I, a useless prince, started with the Xiang Yu template.

The scene changes.

Liangshan County City.

After the upheaval of cracking down on corrupt officials and stabilizing people's livelihoods, the entire city has completely restored order, with markets reopening and commerce resuming, presenting a thriving new scene.

The Gao family mansion, the largest aristocratic residence in the county town, was exceptionally lively today.

The hall was bright and clean, with elegant furnishings. On the table were writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, cooperation documents, and shop deeds.

Today marks the day when the Northern Liang Chamber of Commerce and the Gao family, a top-tier local family in Liangshan, officially signed a business cooperation agreement.

Li Wanqing, dressed in an elegant brocade robe, possessed a cool and gentle temperament and a composed and dignified demeanor. As the head of the Jiangnan region of the Northern Liang Chamber of Commerce, she sat in the host's seat.

She deliberately kept a low profile, only revealing her identity as the manager of the Chamber of Commerce, without revealing her noble status as the Princess Consort of Qin.

To outsiders, she was just a young, promising, and capable female manager of the Northern Liang Chamber of Commerce.

The Gao family, a long-established powerful clan rooted in Liangshan County for generations, controls most of the local specialties, warehouses, and land trade routes, making them the most crucial partner for the Northern Liang Chamber of Commerce to open up the Jiangnan market.

In this collaboration, both parties finalized a complete trade plan: the Northern Liang Chamber of Commerce will be responsible for transporting scarce goods from the North and Central Plains to Liangshan, and will provide sources of goods, channels and pricing systems;

The Gao family is responsible for utilizing local connections, shops, and local channels to handle offline operations, local distribution, and warehousing.

At the same time, the two parties jointly revitalized the idle shops in the county town and opened up the north-south trade routes to the outside world for Liangshan, with profits divided according to the contract.

The entire signing ceremony was formal and rigorous.

The head of the Gao family, Gao Zhenhai, looked sincere as he personally checked the last page of the document. He then looked up at Li Wanqing with a tone full of approval.

"Manager Li is young and promising, meticulous in his work, and the reputation of the Beiliang Chamber of Commerce is renowned throughout the country, with no one able to match his credibility."

"To be able to cooperate with your esteemed chamber of commerce is an opportunity for my Gao family and a blessing for Liangshan Commerce."

Li Wanqing replied neither servilely nor arrogantly: "Master Gao, you are too kind. Liangshan has suffered from war and is in dire need of reconstruction. The recovery of commerce is of paramount importance."

Our Northern Liang Chamber of Commerce has been deeply involved in trade between the North and South. This move to expand southward is also aimed at opening up trade routes in the Jiangnan region and revitalizing the local economy.

Going forward, the two companies will cooperate sincerely for mutual benefit and win-win results, bringing tangible benefits to the people and ensuring the prosperity of both businesses.

"Manager Li is absolutely right!" Gao Zhenhai nodded repeatedly.

Without further hesitation, both parties picked up their pens and signed their names on three copies of the cooperation agreement, shop lease document, and channel cooperation agreement, affixing the exclusive seals of the Chamber of Commerce and the Gao family.

The moment the pen was put down and the seal was affixed, it signified that the Northern Liang Chamber of Commerce had officially settled in Liangshan County, taken root in the Jiangnan market, and firmly bound itself to the local top families.

With all the formalities completed, Gao Zhenhai smiled and raised his hand in greeting.

"Once the contract is established, we will become partners."

Mr. Gao will certainly abide by the contract and fully cooperate with the Northern Liang Chamber of Commerce in all its plans in Liangshan, without any perfunctory or shirking responsibility.

"With Master Gao's words, I can rest assured."

Li Wanqing nodded slightly, calmly put away the documents, and remained dignified and composed throughout, her aura firmly controlling the situation.

On both sides of the hall, members of the Gao family, along with their managers and employees, offered their congratulations, creating a harmonious and formal atmosphere.

At the very back of the crowd, a frivolous gaze remained fixed on Li Wanqing the entire time, never wavering.

This man was none other than Gao Mingjie, the third young master of the Gao family.

He was the most notorious playboy in the Gao family. He was uneducated, idle, and relied on his family's prominent status to run rampant in the county town, indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun, with no one daring to interfere.

He was forced to attend today's signing ceremony by his elders to make up the numbers.

