Chapter 601: Business as Business (I)

"Thank you, Master Luo. Why did Lord Luo keep me here? My eyelids are twitching and I am very nervous. Can you tell me something in advance? This will allow me to prepare."

In the study, Shen Dongshan, who was sitting restlessly, looked at Xie Xuan anxiously and asked several questions, but he got the same answer.

"I am not being mysterious. I just don't know the Lord's intention, so I dare not speculate. I hope Master Shen will not blame me."

Kui Qi, who was standing behind Shen Dongshan, looked around carefully, as if looking for a mechanism hidden in the dark.

"I, Luo, failed to greet you properly and made Mr. Shen wait for so long. I hope you will forgive me!"

Suddenly, a hearty laugh rang out from the courtyard. Then, Luo Tianjin, with a beaming face, pushed the door open and walked in, hurriedly bowing to Shen Dongshan to apologize.

"Hey! Mansion Master Luo and I are brothers, why should we be so formal?"

As soon as he saw Luo Tianjin, the nervousness on Shen Dongshan's face disappeared instantly, and was replaced by a calm and heroic look. He quickly stood up to greet him, acting very familiar.

"Master Shen, please take a seat!"

Luo Tianjin personally helped Shen Dongshan back to his seat, and then sat next to him, without separating him as host and guest like he did with the other people.

Although it was a trivial action, it surprised the observant Shen Dongshan.

Having been in the business world for decades, Shen Dongshan has long been accustomed to all kinds of situations. Seeing Luo Tianjin being so polite to him today, he became more and more certain that he probably had something to ask of him.

However, Shen Dongshan was well versed in the ways of the world, so he guessed but did not reveal it, and there was no sign of it on his face.

"Mr. Shen finally came to Luoyang City, but he had to accompany Mr. Zhao the whole time and had no time to reminisce with me." Luo Tianjin greeted, "In fact, I have long wanted to meet Mr. Shen alone to express my gratitude."

"Oh?" Shen Dongshan was slightly stunned. "What merit or ability have I gained to deserve the gratitude of Palace Master Luo?"

"Master Shen is really a forgetful man!" Luo Tianjin said with a smile, "When we were in Huashan, Your Excellency sent Shen Bing, the head of Huazhou of Dongshan Company, to risk his life on the mountain and deliver a letter to me. The letter directly mentioned Yun Zhuiyue's secret meeting with Sui Zuo and Yan Wuji. Little did we know that if Master Shen hadn't informed us in time, I'm afraid that I and all the heroes in the world would have been buried under the swords of the Mongols. In this way, Master Shen is the savior of the Central Plains martial arts world, how can I not be grateful?"

"Haha..." Shen Dongshan laughed heartily and waved his hand, "It's just a trivial matter, why bother mentioning it?" Although his words were humble, Shen Dongshan was very happy in his heart, and said, "In fact, Shen has always been looking forward to reminiscing about the old times with Lord Luo."

Hearing this, Luo Tianjin nodded slightly, then turned to Xie Xuan and said, "Brother Xie, accompany Brother Kui Qi to walk around the mansion."

Hearing this, Kui Qi's face suddenly changed. He wanted to refuse on the spot, but unexpectedly Shen Dongshan spoke first: "Kui Qi, go!"

"If I go out, who will protect the master?"

As soon as Kui Qi said this, Luo Tianjin immediately burst into laughter.

Shen Dongshan laughed and said, "You fool, this is the study room of the Xianwang Mansion, and the leader of the martial arts world is sitting next to me. Is there any place in the world safer than this?"

Shen Dongshan's words were ambiguous. It seemed that he was reprimanding Kui Qi, but in fact he was taking advantage of the situation to both compliment Luo Tianjin and criticize him.

"This……"

"Go! I have something important to discuss with Lord Luo."

Under Shen Dongshan's repeated urging, Kui Qi finally compromised and said in a muffled voice: "That's it, I'll wait outside the door and won't go anywhere!"

"Whatever you want!" Shen Dongshan pretended to be displeased and scolded: "It's better not to go, so that Mr. Xie won't have to worry. You ungrateful person, get out!"

