Chapter 67: The Number One Playboy Returns

Liu Zheng looked indifferent, with no trace of fear on his face.

If it were merely the buzzing of mosquitoes, he would be content to ignore it.

But if you want to make a move, who is going to indulge you?

Guo Yu could not bear such humiliation, especially from a fallen young master, and immediately roared, "Get him!"

"How bold!"

However, at this very moment, a group of people walked in from outside the door again. Everyone looked over at the sound, and the person who arrived was none other than the Third Leader of the Baiya Army, Du Biao! Surrounded by several burly men, Du Biao strode in with the momentum of a dragon and a tiger, his presence extraordinary. His eyes, sharp as a Falcon, stared fixedly at Guo Yu: "Whose brat is this, insulting people in public? Is this Chamber of Commerce run by you?"

"I, I, I..."

Guo Yu was startled.

This Du Biao was imposing without even being angry, let alone now that he was full of rage; his murderous aura was so oppressive that no one dared to meet his gaze. As a dissolute young master, he was even less able to withstand such an angry glare.

Du Biao turned to look at Liu Zheng, his face now full of smiles, and laughed heartily: "Young Master Liu, your bearing is extraordinary. I have long admired you!"

Liu Zheng gave a wry smile inwardly; if possible, he really did not want someone like this to admire him, but he could only cup his hands and laugh: "Third Leader, your dominance over the crowd is what truly makes my ears ring with your name."

Du Biao actually walked over, supported Liu Zheng's arms, and said affectionately: "Young Master Liu, that is where you are wrong. Ambition is not limited by age; when I was your age, I was just like this bunch of useless sacks!"

These words caused the expressions of Guo Yu and the others to change instantly, yet they dared not let out a single peep. Now, they had become the focus of the entire room's mockery. There was no Method; this was Du Biao. Although he had the status of a "merchant," he represented a force that could rival the Liangzhou Prefecture. Daring to provoke him—did they not want to live?

The crowd was also puzzled.

Why was this Du Biao so favorable and enthusiastic toward this young master of the Liu Family? But they dared not ask.

"This must be Miss Zheng, beautiful as a celestial being, a true beauty of the North! What are you waiting for? Hurry and bring me a seat!"

Only after greeting Zheng Yue Ru did Du Biao shout this.

One sentence was enough to show Du Biao's status in the entire Liangzhou. How could a mere Chamber of Commerce dare to defy him? They hurriedly moved several seats, and Du Biao pulled Liu Zheng to sit right in the middle—the seat of honor!

Liu Zheng and Zheng Yue Ru exchanged a glance, feeling miserable inside.

This Du Biao had a great reputation; he was domineering, forthright, and slick, specifically responsible for the commercial affairs of the Baiya Army. Being able to run such a large business in Liangzhou, he was a top-tier talent. This man acted without affectation; after Liu Zheng sat down, he chatted about everything under the sun with him, without any hypocrisy or condescension.

This, however, made Liu Zheng even more vigilant.

During the conversation, Du Biao occasionally mentioned fine wines from Yinzhou and commercial matters, but only touched upon them lightly without delving deep. This left Liu Zheng exhausted from trying to keep up, and he realized that he was still far behind such a true hegemon.

"Haha, I am very interested in the couplet for the Fengming Tower that Little Brother Liu wrote! Come visit my Lanxiang Troupe another day!"

After chatting for only a short while, Du Biao was already calling him brother.

Liu Zheng hurriedly agreed.

"Everyone, everyone, quiet, quiet!"

Just then, the manager of the Chamber of Commerce came out.

"Everyone is already clear on the specific matters for which you were summoned today. This year, the Empress of our Longyang Dynasty will be returning to visit her family during the Lantern Festival!" The manager was excited: "This is a major event, the glory of our Liangzhou! With the Top Courtesan Competition coinciding with the Lantern Festival..."

Du Biao sneered: "Li, if you have something to say, say it; if you have a fart, let it out. Just tell us how much silver is needed!"

The crowd burst into laughter and echoed his sentiment.

Manager Li gave a dry smile and said: "The protocol for the Empress's procession is naturally extraordinary. The Chamber of Commerce estimates that we are still short by about fifty thousand taels of silver!"

