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The place the group chose to stay was not the remote courtyard that Fang Tianxi had arranged long ago, but a guest house with a private courtyard that they temporarily rented.
This was also what Cheng Xi had suggested. They were now disguised as "traveling merchants" and were truly on a business trip, so how could they reveal any flaws in their accommodation? Choosing a reputable guesthouse was the best way to demonstrate their strength and paralyze the enemy.
However, as soon as they entered the gate, the group of "servants" who followed them scattered and began searching everywhere.
Fang Tianxi looked at the well-trained movements of this group of people and couldn't help but say: "Madam is really meticulous. She even taught this."
When you go to a strange place, you first rummage through all the drawers and cabinets and check everything carefully, for fear that there are eavesdroppers. This is simply like a habitual thief.
Where did she learn this skill? It couldn’t be that Qiu Sheng taught her, right?
Cheng Xi smiled slightly: "It's better to be careful."
If you don't even have this little bit of vigilance, there's no need to carry out the mission.
In temporary residences, special attention should be paid to safety.
After everything was checked, everyone went into the house and sat down. This small courtyard obviously took into consideration the guests' need for privacy. The meeting hall was in the middle of the courtyard, far away from the walls. As long as there were no outsiders, no one could hear what the people in the house said.
After sitting down, Cheng Xixian said, "In the next two days, I will have people survey the nearby terrain and redefine the retreat route. Sir, you must keep this place a secret and never reveal it."
This was also what they had discussed. If they were at their original residence, the spies from the Suoyi Gang would be able to find them easily, and if anything unusual happened, they would likely be implicated.
They don't know how long they will stay in Tingzhou City, so their own safety must be put first.
Fang Tianxi snorted, "Of course I know this. You should be careful when you go out and show yourself in public."
Cheng Xi smiled and said, "Sir, don't worry about me. This little thing won't bother me."
Who worries about you!
Looking at the woman with a gentle smile, Fang Tianxi felt his teeth ache.
He had seen this girl in her innocent, shy and childish state, and he had also seen her in her heroic and flawless disguise.
Who would have thought that just by changing her makeup and hairstyle, she had transformed into a beautiful woman, looking about 23 or 24 years old, not like someone waiting to be married? Even a quack wouldn't be able to pull off such a disguise, right?
However, Fang Tianxi would not show these on his face. He changed the subject and said, "Regardless of whether the negotiation can be successful or not, we must remember what we are here for. We must not lose sight of the big picture for the sake of small details."
What are they here for? To cause trouble, of course.
In fact, the ultimate goal of this plan is to cause the Lu and Ye families to fall out and fight with each other in the upcoming chaos.
The Ye family is the most powerful family in Tingzhou, and is a typical local tyrant. The Lu family is a famous family in Jiangdong, with great wealth and power, and is a dragon that has crossed the river.
How could such two families coexist in harmony? It was just that someone from the Lu family held a high position in the court, so the Ye family could not get angry.
Now that Lord Lu has been suddenly impeached, his foundation is unstable, and with the unfilial son Lu Jian making trouble behind the scenes, what he fears most is that Ye will take advantage of the opportunity to do something bad.
On the contrary, the Ye family is fighting the Qingfeng Gang to the death, and they have invested countless manpower and resources. How could they not be on guard against the Lu family, this evil neighbor?
The two families had an old grudge, and things were about to get explosive. The purpose of the Suoi Gang was to stir up trouble.
One outside the city, one inside the city, as long as we can evacuate before the fire breaks out completely.
The Red Flag Gang's responsibility was to take advantage of the fire to get people out of the city smoothly.
Fang Tianxi felt that his talent was enough to deal with all the variables, but he really couldn't figure out the woman in front of him.
That's why I had to give her so many warnings, just hoping that she would behave herself and not cause any trouble.
Cheng Xi certainly knew what Fang Tianxi was afraid of, but putting her own safety in the hands of others was not her style.
What's more, what we are going to discuss this time is of great importance. How can we give up such a great opportunity to help the Red Flag Gang leave the South China Sea?
"I will not hide anything when discussing with others, and I hope you will do the same. If there are any unusual movements in the Suoyi Gang, please inform us as soon as possible." Cheng Xi said with a smile.
This is easy to say, but it actually depends on mutual trust and honesty. Fang Tianxi found that in this regard, he was probably not as good as the woman in front of him.
After figuring this out, Fang Tianxi didn't say anything more. With so few people, they could only get out of this safely if they worked together.
…
No matter which state or county, as long as there are noble families, they will definitely be ranked according to their strengths and weaknesses.
Those that rank first are well known to everyone, and there are usually only one or two of them, and no one will remember them wrongly.
But there are many second-class ones, more than seven or eight, and it is difficult to tell which one is better.
Of course, there are those who flatter themselves, but there are also those who have strong family backgrounds but keep silent about it. The Xiao family of Tingzhou is one of such families.
In the early years, the Xiao family had produced several high-ranking officials, and they were considered prominent figures in the area. However, unfortunately, they were involved in party disputes and stood on the wrong side, which led to the destruction of their foundation.
In order to avoid disaster, the Xiao family's children did not take the imperial examinations for several years. Instead, they turned to business. However, the family foundation of farming and studying remained there, and they still mainly engaged in grain trade.
However, there are many aristocratic families in Tingzhou, including the Lu family who own countless lands, and the Ye family who are powerful and have millions of mercenaries. The head of the Xiao family is quite cautious and never tries to stand out, nor does he get involved in maritime trade. Therefore, although he is famous in Tingzhou, he is not outstanding and looks mediocre.
