Chapter 204 I Don’t Want to Be a Loyal Servant!
Lin Shu didn't care whether the girl that Marquis Zhenbei promised to marry was really the eldest daughter of the Fang family. It didn't matter. This marriage was not going to happen anyway. Asking Fang's father to make such a request to Marquis Zhenbei was just a test for him, and now the result of the test was out.
Lin Shu casually handed the letter in his hand to Fang's father.
Father Fang took it with both hands and looked at it, and said in surprise: "Zhenbei Hou is really willing to marry his eldest daughter to our Fang family?!"
However, when Father Fang saw the request for 200,000 dan of grain as a betrothal gift, his expression changed: "200,000 dan of grain! The Marquis of Zhenbei is asking for too much!"
The price of grain is so expensive nowadays. Even if you sell all the grain in the Fang family, you may not be able to exchange it for so much grain.
Obviously, Marquis Zhenbei thinks that the Fang family = Huimin Chamber of Commerce.
With the financial resources of Huimin Chamber of Commerce, it is not difficult to come up with 200,000 dan of grain, but Fang's father feels that it is not worth it to pay so much grain just for such a marriage.
Lin Shu sneered, "This so-called eldest daughter may not even be real. The Marquis of Zhenbei is trying to get something for nothing."
Father Fang was stunned: "Is the Marquis of Zhenbei planning to marry a fake eldest daughter?" Why does the Marquis of Zhenbei have so many fake daughters?
Lin Shu said, "The eldest daughter of the Zhenbei Marquis is engaged to a member of the Wang family in Beidi. Do you think that the Zhenbei Marquis would rather offend the Wang family and break off the engagement to marry the eldest daughter to your son for the sake of your Fang family?"
Father Fang quickly concluded in his mind: Impossible!
The Marquis of Zhenbei can have the power he has today because his wife's family, the Wang family, has made great contributions. To offend the Wang family is like cutting off one of his arms. How is this possible?
Lin Shu made the final guess: "So most likely this eldest daughter is also fake, and her purpose is to seize Huimin Chamber of Commerce."
Father Fang asked worriedly: "Well, what should we do next?"
Lin Shu chuckled and said, "What should we do? Of course we should use their tricks against us. The Marquis of Zhenbei is in great need of food, and the thing we lack the least is food."
Father Fang thought of the high-yield seeds that Lin Shu had secretly arranged to plant and the large amount of grain that he had harvested. He became excited and bowed his head and asked, "Please give me your instructions, young master."
Lin Shu asked Fang's father to come closer and whisper his plan to him.
In fact, his plan was very simple and crude, that is, to agree to the marriage first, and then quietly spread the news that Marquis Zhenbei was very short of food. Other rebel forces and the court would not watch Marquis Zhenbei get food.
Therefore, the 200,000 shi of grain prepared by the Fang family is bound to be prevented from being sent to the north by all other forces.
The Fang family could take advantage of this opportunity to arrange for people to secretly sell the grain to other forces at a high price, and then publicly declare that the grain had been stolen.
Since the Marquis of Zhenbei could not get the food, he naturally had to take action against those forces that snatched the food that he regarded as his own. While the snipe and the clam were fighting, Lin Shu would of course be the one who benefited.
After listening to Lin Shu's plan, Father Fang nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, sir, I will do it!"
Lin Shu was still very confident in Fang's father's work. Although he didn't have any quick wit, he still had the ability to do things according to plan.
Not long after, the Fang family spread the word that they were buying up large quantities of grain. Naturally, some people asked why the Fang family was buying up grain in such a large amount. Then they heard that the Fang family was going to form an alliance with the Marquis of Zhenbei. In order to win over the Fang family, the Marquis of Zhenbei even promised to marry his eldest daughter to him. In order to show their sincerity, the Fang family was willing to offer 200,000 shi of grain as a betrothal gift.
Along with the news that the Fang family was going to marry the Marquis of Zhenbei, there also spread the news that the Marquis of Zhenbei was very short of food.
The news that Marquis Zhenbei was short of food was easy to convince people. After all, if he was not short of food, why would he exchange his eldest daughter for 200,000 shi of grain?
Naturally, other rebel forces were unwilling to watch Marquis Zhenbei solve the food crisis and increase his strength, so they sent people to contact the Fang family.
As the second son of the Fang family, Fang Yuan has now taken over part of the Fang family's business and is highly valued in the Huimin Chamber of Commerce, even more so than Fang Yuan's eldest brother.
It is uncertain whether the Fang family will be inherited by the eldest son or the second son Fang Yuan in the future. The battle for the heirship between the eldest son and the second son is still very fierce in the eyes of outsiders.
In fact, Lin Shu asked the Fang family to perform this for outsiders.
If the Fang family was just the Fang family, there might really be a dispute over succession, but the Fang family is also a staunch supporter of Lin Shu.
Lin Shu was planning to rebel. Once he succeeded and established his rule over the world, the Fang family, as his die-hard supporters, would certainly reap huge rewards. By then, it would not be a problem to give each of the three sons of the Fang family a title, and there would be no need to fight over the current family property.
