The first condition put Peng Youzai in a difficult position, but it was not the Heavenly Jade Sect that was put in a difficult position, but the Sect Master himself. Feng Lingbo was his son-in-law! How could he explain to his daughter if he deprived his son-in-law of his authority?
The second condition was also something he had to consider. It was not impossible to give up on seizing the wealth from the two counties, but he had to weigh how much the new source of income could make up for the losses. This matter concerned the interests of everyone in the Heavenly Jade Sect, so he could not recklessly agree to it. If there were any repercussions, as the Sect Master, he had to be responsible for his own decisions. It was not easy to be the Sect Master, and there were many people waiting to eat.
As for the third condition, when the Shang Dynasty attacked Qingshan County, the disciples of his sect had also sacrificed themselves. There was also the supply of troops, horses, money, and rations from Guang County. They did not just sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor. Instead, they had paid a price to allow Qingshan County to become part of the School of Heavenly Jade. Now that the School of Heavenly Jade was forced to hand over half of what they had lost, some of the disciples of the sect would find it hard to accept.
But it was not good to refuse. Their conditions and reasons complemented each other, and what they said was completely reasonable.
The first condition was that if Guangyi Commandery and Qingshan Commandery fought for dominance, it would indeed be disadvantageous to them in the event of a war. If they conquered Nanzhou, Feng Lingbo would indeed gain more benefits than if they stayed in Guangyi Commandery. On this point, he would not let his daughter and son-in-law suffer losses.
The second option was to give up on seizing the wealth of the two commanderies and allow the common people to recuperate and expand the source of soldiers. If they wanted to attack Nanzhou, they needed a source of soldiers. If they tried to recruit soldiers from other people's territory, they wouldn't agree.
The third condition was that the Heavenly Jade Sect did not have the strength to bear all the pressure alone in the event of a war. They needed someone to share the burden, and it was impossible for all the benefits to go to them. They had to share the burden for free, so they had to share the benefits.
Due to all these reasons, it was not easy for him to agree, but it was also not easy for him to refuse.
Not only him, but the Elders beside him also fell into deep thought.
Fei Changliu, Xia Hua, and Zheng Jiuxiao were also considering.
Given the current situation, the three sects were indeed in a very embarrassing situation. After Song Jiuming fell down and the new dean of the court took office, the members of the three sects were gradually kicked out of the department of the court. As a result, the main resource of the three sects was being cut off; therefore, they were in urgent need of a new way out.
Furthermore, the three sects had always been dependent on power and had never truly controlled a territory. If they could truly obtain a territory that belonged to their own sect, it would be of great significance to the three sects. Everyone had to go through the process of growing up. Although the territory was not large, the key was the future prospects, a third of the Southern Province.
But then again, although the future was beautiful, it was hard to say whether it could be realized. Even if the Heavenly Jade School agreed to this condition, half of Green Mountain County's territory would still be a little too small for the three families. Now, it was unknown whether the Heavenly Jade School would have to give up on seizing territory and wealth.
Looking at Niu Youdao's intentions, it was unavoidable for them to recuperate. However, if they didn't allow them to seize more resources, it would be difficult to satisfy the expenses of the disciples of the three sects.
Everyone was thinking about their own interests.
Peng Youzai suddenly asked, "Niu Youdao, where did you get the recipe for this wine?"
Niu Youdao smiled slightly. Even if the other party hadn't asked, he would have brought it up anyway. Since he did, it was even better. "It doesn't matter where I got it. All I need to know is that the person who gave me this recipe is someone that the Heavenly Jade School can't afford to offend. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to hide in your house and take it out to bring disaster upon myself. Sect Leader Peng, you wouldn't have any crooked ideas, would you? I advise you not to overthink it. If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't have dared to do this. If something were to happen to me, a bunch of people would immediately appear to brew this wine. Something that everyone knows how to brew will not fetch a high price. "
Peng Youzai was still puzzled over this matter. This fellow sure was bold. When he heard this, he probed again, "Did the Ice and Snow Pavilion give it to you?"
Niu Youdao smiled slyly. "I don't know. Someone sent it to me in my dreams."
He deliberately spoke ambiguously, which made the others even more suspicious of the Ice and Snow Pavilion. Otherwise, why didn't they take out this source of wealth earlier? Why did they suddenly have it after returning to the Ice and Snow Pavilion?
They couldn't help but let their thoughts run wild.
"Let's do it this way. Let me think about it for a day. I'll give you an answer tomorrow." Peng Youzai sighed. He realized that he had really come across a serious matter this time.
Niu Youdao smiled and nodded. "Very well!"
Peng Youzai then turned to Fei Changliu and the other two. "The three of you, why don't you lend me those three jars of wine for the time being?"
Since the dignified Heavenly Jade School's Sect Leader had spoken, how could they not give him face? Naturally, Fei Changliu and the other two agreed.
As everyone dispersed, Zheng Jiuxiao quickly caught up to Niu Youdao. "Brother Niu, can I have a word with you?"
Niu Youdao turned to look at Fei Changliu and Xia Hua who had followed behind him. He nodded and extended his hand, saying, "Everyone, please follow me."
The people of the three sects followed him.
Inside the living room, Peng Youzai glanced at Niu Youdao and the others who had just entered with his hands behind his back. He then turned to look at the few jars of wine and gestured to Chen Tingxiu with his hand, saying, "Have Wu Kong sell these jars of wine. Try to raise the price as much as possible. Let's test the waters first."
