Seeing that neither Cai Qiong nor Zhao Cheng seemed to be faking it, Yuan Zhang asked doubtfully, "Lord Cai, do you really not know Zhao Cheng?"
Cai Qiong retorted, "Is he some important figure that I must get to know him?"
Yuan Zhang then asked, "Do you know whose business the Oriental Chamber of Commerce is?"
"I know this one. It's the Xiao family of Jingdong County. It's said that the founder of the Chamber of Commerce is not the head of the Xiao family, but the youngest son of the head of the family."
"Do you know who is representing the Eastern Chamber of Commerce in this trip south?"
"I know this too; it is the son of the Marquis of Qingdong and the eldest son of the Right Chancellor..."
As she spoke, Cai Qiong suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "Zhao Cheng? Zhao? Could it be the young prime minister?"
Zhao Cheng and Xu An exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves, "This uncle has great acting skills..."
That's enough for the performance. If it continues, Cai Qiong might not be able to leave the stage properly. Zhao Cheng quickly pulled Xu An over to pay his respects.
"Zhao Cheng and Xu An greet Your Excellency the Prefect!"
Cai Qiong then showed his first smile since entering the room, helped the two up, and said with a smile, "Young Prime Minister and Young Marquis are indeed handsome and talented!"
Zhao Cheng smiled and said, "Lord Cai, you flatter me. Xu Annan and I have been working for more than half a year, and our skin has turned dark from exhaustion. But as soon as we entered Yun Jing County, we felt that the water and soil were pleasant and the air was fresh, and our skin has returned to its original whiteness."
Cai Qiong nodded in satisfaction and said proudly, "I have been to many places, but Yun Jing is indeed a good place to nurture people."
"Beautiful mountains and rivers, good people and good officials..."
"You flatter me, you flatter me..."
Watching Zhao Cheng and Cai Qiong chat idly, acting as if it were their first meeting, Yuan Zhang, left out, turned pale.
“Lord Cai…” Yuan Zhang reminded him.
Cai Qiong suddenly realized what was happening and said, "I understand! Your Highness said that I helped Zhao Cheng because you think I have a personal relationship with Zhao Cheng?"
"This is a huge joke!"
Cai Qiong said sternly, "I support the cooperation between the Eastern Chamber of Commerce and the Yunshang Chamber of Commerce for the sake of the economy and people's livelihood in Yunjing County!"
"Is that really the case?" Yuan Zhang didn't want to argue anymore and said in a deep voice, "Since Lord Cai's opinion differs from mine, then I will submit a memorial to His Majesty and let His Majesty make a decision. However, before that, Zhao Cheng's business cannot enter."
"Very well!" Cai Qiong snorted coldly and said, "Then I will also submit a memorial to His Majesty to inquire why the Champion King, who is in charge of the military affairs of the Zhennan Border Army, has risked coming to Yunmeng City to care about the economy and people's livelihood. What is the meaning of this?"
“Cai Qiong!” Yuan Zhang finally couldn’t sit still any longer and stood up, saying, “Yun Jing City is the county seat, but didn’t you also run away from Yun Jing City to Yun Meng City?”
Cai Qiong said matter-of-factly, "I am the governor of this prefecture. Where in Yun Jing Prefecture can't I go? Is it wrong for me to come to Yunmeng City to inspect the work?"
"you!!"
Cai Qiong and Yuan Zhang stared at each other, locked in a tense standoff, neither showing any fear.
If it were any other purely civil official prefect, they might have been defeated by Yuan Zhang's gaze, but Cai Qiong had fought his way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Although he was a civil official, he was a military general at heart and was not intimidated by Yuan Zhang at all.
After a brief standoff, Cai Qiong approached Yuan Zhang and began to whisper to him.
“Your Highness, we work in the same area and each has our own responsibilities. As long as we don’t interfere with each other, that’s fine. I won’t interfere with your military affairs, and you shouldn’t interfere with my economic development. What grudges you have with Zhao Cheng, or what grudges you have with the Right Prime Minister’s Mansion, is none of my business. All I know is that Yun Jing County needs Zhao Cheng’s business.”