Kui Qi stuck out his tongue awkwardly, then took a deep look at Luo Tianjin who was smiling without saying a word, and left the study with Xie Xuan.

"Right now, we are the only brothers here. If you have anything to say, Lord Luo, please feel free to speak."

Seeing that Xie Xuan had closed the door tightly, Shen Dongshan went straight to the point and spoke bluntly.

"I want to ask, is it the court's arrangement for Mr. Shen to travel with Lord Zhao this time?" Luo Tianjin's words were full of meaning. It seemed like a casual question, but in fact, it was a hidden secret. He wanted to take the opportunity to test how close Shen Dongshan was to the court.
"Haha..." Shen Dongshan said self-deprecatingly, "Lord Luo and I have been friends for many years, so there is no need to hide it. In fact, I am not willing to go with Lord Zhao, but... I have no choice."

"Oh?" Luo Tianjin asked with interest, "What do you mean?"

"Shen is a businessman. I have no knowledge, no money, and can't even lift two taels of meat with my hands. I am neither good at literature nor martial arts. Apart from reselling, I really have no other skills." Shen Dongshan said modestly, "Doing business is not as free and easy as you people in the rivers and lakes. We rely on getting along with everyone to support our families, and making money by being harmonious, so we can't avoid dealing with the government. In fact, Shen is also deeply disgusted by the behavior of some people in the government, but no matter how disgusted I am, I must not offend them, otherwise I will definitely suffer. Shen's business is bigger than others, so he naturally has more contact with the government. As time goes by, the government's requirements for Shen are getting more and more. As the saying goes, 'When you are in the rivers and lakes, you can't help yourself', and Shen is no exception. Dongshan Company is waiting for food, and Shen will implicate innocent people if he is not careful, so no one dares to offend him..."

Having said this, Shen Dongshan couldn't help but let out an endless sigh, his face full of sadness and helplessness.

"Master Shen means that your traveling with Lord Zhao is actually forced by the court?"

"It's not that I'm forcing you, but I don't have much influence and I don't dare to refuse." Shen Dongshan said with a wry smile, "Fortunately, I have some friendship with Lord Luo and I know that this trip will not be dangerous, so I will do the court a favor."

"Then on the second day of August last year at the Qin Mansion in Hexi..." "The medicine remains the same," Shen Dongshan interrupted, "If it weren't for the court's strict demands, I wouldn't have enough time to deal with my own business, so how could I have the leisure to intervene in the grudges of the martial arts world?"

Hearing this, Luo Tianjin looked thoughtful and murmured, "Outsiders only see that Master Shen is as rich as a country and has money and power, but they don't know that you are only glorious on the surface, and I don't know how much humiliation you have to endure behind the scenes."

Shen Dongshan was so moved that he nodded repeatedly: "The one who knows me best is none other than Lord Luo!"

"In fact, from a certain perspective, you and I are both wanderers in this world." Luo Tianjin said helplessly, "You are a business tycoon, and I am the leader of the martial arts world. You and I are both leaders in our own areas, and we also bear the pressure from the court."

Shen Dongshan raised his eyebrows and said hesitantly, "Lord Luo is talking about...recruiting the imperial envoy?"

"I have sent people to investigate Zhao Yuan's background. All I know is that he is a 'coach' who specializes in training military officers for the East Palace. Considering his status as a royal relative, he was granted the title of Marquis of Tianji and a second-rank official position. In fact, Zhao Yuan has very little real power."

"Lord Luo is indeed well-informed, that's true." Shen Dongshan replied without denying, "In fact, if Lord Zhao didn't have the status of a royal relative, he would have been valued and promoted to a higher level with his talent."

"I'm just curious, why the emperor appointed an imperial envoy to recruit and pacify the people, not a knowledgeable civil official in the court, but a 'coach' who specializes in training military officers?" Luo Tianjin asked in confusion, "Does Mr. Shen know the hidden truth?"

"This..." Shen Dongshan frowned, thought hard for a while, and slowly shook his head, "Don't be afraid of being laughed at by Lord Luo, but the information I found is actually the same as what you just said. It's strange to say that outsiders know very little about the details of this 'Marquis of Tianji'. Even many ministers in the court don't know much about him. He seems to be extremely mysterious."

