"Are you willing to come back?" Little did they know that as soon as they stepped into the gate of Nanyuan, they saw Xiahou Qin leaning against a tree trunk in the yard, staring at the two people with smiles on his eyes with an indignant look on his face!
Chu Feiyang was not frightened by Xia Houqin's expression. Instead, the smile on his face grew even more intense. Holding Yun Qianmeng's hand, he changed his pace and walked towards Xia Houqin. "We should ask this question, cousin! Are you finally willing to come back? Did you enjoy your trip outside for the past two weeks?"
Seeing that Chu Feiyang was not intimidated by him at all, Xia Houqin's eyes flashed with a look of failure. He slowly stood up and shrugged nonchalantly. The sharpness in his tone had long since turned into a relaxed tone. "Do you think I'm really out for fun?"
Yun Qianmeng smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, cousin!"
Seeing that someone finally cared about him and at least knew how to comfort him verbally, Xiahou Qin's heart suddenly warmed. He turned his gaze to Yun Qianmeng and said with a very happy smile, "You're too polite, sister-in-law. We're family, so there's no need to worry about it. I've already asked the guards to move those things into the house. I just don't know what you want them for."
Xiahou Qin's eyes were filled with curiosity, which immediately made Yun Qianmeng laugh. However, she kept the secret with a smile on her face. "My cousin will know tomorrow!"
As she spoke, Yun Qianmeng turned to Chu Feiyang and said, "I'll go in and prepare first!"
Seeing that Yun Qianmeng had something to do, Chu Feiyang nodded slightly, but still said reluctantly, "Don't be too tired!"
"Don't worry!" Yun Qianmeng gently released the hand that was held by Chu Feiyang, nodded slightly to Xiahou Qin, and led Mu Chun into the main house of Nanyuan!
The two watched Yun Qianmeng walk into the house. Xiahou Qin retracted his gaze and said sternly, "Have you met Rong Yunhe? I don't know what that kid is thinking. Now that Lu Xin's lackeys have discovered our relationship, he's gone to stay at the inn! Even so, I'm afraid it won't dispel the deputy general's doubts! Besides, I told you that you'll take care of everything, but he's so stubborn!"
Chu Feiyang listened attentively to Xia Houqin's report. However, after hearing his last sentence, his eyebrows slightly raised, a faint smile appeared in his eyes, and he said in a very good-natured manner, "Oh? I didn't expect that I could play such a big role? I wonder when did my cousin say that?"
Seeing Chu Feiyang's face as warm and gentle as melting snow, Xiahou Qin naturally didn't notice the ice gradually condensing in his eyes, and said directly, "After entering the city! Although Rong Yunhe is good at business, he can be really stubborn sometimes!"
"After entering the city?" But Chu Feiyang just kept repeating Xiahou Qin's words!
Very good. When they entered the city, Meng'er and I were in a private room. Apparently, the one who made me sneeze was the impudent Xiahou Qin! I finally had some time alone with Meng'er, but it was ruined by my dear cousin. He even forced me to drink hot tea, and my underwear was still wet. Very good!
"Swoosh!" The soft sword wrapped around his waist instantly transformed into a sharp sword and was tightly grasped in his hand. Chu Feiyang stared at Xiahou Qin with a sneer in his eyes and said in a deep voice, "It's been a long time since you last stretched your muscles! Let's have a good fight today!"
After he finished speaking, he thrust the long sword in his hand, which flashed with cold light, towards Xiahou Qin...
"Ah? Why?" A painful cry came from Xiahou Qin's mouth. Before he could figure out what was going on, the cold light was already approaching him. Xiahou Qin was so frightened that he dodged a sword and quickly drew his long sword to block Chu Feiyang's second wave of attack. At the same time, he asked miserably, "What? I just got back!"
But what answered him were attacks that were more fierce and cunning than the last, causing Xiahou Qin to shut up immediately. He stole a glance at Chu Feiyang's smirking lips, and inwardly cried out in alarm, no longer daring to let his guard down. Instead, he focused all his attention on dealing with the inexplicably angry man in front of him...
"Princess, why are the prince and Prince Xiahou suddenly practicing martial arts in the yard?" The sound of fighting in the yard also disturbed the people in the house. Yingqiu stood by the window and watched the two people fighting fiercely outside, and asked in confusion!
"Don't pay attention to them! The weather is dry, maybe they have excessive liver fire and need to relieve it!" Yun Qianmeng just glanced out the window lightly, then retracted her gaze, letting the two people fighting outside with great confidence!
