strictlysupreme Chapter 2746 We Will Not Participate
Chapter 2746 We Will Not Participate
The two elders of the Zhao County Li clan and the Longxi Li clan turned around suspiciously when they heard Cui Renzhi's call.
Choi In-ji slowly walked forward:
"Elders, everything can be discussed. Why go to such lengths? Look, all the major families are here. If the Li family has any opinions, they might as well speak them directly."
Moreover, Cui had something else to say. Elder Li was right. If it was just a few hundred thousand coins worth of spices, each person would only receive a few tens of thousands of coins.
So we plan to acquire more this time.
We were just about to ask each household how much spice they needed, and then have merchants from the Western Regions transport it to us after we've tallied it up.
"Oh? Hehe, in that case, let's go back and discuss it further."
The elders of the Li clan smiled slightly upon hearing this.
"What, is the Li family not going to participate?" The Wang family representative stood up.
"This matter is of great importance, and the two of us cannot make the decision on our own. We need to consult with the clan and all families before we can make a decision."
I imagine everyone here feels the same way, right?
The elder of the Li clan of Zhao County glanced at the representative of the Wang clan with an expressionless face.
Over the years, their relationship has become less solid. His Majesty issued an edict prohibiting their marriage, and because of their good relations with the Prince Ji's family, their relationship has gradually become distant.
"So, the Li family doesn't intend to discuss this with us."
Zheng Jingsi of the Zheng family also stood up, followed closely by Lu Chengqing of the Lu family.
Of the five surnames and seven prominent families, four stood together, facing the Li family directly. It was clear that these four families were extremely dissatisfied with the Li family's withdrawal from their circle.
He harbored resentment towards the Li family for siding with Prince Ji, as they had previously agreed to stand together through thick and thin, but the Li family had broken their promise and failed to keep their word.
The atmosphere instantly became tense. Not a single member of the other families stood up to mediate; they all wore expressions of watching the spectacle unfold.
The Five Clans and Seven Noble Families have always been superior to them. If the Five Clans were to fight amongst themselves, they might be able to reap the benefits and join the ranks of first-class families.
Everyone looked to both sides. On one side was the Li family, a major clan, and the Guanlong Group. On the other side were four surnames and five families. In terms of strength, the four surnames were slightly superior.
However, the four families have suffered many setbacks over the years, while the Li family has remained unscathed, suggesting that the strength of the two sides is not significantly different.
Just as the atmosphere was tense, the elder of the Li clan in Longxi suddenly laughed:
"Haha..." His laughter stunned everyone, who didn't know why this elder of the Li family was laughing.
After laughing a few times, the elder of the Li clan finally spoke:
"Imperial Censor Cui, and all of you, are you trying to blackmail my Li family?"
"Elder Li has misunderstood. How could we dare?" The group slowly shook their heads.
"Gentlemen, to be honest, our clan has an order that the Li family will not participate in anything related to His Highness Prince Ji."
We are here today because the Cui family invited us to discuss the matter of spices. The Li family has agreed to your suggestion to raise the price of spices. Please let us know the details once you have finalized the arrangements.
"The Li family will not participate in the rest of the matters. Farewell."
After the elder of the Li clan in Longxi finished speaking, he turned and left the room.
"Gentlemen, this is also the opinion of the Li family of Zhao County. We can raise the price of spices, but we will not participate in anything else."
After saying that, the representative from Zhao County turned and followed them out, leaving everyone present looking at each other in bewilderment.
Choi In-ji exchanged glances with the other members of the aristocratic families, their expressions carrying a cryptic meaning.
Soon, Choi In-ji smiled again and said to everyone:
"Alright, since the Li family is willing to cooperate in raising the price of spices, let's get started. We'll send people out to spread the word."
Everyone also spread the news in various places, letting the whole Tang Dynasty know that spices would not arrive so soon.
Let's protect our interests first. When you all return, you can talk to your clansmen about it. If you think the price is right and want to sell, that's fine too.
"We, the four companies, guarantee you a satisfactory price for our purchase. We can't guarantee anything else, but our prices will definitely be higher than those of Xixiangji and Jiwangfu."
After Choi In-ji finished speaking, the other three families stood up:
“Brother Cui is right. Our group will set up purchasing points in Chang’an and other places to buy spices in order to raise their prices.”
If you have spices that you think are worth the price and want to sell, you can sell them to any of our suppliers.
"For no other reason than that it's not sold to the Prince Ji's residence."
Zheng Jingsi looked serious, as if she was deliberately targeting the Prince Ji's residence.
"No problem, we agree."
Before long, people responded, and then everyone nodded in agreement. It was common knowledge that the aristocratic families and the Prince Ji's mansion had always been at odds.
Their high-priced purchase of spices was nothing more than an attempt to cause trouble for Prince Ji.
Prince Ji had a grudge against them, so they naturally agreed to this request.
"And as I just mentioned, the four of us are prepared to each contribute 500,000 strings of cash to have merchants from the Western Regions bring in 2 million strings of spices."
Go back and inquire. If you are interested in making big money, come back to us within ten days and tell us the share you want.
At the current price, if we work hard and raise the price a bit, doubling the profit shouldn't be a problem.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Cui Renzhi recounted what had just happened, and the others all said they would go back and ask their clans for their opinions.
The party ended quickly, and everyone left.
The elders of the Li clan of Longxi and the Li clan of Zhaojun, who had already left, did not separate but went directly to the large mansion of the Li clan of Longxi in Chang'an.
This place was essentially the office of the imperial envoys from various regions in the capital, except that the Li family was powerful and influential, so their residence was much larger.
Upon entering the hall, I found people already waiting there.
"Greetings, elders."
Upon seeing the two return, someone immediately bowed.
"Greetings, elder brother." The two men also bowed to the two elders.
The two elders were also clan elders, highly respected and of very high seniority, and were in charge of affairs in the capital.
"Hmm, you're back? How was your journey?"
One of the elderly men nodded and asked.
"Brother, the reason those four families summoned the various gentry clans this time is regarding spices. They intend to..."
The two then recounted the entire incident.
"Yes, you did the right thing. Our Li family will not get involved in anything that targets Prince Ji."
The clan chief has informed all branches and sub-branches that whoever gets into trouble will not be helped by the clan; it's their own fate.
After listening to their stories, the old man from the Li family in Longxi nodded and gave them a word of praise.
Several years ago, before they had a clear understanding of what was going on, they followed other families in targeting Prince Ji. At the time, they thought Prince Ji was just a teenager and that dealing with him would be a piece of cake.
But little did they know that their repeated losses would cause them great harm. If it weren't for the clan chief's plea and Prince Ji's leniency, they would have suffered heavy losses.
From then on, the clan had a rule: do not be enemies with King Ji, and even help him out in crucial moments to build goodwill.