"Sir, Mr. Shen invited you here today not for fun. I think Brother Yao has already told you about this."
Shen Laosan had a gloomy face and his eyes fell on Yang Dong.
When he heard the other party mentioning business, Yang Dong also restrained his pretense. He picked up the teacup and took a sip, then slowly said:
"In that case, just say what you want. What do you want me to do and what can you give me."
As soon as these words came out, even the experienced Shen Laosan couldn't help but look slightly startled.
He has been in the business district of the capital for many years and has seen too many scheming old foxes.
But this was the first time he had seen someone as straightforward and neat as Yang Dong.
Shen Laosan took a deep look at Yang Dong and couldn't figure out whether the young man was being honest or trying to cover up.
But soon, he woke up from his doubtful state.
Wait, the other party is from the palace.
With the aloof attitude of the princes and nobles in the palace, there was no need for him to pretend in front of a merchant like himself.
In other words, it was just a matter of a few words to kill him.
Thinking of this, Shen Laosan's eyes showed a hint of joy.
He was most afraid of meeting smart people, and Yang Dong's directness today suited him very well.
So he suppressed the anger in his heart, cupped his hands and asked:
"I feel ashamed to say that I haven't asked the young master for his surname yet?"
"Don't ask for my last name. It will do you no good if you find out."
Yang Dong raised his head and pointed at Shen Laosan with his chin, his momentum was particularly arrogant.
"If my name only has the character "dong", you can call me Mr. Dong."
"In this way, I have met Mr. Dong."
Shen Laosan bowed his hand again, but his tone became more respectful. Because at this moment, he already had a guess in his mind.
The identity of Mr. Dong is probably not simple. He is probably not the eunuch in the palace.
Although the Adam's apple is not prominent, it is still obvious if you look closely.
In addition, his voice was rough and rich, completely different from ordinary eunuchs.
Not only that, but the other party didn’t want to reveal his last name.
In today's Great Zhou Dynasty, there are only a few distinguished surnames.
Thinking of this, Shen Laosan couldn't help but take a deep breath, but immediately there was strong doubt in his eyes.
This Young Master Dong must be a member of the royal family if he can be served by eunuchs.
But isn't the current emperor Ji Chen the only one left in the royal family now?
Could it be that he is the son of some prince? But why don’t I remember which prince’s house had such a young heir apparent?
Shen Laosan is still guessing, but he has completely regarded Yang Dong as the heir apparent.
After pondering for a moment, he tentatively said:
"Since His Highness the Crown Prince asked his subordinates to contact the villain, he probably wants to get some benefits from the flood in Luozhou."
"It is a blessing for the villain's ancestors to be favored by His Highness the Crown Prince."
Clam?
His Royal Highness?
Could it be that Mr. Shen mistook me for the heir of a certain prince?
This fat man has great brain power.
Yang Dong praised him in his heart, but a sneer appeared on his face and he said arrogantly:
"I didn't expect that you, a mere businessman, have some discernment."
"Tell me, why do you want to see me?"
Seeing the other party's admission, Shen Laosan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Now that Lin Shoufu and His Majesty are on the same page, the prince behind the Crown Prince is expected to belong to His Majesty's side.
And looking at his unruly attitude, it seems that he is not a smart person.
It's better not to be smart, so that you can be a knife in my hand with peace of mind!
Shen Laosan thought so, with a hint of disdain in his eyes. But the smile on his face became more and more flattering.
"Since His Highness the Crown Prince asked me to speak frankly, I will boldly say a few words."
"You want to send someone to Luozhou to do business. I will work for the crown prince since then. Unfortunately, the journey is far away and the situation in Luozhou is very complicated."
"Originally, all the hard-earned money was earned during this trip. However, Commander Lin insisted on taking 30% of the profits from the merchants like me. As a result, it is really difficult for the merchants like us to survive."
After saying this, Shen Laosan looked aggrieved and bowed deeply to Yang Dong:
"His Royal Highness, can you possibly persuade His Majesty to let him be replaced by a disaster relief officer?"
Yang Dong's brows jumped, and a sneer appeared in his heart.
This Shen Laosan clearly regarded himself as a playboy in the prince's palace.
Letting Lin Luo be the chief official responsible for disaster relief was a compromise between the empress and Lin Chunqiu in the court.
Don't say that he is just a fake prince, even if a real prince comes, he can't do this at all.
There is no treachery, this fat man is just testing me!
Yang Dong immediately turned serious and scolded:
"Shen Laosan, you are so brave!"
"Whoever goes to Luozhou to provide disaster relief is determined by His Majesty's golden words."
"You are just a merchant, do you want to make the decision for His Majesty?"
When Shen Laosan heard this, his expression suddenly changed, and he immediately knelt down in front of Yang Dong, attracting frequent glances from all the diners.
But at this moment, he couldn't care so much, because Yang Dong's hat was too big!
If it comes to His Majesty's ears without paying attention, it will be a serious crime of beheading and ransacking the house.
"Your Highness, you are wronged! This villain did not mean this."
"The villain just thinks that Commander Lin's taking 30% of the profits is clearly affecting your income."
"I'm not very talented, but I guess that His Highness the Crown Prince will be able to earn tens of thousands of taels of silver from this trip. If 30% of it is divided..."
Yang Dong glanced deeply at Shen Laosan, his tone still condescending.
"You are smart and know how to use benefits to bind me."
"But it's only a few thousand taels of silver for me to offend Lin Shoufu."
"Shen Laosan, your calculations are too loud, right?"
Shen Laosan immediately kowtowed and begged:
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has misunderstood. I didn't mean this. I just wanted to ask Your Highness to make Commander Lin restrain himself."
"This matter is not difficult. It is just a matter of arranging an adjutant who is at odds with Lin Luo."
Yang Dong nodded slightly, and then his tone became cold again.
"But why would my prince do this?"
"Do you know how much energy this prince will consume if the imperial court suddenly adds an adjutant to go to disaster relief?"
"It's just a loss of several thousand taels, and I can't afford it!"
As soon as these words came out, Shen Laosan's face immediately darkened.
You can’t do it, but it’s extremely important to me!
On my trip to Luozhou, I made at least ten times the profit and made hundreds of thousands of taels of silver easily.
If the disaster in Luozhou is serious, it is not impossible to get millions of taels.
No, we have to think of a way to get His Royal Highness to take action!
Having made up his mind, Shen Laosan hurriedly said:
"Your Highness, I don't know how much it will cost the court to add a disaster relief adjutant."
"But I want to do my best to help you."
"Look, is there still room for discussion on this matter?"
