Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

The top floor of Gaoyang Building.

The view from this spot is exceptional. Through the large carved wooden windows, one can overlook Gaoyang County, a city lit up by the bright lights of a rain-soaked sky. The interior furnishings are lavish, with rosewood tables and chairs gleaming softly, and priceless antiques and jade displayed on antique shelves. Precious ambergris curls from the inlaid gold-inlaid Boshan incense burner, blending with the fresh air wafting in from the window to create a unique aroma. The faint sound of stringed instruments drifting from the lower floor adds a touch of opulence and leisure.

Zhang Jingwei and Huang Liang, guided by Shen Kaiyang, entered the elegant pavilion. Opposite the entrance sat the head of the Shi family, Shi Chongshan. Compared to the elderly but vigorous, piercing-eyed Mr. Shi that Zhang Jingwei remembered, the man before him was a completely different person. Wrapped in a heavy brocade cotton robe, he was stooped, his complexion an unhealthy gray, his eyes sunken, and his cloudy gaze betrayed undisguised fatigue and a lingering numbness. His withered hands folded in his lap, trembling slightly.

Zhang Jingwei and Huang Liang took a few steps forward and bowed, their gestures respectful yet imbued with official authority.

"Junior Zhang Qi greets Mr. Shi."

"Junior Huang Liang greets Mr. Shi."

Shi Chongshan raised his eyelids, his cloudy gaze lingered on Zhang Jingwei for a moment, his voice dry and hoarse, like an old bellows: "No need to be so polite, my two lords. I am just a commoner and do not deserve such courtesy from you, lords." There was a strong sense of decadence and powerlessness in his words.

Zhang Jingwei straightened up and looked at Shi Chongshan with concern. His tone was sincere with just the right amount of surprise. "Old man, I haven't seen you for a long time. You look quite different from the last time I visited you. Are you feeling unwell? Have you consulted a famous doctor?"

Shi Chongshan slowly shook his head and sighed heavily, "Alas... I grow old, and each day becomes worse... I can't force it..."

Huang Liang immediately responded with a smile in a loud voice, trying to liven up the atmosphere: "Old man, you are wrong! At your age, you can still be so dignified and rule Gaoyang. It is a blessing for the people of Gaoyang and a blessing from God! It seems that you can live for at least another sixty years!" His flattery was loud, but Shi Chongshan just pulled the corner of his mouth, revealing an extremely forced and lifeless smile, and did not respond.

"You young people... are really good at talking." Shi Chongshan's voice was still low.

Zhang Jingwei changed the subject at the right time and put a gentle smile on his face again: "Grandpa, this is my first visit today, and I don't have any valuable gifts with me. I only got some Hunyuan flower tea from the first crop this spring. Please taste it as a token of my appreciation." He gestured to Huang Liang, who immediately placed the flower tea that Fang Yue had brought up carefully on the table in front of Shi Chongshan.

A maid, already standing by, stepped forward, expertly removing the tea leaves and brewing them in a jade cup. Soon, a unique fragrance filled the elegant pavilion. Shi Chongshan lifted the cup, brought it to his nose, and sniffed deeply. His cloudy eyes seemed to light up for a moment: "Hmm... This tea has an incomparable fragrance, with a... a calming aroma of sandalwood. This scent is truly refreshing and soothing..."

Zhang Jingwei smiled and said, "The old man is very knowledgeable. This is the unique craftsmanship of the Hunyuan Xu family, which is hard to find elsewhere."

Shi Chongshan took a small sip, savored it for a moment, and nodded: "I know the Xu family's craftsmanship. Over the years... their tea is the most flavorful and suits my taste the most." He rarely said a few more words, as if reminiscing about the past.

Zhang Jingwei immediately chimed in, his tone warm, "What a coincidence! This woman from the Hunyuan Xu family is a long-term supplier to our military. If this scented tea suits your taste, I'll send someone to bring it to you every day! I guarantee you'll only be drinking the freshest tea!"

Shi Chongshan put down his teacup, raised his eyelids, glanced at Zhang Jingwei with a complicated expression, and slowly shook his head. "Master Zhang's kindness... I appreciate it. But..." He paused, his tone tinged with self-mockery and distance, "Now Master Zhang is a noble lord appointed by the court, and his status is noble. I... am just a commoner, and I can only... admire Master Zhang's grace."