Chu Feiyang is not a man without sense of propriety, and Xiahou Qin is not a soft persimmon either. The two of them are probably exchanging martial arts skills!
"Princess, what are these?" Mu Chun opened the cardboard box that had just been moved into the house at Yun Qianmeng's instruction. However, the objects in the box attracted the curiosity of several maids who gathered around. Even Yuan Dong, who was originally lying on the recliner, straightened up and looked over here!
Seeing the four girls looking like curious babies, Yun Qianmeng walked over with a smile on her face. She casually took out an object from the box and played with it for a while before speaking, "Do you remember the numbers I taught you to write?"
"Remember!" Several girls nodded in unison, but the confusion in their eyes became even more intense!
"Mu Chun, go prepare the pen and ink. We will write the numbers from one to one hundred on it later!" Looking at the looks of the girls, Yun Qianmeng shook his head and chuckled, but gave the instructions very quickly!
"Yes!" Mu Chun walked quickly into the inner room, took out the pen, ink, paper and inkstone from the desk, and together with Yingqiu, placed the four treasures of the study on the table. Then, they poured water into the inkstone and slowly ground the ink!
Yun Qianmeng asked Yingxia to take out all the items in the paper box and put them on the table. She placed the item in her hand flat on the table, picked up the brush dipped in ink in her right hand, and gently wrote the word "one" on the snow-white paper!
"Princess, what is the use of this? It's a bit like the round fan we use every day, but how can you find a round fan with only one number written on it? Besides, there are so many, we can't use them all!" Looking at the round fan that only had one word written on it, Mu Chun chuckled and spoke!
Hearing this, Yun Qianmeng couldn't help but smile. She blew gently on the ink on the white paper, and put it back into the paper box after it dried. "I'll need it tomorrow, so finish it quickly!"
"Yes!" The three girls immediately replied in unison. One of them was responsible for grinding the ink, while the other two, like Yun Qianmeng, picked up the brushes and wrote numbers on the snow-white paper!
However, the two people in the courtyard were still fighting fiercely...
"Huh!" After coming down from the tree, Xiahou Qin's hair and body were covered with leaves. He was leaning against the tree trunk, panting and trying to breathe. He no longer looked as handsome as he used to be!
"Chu Feiyang, how did this prince offend you? You want to kill me as soon as we meet. If anything happens to me, don't expect the Xiahou clan to help you!" Xiahou Qin glared at Chu Feiyang, who landed on the ground in a refreshing outfit, and was a little jealous of his martial arts. They both circled the tree fifty times at the same time, but why was Chu Feiyang not even touched by a leaf, while he was in such a mess!
What's even more hateful is that although the sword in Chu Feiyang's hand did not hurt him at all, his clean robe had already been torn into countless holes by Chu Feiyang's sword. Where was the dignity of a prince of the Xiahou clan?
However, Chu Feiyang shook his wrist leisurely, and the long sword that was as hard as iron just now was now wrapped around his waist obediently, forming a decoration on his body!
Chu Feiyang glanced at Xiahou Qin coldly, then said leisurely, "Xi Lin, send Prince Xiahou back to the East Garden!"
After he finished speaking, Chu Feiyang turned around and walked into the main room without hesitation!
"Did I offend him?" Jian Xi Lin came forward to ask him to leave. Xia Houqin pointed his index finger at himself and asked softly, but his mind was flashing with every move he had just made when confronting Chu Feiyang. He was afraid that if Chu Feiyang got serious, he could only barely save his life even if he tried his best. But he just couldn't understand what happened to Chu Feiyang all of a sudden, and why did he want to fight with him for no reason?
Xi Lin was also wondering why the prince stared at him with such a cold look in the private room just now. Did he do something wrong again?
"Prince, please go back!" Looking at Xiahou Qin's tattered clothes with some sympathy, Xi Lin spoke seriously!
Xiahou Qin saw Xi Lin's serious look, and knew that it was absolutely impossible to find out anything from Xi Lin. He could only rub his nose and leave Nanyuan, thinking that he was unlucky!
"What are they doing?" Chu Feiyang asked curiously as he looked at the busy people in the room!
When Yun Qianmeng saw him come in, she put down her brush and looked him up and down. Seeing that he was neatly dressed and looked unharmed, she smiled and said, "We're assigning numbers!"
