Chapter 267: Confrontation
Editor: Atlas Studios
After the alarm was lifted, Wulie and Fan Zijin reached a deal again, as if they had already become friends. Smiling, Wulie asked, “I wonder how Little General Qi found out that I’m not from Xingyuan Prefecture but from Jingzhao Prefecture?”
Qi Haoran sized him up and asked, “When did I say that you’re from Jingzhao Prefecture? I thought you were from the Jin Kingdom.”
Wulie laughed out loud. “You’re right. I’m from the Jin Kingdom and am currently living in the Jingzhao Prefecture. However, there are also many people like me who have moved over from the Jin Kingdom. How did Little General Qi know that I crossed the border?”
“The Jin people of Xingyuan Prefecture won’t hold something with Karl’s tribe totem engraved on it.”
Only then did Wulie know where their greatest exposure was.
Sabers and horses were the lives of warriors. In their lives, they could change anything, but they would not change their horses and sabers that they were used to. Coincidentally, most of the guards he chose this time were from the Karl tribe.
Wulie laughed and clapped. “Little General Qi, you’re very observant. I’m impressed.” He glanced at the sky outside and smiled. “If not for the fact that I don’t have time, I would definitely drink with the two of you.”
Wulie regretfully expressed that he still had something on and had to leave.
Fan Zijin only pretended to stay for a while before sending him to the door of the private room. Wulie, Fan Zijin, and Qi Haoran cupped their hands and left with their men. Just as they walked out of the other party’s line of sight, Wulie instructed Pidusi in a low voice, “Hurry up and prepare. We’ll leave immediately.”
“Fourth Young Master?”
“Since Qi Haoran could see the totem on our sabers, he must have guessed that we’re not ordinary businessmen.” Those who could afford to use sabers of this level were not ordinary people, not to mention that they were only his guards.
Qi Haoran was not stupid. Since he recognized the totem, he must have thought of this too. What if he made a move to keep him here?
Although Wulie was ambitious and bold, he knew that a gentleman would not stand under a dangerous wall. The most important thing now was to leave Hanzhong Prefecture as soon as possible.
Seeing Wulie and the others leave in a hurry, Fan Zijin turned to ask Qi Haoran, “Did we startle them too much?”
Qi Haoran was confused. “When did I startle him?”
“You specially pointed out their totems. How was that not startling them? With the level of the totems on their scabbards, this Young Master Wu must be a big shot in the Jin Kingdom. He’s at least the son of a tribal leader or the legitimate son of a high-ranking official.”
Qi Haoran stomped his feet. “In that case, how can we let them leave? I’ll get someone to chase after them.”
Fan Zijin held him back and said in a low voice, “Don’t mess around. Our main mission now is to recuperate. Have you forgotten that you just killed the Crown Prince?” Then, he asked, “You didn’t know what level that totem indicated? Then why are you mentioning this?” He thought that Qi Haoran had finally telepathically communicated with him for once and scared the other party away without having to exchange a look with Fan Zijin.
“I just want to know where he’s from. I only recognize that totem. So their totems represent different levels?”
Fan Zijin: “…”
Therefore, there was no need for Wulie to escape in a hurry.
“Now that he’s escaped, what about your business?”
Smiling, Fan Zijin said, “When he realized that we didn’t chase after him, he naturally thought that we weren’t suspicious. Didn’t he spend so much effort to come to Hanzhong Prefecture to obtain some useful information? Is there a better information channel than us?” Fan Zijin knocked on Qi Haoran’s chest and said, “We’re young and are the easiest to deceive.”
Qi Haoran looked at him suspiciously. “Why must you do business with him?”
“Although we don’t know his exact identity, he seems to be quite powerful. Working with him is much more profitable than doing small business transactions now. Moreover, since he can get information from us, we can naturally get some information from him, too. And we’re young, so it’s understandable that some of the information we obtained is fake.”
It meant that they could send the wrong information to the Jin Kingdom through this person.
Qi Haoran’s eyes lit up. “That’s a good idea.”
Just as Fan Zijin had said, Wulie realized that he was not being pursued after escaping back to Jingzhao Prefecture. So, he immediately suspected that Fan Zijin and Qi Haoran did not recognize the level of the totem. Thinking that the two of them were still a little childish compared to him, he was unwilling to give up such a good channel. He immediately sent a trusted aide to sneak across the border to Hanzhong Prefecture to find Fan Zijin and conclude the business they had signed previously.
As a matter of course, Fan Zijin pulled out the satin that he had prepared and settled the transaction with them. Both parties were very satisfied and agreed to cooperate again next time.
This time, the other party returned to Jingzhao Prefecture using the road pass given by Fan Zijin, via the area guarded by Qi Haoran.
The Fourth Prince, Wulie, laughed happily. “They actually opened the border gate for us over a mere 8,000 taels worth of silk. They’re still too inexperienced.”
“Fourth Prince, I’ve asked around in Hanzhong Prefecture. It’s said that Qi Haoran is very short of money and is planning to build a horse farm, so he spends a lot of money. Qi Xiuyuan can’t give him the money he needs.”
“A horse farm can’t be built with just 10,000 taels of silver or so. How dare he have such thoughts without 20,000 to 30,000 taels of silver? This Qi Haoran is really bold.”
Pidusi smiled and said, “Fourth Prince, Qi Haoran isn’t so ambitious. He only wants to build a horse farm with 300 to 400 horses.”
Wulie was stunned. “Is that even called a horse farm?”
Horse culture played a big role in the Jin Kingdom culture. Everyone was a soldier, and almost every family had horses. Wulie himself had two horse farms, and there were no less than 10,000 horses in each horse farm. Every year, he relied on these horses to make money by trading with the Great Zhou, West Xia, or his own country’s army.
He could not imagine what a horse farm with only 300 to 400 horses was like.
Pidusi said proudly, “How can the Zhou Dynasty compare to our Great Jin?”
Wulie smiled noncommittally and stroked the silk on the table with his fingers. “Since they lack money, we’ll continue this business. These silks are very profitable in our Jin Kingdom. There’s also tea leaves. Find someone to be in charge of this area. Pick someone who’s not only smart and business-savvy, but also knows how to obtain information.”
Pidusi agreed and left.
Wulie opened up the silk on the table and muttered to himself, “I hope the two young friends won’t disappoint me.”
At this moment, Fan Zijin was also deploying his men. “…Your team is in charge of monitoring them. Remember, every time they come over, you have to monitor them well. At the very least, you can’t let them pass through Hanzhong Prefecture to the south.”
Seeing that Yanmo had taken the men away, Qi Haoran asked, “Why do you have to do business with them when it’s so troublesome? Haven’t you already gotten in touch with a few businessmen from the Jingzhao Prefecture?”
“How is that the same?” Fan Zijin said, “Do they dare to sell us the Jin Kingdom horses and the Jin Kingdom sabers?”
Qi Haoran’s eyes lit up. “That Wu guy dares to sell it?”
Fan Zijin looked at him confidently. Qi Haoran slammed the table and said, “Alright, you mustn’t let him slip away. In the future, I’ll open the door for you to do any business.”
Fan Zijin rolled his eyes and said, “You have a share in this business too. Don’t make it sound like you have nothing to do with this.”