Chapter 559: Showing Attention for No Reason
Seeing his shameless look, Cao Dejiang found it hard to connect him with the elegant eldest grandson of the emperor. He still remembered that the child was gentle and elegant, and his smile was like that of a domesticated rabbit. Now it would not be an exaggeration to call him a wild wolf cub.
Cao Dejiang wiped the water off his face with his sleeve and said unhappily, "What do you want to do by sending Gu Helian away?"
"You are wise."
Cao Dejiang glared at him.
Xiao Yan reached out to refill his tea and said, "I heard that Madam Cao has a nephew named Hou Zhang. One of his uncles is a well-known grain merchant in the south. Hou Zhang has a very good relationship with him and has a wide network of contacts."
"You just saw how hard Fu Yue and the others are pushing us. The northwest is short of food, fodder, and supplies, but right now I simply can't spare the manpower to go south to collect food..."
Cao Dejiang immediately understood what he meant and cursed him angrily.
"I knew you were being so attentive for no reason. You must be up to no good."
He frowned and thought for a moment before saying:
"Hou Zhang is a reliable person, but his uncle is a profit-seeker. He's dealt with many powerful people in the capital before. With the Hou family as his backing, he might not be afraid of people far away in the capital. If he knew you were raising grain for the northwest, he might think you were a rare commodity..."
The amount of food raised for the army is not just a little bit. Even if one can only add ten or twenty coins per stone, it will be a sky-high price in the end.
Cao Dejiang thought for a moment and said, "If you trust me, I will ask Cong'an to go to the south to meet Hou Zhang in person and find out the grain prices there. Then I will send people to various places to collect grain, so as to avoid a large amount of grain being hoarded at once, causing price fluctuations and affecting the livelihood of the people in the south..."
Before Cao Dejiang could finish his words, Xiao Yan pushed a box over to him. When he opened it, there was a thick stack of banknotes inside.
"Then I'll trouble you. Here is 30,000 taels of silver. Please pass it on to Hou Zhang to smooth the way for his connections in the South. As for the gold for raising grain, I've already sent someone to escort it to the Hou family. If we set out from An tomorrow and ride as fast as we can, we should be able to catch up."
Cao Dejiang: “…”
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You've figured it all out?"
He only came to "negotiate" with him after he had already delivered the gold. Did this bastard guess that he would agree?
Xiao Yan solemnly offered the tea, "It's not that I'm calculating, it's that I know you're a man of high moral character, dedicated to your country and your people."
Cao Dejiang took the cup and rolled his eyes at him: "Stop flattering me!"
"Although Hou Zhang has some connections, the Hou family is no match for the Gu family. What if Gu Helian says that the food and supplies can't be brought back? Since you've already kept him here, why go so far away?"
Xiao Yan said, "For the time being, the Gu family cannot be involved in the affairs of the court, let alone have anything to do with the military."
Cao Dejiang was stunned for a moment, and then he understood what Xiao Yan meant in just a moment.
The Gu family is so rich that everyone is jealous of them.
Zuozhou is located in the middle of Yan, which is the junction of Wei and Southern Qi. The Gu family owns Zuozhou and has all the wealth in the world, and their financial routes are spread across various countries. However, because they have always been impartial and not affiliated with any powerful country, they have equal relations with all parties and their interests are closely related to them.
No one is willing to touch the Gu family easily, for fear of pushing the Gu family into the hands of others. Therefore, the Gu family and Zuozhou can remain aloof in the competition among various parties, and no one dares to act rashly.
But once the Gu family loses their bias and serves others, this balance will be broken in an instant.
Right now, the country is in turmoil and Beiling is facing serious border troubles. The Gu family cannot directly get involved with the Wei army at this time, let alone get involved in the war between Wei and Beiling.
Xiao Yan didn't hide anything from Cao Dejiang: "Gu Helian truly loves Madam Rong and remembers the kindness the Rong family showed him in the past. He loves Tang Ning and her family too. If he knew I was having trouble raising grain, he would definitely take the initiative to take on this task. Given his personality, he would have committed all of Zuozhou's resources regardless of my refusal. However, this isn't a good thing for him, me, or even the current Great Wei."
"I told him I already had a way to raise food, and asked him to secretly go to Western Xinjiang to buy horses for me. The Gu family owns several large horse farms and has done business with various tribes in Western Xinjiang in the past. Even if we get a few more military horses, it won't attract too much attention."
Cao Dejiang listened to Xiao Yan's calm words and couldn't help but soften his brows. "You may appear hard-hearted on the surface, but you are very considerate of Gu Helian."
If someone else came, as long as he could accomplish his goal and raise enough money, he would probably want to use this opportunity to completely tie the Gu family to his side, and would not care whether the Gu family lived or died after his actions.
But although Xiao Yan looked ruthless, he always left room for maneuver.
Cao Dejiang seemed to see the former crown prince in him. No matter how the man in front of him changed, he still retained the nature of the eldest grandson of the emperor in the palace back then.
Be honest, have bottom lines, and never disregard anything for personal gain.
Cao Dejiang's eyes were filled with relief: "Don't worry, this old minister will let Hou Zhang handle this matter."
"What's done? What are you talking about?"
Gu Helian changed into the spare clothes in the carriage and came in from the outer room in a gorgeous manner.
His clothes changed from dark green to crimson purple, and the ornaments on his waist were changed to warm mutton-fat jade that matched his clothes. The gems and gold patterns inlaid on the purple gold waist belt were dazzling.
"Luckily I have a set of casual clothes, otherwise I would have to go out dirty today. But these clothes are too shabby."
“…”
Cao Dejiang's eyes twitched. "How dare you call this brocade-based garment, with its gold thread patterns, which looks so rich and noble and worth a thousand gold, shabby?"
Xiao Yan took a deep breath: "You can actually shut up."
This peacock continues to show off like this.
He really wants to regret it!!
…
Cao Dejiang didn't stay in Jiyun Lane for long. When Xiao Yan sent him out, Cao Dejiang said to him:
"Although His Majesty has granted you and Tang Ning a marriage, the necessary ceremonials and procedures must be followed. You have no living parents, so who can propose marriage on your behalf?"
Xiao Yan said, "I'm thinking of asking the wife of Marquis Wenxin or Madam Fu to come forward."
Originally, the best candidate should have been the Empress Dowager, but she was old and ill, and it was not appropriate for her to appear in the capital at the moment.
As for the other noble women, Xiao Yan was not familiar with them. However, he was familiar with the wife of Marquis Wenxin and Old Madam Fu. One was Rong Yue's close friend, and the other had protected Tang Ning in the past.
Cao Dejiang frowned. "On the day of the palace coup, Marquis Wenxin spoke up for you, which already displeased the emperor. However, he is a loyal man and would not easily betray his position as a minister. If I ask Marquis Wenxin's wife to propose marriage on your behalf, I'm afraid he would be in a dilemma."
Xiao Yan paused when he heard this, remembering how distant Marquis Wenxin had been from him in the past few days.
The reason why Marquis Wenxin helped him that night was not because of their good personal relationship, but to maintain the integrity of the court, to prevent the people from feeling disappointed, and to keep the Wei Dynasty stable. However, Marquis Wenxin never interacted with him privately, and even the thank-you gift he sent to him afterwards was sent back.
He was not like those wavering people in the court and was extremely loyal to the royal family.
Xiao Yan thought for a moment and said, "Then please ask Madam Fu. I will personally go to the Fu family later to discuss this matter with her."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com