?" Jiang Bai steadied himself and asked in a deep voice. Although entering the Northwest during the severe drought three months later would result in losses, if the Jiang family really extended a helping hand to the Northwest in its time of crisis, once the Northwest had overcome the difficulties, the Jiang family and even the Hengtong Chamber of Commerce would become completely private merchants. If they were to be favored by the royal family, they would become royal merchants, and the Jiang family would no longer have to remain in Jiangnan.
The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish!
The Jiang family has been living in seclusion in Jiangnan for a long time. It seems that soon they will have a place in the capital, which will allow them to get closer to Jing Xi...
Yan Wan and Jing Xi exchanged a glance; it seemed things were about to work out, and their gamble had paid off. After returning to the capital, on Yan Wan's wedding day, Jing Xi wrote down her plans on a piece of paper and slipped it to Yan Wan, who was preparing to get into the bridal sedan chair. Yan Wan, on her way from the Yan residence to the Han Prince's residence, kept track of everything. She also had Gu Yu, who was returning to Yan's Hot Pot restaurant to learn after the wedding, deliver a reply to Jing Xi. The two of them bypassed the many spies in the capital without anyone noticing.
“Then I’ll trouble Young Master Jiang and Master Jiang to discuss transporting a large amount of grain to the capital. I have several estates and granaries in the suburbs of the capital, and then we can transport it from the capital to the northwest,” Yan Wan said seriously.
"Alright, I'll contact my father via telegram right away." Jiang Bai stood up, straightened his clothes, nodded to Yan Wan and Jing Xi, and left.
Yan Wan and Jing Xi exchanged a smile. Their first step had been successful. Next, they would organize the escort agency to transport grain from the Northwest and Jiangnan to the capital.
"Wan'er, we should start setting up a security escort agency soon. It seems we need to work even harder to earn money; it's too expensive!" Jing Xi said with a pained expression. That's all pure silver!
"Jingxi, I already have someone in mind for the escort agency. Uncle Li used to have a group of brothers under his command. I don't know if they'd be willing," Yan Wan said softly.
Jing Xi smiled faintly. It seemed the matter with the escort agency was about to be resolved. Wan'er was too capable; she had no opportunity to use her talents, which was quite frustrating!
Yan Wan walked to the door and casually beckoned a waiter over, asking him to invite Manager Li.
"What business do you two have with me?" Li Guang asked warily. His eyelids had been twitching since morning, and he didn't know whether it meant good fortune or misfortune.
"Uncle Li, it's nothing. Wan'er and I are planning to open up the market in the Northwest, but there are many bandits on the roads there. We need a security escort agency to transport our goods, but after some discussion, we realized that hiring an escort agency all the time is too expensive, so we want to set up our own. We wanted you to post a notice later and see if anyone applies." Jing Xi said casually while sipping her tea, seemingly unaware of anything.
Li Guang looked up at Yan Wan, whose expression remained unchanged, and she even returned his smile.
They were all intelligent people; they didn't need to say anything to understand each other's meaning. Li Guang knew that this was an opportunity given to him by his two employers. If he missed this chance, he didn't know when the next one would come, or when he and his brothers would be able to enter the world.
"My lords, I have a group of brothers, all of them skilled. I wonder if they could serve you?" Li Guang said resolutely. The man was not young anymore. In the past, he could still teach him with his knowledge, but the man was so talented that he could no longer teach him. Now, going to the capital of Yin Kingdom to study was a good idea.
"What are you saying, Manager Li? We welcome anyone with the ability," Jing Xi said with a smile.
"How many brothers does Manager Li have?" Jing Xi asked again.
"About three hundred men, all trained in martial arts since childhood, they are all very strong," Li Guang replied with some confidence.
“Oh, right, Uncle Li, their backgrounds must be clean.” Yan Wan stared at Li Guang and said, noticing that Li Guang stiffened for a moment before continuing, “Don’t worry, my two masters, my brothers all have clean backgrounds.”
"Well then, please have Manager Li contact them and ask them to come to the capital as soon as possible. They can stay at my estate on the outskirts of the capital then," Yan Wan said softly.
"Yes, Master, then this old servant will go and make the preparations." Li Guang bowed and withdrew.
"Wan'er, it seems that Li Guang's background is not clean." Yan Wan noticed Li Guang's unnatural behavior just now, and Jing Xi noticed it even more.
"Hmm, Li Guang isn't from Yin, and we don't know if his brothers are either. If they're from Yue like him, aren't we just inviting trouble?" Jing Xi said with a headache.
“Jingxi, there’s no need to worry. Since Li Guang has already agreed to let his brothers be born, it proves that they need us. So even if they’re not from Yin, Manager Li will make them Yin citizens. That’s something Manager Li should worry about,” Yan Wan comforted her. Even if they were from Yue, they couldn’t go back anytime soon and would still have to make a living in Yin.
"Wan'er, it's true that the devil is always one step ahead of the saint, hahaha." Jing Xi said with a laugh. She originally thought that she was the only one who was black-hearted, but she didn't expect that Yan Wan was also black-hearted. They were birds of a feather.
"But what if they cause trouble during the delivery?" Jing Xi was still a little worried, after all, they weren't one of their own people.
“So we’ll have to trouble you, Jingxi, to take the lead. Let them split into two teams, and you’ll lead one team. The first trip will definitely be tough. If you manage to capture some bandits who haven’t killed or robbed anyone on the way to the Northwest, you can reorganize the teams. Since they are brothers together, and the time and place of each delivery are different, they will care about each other, restrain each other, and not act rashly.” Yan Wan said with a smile.
"It seems Wan'er and I are thinking the same thing. No wonder we can do business together! It's a good thing we're friends. If we were rivals, we'd be afraid of each other's schemes. But right now, it's others who are trembling with fear." Jing Xi revealed the confident and radiant smile she had when she was a mercenary in the modern world.
Anyone who knows her well knows that she's excited again; it seems something has come up that interests her.
"Jingxi, cheers! May we succeed!"
"Cheers, wishing us great success!"
The two women smiled at each other across the table; they were the same kind of people, both madmen.
But one is an emotionally expressive madman, and the other is a repressed madman. They are essentially the same, aren't they?
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