But even so, even Lu, one of the largest grain merchants in Jiangdong, could not squeeze out Xiao's share in Tingzhou, which shows their ability and means.
The steady and cautious style also makes the Xiao family business a bit conservative. If outsiders want to cooperate with it, they have to go through layers of introductions.
For this reason, as the head of Xiao's Trading Company, Xiao Lin usually doesn't receive many visiting cards, and he has no habit of meeting outsiders. Unexpectedly, a visiting card was handed to him today.
"The Jiang family from Miancheng?" Xiao Lin frowned upon hearing the housekeeper's report. "Just send them away. Why bother reporting this?"
It's no wonder he said that. Miancheng is not close to Tingzhou, and he has never heard of the so-called Jiang family.
If someone comes to him directly without any connections, how could he possibly meet him?
The steward coughed dryly and revealed an embarrassment. "Boss, this person is a bit strange. It's a young woman, not bad looking..."
As he spoke, his eyes involuntarily glanced over. Xiao Lin laughed angrily: "Why, do you think that woman has something to do with me?"
He is forty-five years old this year, and is indeed old enough to be called an "old man". He has wives and concubines at home. How could he travel all the way to Miancheng to woo women?
The steward hurriedly said, "Master, you misunderstood. The woman just said that she had long heard of your great name and wanted to do some business with us..."
This actually piqued Xiao Lin's interest. There were countless businessmen in the world, but none of them would let a woman show up in public.
Miancheng is so far away from Tingzhou, and his Xiao family is not the largest local business. What does a woman want to talk about when she comes to his door?
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Lin finally said, "Then let's meet her. Take her to the side hall."
Anyway, I don’t have anything to do today, so I might as well meet him and have some fun.
Having said that, Xiao Lin was not the kind of person who was arrogant and had no sense of propriety. Moreover, he was meeting a woman, so he had to pay more attention to his manners and etiquette, so he went to the side hall early.
The reason for choosing this place is that the side hall has many windows and is very transparent.
How can a man and a woman be together in a dark room? It's better to be open and aboveboard.
Soon, the steward led people into the gate.
Xiao Lin looked at her carefully and his heart skipped a beat. This woman was really young!
The person who came was about twenty years old, with a neat bun and a gold hairpin on her head. She did not wear heavy makeup and her appearance could be considered bright. Unfortunately, the color and style of her dress were quite old-fashioned, probably to make herself look more stable.
However, these are not the main points. The woman looked at him with her bright eyes, neither avoiding nor dodging, calm and peaceful, like a clear spring.
This is definitely not an ordinary woman.
In just a moment of distraction, the woman bowed and said, "I am Jiang from Miancheng, greeting Mr. Xiao."
Xiao Lin hurriedly said, "Mrs. Jiang, there's no need to be so polite. Please take a seat."
After saying this, he realized he was being a bit frivolous. He raised his hand and stroked his beard awkwardly. After everyone was seated, he said, "I'm Xiao Lin, the head of the company. I wonder what brings you here, Madam?"
The woman sat upright on a chair, smiling faintly as she said, "I know this visit is intrusive, but with no one at home, I can't bear to see my family's fortune fall to ruin, so I can only reluctantly learn to trade. I came to Tingzhou this time to find a grain merchant to sell me some rice."
Xiao Lin raised his eyebrows: "If it's in Miancheng, wouldn't it be faster to transport grain to Panyu?"
Miancheng is right on the coast, and going north by sea to Panyu is actually closer than going to Tingzhou. For a major business like rice, how could one avoid going so far? Besides, customs duties are levied on inland rivers, while such wasteful expenses are avoided by sea.
The woman sighed, "There are too many bandits these days, and the Jiang family has few ships. How can we dare to transport grain on the sea? Besides, the Jiang family originally started out as a salt merchant, and we can't fetch a high price in Panyu."
It turns out that this Jiang family was born into a family of salt merchants. Yes, there are salt fields near Miancheng, and there are countless private salt dealers, so it is not surprising.
But it was a bit strange that he came to Tingzhou to sell grain and found it at his own doorstep.
Xiao Lin couldn't help but ask, "If that's the case, there are countless grain merchants, big and small, in Tingzhou. Why did Madam choose my family?"
The woman immediately said, "I've done some careful research before, and there aren't many businesses in Tingzhou that are as fair and reputable as yours. I'm a young woman, and I'm not good at distinguishing between good and bad rice, so I'll naturally have to find a reliable, established company."
Daring to go out and trade grain, and even find the Xiao family directly, could she really not tell the difference between good and bad rice? Xiao Lin didn't believe a word of this. In just a moment, he had already seen that this woman was smart and capable, with some inner beauty, and was definitely not a simple person.
However, while we appreciate it, we cannot talk business like this.
Xiao Lin shook his head. "Madam, you only know one side of the story. Although the Xiao family is large, they only have a fixed amount of rice every year. They usually distribute it early in the morning and won't sell it to other families."
This is half true. The Xiao family has been in business for a long time. In addition to Tingzhou, they also have grain routes to several nearby counties. They have rules for both buying and selling grain, and they will not easily accept new customers.
Of course, if it is really a large-scale transaction, it is not impossible to discuss it, but he does not take seriously the Jiang family, a small family that has fallen on hard times and is headed by a woman.
This was said bluntly. If it were an ordinary woman, she would probably have looked depressed.
Unexpectedly, the person opposite just smiled faintly: "The Xiao family is rich and powerful, I naturally know that, but I also have some things on hand, I wonder if they can catch the eye of Lord Xiao?"
As she spoke, she waved to the maid behind her. The girl immediately took two steps forward and placed a wooden box in front of Xiao Lin.
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