"They're asking us to build two cement roads simultaneously. Is the imperial court trying to squeeze our Sihai Trading Company dry?"
Bai Zhong was very angry.
Deng Cunli went to the northwest, and he was in charge of the capital.
"Madam, we can't let the court lead us by the nose. The court's move shows no sincerity. For a mere 40 years of operating rights, they're still giving the court 30% of the shares. What's the difference between this and banditry?"
Gu Jiu motioned him to sit down and talk.
She comforted Bai Zhong and said, "Everything is negotiated. We don't have to accept any conditions set by the court. We can agree to build two cement roads at the same time. We can also agree to a forty-year operating right. But a 30% stake is not enough. The court can only be given a 20% stake at most."
Furthermore, the court cannot offer nothing. Cement must be sold to us at cost, the Ministry of Revenue must provide a portion of the grain, and toll booths and rest stops must be operated entirely according to our wishes. The court must not interfere or arbitrarily place relatives and friends in positions of power. Furthermore, I need a few blacksmiths, and the Ministry of Revenue must provide them."
Gu Jiu listed his conditions one by one.
Bai Zhong picked up his pen and recorded everything one by one.
He was worried, “Will the court agree?”
"Let's talk slowly. We're not in a hurry anyway. It's the court that's anxious."
Bai Zhong was surprised, "Why is the court so anxious?"
Gu Jiu smiled mysteriously, "You don't need to know the reason, you just need to know that the court is more anxious than us. So during the negotiation, you might as well be bold and put down the arrogance of the Shaofu. I will invite the Shaofu's steward to have tea another day."
Bai Zhong laughed, "I'll listen to my wife. I'll leave the Shaofu people alone for two or three days to see how arrogant they become."
Gu Jiu nodded in agreement.
Bai Zhongxing left in a hurry.
Liu Zhao walked out from behind the screen and hugged Gu Jiu from behind.
"Building two cement roads at the same time, Madam, how dare you think of that? Is he afraid that he won't be able to squeeze the Sihai Trading Company dry?"
Gu Jiu held Liu Zhao's hand, rubbed it, and said softly, "It's possible that His Majesty is really anxious."
"He has to be anxious. Although this year's harvest is good, last year's drought and the disaster relief and rebellion relief efforts resulted in huge deficits. This year's grain is only enough to make up for last year's deficit. If he wants to raise more food and fodder, I think the Minister of Revenue is worried to the point of turning his hair white."
Gu Jiu asked, "Do you need me to help? I have stockpiled a lot of food in Jiangnan."
Liu Zhao shook his head. "It's not time yet. Even if Beirong marches south, it won't happen overnight. Our Great Zhou is in trouble, and Beirong will be even more difficult. They need to mobilize more people before they can send troops south."
"The implication is that if Beirong doesn't send troops, then nothing will happen. But if they do, it will be a war that will cost the entire nation, and if they fail, they will die."
"Exactly! Beirong is gambling with the fate of our nation. If we allow them to successfully plunder the cities and people of the Great Zhou, they will be able to breathe a sigh of relief and become stronger again in a few years. Therefore, we must keep Beirong's troops outside the pass."
“It’s not easy!”
“It’s not easy.”
Gu Jiu asked, "What is the probability that Xiliang will send troops?"
"Fifty percent!" This was Liu Zhao's judgment.
He analyzed the situation in Xiliang. "After several years of trade, we've nearly drained Xiliang's treasury. Xiliang has been forced to resort to plundering the nations of the Western Regions to replenish its treasury, which has incurred considerable losses. Anti-trade voices are gradually growing within Xiliang. Some are even clamoring to teach our Great Zhou a lesson. If Beirong marches south, Xiliang's pro-war sentiment will be unprecedentedly high. It will then depend on the ability of Xiliang's State Preceptor, Wuwang, to persuade the King of Xiliang not to become an enemy of the Great Zhou."
Gu Jiu smiled and asked, "You don't seem to have much confidence in Wuwang?"
Liu Zhao chuckled to himself, "I admit that Wuwang is quite deceptive, but when it comes to Xiliang's military and national affairs, I'm afraid he doesn't have that much influence. I also hope that he can seize the limited time he has to strengthen his position among the Xiliang nobles and influence more people."
Gu Jiu asked, "Did Marquis Lu send you any news?"
Liu Zhao shook his head. "If Beirong sends troops south, the most excited people will be the Marquis of Lu and his son. He definitely won't be happy with my meddling. It's obvious he likes to eat alone and wants to take Beirong all to himself. I'm afraid he'll choke and won't have the stomach to swallow it all."
Gu Jiu lowered his head and smiled. "Although the Marquis of Lu likes to eat alone, he also knows that he can't eat alone. Once the war breaks out, the court will inevitably send people to the northwest. Have you ever thought about how to deal with the Marquis of Lu if you go to the northwest?"
Liu Zhao said casually, "When you reach the mountain, there will always be a way. There is no need to dwell on this issue now."
…
Bai Zhong kept the Shaofu hanging in the air and ignored him completely.
At the beginning, the people in the Shaofu acted like masters and regarded the conditions proposed by Bai Zhong as a joke.
