It doesn't matter what the lord is.

The next moment, the dark-skinned young man with ferocious eyes took the initiative to show a friendly smile and responded:

"Feel sorry."

The farmer nodded woodenly and stared blankly at the young man as he turned and walked away.

The young man was wearing a pair of straw sandals, the soles of which were already tattered. It was unknown how many miles he had walked in these shoes. The farmer suddenly remembered a story passed down by the elders, saying that the biggest characteristic of many bandits in the past was that they wore a pair of tattered shoes. Because they had no identity, they dared not enter the city or ride in a carriage, and could only walk step by step in the wilderness. These people killed people without hesitation, and anyone who knew their identity could not survive.

The farmer just felt cold all over and didn't even know when the young man disappeared.

The rain hit the bamboo hat, making a sound like frying beans, which made people feel confused.

The young man touched the long-handled weapon wrapped in white cloth on his back, looked up at the cloudy sky, squinted his eyes and said:

"Xiaobai, wait a moment, brother is here to save you."

8. Xiqin's second in command

Reed had a very good hearing, and even in the heavy rain, he could hear the conversation in the house through the wall.

After using his money ability, he successfully persuaded Qi Zheng to help him create an opportunity to meet Selius. In fact, he had anticipated this outcome the moment he saw Qi Zheng. Although Qi Zheng looked righteous at the time, Lid still saw the clue from the patch on his body.

If a person worked hard and finally got the position of tax director, but couldn't even afford a decent set of clothes, it could only mean that there were huge problems with the entire bureaucratic system of Xiqin. Lide believed that there was no problem with the system of Xiqin, which meant that Qi Zheng deliberately dressed like this to show his integrity, which was a manifestation of guilty conscience.

Of course, what kind of person Qi Zheng is has nothing to do with Lid. In Lid's eyes, he is just a tool.

Alayya stood behind Reed, holding an umbrella for her young master, being careful not to let the wind blow the raindrops onto him.

After a long time, a voice came from the house: "I'm seeing you off, sir," which meant the end of the banquet in the house.

The door opened.

Lide saw the middle-aged man surrounded by people. He had a high hairline and a lot of white hair on his head. Although he had a smile on his face, his eyes were filled with worry. He looked at Lide for a moment and then looked away. It was obvious that he thought Lide was someone who came to visit Qi Zheng and was about to leave Lide. But Qi Zheng frowned first and said:

"Why are you here again?"

Reed said nothing, just looked at Celius who was about to leave.

Celius turned around and looked at Qi Zheng.

Qi Zheng said to Serius with a helpless look on his face:

"Sir, these two people are the ones I told you about during the banquet. They want to see you... I didn't expect that they would still be waiting outside the door today. Please get in the carriage first. I will find someone to drive them out."

Celius waved his hand:

"No need... It's just right for me to listen to what they want to say."

He turned his head and looked at Lid. In that instant, Lid realized clearly that this white-haired middle-aged man had seen through Qi Zheng's trick, because there was a hint of sarcasm in the smile on his face. Qi Zheng bowed his hands awkwardly and said:

"In that case, I won't bother you any more. Hey, you two, if you dare to disrespect Lord Celius, don't even think about leaving Yuanyang City!"

Qi Zheng gave a warning and closed the door silently.

Celius's personal bodyguard came over to hold an umbrella for him, but Celius took the umbrella himself and waved him away.

After the guards and the coachman left for a distance, Celius looked at Lid and the first thing he said was:

"How much did you give?"

Lid smiled and answered truthfully:

"A few thousand gold coins."

Celius sighed and said calmly:

"It seems that I have a lot of face... You might as well give me the money directly, or support the construction of the Western Qin border. So, after spending thousands of gold coins, what do you want from me?"

Lid patted his chest and said with a smile:

"I want to discuss a business deal with you. My name is Bai Ma, and my public identity is a steel merchant in Yunyang. In fact, I am doing some business that is not convenient for people to see in private. To be more precise, I run a club. Bai Ma Club, have you heard of this name, Lord Celius?"

Celius shook his head, but from Reed's tone, he roughly understood what Reed wanted to say, and continued:

"A place like a brothel? Xi Qin does not prohibit brothel business, you can open one freely."

Lid smiled and said:

"My club is different from a brothel in that it serves women. In my opinion, the female market is also a huge pie. Xiqin is strong and the atmosphere is relatively open. There are many well-known businessmen and even some politicians among the women. These people have achieved a relatively high social status and naturally have some needs of their own. I want to do this part of the business."

