Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

Inside the main hall of the residence, the doors and windows were tightly closed.

A long table was placed in the hall.

Xiao Jue sat in the main seat of the armchair, with a cup of tea beside him.

Three groups of people sat on either side of the long table.

Shen Yanqing, who was on the right, first cupped his hands in greeting and reported in a low voice:

"Reporting to Your Highness, the Shen family granary currently has 800,000 shi of grain in storage. As instructed by Master Gu, only 100,000 shi were sold to appease the Cui family."

"We just received news yesterday that Master Gu said Pujitang wants to buy 100,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) at a price of thirty wen per dou (another unit of dry measure). We have already prepared the goods."

Xiao Jue picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Alright, everything will proceed according to the arrangements made by the host family. How many teams can the Shen family send to participate in the bidding three days from now?"

Shen Yanqing cupped his hands in greeting, "The Shen family and three minor noble families from its collateral branches have all returned to participate."

Xiao Jue nodded in satisfaction and looked at the other person present.

Yan Xiaoliu quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

"Your Highness, I am Yan Xiaoliu, representing Pujitang in this bidding process."

As he said this, he grinned, revealing two small tiger teeth, and raised one eyebrow.

"Master Gu also had his servant bring over a dozen silver chests."

"However, the boxes were all empty."

Xiao Jue was somewhat impressed, "Master Gu is indeed thoughtful."

Despite her young age, Gu Mingyue is quite adept at setting traps for others.

This allowed Pujitang to openly bring in more than a dozen silver chests, making everyone think they were there to throw money around.

Xiao Jue was halfway through his sentence when his gaze shifted to the last person at the table.

The gray-brown man sitting next to Yan Xiaoliu remained silent.

His face was calm, and his eyes were sharp.

He's a江湖人 (jianghu person, someone who lives and works in the martial arts world).

Yan Xiaoliu quickly stepped aside, stretched out his hand, and began to introduce the product enthusiastically.

"Your Highness, this is Ji San, the third hall master of the Hanyuan Alliance, a partner of Pujitang."

"This time, I am here at the invitation of Master Gu to represent the Hanyuan Alliance and assist in the bidding."

Master Ji San clasped his hands in a fist salute, his movements swift and decisive, without any unnecessary formalities.

"I have long admired Your Highness."

Xiao Jue sized him up.

He only knew that the Cold Abyss Alliance was the number one alliance in the martial arts world before, but now he heard new information from his elder brother about the trip to Jizhou.

The Cold Abyss Alliance has close ties with those artisans from the previous dynasty.

He remained expressionless and nodded slightly.

"it is good."

Xiao Jue put down his teacup and began assigning tasks.

"As arranged by the client, I, representing the Imperial Court, will conduct on-site inspections of the proposed site for the commodity city over these three days. Public bidding will commence on the third day."

"No matter how much the Cui family bids, everyone's task is to raise the price and make sure the purchase price is over 50 million."

"In addition, the Cui family's spies are lurking outside the door. Once you step outside, you'll be part of the bidding process, so you'd better act convincingly these next few days."

The three nodded seriously, indicating that they understood.

……

When the gates of the guesthouse opened again, the sun was already high in the sky.

The three groups of people came out of the inn one after another. Shen Yanqing got into the carriage and drove away, and the Jianghu people also got on their horses and left.

Only Yan Xiaoliu didn't get on the bus, but instead strolled eastward along the stone path in front of the inn.

He would occasionally turn to the waiter beside him and tell him to find the best inn in town to stay in.

The waiter nodded in agreement and jogged off to find the inn.

Yan Xiaoliu strolled around the street.

After walking less than half a street, I turned into a small shop selling wontons, ordered a bowl, and sat down to eat.

"Boss, a bowl of wontons, please."

The two spies from the Cui family finally got their chance.

One person sat down at the table next to Yan Xiaoliu, put down his goods, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and naturally glanced to the side.

Yan Xiaoliu was engrossed in eating wontons, slurping them down as if he were starving from his journey.

The scout picked up the bowl and pretended to make a casual conversation.

"Young man, are you also from out of town?"

Yan Xiaoliu, with half a wonton in her mouth, looked up at him.

"Yes, from Kyoto."

"Oh, from Kyoto? That's a big city. Coming to Lingzhou to do business?"

Yan Xiaoliu put down his spoon, revealing a smile that was both smug and deliberately modest.

"We're not here to do business, we're here to take care of some serious business."

The scout chuckled and moved closer.

"What business is it? What kind of work do you do in Kyoto, young man?"

Yan Xiaoliu scooped up the last wonton from the bowl and stuffed it into her mouth, mumbling something indistinctly.

"From Pujitang."

After saying that, he stood up, took out a few copper coins from his sleeve, slapped them on the table, and continued strolling forward.

……

Inside the study of the Cui family mansion.

Two spies quickly entered the study and reported in detail the information they had gathered that day.

"My lord, three groups of people went this morning. The first group was Shen Yanqing, the eldest grandson of the Shen family of Lingzhou. The second group consisted of two unfamiliar faces, dressed plainly, skilled in martial arts, and looking like江湖人 (jianghu people, people of the martial arts world)."

"The third group... was a young man with a Kyoto accent. We found out he was from Pujitang."

Cui Yuan paused in his calligraphy practice, looked up, and his face darkened.

"Pujitang has actually come to Lingzhou! What's that person's name?"

"I struck up a conversation with him at the wonton shop. The young man's surname was Yan. He looked young, but he was quite experienced in his speech and actions."

"Although I didn't find out what he came here for, judging from his expression when he came out of the residence, it seemed like he had reached an agreement with His Highness Prince Qi and looked quite happy."

Cui Yuan's triangular eyes narrowed slightly.

Upon hearing "surname Yan," Cui Ming, who was standing nearby, immediately widened his eyes.

"It's Yan Xiaoliu! The new head manager of the Kyoto Pujitang Logistics Park!"

"Pujitang has sent someone! And it's the manager who can make decisions, not some lowly errand boy!"

Cui Ming rubbed his hands together and paced back and forth in the study several times in a hurry.

"Brother, Pujitang has come to Lingzhou to steal our business. Aren't they just riding roughshod over us?"

Cui Yuan placed the brush on the brush holder and pondered for a moment with a furrowed brow.

"Prepare the gifts! We will host a banquet for the King of Qi tonight."

After nightfall, the main hall of the Cui residence was brightly lit.

A very high-class banquet was set up in the hall, with lavish dishes.

Drunken white fish, braised venison, premium bird's nest stewed pigeon breast, honey-roasted ham, chicken oil braised water shield, crab roe soup dumplings...

Various kinds of candied fruits and cold dishes, presented as tribute from Jiangnan, were arranged neatly on the table.

In the center is a jar of premium Daughter Red wine, which has been stored in the Cui family's cellar for twenty years.

Cui Yuan was dressed quite formally today, in a dark blue brocade robe with dark patterns. He stood on the steps in front of the hall with his hands behind his back, waiting for him.

Before long, the carriage from the guesthouse slowly came to a stop in front of the Cui residence.

Xiao Jue lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage, glancing up at the gilded plaque above the gate that read "Duke Cui's Mansion," bestowed by the emperor.

Today he was completely unpretentious, living like a wealthy prince who spent his days leisurely, walking his birds and listening to music.

Cui Yuan immediately put on a warm and friendly smile, stepped aside to make way, and made a "please" gesture with his palm outstretched.

"It is a great honor for the Cui family that Your Highness has graced us with your presence at this banquet. Your Highness, please come in."