1012 came to the door, willing to be the pawn of the Ninth Emperor

The Ninth Prince said that the Chen family was smart, and the Chen family did not disappoint the Ninth Prince. That morning, the head of the Chen family came with the eldest son of the Chen family. However, they knew their identities and did not ask to see the Ninth Prince. They just asked the servants to pass on a generous gift. |

The status gap between officials and businessmen is obvious. The Ninth Prince is not an ordinary official, and the Chen family is not qualified to meet the Ninth Prince. It is a smart move for them not to ask for a meeting and not to act like hosts.

The Chen family is just a family of businessmen. It is an honor for the Chen family for the Ninth Prince to live in their garden. The Chen family has to behave themselves. If the Ninth Prince visits them rashly, even if he meets them, he will definitely not like it.

"It's really transparent." The Ninth Prince looked at the gift box, with no intention of opening it, and tapped the table with his fingers from time to time.

"Don't you want to see what's inside?" Feng Qingchen supported his chin with both hands, looking bored.

"It's just a gift. What does it matter whether you see it or not?" The gift was just a gesture. The Ninth Prince didn't take the gift from the Chen family seriously at all. It was just a valuable thing after all.

"Didn't you say that you can see what someone is thinking through the gifts they present? Why don't you guess what the Chen family gave you and what do they want?" The Chen family was willing to risk offending the Lu family and rush to please the Ninth Prince. If they didn't want anything, that would be weird.

The Ninth Prince did not take the small Chen family seriously. Seeing Feng Qingchen was very interested, he said lazily, "The gift from the Chen family must be something flashy and impractical."

"All the gifts you received along the way were flashy and useless." Feng Qingchen grumbled dissatisfiedly. She strongly suspected that the Ninth Prince was teasing her and was not serious at all.

The Ninth Prince said again: "The Chen family's gift is more flashy than those people."

"Really?" Feng Qingchen raised her eyebrows, and only then did she believe that the Ninth Prince was serious.

"If you don't believe me, open it and take a look."

Feng Qingchen was skeptical, but when he opened the box, he saw that the contents were just as flashy and valuable as Uncle Nine said. Even Feng Qingchen couldn't help but sigh, "What a big deal from the Chen family."

He received quite a few gifts along the way, but all the gifts added together were not as valuable as those from the Chen family. No wonder Feng Qingchen was so surprised.

The Ninth Prince was not surprised at all, and said with a smile: "So, the Chen family will ask for more."

Businessmen are profit-driven and they will not do business at a loss.

"Then will you agree to what the Chen family asks for?" Feng Qingchen closed the box calmly.

Although the Chen family's gift was luxurious, it was still far from enough to impress Feng Qingchen.

"Promise? Promise what? What should I promise the Chen family?" The Ninth Prince said innocently, "The Chen family sent gifts out of their good intentions, and it is my honor to accept them. Qingchen, don't you think I have to do the job just because I accepted the gifts? Who do you think I am? Besides, even if I am willing to help the Chen family, they have to have the courage to ask for help."

The Ninth Prince's principle has always been to keep gifts as gifts and to handle matters as matters of duty, and never confuse the two.

"Uh..." Feng Qingchen was speechless. The Ninth Prince was right. The generous gift from the Chen family was just a gesture of goodwill. The Ninth Prince accepted it just to show his acceptance of the Chen family's goodwill. If the Chen family wanted the Ninth Prince to help the Chen family and agree to let the Chen family board the Ninth Prince's ship, then the Chen family would be too naive.

"Dad, do you think the Ninth Prince will accept the gifts we send him?" In the carriage, both the Chen family's father and son had serious expressions on their faces. Chen Ming, the eldest son of the Chen family, could not help but asked anxiously.

"Why not accept it?" The patriarch of the Chen family raised his head slightly and his eyes met the eldest son of the Chen family. His deep eyes were less sharp than usual and more gloomy.

"So, our Chen family is worry-free? Has the Ninth Prince accepted us?" Chen Ming did not notice the sadness in his father's eyes and said excitedly.

