Che Chengyun realized the seriousness of the situation. It was no longer just a matter of sending money to the enemy; it was clearly about sending them children!
Whether or not they wanted to replace Su Qianxue was irrelevant; even if his father truly had such thoughts, now was not the time! Just because more than half of the ministers were willing to side with Langya Prince did not mean that they were willing to rebel! Moreover, besides the Lin Family Army, there were still soldiers loyal to the Great Zhou. As long as Su Qianxue did not make a significant mistake, no one would dare to entertain thoughts that could cost them their heads!
He said fiercely, "Send someone to notify Xingbu and Jiang Han that the Crown Prince will deliver the money to them today!" If this escalated too much, his father would surely blame him!
Langya Prince had more than just one son; he was merely the one favored by Langya Prince! Xu Yao turned pale upon hearing this. He had invested a substantial amount of money and was counting on making some profit. One sentence from Che Chengyun had washed all his money down the drain! Giving them money now would mean losing face for Langya Wangfu.
All these whispers fell into Che Chengyun's ears, and he couldn't help but slap Xu Yao across the face. "Shut your mouth if you have nothing intelligent to say! Get out of here! If the Crown Prince doesn't pay Jiang Han today to silence these ants, how will he inherit the position of Langya Prince?"
Not only Xu Yao, but Lin Qingyue also saw Che Chengyun so furious for the first time. Xu Yao covered his face and quickly retreated, saying, "I'll go find someone to notify them right away."
Lin Qingyue, having experienced battles before, was quicker on her feet than Xu Yao. Was this Jiang Han's scheme? Trying to sow discord between Langya Wangfu and the common people to gain favor with Your Majesty? This time, if Langya Wangfu gave money to Jiang Han, it would be seen as a contribution to the court, a sign that Your Majesty cared for the people's welfare. But if they didn't give it, it would appear that Langya Wangfu disrespected Your Majesty, appearing as if they were withholding funds while secretly plotting treason.
In short, neither side would benefit from this situation. Che Chengyun felt darkness closing in around him. Tomorrow, the Crown Prince would surely leave him unable to smile!
Previously, an Imperial Merchant had contacted Che Chengyun about collaborating on opening a shop. It seemed they had already found a location; starting tomorrow, they would begin operations. The Crown Prince could see who would dare to buy Jiang Han's goods! The Imperial Merchant originally intended to deal in fabrics and silks.
As a result, the heir of Langya Wangfu unexpectedly changed his plans. He expressed a desire to operate a business similar to Jiang Han's.
"Are we also going to sell food?" he mused. The capital city was overflowing with food options, and the Imperial Merchant had nothing particularly memorable to offer—only some decent fabrics.
Che Chengyun smiled and said, "Whatever he sells, we can sell too. There's no need to worry about not having customers. It's clear he wants to compete directly with Jiang Han."
The Imperial Merchant hesitated for a moment. However, Che Chengyun continued, "Our collaboration doesn’t have to be limited to food. If we’re going against Jiang Han, we can open several stores offering different products. Once the rumors die down, Jiang Han's shop will struggle to stay afloat."
Instantly, the Imperial Merchant became interested. "In that case, let’s start with food for this shop. As for the fabric store, I’ll take another look later. With the name of Langya Wangfu backing us, we won’t have trouble selling anything."
Moreover, Che Chengyun was determined not to let recent rumors affect his claim to the title of Langya Prince. After hearing the rumors in the morning and finalizing plans with the Imperial Merchant in the afternoon, Che Chengyun began seeking ways to quell the gossip.
"Hey, did you hear about the twist in events?" someone chimed in. "It seems that neither the prince nor the heir apparent knew about this situation; it was someone from their household who couldn’t stand Jiang Han’s servants acting on their own and slandering him. They were sent straight to Xingbu!"
"I heard that too! The Langya Prince had no idea anyone bought food from Jiang Han's shop!"
"Is that true or not?" another asked skeptically. "It probably is; if you think about it, the Langya Wangfu has done some questionable things before, and both the prince and heir apparent were oblivious!"
"Do you really believe that Langya Wangfu hasn’t done anything morally reprehensible? Or do you trust me as the former emperor?"
Che Chengyun felt a pang of regret. He had personally come to Jiang Han's shop with compensation in hand. Watching Jiang Han cheerfully accept these items made him want to give him a piece of his mind.
"That was a ruthless move!" Che Chengyun thought.
Jiang Han chuckled and remarked, "Isn’t it a bit too generous from the heir apparent?"
Jiang Han had originally intended for them to incur losses twice over; however, with the emergence of rumors, Che Chengyun ended up offering three times the compensation. One portion was for Shopkeeper ’s losses, while another was considered an official compensation from Langya Wangfu.
The reckless servant who stirred up trouble between Langya Wangfu and Shopkeeper Jiang had already been sent by the Crown Prince to Xingbu as punishment for tarnishing Langya Wangfu's reputation. This matter was effectively settled.
"What do you think about this, Shopkeeper Jiang?" Jiang Han raised an eyebrow in inquiry.
Is this a threat?
He chuckled, "Of course, this matter is indeed in the past. The Heir Apparent needs to teach his subordinates a lesson; otherwise, if another incident occurs, our relationship will be strained."
For the first time, Che Chengyun encountered someone daring enough to provoke him. Jiang Han had indeed underestimated him before!
As for the subordinates of Langya Wangfu, they were not something Shopkeeper Jiang needed to worry about; he should focus more on his own business.
"We have plenty of time ahead!" Shopkeeper Jiang said.
He had come with a terrible mood, and now he wanted nothing more than to cut down Jiang Han.
This time, he dared not disturb the Langya Prince; he used his own savings instead. As for other compensations, he had emptied his vehicle and pretended to be a paralyzed patient to gather funds.
As he left in high spirits, Jiang Han smiled at Yan Dong and said, "Let’s go collect the money we earned from the bet."
Yan Dong followed Jiang Han with a cheerful grin.
" Shopkeeper Jiang, you are truly remarkable!"
However, she soon grew worried. "This incident has caused such a stir; Langya Wangfu won't let it go easily, will they?"
In the future, they wouldn't confront Jiang Han openly; she feared their covert tactics would be even more troublesome!
Jiang Han was unconcerned. "When soldiers come, we’ll block them; when water comes, we’ll cover it with earth. They won’t succeed."
After arriving at the betting place, the Betting Boss greeted Jiang Han with a smile and clasped his hands in congratulations. "Congratulations, Shopkeeper Jiang! You’ve made quite a profit from this!"
Initially, some people had placed bets on Jiang Han. However, when everyone saw that Langya Wangfu remained silent the next day, no one continued to bet on him. Some even wanted to change their bets.
But then came a big turnaround in the afternoon.
Most people lost their bets without mentioning it further; even the small gambling house owner suffered losses from placing the wrong bets.
As for Jiang Han, he made a significant profit and could even take home some interest.
" Shopkeeper Jiang, you need to be more careful from now on," the Gambling Boss reminded Jiang Han with great interest.
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