Chen Tingxiu understood what he meant. This was the key to making a series of decisions. She nodded and swiftly carried out his instructions.
Niu Youdao and the others temporarily borrowed the small living room inside the Heavenly Jade School. The group gathered together.
"Brother, can you make the decisions in Verdant Mountain County?" Zheng Jiuxiao probed. He felt that this matter was a little ridiculous. Verdant Mountain County was clearly the Heavenly Jade School's territory. How did this fellow become the one giving orders?
Niu Youdao smiled and countered with a question, "Is it important whether I can make the decisions or not? If even the Heavenly Jade School agrees, do you think there will be any problems in Verdant Mountain County? "
That's true! Zheng Jiuxiao realized that he had asked a stupid question. He asked again, "Even if the territory is given to us, we can't seize the local wealth?"
Niu Youdao resolutely said, "No! We're all in Verdant Mountain County, but one side is treated well, while the other side isn't. If you really do this, the people in your territory will immediately run away. Without people, how are you going to seize the local wealth? Who are you going to seize it from? "
That's true! The three Sect Masters looked at each other, speechless.
Fei Changliu frowned. "I don't know if such a small piece of land can produce enough spiritual herbs for cultivation, but we should at least have a basic guarantee for our disciples, right? If we don't have a basic source of wealth, the disciples of our three sects won't even be able to sustain our basic expenses. What's the point of relying on Prince Yongping? "
Xia Hua nodded. "That's right!"
Zheng Jiuxiao said, "If you can share some of the profits from that wine with us, it should be possible."
Niu Youdao said, "I'm naturally considering this. However, no one knows how much this wine can sell for. Even Peng Youzai is considering it. We've already proposed a bunch of conditions to fight for your interests. If we continue to cut the Heavenly Jade Sect's meat without any results, will they agree? Let's take a step back and say that we don't even know how much we should cut or how much we should cut. Tell me, how should we discuss this? "
The three Sect Masters fell silent. That was true. It was hard to say how much they should ask for.
Niu Youdao said, "That's why I said we should wait until the results are out. If the Heavenly Jade Sect dares to monopolize the wine without caring about the lives of others, they have to think about the consequences."
Zheng Jiuxiao stroked his beard. "In my opinion, this wine should sell very well!"
Niu Youdao said earnestly, "Sect Master Zheng, don't worry about the wine for now. Wait until the Heavenly Jade Sect has agreed to a series of conditions. Once the matter is settled, the wine's production will be in my hands. Are you still afraid that there won't be room for negotiation? The reason why I dragged you into this is because I don't want the Heavenly Jade Sect to become too powerful. I've already said it so clearly. Don't you understand what I mean? "
Zheng Jiuxiao nodded. "Good. Then let's wait until the results are out."
Niu Youdao grunted in agreement. He raised an eyebrow and changed the topic. "Some things can wait until the results are out, but there are other things that need to be explained."
The three of them exchanged glances. They could roughly guess what he was going to say.
Sure enough, Niu Youdao said indifferently, "What's your stance on the matter between me and the Song family? Don't tell me that you still want to have a foot in both boats at this point. "
Xia Hua said, "If the Heavenly Jade Sect agrees, then we'll all pledge our allegiance to Prince Yongping. We're all one family, so we naturally won't care about the Song family anymore."
Niu Youdao said, "Of the two sides, one has to be completely severed. I've shown sincerity to solve the problem. Shouldn't you show some sincerity as well? I won't beat around the bush. I want Song Jiuming's head! As long as we deliver the heads of the Song family's main members to Green Mountain County, we'll forget about the grudge between us. Consider it a proof of allegiance to the three sects! "
"…" The three of them were speechless.
Fei Changliu said in a low voice, "Although Song Jiuming has stepped down, his predecessor was still a high-ranking official of the imperial court. The imperial court will not allow anyone to act recklessly. Otherwise, those in the imperial court will worry about the future and feel insecure. Moreover, Song Jiuming lives in the capital. There are many experts in the capital. If we're not careful, we'll be in big trouble. It's not easy to make a move on him!"
"You were willing to use any means necessary to kill me, but now you're finding it troublesome. How can I bear this?" Niu Youdao gave them a sidelong glance. "This is not for me to worry about. I only care about the results! I don't like to force people. Everyone, do as you see fit. I won't force anyone! "
The members of the three sects bid their farewells in silence.
"Are you going to switch to brewing wine in the future?" Yuan Gang teased coldly when there were no outsiders.
Niu Youdao chuckled. "You used to think that it was meaningless for me to do these miscellaneous things. How about now? They're still useful, aren't they? As the saying goes, it's never a burden to have more skills. There's no harm in learning more! "He patted Yuan Gang's shoulder.
The leaders of the three sects walked out of the Heavenly Jade Gate shop in silence. The others followed behind them.
"Are you guys really optimistic about the sale of that wine?" Xia Hua could not help but ask. She did not like hard liquor, so it was difficult for her to make a decision.
"It's definitely going to sell well. It's a great way to make money!" Zheng Jiuxiao asserted.
Fei Changliu nodded in silence.
When the people walking toward them had passed, Xia Hua said in a low voice, "If that's the case, is it really possible for us to deal with the Song family?"
Zheng Jiuxiao sighed and shook his head. He did not speak.
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