Hearing Jiang Mian's teasing gaze, Qin Su concealed the sharpness in his eyes, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and curved his lips into a smile. "The Prefect himself said it was just a rumor, and if it's just a rumor, it can't be believed."
"Haha... What Prince Qin says is absolutely right. Rumors are not to be taken seriously." Hearing Qin Su's cool tone, Jiang Mian smiled and echoed.
They're all seasoned foxes, neither of them should try to suppress the other.
Looking at Jiang Mian and recalling the remarks in the court, Qin Su smiled slightly. "The Jiang family has been guarding Ye County for many years and has managed to make it so prosperous. They must have put in a lot of effort. If someone picks the peaches from our hard-earned peach tree, we will suffer a great loss."
You little brat, you dare to tease him? Everyone has their troubles.
Qin Su's words had a hidden meaning, and Jiang Mian wasn't stupid. Looking at the cold eyes behind the mask, his brow twitched.
Within the imperial court, many people coveted the fertile land of Ye County. Just as Qin Su said, the Jiang family had worked so hard to build their empire, and there were always those who wanted to take it over.
Although it sounds disgusting, this place is, after all, Jiang's territory. They can spy on it, but if anyone wants to pick the peaches they've planted, they'd better not be afraid of getting pricked.
"Thank you for the reminder, Prince Qin. This peach tree in the Jiang family has thorns, and it's not something anyone can just pick."
"Oh? Is that so? I'm just afraid that one day His Majesty might get carried away and send you a deputy to help you share the important tasks, so that you won't be overwhelmed by the workload alone."
He knew the current king's temperament better than anyone else: indecisive, incompetent, and easily swayed. He was afraid of being influenced by others, so it wasn't surprising that he sent a deputy envoy.
Although it won't shake Jiang Mian's position, it will definitely cause him some trouble.
Jiang Mian looked at Qin Su and smiled knowingly, "In your opinion, Prince Qin, how should I shield myself from this trouble?"
"The prefect is a smart man; wouldn't it be redundant for him to ask me?"
To secure one's position, one must increase the number of guards, which means having a private army at one's disposal. What does it take to maintain an army? Besides the necessary provisions and pay, it takes equipment. How can one fight a war without armor and weapons?
According to the regulations of the imperial court, the head of a prefecture should be equipped with five hundred guards, but for border fortresses, the number can be increased to one thousand.
As for any surplus, they would simply be unofficial private soldiers. Everyone tacitly agreed to this arrangement, and that's how it was done, but no one openly discussed it.
Jiang Mian listened, smiling and nodding. They were all in the same industry, and they understood the unspoken rules. He just didn't want to be outdone by Qin Su for no reason.
Mo Lan watched the two of them go back and forth, and drank her tea speechlessly.
People in the imperial court are indeed difficult to deal with; every word they say is a trap, and you can easily fall into it if you're not careful.
"Alright, since everyone's got their own selfish motives, there's no need to say anything else. The three of us can work together, each doing our own job. As for the final use of the product, that's our own business and has nothing to do with the cooperation."
Whether they are defending themselves or expanding their territory, it's none of anyone else's business.
They're all quite pretentious. She's just a bandit who wants to simply mine some minerals.
Besides, since ancient times, when have mountain bandits ever cooperated happily with the government?
Therefore, there's no need to make any grand pronouncements; private use is private use.
With Mo Lan's intervention, the two stopped teasing each other, and after a while, the three reached an agreement again to jointly develop the iron mine at Tianjiao Peak.
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