I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 7 Stable Business
At this point, under Xie Haiya's persistent questioning, the three of them finally had to bite the bullet and give a solution.

"Master, if all else fails, we'll have to resort to force."

Pan Shaohai, the head of the first office, rang out in his hoarse voice, “Jiahe has vast fields in the west of the city. If Jiahe wants to leave, it can forget about keeping these fields.”

"Wow, that's impressive."

Deputy Director Xue Huaiyi gave a thumbs up, "We can also check his commercial tax. How much has Jiahe earned over the years, and how many cents has he paid us?"

"They've been fighting with those grave-robbing guys non-stop, do they really think they can get away with it?"

Deputy Director Qiu Bing also followed the line of thought.

They may not be capable of making the country prosperous and its people strong, but if you switch the channel to those who exploit and harm unscrupulous merchants, they are all experts at it.

After the three finished speaking, the air suddenly became quiet.

Suddenly, Xie Haiya grabbed the bronze lion paperweight from the table and smashed it on the ground, roaring like thunder, "Get out!"

The three men fled.

Have you heard enough?

Xie Haiya gave a cold shout.

Xue Xiang took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, stepped out of the side room, entered the main hall, bowed, and stood with his hands clasped.

"Did I give you the Plum Blossom Token so you could use it to intimidate some local thug?"

Xie Haiya's expression was cold and stern.

Xue Xiangdao said, "Liu Er is fierce and barbaric. My mother has been humiliated, and I cannot tolerate it any longer."

With a single sentence, Xie Haiya's vitals were immediately struck.

He was also raised by a widowed mother and was extremely filial to her. His expression immediately improved, and he said coldly, "I have already spoken to Dean Zhao of the Third Academy. Such a scoundrel is perfect for filling the border."

"Since you've been hiding in the shadows, eavesdropping for so long, do you think Pan Shaohai's idea is feasible?"

Xie Haiya was so angry that he threw the paperweight away. Needless to say, the three of them must have come up with a terrible idea.

Xue Xiangdao said, "Following the suggestions of the three room leaders may be effective in retaining Jiahe, but it is undoubtedly a short-sighted move that kills the goose that lays the golden eggs."

This damages Yunmeng City's reputation; who will dare to start a business here in the future?

Xie Haiya sneered, "Do those three really not understand this principle? I doubt it."

Their priority was to weather the immediate crisis; whether Yunmeng City would prosper or decline in the future was a matter for future generations to worry about.

"Your Excellency, may I ask why Jiahe insists on relocating the town? In terms of prosperity, Yunmeng is no less than Yong'an, and it is also the thoroughfare of the three prefectures."

Xue Xiang keenly seized the opportunity.

Xie Haiya said, "Yong'an is, after all, the central hub of a prefecture, and its influence is greater. Jiahe can attract more attention."

Dong Jiacun built Jiahe from scratch, and with his ever-ambitious spirit, it's not surprising that he harbored such thoughts.

"To attract attention and drive development."

Xue Xiang savored those two words, then a sudden idea struck him. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, may I have permission to speak with Boss Dong?"

"you?"

Xie Haiya snorted, "I know you want to make a name for yourself, but you're just a kid. Trying to convince Old Dong is wishful thinking."

"Anyway, if we give it a try and it doesn't work, there's no loss."

"Uh."

Xie Haiya waved his hand without saying a word.

Xue Xiang understood and quickly went out.

He didn't really have any good ideas, but he had to give it a shot.

Otherwise, if he cannot demonstrate his usefulness for a long time, Xie Haiya's already limited goodwill towards him will surely be quickly exhausted.

After leaving the Plum Blossom Hall, Xue Xiang bought a pot of wine and went to find the gatekeeper, Old Xie.

Old Xie recommended a gossipmonger in the city named Old Sun, and Xue Xiang set off immediately.

Half an hour later, he met Lao Sun at Fuyun Teahouse and spent two hundred spirit threads to obtain Dong Jiacun's detailed information.

"These alone are not enough."

After seeing Old Sun off, Xue Xiang glanced at the table. Suddenly, a familiar figure caught his eye. "Manager Yu." The man turned around and recognized him as Yu Kuan, the manager of the Red Lantern Opera House, whom he had met once at his uncle Song's house and later met at this Fuyun Teahouse.

