Chapter 43 Chapter 43 [VIP]
Chapter 42
The sadness in my heart, whether it was due to regret or unwillingness, had not yet spread out when I suddenly met a pair of eyes.
She saw obvious contempt in those eyes, a kind of sobriety that seemed to stand aside and see through things without expressing them. It was like a bucket of cold water that completely extinguished her melancholy.
There was a hint of moisture in his eyes, but he forcibly withdrew it. Qian Tong quickly curved his lips and smiled at him: "Yun Zhen."
Song Yunzhi turned and left.
Qian Tong quickly followed him, "Have you eaten yet? Let's..."
Song Yunzhi interrupted her, "Calm down before you speak. I'm skeptical of every word you say right now." He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a snow-white handkerchief, handing it to her. "Wipe your eyes clean. Tomorrow morning, I hope you can figure out what you want."
Qian Tong: ...
Fu Yin didn't know why, but she felt that her son-in-law's attitude just now was even more arrogant than the day they first met. She couldn't help but mutter, "Did my son-in-law take the wrong medicine?"
Qian Tong knew better than anyone that he had taken the right medicine.
The reason he can be so arrogant is because he can give her the title of Crown Princess.
——
Qian Tong didn't need to ask for food and wine. The eldest son of the Pu family had his own way of entertaining guests. He had already prepared a separate cabin for the son-in-law of the Qian family to rest, and had provided him with all the necessary food and wine.
The Qian family's ship still needs to unload cargo, so all the Qian family members will rest on the Pu family's ship tonight and return to the city tomorrow morning.
The night was too long, and Song Yunzhi was not sleepy. He did not stay in the cabin, but went to the deck to enjoy the night breeze, and roughly understood the structure of the ship. On the way back to the cabin, he met Ah Yin.
Ah Yin called out, "Why are you here, son-in-law? Haven't you rested yet?"
Song Yunzhi glanced at the wine jug on the tray in front of him, said nothing, and stepped aside to let him pass. He then walked back to his door and was about to push it open when he paused and continued walking forward.
——
Qian Tong had a miserable life these past two days. He soaked in the sea for a night, his clothes were soaked and then dried, and he wore them for two days until they stuck to his body, and the fishy smell of the sea was lingering on his body.
After returning to the cabin, he changed into the clothes Fu Yin brought with her. He finally felt refreshed and was about to have a good sleep when he suddenly saw a bowl of hangover soup on the table. He wondered, "Who sent this?"
Fu Yin said, "Uncle."
Qian Tong was stunned. "Where did he get the hangover soup?"
Fu Yin was also confused. Just now, her son-in-law came over and handed her the bowl, saying that it was for her to sober up, but she didn't drink any alcohol tonight. Before she had time to ask more questions, her son-in-law turned around and left.
Fu Yin had already asked Ah Yin where else he could get it on Master Park's boat. "I heard he begged it from Master Park, and even borrowed a stove from the fire room downstairs and cooked it himself."
Qian Tong stared at the bowl of sobering soup, finding it hard to imagine how tortuous and difficult its origin was. He didn't know how Prince Song judged that he could drink, but he didn't dare to waste the things given by the prince.
Qian Tong looked up and said to Fu Yin, "It's not easy to make the hangover soup, we can't let it go to waste. How about you go get a pot and I'll have a couple of drinks to celebrate our victory?"
In order to have a bowl of sobering soup, Qian Tong drank half a bottle of Yangzhou green plum wine.
The aroma of strong liquor can paralyze people's consciousness. Qian Tong didn't know when he fell asleep. He fell on the bed and had no dreams all night. When he woke up, it was dawn the next day.
All the tea on the Qian family's cargo ship has been unloaded and handed over to the Pu family as a token of their loyalty.
When Your Majesty was still in Shuzhou, he relied on exchanging tea for horses from neighboring countries, and step by step fought his way to Kyoto, succeeding the old dynasty and ascending the throne. In the past five years, seeing that Dayu continued to expand, neighboring countries began to control horses.
Neighboring countries controlled horses, and Dayu controlled tea.
Under the supervision of both parties, tea smuggling merchants like the Cui family emerged.
As Master Park said, the Cui family's ten ships of tea are gone this year. In addition, the court has strict control, and a tea war will break out soon. The Park family occupies the Yellow Sea and Dengzhou straits, so there is no hope of a peaceful life this year.
The boatload of tea that the Qian family gave him at this time could help him out of his urgent need when necessary.
Therefore, the eldest son of the Park family was very generous. In addition to promising Qian Tong the salt fields and shipping routes, he also gave him a sea gull ship.
Qian Tong explained this to Prince Song. After coming out, he found the man on the deck. He had no change of clothes, the same ones he wore last night. However, his clothes were clean and tidy, with no odor. He must have washed and dried them himself. Qian Tong approached him and whispered, "How did my negotiation go? One shipload of tea for a search ship, plus a shipping line. We made a profit on this deal."
Song Yunzhi glanced sideways.
The young lady had a night's sleep and was full of energy. There was a faint blush on both sides of her cheeks and her eyes were bright, without any sign of injury.
It’s good that she woke up. Song Yunzhi didn’t rush to respond, waiting for her to say goodbye to her old friends.
The group was about to return to the city, and Qian Tong was five steps away from the two of them. After that, Qian Tong never saw him again.
The first reunion after two years was much better than she had imagined. They both walked out, woke up in time, climbed ashore, and returned to their respective positions.