As he spoke, he picked up the booklet he was writing and pointed it at Chu Feiyang. "Number the merchants who will be participating in the jade mining rights tomorrow, and then issue number plates to let them enter the government office for a fair competition! However, to get these number plates, you also need a certain level of strength. I have already listed the top 500 merchants with the strongest strength! These selected merchants are not only strong, but also willing to compete for the jade mining rights! I deleted some other weak merchants. On the one hand, it can prevent people from deliberately causing trouble because they can't compete, and on the other hand, it can prevent too many people from participating and causing the situation to get out of control!"
Seeing her so attentive and doing all these things herself, Chu Feiyang felt warm in his heart. He took the half-written booklet from Yun Qianmeng and sat down. He picked up the pen on the table and continued writing, "You go and rest for a while! I'll take care of the rest!"
Yun Qianmeng smiled elegantly and did not follow Chu Feiyang's arrangement to rest alone. Instead, she read out a series of merchant names and numbers, asking Chu Feiyang to write while listening. The two of them worked together seamlessly, and in less than half an incense stick of time, Chu Feiyang had finished writing all the names!
"Meng'er, you specifically wrote down everyone's name and indicated their main occupations. I bet it has other uses!" It looked like just a thick booklet, but it contained information about the richest people in Western Chu. Chu Feiyang would never believe that Yun Qianmeng did this just for fun!
Seeing that Chu Feiyang had understood her intentions, Yun Qianmeng took him back to the inner room and gave the space in the lobby to a few busy maids, so that Chu Feiyang would not make them uncomfortable there!
"Among them, there are those who deal in oil and grain, some deal in cloth, and some deal in timber. Although there are only 500 of them, they actually cover all walks of life in Western Chu, and they are all giants in each industry. It will be beneficial for us to master their information! After all, if the court wants to go to war, it will inevitably have to buy raw materials for weapons and clothing from the people. Although these people are not as powerful as the Rong family, they are all more or less connected with the court!" Pushing open the wooden window to let the sunlight shine into the inner room, Yun Qianmeng turned the round fan in his hand and spoke in a low voice!
"Do you mean to keep track of their whereabouts?" Chu Feiyang slowly understood why Yun Qianmeng did this. He held her little hand that was playing with the round fan and asked softly!
Hearing the meaning behind Chu Feiyang's words, Yun Qianmeng nodded slightly, and the solemnity in her eyes was revealed to Chu Feiyang without any concealment. "It's just a precaution. I just hope that everything is just my imagination!"
"Meng'er, thank you!" It should have been his own business, but Yun Qianmeng thought of everything for him. This touching feeling made Chu Feiyang's eyes tender, but he was not angry because Yun Qianmeng thought more than he thought. There was always a softest place in his heart, which collected every little thing Yun Qianmeng did for him, and used a net of love to firmly wrap up the warmth that made his heart beat!
"What nonsense are you talking about? Do we even need to thank each other?" Yun Qianmeng chuckled and spoke as she gently tapped Chu Feiyang's forehead with the round fan in her hand!
"By the way, where is my cousin? Why did you two start fighting in the yard just now?" Yun Qianmeng asked curiously when she didn't see the curious Xiahou Qin following in!
"Shh, don't talk, let me hug you tightly!" But Chu Feiyang gently pulled his arm and pulled the person who was originally sitting next to him into his arms, holding him tightly and gently. He didn't want to hear a name that would spoil his mood when he was moved!
The next day, at noon, outside the Youzhou government office!
The scale of the Youzhou jade mine incident is staggering!
Before the hour of noon, there was already a bustling crowd outside the Youzhou government office. All the merchants who came to Youzhou to participate in the competition for jade mining rights had rushed here early in the morning. They were standing outside the government office, talking to each other, and at the same time, they were anxiously waiting for Han Shaomian to ask the bailiffs to open the gate of the government office!
In addition, many local people also came in groups to watch. After all, this jade mine belongs to their Youzhou. With the previous experience of the Xie family, they naturally want to know what happened!
"Hey, why can't I see the richest man in Jiangcheng? I saw him having dinner in the inn where he was staying a few days ago! How come he hasn't come yet? Did he oversleep?" A businessman looked among the crowd, but did not see the richest man in Jiangcheng who had been talking so much a few days ago, so he asked the people around him!
"I really didn't see him! But isn't it better that he's not here? We also have one less opponent!" When the others heard the man's surprised voice, they also stood on tiptoe to look around in the crowd. After making sure that they didn't see the richest man in Jiangcheng, they spoke with some gloating!
