Prince Li You of the Great Tang Dynasty begs the noble families to their deaths!

After a hearty meal, the group strolled through the streets of Xuanzhou City.

But then the government officials rushed over, surrounded a shop, arrested everyone inside, and dragged them out. The shop's contents were also looted.

Qi Bin lowered his voice and said, "My lord, I know this shop. They openly sell pearls and jade, but secretly they are engaged in the illegal forging of copperware. Their craftsmanship is actually quite good."

"Are there many privately-owned mints like this in Xuanzhou?"

"There are so many, and they can't be stopped despite repeated bans."

Xuanzhou has abundant copper, so there are many people in the copperware business, and some people have started to have crooked ideas.

Li You thought to himself, "Luckily, they haven't learned to think in reverse yet, otherwise there would be even more shady shops like this."

After walking a while longer, a young man dressed in a brocade robe with a kind face came to greet them.

It seems they came specifically to see Qi Bin.

"Boss Hu!"

"Oh, isn't this Young Master Dou? When did you arrive in Xuanzhou?"

"I've been here for several days now. Boss Hu, have you struck it rich lately? Buying so much copper is making it impossible for me to do business."

Upon hearing this, Li You's heart stirred slightly.

Qi Bin used the alias Hu Jiaxiu in this area, so those who "knew" him called him "Boss Hu".

"This is Young Master Li, from Huangzhou. We used to do business together. This is Young Master Dou, from the Dou family of Yangzhou. He is extremely wealthy and very promising at a young age."

Li You cupped his hands and said, "I'm sorry!"

Young Master Dou also bowed to Li You, then said to Qi Bin, "It's getting late, how about the three of us have a drink? It's on me, what do you say?"

Qi Bin said, "Unfortunately, I just had a drink with Young Master Li. Another day, another day."

Just as he was about to leave, Young Master Dou grabbed him.

"Boss Hu, I'll be frank. I need eight thousand catties of copper right now, urgently. The price is negotiable."

"Young Master Dou, I won't lie to you, I also have an urgent need for the goods I recently stockpiled, so I really can't sell them to you."

"I heard you bought the goods at a 30% premium. How about I pay another 30% more?"

"No, no matter how high you offer, it's not enough. I really need it urgently."

"No, you..."

Li You interjected, "If you two want to discuss business, I'll take my leave now. Mr. Hu, shall we talk about our business again tomorrow?"

Qi Bin said, "Alright, Young Master Li, I'll come see you again tomorrow afternoon."

Li You bowed to Young Master Dou, and then left with Yan Hongxin and Wu Hong.

……

The next morning, Qi Bin came to report to Li You.

The phrase "tomorrow afternoon" was just something I said casually.

"My lord, that young master surnamed Dou, whose real name is Dou Jun, comes from the Dou family of Yangzhou. They are wealthy merchants in Yangzhou. The Dou family mainly deals in silk, and also in tea, copperware, and medicinal herbs. Their family fortune is at least a million strings of cash."

"A scion of a prominent family?"

"No, the Dou family is mainly in business, and few members of the clan hold official positions. However, they have sponsored many poor families who became officials, and several of them are now working in the government offices in Yangzhou. Therefore, no one in Yangzhou dares to mess with them."

Li You was slightly taken aback; there was actually such a thing.

This can be considered a different form of collusion between officials and businessmen.

"What does this guy named Dou Jun want eight thousand catties of copper for?"

"This man is in a hurry; his family urgently needs to purchase a batch of bronzeware to bribe officials in Jiannan Circuit."

"Give him two thousand catties as a token of appreciation, and we'll load the rest onto a ship and take it away."

"promise!"

Li You's decision to settle manpower and resources in Xuanzhou was intended to be a long-term business, not a quick strike and retreat.

Therefore, Qi Bin was required to maintain good relations with both the government and merchants like the Dou family.

Sometimes, making a few concessions is within acceptable limits.

The problem is, even if you want to be a good person, the other party often doesn't acknowledge it.

The day before Li You loaded the copper ingots he had obtained onto the ship and was preparing to transport them back to Suizhou, Qi Bin came looking for him.

"My lord, there's something going on with Dou Jun."

"What's wrong?"

"I placed people to keep watch over him at his residence. This guy was still not satisfied with the two thousand catties of copper. He seemed to have guessed that the copper ingots were with the lord and wanted to rob them on the way."

"He's trying to kidnap me?"

"That's right, and they've already started arranging robbers. Some of them are servants from the Dou family, and some are local bullies from Xuanzhou."

How many people are there in total?

"More than two hundred people, they're probably planning to rob us on the river. My lord, should we strike first?"

Li You thought about it for a long time, but he couldn't figure out what this person was thinking.

"Great! What our mountain stronghold needs most right now is manpower. This guy surnamed Dou is desperate to come up the mountain."

"There's no need to strike first; let's deal with this guy right here in the river."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

Now, they weren't in a hurry to leave.

……

The ship will depart in twenty days, on the sixteenth day of the first month of the nineteenth year of the Zhenguan era.

In other words, Li You spent his second year after time travel in Xuanzhou.

According to Qi Bin's investigation, the guy named Dou Jun didn't even go back to Yangzhou for the New Year in order to keep an eye on this batch of copper.

After the boat set sail, a cool breeze blew across the river, and it was still a bit chilly when the wind blew against my skin.

On his return journey, Li You bought two large ships and ten small boats, and also carried some weapons and bows and arrows with him in case of unforeseen circumstances.

They traveled for two days and two nights without anything happening.

Especially on the night before, Li You was very vigilant and specifically ordered that someone must keep watch.

But the night was calm, so Dou Jun did not choose to make his move at night.

On the third day at noon, the fleet arrived at Jiangzhou again.

Looking inward from the mouth of Poyang Lake, there are still many boats on the lake, making it very busy.

After the Spring Festival, the people of Poyang Lake resumed their livelihoods.

Half a day after leaving Jiangzhou, around dusk, four large ships suddenly appeared from upstream on the river and quickly approached Li You's fleet.

Huang Chao's soldiers all roused themselves, drew their weapons, and prepared for battle.

Dou Jun, who was on the large ship, approached and frowned upon seeing the situation.

This young master Li doesn't seem to be a kind person either, as he's hired so many people to act as guards.

This person, who could afford 17,000 catties of copper, must come from a wealthy family and is indeed capable of paying that amount.

"Young Master Li, we meet again. Boss Hu, you're here too!"

"Young Master Dou, you're blocking our way. Are you planning to hijack our ship?"

"Look at what you're saying! Who am I, Dou Jun? How could I act like this? Boss Hu, our Dou family is truly sincere this time."

If you want to buy copper, considering our past relationship, we'll stick to the price we agreed on back then. The money is in this boat I'm standing on.

"I'll increase the price by another ten percent. How about that?"

"What the hell! Brothers, let's do it!"

Huang Chao's troops came prepared, each with their bows drawn and arrows nocked. A volley of arrows felled more than a dozen soldiers on the other side.

Dou Jun was unable to dodge in time and was also hit in the arm by an arrow.

"Archers, suppress them! Small boats, close in! Big ships, ram them!"

Yan Hongxin, who was at the helm, gave the order, and the soldiers in the cabin who were responsible for rowing immediately began to row frantically.

Seeing the large ship coming towards them, Dou Jun, who was standing on the opposite ship, never expected that Li You and his men would fight to the death from the very beginning and would directly confront them.

"Bang!"

The collision between the large ships was quite violent. Li You had desperately clung to the eaves, but he was still knocked down by the impact. Fortunately, he only fell and did not fall into the water.