A few days later, when the steward of the Shaofu repeatedly asked about the progress of the matter, the masters of the Shaofu took the initiative to find Bai Zhong.
Bai Zhong said: "No time!"
Send the person away.
After several attempts, the master of the Shaofu finally came to his senses, and Sihai didn't need to beg the Shaofu at all.
Sihai Trading Company doesn’t care whether the cement road is built or not.
Sihai is rich, so why not do any business? Why would he think of building a road? Is it just for the tolls?
Since the people from the Shaofu couldn't find Bai Zhong, there was no way to discuss the matter.
When Emperor Wende asked about the progress of the matter, the Shaofu Household Director had no way to explain. After returning to the Shaofu Yamen, he scolded all the senior officials in the Yamen.
Do you really think that everyone asks the Shaofu to do things for you?
That was someone else, not Sihai Trading Company.
There is no shortage of money in the world.
The reason why Sihai still borrows money from Shaofu Money House every year is just to maintain the cooperative relationship between the two parties.
The Shaofu Household Manager scolded all his subordinates, then personally sent an invitation to invite Gu Jiu for tea.
You don't have to give face to others.
We must give face to the Shaofu Household Manager.
The place to drink tea is in Xinmin County.
Gu Jiu arrived at the appointment on time.
Xinmin County is as lively as ever.
Gu Jiu was sitting in a private room on the second floor facing the street. He stuck his head out and looked outside. He could see that many of the passers-by were holding a copy of Life Show in their hands.
The war of words between Life Show and the Imperial College is still going on.
The background of the teachers and students of the Imperial College's Bapi Shanhe Academy.
The life show exposes the dark history of the Imperial College.
Chen Zhuangshi brought all the capable people of "Shanhe Academy News" to the life show. Under the guise of a life show, he used the spicy and sharp writing style of "Shanhe Academy News" to expose the Imperial College thoroughly.
The Imperial College suffered a crushing defeat.
However, this war of words is far from over.
Why?
Because there are signs that the war is spreading.
As students from all over the world gathered in the capital, the academies represented by these students joined the battle one after another.
This verbal battle is turning into a mess.
There has always been resentment among academies across the world.
Students from various academies used Life Show and the Imperial College News as their battlefields, writing articles to criticize their opponents.
There are not only arguments between academies, but also struggles between regions.
The North and the South discriminate against each other, and this is an old tradition that has lasted for thousands of years.
Students from the north criticized students from the south for taking advantage of their wealth, occupying quotas, forming cliques, and pursuing personal interests...
The students from the south scolded the students from the north, saying that they were all losers and none of them could fight.
Take Yang Ji, for example, the most promising student among the group of students who took the imperial examination at Shanhe Academy. Sorry, he is also from the south.
Sanyuan Gong is also from the south.
Zhou Shi'an, who was spotted by Minister Lu at first sight and promoted to the position of Zhongshu Sheren, was also from the south.
The northern students were furious.
This is discrimination.
The Minister of the Central Secretariat, Lord Li, is from the north.
The Sun family, a well-known family in the literary world, is also from the north.
The top scholar of the Sun family is now teaching at Shanhe Academy.
Students from the south asked in the newspaper: Did Mr. Sun Zhuangyuan teach any students worth mentioning?
Damn, this is a soul-searching question.
People no longer care about the quarrel between Life Show and the Imperial College, but instead care about the differences between the north and the south.
The Life Show took advantage of the opportunity to invite people who have lived in both the north and the south for many years to write articles, using their personal experiences to tell the differences between the north and the south.
Sanyuan Gong was also asked to write an article.
The latest issue of Life Show published San Yuan Gong’s article.
Sanyuan Gong tells the story based on his personal experience, allowing people to see how beautiful the Zhou Dynasty is and how many talented people it has.
Sanyuan Gong is just a signboard.
Any newspaper that has his articles always sells well.
Students from both the south and the north will come to support it.
These giant gentlemen who had just arrived in the capital adapted quickly and directly used Wenqing Bookstore as a debate battlefield.
Gu Jiu sat on the second floor, looking at the Wenqing Bookstore across the street with a smile. The front door was surrounded by people, and cheers could be heard from it.
A debate was going on inside between students from the north and south, and the people sent there were all famous for their literary talents.
Although he couldn't hear what was being debated, it didn't stop Gu Jiu from watching with great interest.
She also saw Yu Ge'er and Heng Ge'er heading into the crowd, with the guards following behind, sweating profusely.
Gu Jiu couldn't help laughing.
"These two kids always go wherever there's excitement. They sneaked out of the academy again. It seems they haven't done enough homework."
Several maids covered their mouths and laughed secretly, "It seems that Brother Yu will have to copy books for a few more days, and Brother Heng will have a sad face again. After returning, I will tell the kitchen to prepare more snacks. The two brothers will get hungry quickly when they are busy."
Gu Jiu laughed at the maids, "You pamper them more than I do."
"The servants are helping Madam to pamper the two brothers."
"Xiao Jiu, I'm late!"
The Shaofu household steward arrived late.
His carriage was stuck on the streets of Xinmin County and could not move. He had to get off the carriage and walk over.
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