Although she was reluctant, Jiang Jiuniang still got up to go see him. After all, it was the other party who had been asking to see her, and she wanted to see who he was.
Lu Baichuan is not here. He led his troops directly to attack the city today. The journey is long and the battle is not easy. It is estimated that he will not be back for several days.
The opponents were all exhausted, and they also brought a lot of small black balls with them, so Jiang Jiuniang was not worried about their situation at all.
She was called out to meet people, but she was completely listless.
Finally reaching the defensive line, they found a young man standing on the other side, probably in his twenties or thirties. He was dressed like a scholar, but his brows were full of calculation, clearly indicating that he was a businessman.
However, Jiang Jiuniang was certain that she did not know this person before, so she did not understand where this person got the audacity to oppose her.
"Greetings, Madam. I've heard so much about you."
The man was very polite; he greeted Jiang Jiuniang with a smile.
Jiang Jiuniang showed her impatience and said, "You know who I am, but I don't know you. Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"
The man seemed surprised by her directness and chuckled, "It was my oversight, Madam, please don't take offense. My surname is Zhou, and my given name is Tang. I am from the Zhou family of Yinzhou."
The Zhou family of Yinzhou.
Jiang Jiuniang quickly searched her mind for information related to the Zhou family. Wasn't the Minister of Revenue in the court from the Zhou family of Yinzhou?
The Ministry of Revenue was the most lucrative position, and the emperor had never touched him because he rarely made mistakes.
Unexpectedly, the Minister of Revenue couldn't sit still after she made such a deal; he was really that envious.
"Oh, it's Young Master Zhou. Is there something you need from a married woman like me?"
She deliberately kept a great distance while saying such things, giving the impression that Zhou Tang wanted to take advantage of her.
Zhou Tang's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered and said, "Madam is too kind. I am here today to discuss a business deal with you."
"Hehe, that's really interesting."
Jiang Jiuniang sneered twice and said bluntly, "Everyone says that doing business is all about integrity, and cooperation is naturally indispensable. But some people are using my name to steal my business, and now they have the nerve to come to my door. Today is truly an eye-opener!"
To annoy Zhou Tang, she deliberately spoke in a vulgar manner, making the soldiers around her want to laugh.
The lady usually gives the impression of being a very approachable and beautiful woman, but I never expected her to be so good at roasting people!
Zhou Tang's face darkened further, but remembering his purpose, he still smiled and said, "That's a misunderstanding. As long as Madam is willing to cooperate with me, isn't that our own business?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, you really dare to say that!"
Jiang Jiuniang crossed her arms and looked at the man below her with an insatiable confidence. She asked, "Before we came here, your Minister of Revenue probably didn't tell you what kind of person your aunt is, did he?"
"I guess you're not exactly a pampered member of your family, otherwise why would they let you take this risk?"
Her tone was flippant, and every word she uttered was aimed at Zhou Tang's lungs.
Zhou Tang's refined smile vanished instantly. How did she know that he was not favored at home?
He was not only unloved, but also a lowly illegitimate son, not even as good as a servant in his own home. Now that he had this opportunity, he was determined to make a name for himself and prove his abilities to his elders.
"Madam, please don't joke. I'm here to discuss business, not to banter with you. What do you think of my offer?"
He realized that once he secured this cooperation, he would definitely have a place to stand when he returned, and the anger that Jiang Jiuniang had just provoked was instantly suppressed.
He was willing to disregard everything for the sake of his future.
"Not good at all. I won't cooperate with someone like you. But you've been using my name to buy wool, and I'm going to settle that score with you."
As she spoke, she beckoned to the soldier beside her and ordered, "Hold him down and beat him hard."
The crowd seemed surprised that she would suddenly attack someone. Fortunately, the soldiers were well-trained and quickly reacted, restraining her. As Jiang Jiuniang had requested, they could beat her as much as they wanted as long as she didn't die.
Zhou Tang never expected that he would be beaten up while negotiating a business deal. He was on the verge of tears, but he had no power to do anything about it and could only be beaten on the ground.
After fighting for a while, Jiang Jiuniang finally vented her anger and ordered the soldiers to stop.
"Go back and tell the people behind you that I will not cooperate with you or be threatened by you. You can take as much of that wool as you want, that's your freedom. But don't do things in my name again. This is your first offense, so I'll spare your life this time. But next time, it won't be so easy to talk to you."
Jiang Jiuniang's expression was indifferent. It's just wool, does she really think she can control her by collecting a few pounds of wool?
Ha, it's still uncertain who's in control.
After saying that, she turned to leave, but Zhou Tang, who was beaten to the point of near death, saw this and shouted desperately, "Don't you want all that wool? I've collected all the wool in the whole city!"
He discovered that Jiang Jiuniang was planning to sell those wool sweaters to various places. She had many orders, and if there was no wool available during this period, she would not be able to deliver the goods within the stipulated time. Was she really not in a hurry?
"Keep it for yourself if you like! But as for your Zhou family, I'll remember this. When I get back, I'll write to the Empress and tell her that your Zhou family is something else, daring to steal the Empress's business!"
Once the soldier saw Jiang Jiuniang walk away, he released Zhou Tang and shouted sternly, "Get out of here! Don't anger our lady!"
Zhou Tang was kicked, which made him sweat profusely from the pain, as he was already injured.
I was careless when I went out today. I didn't even bring a servant. I came all by myself, thinking that I was here to talk business. Jiang Jiuniang was short of money and would definitely treat me like an honored guest. She would even send a carriage to take me back. Who knew I would end up like this?
He couldn't understand it. Could it be that Jiang Jiuniang still had some in stock?
Even if it exists, it won't last long.
Suddenly, he remembered what Jiang Jiuniang had said when she left: This is the Empress's business?
That shouldn't be! His uncle didn't tell him!
Realizing he might have caused a major disaster, Zhou Tang panicked. He didn't care about his appearance and stumbled towards the city. Unfortunately, the city was too far away, and he was injured. If he hadn't been rescued by passersby, he probably would have frozen to death on the way.
I finally got back to my lodgings, and it was already noon the next day.
He still had a fever and should have been resting in bed, but the thought of the wool he had collected made him uneasy, as if something had gone wrong.
When his elders asked him to come and discuss business, they didn't specify how they were going to do it. He took it upon himself to do it under Jiang Jiuniang's name, intending to use it as leverage. Now it seems he was practically courting death.
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