Chapter 589 - Two-faced Spy, Orchestration of the Mastermind
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
From the live streaming room audiences’ perspective, the glassware was a product they could ubiquitously see in their daily lives. Thus, concerning those big and small business enterprises and people in Zhongzhao, they could only see the low-cost price yet exorbitant price they were sold at. But they were blind to all else.
Honestly, the raw materials for the glassware are worthless mud and sand. After undergoing kiln burning, they are in high demand, up to sales of over 10,000 pieces. They can generate billions of profit, but can the money be so easily earned? If they don’t possess the skills and environment for kiln burning, there will be many second class goods while products of excellent quality are rare.
Even on Jiang Pengji’s side, her craftsmen also experienced countless failures before achieving a small improvement towards perfection. Even then, their success rate wasn’t high. Over here, she could afford the lavish cost, since the main role of a kiln is for burning tiles and the glassware is just a side project. It’d be good if it’s successful but if not, so be it.
How about those businessmen who aim to earn hefty profits from the glassware and those people who invested all their life-savings? Imagine the number of failures they have to overcome to burn and synthesize satisfactory glassware?
Building a kiln from bricks and stones required money, and fuel was required for burning. In many households, they cannot even afford to burn coal during winter, how can they burn one batch after another for glassware synthesis? Truthfully, out of 10,000 products that failed, they will surely make a profit if there’s a satisfactory one. Nevertheless, can they withstand the hefty costs?
After they manage to synthesize one acceptable set of glassware, those big businesses out there have already synthesized numerous sets and the glassware will lose its value completely. Naturally, she could imagine the crazy scenario of people manufacturing glassware in Zhongzhao. However, how many profited from it, let alone recouped their cost price?
It is few and far between. Did anyone profit from it? Surely there were!
The pioneers who synthesized the first batch of glassware by kiln burning made the most money, together with those who invested a hefty amount in big business enterprises. Those who started the trend have an advantage, they only made a profit and not a loss. The latter have human and financial resources; they were able to sell the glassware before the price plummeted to minimize their deficit.
As for those people who followed blindly and the small enterprises, they did not have the advantage of striking at the opportune timing and neither did they have enough financial resources. Eventually, they were destined for bankruptcy, such that they couldn’t even preserve their underwear. When Gu Xin noticed the situation was unfavorable, he had the foresight and decisiveness to quickly escape from there and for that, Jiang Pengji was very grateful.
If it were someone else who had even a hint of hesitation, I’m afraid he wouldn’t earn that final 3 million strings of coins.
After she comforted Gu Xin, Jiang Pengji had the intention to leave, then Qiguan Rang’s eyes lit up and he rose up and followed.
When they walked to a long hallway with no one around, Jiang Pengji turned and asked him, “What is wrong?”
Qiguan Rang appeared somewhat hesitant then asked, “My lord, is it not the doing of an internal spy who divulged the method to synthesize glassware?”
He is an intelligent and meticulous man, even though his presence is not always felt, but none of her subordinates dares to look down on him.
She answered, “it probably isn’t her. The timing doesn’t match. Instead, my view leans towards someone who knows how to synthesize it. This person saw how much I earned from the North borderline, they were covetous and followed suit. Only that person’s rather foolish and he didn’t manage his subordinates well. Others exploited the loophole and made known his method of glassware synthesis. It was extremely profitable, so it was worth someone gambling all he had.”
He disagreed, saying, “My Lord, forgive me for disagreeing. Presently, you are no longer what you once were, you should be more cautious and careful. Since you already know that internal spy harbors ill-intentions towards you, even if you don’t get rid of her, at least get someone to observe her moves so that she doesn’t bring harm to you in secret.”
Jiang Pengji laughed then said, “Wenzheng, I understand your rationale. But we cannot do that.”
Qiguan Rang was puzzled. “Why is this so?”
She kept silent momentarily, then replied, “Precisely because this isn’t a regular internal spy, instead this is a two-faced one.”
His facial expression changed. “A two-faced spy?”
Nodding in agreement, she spoke with surety, “The mastermind behind her isn’t her real master, there is someone else. As for his identity, I have some clues in mind and precisely because of this, I cannot alert her without a plan. I just want to know what this person intends to do.”
Sighing, he is finally convinced of Feng Jin’s assessment of Jiang Pengji’s judgement — this person has a deeply ingrained gambling mentality. To put it nicely, she is being bold but if she accidentally alerts the other party, things will get exciting.
“An upright man will not put himself in danger. If anything happens to you, it doesn’t only concern your family’s lives but also the lives of those who follow your lead.”
Having listened up to here, she smiled suddenly then said cheekily, “Perhaps… however Wenzheng, to leave this internal spy around will set me, your lord, at ease. If anything happens to the spy, it will alert the mastermind behind her and your lord will have to live every day in fear of being assassinated. I am not afraid of those killing tactics but if others around are accidentally wounded… that is not what I wish to see.”
The more she said, the more Qiguan Rang’s curiosity was aroused regarding the identity of Taxue’s master.
She continued, “Wenzheng come closer, I need your help with a task to secretly seek advice from Master Wei Yuan.”
Wei Yuan is Qiguan Rang’s father-in-law, he once taught Liu Xi. He is the home tutor employed by Liu manor at a high price. He obeyed her orders immediately; she used a unique method to convey her message to Qiguan Rang with secrecy.
Regardless of what she told Qiguan Rang, his expression changed from being doubtful to being perplexed, then finally he was in utter shock.
“My, my lord… you…”
Whispering, she continued, “Carry it out secretly, only both of us know this matter. You must be very careful.”
Feeling extremely nervous, Qiguan Rang swallowed several times, and his Adam’s apple was in constant motion. He is expected to be independent at thirty, but it has been a while since he lost his composure.
“You suspect the mastermind behind the internal spy… is that person?”
She laughed but her eyes held a few degrees of coldness. “I wished I didn’t have to suspect… except, let’s take one step at a time.”
They conversed softly for some time, then he seemed to have floated away from the long hallway. She inclined her head then looked towards the corner at the end of the long hallway, a sleeve disappeared from her sight.
Viewers in the live streaming room were even more bewildered, they purposely increased the volume but still, they couldn’t hear what Jiang Pengji and Qiguan Rang said.
Rensha Wangka: “Just now there was something wrong with the livestream, I couldn’t hear the streamer speaking.”
Foolish, Wealthy Man: “… Eh, this is, after all, a livestream from a different dimension, isn’t it expected that the signal is poor?”
Streamer V: “It is just a small tactic of ensuring others cannot hear our conversation.”
Despite having imprisoned the System, it is indeed only a subsystem. One is clueless about where the physical body of the System is hidden. To safeguard her interest, some contents will not be revealed to the livestream viewers.
Qiguan Rang’s heart was filled with a myriad of feelings and he tried to calm himself down. On the other hand, he thought of how to accomplish the mission she gave him.
“My lord, I finally found you.”
Standing still at his original position for a moment, Xu Ke walked over joyfully with a stack of account books.
She asked, “When you came over from there just now, did you see anyone suspicious?”
Puzzled, Xu Ke pondered and replied, “Just now… Ke saw Zixiao walk by hastily, he seemed to be preoccupied, perhaps he isn’t feeling well.”
Knitting her brows, it was indeed Wei Ci. No one knows what’s in that fellow’s mind.
“Now that the weather is starting to get colder, his weak body constitution is indeed worrying.”