"Alas, I advise you not to be too happy! I heard that the eldest son of the Rong family also came to Youzhou yesterday. I'm afraid that the Rong family is also setting its sights on these jade mines!" At this moment, an old man in his sixties slowly spoke, and he stroked his beard with a hint of obvious worry in his eyes!
"Rong family?" Everyone was surprised when they heard his words!
"Is it the Rong family from the capital? The Rong family that produced two imperial concubines?" The laughter on everyone's faces suddenly turned solemn. If the Rong family got involved, small businesses like these would be hopeless! However, who would have thought that the Rong family would hear the news and come here?
"Yes, in this Western Chu, who else could it be except the Rong family in the capital? I heard from the servant at home that when he went out yesterday, he saw the general at the city gate personally greeting a young man on horseback! And that young man had a head full of white hair! Think about it, with such an identity and appearance, who else could it be except Rong Yunhe from the Rong family?" The old man continued to speak, but the wrinkles between his brows gradually deepened!
Hearing the old man's affirmative answer, there was an uproar outside the Youzhou government office. Everyone had made all kinds of plans, but they didn't expect that the Rong family would also come. If the Rong family took action, wouldn't their hopes be dashed?
"Look, is that him?" As he was speaking, a young man pointed at Rong Yunhe who was riding a horse not far away and whispered a reminder!
For a moment, everyone's eyes turned to Rong Yunhe, who was sitting on horseback in a royal blue robe, and his white hair, which looked even more dazzling in the sunlight, stung everyone's eyes!
It really is the Rong family!
Everyone unconsciously made way for Rong Yunhe to arrive at the yamen smoothly!
Countless pairs of eyes were staring at the young man on horseback, but they saw Rong Yunhe calmly leading the servant off the horse, and then stood outside the yamen like everyone else, waiting for the government to open the door!
All the discussions gradually died down after Rong Yunhe's arrival. People were whispering in groups of two or three. Sometimes they raised their eyes to glance at Rong Yunhe, who looked indifferent, as if they wanted to find some clues from his dull and distant expression!
"Young Master!" Si'er tied up the horse and returned to Rong Yunhe!
"Are you all ready?" Rong Yunhe asked calmly as he swept his cold eyes over the people in front of him. The calmness and composure in his expression made many business veterans admire him from the bottom of their hearts. Just from this one aspect, they knew that the Rong family could become the richest family in Xichu, and they also had strengths that ordinary people could not match. Just looking at the young master of the Rong family was enough to make people admire him!
For a moment, the atmosphere outside the yamen seemed strangely depressed with the arrival of Rong Yunhe, until the sound of a door opening was heard, and everyone's attention was completely diverted!
After the yamen's gate was opened, everyone saw two yamen runners bring out a table and a chair, then placed the four treasures of the study on them. The Youzhou yamen's legal advisor immediately stepped out and announced, "Everyone, I am the legal advisor of the Youzhou yamen! I believe that all of you are merchants who have come here today to participate in the jade mining rights and have registered with the yamen a few days ago! We at the Youzhou yamen have selected 500 of you to participate in this competition. Merchants who have registered their names, please come to me to receive your number plates for entry!"
After he finished speaking, the lawyer sat down behind the desk, took out the booklet that Chu Feiyang and Yun Qianmeng had written yesterday, and began to call out names!
But his words caused a huge uproar among all the merchants. No one understood what the government was keeping secret. Not only did they only allow 500 people to participate, but they also had number plates?
What is that number plate? I've never heard of it!
Everyone's eyes turned to Rong Yunhe, but they found that his face was indifferent and there was no other expression!
As the merchants whose names were announced entered, those who were not selected could only stand outside the yamen and pay attention to the situation inside, just like the people in Youzhou!
Five hundred stools were already neatly arranged in the spacious yamen courtyard. As the five hundred people took their seats, Han Shaomian, who had been sitting behind the desk, stood up and calmly walked to the front of the crowd. He said in a clear voice, "I am Han Shaomian, the Minister of War. I have been ordered by the Emperor to come to Youzhou to manage all affairs! With the incident with the Xie family, I have agreed with the King of Chu that the jade mining rights should be fairly competed. Therefore, today's selection was held. I hope to select strong and conscientious merchants for Youzhou!"
"Good!" Before Han Shaomian finished speaking, he heard applause and praise from the people watching outside!
"Excuse me, sir, what is the purpose of these number plates? How do you intend to select candidates?" Although the common people cheered, the five hundred merchants present were in a state of turmoil. They still hadn't figured out what the government was planning to do! So, some anxious merchants started asking questions!
