Chapter 507
Chapter 507: The More Silence, The More Joy
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The feast progressed relatively smoothly, at least on the surface . Fan Sizhe smiled superficially as he received the pair of jade lions from Marquis Chang'an .
As the owner, Fan Sizhe habitually swept his gaze across Baoyue Brothel's main hall . Baoyue Brothel had been completely booked by him . There were no other guests . Sitting beside him, Wei Hua furrowed his brows slightly, thinking, Who else was coming? How come he wasn't informed ahead of time?
Looking at Fan Sizhe's expression, one immediately knew that the coming guest was someone of importance . Otherwise, he wouldn't have unsuppressed anticipation and nervousness . If the guest was someone of importance, why didn't he wait for them to arrive before starting the feast?
Wei Hua unconsciously shook his head . A bitter self-mocking smile rose to the corners of his lips . He knew that when it came to the brothers of the Fan family, one could not judge them based on common sense . He had taken over Shen Zhong's old position and was now the Commander of the Brocade Guards . Most of Northern Qi's special service organizations were under his control . The young Northern Qi Emperor trusted him greatly . He held great power . Once he met with the Fan brothers from the South, Wei Hua felt faintly nervous .
Fan Xian controlled the Overwatch Council . He was truly Wei Hua's "colleague" in the same profession . However, Wei Hua knew that he had not been in this business as long as Fan Xian and the Northern court's Brocade Guards were not as powerful as the Southern court's Overwatch Council . Thus, if the two of them actually competed across country borders, he was definitely not a match .
As for Fan Sizhe, Wei Hua looked at the slightly chubby youth next to him, who was looking after the guests, and furrowed his brows slightly . Concerning him, he admitted that he had misjudged him two years ago . Initially, he had thought that Fan Xian was just using the leverage in his hands to send his brother to Northern Qi to flee a crisis . He had not thought that after a year, Fan Sizhe, while hidden behind the scenes, would have seized complete control of the old Cui family's trading route and helped business secretly flourish .
It was not the commercial sense and power that a young man normally had .
Wei Hua patted his head and smiled slightly as he drank a cup with Fan Sizhe . He joked for a bit . Fan Sizhe's purpose for inviting everyone was clear . The smuggled goods from the South needed someone to collect them after arriving in the North . They couldn't have a Qing person openly selling them in Northern Qi . In the past, it had always been the Wei family, Marquis Changning in particular, who had done it . Fan Sizhe's boldness was growing, so he felt that Marquis Changning's family was taking the goods too slowly . Thus, he had also brought Marquis Chang'an into this .
Wei Hua was not bothered by this arrangement . It was not because Marquis Chang'an was his uncle . Rather, he knew that the Wei family was just a puppet the Emperor placed in front of the stage . Most of the profits flowed through this business endlessly into the Emperor's palace treasury and national treasury .
No matter how crazy Fan Sizhe got, he was on Northern Qi soil . Wei Hua had sufficient power to control him . Once things were no longer harmonious, the Brocade Guards could easily clean out Fan Sizhe's business .
However, this was the final resort, Wei Hua would never do such a thing . He wouldn't even ask for an edict because Northern Qi needed the goods Fan Xian brought out from the Qing palace treasury . Wei Hua was scared of Fan Xian's sinister methods and that he would be unreasonable .
The curtain to Baoyue Brothel moved slightly . Two girls entered together . Wei Hua's hand holding the wine cup shook . He almost spilled his drink .
He recognized both of the girls . This was also one of the reasons Wei Hua was deeply afraid of Fan Xian .
Haitang and Fan Ruoruo .
Wei Hua rose to welcome them and turned around to mockingly scold Fan Sizhe . He invited the two respected heirs of Tianyi Dao to sit at the high table .
The scene became momentarily awkward .
Every Northern Qi person knew that the empress dowager wanted Haitang to marry Wei Hua . However, Haitang had some unexplainable relationship with Fan Xian .
Wei Hua forced a laugh and said to Haitang, "Second Fan invited you, and you came . You're really not giving me any face . "
Haitang smiled and accepted the jade lion Fan Sizhe handed over to play with it . "You just like to run your mouth . "
Wei Hua laughed loudly and didn't say anything more . He knew that she was not a woman he could touch . When the empress dowager expressed her intentions, he had, at the first moment, entered the Palace to tactfully decline . However, it had no effect . The empress dowager's love for the descendants of his family were always unreasonable .
The empress dowager was unreasonable . Fan Xian was unreasonable . Wei Hua did not have such daring . This matter was too much of an offense toward Fan Xian . If he married a ninth-level ace into his family, where was his husbandly authority? Besides, although Haitang was lovely and intelligent, her appearance was truly very average .
Last year, Wei Hua's sister had followed Lang Tiao far away to Jiangnan . When they passed Wuzhou, she had gotten into an argument with Fan Xian . Wei Hua well knew Fan Xian's petty nature would remember this grudge, so he had unwillingly written a great deal of praise and finally quelled Fan Xian's anger .
As his thoughts floated through these years, Wei Hua couldn't help losing his composure and sighing mournfully . Fan Xian, ah, Fan Xian . You really give me no face . You always have to push me down in everything . We were in the same position, why rush to make enemies of each other? Why couldn't he, the Commander of the Brocade Guards, live his life as smoothly as the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council?
…
…
Ever since Haitang and Fan Ruoruo entered Baoyue Brothel, the feast in the hall had become quieter . The shrewd elders of the Wei family put on their elderly appearance and chatted with each of the girls . However, they were thinking they had initially wanted to take more money for the Emperor in this negotiation . Now that these two had arrived, particularly Haitang, just which way did she bend? Thus, they slowed down their attacks toward Fan Sizhe .
Fan Sizhe's expression was calm . He smiled slightly as he spoke . During the leisurely chatting, he stated clearly the division of profits in the coming year and details of the deal . He had asked Haitang and his sister here to give himself a bit more leverage . It would at least mess with the Northern Qi people's minds .
In name, this was a negotiation between himself and the Wei family . In reality, although not everyone knew about Fan Xian and the Northern Qi Emperor's collusion, Marquis Changning, who ran the Wei family, knew everything about it .
After the wine had been passed around three times, the discussions came to an end . Both sides drank happily and left . However, Wei Hua's expression was not very joyous . It was very clear that in his new cycle of splitting the profits, it was still Fan Sizhe who took the lion's share .
The night gradually grew darker . Haitang held the gentle jade lion and glanced at Fan Sizhe with almost a smile and left, leaving Baoyue Brothel to the brother and sister .
…
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"I don't like Haitang . " In a room in the Shangjing branch of Baoyue Brothel, Fan Sizhe furrowed his brows and spoke .
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