After a flurry of greetings, they proceeded to a private room upstairs.
Once everyone was seated, Fan Zehao began to introduce the people present.
"I'd like to introduce everyone here," he announced.
This was what everyone had been wanting to say, but given the circumstances, speaking less wouldn't cause any issues, so they all looked at him with smiles.
Fan Zehao first introduced his wife, though he did so with some tact. "This is my夫人 (fūrén), who also acts as my steward. I am solely responsible for discussing business, and all other matters are handed over to her. Of course, given my status as a son-in-law, everyone understands the financial aspect, so I won't dwell on it."
Unexpectedly, his introduction eased much of the awkwardness in the atmosphere, and everyone chuckled.
Mi Yihai said, "Master Fan is too humble. Everyone knows your capabilities. If you continue to be this modest, it will truly be too much. Don't you all agree?"
Mi Yihai bantered with a smile, but he was quite shocked internally. It was said that the prince feared his wife, but he never expected that upon coming out, he would claim to be a son-in-law who married into the family. This was indeed giving the princess too much face.
Hua Yunzhe believed Fan Zehao's words. The letter from the prince in the capital and what Village Chief Wang Yuanzhi had said were consistent, so he merely smiled faintly.
Fan Zehao glanced at Mi Yihai and continued his introductions. "This gentleman is Mi Yihai, the prefect of Songling Prefecture in the inner city."
"And this is Hua Yunzhe, the prefect of Xiuzhou in the Yun Kingdom. Both are prefects, both are officials. Only Village Chief and I are merchants."
Hearing this, Hua Yunzhe was slightly displeased. "There's nothing wrong with being a merchant. At least you're better at making money than we officials. You merchants are rolling in wealth, while we live on meager monthly stipends. It's truly a bit bitter."
Hua Yunzhe's words made Mi Yihai's heart pound. At that moment, he absolutely detested this Prefect Hua.
Before Mi Yihai could say anything, the Village Chief from the other side immediately chimed in, "Prefect Hua, what you're saying is ancient history. From today onward, now that you know us, how can you possibly be left out of making money?"
The obsequious demeanor of Wang Yuanzhi made everyone present feel a sense of unease. He was so old, yet he spoke like a lackey, which was truly sickening to behold.
But he paid it no mind and continued, "Besides, Prefect Hua, if you wanted our merchant positions, it's probably not something we'd achieve. If you weren't a prefect, wouldn't our merchant positions be easily within your grasp?"
"So, you don't need to be self-deprecating. Your position is beyond our reach, and our position is something you can attain anytime."
This string of flattering words truly delighted Hua Yunzhe.
Mi Yihai narrowed his eyes and swept a glance over the two of them. Unnoticeably, he shifted his gaze to the esteemed Fan Zehao. Seeing that he showed no displeasure, it was then his turn to speak.
"We toiled for over a decade through arduous study and rose step by step from a minor seventh-rank official to our current position. We have indeed done many things for the people. Otherwise, would the prince bestow the position of prefect upon us? What do you say?"
Mi Yihai's rhetorical question was met with great respect from those present. Not a single word was answered. Instead, they smiled subtly and looked at them with mocking eyes.
Seeing this scene, Mi Yihai also calmly lowered his gaze and said no more.
Hua Yunzhe surveyed the people in the room. This did not match the information Wang Yuanzhi had given him. He frowned slightly. "Wasn't General Wang Zhen supposed to come? Where is he?"
Fan Zehao let out a soft "Oh" and immediately explained, "Yes, that's right. He might be a little delayed. We'll have to wait a bit longer. Please be patient."
The two prefects understood after hearing this and didn't say anything. They chatted about everyday matters. Only Wang Yuanzhi kept steering the conversation towards business.
Seeing them like this, Fan Zehao said no more and went out to greet Wang Zhen. In the private room, Zhao Jiaqi began a conversation with them.
Zhao Jiaqi said, "To put it plainly, the reason for this gathering is for all of us to make more money. My lord has invited everyone here for two reasons. First, so that we can get to know each other better."
"Second, to discuss the profits from this venture, primarily regarding the issue of distribution. This topic, I will leave to Village Chief Master Wang to discuss."
Zhao Jiaqi's speech was concise and clear, making it easy for everyone to understand that they hadn't come just to have fun.
Everyone was focused on the main point, and it was good to be clear about it.
Wang Yuanzhi greatly admired her straightforwardness, and it was then Wang Yuanzhi's turn to perform.
"Since General Wang has not arrived, I will discuss matters concerning the Yun Kingdom later. For now, let's talk about the inner city."
Zhao Jiaqi raised an eyebrow. The inner city?
If she remembered correctly, Wang Yuanzhi did not sell the Elixir of Immortality to the inner city. Why was he now proactively discussing matters related to the inner city?
She pricked up her ears and listened attentively, waiting for Wang Yuanzhi's next words.
Wang Yuanzhi said, "I will not sell the Elixir of Immortality to the inner city. However, even if we cannot do this business, there are still other businesses we can do."
Upon hearing that business couldn't be done, Mi Yihai's heart leaped with joy. A wry smile spread across his lips. "It's truly a pity that it can't be done. If Master Fan hadn't written to me, I honestly wouldn't have wanted to come."
Wang Yuanzhi heard this and realized Mi Yihai was trying to disengage. He had come all this way, so how could he let him leave?
"Prefect Mi, you jest. For you to come here and leave empty-handed would mean we have failed in our duties, and that would be slapping our faces."
Without giving Mi Yihai another chance to speak, he directly stated, "It's like this: I intend to expand cultivation and production. Your Songling Prefecture is also very close to me. I was thinking of buying up your mountainous land, and after development, we can split the profits fifty-fifty. What do you think, Prefect Mi?"
What did he think? Mi Yihai really wanted to hit him over the head with a club.
Seeing that Mi Yihai was still hesitant, Zhao Jiaqi jumped in before he could speak. "What's not to like about this? It's all about making money. Who would dislike money, especially when it's so profitable?"
After speaking, she glanced at Mi Yihai. "However, if we were to buy mountains in the inner city, I think it would more easily attract attention from others. It might be better to rent directly. This way, it can bring some income to the local villagers and also prevent the local people from having any grudges against you."
Zhao Jiaqi shifted her gaze from Mi Yihai to Wang Yuanzhi and asked, "What do you think, Village Chief?"
Wang Yuanzhi pondered her words carefully. They made perfect sense. He immediately nodded. "Yes, absolutely. Prefect Mi, what do you think!"
What could he think? The princess had already made the decision for him. If he objected now, wouldn't that be an insult to the princess?