C148 great gift

Before he came here, he had been as heavy as lead — although he was an accomplished scholar and a wise man, he was not an all-round talent after all. He did not understand much about water conservancy and construction of dikes.

This was the reason why the Emperor had sent him here as a relief.

Five hundred thousand silver taels were for disaster relief. There was no food, nor was there any weir officials. In fact, the Emperor was betting that his trip this time would be a disaster and he would suffer a crushing defeat.

This seemingly watertight Zhu Wei An was actually not as simple as he appeared to be. If his guess was correct, someone would hope that he would fail this time, causing the people to resent him. This would cause his already weak position in the imperial court to plummet.

He was able to cure disasters, not water, not water, and not all the problems that would follow the floods …

"Tell me, what better way do you have to deal with the local merchants?"

Xiao Yi Xiu came back to his senses and smiled mysteriously at her. She remembered what he had said before. It was clear that he was confident, so even if she couldn't raise enough food for the disaster today, he would have another way.

"Do you know who Shi Zhenfeng and You Chenguang are?"

"Hmm? Isn't it just two merchants? "

Even if he was as wealthy as Deng Shengchuan, he was still just a businessman. Back then, it was an era where literature was light for merchants, and merchants who were wealthy did not dare to fight against officials.

"That's right. You also know that if you don't fight with the officials, then where did they get the guts to not participate in this gathering?"

"Zhu Wei'an didn't use his status as a state official to suppress them. This was what I wanted as well."

"No, it's human nature to be attached to authority. Even if no one had given the order to suppress him, as long as he says that he's summoned by the imperial edict, who would dare not come? Even though it's not illegal to be here, you still aren't giving me, the King Mo, any face. "A mere merchant dares to look down on the dignity of the imperial family?"

"Maybe it's Zhu Wei An …" Gu Qingli quickly recovered. Zhu Wei couldn't solve the water problem, so she was forced to report it to the Imperial Court. What she should do now was to cooperate with Xiaoyi Xiu's efforts in summoning the squire. If it was Juvien who intervened, then there was obviously something wrong with the man.

Xiao Yi Xiu heaved a sigh of relief. "You Chen Guang is one of Xiao Yi Mo's men. Do you understand?"

"I don't understand!" He is a prince, why would he befriend the head of the merchant guild? "

"Naturally, it is to control the Scarlet Mountain Range of Money and Lifeline. The people who truly befriend him are the Minister of Public Relations, Ling Yuanzhang, and Imperial Concubine Ling's eldest brother." "Government merchants colluding with each other, making profits as officials, and doing business with each other. They are just making mutual use of each other."

"But how could Xiao Yi Mo, as a prince, be short on money?"

Xiao Yi Xiu smiled. "Then what do you think Imperial Concubine Lan opened the gambling den for?" To form a personal relationship with the officials of the imperial court, to sever relations and build a foundation in the imperial court, what kind of relationship does that require money? "

"They are actually using natural disasters to amass wealth. If this kind of person is placed on the throne, how can the people of the world live a good life?"

"Then what are you going to do?"

He leisurely said, "If they don't come to see me, I can go see them. The day after tomorrow is the full moon of Shi Zhenfeng's youngest son.

The Crimson Yue's Shi Family was brimming with joy and congratulating guests. Deng Shengchuan was the only one who brought two unfamiliar guests, and most of them were very impressed. When Shi Zhenfeng saw them, he was also startled.

After Shi Zhenfeng finished greeting the guests, Deng Shengchuan led the two guests into the guest hall in the backyard. Only then did he realize that the two in front of him were the King and his wife.

Shocked, Shi Zhenfeng quickly lifted his clothes and bowed before inviting them to sit.

Gu Qingli saw Shi Zhenfeng's fear and trepidation, and realized that even the most wealthy merchant would not dare to be arrogant in front of someone like the prince. He didn't come to the meeting that day, and I'm afraid he didn't...

"I heard that Boss Shi's granary has accumulated two-thirds of Chi Yue's rice grains. This King has come to make a small deal with you."

Shi Zhenfeng's expression changed. He was not surprised that King Mo would know that he had hoarded two-thirds of Chi Yue's grain. Instead, he was shocked that King Mo wanted to do business with him.

How could Shang Jia not understand the ways of the world when he was doing this? When the emperor sent a prince to supervise the treatment of water, he was already deeply disturbed. Now, he took the initiative to come and discuss business with him … The more Shi Zhenfeng thought about it, the more he felt that something was amiss. His face gradually paled.

"Don't be afraid." Xiao Yi Xiu smiled warmly. "Since I said I was doing business, I won't force you."

Shi Zhenfeng looked at him tapping his fingers on the table. His face was turning paler and paler, and even his hands were trembling. That's right, he was a traitor regardless of everything. He had to spend more than half of his family's wealth to stock up so much food. If this King Mo forced him to collect food, wouldn't that mean he would go bankrupt?

"Firstly, I can let you take the morning light and replace it with the position of the president of the Crimson Yue Guild. Secondly, although This King is unable to afford the food that you have hoarded, This King can provide you with a way to make money.

Shi Zhenfeng's eyes widened and his trembling hands stopped. He was staring at his with a strange look in his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't want to be the president of a trading union, but he was still a step away from knowing You Chenguang's background.

As for the path of making money, he didn't believe that a prince knew how to do business.

However, Xiao Yi Xiu didn't care about his expression of distrust. He continued to smile elegantly and said, "In the west of the Scarlet Mountain Range, there is a Monarch's Ascension Mountain. You should know that."

Shi Zhenfeng nodded. Could there be treasures in that broken mountain? If it wasn't for the snow on the mountain all year round and the snow melting into the river of Han, Chi Yue wouldn't have been flooded by the flood all year round.

"There is an inconspicuous peak in Jun'e Mountain called 'Mirror Platform Peak'. Beneath the peak is a fine iron vein that even the locals do not know about."

At this point, Shi Zhenfeng stood up, his eyes were almost glowing with excitement. Everyone knew the price of Refined Iron. Whether it was crafting tools or weapons, it was considered a rarity. However, not to mention that Refined Iron was extremely rare in the Eastern Abyss, even if they were excavated and refined it would still require official approval.

"Prince, you really can …"

"From time to time, the war between the East Abyss and the Northern Chu started. Weapons are an essential part of the war, and refined iron has naturally been in short supply for a long time. That mine would allow you to mine for at least a hundred years."

Xiao Yi Xiu also slowly stood up. As he walked past Shi Yan, he lightly patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Shi Zhen Feng, you're probably not the type of person who values what you see."

After they left the Shi Residence, Gu Qingli asked softly, "Are you really sure you can hand over the mining rights to him? "However, the vein of fine iron has always been controlled by the imperial government. This is a matter for the Ministry of Industry. This …"

"Otherwise, why would I have to take on the heavy responsibility of controlling the water and building a dike, knowing full well that I might fail?"

Gu Qingli suddenly understood. "You're trying to win over the Minister of Industry, Bai Wanqing!"

Controlling water and disaster relief is the starting point, Bai Wanqing is the middle point, taking him down, and then handing over mining rights to Shi Zhenfeng is the finishing point, but this starting point is on Shi Zhenfeng, so they are connected head to toe.