Although the Chen family paid a lot, it would all be worth it if they could get on board the Ninth Prince's big ship.

"No." The head of the Chen family took a deep breath and shook his head: "Ming'er, don't think things are too simple. The fact that the Ninth Prince is willing to accept our gift only means that the Ninth Prince knows that there is a Chen family in Shandong. We are still nothing in the eyes of the Ninth Prince."

It would be too naive to ask the Ninth Prince to look after the Chen family. It is said that businessmen are cunning and greedy. In fact, those officials are the ones who eat people without leaving any bones, but they still want to be eaten by others.

"How is that possible? What we are offering is Huayuan, one of the best courtyards in Dongling. It is priceless. How could the Ninth Prince ignore us like that?" The eldest son of the Chen family believed that since they presented a valuable gift, the Ninth Prince's heart should be different from others. If the Ninth Prince accepted the gift, it meant he accepted them.

"Ming'er, you are too naive. Huayuan is the ancestral foundation of our Chen family. To the people of Shandong, it is the most elegant garden in Shandong. But in the eyes of the Ninth Prince, Huayuan is just a temporary place for him to stay. No matter how good or luxurious it is, the Ninth Prince will not stay in Shandong for long. Huayuan is just a flashy garden to the Ninth Prince. Let alone Huayuan, even if we offer the Chen family to him, the Ninth Prince will not take it seriously. Don't forget that the Ninth Prince is a prince, a person who is out of our reach."

The words of the Chen family patriarch left Chen Ming speechless. After a long while, he said hesitantly, "Father, if that's the case, then why did you give Huayuan to the Ninth Uncle?"

The head of the Chen family laughed and said, "Ming'er, Huayuan is not just a garden, it represents our Chen family. This is why I will not sell it even though the governor puts pressure on me and the Lu family offers a sky-high price. Huayuan can be given away, but it will never be resold unless the Chen family dies out.

The Ninth Prince looked down on Huayuan, but Huayuan means something different to our Chen family. I gave Huayuan, the most precious part of the Chen family, to the Ninth Prince, which means that as long as the Ninth Prince is willing, our Chen family is willing to do anything for him. "

At this point, the head of the Chen family paused for a moment, sighed heavily, and then continued: "Ming'er, Huayuan is the ancestral property of the Chen family and the symbol of the Chen family. I would rather destroy it than let Huayuan fall into the hands of the Lu family. I gave Huayuan to the Ninth Uncle as a gesture. If my Chen family can give the ancestral property to the Ninth Uncle, then what else can't I give to the Ninth Uncle?"

"Dad, you mean that Huayuan is our Chen family's token of allegiance to the Ninth Prince, representing that our Chen family is willing to serve the Ninth Prince, rather than asking anything of him." Chen Ming asked cautiously.

The head of the Chen family nodded and said, "Offering Huayuan is a sign of our Chen family's determination. As long as Uncle Nine is willing, our Chen family will follow Uncle Nine and be a pawn in his hands, working hard without complaint. We Chen family only want to work for Uncle Nine, not for him to take care of us."

The head of the Chen family closed his eyes helplessly. If he had not been pushed too hard, how could he take such a risk.

The chess pieces that are delivered to the door are always not taken seriously, but at this time he has no choice. If he wants to compete with the governor and the Lu family in Shandong, he can only find a bigger tree. The Ninth Prince is the only choice of the Chen family.

"Dad, isn't this too dangerous? The Ninth Prince is the younger brother of the current emperor, and he..." Chen Ming did not say the rest of the words, but both father and son understood.

Being in such a position and not being an idle prince, no one would believe that the Ninth Prince has no ideas.

The head of the Chen family smiled strangely: "Ming'er, wealth and honor are sought in danger, you still have a lot to learn. If you are an idle prince with no power and influence, my Chen family will not look down on you."

It is businessmen's nature to pursue profit. Since the Chen family has paid such a huge price, what they ask for will certainly not be small.

Chen Ming took a deep breath when he thought of his father's plan, but when he thought of the huge benefits that would come with it, his blood was boiling...

Just as the Ninth Uncle thought, the Chen family's request was not small...