Shao Xi had no choice but to patiently explain to Xiao Changyi: "Whether it is Dong Mu who bribed Southern Zhao, or someone else bribed them, we can still bribe them. Instead of spending money and food on conquest, it is better to use this money To bribe them for our use and confuse the mastermind behind the scenes is a counter-intuitive plan. In this way, we not only lose an enemy, but also gain an additional support. In the future, we will pacify the north and east. direction, leaving the south one, we can let them spit out as much as we gave out."
Xiao Changyi still felt a little uncomfortable. He hesitated and asked, "Is it worth it? Southern Zhao is only a small country and the actual threat to our country is not great. Is it worth giving them a large amount of money and food?"
"Your Majesty, you are right. A small country like Southern Zhao does not pose a big actual threat to us, but it can play a role in harassing us. As long as it harasses us, we will station a large number of troops in the south to prevent unexpected events. . In this way, our army will have to worry about dividing our troops. When we have a decisive battle with Dong Mu in the future, we will have to worry about our rear. If we bribe it, we will not have such worries. We can concentrate our main troops in the north and east. Two directions to the east. At the same time, you can use Nan Zhao's mouth to confuse the mastermind behind it. Sometimes giving the other party false information is more effective than getting the other party real information."
"That makes sense, so how does this work?"
"You can send a smart and capable person as an envoy to Southern Zhao. Firstly, you can find a way to find out who is behind the envoy. Secondly, you can open up all links of Southern Zhao and buy them all from the emperor to the ministers. . Although it will cost a lot of money, it is only a drop in the bucket compared to the labor expedition. In this way, the matter will be completed. "
Xiao Changyi stroked his beard and paced back and forth in the study, seeming to be weighing the pros and cons and considering the feasibility of the matter.
After a long time, Xiao Changyi finally made a decision.
"Shao Xi, I have decided. I will do as you say! I will immediately make a secret agreement, and you will go to Nan Zhao as an envoy to negotiate with the Emperor of Nan Zhao on my behalf. If you can accomplish this for me, I will definitely treat you when you come back. You reward me heavily."
Shao Xi's head buzzed, and he thought to himself: "Can you please stop being such a sheep? Why do you come to me for everything?"
"Your Majesty, I'm used to being lazy. You'd better find someone else to do this kind of hard work! I'm young and I'm afraid I won't be able to control the situation by then."
Anyone who dared to talk to the Holy Master like this on ordinary days would probably have had ten or eight heads chopped off.
But now Shao Xi is different. In Xiao Changyi's eyes, Shao Xi is already a rare talent, and he is so young, so he is naturally more tolerant of him.
"Shao Xi, you came up with this method. You should know what to do better than others. Besides, this matter is confidential. There are not many trustworthy people around me, and you are one of them, so this matter must be done by you. However, You don’t have to worry about hard work. This mission still needs to be prepared. It will take at least two months before it can be carried out. Moreover, I have no requirements on the time of your mission. You don’t have to worry about this journey. When will you arrive in Nanzhao? It’s up to you to decide when to come back.”
Shao Xi wanted to refuse again, but after thinking about it, forget it. The emperor and the old boy have already given you face. If you continue to show off your nose and face, they might want to deal with you, so go ahead!
"Since your Majesty has said so, then I will go and make a trip! I will try my best to complete this matter. If it fails, your Majesty cannot blame me."
Xiao Changyi raised his head and smiled, and said quite openly: "You just have to let go of your hands and feet to do this. I still understand the principle that people decide what to do and what to do depends on God. As long as you do your best, the success or failure of this matter will come back." I will be richly rewarded. In addition, I will draw up another edict for you to take with you. During your mission, you will be treated as if I were personally present wherever you go. Officials at all levels must facilitate you. Anyone who violates this will be deceived. Discuss."
What a guy! Shao Xi was happy when he heard this. This was like giving himself a Shangfang sword! Isn't it always sideways wherever you go?
"Wei Chen will do his best to fulfill his mission and live up to His Majesty's trust in Wei Chen."
"From now on, I allow you not to kneel down in informal situations, and you don't need to address me as a humble minister when talking to me. In short, just be casual with me when no one is around. This is another privilege I give you."
"Your Majesty, couldn't you have said this earlier? I'm exhausted from doing this every day."
Xiao Changyi laughed loudly. He liked this young man more and more now. Deep down in his heart, he even thought about how great it would be if this was really his son! Thinking of this, Xiao Changyi suddenly had a new idea, but he had to wait until Shao Xi came back from his mission.
"I still need to convene officials from various ministries to discuss and prepare for this matter. When you leave, I will hand over the secret agreement and the edict to you. You can only rely on yourself for the rest. There is nothing else to do today. You first Go back! If anything happens, I will summon you to see you."
After Shao Xi bowed and saluted, he left the imperial study and headed towards the silver gate.
After leaving the palace city, the first place Shao Xi went to was Taihe Trading Company. The two glazed beads presented by the envoy of the Eastern Mu State in the Linde Hall today must have been purchased at Taihe Trading Company, so he went to Taihe Trading Company to verify this matter.
As soon as he entered the door, a waiter recognized him and hurriedly came up to say hello. After serving tea, he ran to the back hall to ask shopkeeper Cao to come out.