Before leaving, Qian Tong walked over to express his gratitude, "Thank you for your hospitality, young master. Please take good care of me in the future."
Her tone was familiar, but she clearly kept a distance from him.
Master Park understood, but his expression remained gentle, "I'll be at your service anytime, Miss Qi."
Qian Tong said to him, "Then I'm leaving."
Master Park asked with a smile, "Have you got the herbs?"
"I got it."
Mr. Park turned his gaze to Song Yunzhi who was beside her and saluted, "Mr. Song, we will meet again later."
Song Yun bowed in return, "Goodbye, Master Park."
The two met last night. He came to ask his servant for sobering medicine. Hearing the voice, Master Pu came out to receive him, but the son-in-law didn't seem to like talking much. He nodded to thank him and left.
Ah Yuan asked, "Is this the seventh lady's future son-in-law?"
He nodded and asked him, "How?"
A Yuan said, "Seventh Lady has always had good taste. It was the same two years ago, and it's the same now." Then A Yuan asked him, "Why is there no possibility for you and Seventh Lady anymore?"
He replied: "Because she is someone who won't look back."
"What about the young master?"
He didn't answer.
The lesson learned by that year made both of them understand a truth: individual strength cannot compete with power. What supports the family and marriage is never love, but the bondage of interests.
Only when interests come together can there be eternity.
He said, "Send a message to the Second Madam, asking her to keep an eye on the Second Son and make sure he doesn't become the first Pu family soul to fall under the knife of the Seventh Lady."
——
After returning to his ship, Qian Tong sat opposite Song Yunzhi and reported yesterday's results to him. "I got the route. Mr. Park promised personally that he would reserve a route for my Qian family's cargo ship in the future. I can transport whatever I like. I can discuss the price with the Second Madam."
Song Yunzhi watched.
"Don't worry, I won't smuggle." Qian Tong knew what he was going to say and assured him, "This is the last shipload of tea I'm sending to the Pu family. Besides, all the tea in Shuzhou has been plundered by the Cui family this year, so it's impossible to buy more even if you want to."
Song Yunzhi: "Then what are you transporting?"
"Cloth." Qian Tong said.
Sure enough, this was her idea. This was why she wanted Lu Daozhong to "die". Selling tea and selling cloth were both smuggling. What was the difference?
Before he could react, she suddenly held down Yu's back, which was resting on her knees, and said softly, "Sir, listen to me first."
Song Yunzhi lowered his eyes and stared at her wanton pussy.
Qian Tong seemed not to notice, and didn't realize anything was wrong. He looked into his downcast eyes and reminded him, "We can stop smuggling."
Song Yunzhi understood and couldn't help but curl his lips, waiting for the trap she would dig next.
Qian Tong whispered to him, "Your Highness, you can secretly give me a 'public certificate' issued by the Maritime Customs. We can openly smuggle tea, but secretly export it openly. The same can be done with tea. If there is more cargo in the Yellow Sea, we can reduce the amount exported elsewhere. This way, my Qian family's cargo ships can freely enter and exit the Yellow Sea. What if I give the Park family a little advantage? I can make less money, but the most important thing is to make it convenient for Your Highness. I can place my own people there, understand the terrain, and train warships for the court."
Her calculations have reached the pinnacle.
She had obtained salt permits, tea sales rights, and cloth licenses in one go, a clear winner. Song Yunzhi resisted the urge to shake her off and sneered, "And you're just sitting back and reaping the benefits?"
"You can't say that, Prince. Even without me, there's already a war between the court and the Pu family. There's no room for two tigers in one mountain. How can a mere merchant like the Pu family compete with the court?" She said, "Besides, I'm going to be the Crown Prince's consort. I can do what Lu Daozhong can't. Doesn't the court want to take back the Yangzhou market? No one is as reliable as a knowledgeable merchant. Once I gain control of the Yangzhou market, in addition to the salt permits, I'll give you the tea, silk, and spice businesses."
She retracted her hand and lowered her head slightly, revealing a bit of girlish shyness. "I am just a merchant's daughter. I can't marry the prince for nothing. The Park family offered the two salt fields in Lianghuai to marry the princess of the Pyeongchang Palace. I also want to give a little gift to my uncle, the emperor."
The word 'Uncle Emperor' made Song Yunzhi's eyes go dark.
These matters were not urgent. He asked, "How did you talk with Park Seung-woo?" Then he added, "I want to hear the truth, every word."
It was difficult to repeat every word, as some private words could not be passed on. Qian Tong was just trying to figure out where to begin when he heard him continue, "He gave you a shipping route, allowing you to transport tea, cloth, and anything else. He also gave you a warship. That's all you're willing to tell me. I don't know what else he promised you, but these alone are worth far more than a single account book."
Therefore, she definitely didn't negotiate with a ship of tea or an account book. He asked, "What about you? What did you promise him?"
The Pu family had been in business longer than the Qian family, and as businessmen, neither would suffer a loss; the bargaining chips had to be equal. He couldn't imagine what conditions the Qian family could offer to obtain these benefits.
He wanted to know what she had promised the eldest master.
He looked into Qian Tong's eyes, waiting for her to give him an explanation. Qian Tong also raised her head, and her dark eyes rolled twice under his eyelids, with a rather helpless expression, "You should have noticed it too." Then she looked distressed and said with difficulty, "It seems that he still has feelings for me."
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