Chapter 1167: Acquiring Vodka

Xie Chen was looking at Xie Ming.

Dong Shuyu was on the side, also pondering something.

When she learned of Xie Chen's true identity, she was actually shocked herself.

After all, he was the little eunuch by her side, and had "served" her quite well all this time...

She herself quite liked this little fellow...

The absurd affairs within this inner palace, let us not speak of them.

So the look in her eyes as she watched Xie Chen at this moment was still somewhat complex...

He was actually the son of the Prince of Zhao!

The enemy of an enemy is a friend.

Nowadays, although Xie Ming was the Emperor of the Longyan Empire, he was only an emperor in name; he did not have a shred of power in his hands.

Ever since he ascended the throne, he had been tightly controlled by Liu Zheng within the Imperial Palace.

But Xie Chen was different.

Xie Chen was of the Liangzhou lineage; the current Prince of Zhao, Xie Chao, was Xie Chen's own younger brother. Although Liangzhou was no longer as powerful as it once was, it still possessed two hundred thousand Youzhou Sudden Cavalry.

Even if their overall strength could not compare to Liu Zheng's, as long as the timing was right, once these two hundred thousand troops moved, they would be lethal!

Therefore...

As it looks right now...

For Xie Ming to want to ascend to the throne, this Xie Chen was a precious treasure!

And they could completely stir up some trouble in the inner palace!

As long as they took control of the entire Jinghua, they would still have a chance!

Xie Ming pondered for a moment and chuckled: "So it is the Zhao lineage! Then you are my imperial brother. Imperial brother, today I shall grant you an Imperial Edict of the Sash! If the matter succeeds, I will enfeoff you with the land of Liaodong. At that time, you brothers will be the most powerful Feudatory Kings in my Longyan Empire!"

"Hereditary and perpetual, shielding you for ten thousand generations!"

Xie Ming grabbed Xie Chen's hand, his face full of sincerity.

"I thank Your Majesty for your great grace!"

Xie Chen was also overjoyed and very tactfully knelt down.

An Imperial Edict of the Sash!

This was the Emperor's Imperial Edict!

As long as he had this thing, he could absolutely stir up trouble!

He would have a legitimate cause!

The current Royalist Faction still had a strong market in Longyan.

"Imperial brother, do you have any specific plans? Nowadays, the Liangzhou faction is already too big to be controlled in our court. I fear it will not be simple to deal with this Liu Zheng."

Xie Ming sighed.

He had already tried many times, but this Liu Zheng was completely airtight, without any points of attack...

"It might have been difficult before, but now, there is an excellent opportunity!" A flash of brilliance crossed Xie Chen's eyes.

"The Northeast Plague?"

Xie Ming trembled all over. Could it be that the two of them were thinking the same thing?

"Exactly!"

"Although Liangzhou is strong, Chief Minister Liu has been laying out plans everywhere, which has already weakened Liangzhou's strength. Recently, although Chief Minister Liu is in Europe, the focus of the entire Liangzhou is actually on Liaodong. As long as Liaodong falls into chaos, Liangzhou's strength will naturally suffer a devastating blow!"

"Moreover, Liaodong is not Chief Minister Liu's Liaodong alone. He has brought a large number of wealthy merchants and gentry to invest in the construction of Liaodong. If Liaodong is lost, these people will certainly hold this account against Liu Zheng. At that time, Chief Minister Liu will be boycotted by the gentry of the world!"

"Without money and without people, how much longer can he be arrogant?"

Xie Chen explained in detail.

Xie Ming and Dong Shuyu looked at each other with joy.

This seemed to be the only opportunity at present to find a way to target Liu Zheng!

For his own selfish interests, Xie Ming wanted to bring disaster to the country and the people, but there were others like him not only in Longyan.

In Tsarist Russia to the north of Longyan, there were such people too.

Menshikov, in his millet trade with Qian Yonggui,

had earned a fortune. And just as he was intoxicated by this, Peter I appointed him as Minister of Military Supplies, responsible for sending a large quantity of spirits and other supplies to Wusun.

A full four hundred thousand bottles of Vodka—this made his heart race.

This Vodka was hard currency in Russia. If he didn't skim some benefits from such a large amount of alcohol, it seemed he would be unworthy of his position as "Minister of Military Supplies."

However, although he had the idea, how to do it stumped him.

After all, this alcohol was imperial wine to reward the soldiers at the front. Once Rumyantsev reported him to Peter, and Peter flew into a rage, then things would be troublesome.

He had to think of a good method.

Just at this moment, Qian Yonggui came to visit.

Hearing that Qian Yonggui had come, Menshikov was very happy. He had to take good care of this sucker; in the future, he would bring him even more silver.

"Hahahaha, Lao Qian has come! Quickly, quickly, invite him in!"

He knew that this Longyan merchant was a genuine parasite!

As long as there was profit, he could come up with a method for him!

Moreover, this Qian Yonggui could get such good grain from Longyan to Russia, which showed that he still had considerable energy in Longyan.

In transportation, in commerce...

Qian Yonggui also chuckled.

He was a businessman, a businessman who knew that flies don't bite seamless eggs. Naturally, he knew where this recent trouble of Menshikov's came from.