Therefore, the Fang brothers also worked together to serve Lin Shu.
But outsiders don’t know this. They still think that the two grown-up sons of the Fang family have been fighting over the position of heir, and their faces are red with anger.
The eldest son of the Fang family is going to marry the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei. No matter how many interests are exchanged behind this marriage, at least in the eyes of outsiders, if this marriage goes through, the heir to the Fang family will be the eldest son, and there is no way the second son can compete with the eldest son who has the support of the Marquis of Zhenbei.
Therefore, when other forces came to contact the Fang family, most of them came to look for Fang Yuan, the second son.
The envoys used similar tactics to persuade Fang Yuan: "Second Master Fang, are you really willing to watch your brother marry the daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei and hand over the huge Fang family fortune to him?"
When Fang Yuan grew up, he was still a little chubby like when he was a child. He looked innocent and cute, but he had already followed Lin Shu and became a sesame dumpling, with a belly full of black water.
Faced with these envoys who were trying to sow discord between him and his eldest brother, Fang Yuan showed an expression of reluctance with excellent acting skills, but he said: "My eldest brother and I are brothers from the same mother. It doesn't matter who inherits the family business." However, the reluctance and resentment he revealed made the envoys who tried to persuade him smile knowingly.
"Second Master Fang, if these 200,000 dan of grain disappear, your elder brother's marriage to the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei will definitely not be possible. Of course, we will not treat you unfairly. We are willing to pay for these 200,000 dan of grain. You can keep the money privately and pretend that the grain was robbed by bandits..."
Fang Yuan showed a wavering look, and he asked hesitantly: "How much are you willing to pay?"
The messenger smiled and quoted a price.
Fang Yuan said firmly: "These 200,000 dan of grain are related to my eldest brother's lifelong affairs! He is my eldest brother who was born from the same mother!"
The messenger was somewhat surprised and doubtful when he saw Fang Yuan's decisive and resolute attitude. Could it be that Fang Yuan really had a good relationship with his elder brother? Didn’t you just show an expression of jealousy and resentment?
Then Fang Yuan smiled and said, "So, you have to pay more!"
messenger:"……"
Seeing Fang Yuan was so persistent in asking for money, the envoy had no choice but to pay more.
But Fang Yuan still said that he would think about it and give an answer later, so the messenger had to leave and let him think it over carefully.
As soon as the messenger left, Fang Yuan changed to a private room in Jueweixuan and went to meet the messenger sent by another force. He started the same act again, "My eldest brother is my biological brother who is from the same mother. If you want me to sell my grain and ruin his good marriage, you must pay more money!" 'Good show.
When performing this play for the first time, Fang Yuan was still a little awkward, but after a while, he became proficient in it and performed it vividly, fooling the envoys from various forces into believing it.
These envoys did not suspect that Fang Yuan was putting on a show. After all, long before this marriage, the news that Fang Yuan and his elder brother were competing for the right to inherit the Fang family was known to everyone. Now that his elder brother had a good marriage and could secure the position of heir, how could Fang Yuan not want to sabotage it?
Put yourself in their shoes and think about it. You absolutely cannot do that. You must ruin your competitor's good marriage so that you have a chance to get the inheritance.
This is why the messengers of these forces firmly believe in Fang Yuan’s performance.
After Fang Yuan returned home, he told his father, mother and elder brother how he had deceived the envoys.
He laughed and said, "I guess outsiders think that I am fighting with my elder brother like a cross-eyed man, and they don't suspect that my purpose is to sell grain."
The Fang family first purchased 200,000 shi of grain at the market price, and then sold the grain to those forces at a price several times higher than the market price. This business really made a lot of money.
Are these forces that pay high prices for food all fools? Of course not. They could have bought grain at the market price, but they spent several times more than the market price to buy the 200,000 dan of grain from the Fang family. Their purpose was to prevent the Fang family from giving the grain to the Marquis of Zhenbei.
Moreover, large amounts of grain cannot be bought casually. The Fang family was able to buy it because of the channels and relationships of the Huimin Chamber of Commerce. Those rebel forces wanted to buy such a large amount of grain at the market price. Did they really think that the imperial court had fallen?
Brother Fang is a very honest man. In the past few years, he has cooperated with Lin Shu's request and pretended to be at odds with his younger brother Fang Yuan, but in fact he is a good brother who loves his younger brother very much.
Brother Fang couldn't help but smile as he watched his younger brother Fang Yuan vividly describing how he had played tricks on the emissaries who had tried to sow discord between them. "Xiao Yuanzi's acting skills are getting better and better. This matter can be completely handed over to Xiao Yuanzi. Parents can rest assured."
Fang Yuan rubbed the back of his head and smiled innocently, but still said firmly and confidently: "Leave it to me, don't worry, Dad, Mom, Big Brother, I won't let you down, nor will I let Lin Shu down!"
Father Fang patted Fang Yuan's shoulder happily and said, "Okay, then you should report this matter to the young master as soon as possible, and then start selling grain."
Who the grain is sold to is not really determined by who offers the highest price, but rather by which force is most likely to fight with the Marquis of Zhenbei.
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