In his eyes, family contracts and business collaborations were tedious and boring matters. He was just going through the motions and having some fun, and he didn't take them seriously at all. He was bored throughout the whole process.

But when he first saw Li Wanqing sitting upright in the hall, he was instantly stunned.

Her simple clothes and light makeup could not hide her stunning beauty.

With a slender figure and refined temperament, she possesses a gentle and lively charm amidst her cool and dignified demeanor; every smile and frown exudes elegance.

Gao Mingjie had lived for over twenty years, frequented countless brothels in the county, and seen numerous noble ladies and stunning courtesans, but he had never seen a woman with such temperament and appearance.

Absolutely breathtaking!

My originally lazy and carefree mood was instantly aroused, and the restlessness in my heart turned into a crazy possessiveness.

He stood at the back of the crowd, pretending to listen to the conversation, but his mind was already far away, and his eyes were filled with filthy thoughts.

"My goodness... there are women this beautiful in the world?"

"She's a hundred times more stunning than all the socialites and beauties in the county town!"

Gao Mingjie's heart pounded wildly, his eyes greedily scanning Li Wanqing's body, the more he looked, the more tempted and envious he became.

He was just joining in the fun out of boredom, never expecting to stumble upon such a stunning beauty.

Upon learning that the other party was merely a manager of the Northern Liang Chamber of Commerce and not from a top-tier noble family, Gao Mingjie's courage instantly grew.

In his view, no matter how beautiful or capable she was, she was just a woman who came out to do business and make a living, with an ordinary status and no one to rely on.

As the eldest son of a top family in Liangshan, with a distinguished family background and great wealth and power, winning over this female steward from out of town would be a piece of cake.

"Whether you make money or not is irrelevant!"

"My biggest takeaway today was meeting her!"

"This woman, I must get my hands on her! I absolutely must!"

A frivolous and lewd smile crept onto his lips, his eyes gleaming with an arrogant confidence.

He had already planned everything out in his mind: first, under the pretext of cooperation between the two companies, he would frequently approach them, deliberately strike up conversations, and give them gifts to curry favor.

Since the other party is doing business alone in Liangshan, he must need the support of local powerful families. As long as I lend a little help and show my family's strength, I don't have to worry about the other party not being tempted.

Even if the other party is indifferent and unmoved, with the Gao family's influence in Liangshan, there are plenty of ways to use both soft and hard tactics to eventually win over this stunning beauty.

At this moment, Gao Mingjie was completely focused on how to seduce and possess Li Wanqing, and he was filled with excitement and eagerness.

........

The signing ceremony concluded.

The Gao family's guests, elders, and stewards gradually dispersed.

As most of the people in the hall dispersed, Gao Mingjie immediately straightened his robes, forcibly suppressed the restless lust in his heart, and pretended to be a gentle and refined gentleman. He quickly stepped forward and stopped Li Wanqing, who was about to leave.

He wore a polite smile and spoke in a humble and courteous tone, showing no trace of the greed and filth that had been in his eyes just moments before.

"Miss Li, please wait."

Li Wanqing stopped upon hearing the sound and turned to look at the person who had come.

Recognizing that he was Gao Mingjie, the third young master of the Gao family, she maintained her composure and greeted him politely, out of consideration for the recent cooperation between the two families: "Third Young Master Gao."

Gao Mingjie feigned familiarity: "Today, the Chamber of Commerce and my Gao family successfully concluded a contract, which will be a long-term cooperation from now on. There are quite a few trivial matters involved in choosing shop locations in the county town, connecting with channels, reporting to the government, and dealing with local connections. Miss Li is new to Liangshan, so I'm afraid there will be many inconveniences."

He volunteered, appearing eager to help: "From now on, if Miss Li trusts me, she can leave these chores to me. I was born and raised in Liangshan, and I know all the connections and ways around, which can save Miss Li a lot of trouble."

Li Wanqing was focused on expanding the market for the Chamber of Commerce. She thought that having local scions of prominent families to assist with the work would indeed make things much easier and save a lot of unnecessary trouble.

She had no suspicions and nodded slightly in thanks: "Then thank you very much for your trouble, Young Master Gao. We will indeed need to trouble you a lot with the follow-up arrangements."

"It was nothing, not worth mentioning," Gao Mingjie said with an even gentler smile.