The next day, at noon.
"Grand Commandant, are you up yet?" Zhang Erhe's voice came from outside the door, slightly anxious.
The wicked man rolled over, placing one arm under his head. Last night, he had been toasted by foreign envoys and colleagues in the palace and had unknowingly drunk too much. He didn't want to pay any attention to Zhang Erhe.
Just as he was about to take another nap, Zhang Erhe's heart-wrenching cries suddenly rang out again: "Grand Commandant! If you don't get up soon, I'm afraid we'll have to replace all the doors in our mansion!"
"Tsk..." The wicked husband clicked his tongue, and sat up in bed the moment he opened his eyes. "These people are really only interested in profit. They drink so much but can't they sleep a little longer?"
He originally intended to delay for a while, to make these "fat sheep" wait a little longer, and to whet their appetites.
But then he thought again that yesterday in the palace, he and Ying Zheng had just painted a bright future for them together, and they really couldn't delay any longer, lest things get complicated.
Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth, got up, casually threw on a coat, walked barefoot to the door, and suddenly opened it.
Just then, I saw Zhang Erhe standing anxiously outside the door, clutching something that looked like a folding fan in his hand, whether he wanted to wake me up or use it as a weapon for self-defense was unknown.
"Grand Commandant, you've finally come out!" Zhang Erhe rushed forward as soon as he saw him emerge, and said anxiously in a low voice, "Those envoys from the Western Regions outside are clamoring to buy up most of the quota first, and those from Haidong are also saying they want to place an order immediately. I can't stop them!"
The wicked husband raised his hand to rub his aching temples, glanced at the commotion outside the courtyard gate, and sneered, "They're quite eager, aren't they? Fine, you settle them in the side hall first, I'll change my clothes and come over."
Zhang Erhe was slightly pleased and turned to run quickly towards the main gate. When he arrived at the gate, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "The Grand Commandant is changing his clothes and will be here soon. Please follow me into the mansion first."
After seeing Zhang Erhe walk away, the wicked husband dragged his drowsy steps back to his room to wash up.
A moment later, in the side hall.
The side hall, originally a small reception room, was now quite crowded due to the influx of envoys from various countries, and the atmosphere among them was filled with hostility and wariness.
"The Grand Commandant has arrived—!!"
Zhang Erhe's shout instantly attracted everyone's attention.
Everyone turned their heads in unison and saw that the wicked man was dressed in casual clothes, with only a jade belt around his waist. He looked rather informal, but he exuded a carefree air.
"Gentlemen, you have been waiting for a long time. I am truly grateful for your patience." The wicked man clasped his hands in a fist and bow, his expression calm. "I had a great time drinking yesterday and got up late this morning. Please forgive my rudeness."
The barbarian in the field had been waiting impatiently, and when he heard his wicked husband say "You got up late," he couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Unfortunately, the other party held the production and supply rights to the "strong liquor" and "candy" that they coveted, so even if they were full of complaints, they could only keep them to themselves.
It was the man who had raised the price the day before who stepped forward first, smiling broadly as he said, "Grand Commandant, we have already calculated the money and goods, and we are just waiting for you to announce the price so that we can... sign the contract as soon as possible?"
Upon hearing this, everyone else immediately turned to look at the wicked husband.
"Yes, yes, Grand Commandant, shall we settle the payment first, and then discuss other matters?"
"This wine is in limited supply, and we don't want to hesitate any longer."
"Not just the alcohol, but also... the sugar cubes, and that salt..."
The crowd's chatter instantly sparked another wave of excitement.
The wicked man remained calm and unhurried. He first had a guard serve tea, then smiled faintly and said, "Since you are all so sincere, let's talk about what you care about most—price and share."
Upon hearing this, all the foreign guests' eyes lit up, wishing they could put their ears to the wicked husband's mouth. Last night, they were so aroused at the banquet that they only wanted to put their passion into action and sign the contract to secure this batch of good goods.
"Except for refined salt, which is not for sale to the public, wine and sugar are available in unlimited quantities. Each sugar cube is worth eight qin half liang, and a jar of wine is worth twenty liang of silver..." The wicked man slowly scanned the surroundings. "I wonder how much you all plan to order? If you want too much at once, we can only produce according to the order sequence."
Upon hearing this, the man from the Western Regions immediately spoke up: "Grand Commandant, I said yesterday that I was willing to raise the price and ask for an advance quota! Our tribe has many mountains and little land, and we mostly rely on caravans for trade. We desperately need to develop new commodities."
"I want as many candies as you have..."
Everyone shared their opinions, and the scene became lively again. The wicked man looked at them, who seemed eager to move the goods away that very day, and sneered inwardly, thinking they were a bunch of suckers.
His expression remained warm and friendly as he gestured for silence: "I have noted everyone's requests. In that case, to make it easier for everyone to get what they need, we will arrange the order according to the different quantities. Those who can pay the deposit first will receive their goods first; if additional orders are needed later, it will depend on the inventory and the order of the queue."
His words made everyone's hearts itch with curiosity.
Some well-funded and well-prepared envoys looked relaxed, secretly rejoicing that they had brought ample goods and could gain an early advantage.
Those envoys who were short of money or who originally wanted to test the waters first couldn't help but wonder if they should raise some more funds to get ahead of others.
Just then, the wicked man seemed to remember something and casually added, "Oh, by the way, if any tribe wishes to forge a deep alliance with our Great Qin, we can sign a long-term cooperation agreement. In the future, new things from our Great Qin... will also be subject to limited distribution and trade."
Although his tone was ordinary, it was full of implications to the foreign guests: if you are really willing to spend a lot of money to warm up the relationship, the benefits you may get are not only the existing goods, but also the right to trade new goods in the future!
“This…” One of the envoys immediately hesitated, but was urged on by the desire within him to “make money—form alliances—make more money”, making him restless.
Looking around at the others, they were all the same, their faces showing confusion, yet their eyes were bright.
Seeing this, the wicked man was in no hurry to urge them on. He raised his hand and said, "You have all been waiting for so long, you must be thirsty and hungry. Why don't you eat and drink something at my residence first, so that you can consider this carefully?"
His words ostensibly meant "consider carefully," but in reality, he was also telling them, "If you think about it for too long, the prize might be snatched away by someone else."
"We thank the Grand Commandant..."
The envoys present all stood up and clasped their hands in thanks to the wicked man.
The wicked man nodded slightly, turned and left. The closer it got to this point, the less he could rush things. He had to maintain an arrogant attitude, and these barbarians would be more eager to buy from him and cooperate with him.
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