I Built a Territory in Ancient Times Chapter 111

Chapter 111

Ming Tao shook his head. “Fourteenth Brother is doing so well in Liangzhou. I truly envy you. I see you’ve brought back quite a lot of things from the Western Region. It seems Fourteenth Brother has made a good profit this time!”

Finally, the matter had been brought up. Ming Yu smiled politely but with restraint, waving his hand. “Oh, not at all. These are just small items. I was bored and picked them up. Just making a little pocket change, nothing more.”

Ming Tao’s eyelids twitched. “Small change?” To those of them accustomed to the grand scale in the capital, what Ming Yu had was far beyond what could be considered small. This was clearly a fortune.

Did the fool not realize how valuable his goods were? The last batch of items he brought back, while Ming Yu was in the borderlands, everything had been entrusted to the Crown Prince, Ming Ye. Ming Tao didn’t believe for a second that Ming Ye didn’t have any selfish intentions. He might be able to use this to drive a wedge between Ming Yu and Ming Ye.

“Fourteenth Brother, you don’t know how big of a sensation the goods you sent back from the Western Regions caused last time. The nobles in the capital all jumped at the chance, everyone was scrambling to get their hands on them. Even with all that, many still walked away empty-handed.”

Ming Yu feigned ignorance, “Oh? Really? I was still worried that there might be problems with selling these goods this time, but now that I know, I feel a lot more at ease.”

“Didn’t the Crown Prince tell you? He made quite a profit from it and gained a lot of connections. Sigh! All of that should have been yours from the start,” Ming Tao lamented.

Ming Yu couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. Did he really think he was that naive? Such an obvious attempt to sow discord, and he was actually trying to use it on him?

But Ming Yu just smiled foolishly, “That’s only natural. The Crown Prince helped me a lot, he earned so much silver for me. I’m always generous; when people are good to me, I remember it in my heart.”

He’s completely hopeless, thanking people who sold him out. Ming Tao looked down on Ming Yu for being so naive but didn’t show it on his face, forcing a smile as he said, “Fourteenth Brother, we all know what kind of person you are. I’m just worried for you, afraid you’ll be at a disadvantage.”

“Your good intentions, Third Brother, I will take to heart,” Ming Yu nodded. “I can eat anything, but I can’t stand losing. Look, I’ve brought back so many goods this time—if I took a loss, wouldn’t I just cry?”

“Hehe! Of course, of course,” Ming Tao said, itching with impatience. He tentatively asked, “Fourteenth Brother, do you have any new thoughts on these goods? If you need anything, just let me know. I will do my best to help you, you don’t have to worry about a thing.”

Ming Tao’s intentions were clear as day, almost outright asking Ming Yu to hand over the goods to him to handle. Ming Yu silently thought, if I gave it to you, you wouldn’t even get a speck of dirt from it.

Ming Yu saw through him but didn’t call him out on it. Instead, he slowly sipped his tea and shook his head, “I don’t have any particular thoughts. It’s all too complicated. I don’t want to deal with so many things. One person should focus on one task. The Crown Prince is experienced, it’s fine to leave it to him.”

Ming Tao was secretly anxious. Though he knew Ming Yu wouldn’t just hand over everything with a few words, he still wanted to give it a shot. Hearing Ming Yu say that was expected, but he hadn’t given up yet. He hadn’t been able to get involved before, but maybe this time he could change Ming Yu’s mind. After all, it was all Ming Yu’s, so his word would count.

“Fourteenth Brother, don’t you think the Crown Prince is too busy with political affairs? He can’t possibly handle this business. Besides, having the Crown Prince involved in such a commercial matter would really be beneath the dignity of the nation,” Ming Tao said, trying to sound righteous.

“Huh? There’s such an opinion?” Ming Yu acted confused, scratching his head in frustration. “The Crown Prince didn’t mention that. He only said I should leave it to him and not worry about anything. I didn’t realize he was just trying to comfort me. I… I’ve really been thoughtless. If it’s such a serious matter, what should we do?”

Ming Tao reassured him, “Fourteenth Brother, don’t worry. Actually, I have nothing on my plate either and could help the Crown Prince with some of the work. If I step in, no one will blame the Crown Prince for this.”

“Third Brother, you’re truly a good person,” Ming Yu praised, handing him a “good person card.” “I really don’t know what to do about this! How about I first ask the Crown Prince and Father? Let me see what they say, but I’ll definitely bring up your good intentions.”

Once Ming Yu asked the Crown Prince and the Emperor, there wouldn’t be much Ming Tao could do. He felt stifled but couldn’t bring himself to reveal his frustration. Even though he was fuming inside, he couldn’t do anything about it.

Ming Yu watched Ming Tao’s face shift from one expression to the next and couldn’t help but laugh. “Sigh! Honestly, this business doesn’t even seem worth it. I only got involved because I was short on silver before. Not only is it a lot of trouble, but it doesn’t even make much money—basically a waste of time.”

Ming Tao’s eyes lit up. It seemed their sources were correct—Ming Yu truly wanted to give up on the business. He had been thinking of starting a trading caravan to do the same as Ming Yu and trade with the Western Regions, but organizing a caravan was one thing, finding the right protection for it was another.

As a prince, Ming Tao knew that any guards he hired would be regulated, and he couldn’t have hundreds or thousands like Ming Yu, who was a Wang. He understood the situation in the borderlands. Without proper protection, the caravan wouldn’t just struggle to trade—it might not even make it to the Western Regions.

Since Ming Yu no longer wanted the Western Regions business, this was the perfect opportunity for him to take over the trading caravan, saving him from spending unnecessary money. The most important part was that Ming Yu’s caravan was already accustomed to the Western Regions and could easily navigate that route.

