After being divorced, my identity as a poet was exposed

It was almost noon.

Several carriages filed out of Yuelai Inn and headed towards Changle Palace.

The people sitting in the carriage were feeling a bit excited and a bit nervous.

What they are looking forward to is that this is the imperial banquet that the emperor is going to host for them!

Looking around the world, how many people can be invited by the emperor to have lunch with him?

What’s more, they are businessmen like them.

Another expectation is naturally the big business that the emperor mentioned.

The seven richest businessmen of Ningguo gathered together... According to Mr. Chen Dingmao, the emperor would probably adopt the bidding method for this big deal.

Although I don’t know what kind of business it is, I think the profit will be very considerable.

So if we want to get this business through bidding...it's not a question of whose face it is, it will ultimately come down to who bids the higher price and who can raise the money faster.

To put it simply, it is about who is stronger.

Guo Shanyi, the head of the Guo family in Lingdong Road, sat in the carriage, stroking his short beard with a slight frown on his face.

He was carefully analyzing the situation he was facing.

The grain transport had taken away at least 50% of the assets of the Chen family in Yingzhou and the Su family in Jiangnan.

After all, it costs a lot to build docks and create new ships.

It will take at least two years for the canal transportation to become profitable.

During these two years, both the Chen family in Yingzhou and the Su family in Jiangnan had to continue to invest money.

On the way to Changle City, I also heard that the Chen family of Yingzhou had also invested a large sum of money to build a smelting workshop in Youdu County of Beimo Road.

It seems that the money that the Chen family of Yingzhou and the Su family of Jiangnan can mobilize will not pose a threat to the Guo family.

Besides...it seems that Chen Dingmao and Su Mingtang have no ambition to win this big deal.

The canal transportation is a golden hen, and the golden eggs it hatches in the future will be enough for both families to make a fortune.

The biggest remaining opponent...

They should be the Cui family of Qinghe and the Wang family of Taiyuan.

After all, they are a family that has been passed down for hundreds of years, and their family foundation must be extremely deep.

As for the Liu family of Shuzhou and the Cai family of Guangling City that I had never heard of before... these two families are nothing to be afraid of.

Although the Liu family has been running Shuzhou for many years, it was only last year that their business began to expand out of Shuzhou and into the south of the Yangtze River.

If Liu's silk Shu embroidery wants to gain a foothold in Jiangnan, the investment will certainly be huge, so the silver available at any time will be reduced.

The Cai family in Guangling City is just the largest grain merchant in Guangling City.

In fact, this person's wealth is far from that of himself and others, and no one knows why the emperor invited him.

Guo Shanyi simply ignored Cai Zhengyao. All he was thinking about now was what this big business was.

Is it really worth it to fight for it and invest a lot of money for it?

This is a contradiction.

If this big business is really very profitable, then the Cui family of Qinghe and the Wang family of Taiyuan will certainly give everything they have. If the Guo family also competes for it, it means that Guo’s original business plan of leaving Lingnan and going to the south of the Yangtze River will be blocked.

Of course, if the profits from this business are big enough, it doesn’t matter if I don’t go to Jiangnan for three to five years.

After the business alliance is established, you can also go to the State of Wu.

In the end, it all depends on what big deal the emperor is going to propose.

While Guo Shanyi was thinking this, Chen Dingmao and Su Mingtang, who were riding in another carriage, were also talking about a similar topic.

Su Mingtang frowned slightly, "Although I don't know what kind of big business it is, I believe the profit must be considerable." "But our two families have invested most of the money in the construction of the canal transportation... If we want to take on today's big business, I'm afraid we are unable to do it... It's difficult!"

Chen Dingmao smiled slightly. As for the seven people invited by the emperor, except for Cai Zhengyao, the grain merchant from Guangling City, he didn't know much about them, but he knew some details about the other six.

"Old Su, we... just came to take a look."

"We can get the canal transport, which can make our future life worry-free. This big business... I don't like you saying that I have never thought about it from the beginning."

"We can't beat them. Even if our two families join forces again, it will be difficult to defeat them."

"Let's not talk about the Wang family of Taiyuan or the Cui family of Qinghe. Let me tell you, Guo Shanyi... he is the richest man in Lingdong!"

"His business has not yet expanded beyond Lingdong. The family business accumulated by the Guo family over several generations in Lingdong cannot be underestimated."

"I'm thinking, if this big deal is enough to impress this old fox...I'm afraid even the Qinghe Cui family and the Taiyuan Wang family may not be able to compete with his financial strength."

Su Mingtang nodded slightly, "I heard that the Cui family of Qinghe and the Wang family of Taiyuan are planning to form an alliance?"

"Yes, Wang Yixia, the legitimate daughter of the Wang family, and Cui Yunai, the legitimate eldest grandson of the Cui family, have been betrothed to each other since birth. They are now in Yujing City."

"If the Cui family joins forces with the Wang family... I'm afraid Guo Shanyi won't stand a chance."

Chen Dingmao groaned for three breaths, "Not necessarily. Ultimately it depends on how big the emperor's big business is."

"The Guo family has a huge influence in Lingdong!"

"Guo Shanyi also has a very high reputation among Lingdong merchants."

"In other words, if this business is big enough, so big that no one will give up, then Guo Shanyi can use his influence in Lingdong to raise a huge amount of money in a short period of time."

"On this point, the Cui family and the Wang family cannot do it."

Su Mingtang thought for a moment and asked again, "I say...if this business is really this big, can you and I just give up?"

Chen Dingmao smiled bitterly, "What else can I do? I can't defeat them even if I sell everything I have!"

"Besides, our family's business includes the canal transportation, and we will need a lot of money in the future. We can't just sell off these businesses, right?"

Su Mingtang stroked his long beard and whispered, "Silver... Bai Qinghuan, the owner of Jiangnan Bai's Wanguan Bank, and I have a deep friendship."

"The money the emperor allocated for the reconstruction of Linshui Port was from the Wanguan Bank that I helped to get in touch with. If this business is really big... I will write a letter to him, and he will probably rush to Changle City on horseback!"

Chen Dingmao's eyes suddenly lit up.

Although Wanguan Money House is not as good as Bafu Money House, the amount of silver it can mobilize is not a small amount.

The money involved in this big business is not a small amount.

Bai Qinghuan can easily get the interest from the loan, so he will probably come as fast as he can.

"That's a good idea, but... we still have to see how profitable this big business is."

Su Mingtang nodded slightly.

When doing business, profit comes first.

If you borrow a large amount of silver from Wanguan Money House, you will have to pay a lot of interest.

If this big business requires too much initial investment, the profit cycle is extremely long, and the final profit is disproportionate to the interest paid and other costs, then this deal is still not cost-effective.

As everyone was thinking about this, the carriage stopped in front of the gate of Changle Palace.

A group of people got off the bus, calculating with each other, but with smiles on their faces.

They greeted each other and walked hand in hand into the east gate of Changle Palace.

Chang Zuoqing came out to greet them: "The Emperor is waiting for you in the imperial kitchen!"

Everyone was flattered.

Chang Zuoqing smiled slightly:
"Please follow me!" (End of this chapter)