Zhang Jingwei waved his hand, his expression indifferent: "A mere baron is just an empty title, not worth mentioning. The old man is highly respected and is the real pillar of Gaoyang."

Shi Chongshan was silent for a moment, his cloudy eyes swept across the faces of Zhang Jingwei and Huang Liang, and finally stopped at Zhang Jingwei. His voice was filled with a hint of imperceptible fatigue and understanding: "Sir Zhang... you are holding a banquet in my humble building today. I'm afraid... it's not just for the trivial matter of serving tea, right?" After all, he was once a person who controlled a region. Although he was old, his basic acumen was still there.

Zhang Jingwei sneered in his heart, but he kept smiling on his face, and said frankly: "The old man is really observant and sees through everything. I came here today for something. I want to continue the business that we...um, were halfway through talking about last time, and talk in detail." He deliberately emphasized the word "business".

"Oh? Business?" Shen Kaiyang, who had been standing behind Shi Chongshan, stepped forward like a shark smelling blood. He put on a shrewd businessman's smile and interrupted in a resounding voice, "Since this is business, may I have a word? After all, the old man is old and lacks energy, so I'm the one taking care of most of the details of the business now."

Shi Chongshan drooped his eyelids slightly, picked up the teacup and took another sip, without any expression, as if he agreed with Shen Kaiyang's statement.

Zhang Jingwei understood and turned his gaze to Shen Kaiyang, his smile unchanged: "Manager Shen, please feel free to speak. Since this is a business, we must discuss it clearly."

Shen Kaiyang cleared his throat, his eyes gleaming, and his tone was firm: "Okay! Then I will speak frankly. We accept the conditions proposed by Lord Zhang last time in principle. But-" He changed the subject and raised a finger, "The number of people needs to be increased! And it needs to be increased significantly! This time we need-a thousand slaves!"

"one thousand?!"

This number exploded like thunder in the Accord!

Not only did Zhang Jingwei and Huang Liang's expressions change slightly, but even Shi Chongshan, who had been keeping his eyelids down as if nothing had happened, suddenly raised his head, his cloudy eyes widening, his face filled with disbelief and shock! His dry fingers tightly grasped the armrests of the chair, his body leaning forward slightly, a hoarse sound coming from his throat, as if he wanted to say something, but it ultimately turned into a violent cough, and the mute woman next to him hurriedly patted his back to soothe him.

Shen Kaiyang ignored Shi Chongshan's reaction. He stared at Zhang Jingwei, as if appreciating the astonishment on his face, and continued to offer his chips: "Of course, I won't let Master Zhang suffer any loss with these 1,000 men. For all male slaves, I will add an additional 30% to Master Zhang's original offer! How about it?"

Zhang Jingwei quickly suppressed the shock in his heart, and put on the calculating expression of a businessman again on his face. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, as if he was quickly calculating: "The original conditions... that is, twenty-six strings of cash for a male slave... plus 30%... that is... well, thirty-three strings of cash and eight coins? It's hard to calculate the decimals..." He raised his head, a seemingly "greedy" smile appeared on his face, "How about... Shopkeeper Shen, let's be quick and make it a whole number, thirty strings of cash each, how about it? Regardless of gender, it's all calculated as thirty strings of cash!" He deliberately confused the price difference between male and female slaves, and "generously" rounded off the decimals.

"Thirty strings of cash?!" The smile on Shen Kaiyang's face froze instantly, and then turned into exaggerated astonishment and dissatisfaction, and his voice became higher, "Master Zhang! You... are you kidding me?! In a normal slave market, thirty strings of cash are enough to buy ten strong Kunlun slaves! Your price... is too outrageous!" He shook his head repeatedly with an expression that said "you are crazy".

Zhang Jingwei leaned back slightly on the chair, picked up the teacup and blew on it slowly, his tone with a hint of laziness and confidence: "Hey, Shopkeeper Shen, you can't say that. You have enough quantity, so it's naturally cheap. Here..." He put down the teacup, staring at Shen Kaiyang with burning eyes, "I also have enough quantity! And I guarantee that the source is clean, and I'm skillful, and I will never cause trouble for Shopkeeper Shen! The key is, can you... eat it?" He deliberately used "enough quantity" to stimulate Shen Kaiyang, implying that he had a huge source of slaves.

