"Are you stupid? They were already talking about fifty, and then they changed it to thirty!"
"When it comes to business, who would back down first?!"
After Xiao Luomu left, Zhao Cheng and Xu An began to criticize Li Guanyu.
Li Guanyu knew he was in the wrong, so he lowered his head and said softly, "I was thinking... we don't even have fifty members yet, is it too much to ask for fifty people all at once?"
"Who cares if he goes too far!"
Unable to contain himself any longer, Zhao Cheng slapped Li Guanyu on the head and angrily said, "Look how readily Xiao Luomu agreed! With that confident look, do you think fifty is a problem for him?!"
"Then I'll go find him again!" Li Guanyu turned and left.
"We haven't even started cooperating yet, and you're already changing your mind so frequently. It's making us a laughingstock!" Zhao Cheng grabbed Li Guanyu's sleeve and said, "Don't go. Focus on issuing more loans to make up for it!"
"Okay, okay, I'll try my best!" Li Guanyu nodded vigorously.
Xu An, who was watching from the side, smiled and thought to himself that Li Guanyu was becoming more and more like Zhao Cheng's little brother.
He's different.
We and the young prime minister will always be brothers of the same generation!
I'm the official owner of this club, so how dare he order me around?
Just then, Zhao Cheng suddenly slapped Xu An's arm: "You've been open for so long, and the two of you combined haven't even brought in as many members as I have! What about those two members you promised? Go and kidnap them!"
"Yes, yes, I'll go tie her up right away!" Xu An turned and left.
...
Two weeks later.
Zhao Cheng handed the letters he was going to send to his parents to Dong Hua, his heart filled with endless doubts.
It's understandable that my mother took my second brother to a Taoist temple for treatment, and they had to decide whether to return home based on his condition.
But what's wrong with the old man? Changsui is a thousand miles away from Yanchuan. Even if you walk, it shouldn't take nearly two months, right?
Did he crawl back with two hundred soldiers?!
They haven't replied to the letter I sent last time.
What's going on?
Sacrificed?
At this moment, Zhao Wu came over and said, "Master, Xiao Luomu has arrived."
Despite sensing Xiao Luomu's confidence, Zhao Cheng was still shocked to see that he had actually returned in just half a month.
The Xiao family's trade routes... are truly paved with channels of gold and silver!
After settling the payment and splitting the profits, Xiao Luomu placed another order for 200,000 bars of soap. Zhao Cheng tentatively asked, "Selling so well, why not consider ordering more? Boss Wu is currently expanding his factory, so the volume can definitely keep up."
"Our family has discussed this, and 200,000 can reasonably supply the thirteen cities of Jingdong. We can pick up the goods every half month, which is a suitable cycle, so we won't add any more."
Xiao Luomu took a small bottle out of his pocket and said, "As for this floral water, I tested it in Qingdong City and Hannan City, and the response was even more enthusiastic than with the soap! I want to take more of this this time!"
"No problem!" Zhao Cheng patted Xiao Luomu on the shoulder and laughed, "I told Boss Wu that as long as there are any new and good things, you'll be the first one I give you!"
"Young Prime Minister is righteous!"
"Brother Xiao, even if you have a good business, you should think of me too!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Luomu's expression turned serious. He leaned closer to Zhao Cheng and said, "There really is a business opportunity. We need to see if Boss Wu is interested, or... it would be best if the young prime minister participated alone."
"Why are you being so mysterious? What's up?"
“My men have located an iron mine in Lingshan.”
"iron ore!"
Zhao Cheng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly lowered his voice and said, "Tell me the details!"
Zhao Cheng was surprised.
Iron ore is extremely profitable. Although the imperial court prohibits private mining, once an iron ore deposit is discovered, it can be reported to the court for joint mining, and the profits are much greater than those of ordinary businesses.
Despite such a lucrative business opportunity, Xiao Luomu sought out Zhao Cheng, and Zhao Cheng understood the reason.
Although joint mining with the imperial court was permitted, not everyone was qualified to do so.
Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—without deep connections in officialdom, would the imperial court grant benefits to a merchant?
Don't even think about it!
Xiao Luomu shook his head and said, "No specific details... The geomancers have been missing for two months. I only found out when I received a message from them via carrier pigeon before they disappeared. I estimate that they... have probably met with some misfortune."
Zhao Cheng pondered for a moment and said, "The iron mines marked by the imperial court are all openly mined; there's no need to kill someone to cover it up. Could it be... someone is secretly mining them privately?"
“That’s possible!” Xiao Luomu said seriously, “But we can’t rule out the possibility that they encountered bandits or wild beasts. Young Master may not be familiar with Lingshan, but we in Qingdong City and Hannan City all know that it’s a no-man’s land.”
"This is all our Jingguo territory, why is it being ignored by the three authorities?"
“Lingshan faces the sea on one side, with its ridge stretching for thousands of miles. The terrain is treacherous and wild beasts roam freely. Not only are there mountain bandits, but sea pirates also frequently appear. However, its location is between Qingdong and Hannan, each occupying half of the area. Neither side wants to manage it, and the imperial court is far away. Over time, it has become a no-man's-land.”
Xiao Luomu glanced at Zhao Cheng's expression and continued, "But the more no one cares, the more opportunities we have. If someone is mining iron ore privately, we'll find out the situation and report it to the court. Once the court sends troops to wipe them out... With the Right Chancellor's status, the Young Chancellor's reporting merit, and the assistance of my Xiao family, and given our proximity to Lingshan, we can contribute money, manpower, and resources while the court sits back and collects its share. It won't be difficult for us to obtain joint mining rights!"
"If... my men just encountered some other accident, and no one has touched this iron mine yet, then why don't we just sneak around..."
Zhao Cheng was delighted, thinking to himself that Xiao Luomu was a born businessman!
How dare you!
They'd even take a job that could cost them their lives!
Worth making friends with!
However... his sensitivity to the inner workings of the government was still somewhat lacking.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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