As soon as this person spoke, other merchants followed suit and began to ask questions. For a moment, the originally quiet courtyard became noisy, and everyone was vying to question Han Shaomian!
Han Shaomian raised his hand slightly, suppressing all the noise. His expression remained unchanged as he spoke calmly, "This number plate is what everyone is holding. It has your number on it, which corresponds to the name recorded in the master's book! This time, we are using the auction method! What is an auction? It means auctioning the mining rights of the jade mine to everyone, and the highest bidder wins! The winning merchant will own the mining rights of the jade mine, and the jade ore mined will also belong to you, but you must pay taxes to the court on time every year according to the laws of Western Chu! The auction method is that the government gives a relatively minimum price, and everyone raises the number plates in their hands and bids a higher price than the minimum. The one who bids the highest number will own the mining rights of the jade mine! Here, this official reminds everyone, please do what you can, and don't raise your bid with others because of a momentary competitive spirit. If such a situation is discovered, this official will expel him!"
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar, and everyone started whispering to each other, wondering why the government was so complicated!
"Sir Han, why go through so much trouble? We have plenty of money, wouldn't it be easier to just give a price?" A wealthy middle-aged man spoke loudly!
"This is just for the sake of fairness! Everyone has come here from all over Xichu, so we will naturally provide fair competition! I have already made it clear what I want to say and what should be said. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. The auction will begin soon!" After speaking, Han Shaomian swept his glare over everyone in the venue and waited calmly for the next round of questioning!
At this time, Yun Qianmeng and Chu Feiyang were sitting in the wing room of the government office, watching clearly everything that was happening in the courtyard!
Seeing Yun Qianmeng's eyes always blooming with a confident and calm smile, Chu Feiyang also smiled and said, "You thought of this trick!"
"This is much fairer than letting the government nominate who will mine! Even if they lose, these merchants will have nothing to say. It's because they don't have enough strength, so how can they blame others? What's more, with the strength of the Rong family, they will not let us down! And we arrange for Han Shaomian to auction off the jade mines with poor quality first. In this way, a group of merchants will be eliminated, followed by the jade mines with medium quality, which will eliminate another group of merchants! Finally, the jade mine with the best quality will have the highest starting price. In this way, everyone will think more and decide carefully, and the Rong family will have a greater chance of winning, and will not attract criticism from others! Even if Emperor Yugan questions this matter in the future, we don't have to be in the wrong!" Yun Qianmeng placed the hot tea she had just poured in front of Chu Feiyang, and then told the story. There was a dazzling light between her eyebrows with a faint smile, and she was also very smart!
"I didn't expect that the princess has such talent. It's really admirable!" At this time, Xiahou Qin walked in in a dark green brocade robe. He glared at Chu Feiyang fiercely, then pulled out a stool and sat down, watching everything happening outside with a smile!
Yun Qian dreamed of Xia Houqin coming over, and she also smiled and poured him a cup of tea, but she did not ignore the glare between the two men. She felt amused, but did not ask, and only politely replied to Xia Houqin, "It's just a trifle, I hope my cousin won't laugh at me!"
"A trifle? If it's just a trifle, then our schemes are no match for it!" Seeing Yun Qianmeng being so modest, Xiahou Qin laughed and shook his head, his gaze fixed on Rong Yunhe, who was sitting quietly among the five hundred people. "I wonder when he'll make his move!"
At this time, the auction had officially begun in the courtyard. Han Shaomian sat behind the desk with a solemn expression, while the lawyer held a thick book in his hand and described to all the merchants the annual output of the jade mine that was to be auctioned, the quality of the jade, and other information!
The merchants listened attentively, with cautious expressions on their faces, and in their hearts they carefully estimated how much benefit this jade mine would bring to them!
After the lawyer finished reading some basic information, he saw a yamen runner holding up a piece of jade mined from the jade mine and passing it around among the merchants!
However, some merchants have never come into contact with jade, so how can they tell the difference between good and bad jade?
But these merchants are also extremely smart. Although they cannot tell the quality of jade, they can observe people's expressions and then analyze the answers they want to know from their expressions!
At this moment, the most eye-catching person was still Rong Yunhe. Most of the eyes in the courtyard were focused on Rong Yunhe, waiting to see what expression he would reveal!
However, such opportunistic methods had never appeared in the Rong family's doctrine! Even though he would not bid for this jade mine, Rong Yunhe still observed and studied the jade very carefully when he got it. His focused expression puzzled everyone, wondering why such a poor quality jade could attract the attention of the Rong family's eldest grandson!
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