Shopkeeper Cao came out, and after a few words of greeting, they went to shopkeeper Cao's room.
"Master Shao, you came just in time. I was about to send someone to the inn to invite you. The property you asked me to buy for you a few days ago has been taken care of for you. It is a large house in the east of the city. The main house has three floors. . It was originally built by a wealthy businessman from the Western Regions who spent huge sums of money to build it, but something happened before he could move into his home. He had to sell the house and return to the Western Regions. He will never return to the Central Plains again."
Now that I am a fourth-rank official after all, it is unreasonable to always live in an inn. Now that I have purchased the property, I have a stable place to live, so I am naturally happy.
"Thank you, Shopkeeper Cao, for taking the trouble. I wonder when I can move in?"
"The house has been tidied up, and all the necessary household items have been purchased. Tomorrow, the young master can bring his family to move in. Nothing else is missing. I only need Mr. Shao to give his house a nickname. I have sent someone. Go and finish the plaque."
Shao Xi lowered his head and thought for a while, and realized that he was in Feng Yuyan's body as soon as he time-traveled. In that season full of frost and snow, he was taken in by the Tote tribe under the setting sun. In the blink of an eye, it had been more than ten years.
"Then there is shopkeeper Lao Cao. Let's write 'Shuangxue Pavilion' on the plaque! In addition, add a plaque to the place where you study and drink tea and call it 'Xiyan Pavilion'!"
Shopkeeper Cao gave a thumbs up and said, "The name Mr. Shao chose is indeed elegant."
"Shopkeeper Cao, I wonder how much money I spent on this property? I can deduct it from my income from the consignment later."
Shopkeeper Cao took out a letter and put it in front of Shao Xi, and said with a smile: "Whether it is buying a house or purchasing a set of household items, we will not charge a penny, and Mr. Shao will also waive all commissions on the items sold on consignment. This is what we What the big shopkeeper means, there is a letter here. The letter mentioned that the big shopkeeper encountered horse bandits when he went to the grassland of Hezhou. Fortunately, Mr. Shao helped the young lady to escape. Therefore, he ordered us to deal with him once we meet Mr. Shao. I will buy a property for Mr. Shao to settle down in Daliang City. No matter what Mr. Shao buys or sells in our Taihe Trading Company, no commission will be charged. All expenses will be borne by the big shopkeeper. This is what the big shopkeeper wants. We will wait for you. Don’t dare to violate it.”
Shao Xi was dumbfounded. Isn't this Zhang Huanzhi too arrogant? Forget it without commission, he can buy a big house for himself and he will pay for it. Who owes a favor to whom now?
Originally he wanted to refuse, but shopkeeper Cao didn't listen to him at all, telling him that if he didn't want to accept it, he could negotiate with the boss in person when he came back, and they just followed the instructions.
Shao Xi's whole body was numb! I have heard of forced buying and selling, but I have never heard of forced giving. I just killed a bandit and saved Zhang Wan. This reward is too scary!
However, looking at the meaning of shopkeeper Cao opposite him, he could only go back and talk to Zhang Huanzhi about this matter.
"In that case, I have thanked Shopkeeper Cao. As for the big shopkeeper, I can only thank him after he comes back."
"Young Master Shao, you're welcome. This is what we should do. As for the things Mr. Shao has consigned, if you are not in a hurry to use the money, we can sell all the consigned things and hand them over to you together. I will send someone to Mr. Shao’s house to ask Mr. Shao to come to our bank to collect the money.”
"Okay, then it's time for you. Actually, I came here this time to ask Shopkeeper Cao about something, but I don't know if Shopkeeper Cao can't disclose it?"
After shopkeeper Cao pondered for a moment, he raised his head and said, "Since Mr. Shao is our great shopkeeper's benefactor, as long as it doesn't involve the secrets of the court, I can just ask."
"I want to know, how many of the remaining eight Yunxia glazed beads I consigned to you have you sold? To whom?"
Shopkeeper Cao breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that this was what he was asking about.
"So that's what happened! Of the eight Yunxia glazed beads that Mr. Shao consigned to us, only two have been sold so far. The person who bought the glazed beads is the owner of the young master's house."
"That wealthy businessman from the Western Regions? The one who went back and never came to the Central Plains again?"
"Yes, it's him. After this person bought a pair of Yunxia Glazed Beads from us two days ago, he set off directly back to the Western Regions without staying too much in Daliang City."
Shao Xi asked, "Are you sure he left after buying the beads?"
Although shopkeeper Cao was a little puzzled, he still answered patiently: "I'm sure, because he is a regular customer of ours, so before leaving, I sent a clerk from the firm to take him out of the city and watched him and his family leave with my own eyes. of."
"Do you know if this person has any business dealings with Dongmu Country?"
"Probably not. He has been traveling between the Western Regions and Daliang. I have never heard of him having business dealings with Dongmu State."
At this moment, Shao Xi thought of the man in black robe, the enemy of Fengjiazhuang mentioned by Old Wu. Shao Xi desperately searched for the appearance of the man in black robes in Feng Yuyan's memory, but to no avail.
Suddenly Shao Xi was stunned. He found the appearance of another person in his memory - Gao Cai!
