The manor lord, who had finally managed to relax, suddenly felt anxious again. He twitched his index finger slightly and tentatively said, "Your Highness, please speak freely."
Gu Yuzhi glanced at Chief Secretary Xie, then cleared his throat in imitation of him: "It's like this. I wanted to ask if you sell the method for making fine iron swords..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Yuzhi heard a gasp, especially from the owner of Tianquan Manor, whose eyes were so wide they almost popped out of his head, and whose face was scrunched up like a big bun.
"Your Highness, this..."
This young prince came with a big surprise, and his words were so direct that he really didn't know how to refuse.
He was really afraid that if he said he wouldn't sell, the little prince would burst into tears on the spot!
The manor lord scratched his face impatiently, hesitated for a moment, and then whispered, "Your Highness, as you can see, our Tianquan Manor supports quite a few people, and maintaining their livelihoods is not easy. This method of sword forging..."
Before he could speak, Gu Yuzhi nodded his head repeatedly, his face full of agreement: "You're right! It is indeed very expensive to support so many people."
Just like at the beginning, if it weren't for the rewards from his elder brother, he wouldn't even be able to pay the salaries of Xie Changshi and others.
Thinking of this, Gu Yuzhi sighed like a little adult: "The lord of the manor has it tough too!"
Chief Secretary Xie, Guard Zhang, and the others stared wide-eyed.
Your Highness, this is not what they said before!
The manor squinted at the young prince, now even more unsure of his thoughts, and could only go along with him, saying, "Yes. Hundreds of people in the entire manor are counting on this method to make a living."
Gu Yuzhi nodded his little head again: "That's why I said you could sell me the recipe for making refined iron!"
The manor owner gasped again, his mouth trembling as he couldn't utter a word.
The Lingnan navy is still stationed in Jiangnan. If the young prince were to lead the navy to suppress them, wouldn't the hundreds of people in their manor be killed without a trace?
I used to think that Prince Wen was young and wouldn't have many bad intentions, so he would definitely be easier to get along with than Gu Yufan. Who knew he was even less than Gu Yufan?
At least Gu Yufan knows to be mindful of appearances and won't resort to force or coercion.
The manor lord's expression changed drastically. After pondering for a long time, he really didn't know how to refuse without making the young prince resent them.
Gu Yuzhi, however, seemed not to understand the manor lord's predicament. He blinked his big eyes and continued with a smile, "Manor lord, don't worry, listen to me."
“I heard that your fine iron swords are graded. I don’t need the best ones, the lowest grade will do.”
On the way here, Mr. Huo had explained to him in detail that the lower the grade of the refined iron sword, the less iron ore is wasted, the less complicated the process will be, and the faster the finished product will be.
He wanted the warriors to use weapons made of refined iron, so the quality couldn't be too high. Otherwise, not to mention the production cycle of the weapons, the iron ore would probably be emptied out!
Gu Yuzhi smiled and said, "I heard that you sold a sword for a thousand taels of gold before. Those high-end fine iron swords are so valuable, isn't that enough to support the people in your manor?"
The manor owner stared wide-eyed, speechless for a long time.
Gu Yuzhi continued, "Moreover, I don't need this lowest-grade prescription for myself; it's for my imperial brother, to be used by the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the Sang Dynasty."
"Once I give the prescription to my brother, he'll be so pleased that he'll surely bestow upon you a title of chivalrous hero!"
Shopkeeper Wen said that these江湖人士 (jianghu figures) are like famous doctors, who value their reputation very much. Sometimes, patients would be happier to receive a plaque that reads "A Doctor with a Benevolent Heart" or "A Healer Who Saves the World" than a gift of silver.
So Gu Yuzhi thought that if his elder brother, the Emperor, bestowed a plaque or something upon the manor, the owner would surely be very happy.
Before the manor lord could refuse, Gu Yuzhi added, "Besides, I'm not taking your formula for nothing. You can use the money from buying the son to buy some fertile land!"
Chief Secretary Xie said that although the Emperor would not kill all the people in the Jiangnan navy, he would definitely punish them, such as confiscating their property or directly enslaving them...
If that's the case, then the fertile land owned by these people will become ownerless again, and the government will find new buyers after compiling a list.
He secretly estimated that this prescription might be worth tens of thousands of taels of silver, enough to buy a lot of fertile land, and definitely enough to support the hundreds of people at Tianquan Manor.
Gu Yuzhi blinked his big eyes, his gaze towards the manor lord filled with anticipation.
At first, the manor owner thought that his livelihood formula would be forcibly taken away. However, now that he was only given the lowest grade formula and had to pay money, the manor owner's heart was instantly relieved and he even felt that it was acceptable!
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the manor lord shook his head violently.
No, no, he's a江湖人士 (jianghu shishi, a person from the martial arts world), how can he sell the formula to the imperial court?
What would he do with a plaque personally bestowed by the Emperor? Would he bring it back to tell all the outlaws that Tianquan Manor now belongs to the imperial court?
The manor lord hesitated for only a moment, but quickly made up his mind. After considering it carefully again, he said, "Your Highness, this humble subject can express his gratitude for Your Highness's great kindness in other ways, such as the prescription..."
Before the manor lord could finish speaking, Xie Changshi suddenly stepped forward: "Manor lord, may I speak to you in private?"
The manor owner recognized Chief Secretary Xie, nodded and led him into the inner room. Not long after, he came out with a solemn expression, whispered something to his confidant, and the confidant left with a heavy heart.
Gu Yuzhi looked at Xie Changshi and saw him nod slightly. Gu Yuzhi couldn't help but grip the armrest of the chair tightly!
Chief Secretary Xie is amazing!
He was really curious about what Chief Secretary Xie had said!
The confidant returned shortly afterward, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hands, which he respectfully handed to Chief Secretary Xie.
Xie Changshi didn't open it either, but carefully put it in a box.
Having obtained what they wanted, Gu Yuzhi and the others had no reason to stay any longer and quickly descended the mountain.
Gu Yuzhi led the pony to Xie Changshi's side, tilting his head to look at him: "Xie Changshi, how did you persuade the master of the manor?"
It was a short time and didn't cost much money, only five thousand taels of silver!
Chief Secretary Xie stroked his beard and smiled: "It's very simple, I only said two sentences."
He raised his index finger: "First, His Majesty has long been wary of the martial arts world."
"Second, if we don't give it to them, this manor will not be able to buy another half a pound of pig iron."
Iron ore is not like jade ore; it is controlled by the imperial court. If the manor owner refuses, these prescriptions will become nothing but a piece of waste paper!
Gu Yuzhi's eyes widened, and her little hands clapped until they were red: "Chief Secretary Xie is so amazing!"
Why didn't he think of using iron ore to increase his bargaining power at the time?
Gu Yuzhi felt a little annoyed; he was indeed still too young...
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