As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar broke out in the room.

"Fifty thousand taels?"

"So much?"

"Yes, each of us already contributed one thousand taels before; is this another one thousand?"

Du Biao also sneered coldly: "Li, it is not that I, Du Biao, have an opinion, nor is it that my Lanxiang Troupe cannot afford this silver. But let us speak reasonably: the Empress's visit and the reception procession should be the responsibility of the Liangzhou Prefecture, right? Why is it being split among us?"

"That's right!"

"This isn't fair!"

The crowd also expressed their dissatisfaction.

Manager Li coughed: "Quiet, quiet, everyone. As you all know, the Xiongnu are causing trouble this year, and the finances of the Liangzhou Prefecture are poor. Defending against foreign enemies is the duty of every citizen, therefore, therefore..."

Du Biao shouted: "Defending against foreign enemies is fine, but you say it is poor—how is it poor? If it is poor, you should be like the Yinzhou Prefecture and make your income and expenditures public; then we will believe you! At that time, whatever you ask my Lanxiang Troupe to pay, we will pay!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd felt it was indeed the right logic.

You say it is poor, so you want to squeeze these merchants? But how exactly is it poor? With the Yinzhou Prefecture currently publishing their accounts, in such a situation, if you say it is poor, on one hand, are you not saying that the Liangzhou Prefecture lacks the ability to generate revenue and manage affairs? On the other hand, what is the reason for it being poor? You hide and conceal the accounts, and with just one word of "poor," you want to split these fifty thousand taels among us. Is this Chen Ping really such a master at slaughtering fat sheep!

Liu Zheng felt a chill in his heart as he listened.

Du Biao's appearance today, in every word he spoke, seemed to be setting the pace, attacking the Liangzhou Prefecture and stirring up the emotions of the entire room.

It seemed that everything was getting closer and closer to Jiang Xuan's speculation.

Manager Li was sweating with anxiety: "Third Leader, this, this, this..."

Du Biao snorted coldly and stopped looking at him.

With Du Biao silent, who else dared to agree? Although fifty thousand taels split up was only one thousand taels per family, you still need a reason, right? The Top Courtesan Competition is a tradition of the pleasure house industry, but very few actually make a profit from it; most just join in the fun. Isn't one thousand taels enough to join in the fun? Two thousand taels this year—who could be convinced?

Zheng Yue Ru looked at Liu Zheng and shook her head slightly. She had thought ten or twenty thousand taels would be enough; she had not expected it to be fifty thousand. If it were really as Liu Zheng said, and they truly had to "sponsor," then the Fengming Tower would suffer a huge loss!

Liu Zheng was actually very hesitant as well.

Of course, he was not hesitating because of the excessive amount of silver, but because Du Biao's presence here made him very hesitant about his decision.

He had originally thought that the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce would not attract the attention of such a behemoth for the time being, and whatever Liu Zheng did would not matter. But Du Biao's attitude today was clearly different. Liu Zheng was wondering if he would put himself in danger if he sponsored with such a high profile.

However...

This hesitation lasted only a few moments. Since he had come to Liangzhou, any obstacle had to be overcome.

Liu Zheng took a deep breath and stood up.

This caused everyone in the room to look at him.

Du Biao asked curiously: "Brother Liu, what is this?"

Manager Li also looked over in surprise.

Liu Zheng chuckled: "Manager Li, the Fengming Tower is willing to provide fifty thousand taels of silver to prepare the procession together with the Chamber of Commerce!"

"What?"

The entire room was shocked.

However, it was not over yet.

Liu Zheng continued, "Fengming Tower is willing to provide 'Drunk Yinzhou' and various other fine wines for the Top Courtesan Competition, for the whole city to drink freely!"

Bang!

Steward Li was so frightened he nearly fell to the ground.

Du Biao was also stunned, rubbing his eyes fiercely.

"Fengming Tower will provide all kinds of clothing for the attendees and every top courtesan!"

"Fengming Tower will also provide daily necessities on a large scale!"

"Fengming Tower will provide the horse carriages for transport..."

"Fengming Tower will provide the tableware used at the Top Courtesan Competition..."

"Fengming Tower..."

Everyone in the room, every single one of them.

Was completely stunned.

