"You still don't believe me. He'll be your subordinate in the future. You can arrange a job for him as you see fit. This fellow is cold-tempered, not talkative, skilled in martial arts, and doesn't meddle in others' affairs. He's obedient and handy to use!"
Fan Zehao: "What, is he another spy sent by the Emperor to monitor me?"
Xiao Ce was speechless: "Think whatever you want. Just arrange something for him!" With that, he entered the cabin.
His day had been too difficult.
First, he was rebuffed by his wife, and then he was looked down upon by Fan Zehao. He felt utterly dejected.
As soon as he entered the cabin, he saw Zong Han's figure. Zong Han was looking in the direction of the princess's cabin, where he had just disappeared.
Xiao Ce hurried to follow. This Zong Guozhu was not a good person. He needed to keep an eye on him at all times, lest he play any tricks and seduce the princess away.
If the princess ran away, the Prince would definitely not be able to keep her!
Inside the room, the two were discussing a blueprint on the table. As Zong Han was about to enter, Ah Shi blocked his way with his arm: "The Master is discussing important matters with the Princess. No unauthorized personnel are allowed in!"
"I'm the supervising officer, not an unauthorized person. Move aside."
Ah Shi rolled his eyes upwards. What was so great about being a supervising officer? He wasn't supervising *their* army: "I say you're unauthorized, and you are!"
Zhao Jiaqi smiled at the doorway, then looked at Zong Han: "Let him in. We'll inevitably meet in the future, so it's beneficial to get acquainted now."
"He's just a mad dog. He can't stand to see me with you and your husband. Whenever we are alone together, he'll find ways to disrupt things," Zong Han said with a helpless smile.
He waved to Ah Shi: "Let him in. And while you're at it, invite the Zhenguo Prince. We need to discuss how to jointly govern the border today!"
Upon hearing that this was official business, and important business at that, Xiao Ce immediately suppressed his smile and sat down beside Zong Han, listening quietly.
With everyone present, Zong Han began to present his ideas.
"Here's what I think: we'll each manage our respective areas along the border, but we'll set up a place between our borders to exchange information. What do you say?"
Fan Zehao saw no issue with this and readily agreed: "Yes, we can do that. We'll each send a team to act as envoys, but absolutely no harm must come to the envoys!"
His first thought was the lives of the envoys. He would not allow what was said about two warring nations, first killing the spies.
Previously, a prince of the Zong clan had gone as an envoy to the Zongsheng Kingdom and had met his end there!
Zong Han readily agreed: "No problem. We, the Zongsheng Kingdom, truly do not wish to fight anymore. We want to coexist peacefully with your country and strive to be as strong as you!" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Looking at the blueprint on the table, the vast and sparsely populated border regions of the two countries sparked new ideas in Zhao Jiaqi's mind.
"I have a bold idea that might rapidly achieve economic and agricultural development on both sides. Are you two interested in hearing it?"
Fan Zehao wholeheartedly supported his wife's ideas: "My dear, just say it boldly. I'm here for you!"
Zong Han glanced at him sideways. Not only was he lacking in marital authority, but he was also afraid of his wife. He had truly disgraced men.
"How about our two countries opening up trade?"
Trade?
Fan Zehao and Zong Han were both unfamiliar with the term and looked at her in confusion. Zong Han raised his chin, awaiting her explanation.
"What I mean is, we can jointly build a city where we can buy and sell goods. You can bring out whatever you deem good to sell, and we can do the same with what we consider good. We'll have commercial exchange, but your people are not allowed to enter our country, and similarly, we will not enter yours. All our trading and dealings will take place in this jointly built city. How about it?"
Upon hearing this, Zong Han's eyes glowed green, and he became excited.
"That sounds excellent, but who will manage it?"
"We who proposed the idea will manage it!" Xiao Ce said without hesitation!
Zong Han didn't bother to listen to his opinion. He looked at Fan Zehao, thinking that his wife's words were more reliable than his.
He then ignored Xiao Ce and asked Zhao Jiaqi: "Madam Fan, what's your suggestion?"
Although she was asked for her opinion, her heart still leaned towards her own country. However, managing a city was not only arduous but also prone to conflict, with neither side willing to yield to the other.
"There can be no order without rules. Why don't we establish some rules? Secondly, we'll split the shops in the entire city fifty-fifty, and each will manage their own. If anyone breaks the rules, that person and their descendants will be forbidden from doing business in this city for life."
Zong Han felt that this was feasible and fair, though the details still needed to be worked out.
"We'll proceed with this general direction. We'll think more carefully about establishing the rules later. Also, if conflicts arise, both sides must send people to resolve them, and we need to be cautious about the matter of envoys!"
After the meeting, Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi whispered to each other, both contemplating how to build the city and how to handle future events.
The saying "three cobblers with their wits combined equal to the wisdom of Zhuge Liang" was certainly true. With the suggestions from everyone on the ship, it took ten days to finalize the city regulations.
They decided to name the newly built city "Trade City," a name that was easy to remember and immediately conveyed its purpose.
The city regulations were also released. After both sides reached a consensus, Fan Zehao and Zong Han signed a contract, symbolizing a further step towards friendly relations between the two nations!
Picking up the contract, Zong Han playfully raised his eyebrows at Fan Zehao and grinned mischievously: "You signed this contract with me just like this. For such a major undertaking, you didn't even ask Yun Huang. Aren't you afraid he'll get angry and throw you in jail?"
This attempt at sowing discord would not work on Fan Zehao!
He calmly put the contract into his embrace and replied as if it were a matter of fact: "This is my fiefdom, and I make the decisions here. Even if Yun Huang finds out, he will commend me. So, don't waste your efforts. Think about how to build Trade City instead!"
Zong Han pouted. This man was truly boring: "We'll have to trouble your esteemed wife to draw the blueprints for Trade City. I don't have any skilled people here!"
Zhao Jiaqi raised an eyebrow: "The blueprints I draw are very expensive. Are you sure you want me to draw them?"
"Sure!"
Very expensive? As long as there was a price, it wasn't truly expensive, was it?
"After Trade City is built, I'll want an extra row of shops."
An extra row of shops?
He thought it was something significant. It was just shops, not a big deal. With a wave of his hand, he agreed: "Alright!"
Immediately, Zhao Jiaqi signed the contract with Zong Han, fearing that if he came to his senses, he might go back on his word.
With everything settled quickly, everyone looked forward to the future.
When Murong Sheng and the others learned the good news of the successful contract signing, they rubbed their hands and grinned: "This is great news! The Zongsheng Kingdom has many good things. Once we get our hands on them, we'll make a hefty profit!"
"Exactly! I heard their Caiyun Brocade is very beautiful. There's a saying in the capital: an inch of Caiyun Brocade is an inch of gold. You can see how expensive this item is. If we bring back a cartload, the money will just pour into our coffers!" Peng Shuo started, and the others chimed in with what they had heard.
Zhao Jiaqi left them to their excitement and headed back to her room to draw the blueprints. Although it would be tiring, the thought of having an entire row of shops to herself made her forget about her fatigue.
As she walked back to her room, someone rushed out from the side and blocked her path.
With a plop, the person knelt before her, nose running and tears streaming down their face, grabbing onto her skirt: "Princess Consort, please, save our princess!"