"How could it be? I've already thought about it for Brother Wang. As long as you negotiate a good price, plus the reward from King Rong, and put aside the losses during transportation, you might be able to earn a full 10%." Yes, this is even the middleman. The part that enriched his own pockets was all settled by Wang Chong.
Wang Chong looked at Zhao Gao very suspiciously and looked him up and down. No matter how he looked at him, he felt that this guy must be covered in invisible fox fur, and there should be a round fox tail wagging behind him.
"Brother Wang, what are you looking at?" Zhao Gao couldn't help but ask, seeing that his eyes were always wandering behind him. He looked around.
Wang Chong replied with a slumped face: "Look at the tail." Mo Yimo complained again: "Just for that 10% profit, my brothers worked hard and had to drink mare's kumiss on the grassland for an extra year and gnaw on it. Young grass is not cost-effective...it is not cost-effective!"
Zhao Gao was so delicate that he didn't know what Wang Chong's first sentence meant, so he naturally ignored it, but the following sentence... He knew very well that if he wanted to win over Wang Chong, he couldn't be as righteous as Zhao Zheng and Li Mu. To sum it up, just talk about money.
After thinking about this, he said leisurely: "But I will let you work harder. After our people take over and get familiar with King Rong, you can come back. As long as you come to Qin during the introduction, you will be exempted from taxes for another three years, how about it?"
"Just three years of exemption?" The true nature of a certain businessman was exposed, and he obviously wanted to take advantage of the situation.
Zhao Gao couldn't laugh or cry: "How many more years do you want?"
While Zhao Gao was speaking, Zhao Zheng, who had been silent all this time, suddenly looked at Wang Chong with a sinister look, making Wang Chong tremble. Suddenly thinking of something, Wang Chong put away his nonchalant expression and asked, "Brother, do you really want me to join Qin?"
Zhao Gao did not directly answer Wang Chong's words, but he also got serious and talked about another matter: "Brother Wang, do you know that there are two kinds of people in the world today."
"Tell me about it." Wang Chong obviously didn't know what medicine he was selling in his gourd.
Zhao Gaoning looked at him steadily and said slowly: "One kind of person is in name but not in reality, and the other is in name but not in reality."
"What's the explanation?" Wang Chong asked, raising an eyebrow.
"There are those who have no real name, they are farmers; there are those who have no real name, they are merchants. [1] In various countries, there are many farmers and merchants, so merchants often only have enough to accumulate millet and cannot enjoy it. As everyone knows, if business does not flourish, the people will not If the people are not rich, the country will not be strong. Earlier I asked Brother Wang where he wanted to start, but he didn't answer. I'm afraid he was looking at Qi State, which is located in the far east."
Wang Chong coughed lightly and glanced at Zhao Zheng secretly. Seeing that he didn't mean to blame him, he breathed a sigh of relief and nodded truthfully.
Zhao Gao continued: "Yes, the wealth of Qi lies in business, but in fact it is no more than that of the six countries. How can the food, clothing, housing and transportation be compared to that of the aristocratic family? And Brother Wang should also know that many big businessmen have become towering ancient trees and are deeply planted in Qi. If you want to occupy a place, it will be even more difficult.”
Hearing this, Wang Chong seemed thoughtful and did not answer. Zhao Gao paused, and when he raised his head again, he said again: "You should have heard about Qin Guo's salt introduction method. This is just the beginning. This is by no means the end. From now on, our country, Qin, will still use the strategy of living business to seek national wealth. To continue this beginning, we need people like Brother Wang. This is what I mean by asking you to join Qin."
Wang Chong finally knew Zhao Gao's plan. To put it nicely, he asked him to set an example and attract more people. To put it bluntly and not so pleasantly, it means being the first to do it, and doing it first is definitely the hardest. Looking at Zhao Gao, his face was completely broken this time: "It is impossible for the Qin State to achieve a living business overnight. It is even more difficult than the Qi State, I'm afraid..."
"With Brother Wang's intelligence and courage, why should you be afraid of the difficulties? If you and Awang enter Qin, it will be a great achievement for Qin to become strong and prosperous. I can guarantee that the king will never treat you badly." The king in Zhao Lingcheng's mouth He was clearly on the side. When he said those two words, he looked to the west without changing his expression. It really seemed like that.
Wang Chong's mouth twitched when he saw it. Zhao Wangshang was still in the dark. He didn't know what was wrong with him today. He had never seen him so uneasy when he met King Rong.
"I can deal with the first thing now, but you have to let me think about the second thing." Wang Chong was silent for a long time before uttering these words.
Zhao Gao and Zhao Zheng exchanged hurried glances, understanding each other tacitly. In fact, the former matter was entrusted by Wei Liao and Bai Heng and was more urgent, while the latter matter was something Zhao Gao and Zhao Zheng had discussed before. They can't move there now and there is no rush. So since the urgent matter has been taken care of, Zhao Gao can naturally give Wang Chong enough time to think.
It was already evening when Zhao Zheng returned to the reverse journey from Wang Chong, and Zhao Zheng felt very distressed when he saw Zhao Gao's tired face. After that incident, he had been reflecting on whether the medicine was too strong, which caused Zhao Gao to have a slight alienation from him. He also thought about whether he should try to restrain his emotions during this period and give him some advice. Give yourself time and give yourself room to calm down.
Although Zhao Gao didn't know the reason for his worry, he saw it in his eyes. Although he didn't say it, he felt inexplicably in his heart. He secretly determined to make it look like everything was normal as much as possible, so as not to worry him anymore.
