Yu Jing and Yang Zhen looked at each other and said helplessly,
"I feel ashamed of my high expectations for the Prime Minister and was unable to find out the content of their discussion."
"What? What happened?"
Gongsunhe was shocked.
Yu Jing recounted everything that happened in Zuixian Tower.
"This King You is too presumptuous!"
Yu Jing and Yang Zhen, together with Gongsun He, can be said to have experienced both prosperity and loss.
Hearing that they were humiliated by Ji Lie, Gongsun Qing on the side suddenly became furious.
But Gongsun He's expression became solemn.
"Don't worry, Prime Minister Guo. Before King You went, his subordinates warned the nobles and merchants."
"Even if we weren't there, those people wouldn't dare to make trouble with us if they wanted to come."
Yang Zhen comforted softly.
"Having said that, King You is willing to come forward in person. I'm afraid he has already thought of a countermeasure."
Gongsunhe did not relax, but instead frowned more and more.
Judging from the previous confrontations between the two sides, Ji Lie's methods are quite clever, and it is absolutely impossible to relax confidence in him.
But now Yu Jing and Yang Zhen were both driven back by this guy.
If you want to know what methods Ji Lie used, you can only wait until the Zhao's Trading Company completes its negotiations with a group of noble families and merchants.
Gongsun He did not dare to neglect, and immediately called a few followers and asked them to keep an eye on Zui Qingfeng.
Once Ji Lie and others have finished talking, try to find out what they talked about.
Several people were sitting in the lobby, waiting impatiently.
After Ji Lie and others concluded their discussion, several followers approached several noble families and merchants.
Through threats, Gongsun He and others finally learned the specific content of the negotiation.
After everyone heard this, they were all stunned.
No one expected that Ji Lie would come up with such an idea.
By sharing the benefits of Zuixian Brewing to a number of noble families and businesses.
Collect huge deposits from them.
Not only did he skillfully resolve this crisis, but he also tied those noble families and business houses to himself.
While the power of the royal family has been strengthened, it has greatly weakened the power of the Gongsun family!
Gongsunhe felt his scalp numb, and a chill shot up from his back to the sky.
His ability to dominate the Netherland was not just due to his status as the Prime Minister of the country.
What's more important is that the Gongsun family is huge, and the nobles in Youdi have always been led by the Gongsun family.
But now so many noble families and merchants have turned to Ji Lie, which means that Gongsunhe's control of Youdi has become fragile!
If Ji Lie continues to develop, I am afraid that soon he will be able to take away the power of Youdi from the Gongsun family!
"King You is so cunning!"
Yu Jing and Yang Zhen both took a deep breath, their hearts filled with shock.
Even if you know Ji Lie's actions, what can you do?
The booming business of Zuixian Brewing and its high profits have already made the rich and powerful in Youzhou City jealous.
If it weren't for Gongsun He, Yu Jing and Yang Zhen would have wanted to pay a deposit to participate.
Under such circumstances, unless Gongsunhe can come up with enough benefits.
Otherwise, they would have no choice but to watch the nobles and merchants fall to Ji Lie.
This is a conspiracy!
"Dad, we have to think of something."
Gongsun Qing was restless.
"Of course I know how to think of something!"
Gongsunhe said angrily.
But the Black Mountain bandits have been destroyed, Ji Lie has hundreds of elite soldiers in his hands, and many nobles and merchants have defected to him.
At the moment, Gongsunhe is at the end of his rope and can't think of a way to deal with Ji Lie.
"What about the imperial court? Did you say when will a new Sheren be sent?"
Yu Jing asked cautiously.
"No, I'm afraid the new one won't come for a while."
Gongsunhe shook his head.
It's been less than a month, and I'm afraid the envoy he sent has not yet arrived in the capital.
Even if they arrive in the capital, given the complicated and complicated work efficiency of the imperial court, it will take at least three months for the new lord to take office.
By then, I’m afraid the day lilies will be cold!
After hearing what he said, everyone was at their wits' end for a moment!
How did Ji Lie become so powerful after recovering from his madness?
Gongsunhe took a deep breath and said in a deep voice,
"Liu Youxin!"
"The villain is here!"
"From today on, you will keep an eye on the Zhao family. If Zhao Meiniang does anything unusual, come and report it in time!"
"The villain takes orders!"
Liu Youxin said respectfully.
"Yu Changshi, Captain Yang, you don't have to be nervous."
Gongsunhe comforted him softly,
"As long as we all perform our duties and prevent Ji Lie from grasping the situation, the power of Youdi will always be in our hands."
"What Guocheng said is absolutely true!"
Yu Jing and Yang Zhen responded in unison, feeling much more at ease in their hearts.
After some further discussion, Yu Jing, Yang Zhen, and Liu Youxin stood up and left one after another.
As soon as they left, Gongsun He's face turned gloomy.
He thought for a while and said to Gongsun Qing,
"Write a letter for my father. Qing'er, you will send someone to deliver it to the Hu people in the north."
"Ah? Father plans to contact the Hu people?"
Gongsun Qing couldn't help being surprised!
"That's right!"
Gongsunhe nodded heavily.
"But if someone discovers it, our Gongsun family... will be doomed!"
Gongsun Qing swallowed, unable to hide the timidity in his heart.
The Hu people are barbaric and cruel by nature, and often plunder the borders of Youzhou.
For them, Daxia Dynasty was quite disgusted.
According to the laws of Daxia, anyone who interacts with the Hu people privately will be treated as treason and the whole family will be executed!
The Gongsun family covers the sky with only one hand in Youdi. Previously, for the sake of profit, they secretly had many contacts with the barbarians.
It's just that he was extremely careful in doing things and never let anyone find out.
If this matter is known to the court, there will be no need for Ji Lie at all, and the Daxia army will crush the Gongsun family!
"Don't worry, Qing'er, my father is just preparing for a rainy day. My father will not rely on foreigners unless absolutely necessary."
Gongsunhe consoled him.
Naturally, he knew the consequences of being discovered by the court to have dealings with barbarians.
It's just that Ji Lie's talent and courage really made Gongsun He feel like he was carrying a burden.
He must prepare in advance. If one day Ji Lie wants to take away the power of the Gongsun family, he will definitely fight to the death with Ji Lie!
…
On the day after the negotiation ended, many people took the initiative to hand over their money.
By noon of the second day, all the nobles and merchants had paid the deposit in accordance with the agreed amount.
After counting, there were a total of 800,000 taels of silver and more than 7,000 acres of land.
The total value has exceeded one million taels of silver!
Such a huge number, not to mention Zhao Meiniang, Zhang Changde and others, even Ji Lie was surprised!
Ji Lie's feudal kingdom was only a county.
But if these noble families and merchants join forces, they can collect millions of taels of silver.
Looking at the entire Great Xia Dynasty, there were more than a hundred counties, wouldn't there be hundreds of millions of silver?
The annual financial income of the Great Xia Dynasty was only one to twenty million silver.
No wonder that in the last years of the dynasty, the government's finances were tight and the people were in dire straits.
Most of the wealth was swallowed up by the powerful.
