Chapter 374: Hopeless, dragging Northern Li underwater (1/2)

Chapter 374: Hopeless, dragging Northern Li underwater

Only accepted ready cash!

Han Yunxi nearly burst out laughing at Master Lin’s words. After all those acts at compliance, wasn’t that their main goal? Finally, Master Lin had said it himself. If Han Yunxi had started their negotiations by saying she’d buy grain with pure cash, she’d definitely rouse suspicions from Master Lin’s superiors, if not Master Lin himself. They’d be chased away before the news of their proposal even reached the imperial uncle’s ears.

But since Master Lin had spoken those words, Han Yunxi was 80 percent certain that she had this deal in the bag. Mister Moneybags was standing right behind her at this instant, so Han Yunxi generously stated, “As long as there’s grain, silver isn’t a problem.”

Master Lin could tell that Han Yunxi was a rich mistress, but never expected her to be so blase about it. “Heheh, it looks like Miss really is in urgent need to grain!” Master Lin wouldn’t give up, and kept probing.

“Heheh….” Han Yunxi wore a mysterious grin that seemed somewhat smug. Master Lin carefully weighed her expression and knew that a deal was in the making.

He immediately resorted to flattery. “Miss has a remarkably outstanding aura about her. You must be a prominent character. As to Miss’s origins…heheh, I’m afraid this old man can’t begin to guess!”

Han Yunxi’s lips curved into a proud smile. She wasn’t a bit modest as she replied, “Master Lin possesses fine insight.”

“It’s Miss who exudes quality!” Master Lin laughed loudly. He much preferred women like this, who were proud and haughty. If they were capable and ambitious, then so much the better. Women like her were open to persuasion but not coercion, so Master Lin knew exactly what to do.

“Miss, I’ve yet to ask for your honorable surname,” Master Lin purposely cupped his hands before his chest to show his respect.

“My surname is Helian,”1 Han Yunxi replied without the least hesitation.

Helian?

That was no simple surname. The royal family of Northern Li had this as their imperial name! Rare was the person with a Helian surname in Western Zhou or Tianning, but those bearing the name in Northern Li would definitely belong to the imperial clan. She was someone rich and arrogant, with a Helian surname to boot. Master Lin couldn’t help but consider the implications. Naturally, he’d done his share of business with Northern Li during his years in the black market. Because of climate and soil factors, only a small portion south of the country was capable of producing wheat. They had no way to grow large yields of rice in their paddies. Northern Li people relied mainly on meat and dairy products. There was general no market for grain in the south.

However, Northern Li Country had always kept its eye on grain yields in Tianning. Whenever there were droughts or floods, Northern Li merchants would speculate in grain trade in Tianning as well. Even members of the imperial clan would participate. On the one hand, they could raise the price of grain. On the other, they could instigate rebellion and riots in the disaster areas. Master Lin carefully re-examined Han Yunxi and began to wonder whether she was from Northern Li herself. In his memories, most Northern Li women were found of a cold elegance aesthetic to their looks.

While Master Lin was stewing in his suspicions, Long Feiye had already started smiling unseen behind his mask. He finally realized why Han Yunxi had decided to put on such thick makeup today. It wasn’t just to hide her identity, but so she could become a “Helian!” This woman was smart enough to use Northern Li to settletheir deal. He couldn’t help but admire her from the bottom of his heart. If Han Yunxi was a man, perhaps they’d be worthy rivals.

Meanwhile, Han Yunxi simply smiled in ridicule as Master Lin began to fawn on her. She allowed him to play the toady while being utterly indifferent. In the end, Master Lin even had men bring out fine wine and dishes so he could talk shop with Han Yunxi while sharing drinks. Of course, all the important details were reported promptly to his superiors, including this woman’s surname, standing, and personality.

“Miss Helian, regarding the price… Heheh, I’ll have to entreat Miss Helian to show some mercy,” Master Lin bantered. He figured it’d be easy to negotiate prices after he’d praised this woman to high Heaven. However,Han Yunxi refused to talk prices outright. She only drank a few sips before feigning ignorance.

“Master Lin, we can certainly discuss prices…but you have to give this lady a number and let me how much grain you have! This lady’s told you already…if you have a lot of grain, we can negotiate the price. If not…heheh…” As she spoke, she downed two more cups of wine with relish before adding, “There’s no harm in telling you, but the price of that store… The price of that store is much to this lady’s liking! But they don’t have the stock! Not even a measly 200,000 dan, I say… If they don’t even have 300,000 dan, why should this lady bother giving you ready cash?”

Her words were disorderly and confused, saying 200,000 dan one minute and 300,000 dan the next. Neither did she elaborate on the name of “that store.” Without a doubt, Han Yunxi sounded like she was drunk. But tipsy words were the truth. Despite the hazy speech, Master Lin heard the crux of the matter in her words. He had been wondering why this woman hadn’t gone to Wu Shu’s grain store. As it turned out, she wanted too much grain for Wu Shu to sell. Even 100,000 dan of grain was a large quantity during times of shortage like this, especially fresh stock. If not for the imperial uncle’s time constraints, Master Lin would definitely try to whet Han Yunxi’s appetite and get a good price. That was because there was no other store in the black market who could take out 200,000 to 300,000 dan of grain at once.

A shame and more’s the pity!