"Lord Qi, please calm down. Since I have invited you to talk, I am naturally willing to help."
But a favor is a favor, and a business deal is a business deal. I wonder what Qi Chengfeng's sincerity is? He can't expect me, Jiang Beicheng, to pay for it out of my own pocket, can he?"
Shen Muzhi paused slightly here, then looked at Qi Chengfeng with a half-smile and continued:
"Even if I were willing to become that great sage, would Lord Qi be able to accept it with peace of mind?"
Qi Chengfeng was not angry when he heard this; on the contrary, he relaxed a little.
As long as Shen Muzhi is willing to set conditions, then there is room for negotiation.
Without hesitation, he nodded in agreement:
"Of course, but I don't know what General Shen wants. As long as it is available in my Yanyun City, I will try my best to satisfy you."
Yan Xiao wasn't very interested in their conversation. She had come here to keep an eye on Jiang Xinrui, and she was just thinking about something when she heard this.
Her ears twitched, and she immediately turned her gaze to Shen Muzhi, wanting to see what conditions he would propose.
She still remembered that Shen Mu had given her quite a few good things last time, and since everyone should have a share, the more the better.
Just as Shen Muzhi was about to reply, he felt a burning gaze. He subconsciously glanced in Yan Xiao's direction and immediately met a pair of bright, sparkling eyes.
He was taken aback at first, but quickly understood his wife's little scheme, and a smile appeared in his eyes, though he managed to keep a straight face.
He coughed lightly, making himself appear composed, before replying:
"Lord Qi, please don't misunderstand. I, Shen, am not a greedy person and would never take advantage of someone in distress."
Qi Chengfeng was somewhat suspicious upon hearing this, but before he could react, Shen Muzhi sighed and continued with a troubled expression:
"It's just that the medicinal herbs in my Jiangbei City are almost used up. If I want to provide medicine for your Yanyun City, you'll have to prepare the herbs yourself and send them to my Jiangbei City."
As for the quantity of medicinal herbs and the cost of preparing the medicine, that depends on the quantity needed by Yanyun City.
Yan Xiao almost burst out laughing when she saw Shen Muzhi's cunning expression, while Qi Chengfeng's lips stiffened upon hearing this, and he cursed Shen Muzhi in his heart for being ruthless and shameless.
The most powerful person speaks in a grand and dignified manner, but all they ask for are medicinal herbs. These things aren't like rotten cabbages; sometimes, even money can't buy medicinal herbs during military campaigns.
He would rather give money than give medicine.
No, Shen Muzhi not only wants the medicine, but also money. Who knows how much the medicine will cost?
He suppressed the urge to curse and tried to make his tone sound as sincere as possible:
"General Shen, isn't this a bit too troublesome? I'm willing to spend money to buy the antidote formula from you. How about 50,000 taels?"
Fifty thousand taels was indeed a considerable sum, but Shen Muzhi refused without hesitation, his tone even carrying a hint of sarcasm:
"Lord Qi, you're really joking. Didn't you just receive news that the other cities will soon need my help?"
"If I sell it to you for 50,000 taels right now, you can make 500,000 taels in profit. Do I look like a selfless, altruistic saint?"
Yan Xiao felt that these words sounded familiar for some reason, and for some reason she remembered a conversation she had with this person one morning. She felt that this person's ability to insult others was becoming more and more refined.
Qi Chengfeng's expression at this moment was as if he had eaten shit. He belatedly realized that he had done something stupid. Why did he tell Shen Muzhi this news?
He should not only refrain from speaking, but also try to keep the news under wraps until the negotiations are over. Now he has no initiative in the negotiations at all.
He regretted that he only wanted to test whether Shen Muzhi was involved in this matter, and he also did not expect that Shen Muzhi would want medicinal herbs, which was like cutting off the fuel supply.
He's not stupid; on the contrary, he's very smart.
If you think about it for a moment, if Shen Muzhi's conditions for the other cities were also medicinal herbs, then a large portion of Qi's medicinal herbs would end up in Shen Muzhi's hands.
If war breaks out, other cities will experience a shortage of medicinal materials, causing the price of those materials to increase several times over.
None of these are the most crucial points. Based on his understanding of Shen Muzhi, this person shouldn't be trying to make money by trading medicinal herbs.
If he just wanted money, he could have simply asked for a high price; why go through all this trouble? His concern was that Shen Muzhi might use the medicinal herbs for other purposes.
For example, the Miao people attacked several cities at the same time this time. Although it is unknown why they were able to succeed so easily, this was undoubtedly a declaration of war against them.
Once the poison is cured, the cities will definitely consider a joint attack on the Miao and the barbarian bandits. This is also an opportunity for the cities to put aside their differences and launch a joint attack.
There's nothing inherently wrong with this, but if all the medicinal herbs are in Shen Muzhi's hands, then he essentially has absolute control.
At that time, regardless of whether the other cities are willing or not, they will have to listen to him to some extent if they don't have the medicinal herbs. Then, Shen Muzhi will have a lot of room to maneuver.
He was now even more suspicious that Shen Muzhi was manipulating things behind the scenes. Those who benefited from the situation were the most suspicious people, but this was just his guess, and he had no evidence whatsoever.
Seeing Qi Chengfeng's changing expressions but not responding for a long time, Shen Muzhi was not in a hurry and waited for him to consider.
He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and finally glanced at Jiang Xinrui, who was sitting to the side like a quail. He only glanced at her before turning his gaze to Yan Xiao, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
After setting down his teacup, he looked away and then, in a very good-natured tone, said to Qi Chengfeng:
"Lord Qi, there's no need to rush. I've already outlined the conditions; you can take your time to consider them."
If you really can't make up your mind, you can wait for people from other cities to arrive and then consider it with them.
However, it's uncertain who will receive the medicine first, since there's only one person in Jiangbei who can prepare it.
Upon hearing this, Qi Chengfeng's lips twitched, and he almost jumped up in anger to curse.
Shen Muzhi was not in a hurry; the emotional troubles did not occur in his military camp.
Furthermore, the situation will only become more chaotic once people from other cities arrive.
Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Qi Chengfeng's eyes, and he said in a low voice:
"General Shen, aren't you afraid that the other cities will unite and put pressure on you by doing this?"
Shen Muzhi's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, a nonchalant smile even playing on his lips, his tone extremely arrogant:
"I am truly grateful for Lord Qi's concern. However, I may lack other qualities, but I am certainly bold enough. Since I have made this condition, I will not change it."
"If you all know what's good for you, that's great. If not, then there's no need to talk. Whatever methods you have, I, Chen, will accept them."
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