Thus, Xiao Chang'an had no choice but to risk being discovered by having Yuan Lang make contact with the Langya Wang family. Although Qin San Niang was very worried, after all, it was their maternal family, He Yingyuan advised her not to worry, since the Langya Wang family was not just a name without substance.
It turns out that the head of the Wang family had a grudge against the person above him. It was said that his youngest daughter had been tortured to death in the royal court. This youngest daughter was the legitimate daughter of the head of the family's wife. Due to pressure from all sides, the Wang family had been swallowing their anger, but how could they let this go?! Now, their own grandson had gotten into this mess, most likely caused by that family! If they knew that Xiao Chang'an was still alive, they would be overjoyed!
In his past life, He Yingyuan vaguely remembered that the current head of the Langya Wang family had a very eccentric personality and an unpredictable style of doing things. Everyone thought he was indifferent to worldly affairs, but it was only much later that he learned that this head of the family was very protective of his own. Xiao Zigui had suffered a lot at his hands and was almost killed by him.
He had no doubt about the capabilities of the Wang family patriarch, and even less about the Wang family's political leanings.
The head of the Wang family will surely use all the power of the entire clan to help Xiao Chang'an to that position!
Seeing his confident demeanor, Qin San Niang felt relieved. If the person in question wasn't worried, what did she have to worry about?
He then casually tossed the matter aside, waved his sleeves, and concealed his merits and fame!
He Yingyuan was stunned for a moment, and for some reason, he felt a little envious.
For the next two weeks, the affairs of the Si residence were handed over to Xiao Chang'an and others to arrange. Qin San Niang's only request was that the original layout of the residence not be changed.
Yuan Lang solemnly promised that he would not damage the house in the slightest. They did keep their promise, and a few days later, a couple entered the Si residence with more than thirty people of all ages, instantly filling the empty courtyard.
When Chen Yushan realized what was happening, he understood that their act of pretending to be a ghost was completely useless.
The servants learned that the couple were merchants from the north, trading in mountain products. Their ancestors were from the south, and they had returned home for two reasons: first, the north was ravaged by war and uninhabitable; second, they had brought mountain products from the north to trade, intending to profit from the national crisis.
This is truly a shrewd and calculating businessman!
Chen Yushan hadn't expected that after one Sili Ren left, another troublesome one would arrive. The couple themselves weren't particularly frightening; the strange thing was that their guards were all burly men who appeared to be skilled in martial arts.
Merchants with more wealth naturally have more guards, which is normal!
The merchant's surname was Zhou, given name Hao. He was a man around thirty years old, with a large belly, wearing a brocade robe and a jade belt. His chubby face squeezed his already small eyes into slits, and if you didn't look closely, you wouldn't notice the shrewdness in his eyes.
Although Zhou Hao was Xiao Chang'an's man, he was indeed a shrewd businessman and the top steward of the Langya Wang family.
He was able to lead a caravan on his own, traveling freely between the north and south. He was very familiar with all kinds of trade routes and had good relationships with the guards at various border crossings. He was a man of many talents!
His wife, Lady Hua, was no ordinary woman; she was the renowned Sword-Asking Lady of the martial world, wielding the Cloud-Following Sword with unparalleled skill and possessing the powerful martial arts force of Sword-Asking Manor behind her. How many people would dare to disrespect her? That would be like stirring up a hornet's nest.
This was something Yuan Lang said to Qin San Niang. Seeing that she didn't seem to believe the two of them, he mentioned it, which unsurprisingly elicited a gasp from Qin San Niang.
Now, Yuan Lang trusts her completely! If she weren't truly on their side, who would be willing to entrust them with such crucial information as the iron ore mine? Moreover, she even agreed to hand over the design blueprints for the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, which would make him extremely grateful!
If he hadn't felt so ashamed, he would have almost knelt down before Qin San Niang.
In addition, Yuen Long volunteered to be the tutor of the eldest child, thinking that although the child was not particularly gifted, he was very persevering and diligent, and that hard work could make up for his shortcomings.
When Da Wa heard this, he looked at him with great curiosity, and finally said apologetically that he was now obsessed with doing business and martial arts were not his main focus.
Yuan Lang was speechless. Back then, which of those lads from Yongzhou didn't want to learn a move or two from him? He never expected to be rejected here! It's really hard to accept, isn't it?
Seeing his thunderstruck expression, Xiao Chang'an couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, the child's mind isn't on this anyway, you don't need to force it! Otherwise, it won't be pleasant!"
Yuan Lang nodded, feeling quite annoyed. He knew this all too well. But being rejected was a truly unpleasant experience, and he needed to process it first.
With Zhou Hao and his wife providing cover, Xiao Chang'an's business proceeded very smoothly, far exceeding Qin San Niang's expectations.
There was no particularly powerful gunpowder in this era, and no one in the city claimed to have heard any explosions. The iron ore was thus mined out silently.
In fact, the mining methods of that era were still quite backward.
He Yingyuan told her that in order to avoid being discovered, they could only use a small amount of gunpowder for blasting. Most of the time, they worked in the mine shafts. The mine shafts themselves had a certain sound insulation effect, and they also used some barriers to further insulate the sound. Therefore, it was reasonable that the residents of He County could not hear the blasting sound.
Chen Yushan had no idea that his master had ordered them to search for clues about the iron mine. In fact, even Xiao Zigui, standing there, was unaware that the Si residence was the entrance to the iron mine; his intelligence only stated that clues to the iron mine were hidden inside the Si residence.
After circling around the Zhou residence without success, the men arranged by Chen Yushan dared not go in again.
The guards of the Zhou family were simply too formidable; he lost more than a dozen of his men.
Another important reason is that Zhou Hao has become his major client this week.
This man was a great lover of wine, and after arriving in He County, he bought a large quantity of it in a lavish manner. He wasn't short of money, so instead of buying wine from Ruyi Tavern, he came here specifically to buy expensive wine! According to him, you get what you pay for!
Because of those words, Chen Yushan was almost moved to tears, considering him a confidant! How could he possibly offend such a major client?
As for Jingzhou, it is said that the Prince of Zhennan is becoming increasingly frail, and it is unknown who the next ruler will be. It is also unknown whether the other side will try to move him to another position.
Chen Yushan wasn't stupid; he always had to leave himself a way out. He was quite satisfied with his current status.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com