After meeting, the two exchanged a few pleasantries, and after the pleasantries, Qian Yonggui brought up the real business.

"Marshal, the deal is done, and I am about to return. Before I leave, could I ask the Marshal for a favor?"

"So soon?"

Menshikov was a bit surprised.

This father and son, Qian Yonggui, were treasures in his hands!

"Lao Qian, there is something I wouldn't say to anyone else..."

"But since we have become so close..."

Menshikov first looked troubled, then sighed and said: "Lao Qian, you probably know what Longyan is like these days! Imperial power doesn't even count for much anymore! The whole society is foul and chaotic! Do you think there is any point in going back to Longyan? Hahahaha, I think it would be better to stay in Tsarist Russia, and we can stir up some trouble together!"

Qian Yonggui also sighed long and hard: "That may be so... but Marshal, the only reason you took a liking to my father and son is because of our channels and connections in Longyan, isn't it?"

"This..."

Menshikov was suddenly speechless.

This was indeed true.

Did you think he really liked this father and son of the Qian family?

Of course not.

What he valued was profit!

"Hahahaha, since you put it that way, then no matter what, Tsarist Russia will always be your second home!"

Menshikov was very generous.

Qian Yonggui rubbed his hands and said with some difficulty: "Marshal, we really lost a lot of silver on this deal. It's not quite bankruptcy, but it has severely damaged our vitality. Marshal, can you let us recoup some losses?"

Hearing this, Menshikov's face immediately grew long.

This man was a notorious miser throughout Europe.

You can let me make money...

You want to make money through me?

Heh...

Seeing Menshikov's expression, Qian Yonggui became "nervous" and hurriedly explained:

"Marshal, I want to buy some local specialties from you to take back and sell in Longyan."

Hearing this, Menshikov's expression instantly relaxed. This was business. It looked like he could still make a big profit from this Qian Yonggui.

"That is certainly no problem. I wonder what specialties you want, Boss Qian?"

"This... I would like some Vodka. I wonder if the Marshal could

help me with this."

After Qian Yonggui finished speaking, Menshikov's eyes lit up!

He had been worrying about how to make money from this batch of imperial wine, and here Qian Yonggui had delivered himself to his door!

Someone bringing a pillow just when you want to sleep—this feeling is wonderful!

"That is naturally no problem. Tell me how much you want, and I will have people prepare it for you."

"Marshal, I want as much as you have."

Qian Yonggui's words made Menshikov instantly alert.

"Boss Qian, Vodka is not cheap. Don't just go around making empty promises."

"Marshal, I am not acting alone. Behind me is the entire Chamber of Commerce. You cannot underestimate the power of the Chamber of Commerce. If it weren't for the Chamber of Commerce behind me, how could such high-quality grain from Longyan be transported to Tsarist Russia? Our silver is very sufficient. To speak boldly, even if you had one million bottles of Vodka, we would take them all!" Qian Yonggui said with a confident face.

"Is that so..."

Menshikov was not stupid. The imperial wine had just arrived in his hands, and Qian Yonggui had come to collect it. Wasn't this a bit too coincidental?

Could there be some conspiracy?

"Boss Qian, although our Vodka cannot compare to your country's 'Yinzhou Drunk', the selling price is not low. If the purchase volume is so huge and your Chamber of Commerce runs into operational problems, you will lose everything," Menshikov asked with a frown.

"That is something the Marshal does not need to worry about. We naturally have our own methods for making a profit. Marshal, you only need to provide a sufficient amount of Vodka."

"I really do have to worry about this. Otherwise, I'm afraid Boss Qian won't be able to leave here."

After Menshikov finished speaking, he clapped his hands, and then more than a dozen Tsarist Russia soldiers armed with live ammunition rushed in and controlled Qian Yonggui.

Following that, his expression also turned cold.

The sudden change frightened Qian Yonggui, who hurriedly said: "Marshal, what is the meaning of this?"

"Boss Qian, I have just received four hundred thousand bottles of Vodka, and you come to collect the wine, and in such a large quantity? A businessman doing such a high-risk deal? Boss Qian, what is your true identity? Are you a spy for Longyan?"

Menshikov asked coldly.

"Marshal, I am just a businessman! How could I be a spy! Marshal, everything I said is true. You must believe me!"

Qian Yonggui looked terrified, just like last time, with snot and tears flying everywhere.

Although Menshikov was very suspicious, this Qian Yonggui's demeanor and words were indeed those of an authentic businessman...

If he really were a spy, dealing with him would naturally be a good thing. But if he were innocent and he dealt with him, he would be cutting off his own path to wealth!

This matter had to be handled with caution.

"Fine. Since you say you are a businessman, then tell me, how do you guarantee you will make a profit with such a large amount of Vodka?"

"Even a fool knows that brewing wine requires grain. And the price of grain in Tsarist Russia has always remained high... This also makes our Vodka even more expensive than Yinzhou Drunk!"

"You tell me you want to buy Vodka in Tsarist Russia to take back and sell?"

"Do you really think I am that stupid?"

Menshikov leaned in and asked with murderous intent.

Clang, clang, clang!

The guards nearby had already drawn their swords and blades. Pop-ups are frequent recently, you may click to download to avoid pop-ups.