Shen Kaiyang's eyes flickered, and he said with a forced smile, "Master Zhang, you're joking. As far as I know, your military is indeed wealthy, but it seems... you are not involved in the slave trade, right? You suddenly have to take out thousands of slaves..."

Zhang Jingwei laughed and interrupted him, waving his hand heroically: "Shopkeeper Shen is well-informed, but not entirely right. Our army has a huge amount of money, more than tens of millions. The slave business is just a drop in the bucket! As long as Shopkeeper Shen offers the right price, the connection... will naturally be within reach!" He displayed the air of a wealthy businessman who was as rich as a country and could do anything.

Shen Kaiyang stared at Zhang Jingwei for a few seconds, as if trying to determine his words. Finally, as if making a firm decision, he said in a deep voice, "How about this, Master Zhang? Twenty-eight strings of cash! Twenty-eight strings of cash per male slave! But on the condition that all male slaves are male! Not a single female slave!" He reiterated that he only wanted male slaves, their purpose clearly evident—they were no mere servants!

Zhang Jingwei sneered inwardly, but remained unyielding. He shook his head and said, "Shopkeeper Shen, this is not very considerate. Since I said that I would provide as much as I could, I naturally wanted both male and female slaves. How could I only accept male slaves and not female slaves? This is against the rules. So, regardless of whether the slaves are male or female, they will all be charged thirty strings of cash!"

He again insisted on thirty strings of cash and pretended to bargain with him.

"Sir Zhang!" Shen Kaiyang's face finally darkened, and his tone was filled with anger. "What we are talking about now is business! It's hard-earned money! Not nonsense! Thirty strings of cash for a slave? How is that possible! With this price, you can buy high-quality war slaves in the Western Regions!" He seemed furious.

Zhang Jingwei was not moved at all, sipping his tea slowly and leisurely: "Business naturally has risks. I'm taking on such a big responsibility and getting so many people involved. If the news leaks out, I'll lose my head. Thirty strings of cash includes my risk money. Manager Shen has a big family and a big business, why bother about this small amount of money?" He turned the tables.

The atmosphere in the elegant pavilion suddenly became tense and stagnant. Huang Liang held his breath, his palms sweating. Shi Chongshan closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, his chest rising and falling slightly, as if none of this had anything to do with him, or perhaps he was powerless to change anything.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door of the elegant pavilion. A purple-robed servant entered quickly, head bowed, and walked directly to Shen Kaiyang, whispering something in his ear. Though the voice was quiet, in the quiet of the elegant pavilion, Zhang Jingwei, concentrating, could vaguely catch fragments of words like "the man brought by County Magistrate Zhang," "dead drunk," "vomited all over the floor," "asleep in the bedroom," and "the other one...having fun...playing hide-and-seek with his eyes covered..."

After Shen Kaiyang finished listening, a subtle look of mockery and relief appeared on his face. He waved his hand and said, "Got it. Go down. Serve well and don't make any mistakes."

The boy bowed and retreated.

Zhang Jingwei felt relieved! Fang Yue and Liang Dahai's cover plan was successful! One was "dead drunk" and "sleeping" in the room, and the other was "having fun", which was enough to paralyze Shen Kaiyang's vigilance. He cast his eyes on Shen Kaiyang again, as if the previous episode did not exist. Suddenly, a hint of interest appeared on his face. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "By the way, Shopkeeper Shen, since we are talking about slaves. I heard that you have many connections in the counties of the Western Regions and sell Hu slaves. I wonder... there is a kind of Kunlun slave, who is tall, dark-skinned, extremely strong, and can lift a tripod. For such a rare stuff, what price can you offer?" He deliberately brought up a new topic, both to delay time and to test Shen Kaiyang's background and reaction.

Shen Kaiyang was stunned, obviously not expecting Zhang Jingwei to ask this suddenly, but he reacted quickly and continued the conversation: "Kunlun slaves? Well... they are indeed rare. But... they are tall and dark-skinned, and look intimidating, but they may not be as hardworking as the men in our northern land. In my opinion... it may be... thirty strings of cash at most!" He subconsciously brought out the number "thirty strings of cash" again.

