paranoianovel Chapter 2669 The Second King Arrives.
Chapter 2669 The Second King Arrives.
On the fourth day of the first month of the twenty-fourth year of Zhenguan (1540), the weather was clear and cloudless.
The Prince Ji's residence has finally received guests.
"Hahaha, please have a seat, my two uncles. Someone, please brew my tribute tea for you two uncles."
Inside the main reception hall of Prince Ji's residence, Li Shen emerged in a white robe, carrying a long-haired Persian cat in his arms.
Upon seeing Li Boyi and Li Fengci, he immediately burst into laughter.
"Greetings, Prince Ji." The two bowed.
“Oh? Uncle Wang, how can you bow to me like that? Isn’t that too much for me? You are our elders, and we are all family. We should follow the proper etiquette.”
Seeing them bow, Li Shen feigned displeasure, then bowed to the two of them in return.
"Greetings, Your Highnesses."
The two were inexplicably moved by this. Although they were princes, they were not well-liked by other members of the royal family.
Seeing them is like seeing a plague god.
If it weren't for their close relationship with the current emperor, being childhood friends, those members of the royal family might have been even more obvious.
Having always been looked down upon, the two were deeply grateful to receive Li Shen's respect today.
The man before me is none other than the currently popular Prince Ji, the emperor's most favored prince, a man even the crown prince must show deference to.
"Uncle, please sit down. May I ask what day you have come to visit today?" Li Shen sat down in his large armchair, holding the cat.
“This… Prince Ji said not long ago…” Li Boyi began hesitantly.
He found it somewhat difficult to bring up the idea of going to Prince Ji's door to do business, or rather, to offer him charity.
"Oh dear, look at my memory, please don't blame me, Uncles."
You've all heard that my nephew has had a brain disorder since childhood, which is why he often forgets things.
It's truly an offense to have Uncle Wang make the trip himself. Please forgive me, Uncle Wang, please forgive me.
Li Shenyi slapped his forehead and said somewhat apologetically.
"It's alright, it's alright. We both know that Prince Ji is usually very busy, so this little matter is nothing to mention."
Li Fengci quickly shook his head to explain for Li Shen.
Ever since Yuanzheng learned that they would be doing business with Prince Ji, the two of them were so excited that they couldn't sleep all night.
The two waited at home for Li Shen to send someone to discuss business with them.
But no matter how long they waited, he didn't come. The two of them looked up at the sky, feeling extremely sad.
The two of them weren't in a hurry on the second day of the Lunar New Year, since it was just after the New Year celebrations and everyone needed a day off.
The two junior high students guessed that Prince Ji must be busy, so he didn't have time.
But now that it's the fourth day of the lunar new year, they can't sit still anymore. They're worried that their business might fall through and that Prince Ji might stop contacting them.
So the two hit it off immediately after meeting and decided to take the initiative to visit each other.
"Hehe, you two uncles are too kind. Come, have some tea." Li Shen smiled.
This is the fickle nature of human relationships: when you're poor, no one cares even in the bustling city; when you're rich, even distant relatives come to visit.
As long as you have ability, whether you are rich or powerful, your uncles, aunts, and other relatives will flatter you and say nice things.
But if you are incompetent and destitute, not only will your relatives look down on you, but even the mice in your house will look down on you.
"Excellent tea." The two took a sip of the tea and praised it highly.
Is this the legendary tribute tea? The two of them have only heard of it and have never tasted it.
It is indeed much better than that first-class tea.
"I'll make sure you like it, and then I'll bring two strings of cash for the two Uncles later," Li Shen said with a smile, showing great affability towards the two men.
"Then thank you very much, Prince Ji." Li Boyi quickly expressed his gratitude.
"We never expected the Prince Ji's mansion to be so magnificent; it has truly broadened our horizons."
The rumors circulating outside are not even a tenth or a twelfth as true as those about the Prince Ji's residence.
Li Fengci looked at the main hall and exclaimed in admiration from the bottom of his heart.
He and Li Boyi had visited the Prince Ji's residence several times, and they would come to offer their congratulations on Li Shen's wedding and the baby's 100-day celebration.
However, the scenery is different every time he comes, and he doesn't know how much money Prince Ji spent.
The gilded patterns on the long corridor, the various gold and silver decorations, the expensive marble floor, and the pebbles all represent symbols of wealth and prosperity.
Furthermore, the various ornaments, glassware, and porcelain pieces in this main hall are all quite valuable.
Only after entering Prince Ji's mansion did they realize what true nobility meant; the key word was simply "noble."
Those nobles outside are nothing more than pretentious affectations.
"You two are too kind, my nephew just likes things that are shiny and golden."
Moreover, because he was weak from childhood, he could only use utensils made of gold, silver, porcelain, and jade. Ordinary ceramic utensils would make him feel unwell and prone to illness after he used them.
Don't laugh at me, Uncle Wang, but I haven't touched copper coins or bronzeware for over ten years.
Even the washbasins in the mansion were made of gold; they looked utterly vulgar, incredibly vulgar indeed.
Li Shen shook his head and sighed, a helpless look on his face.
Li Boyi and Li Fengci's lips twitched several times as they listened, thinking to themselves, "Are you complaining or showing off?"
Even His Majesty doesn't wash his hands of a golden basin. The so-called golden basin in the palace is just made of copper, not pure gold.
However, despite thinking this in their hearts, the two of them showed understanding on their faces:
"Your Highness, please don't say that. Health is the most important thing. I suppose it's because Your Highness is in poor health..."
Prince Ji is His Majesty's son, of noble birth, so it's not surprising that he has such an illness. After all, Prince Ji, you've been accustomed to a life of luxury since childhood."
Upon hearing this, Li Shen's expression froze for half a second, and he felt immense admiration for the two of them.
How can you possibly explain all this away? If you two have the ability to be such sycophants, why don't you go to the palace and fawn over the emperor?
If their father is pleased, he might even reward them with an official position.
"Well... Uncle Wang, let's get down to business."
Li Shen felt a little embarrassed and quickly changed the subject.
"Just tell me what you need, Prince Ji." The two men smiled, and Li Fengci even bowed.
Li Shen's eyelids twitched; this was his uncle, his father's cousin.
"My two uncles, I already told you a few days ago that I was looking for you two to discuss the purchase of spices."
I will have someone set up a shop in the industrial park, where the two Uncle Wangs can go and oversee the purchase of spices when they have nothing else to do.
If you don't like going, you can just stay home and have your staff watch over you.
As long as someone is selling spices, and the price increase isn't too outrageous, you should buy them all. I will have someone deliver a deposit certificate for 20,000 guan to you as proof of ownership for the spices.
You can go to the bank to exchange money at any time.
What do you two uncles think?
After explaining his plan, Li Shen waited for their reply, confident that they would agree.
“Prince Ji, I have a question, but I’m not sure if I should ask it,” Li Boyi said at this moment.
(I was just thinking of buying some snacks, and wow, they're all either national treasures or century-old domestic brands. It makes me feel like I'm letting down the country and the people if I don't buy them.)
It cost me a lot of money.