As she spoke, Cai Qiong leaned closer to Yuan Zhang and lowered her voice, saying, "Your Highness knows very well that the money allocated to the army by the Ministry of Revenue in recent years has basically been used to deal with the Yedan in the north. Your Highness's Zhennan Border Army is mostly self-sufficient in our Yunjing County. As the prefect, I not only have to take care of the people's food and drink, but also the army's food and drink. Do you think I'm not tired?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhang fell silent.
He knew that Cai Qiong had contributed greatly to the losses and pay of the Zhennan Border Army.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Cai Qiong was Yuan Zhang's money bag.
"Your Highness, I promise you that if the economy of Yunjing County improves after the Eastern Chamber of Commerce comes in, my support for the Zhennan Border Army will be even greater."
After weighing the options, Yuan Zhang realized that Cai Qiong had already made her point, so he had no reason to refute her.
He leaned close to Cai Qiong's ear and whispered, "Tell me the truth, do you really not know Zhao Cheng?"
"I really don't know him."
"Where is the Right Chancellor?"
"Then I would have no idea. If Your Highness doesn't believe me, you can check my resume. When the Right Commander was Commander Long, I was just a minor border guard. How could I have had the chance to know such a big figure as him?"
Yuan Zhang thought for a moment and said, "After Zhao Cheng comes in, you must keep a close eye on him. Always remember, you are an official of Dajing."
"Don't worry, I understand Your Highness's concerns." Cai Qiong nodded, knowing that Yuan Zhang's words meant he agreed.
Seeing Cai Qiong and Yuan Zhang separate, everyone was puzzled, wondering what the two big shots were whispering about.
Cai Qiong looked at the merchants and said, "Boss Mu, Boss Jia, is there any food at this Yunshang Conference? We haven't eaten anything along the way. If so, please give us some. After we eat, I will accompany you to complete the procedures of the Yunshang Conference!"
Upon hearing this, the merchants exchanged glances, their faces breaking into joy.
It seems the Prefect and the Champion King have reached an agreement!
Zhao Cheng cast a grateful glance at Cai Qiong. Although he knew that Cai Qiong had indeed taken a liking to his product, he was certain that his ability to help her to this extent was inseparable from his relationship with Cai Yilu.
Cai Yilu sold "Yingyingying" in Southern Weekly and made a fortune!
"Yes, yes, yes!! Quick, bring out the best wine and food!!!" Mu Yan and Jia Zhong hurriedly made arrangements.
Cai Qiong said, "Your Highness, would you like to stay and have some food?"
"You will be holding a cloud commerce conference after your meal, so I will not be attending." Yuan Zhang waved his hand, pulled up his hood, and looked like he was about to leave.
"Military duties cannot be delayed, farewell."
Cai Qiong clasped his hands and said, "Your Highness, please take care of yourself. We look forward to Your Highness recovering the southern lands for the Great Jing as soon as possible!"
Everyone saw him off, saying, "Respectfully bidding farewell to the champion!!!"
Yuan Zhang turned to leave, and as he was about to walk out the gate with Tuo Tie Wuhua and his group, he saw several richly dressed men leading four girls in.
One of them called out, "Excuse me, is Young Prime Minister Zhao Cheng here?"
Zhao Cheng glanced at Zhao Wu, who stepped forward with his sword drawn and asked, "Who are you, and what business do you have with the young prime minister?"
The man bowed to Zhao Wu and said, "I come from Hechong County in Nanzhou."
Upon hearing the name of Nanzhou Hechong County, Yuan Zhang, who had already reached the gate, stopped in his tracks.
Hechong County bordered Yunjing County and was the location of the Southern Zhou military camp.
The man continued, "I am a lowly steward in the Southern Zhou Governor's mansion, and I have come to see the young prime minister on the orders of the governor."
Zhao Wu asked, "What does Yang Qingzhi want with the young prime minister?"
"Gifts."
"A gift? What kind of gift?"
The man clapped his hands, and four girls stepped forward.
"The young governor said that he heard that the young prime minister has four beautiful maids named 'Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Music, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting,' and since ordinary gifts are not appropriate, he is reluctantly sending four maids named 'Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum' from the governor's mansion. He hopes that the young prime minister will accept them with pleasure!"
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