Chapter 497: Chapter 498: Buying In
Lu Shenggen didnāt mind. In the entire government office, only the three of them hadnāt invested yet, which made them rather conspicuous.
Since they had come to an agreement, he didnāt mind contributing a little extra.
In fact, he had a faint premonition and considered putting in his private silver, which he had set aside for emergencies.
He gritted his teeth and finally said it aloud. "In addition to the share the three of us are pooling for, Iād like to invest in another share by myself."
He Gaofei asked, "Arenāt you afraid youāll end up with nothing at all?"
"My talents may be average," Lu Shenggen said, "but I know enough to go with the flow.
Mrs. Gu was able to build such a massive enterprise in such a short time and become an Imperial Merchant. She must have her own unique methods.
Besides, how long has she even been in Lu City? The entire back office is already running in an orderly fashion, and she has opened several shops with swift and decisive action.
I donāt think sheās venturing into sea trade for no reason. She must have her motives."
"Hmph," He Gaofei said with a dismissive look. "If you had a few secret recipes, you might be even more impressive than her.
Besides, sheās the Magistrateās wife and has General Zhou backing her. Here in Lu City, she holds all the cards.
I donāt understand why they need to raise so much silver from so many people. But just think about itāin only a few days, how many people throughout Lu City have thrown their silver at her?
I suspect this is just a disguised form of wealth accumulation. If it werenāt for the fact that weāre in the middle of nowhere and our memorials have to pass through General Zhou and Mr. Gu, Iād write a report to impeach her myself."
"Mr. He, thatās a bit of an extreme accusation," Lu Shenggen countered. "Sheās made it perfectly clear that the accounts will be made public for all to see, and the profits will be distributed proportionally. Thatās not wealth accumulation at all.
To get a return, you must first make an investment. Mr. He, your speculation is clearly out of line."
"Say what you will," He Gaofei retorted. "Weāll see how it turns out eventually. Just donāt come crying to us when you lose all your silver."
"Hmph. Rest assured, Mr. He. Even if I lose a bit of silver, Iāll just chalk it up to a lesson learned. Iām more worried that when weāre raking in a fortune, some people might just turn green with envy."
"In that case," He Gaofei said, "Iāll offer you my congratulations in advance.
Donāt worry, Iām not that petty. If you really do make money, Iāll throw you a banquet to celebrate."
"In that case, itās a deal," Lu Shenggen replied. "Iāll be waiting for your banquet, Mr. He."
He Gaofei didnāt want to engage with him any longer and went back to his work.
But Wu Yichen, who was standing nearby, pulled him aside. "Why are you being so stubborn about this? The three of us pooling our funds for one share is already good enough.
Itās not that Iām siding with Mr. He this time, but this whole affair really does seem a bit unreliable.
If something really goes wrong at sea, not even the Jade Emperor himself could do anything about it.
I think you should listen to Mr. He this time. Donāt be so obstinate."
"My mind is made up," Lu Shenggen insisted. "Consider it the biggest gamble of my life. But I have a feeling that this time, Iām going to win."
"Then suit yourself." Wu Yichen stroked his beard and returned to his desk.
When Wenheng walked in again, he saw that the room looked much as it had when he left, yet he couldnāt quite put his finger on what felt off.
...
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"Theyāre finally here."
Hearing the report, Vice General Wang actually breathed a sigh of relief.
His adjutant standing nearby chuckled. "Since when have we become so eager for bandits to arrive?"
"Of course we are," Vice General Wang said. "Weāve already scouted the location. All weāre missing now is the manpower.
Their arrival is perfectly timed. Mr. Gu was just saying he wants to raise some livestock. Having these guys tend to them would be perfect."
General Li meekly interjected, "They havenāt landed yet. What if theyāre envoys?"
"A bunch from some paltry island dares call themselves national envoys?" Vice General Wang scoffed. "Have you forgotten the last guy who claimed to be an envoy? Heās still out in the wastelands pulling weeds."
"General Wang," General Li said, "do you have some misunderstanding about your subordinate?"
"How would I dare?" Vice General Wang said sarcastically. "For men like us who fought our way up with blade and spear, our efforts arenāt as effective as a single letter from someone else.
General Li, you tell me, am I making any sense?"
Noticing the hostile glares from the others, General Li quickly explained, "I have said it before. I correspond with Shangjing, but that is only because I have a family connection with the Minister of Rites. I have not been trying to cause trouble for any of you.
General Wang, please donāt be so sarcastic every time we speak. I havenāt said anything against you."
"Hah," Vice General Wang sneered. "Didnāt you just send a letter to Shangjing yesterday?"
"What? Am I not even allowed to write a family letter now?"
"I hope thatās all it was," Vice General Wang said.
"Hmph," Li Ji muttered, turning his head away. "How ridiculous."
His reaction only made him look guilty to everyone present. They didnāt even need to investigate to guess the contents of that letter.
Vice General Wang and the others ignored him, each grabbing their gear and heading to their assigned positions.
Li Jiās expression darkened. He grabbed his sword and hurried after them.
Wenheng also received the news that many ships of unknown origin had appeared at sea. Vice General Wang had sent word for them to prepare as well.
Wenheng didnāt hesitate. He immediately summoned all arrest officers and guards, ordering them to seal the city gates and permit no one to enter or exit.
The enemy had clearly come prepared. Using their advantage on the water, they launched relentless provocations.
Zhou Shiong, along with his officers and soldiers, stood with arms crossed, watching the enemy put on their little show. They even sat down to rest every now and then.
This blatant contempt for their opponents only served to further infuriate the enemy party.
When a small boat reached the shore, a short man began shouting that he was an envoy and demanded to speak with the Great General.
Zhou Shiong agreed.
"Rongchao General, many subjects of my nation came here to conduct business but have yet to return. I ask that the Rongchao General help find them."
At this, Vice General Wang shot a glance at Li Ji. "Certain people are always saying we military generals are ignorant of proper etiquette and are a disgrace to the scholarly arts.
I wonder what kind of judgment General Li would pass on someone like this, who acts so arrogantly right from the start and doesnāt even announce his origins?"
Li Ji replied, "General Wang, thereās no need to be so passive-aggressive. We are colleagues serving the same court. This is not the time for infighting. Weāll only make ourselves a laughingstock."
"Tch. Spoken like a true military general who used to be a civil servant. That mouth of yours always has to have the last word," Vice General Wang laughed. "How about I have a word with the Great General? Suggest he let you go negotiate with them?"
Li Ji, "..."
Just then, Xiao Xianfeng, who had been standing behind Li Ji, pushed his way to the front. He sized up the stout man and said, "Who are you? Donāt you even state your name and origin?
Or are you too ashamed to speak your masterās name?"
The soldiers and officers behind him roared with laughter. Truth be told, they really looked down on a man of his short stature, wondering if he was even capable of farming.