With this thought in mind, Ming Yu no longer bothered to get involved in the trade of goods. Short-term profits couldn’t compare to long-term benefits. As long as he had the caravan, there was no need to worry about Western Regions goods. The key was to persuade Ming Yu to hand over the caravan.

“Does this mean, Fourteenth Brother, you don’t want the Western Regions business anymore? That’s a shame. To be honest, I was thinking of following your lead and getting into this trade myself.”

Ming Yu narrowed his eyes and smiled, tossing out a bit of bait and watching the fish bite. Tsk tsk! It was almost too easy to trap him.

“Really, Third Brother? That’s simple then. You can just set up your own caravan. You know me, I tend to lose interest in things once the novelty wears off. Honestly, I don’t want to continue in the business of trade.”

Ming Yu wasn’t joking. People only have so much energy; he couldn’t be chasing after small profits when the bigger picture was calling. His future focus was on controlling the Western Qi Corridor, the Silk Road, and building Liangcheng into a bustling market city. That was the real plan for his people, not accumulating wealth by trading Western Regions goods.

At first, rare items were expensive, but once he opened the Western Qi Corridor and more merchants from the Great Yan traveled out, importing goods from different countries, those Western goods would become more common and affordable. So Ming Yu didn’t need to bother with the caravan anymore.

Hearing Ming Yu confirm it himself, Ming Tao was pleased and smiled warmly. “Since Fourteenth Brother doesn’t want to run the trade and caravan anymore, how about transferring it to me instead?”

“This…” Ming Yu hesitated.

Ming Tao continued, trying to persuade him with his silver tongue. “Fourteenth Brother, I wouldn’t treat you unfairly. You can name any condition, and I’ll do my best to meet it.”

Ming Yu looked at him with a strange expression. “Third Brother, do you really want to take over the caravan?”

Ming Tao nodded eagerly, a hopeful expression on his face. “Exactly, I’ll take over the caravan, and you can set the conditions. Otherwise, if the caravan isn’t running the trade, it’s just wasting away. After all, you built this caravan yourself.”

Ming Yu seemed to be wavering, as though moved by Ming Tao’s words. “Third Brother makes a point. If that’s the case, I do have some conditions, but I’m not sure if you’d accept them.”

“You can say it,” Ming Tao replied without hesitation, firm in his resolve. Once Ming Yu agreed, everything would be set.

Ming Yu thought for a moment, and just as Ming Tao was on the edge of his seat, ready to urge Ming Yu to speak, Ming Yu finally said, “First, I want thirty percent of the profit from the goods sold, regardless of what comes in or out. If the caravan carries goods, I get a share. If that’s not possible, then we can’t continue the discussion.”

Ming Tao winced at the thirty percent profit. It seemed a bit steep, but after considering how much the goods were worth, it seemed acceptable. He thought it over and slowly nodded.

Ming Yu smiled contentedly. “Second, the guard team is mine. This cannot be counted as part of the caravan.”

“What?” When Ming Tao heard that the guard team wasn’t included in the caravan, he grew anxious. He was mainly interested in the guards; without them, the caravan would be vulnerable. It was better for him to set up his own caravan, without having to share profits, and with more control over the guards.

“This isn’t acceptable. Without guards, the caravan is unprotected. What’s the difference between that and sending lambs to the wolves? The caravan wouldn’t even make it past Shi Chongguan before being wiped out,” Ming Tao declared firmly.

Ming Tao’s objections didn’t faze Ming Yu. He just smiled slyly. “Third Brother, don’t be so hasty. Let me finish.”

Ming Tao straightened up, eager to hear what Ming Yu had to say. Ming Yu wasn’t in a rush. He gently swept away the foam from his tea with the lid and took a sip before continuing. “If you need the guards, that’s fine. But you’ll need to pay a certain amount of silver. After all, the guards need to eat, right? It wouldn’t be right for them to work for nothing, or I would be at a huge disadvantage. So, in short, if you pay me the silver, I’ll lend you the guards. Or, you can hire other mercenaries. But you should know, just look at their performance in the last two trips. Without skill, could they have brought so many goods back?”

Ming Tao was taken aback when he heard that the guards would cost extra, but after hearing Ming Yu’s reasoning, he started to hesitate. Ming Yu was right. If it weren’t for the guards, he wouldn’t even bother sitting here trying to negotiate with him.

Ming Yu stared at him, cleared his throat, and said, “Third Brother, this is a business deal that’s bound to be profitable. If you can’t part with this small amount of silver, there’s nothing I can do.” He then muttered to himself, “Today, that family, the Ma family, the Wang family, and that other one, they seem pretty interested in this matter. They have money, so they probably won’t mind a little extra. Maybe we should see what they’re thinking. Perhaps we could gain some benefits.”

Ming Tao was shocked. How could this be? The rich water shouldn’t flow to outsiders. How could they let others profit from this?

“Fourteenth Brother!” Ming Tao quickly spoke up, “Fourteenth Brother, it’s not that I don’t want to, but you know how much silver is needed for this guard team? You know, I have a lot of expenses in the capital, and if the cost gets too outrageous, I really can’t afford it!”

Ming Yu smiled and squinted his eyes. “Not outrageous, not outrageous. After all, we’re family, good brothers. How could I possibly take advantage of you? Don’t you agree?”

Ming Tao wiped the cold sweat off his brow. How did Ming Yu’s words make him so nervous? But no matter what, he was determined to bring Ming Yu’s merchant team under his command for the future. This way, he could surpass the Crown Prince.

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