Chapter 429 - 267: Shattering Their Golden Body
Chapter 429: Chapter 267: Shattering Their Golden Body
"Aren’t you afraid of being discovered by the Ji State Trading Company?"
"I am. That’s why I came to you to buy grain."
Lou Yuxue’s reply was terse. Before Cui Qingwu could retort, she waved a hand and said, "If you have no other questions, let’s move on to the next few matters."
Cui Qingwu’s smile froze. She shot Lou Yuxue an annoyed glance but said nothing more.
’Although I have no interest in the White Tiger Guard or the Ji State Trading Company, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the show.’
’Especially with Liu Wu present.’
’I’m curious to see what abilities this man possesses to have earned the Pavilion Master’s high regard.’
But the first thing Lou Yuxue said left her stunned.
"Liu Wu, things are going more smoothly than anticipated."
"The grain shipment is still on its way, but news from King Landu has already arrived, which works even more in our favor."
"First thing tomorrow morning, my people will start a rumor—that Asutai, son of the Left King, is currently in Shu State."
Chen Yi nodded. Just as he was about to speak, Cui Qingwu stared at them and shouted, "Wait."
"You... The ’Left King’ you mentioned... you mean *the* Left King of the Barbarian Race?"
Seeing the expression on her face, Lou Yuxue felt a great sense of satisfaction.
’So much for putting on the airs of a young miss from the Cui Family. Look how shocked you are now, huh?’
"Who else in this world besides Mu Hage bears the title ’Left King’?"
"You ask Lord Simurgh Phoenix such an obvious question."
Cui Qingwu ignored her taunt. Composing herself, she asked with a peculiar expression,
"This is a huge matter. How could you dare to keep it from the Lord General?"
"And what makes you so sure I didn’t?"
"But earlier..."
Lou Yuxue cut her off. "I didn’t know then."
At that, Cui Qingwu frowned. "Then why didn’t you say anything just now?"
"I’m telling you now, so I’m not keeping it from you..."
Seeing the two Silver Banner Officers bickering endlessly, Chen Yi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"Ladies," he interjected, "if you two keep arguing, it’ll be morning."
Lou Yuxue acted as if she hadn’t heard him and continued, "In any case, you understand the stakes. If you want to back out, I won’t stop you."
At these words, the displeasure on Cui Qingwu’s face vanished instantly. She rested her hands on her crossed knees, assuming the perfect posture of a well-bred lady.
"Who said I want to back out?"
"I most certainly intend to take part in something this interesting."
’No matter how big of an uproar the news of the Left King’s son in Shu State might cause, I only know one thing: he must end up in my hands.’
’No, to be precise, I need to deliver him into Chen Yunfan’s hands.’
’Then, with the credit for capturing the Left King’s son, Chen Yunfan is certain to receive a commendation from the Holy Emperor.’
’A promotion and a title will be well within his grasp.’
Chen Yi, of course, had no idea what Cui Qingwu was thinking. He just found the situation amusing.
’As the saying goes, three women are enough for a drama.’
’It’s a good thing there are only two of them, Cui Qingwu and Lou Yuxue. If there were one more, I’m afraid they’d tear this room apart.’
"Let’s get back to the plan."
"After the news gets out tomorrow, those grain companies will definitely adjust their prices again. I estimate it will rise to ten taels of silver per shi."
Lou Yuxue frowned. "Ten taels?"
"Aren’t they afraid the Government Office will open its granaries and release grain to suppress the price?"
Cui Qingwu smiled. "With the Ji State Trading Company’s methods, they’re more than capable of convincing the Government Office to delay its intervention."
"After all, those guys have pulled this stunt more than once at the northern Mutual Markets. They’re old hands at it."
Chen Yi chimed in with a smile, "And if the Government Office does intervene, it won’t hurt us either."
He was certain Liu Hong wouldn’t take the initiative to become a thorn in the Ji State Trading Company’s side.
At least, not anytime soon.
Lou Yuxue took a deep breath and gestured for him to continue. "Go on."
Chen Yi gave a slight nod. "Then, after three to five days, they’ll inevitably start liquidating their stock in large quantities to avoid eating into their profits."
"Which is why I’ve prepared two plans."
Originally, he had only one plan, but after Cui Qingwu confirmed she was in, he added a second one on the fly.
"The first plan is to release a new piece of information every two days. This will make the grain companies postpone their plans to cash in."
Lou Yuxue couldn’t help but ask, "You have more information?"
Chen Yi shook his head. "I don’t."
"But once we release the information about Asutai tomorrow, any subsequent rumor connected to King Landu or the Barbarian Mu Hage will seem plausible."
Cui Qingwu couldn’t help but applaud. "A brilliant move."
"I never thought that on top of your astonishing talent in Martial Arts, you’d also have such a thorough understanding of human nature."
"This move of yours seems simple, but you’ve actually got both the Ji State Trading Company and the people of Shu State eating out of the palm of your hand."
