The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 1692 - 1686: With an Open Heart

Ninth Master Lee stared in disbelief at Wang Yongzhu, unable to regain his composure for quite some time. On the other hand, Song Chongjin couldn’t hold it in and spewed out a mouthful of tea with a "pfft" sound.

This sound brought Ninth Master Lee back to his senses, and he repeatedly chuckled bitterly: "You... how come even after getting married, you still speak so bluntly?"

Fortunately, he had already tucked away all those thoughts, and with Song Chongjin by his side, if word got out, he might be alright, but Wang Yongzhu’s reputation would certainly suffer.

Wang Yongzhu snorted, "What do you know? I call this frankness, speaking my mind! You must know that our His Majesty and the Empress over in the Capital City just love the way I speak."

This left no room for further conversation.

Especially for Ninth Master Lee, after all, he had pledged allegiance to the Empress for several years, working for her, and indeed he had received quite a few benefits from her.

The matter of Hongxiu Tianxiang, although initially infuriating, the way it was handled later on showed that the Empress was quite generous and sensible among the noble patrons.

The mother of a nation, with so many people eager to curry favor, who would pursue compensation from the Empress?

Not to mention, among other favored patrons in the palace, who would even offer compensation or say sorry?

They would subtly imply their intentions, and to be sensible, you would have to obediently offer them everything and beg them to accept it.

Those noble patrons might show some charity by giving a token reward if they felt like it.

Getting fifty thousand taels of Silver this time, apart from the Empress being sensible, naturally, it was inseparable from Wang Yongzhu.

He had thought that Wang Yongzhu must have used emotion and reason with the Empress, and perhaps made other promises to make her so generous.

But hearing these words today, did Wang Yongzhu just bluntly and openly lay it all out to the Empress?

Ninth Master Lee showed full puzzlement. He considered himself a clever person, but compared to Song Chongjin and his wife, his mind seemed somewhat slow.

Wang Yongzhu sneered, "Our present His Majesty and the Empress are both smart people. When dealing with smart people, can you win if you play mind games? It’s better to say whatever you have in mind. They might even think of you as straightforward, and view you more favorably! Does the Empress lack money? Yes! Yet she could produce fifty thousand taels of Silver to give us. It’s not just to show she is a sensible and benevolent national mother, but because I told her the truth, didn’t deceive or hide anything from her!"

These words sent both Ninth Master Lee and Song Chongjin into deep thought.

However, both quickly collected their thoughts and discussed the upcoming arrangements.

According to the messages from the Capital City, Gu Zikai is estimated to arrive in these few days.

As for Qin Bohan, his position is high and crucial, and he cannot leave at the moment.

Moreover, now is merely the stage of negotiation probing; who knows how many more rounds of tug-of-war negotiations lie ahead. He does not need to be present, just needs to establish a baseline, and let the people below take it from there.

When it truly comes down to making a decisive agreement, that’s when he would need to appear.

As Wang Yongzhu sarcastically pointed out, in a game of cards, you keep your trump card for the critical moment; there’s no need to lay it out at the beginning, is there? Do we need to give them such face?

Qin Bohan has already issued a public letter, appointing a few seasoned negotiators, along with some supporting staff, all of whom are traveling north with Gu Zikai.

Therefore, in these few days, Song Chongjin has been busy preparing reception arrangements.

After all, once these people arrive, they won’t be able to leave shortly; they will likely stay until the negotiations conclude and the treaty between the two nations is signed before they can return to the Capital City.

Thus, where they stay is quite significant.

A considerable number of people are coming, estimated at around ten, and they won’t be traveling alone; surely they will bring attendants to serve them on this long assignment.

Although the relay station in Chicheng County has been expanded and renovated in the past couple of years, it still can’t accommodate everyone, right?

Moreover, if all these people stay at the relay station, afraid that in the coming years, officials passing through Chicheng County on official business or reassignment wouldn’t have any place to stay.

Therefore, other methods must be considered to accommodate them properly.

Thanks to Song Chongjin’s good governance in Chicheng County over the past few years, combined with the presence of the trading market, merchants frequently come and go, increasing the number of inns and restaurants in the county town significantly.

Even residential houses have proliferated, with out-of-town merchants purchasing properties for a convenient stay in the future.

Local residents have also expanded their estates and rented them to out-of-town merchants.

Suffice to say, the land prices within Chicheng County have risen considerably.

Luckily, Wang Yongzhu has purchased numerous storefronts and houses in Chicheng County over the past few years.

There are a few small courtyards initially acquired together, adjacent to each other, and not far from the County Yamen, just two streets away. With some tidying up, they can accommodate people.

These people, perhaps two or three families, can be placed in the front and back courtyards or the east and west wings of a house, ensuring privacy. Behind closed doors, each becomes their own household, allowing for mutual responsiveness and supervision.

Song Chongjin had previously informed Wang Yongzhu to rent these courtyards under the name of the County Yamen, for the officials coming from the Capital City to reside in.

Conveniently, the tenant merchants vacated the rentals earlier, freeing up these courtyards, which have been cleaned and prepared for use. A few sturdy women and elderly gatekeepers have been arranged.

Should anything happen, they can deliver messages to this place.

As for Ninth Master Lee, Song Chongjin suggested he accompany them in the next round of negotiations. After all, regarding commercial matters, Song Chongjin and the others might not be as well-versed as Ninth Master Lee.

Some finer details might need his reminders.

Of course, it’s also to familiarize Ninth Master Lee with the situation, paving the way for him.

Ninth Master Lee understood clearly that he and Song Chongjin were in the same boat now, so there was no need for false reticence.

He nodded: "Don’t worry, I know what to do!"

Song Chongjin merely informed him, knowing that Ninth Master Lee is someone who can seize opportunities, and naturally, he wouldn’t miss this golden chance.

Ninth Master Lee is not only an opportunity-grabber but also someone who can read the room.

He knew that the next topic was probably not meant for him, so he got up to take his leave.

The main reason he came today was that Wang Yongzhu invited him over to see the instructions from the Empress.

Since he had seen and received the instructions, he naturally couldn’t linger. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Song Chongjin and Wang Yongzhu didn’t insist on him staying, merely seeing him off to the door.

After returning, the two of them began to discuss matters concerning Gu Zikai.

When he arrives, although Gu Changqing will ensure he has a master and attendants, they are unfamiliar with the situation in Saibei. Therefore, it’s necessary to arrange a few competent ones to help Gu Zikai establish a foothold.