In this way, the two of them had almost no words for the whole night. They each took the time to catch up on their sleep. They only waited to leave the city early the next morning to meet Zhou Wu and others and then immediately returned to Qin.
Everyone was exhausted physically and mentally after Muyangyinfeng traveled all the way to the pass. Fortunately, Li Mu's matter was finally explained.
"Why did the King of Qin want Li Muchen to serve Qin?"
At this time, they had entered the Qin territory. After moving into the post house, Zhao Zheng ordered the warriors to take turns on duty. Those who did not have their turn should seize the time to rest. Apart from him, there were only Zhao Gao, Zhou Wu and Li Mu in the room.
"It's my intention, and it's also the teacher's idea." Zhao Zheng, wearing black clothes with a waist, sat solemnly in front of him, looked at Li Mu and continued: "I had this intention when I was young, Wu Anjun should remember it, and still want to "Change, this is to seek talents; and the teacher's intention is to use Wu Anjun's reputation in Zhao country to cultivate the good relationship between Qin and Zhao, and this is to stabilize the people."
Zhao Gao had bowed to Li Mu before to apologize, but now Li Mu still couldn't face him calmly, so he could only look at Zhao Zheng intently and asked: "What's the explanation for the latter? Please tell the King of Qin in detail."
Zhao Gao saw this situation and did not force it. He knew that he was framed first. If Li Mu was not an upright gentleman, he might not even have a chance to sit in front of him at this time.
Zhao Zheng looked at the color of his eyes and said nothing more for Zhao Gao. He avoided this section and went straight to the point: "Now the world is fighting hard and the people are in dire straits. I am determined to end this troubled world. Of course, if I feel that I am selfish, that's fine. But I want peace of mind. The world must first be peaceful for the people, and the two have different paths, and finally return to the people. The teacher's intention is to ask Lord Wu An to persuade the people of Zhao to return to Qin. Killing is definitely not the original intention of the army. When the world is unified, Zhao Zheng is willing to treat all people well."
"The King of Qin commends him. Not to mention that Li Mu is alone now. Even if he has the military power, he will not help him. Who can trust a traitor?" Even when he was sitting, Li Mu also sat with dignity, and his words were neither humble nor arrogant. , the meaning is expressed clearly and concisely.
Zhao Zheng shook his head and said: "Now King Zhao is unethical, his subjects are not friendly, and there are complaints in the country. On the contrary, it is the matter of Lord Wu'an, and the people are all sighing and resenting it. I believe that with your reputation, you will not return without success. Besides, I also know the hardships involved. , I don’t want all of them to surrender, but just a few will count, how about that?”
Li Mu lowered his eyebrows slightly and said nothing. He was silent for a moment and then asked: "To this day, if Li Mu still doesn't accept the love of King Qin, what should I do?"
Zhao Zhengfeng's eyes were calm, his fingers were tapping on his knees, and he said nonchalantly: "Then Lord Wu An's life... can only be left in Qin."
After the words circled around the room, there was no more sound. After a moment, Li Mu suddenly raised his head and laughed loudly: "Haha, magnanimous!" After laughing heartily for once, he finally suppressed his smile, knelt down and folded his hands a little. He said solemnly: "Since the king has such trust, Li Mu is more respectful than obeying orders. But...does the king's promise to withdraw the troops that day still count?"
Hearing that Li Mu had changed his title from "King of Qin" to "King", Zhao Zheng was overjoyed. He looked at Zhao Gao and then looked back at him with a smile: "Great! Of course it should be considered." Then he said to Zhou Wudao : "Send the order to retreat immediately."
In fact, in the days after the change of generals, the Qin State captured several cities in a row and gained a lot. Although Li Mu was worried, there was nothing he could do. Now he has no way to pursue the country in his mother country, and the last thing he can do for it is to prolong his life for a while.
Of course, the more important reason why he agreed to Zhao Zhengzhi's request was to "pacify the people." Although he didn't know how many innocent people's lives he could save from the military front in the future, he was willing to give it a try anyway.
When they returned to Xianyang, the mansion arranged by Zhao Zheng for Li Mu had been cleaned out. After Zhou Wu sent him there to settle down, he also asked Zhao Gao to go home and rest for two days before going to the Salt Service Department.
After being tired for so many days, Zhao Gao really couldn't hold on any longer. Moreover, after that day, in front of Zhao Zheng, in order to prevent him from seeing that his mood was different, he had to put in a lot of effort to maintain a calm appearance. Suffering from the fact that he has been unable to avoid Zhao Zheng these days, he really wants to have some time alone to sort out his thoughts.
"Auntie, father is back." Little Ahan looked at Zhao Gao and ran over with a wide grin.
Zhao Gao picked her up, weighed her, and joked with a smile: "If she gets fatter, I won't be able to hold her up."
At this time, seeing his mother also coming out to greet him, Zhao Gao put the child down in his arms, rubbed her hair, took her hand and went to help her mother, and asked with concern: "How is your mother these days?"
Unexpectedly, Zhao's mother suddenly raised her hand when she saw his appearance and said distressedly: "What can happen to my mother? On the contrary, my son must have suffered a lot since he left. He is so haggard and has lost a lot of weight."
In order for his mother to touch his face without any trouble, Zhao Gao bent down and took the initiative to come over. He also raised his hand and put it on the back of his mother's hand, patted it gently and said comfortingly: "My son is fine, he just traveled for a few days." I'm a little tired, just take a night's rest."
Zhao's mother looked at him and said: "Mother knows that things in the court are complicated and my son has been working very hard. Mother is old and useless, so why not get a tomb woman [2] to take care of your mother as soon as possible, and she can also take care of things for you?" Housework, how about it?”
