Before there was confirmation from the capital, the Liu family did not even dare to take action at home, for fear that the royal family would not agree to the marriage and their publicity would add to their sins.
For a daughter-in-law as dignified and beautiful as Princess Yayang, one hundred and twenty members of the Liu family agreed to marry her home, but they had to face the gap in status.
For a while, everyone in Nanshan Village noticed that the Bai family and the Liu family were a little weird, as if they were having trouble.
However, no one would think of the matter as that complicated. They just thought it was because the two young men had just come back and were about to travel far away. They didn't know when they would return.
When Bai Ling received the information, he was already on the territory of the Western Han Dynasty.
I promised to attend the wedding of Princess Ning Xin and the Ninth Prince, so naturally I couldn't break my promise.
Furthermore, when cooperating with the Ninth Prince, one must also show sincerity. In addition to material support, the alliance letter written by the new emperor must also be signed by the Ninth Prince himself.
"My second cousin is really capable." After Bai Ling read the letter from home, he handed it directly to Shangguan Yu, with the corner of his mouth twitching.
This was ancient times. Even if Liu Xudong and Princess Yayang were the victims, they would still be cast aside by the eyes of the world.
"Is the process important? As long as everyone is happy with the result." Although Shangguan Yu was a little bit strange about Liu Xudong's approach, but the matter was at this point, he didn't want to say anything to make Bai Ling unhappy, so he comforted him: "Don't think so much, my mother and concubine will take care of it.
Over in the capital, maybe they will all be married when we go back."
"Hmm." Nestling in Shangguan Yu's arms, Bai Ling said softly: "Shangguan, I have a hunch that this trip to the Western Han Dynasty will not be peaceful."
Shangguan Yu frowned, Bai Ling's premonition never failed.
But it's not peaceful. He will also protect the safety of the person in his arms, and other things will come later.
The only younger brother of the Emperor of the Western Han Dynasty finally agreed to get married. The princess was still the princess of Beichen Kingdom, so the wedding was naturally grand.
However, the Ninth Prince's Mansion is very poor, and all expenses are taken care of by the Ministry of Rites. The Ninth Prince's Mansion is only responsible for marrying the new princess and accepting gifts.
Therefore, the Ninth Prince, the prospective bridegroom, has a lot of free time every day, and there is no need for him to worry about anything.
After Shangguan Yu arrived in Kyoto, he moved directly into a small courtyard arranged by the Ninth Prince. He only rented the house for a month, and the Ninth Prince could still afford the money.
Although the Ninth Prince does not use his power to oppress others, he wants to rent a house for a short period of time, who dares to say no?
Even if there is no suitable location, it is normal to have a set available now.
"Knowing that you are coming, I specially asked people to renovate this courtyard, but it was not a major renovation, but you still like it?" What the Ninth Prince said was half true and half false.
When the Ninth Prince rented the house, he indeed told the housekeeper that the house should be tidy and that he would add some more.
But why should the Jiuwangfu worry about repairing the house?
"It's acceptable." Shangguan Yu had experience in the military camp and was not picky about where he lived.
Although the Han Dynasty's palace was well built, it was enough to have a tile to cover one's head outside.
I don't want Bai Ling to be wronged, but Bai Ling has space. The couple can rest in the space at night, which is safe and comfortable. They can also have more time to arrange other things, which is a blessing.
"I asked my maid to give the gift to the Ninth Prince first. Are the Ninth Prince satisfied?" After Bai Ling poured tea for the two of them, he sat down next to Shangguan Yu with a smile.
After Jianqiu and Nianxia left Beichen Kingdom, they sent congratulatory gifts to Beichen Kingdom first for their own safety, fearing that Prince Beichen would pursue them again.
Moreover, having Shangguan Yu and Bai Ling come alone can save a lot of time and give them more opportunities to be alone together.
"I'm satisfied. The Princess of Han is indeed a very rich woman. If I sell those gifts, they will be enough to support an army for a year!" The Ninth Prince usually doesn't like to beat around the bush, so he directly expressed his thoughts.