Zhang Jingwei immediately shook his head, held up four fingers, and said in an exaggerated tone, "No, no, no! Shopkeeper Shen, your price is too low! Kunlun slaves have been transported thousands of miles, and they are rare and valuable! And their physiques are so imposing! At least... forty strings of cash!"

Shen Kaiyang was amused by Zhang Jingwei's "raising the price" and waved his hands repeatedly: "Master Zhang! You are... too good at raising the price! I admit that Kunlun slaves are rare, but forty strings of cash? Absolutely impossible! How about this, for Master Zhang's sake, thirty-five strings of cash! No more! If it's more, this deal really can't be done!" He seemed eager to end this bargaining that had deviated from the topic.

Zhang Jingwei pretended to hesitate for a moment before nodding reluctantly, "Thirty-five strings of cash... okay, considering Manager Shen's sincerity. Then... are we done now? We're partners in this slave business?" He changed the subject, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp as a knife, staring intently at Shen Kaiyang, "Since we're partners, what exactly are you going to do with these thousands of slaves? You have to... tell me the lowdown, right? I can't just hand so many people over to you without knowing what's going on. What if something goes wrong..."

The smile on Shen Kaiyang's face froze instantly, a flash of panic flashed in his eyes, but he immediately forced himself to calm down and chuckled twice, "Master Zhang, you're joking! Of course... to use them as servants! The Shi family has many assets, including farms, shops, and mansions... where does it need manpower? A thousand people, divided among them, is not too many."

"Servants?" Zhang Jingwei stood up suddenly, his voice suddenly rising, with undisguised sarcasm and questioning, "Old Master Shi is old and lives in seclusion! As far as I know, the Shi family now has hundreds of servants! More than enough to serve the old master! You ask for a thousand people? Are you going to serve the emperor?! Or to raise a private army?!" He shouted sternly, like a thunderclap! The elegant pavilion was instantly silent! The scent of incense seemed to freeze!

"Sir Zhang! Be careful with your words! How can you say such things!" Shen Kaiyang's face changed drastically and he retorted harshly, but his voice trembled slightly. "These thousand people... have to go to the farm and do farm work! All the miscellaneous things in the mansion... have to be done by someone!" His excuse was pale and powerless.

Zhang Jingwei ignored Shen Kaiyang completely. His cold gaze was like a sharp sword, piercing Shi Chongshan, who was pale and trembling in the main seat. His voice was as cold as ice: "Old Master Shi! Tell me! He is just the owner of Gaoyang Tower! How can he care about the life and death of thousands of people in your Shi family?! Who has the final say in this Shi family?!"

Shi Chongshan felt as if he were being stripped naked by Zhang Jingwei's fierce gaze, and his withered body trembled even more violently. His lips trembled as he looked at Shen Kaiyang, his eyes filled with fear and a kind of coerced despair. Under Shen Kaiyang's gloomy gaze, he finally spoke with difficulty, his voice thin and full of powerlessness: "Master Zhang, you don't know that Manager Shen is not only the manager of Gaoyang Tower, but also the head steward of our Shi family. I manage domestic affairs, and he manages external affairs. What's wrong with that?"

"Hehehe..." Zhang Jingwei let out a bone-chilling laugh. He slowly walked up to Shi Chongshan, looking down at the once-powerful old man who was now a puppet. Every word he said was like a poisoned ice spike: "You manage the family affairs? He manages foreign affairs? That... why not?" He repeated Shi Chongshan's words, the sarcasm in his tone thick with emotion. "Mr. Shi, what kind of 'family affairs' are you managing? Are you watching him drag the Shi family's foundation into this abyss of no return?!"

He turned around suddenly, pointed his spear at Shen Kaiyang, and his voice was like thunder, shaking the entire Accord:

"And he's in charge of 'foreign affairs'—"

Zhang Jingwei's gaze was like a burning flame, fixed on Shen Kaiyang's face, which was twisted with anger and fear.

"—Are these the heinous crimes that harmed the world, brought disaster to the nation and its people, and cost thousands of lives?!"

"boom!"

Zhang Jingwei's final roar was like thunder, completely shattering the false veil of peace on the top floor of Gaoyang Tower! Inside the elegant pavilion, murderous intent was revealed! The air seemed to freeze into ice!