Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 17

The caravan traveled thousands of miles and spent nearly a year to finally reach its destination, but they were still unable to enter the city.

Lu Wei entered Xu Sheng's carriage and found that the other man had ridiculously hidden his entire body under a black robe, not revealing a single detail.

Thoughtfully, Lu Wei didn't ask any further questions. He calmly stated the purpose of his visit: "I'll deliver the Xiang family's goods to them now."

"You can arrange it yourself."

Xu Sheng's voice was hoarse, and he was unwilling to say a single word more.

"Okay," Lu Wei said without further ado, and decisively walked out of the gloomy carriage.

The mission was assigned to Shanyu Muye, and the caravan changed direction, heading towards the military camp on the outskirts of the city.

The general sent by the Xiang clan to negotiate was named Xiang Chan, courtesy name Bo, or Xiang Bo.

"I heard that the person in charge of organizing this caravan for the Farmer's Luqiu Pavilion is their young master, Xu Sheng, who is a very energetic young man."

Xiang Bo sized up the robust young man before him and slowly said:

"You don't seem to be Mr. Xu, do you?"

"I am indeed not Xu Sheng," the young man boldly met Xiang Bo's gaze for a long time, "but I am now the head of this caravan."

"Oh?" Xiang Bo stood up, his military bearing exuding arrogance: "May I ask your honorable name?"

"Zhao Ren, Lu Wei!"

Lu Wei also stood up. He knew that if he wanted to do good business with the Xiang family, he absolutely could not back down in the slightest!

Chapter 23 Trading

"Where is your young master Xu Sheng? Doesn't his deal with the Xiang family warrant his personal appearance?"

Xiang Bo spoke loudly, trying to overwhelm the boy opposite him with his imposing manner.

"General," Lu Wei said calmly, his demeanor unwavering. Xiang Bo's battlefield aura was no match for the killing intent of the net, and could not sway him in the slightest.

Is being aggressive a characteristic of the Xiang clan?

"How dare you..."

“Since I entered Xiang Jun’s camp, I have never asked about the general’s name or official rank, because I understand that the general has no personal identity here; you only represent the Xiang family.”

Xiang Bo was about to refute further, but Lu Wei interrupted him directly and took the opportunity to state his own position:

"And I have no selfish motives either; I represent the entire farming family."

"General, you keep asking why Young Master Xu doesn't show up. Are you trying to use the Xiang family's prestige in Chu to interfere in my peasant family's internal affairs?"

With lightning speed, he drew his fine iron sword and stabbed it into the table. Lu Wei secretly used some techniques of the Soul-Shaking Skill in his last words, making them sound resounding in the tent.

"Be bold!"

When Xiang Bo saw Lu Wei draw his sword, the two guards behind him immediately raised their long spears and aimed them at him.

Lu Yu, who had followed Lu Ye into Xiang Camp, also drew his longsword and stood protectively in front of his leader, facing Ge Tou.

The two sides glared at each other, and for a moment they seemed to be hostile to each other. However, if a fight broke out in Xiang Yu's camp, the peasants would obviously not have the advantage, especially since this was still Chu territory.

"Stop!" Xiang Bo shouted sternly, ordering the guards to step back. Lu Wei also raised his hand, signaling Yu Ye and the other to sheathe their swords.

"I was being rude on my part, and I hope Team Leader Lu will forgive me."

Xiang Bo changed his previously arrogant tone, bowed solemnly, and apologized to Lu Wei.

Lu Wei quickly drew back his fine iron sword and returned the courtesy: "You are too bold, young man. Please forgive me, General."

The probing between the two sides ended there, as if the conflict had never happened.

Xiang Bo looked up again, satisfied with the young man before him, his previous underestimation completely gone.

"Thank you for your hard work, Leader Lu, who brought the goods from the bitterly cold Yan region to our Xiang clan!" Xiang Bo clapped his hands, and immediately a soldier brought over an exquisite black wooden box: "These are pearls from the Eastern Sea of ​​Chu, all taken from the body of a single jade clam, totaling eighteen pearls, one large, four medium, and thirteen small."

