"The Qi family has invested heavily this time, and their bottom line isn’t high. To earn silver, they offered significant concessions, making even Hetu, who’s usually difficult to negotiate with, step back. It shows how much silver it takes to satisfy Hetu."
"Giving so much silver away to Beirong, aren’t they afraid of fattening those thieving wolves with wild ambitions?" Su Yun’s eyes turned cold.
"It’s useless. When doing business with Beirong, even if it’s an 80-20 split, Great Chu’s laws don’t apply. Even if we inform the emperor, there’s insufficient evidence. Our people trying to contact Hetu and stealing secret correspondences is too difficult." Li Chongjin shook his head, fully aware of the current situation. "So our only advantage over them is in technology. This way, we can do business with the Second Prince of Beirong. If we cancel all these deals, the Second Prince of Beirong will undoubtedly look for others, and there are other noble families in the Northern Region who will seize this opportunity. Individually, we might not match them, but if many families join forces, they will soon surpass the technologies we hold. Those families have many talented people, and if they set their minds on research, they’ll achieve results sooner or later."
Su Yun had an idea and suggested, "Your Highness, why not collaborate with Madam?"
"How do you propose we collaborate?" Li Chongjin didn’t immediately reject the idea, wanting to hear the suggestion.
Su Yun spoke with certainty, "Madam certainly has other ways to make money. She suggested to me before to choose between workshops or shipbuilding techniques. This indicates that she indeed has a lot in her hands. If we work with her, even if the Second Prince of Beirong finds out, there will be no evidence as none of the assets are ours. Moreover, cooperation with Beirong requires giving us some time. Even if the Second Prince of Beirong regrets it later, he might not have better choices. As long as we can earn silver, the Second Prince of Beirong would have no choice but to accept the losses even if he realizes them."
"The premise is, how do we persuade Madam to cooperate with us?" Li Chongjin shook his head. "It’s difficult. Madam is not an ordinary person. She doesn’t lack silver or money and may not be willing to share her resources with us."
"Your Highness, let’s try and see what happens. Besides, based on my master’s words and actions, I guess Madam might need to do something at the moment. However, I can’t figure out the specifics and can only send someone to gather information." Su Yun is a clever person. With the intentional hints from Master Yuanhe, it’s difficult for him not to use them.
Li Chongjin frowned and said, "If Madam is willing, we will take the initiative to seek cooperation. If not, do not coerce the other party; focus on fostering goodwill first."
"Your Highness, do you think I would treat the Chu family the same way as the Qi family?" Su Yun felt somewhat uneasy, especially after being warned by his master earlier, and now being asked by His Highness, he began to wonder if he was truly ruthless and not a good person.
Li Chongjin glanced at him, "I am merely expressing my stance. You all will not misunderstand."
"Yes, Your Highness, I misunderstood," Su Yun admitted straightforwardly. As long as His Highness didn’t doubt him, he didn’t need to worry about being loyal to someone suspicious of him.
Li Chongjin acknowledged with a hum. He rarely speaks, even privately, preferring to be concise.
"I will return to the Capital Garrison first."
"Yes." Su Yun stood up.
He watched Li Chongjin leave.
After he left, Su Yun then arranged for people to monitor the movements of the Chu family.
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