Bai Ling, who was drinking tea, almost choked.
Shangguan Yu hurriedly stood up and came to Bai Ling's side, gently patting her back to relax her.
"Is the Ninth Prince so short of money?" Bai Ling asked funnyly.
The congratulatory gifts Bai Ling sent included limited-edition fashionable cloth from the Eastern Han Dynasty, as well as jewelry from her collaboration with the Xiao family. Of course, medicinal wine and pearls were also indispensable.
However, these were all sent openly, and the Ninth Prince was secretly given an address. In an inconspicuous county not in the center of the Western Han Dynasty, there was a farm where a lot of rice grains and medicinal materials were placed.
It's the highlight.
But what the Ninth Prince said was obviously a congratulatory gift sent from the front, rather than reselling the emergency supplies in the farm.
"No!" The Ninth Prince nodded sincerely, "The army is expensive, and the King of Han knows this very well. The military pay given by the court is not enough. I occasionally take people to suppress bandits, but it can only last for a while. I still need to
Taking care of the disabled soldiers and the financial subsidies to the families of the fallen soldiers, the expenses are terrifying."
"It's fine when there's no war, but as long as there is a war, the money is simply not enough. I'm so worried about this that I want to sell the palace back. The officials from the Ministry of Revenue run away when they see me."
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yu nodded gently.
The Zixiao Army does not need support from the court. Only during wars, the court will symbolically subsidize some military supplies, but it is only a drop in the bucket.
In addition, the food output in the North was not high in the past, so even in good harvest years, the soldiers could barely eat enough.
If it weren't for the Duan family's constant support from behind, the Zixiao Army might have been hungry and disbanded long ago, and the border would not be able to be defended at all.
"The Ninth Prince is short of money, and my business needs someone to cover it. How about we cooperate?" Bai Ling had already had this idea, but he just didn't have the chance to talk about it before.
"How to cooperate?" The Ninth Prince became interested, but he did not forget to put forward conditions: "The Princess of Han knows where my bottom line is. If the bottom line is touched, I will not agree."
"Nine Princes, just don't worry about this. I do business to make money to support my family. I don't participate in national affairs. That's what you men should worry about." Bai Ling stretched out two fingers and said: "You don't need to worry about it, Prince, as long as you let people
Knowing that you are protecting the Duan family, I will give you, Ninth Prince, 20% of the gross profit on all the Duan family’s business in the Western Han Dynasty from now on."
"My name is only worth 20% of the gross profit?" The Ninth Prince was obviously dissatisfied with such a share.
"If it's pure profit, it's okay to give 50% to the Ninth Prince. But this gross profit does not include the capital and all expenses. The Eastern Han Dynasty and the Western Han Dynasty are far away. Let's not mention the expenses along the way. The wear and tear is also a huge expense.
.If the Ninth Prince feels that I am not sincere enough, then this deal..."
Before Bai Ling could finish what he said, the Ninth Prince immediately said, "Sure, I'll do as you say."
In fact, what Bai Ling wants to say is that the maximum profit can be given away is another 10%. If it is any more, there will be no point in continuing.
But the Ninth Prince thought that Bai Ling's bottom line was 20%. The Ninth Prince, who had never done business before, felt that 20% of the gross profit was already a lot just for his reputation.
To put it bluntly, the Ninth Prince felt that he had taken advantage of him. He didn't need to pay anything anyway, he could just sit back and wait for the cashier.
"Shangguan, let's draw up a contract with the Ninth Prince. Although we are good friends, when it comes to interests, it is better to write them clearly in black and white. Especially the method of settlement must be written clearly. From now on, it will be settled every quarter."
Bai Ling blinked at Shangguan Yu, happy that he had saved 10% of gross profit, and even more happy that he had expanded a trade route.
In the future, Shangguan Yu will have an additional channel to inquire about information about the Western Han Dynasty, and it will be fair and honest.
I had a verbal agreement with the Ninth Prince because of the Black Pearl, but that kind of favor cannot last a lifetime, and it is more reassuring to be tied up in interests. (To be continued)