"This is a small token of our gratitude. We hope that Team Leader Lu will not refuse it and will accept it."

"General, you are too kind, but..." Lu Wei looked at the pearls in the box, his face showing hesitation.

"This is a common specialty of my Chu Kingdom. If Team Leader Lu does not accept it, are you still blaming me for my rudeness just now?"

Xiang Bo's attitude was firm, but he had completely misunderstood Lu Wei's meaning.

"No, no," Lu Wei waved his hand to indicate that he dared not accept it; "It's not that I refuse, but as a disciple of a peasant family, I have no use for such luxury items. If the general doesn't mind... how about exchanging this box of pearls for an equivalent amount of gold?"

Lu Wei boldly spoke his true thoughts.

"this..."

This was the first time Xiang Bo had heard such a request. Looking at the almost yearning look in the young man's eyes, he slowly said, "Team Leader Lu will be staying in Shouchun, right? The gold will be presented later."

"Alright." Nodding reservedly, Lu Wei gestured with his palm towards the direction outside the tent: "Then, General, shall we go out and take a look at the goods?"

"That's how it should be!"

The two walked out of the tent side by side and arrived at the caravan parked outside the Xiang clan's camp. Xiang Bo's eyes gleamed as he strode to the front carriage and raised his hand... to stroke the horse pulling it.

"Good horse, good horse!"

"The horses of Yan and Zhao are famous throughout the world!" Lu Wei introduced with a smile, "The horses used in our caravan this time are all top-quality steeds, and they have doctors who take good care of them throughout the journey. Although about ten horses died on the way due to various reasons, most of them were brought over intact!"

"What a pity!" After mourning the dozen or so dead foals, Xiang Bo surveyed the entire caravan and continued, "Is this all? It seems to be quite a bit less than the number we ordered?"

"The follow-up caravans haven't arrived yet. I've already given the order that they will come to the Xiang family's camp as soon as they arrive in Shouchun!"

"Very good!"

Xiang Bo ordered his soldiers to bring an equal number of ordinary horses to exchange with the merchant caravan's horses. As he watched the fine steeds being delivered to the camp, he couldn't contain his joy and burst into laughter.

Xiang Bo pulled Lu Wei back into the military tent, where he ordered people to bring him fine wine and meat, which Lu Wei accepted without hesitation.

Although he was young and had never drunk strong liquor before, he relied on his profound inner strength and strong body to finish every toast in one gulp.

Lu Wei's generous behavior won him great favor with Xiang Jun, who was present. After a hearty meal and drinks, the discussion over drinks about new trade developments was even more satisfying for both of them.

Later that evening, with Xiang Bo personally seeing him off, a slightly drunk Lu Wei was helped into a carriage by Lu Yu. The goods from the trade would be delivered directly to the main hall of the farm, as had been agreed upon from the beginning.

After the carriage had traveled some distance, Lu Wei circulated his Rejuvenation Technique twice, and his drunkenness dissipated. He parted the small curtain and looked outside at the setting sun:

"Have you found a place to stay in Shouchun City?"

"Brother Shan has taken care of everything. We'll head into the city now."

Lu Yu guarded the entrance to the carriage, fulfilling her duties diligently.

------

"The Yan people have left?"

Inside the main tent of the Chu army, a middle-aged general stroked his beard and asked Xiang Bo, who had returned to report on the situation.

"Yes!" Xiang Bo replied with a smile. Since it was not a critical time, the members of the Xiang clan got along naturally like family members: "Uncle, the person sent by the Farmer's family to take charge this time is a boy of about sixteen or seventeen years old, from Zhao, named Lu Wei."

"He is a generous man, and this transaction went very smoothly. I also made an agreement with him that after he returns to Yan, I will continue to arrange small caravans to import fine horses into Chu every month!"

"Well done." Xiang Yan, the clan chief, couldn't help but smile upon hearing the news: "This is exactly what our Chu Kingdom desperately needs. Every time the Yan people bring horses, we buy them at a high price!"

“That’s what I think too,” Xiang Bo added. “This Lu Wei is quite fond of gold. When I give him jade oysters and pearls, he wants to exchange them for gold.”