Two days ago, when Xue Xiang saw Yu Kuan, he was suffering from internal heat and looked haggard. The Yu Kuan in front of him looked like an old tree that was about to wither, almost devoid of life.

"It's Secretary Xue."

Yu Kuan bowed and said, "I've paid for your tea. Excuse me, excuse me."

"Wait a minute."

"Is there anything else, Secretary Xue?"

"Has the matter of repairing the dragon bones been taken care of?"

Upon hearing this question, Yu Kuan felt a lump in his throat and almost burst into tears.

He has invited countless people over the past two days, and the total cost of his meals and teas has exceeded three spirit stones.

But in the end, nothing came of it.

With only ten days or so left before the river freezes over and the Red Lantern Opera Boat's tour is about to be canceled, Yu Kuan felt like he wanted to die.

"Maybe I have a solution."

Before Xue Xiang could finish speaking, Yu Kuan suddenly knelt down. "If the clerk can make this happen, he will be a great benefactor to everyone at the Red Lantern Opera House. I will definitely report this to the owner and repay the clerk's kindness."

"Serious words."

Xue Xiang helped Yu Kuan up. "There's something I need to discuss. Mr. Yu, could you make a decision on this? If you can, I can proceed with the rest of the process..."

After Xue Xiang finished speaking, Yu Kuan clapped his hands and said, "This is not a big deal. Our boat owner told me to act as I see fit. I have the boat owner's seal with me, and we can sign the contract at any time."

"I'm just doing a trial run, but we should have news today about whether it will succeed."

After saying this, Xue Xiang took his leave.

"I'll be waiting for you at the foot of Jiufen Mountain."

Yu Kuan chased after him and called out.

At 1:15 AM, Xue Xiang, relying on the Plum Blossom Token, met Dong Jiacun at the Dong Family Garden in the east of the city.

He was in his fifties, dressed in a black robe, and had a shrewd look about him.

He clearly resisted meeting Xue Xiang, but he was extremely polite.

After Xue Xiang drank a sip of tea, just as he was about to speak, Dong Jiacun tapped the table lightly with his knuckles. "Secretary Xue, I already know why you've come."

If possible, could you please arrange a meeting with Dean Xie? I want to plead my case to him in person.

Jiahe Trading Company has grown to its current size by relying on Zhangyin. In Dong Jiacun's eyes, there is no future if they continue to stay in Yunmeng.

But Jiahe grew up in Yunmeng, and his very being is steeped in this land. If he were to be forcibly separated from it, it would inevitably cause serious damage.

He hoped to meet with Xie Haiya and, even at great cost, complete the relocation of Jiahe.

"I will convey Mr. Dong's request. But before that, could Mr. Dong please have a word with me?"

As he spoke, Xue Xiang picked up his teacup, "I'll just take up your time for this cup of tea."

Dong Jiacun nodded, his raised eyebrows relaxing slightly. The Xue clerk in front of him seemed to be a knowledgeable and reasonable person, much more pleasing to the eye than those three guys.

"Was the reason why Elder Dong moved the town to Jiahe because Yunmeng's geographical location was not good and the flow of people was not smooth?"

"No, Yunmeng is a thoroughfare connecting three prefectures, with a large number of merchants, making it a good place to do business."

However, since it was not a prefecture capital, its influence was somewhat weaker.

To be frank, I intend to make Jiahe one of the top ten auction houses in the county, so increasing Jiahe's reputation is imperative.

"Old Master Dong's concerns are very valid. However, Jiahe is going to Yong'an, which is the seat of the prefecture. As far as I know, they already have three large auction houses: Dingfeng, Hongtai, and Fengshun."

The Yong'an government's influence over Jiahe is definitely not as strong as that of the Yunmeng government. Does Elder Dong agree?

"That's true. But compared to government assistance, Jiahe needs brand recognition more right now."

"Has Mr. Dong tried to find someone to promote it?"

“I tried. I bought a six-month subscription to the Canaan Morning Post, but it was completely useless.”

Xue Xiang's heart skipped a beat. That's right, the newspaper!
(End of this chapter)