"Lord Song, His Highness the Fifth Prince wishes to see you," came the voice of a waiter from outside the door.
Song Yiqing was utterly perplexed. He looked back at Feng Linyuan in confusion, and then, as if he had just realized something, his face contorted into an ugly grimace.
Feng Linyuan, however, broke into a smile. Suppressing a cough, he softly called out, "Liufeng, come over and sit down." The white wolf named Liufeng turned its head to look at Feng Linyuan, then retracted its imposing aura and walked back to his side.
"Do I have to see him?" Song Yiqing pleaded, his eyes fixed on Feng Linyuan as he whispered.
But before Feng Linyuan could reply, the door was pushed open.
Song Yiqing watched as a young man and a young woman entered the room. The young man in a sky-blue robe walked in front, wearing a polite smile on his face. When his eyes met Feng Linyuan's, he paused for a moment. "I didn't expect to find the Marquis of Dingyuan here. Please forgive my intrusion," he said.
Bai Zheng, who was following behind, looked up and followed Feng Jingyi's gaze to the man sitting beside the brazier.
The man was dressed in a moon-white robe. His pale face was elegant and delicate, exuding a natural air of nobility and dignity.
A black mask, made of an unknown material, covered the entire right side of his face. Instead of concealing his identity, it added an air of mystery that made people want to take a closer look, even though there might be hideous scars beneath it.
He sat there, his face gentle, yet with an aura that made people look up to him involuntarily. One would never have guessed that he was unwell and had just suffered an attack.
There are some people who, without fine clothes or precious jewels, without great power or a retinue of guards, simply by their presence, command the respect of all.
The Marquis of Dingyuan? Bai Zheng searched her memory for information about this person but found nothing.
In the past, Bai Zheng had been completely focused on Chu Feng and had paid little attention to the various powerful families and forces in the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, judging from the expressions of the people coming and going at the door and the old doctor's medicine chest, it seemed that the Marquis of Dingyuan was seriously ill.
While Bai Zheng was still deep in thought, she heard Feng Linyuan's gentle voice. "Your Highness the Fifth Prince, since you've come to see Lord Song, do you want me to vacate the room for you?"
"No need!" Song Yiqing exclaimed hastily.
"Absolutely not!" the old doctor shouted.
"Don't bother!" Feng Jingyi waved his hand repeatedly. "The Marquis of Dingyuan is not in good health and should not move around too much. How about Lord Song come to my room for a chat?"
Song Yiqing cast a mournful look at Feng Linyuan and murmured, "I'll go. I'll go."
Bai Zheng watched all this with great interest. It was not until Song Yiqing stood up that she noticed that the handsome young man in red in front of her was the Song family member she was looking for. She gave Song Yiqing a friendly smile.
To her surprise, Song Yiqing turned his head away and did not respond.
Feng Jingyi led the two of them into his private room. After introducing them to each other, he said, "I haven't paid my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince since I arrived here. I'll go there now. Please make yourselves at home." With that, he left the room.
Watching Feng Jingyi leave at the right moment, Bai Zheng took a sip of tea in satisfaction.
Seeing Song Yiqing sitting there with his head down, not saying a word and clearly not wanting to talk to her, Bai Zheng felt a sense of doubt rise in her heart. Why had Song Yiqing been so repulsed by her since they first met? It was as if he knew her purpose.
How could that be possible?
Bai Zheng shook her head to dispel those wild thoughts. Knowing that time was running out, she decided not to beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
"When I was still a young girl in my boudoir, I heard about the rise of the Song family. Due to the previous dynasty's policy of emphasizing agriculture over commerce, the Song family had been constantly oppressed. It was not until the founding emperor of this dynasty took measures to repair the national finances, such as building post roads and reducing taxes, that the Song family was able to establish its extensive business empire across the continent," she said.
Seeing that Song Yiqing remained unmoved, Bai Zheng continued, "The Song family has always known how to show gratitude. Every year, in addition to paying a large amount of taxes, they also donate various treasures to the royal family, which has won them the favor of the court. However, during times of war, their business in countries such as the Western Liang and the Southern Shu has always put them in an awkward position."
"Now that the Southern Shu has declared war on the Great Zhou, and the Western Liang is eyeing us covetously, the Great Zhou is facing both internal and external troubles, and the national treasury is empty. The current emperor has taken pity on the Song family's business in other countries and has not forced them to contribute silver. However, if the national treasury is exhausted and there is no other way out, the emperor may have no choice but to force the Song family to hand over silver to support the war effort."
"I heard that Song Linghan, the head of the Song family, has gone to the Southern Shu to deal with the war in Liyang, and Song Yichen, the eldest son of the Song family, has gone to the Western Liang to manage the family's shops. With the Great Zhou facing such difficulties, the Song family must be extremely worried, right?"
Finally, Song Yiqing looked up and stared directly at Bai Zheng. "What exactly are you trying to say?" he asked.
Bai Zheng smiled and said, "I'm here to offer Lord Song a plan to solve the Song family's problems."
Song Yiqing's gaze lingered on Bai Zheng's face for a moment. He couldn't figure out what this unpredictable girl was up to. He had thought that as long as he didn't provoke her and just watched from a distance, everything would be fine.
But he didn't expect that the Song family's substantial wealth had attracted this money-hungry girl.
"Do you want money? If it's a small amount, it's easy to talk about. But if it's a large amount, I can't make the decision. Don't think that just because I'm the second son of the Song family, I have a say in business matters. Everything is decided by my father and elder brother. If you want to talk to someone, go to them," he said.
If I could find them, why would I come to you? Bai Zheng rolled her eyes at the sky.
These two people were currently not in the Great Zhou. On the surface, they were doing business. But in reality, they were just afraid that Feng Linche would become desperate and demand their money, so they had chosen to hide.
"Since Lord Song has come here today, I'm sure that even if you can't make decisions on other matters, you're determined to win today's auction," Bai Zheng said, gently tapping her index finger on the table.
Because of Feng Linyuan, Song Yiqing naturally knew that the paper being auctioned today was from Bai Zheng. He was indeed very interested in this paper and would not mind buying it if the price was right.
He said, "If I'm fated to obtain today's treasure, I'll surely compete for it. But if not, I won't force it."
"You must force it, even if you're not fated to obtain it," Bai Zheng said with a faint smile.
"What do you mean?" Song Yiqing frowned.
"Does Lord Song know where the money from today's auction will ultimately go?" Bai Zheng asked with a smile.
"Of course, it will go to the person who provided the treasure," Song Yiqing said. At that moment, he suddenly understood something.
Bai Zheng put down her teacup, her smile unchanged. "The Song family doesn't dare to donate silver at this time because they're afraid it will affect their business in the Southern Shu. The Song family is reluctant to give up the Shu silk and brocade, the rosewood and green bamboo from the Southern Shu. Most importantly, the unique fragrant ganoderma from the Southern Shu is an essential ingredient in the Song family's signature cough medicine.
If they anger the Southern Shu, their herbal medicine business will surely suffer a great blow. But the Song family also knows that the court is currently holding back from demanding silver from them. However, if the war situation becomes more urgent and floods and plagues spread, the Song family will have no choice but to contribute.
Bai Zheng's smile widened as she offered a friendly reminder. "At that time, when politics and business clash, who will ultimately benefit?"