What kind of madness is this?

Others avoid this like the plague, yet you are happy to embrace it?

According to what Liu Zheng said, how could this be settled with fifty thousand taels of silver? Even one hundred thousand taels wouldn't be enough!

Are you crazy?

Are you a god of wealth scattering money?

Could it be that the number one playboy of Liangzhou has returned?

A strange thought welled up in Du Biao's heart: could it be that this Young Master Liu is a great talent when he arrives in Yinzhou, but becomes the number one spendthrift when he returns to Liangzhou? Is the influence of the environment really that great?

Zheng Yue Ru was extremely anxious.

Is this how you do business? But having long been in the habit of trusting Liu Zheng, she could not refute him in public at this moment and could only endure it fiercely.

"How about it?"

Liu Zheng asked with a chuckle.

Steward Li only then reacted, slapping his thigh: "Oh my, oh my, wonderful! Young Master Liu is of Great Good! Let's sign the contract immediately, right now!"

The whole room erupted in an uproar.

That Guo Yu laughed even harder, clutching his stomach, ignoring Du Biao beside him, and pointed at Liu Zheng, mocking him: "Young Master Liu, have you revealed your true colors again?"

"Hahaha! This is one hundred thousand taels!"

"This kid, sure enough, as soon as he has some money in his hands, he can't help but squander it... That's right, he truly has the flair of the Young Master Liu of the past!"

Various sounds of mockery rose one after another.

Du Biao also stared blankly at Liu Zheng, unable to guess what this kid was trying to do. Is he back to seek a sense of presence? Is he here to respond to those insults? But this isn't the way to play it! With one hundred thousand taels of silver, wouldn't it be better to go recruit twenty thousand soldiers?

Could it be that he had overestimated this father and son of the Liu Family?

"Good, good, good, everyone please return, please return!"

Steward Li didn't care what others thought; as long as this matter was resolved, he would have performed a great service, so he hurriedly dragged Liu Zheng to the study to sign the contract.

"Young Master Liu, please take a look, is this acceptable?"

He looked at Liu Zheng with eager eyes.

Liu Zheng glanced at the drafted contract and nodded with a smile: "It suits my wishes perfectly! The Silver Notes are all here, and as for the other items, I will have them transported and prepared in full sequence!"

Zheng Yue Ru wanted to fiercely slap Liu Zheng awake, but the latter had already signed his name on the contract, waving his hand to toss out fifty thousand in Silver Notes.

Steward Li felt as if he were in a dream, overjoyed.

On the way back, Zheng Yue Ru wanted to ask several times.

Liu Zheng knew what she was thinking and chuckled: "There isn't much time, I can't explain it to you. How is the inventory of fine wine in Liangzhou?"

Zheng Yue Ru snorted coldly: "It can't withstand you tossing it around like this!"

Liu Zheng smiled bitterly: "Immediately send a message by carrier pigeon to Yinzhou, use the fastest horses, and transport all kinds of fine wine to Liangzhou!"

"Brother Liu! ~"

Zheng Yue Ru was anxious.

Then Liu Zheng continued: "Remember, the mark on the wine bottles cannot be changed at will!"

"A mark?"

Liu Zheng said: "Yes, that is the trademark of our Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce. From now on, no matter what product we produce, it must have a trademark! Remember, this is called branding!"

Zheng Yue Ru listened, completely bewildered.

"Every courtesan house can be supplied with some Soap, remember, it must have the trademark!"

"Immediately contact a clothing workshop and work through the night to make uniforms for the staff, with our trademark on the back!"

"The top courtesans of Fengming Tower, send me their measurements overnight! I will personally design their competition outfits!"

"Immediately find a printing workshop and print trademark stickers!"

"I want the tables and chairs, the carriage wheels, the plates and cups at the Top Courtesan Competition, all to have the trademark of my Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce visible!"

"In short, having spent one hundred thousand taels of silver..."

"I want to be everywhere, all with the trademark of the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce! Do you understand?"

Zheng Yue Ru stood frozen on the spot.

She tried hard in her mind.

To envision the scene of this year's Top Courtesan Competition.

Suddenly.

A flash of inspiration struck her.

Advertisements?

Advertisements that permeate everything!