Celius was confused and answered instinctively:

"This seems to be inconsistent with the laws and morals of our Xi Qin... Although it is indeed profitable to do so, I do not have the power to agree to it. This may lead to some unpredictable consequences."

Lidd continued:

"Your Excellency might as well think about it again. This is not just some gray industry. We also have many items sold to women. Including accessories, cosmetics, new clothing... Xi Qin has liberated women's productivity, but has not provided them with corresponding services. I can fill this gap. I am Yunyang Baima, known as the friend of women."

Celius seemed a little hesitant this time. He knew very well how much benefit what Reed said could bring in the short term.

And Xi Qin is indeed in need of money now.

After thinking it over, he said:

"You have a lot of ideas, but I can't handle this alone. And if it is made public, I can't foresee the consequences. There are interests involved, but governing a country cannot be based solely on interests. We councilors are different from you businessmen. Unless there are other important people who nod their heads, but I really can't think of anyone else who can-"

Before Celius finished speaking, Reed said casually:

"Xiqin Prince Ying Bai promised me that I could do this."

Celius's whole body trembled violently. In the heavy rain, he raised his head and looked into Reed's eyes. Coincidentally, Reed was also staring at him.

In order to conceal his thoughts, Selius took two deep breaths in succession, and his brain began to work rapidly.

After a long time, he asked in a hoarse voice:

"When did he make this promise to you? Where did you meet him?"

Lid raised his head, seemed to recall for a moment, and then replied:

"I don't remember clearly... maybe one or two years ago. At that time, he told me that if I encountered any problems in the future, I could come to Xi Qin to find him. By the way, he still owed me money for a truckload of steel. If you can see him, Lord Celius, remember to help me get it back."

Celius looked at Lid and said slowly:

"You are not from the Yunhai family... People from the Yunhai family would not do such a thing. Are you from Yunyang? Does your lord know about this?"

Lid laughed and replied:

"I know. He also said that it is only natural to pay back debts, so why should you be afraid of that?"

Serius closed his eyes. A strong wind blew and the umbrella in his hand tilted to the side. The heavy rain immediately wet half of his hair. Serius seemed to have not noticed it at all. After nearly two minutes, he opened his eyes and said to Lid:

"The business you mentioned is indeed interesting. It may bring new changes to the current Xi Qin... It is not suitable to stay here for a long time. I will invite you to a secluded place tomorrow, and we can discuss it in detail then. After returning tonight, I will also think carefully about the possibility of success of this [business]."

He opened the umbrella, took a last ditch breath, and walked towards the carriage.

As the rain hit his body, Reed suddenly noticed that Selius' clothes were neat and clean, made of fine materials, in line with his status, and there were no patches on them.

But the part that was wet by the rain revealed a cheap white color.

9. I know where he is being held

The next day, Celius met with Lid as promised in a narrow room.

There were two cups of tea on the table. The tea was not bitter, but it did not have much fragrance. It was the kind of tea that most people would use to entertain guests. However, Celius did not feel anything unusual when he drank it, which meant that he usually enjoyed this kind of ordinary tea.

"I went back yesterday and thought about it carefully. I notified the middle office and asked them to help me check the data from previous years. Did you propose to enter the female market because you knew the proportion of female merchants in Xiqin?"

Celius spoke slowly. He was obviously shocked when Reed mentioned Ying Bai yesterday, but he concealed it very well now. The topic did not turn to the political situation in Western Qin at all, but went back to the plan that Reed proposed at the beginning.

Lid was not in a hurry. He answered while drinking tea:

"I'm not really sure about this. It was only when merchants from Xiqin occasionally came to Yunyang that I learned that women in Xiqin could also do business, and their status was equal to that of male merchants. I asked those women privately, but they didn't know how many women in Xiqin chose to do business, and they only replied to me, 'quite a few.'"

"It's true. According to last year's tax situation, female businessmen contributed about 30% of the tax."

Celius took out a report and put it on the table, then continued:

"And the number of women who marry businessmen, noblewomen from famous families, and female politicians in local offices is even more exaggerated. Moreover, Xi Qin is rich, and even the wives and daughters of ordinary people can afford to buy some new clothes and accessories during festivals. This market is really huge. If you have experience in this area, the profit you can get from it will definitely be an exaggerated astronomical figure. Of course, you will also have many competitors. According to past rules, this market will eventually be divided up by many people."

