That's nitpicking.
Even if we disregard the fact that the ice is still solid, if it were to actually melt into water, wouldn't that be the responsibility of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices?
They were late, they let the ice melt, and they caused the lychees to spoil.
But this is not the time to argue. As Zheng Ruqian said, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices had no right to decide who would deliver the lychees, but it could sabotage and persecute him, causing him to lose his lychee business.
The old man in front of me clearly had ill intentions, so no amount of humility would help.
Zheng Ruqian slowly straightened up, adopting an even more arrogant and unrestrained attitude.
This surprised the father-in-law on the other side.
"You're not satisfied with me sending lychees?" he raised his voice. "Are you standing up for the Liao family, or do you want the Fang family to take over this business?"
Before the middle-aged eunuch could speak, Zheng Ruqian looked at Jiang Sheng and asked in confusion, "What did the general say when he handed the business over to me? He said he hoped I could do a good job. But the first business failed. I wonder if the general will blame me?"
The general here can only be General Jiang.
The eunuch from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices' expression twisted slightly.
What twisted his mind even more was what followed. Jiang Sheng seemed to sense something and chimed in, "Father entrusted your business to you because he hopes you will do a good job. He won't blame you."
She called General Jiang... Father.
She is the eldest daughter of the Jiang family.
Each layer of status is like a mountain, and each layer of power can crush a person.
The eunuchs of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices dared to bully unknown small merchants, but dared not offend the eldest daughter of the Jiang family.
No matter what the Fang family had instructed him to do, the eunuch of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices could only forget it at this moment, and said with a smile, "So this business was handed over to the young master by General Jiang. It was our family that was blind. Look closely, these lychees are fresh and juicy. The young master is really good at judging. His business will surely be no less than that of the Liao family in the future."
As someone living in the capital, he couldn't possibly be unaware that Zheng Ruqian's lychee business was given to him by General Jiang.
He just hadn't expected the Jiang family to be so protective of Zheng Ruqian.
This wasn't a casual sale, nor was it a chance to snag a bargain; it was a business personally overseen and protected by the eldest daughter.
As long as the Jiang family is still around, this lychee business will not be easily changed.
Zheng Ruqian was filled with emotion, but his face remained arrogant. He only showed a slight smile when the eunuch from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices ordered someone to take the lychees away.
The subsequent inspection was all done according to standard procedures.
First, they weighed the fruit to confirm it was ten catties, then paid five hundred taels of silver, and finally, they blindly picked out three lychees.
"Let me do the poison test," the middle-aged eunuch said with an awkward smile, seemingly trying to make amends.
Zheng Ruqian put away his arrogance and became humble and docile again, "How can we let Father-in-law do it personally? Let me do it according to the rules."
After saying that, he took three lychees, peeled them, put them in his mouth, and quickly swallowed them.
This is an absolute deterrent, and it also tells the person delivering the lychees—if any problems arise, you will be the first to die.
Basically, all the procedures are now complete.
The middle-aged eunuch took his leave with a smile and was about to leave with his entourage.
Zheng Ruqian spoke again, "Please wait, sir."
The middle-aged eunuch was startled, thinking that he was going to use the Jiang family's power to settle scores with him and cause him trouble.
Unexpectedly, the young man got up and returned to the carriage, took out a box containing more than twenty lychees, and handed it over, saying, "The previous lychees were for the imperial family, these lychees are for you, Father-in-law. I hope you can help me taste them and see if they are good enough."
They were giving a gift, but claimed they wanted to help.
If it weren't for Fang's prior instructions, the middle-aged eunuch felt he shouldn't have made things difficult for the young man.
Twenty-odd lychees may not seem like much, but they are far less substantial than ten pounds of lychees.
But the ten catties were for the masters. After being distributed to the imperial family's meals, the concubines in the palaces, and the princes and princesses' palaces, and then given to the favored ministers, there was basically nothing left.
Even if the eunuchs of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices wanted to eat it, they could only sneakily taste half of it, and they still had to bear the risk of being discovered.
These twenty-odd items are for individual consumption, and you can eat them however you like.
The quantity of lychees was also very clever; too few and there wouldn't be enough to eat, too many and they wouldn't fit in the container, showing how thoughtful the owner was.
Despite the fact that the two had clearly had conflicts and Zheng Ruqian had powerful connections, he was still willing to humbly give gifts.
This ability to be flexible and adaptable moved even the middle-aged eunuch, who took the gift and tucked it into his robes, saying, "Young master, you are very thoughtful."
"I'll leave everything to you, Father-in-law," Zheng Ruqian said with a smile as he saw the group off.
Only when the gates of the imperial city closed again did the brother and sister turn around with a sense of relief.
"Second brother, you clearly planned to rely on the Jiang family's power, so why were you still so respectful and humble, and even gave him lychees in the end?" Jiang Sheng asked, resting her chin on her hand.
Zheng Ruqian lowered the carriage curtain. "If the Fang family hadn't interfered, I definitely wouldn't have wanted to rely on the Jiang family's power."
He and Fang Heng shared the same idea, knowing that their sibling bond was enough to support their bluff, but they were still willing to rely on their own efforts.
The Jiang family was like a wide iron umbrella, sheltering the children when it hailed.
Whether it's a light drizzle or a heavy downpour, they ultimately have to wade through it on their own.
As for the final act of giving lychees and humility, it was something Zheng Ruqian realized on his own—doing business requires both assertiveness and humility; be assertive when your opponent is arrogant, and humble when your opponent is peaceful.
You need to tell the other person that you are not incapable of being proud, but that you are willing to humble yourself before them.
Only sufficient deterrence combined with enough humility can earn genuine respect.
As for the reason...
"The Guanglu Temple is responsible for the food supply of the entire imperial city, as well as the sacrificial banquets. The demand is even greater and higher than that of Youranju." Zheng Ruqian honestly confessed, "Simply producing lychees is not a long-term solution. Only by cooperating more with the Guanglu Temple and increasing the penetration between the two sides can we make more and more money."
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