"Is there something extraordinary about him?"

"It's possible. To put it bluntly, if Lord Zhao was a good-for-nothing, why would the emperor send him to recruit the emperor? Little did he know that recruiting the emperor is related to the lifeblood of the Song court. It is definitely a top-notch event in the court, and the emperor would never appoint an imperial envoy lightly."

In response to this, Luo Tianjin remained silent and pondered, just nodded silently.

"Master Luo kept Mr. Shen here just to find out about Mr. Zhao's background?"

"Of course not." Luo Tianjin waved his hand and smiled, "I just asked casually just now. Since Mr. Shen was forced to come here, I have no scruples about refusing to be recruited. Otherwise, due to Mr. Shen's favor, some things are really hard to say directly."

"Please tell me the truth, Lord Luo. Do you really sneer at the imperial court's offer of amnesty?" Shen Dongshan took the opportunity to ask.

"This..." Luo Tianjin hesitated, "I just can't tell the situation clearly. I'm worried that if I make a wrong move, the whole game will be lost. The most important thing is that my death is not a pity, but if I implicate the heroes of the world, it would be an unforgivable crime."

"So that's how it is." Shen Dongshan suddenly realized, "It seems that Lord Luo and I are indeed both wanderers in this world, and even our concerns are very similar."

Having said this, Shen Dongshan changed the subject and said, "If that's the case, why don't you tell me frankly, Lord Luo?"

Luo Tianjin understood what Shen Dongshan meant, so he calmed down and said seriously, "Actually, Luo has something to ask of you."

Hearing this, Shen Dongshan secretly said "As expected" in his heart. On the surface, he remained calm and said righteously: "Lord Luo, please don't hesitate to say it. As long as Shen can do it, I will do it without hesitation!"

"Don't be afraid of Master Shen laughing at you. Actually... I am short of money these days, so I want to borrow some gold and silver from Master Shen."

"Borrow money?" Shen Dongshan was stunned, and then his heart was relieved. He laughed and said, "I thought it was something else? It turns out that Lord Luo needs money for turnover."

"I'm sorry to have made Master Shen laugh..."

"Hey!" Shen Dongshan said casually, "What's there to talk about between you and me? No matter how much Lord Luo wants, just ask. I don't have anything else, but I do have some yellow and white things."

"Although Mr. Shen is rich, it is not something that came from the wind." Luo Tianjin waved his hand and said, "Luo is willing to write a promissory note for Mr. Shen as a proof of repayment in the future."

"To do business, Mr. Shen cannot do without the support of friends from all walks of life. Lord Luo is the leader of the martial arts world. With your status in the martial arts world, if you are willing to protect Mr. Shen, Dongshan Company will surely be able to make a lot of money and everything will go smoothly. Therefore, your favor is a priceless treasure, worth a mountain of gold and silver. Mr. Shen is not even able to show his filial piety, so how dare he accept your IOU? Tell me! How much does Lord Luo want? Is 10 million taels enough?"

At the beginning, Shen Dongshan bought all of the Pan family’s properties in Yingchuan for only 10 million taels.

Today, before Luo Tianjin opened his mouth, Shen Dongshan offered 10 million taels on his own initiative. I'm afraid there will be no one else like him in the world who is so generous.

However, facing Shen Dongshan's confidence, Luo Tianjin frowned slightly, as if thinking about something.

"What?" Shen Dongshan was secretly shocked and asked suspiciously, "Is ten million not enough?"

"Indeed... it's not enough..." Luo Tianjin said bitterly, "I wonder if Master Shen could be more generous?"

"Instead of letting me guess, it's better for Lord Luo to make the offer." Shen Dongshan said confidently, "As long as it's within my ability, I will never refuse."

"Since Mr. Shen is so generous, it would be embarrassing for me to hesitate." Luo Tianjin made up his mind and stared at Shen Dongshan, who was full of curiosity, and said word by word, "To be honest, I want to borrow Dongshan Company... three years' harvest."

……

(End of this chapter)