"It's alright. It's a good thing that our friends from afar have these hobbies. You know what to do, right?" Xiang Yan didn't seem to mind at all; instead, her smile deepened.

"I've already given the orders; I guarantee the Zhao people will be satisfied!"

Xiang Bo nodded. He was always reliable in his work, so Xiang Yan didn't ask any further questions. "Take me to see those horses. As the commander-in-chief, I'm going to use my power to seek some personal gain~ Haha!"

...

That evening, a carriage bearing the Xiang family's insignia arrived at Lu Wei's temporary residence in Shouchun City. Four strong soldiers alighted from it, carrying a huge box, which they displayed to the astonished Lu Wei:

"Team Leader Lu, this is the promise my general made today, and we have brought it with us!"

"And this carriage," the leading soldier said, clasping his hands in a fist salute. "Our general has considered that the leader will be staying in Shouchun for several months, and that traveling will inevitably be inconvenient. With this carriage, we can save the leader a lot of trouble!"

"I appreciate General Xiang's kindness." Without any intention of refusing, Lu Wei decisively accepted the wooden box and carriage, and asked Lu Yu to take care of settling the Xiang family's carriage properly. He then carried the heavy box back to his room.

Lu Wei was stunned when he opened it, without even looking at it:

The first thing that catches the eye during the day is the small black box containing pearls. When opened, all eighteen round pearls of various sizes are present.

Beneath the black box, the room was completely covered in gold, roughly estimated to be no less than three hundred gold coins!

"The Xiang clan is quite worthy of my attention and goodwill."

Chapter 24 Zhou He

Lu Wei had originally spent fifty gold coins borrowed from the system shop, thirty-eight of which were used to purchase five newbie benefits. On his merchant journey, he spent five gold coins to buy a bottle of healing pills, giving one to each of Lu Mu and Xu Sheng.

Now the number in the upper left corner of the system is only seven.

In addition, Lu Wei received a hundred gold coins from Xu Sheng in Jicheng, but he did not use that hundred gold coins to invest in the system. Instead, he had Shan Yu Mu Ye exchange them for goods from the Yan Kingdom, which were then mixed into the caravan and sent to Shouchun, where they were to be sold to make a fortune.

Originally, Lu Wei would remain poor for a period of time before this batch of goods was sold out. Although he was entitled to use the caravan's funds after Xu Sheng completely delegated power, those funds belonged to the farmers.

Taking into account the current situation, Lu Wei did not want to leave any room for criticism regarding his character because of these petty gains.

If he had been the one who had first arrived in Jicheng, he would have definitely stolen the caravan's several hundred gold coins, transferred them into his system, and run away.

It's better not to stay at this lousy, cowardly farmhouse!

But now, neither the Xu family father nor son can return to Jicheng for the time being, and the Luqiu Pavilion is without a leader. With a large merchant caravan under his command, he can definitely compete for the position of 'acting leader'!

First, seize control of the peasant forces in the entire city of Ji. Then, secretly develop under the protection of the Xu family father and son in the state of Qi. After they are driven out by Tian Zhong, raise your arms and absorb the forces within the Gonggong Hall that oppose Tian Zhong, and officially step out to compete for the position of the next hall master!

This may sound a bit too idealistic, but it is indeed feasible and worth a try.

After all, the biggest anti-Tian Zhong force in Gonggong Hall right now might not be Xu Qiu, but the current hall master Zhou He!

Lu Wei did not believe that Zhou Tangzhu harbored no resentment towards the culprit, given that his grandson had been framed by Tian Zhong and forced to leave the farm.

The reason Zhou He didn't take action against Tian Zhong was probably partly because his position required him to appear impartial on the surface.

Even if his grandson was framed, and even if the murderer was still trying to become his heir, Zhou He could not directly take action against Tian Zhong.

On the other hand, Tian Zhong's willingness to betray his adoptive father, who had raised him for many years, and to join the Tian family's fierce tiger clan created an invisible pressure outside of Gonggong Hall.

Therefore, Zhou He, who is unable to personally retaliate against Tian Zhong, would certainly be happy to see more forces opposing Tian Zhong emerge within the Gonggong Hall.