In fact, this business layout was not something Li Xiang thought of on the spur of the moment, but something he discovered when he was fighting against the Five Surnames and Seven Families. It turned out that although the imperial court wanted to take action against them, it found that it had no idea where to start because they were involved in too many industries. If they attacked them, it would very likely be the entire Tang Dynasty's business market that was attacked. In the end, even if they won, it would not be of much benefit to the imperial court.
That's why Li Xiang came up with a bad idea. He used the grassland and salt to attract them and let them accumulate all their family wealth in these two industries. Then we can take action. The salt war is over, and the remaining grassland will be easier to deal with. Prime Minister Midu has become one of our own. Isn't the next thing easy?
Of course, now is not a good time to take action. Li Xiang has to wait until their investment is completed before taking action. Moreover, by that time, the emperor will definitely take charge of everything, and Li Xiang only needs to watch from the side.
"Maybe you've heard something?"
When the two of them finished a pot of wine, Mr. Cui San suddenly started talking.
"What's that?"
Li Xiang encounters so many things every day. If he had to pay attention to all of them, he probably wouldn't even have time to eat or sleep.
"The story between Lu Dongzan and your cousin."
When Mr. Cui Sanye said this, Li Xiang immediately thought of the graceful and elegant Changsun Pingting!
"What could happen to them?"
Li Xiang said with some surprise that Lu Dongzan was the prime minister of Tubo, and Changsun Pingting was the eldest daughter of the Changsun family. She did not hold any position in the court, and there should be no contact between the two.
"Lu Dongzan came to the Tang Dynasty to seek marriage, but you ruined it, so he settled for the next best thing and prepared to seek a marriage for himself. Almost everyone in Chang'an knows that he plans to marry Changsun Pingting."
After Mr. Cui Sanye finished saying this, Li Xiang spat out the wine in his mouth. This reaction was a bit too much.
"He's delusional... he..."
After Li Xiang finished speaking, he immediately realized his own gaffe. It was a puzzlement. She was clearly his aunt, and even though they were partners, he shouldn't have reacted so violently. Even Li Xiang himself found it strange.
"They are quite a match, and the eldest lady is even marrying up a bit. Your Highness is probably worried about your business. If the eldest lady, Zhangsun, really went to Tibet, your business would probably be left unattended."
When Mr. Cui San saw Li Xiang's out-of-control look, he immediately thought of the cooperation between the two. It can be said that Changsun Pingting has made great contributions to the current popularity of Datang Tianniang. If it were replaced by another person, let alone whether the company could be developed and flourished, it would be quite difficult to maintain the current market.
"That's right. Besides, the age difference between them is too big. He can already be my cousin's father, but he suddenly wants to marry her. What's going on in his head? If I really marry her in Tibet, where can I find such a shopkeeper?"
When Li Xiang said this, he finally realized in his heart, could it be that he liked Changsun Pingting?
There is nothing wrong with this. Although she is his cousin, in this day and age, anything can happen. Concubine Yang Shu was originally the wife of Li Yuanji, and now she has become the wife of Li Shimin, right?
As for the story of Wu Mei Niang and Li Zhi, it is even more exciting...
What's more, Changsun Pingting is in her early twenties and is at the age when she is about to bloom.
"How can age be considered in a political marriage? It's the same between our major families. Lu Dongzan should have returned, but after meeting Changsun Pingting, he insisted on staying in Chang'an. The Tubo Kingdom has already sent a letter."
Li Xiang didn't care about these gossips. The first time he heard about these things was from Mr. Cui San.
"Send a letter asking him to return quickly?"
Li Xiang thought this should be the case, but the content of the letter surprised Li Xiang even more.
"Songtsen Gampo of Tubo personally wrote another letter, saying that since royal daughters don't marry, that respects Tang customs, but can't the daughters of officials be married off as well? This letter is asking for Lu Dongzan to marry Changsun Pingting. Just think about how highly regarded this guy is in Tubo. The king of a country actually wrote a letter for his marriage. This is too ridiculous..."
What did Mr. Cui say next? Li Xiang didn't hear it clearly, but he heard the previous words clearly. According to his understanding of Li Shimin, even if Zhangsun Wuji opposed this matter, it would probably not matter. After all, to Li Shimin, Zhangsun Pingting was not as good as a princess. He could even sacrifice a princess, let alone Zhangsun Pingting.
"Your Highness?"
Li Xiang was stunned here for a few minutes. When Mr. Cui Sanye knocked on his wine glass, Li Xiang remembered that they were drinking. He quickly apologized and raised his wine glass to clink glasses with Mr. Cui Sanye.
"What do you think the chances are that the Emperor will agree?"
Li Xiang asked the question even though he knew the answer, but he still wanted to hear Mr. Cui Sanye's opinion. After all, Mr. Cui Sanye had very strong judgment in the entire Tang Dynasty.
"You should change to a female manager. If you can't find a suitable person, I can recommend one to you."
Mr. Cui Sanye did not directly speculate about the emperor, after all, it would not be a good thing if it were spread out, but he gave Li Xiang an answer in another way. Li Xiang himself also made such a judgment, but he was a little bit unconvinced.
After patiently finishing the meal, he asked someone to send Mr. Cui San back. At the same time, he instructed Zhou Huairen to have his men go and negotiate with the Cui family. They should neither take advantage of others nor suffer losses. This could be regarded as the beginning of cooperation between the two parties. If this beginning was not good, then the subsequent cooperation might be overshadowed.
Go and test Zhang Sun Wuji's attitude...
"Go to Changsun Mansion."
After coming out of Heaven and Earth, Li Xiang got on a four-carriage sedan chair. If he had taken his eight-carriage sedan chair, it would probably not look good if it got out. Although Heaven and Earth was his property, it was a secret business after all.
"Master, please excuse me, Master Changsun is drinking in there!"
In this situation, Zhu Runjiu, as the shopkeeper of the commercial complex, had no right to speak unless Li Xiang asked him. Only people like Qian Ping could speak to Li Xiang, and next to them was Zhou Huairen. Zhu Runjiu's speaking in such an occasion was already a bit overstepping the bounds of the two above him. But now that Li Xiang was about to leave, the urgency of the situation was understandable...