Lid smiled and said:

"That has to wait until we enter the market. Many people have seen this market over the years, but look at what they are doing here? They only meet the needs that have already appeared, but fail to see the potential needs."

Celius took a sip of tea and said frankly:

"I agree with that. Over the years, no one has ever proposed to me to open a club. So I did consider giving you the entire business, but the profit sharing needs to be discussed in advance. What do you think is the most appropriate way to share it?"

Lid gestured and replied:

"Of course it's 70% and 30% respectively. We pay 30% tax."

Celius put down his teacup and said with a smile:

"What a coincidence. I also plan to split the profit 70% and give you 3% profit."

Lid waved his hand:

"I can't do it. It's only three points. Wouldn't that make me beg for food on my knees?"

"The business is big, and three cents is already a sky-high price. You are not from Xi Qin, and I can't just watch the wealth flow out."

"Oh, what Lord Celius said, can you really trust me with this business? Once my model is rolled out, various local competitors will rush to emerge, and you will definitely turn a blind eye to them. In the end, how much of the market will be left for me? Thirty percent, twenty percent? Now you only give me three percent profit, it's not a good way to eat."

"Fifty-fifty then."

"At least **. After the market declines later, I can accept 50-50."

"...Alright."

As Celius finished speaking, both sides fell into a brief silence.

Everyone knows that this business will bring in considerable income. From the accessories on Alaiya, Selius can tell that Yunyang is indeed experienced in the female market. Now that Alaiya is wearing makeup, her appearance is much more ordinary than before, but she still has a lot of extra points because of the accessories on her body. Selius doesn't know what is popular, but he still has a good eye. What's more, Lid has spent thousands of gold coins right from the start. If he is not really sure of taking over this market, there is no need to do so.

But both sides also knew that the focus of this conversation was not the deal.

Yesterday, Celius said that this business could not be supported by him alone, and other heavyweights were needed.

At that time, Li De gave his answer, which was Ying Bai, the Prince of Western Qin.

But now that the news that Ying Bai was locked up in the solitary confinement room was known to everyone, it was naturally impossible for him to come out and support it.

Then, we need to release him...or restore his identity.

This is a very simple logic. Celius knows it and Reed knows it too, but no one speaks out at the first time.

The reason was not complicated. Neither side was sure what the other was thinking. Lid had such a huge wealth code. He could have asked to see Selius at Zhongtai. Why did he go through the tax officer? It was because he needed to talk to Selius alone. If no one introduced him, it would be impossible for Selius to meet him privately.

For Lid, he only heard that Selius did not support any of the princes of Western Qin, so he guessed that he might want to protect Ying Bai, but he could not confirm it. And this was Western Qin, he could not take the initiative to go out and rescue Xiao Bai, otherwise once the plan was exposed, he might not be able to come back.

So Reed had to wait.

He pointed out the biggest piece of cake to Selius and also gave Selius the best step.

If Celius really wanted to protect Ying Bai, he would have taken some action. If he didn't have this idea, Lid's behavior would at most be suspected. Driven by the high profits, Celius would not take action against Lid, but would find someone else to support Lid's industry, thereby bringing considerable income to Xi Qin.

There is even a possibility that Celius originally did not want to protect Ying Bai, but he could not find another heavyweight, so he had to accept cooperation with Lid. No matter what Celius originally thought, Lid has achieved his goal so far: to try his best to win the support of the second-in-command of Xi Qin without actively exposing himself.

Celius drank the last of his tea.

He seemed to have made his own decision.

"I heard that Prince Ying Bai owes you money for a truckload of steel."

Celius tapped the table with his finger and said to Lid:

"There's no reason for me to pay for this money on his behalf. If you really want it back, you have to ask him for it yourself."

Lid also finished his tea and replied calmly:

"I want to ask him for it, but isn't he locked up?"

Celius's expression remained unchanged, as if he was saying something very ordinary:

"I know where he is being held. It's a pity that place is very dangerous and not accessible to ordinary people. If he doesn't owe you a large sum of money, you should just forget about it. You can earn more in Xiqin anyway."

Lid crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair, and said slowly:

"Unfortunately, I hate it most when someone owes me money. If possible, I would chase him to the ends of the earth to meet him and get the money back."

10. Happy cooperation

Celius looked at Reed, as if trying to see something in Reed's eyes.