"For one, it makes the Ji State Trading Company unwilling to part with the profits that seem so close at hand."
"And for another, you can use the mouths of the Shu State populace to turn fiction into fact."
"By the time anyone learns the truth, it’ll be too late to turn back."
She paused, then shot Lou Yuxue a disdainful look. "And to think you’re a Silver Banner Officer of the White Tiger Guard. You don’t even understand the concept of fishing in troubled waters."
Lou Yuxue, knowing her own reaction had been a bit slow, simply turned her head and ignored her.
Chen Yi, on the other hand, nodded in admiration. "When the tide turns, anyone standing in its way will be swept away."
"Let alone those insatiably greedy merchants."
"I predict they won’t just refuse to stop; they’ll add fuel to the fire themselves. It wouldn’t be impossible for the price to rise from ten taels of silver per shi to twenty."
Here, Chen Yi’s tone shifted.
"I assume you have no objections to the first plan. In that case, let me tell you about the second."
Lou Yuxue pursed her lips. "Go on."
"This second plan is a bit risky, but the rewards are immense."
"I want to proactively contact those grain companies and purchase a large quantity of grain from them directly."
Cui Qingwu’s eyes lit up when she heard this. "You mean, pulling the rug out from under them?"
But as soon as she said it, she recanted.
"No, that’s not it. If we just intercept their deal, at most the Ji State Trading Company would lose face. It wouldn’t damage their foundation."
"Tell me, what are you really planning?"
Chen Yi smiled. "I can tell you, but I have one condition, which I hope Miss Cui will accept."
Cui Qingwu’s gut told her he was trying to set a trap, but after a moment’s thought, she didn’t believe she’d be the one to fall into it.
She nodded at once. "Let’s hear it."
Chen Yi’s smile widened. "I want you, Miss Cui, to be the one who purchases the grain."
Cui Qingwu was taken aback. She pointed to herself. "Me?"
When Chen Yi nodded, her expression immediately soured.
"Liu Wu, I haven’t even settled our old scores, and you’re already scheming against me."
Chen Yi’s expression didn’t change as he looked at her. "Doesn’t Miss Cui want to personally shatter the Ji State Trading Company’s invincible image?"
"I..."
Just as Cui Qingwu was about to argue further, a thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.
’Shattering the Ji State Trading Company’s invincible image would be beneficial to me, to the Cui Family, and to Chen Yunfan.’
’Even though I know that the true nature of the Ji State Trading Company is a secret only circulated among a few Noble Families and Ministers of the Court... if I pull this off, my prestige in Shu State will soar, which would be a great help to my future plans.’
At this thought, Cui Qingwu cleared her throat. "Lord Dragon Spear, I accept your condition."
Lou Yuxue was stunned for a second, then let out a derisive laugh.
"Weren’t you so righteously refusing just a moment ago, Miss Cui? What made you change your mind so quickly?"
Cui Qingwu ignored the jibe, her gaze fixed on Chen Yi, waiting for him to continue.
Seeing this, Chen Yi didn’t keep her in suspense any longer and explained the rest in a low voice.
After listening, Cui Qingwu’s beautiful eyes instantly lit up. "Excellent!"
"I never expected you to be so strategic! If this plan succeeds, I will be sure to give you a magnificent gift!"
Lou Yuxue, listening from the side, was also amazed. She was truly stunned by the scale of Chen Yi’s plan.
"It’s one interlocking scheme after another. If I were part of the Ji State Trading Company, this would give me nightmares."
Chen Yi just smiled, paying no mind to their praise. He waved his hand and said,
"In that case, let’s proceed with the second plan."
"Once the news is out, we’ll be counting on Miss Cui to work her magic."
A rare look of excitement appeared on Cui Qingwu’s face. Instead of the harsh words she’d used before, she spoke with a touch of arrogance.
"When my Cui Family makes a move, how could a few mere grain merchants dare to refuse?"
"True enough..."
The three then fleshed out the rest of the plan’s details before going their separate ways.
Whether by forgetfulness or by design,
none of the three mentioned the silver coins for the earlier grain purchase.
Chen Yi: ’I came up with the strategy, I gathered the intelligence, and I’m the one who’ll have to fight when things get dangerous. It would be pretty shameless of them to ask me for money.’
Lou Yuxue: ’She’s taking most of the credit, so what’s wrong with me getting a little silver out of her?’
Cui Qingwu: ’Good thing I left quickly. Otherwise, I’d owe them a favor, and wouldn’t they just take advantage of me then?’
The three of them had their own schemes, yet each got what they wanted.
This was especially true for Chen Yi.
The moment he left the Spring Rain Building, he headed straight for Liu Lang and the others.
He was still carrying nearly three hundred thousand taels of silver, and it needed to be spent.
Just then, a brilliant golden light flared before his eyes—
[Daily Intelligence: Earth-level Lower Grade...]