Kou Rong suddenly lifted his head, "Lord Dongge has reached the Innate Realm!"
Gu Yunjian denied it, but then burst into laughter, leaving Kou Rong somewhat puzzled.
However, seeing Gu Yunjian brimming with confidence, Kou Rong’s worries were considerably alleviated.
"Let’s prepare, tonight we will pay a visit to Marquis Jing’an!"
"Marquis Jing’an, hahaha, interesting, very interesting~~"
Gu Yunjian’s wrinkled face was filled with disdainful and mocking laughter.
Inside the General Mansion.
Yang Zhenshan had just received news of Lin Zhan’s examination success, and he was in a good mood at the moment.
He was truly happy for Lin Zhan’s success, as he knew it had always been Lin Zhan’s obsession.
For the sake of fulfilling his father’s last wish, Lin truly did study hard for ten years in the cold window, but it wasn’t only studying; he also trained in Martial Arts for ten years.
In his more than ten years with the Yang family, he never slacked for a single day, always rising early and retiring late, either studying or practicing martial arts.
Sometimes, Yang Zhenshan felt heartache for him.
Recalling the under-ten-years-old child from back then, Yang Zhenshan let out a heavy sigh.
"This child’s past ten years really haven’t been easy!"
He couldn’t help but exclaim.
In terms of talent, Lin Zhan possessed good gifts, both in Martial Arts and studies.
As for effort, within the Yang family, no one could compare to him, except for Yang Mingcheng.
Lin Zhan’s achievements today were thanks to the teachings of Yang Zhenshan and Liu Zhe, as well as the nourishment of Spiritual Spring Water; but undeniably, his own hard work was the most crucial factor.
As Yang Zhenshan was reflecting, a Personal Follower came in to report, "Marquis, Luo family’s Head requests an audience!"
"Let him in," said Yang Zhenshan.
After a while, Luo Shang and Luo Zhen arrived in the study.
Yang Zhenshan pointed to the tea table, "Pour yourselves some tea. The servants here have all gone to the engineering department to help out!"
Right now was the busiest time for the General Mansion, and Yang Zhenshan had even sent his personal servants and constables to the engineering department to assist. Even his Personal Followers had gone to guard the main gate of the General Mansion.
It couldn’t be helped; there were many personnel in the General Mansion, but also many places that needed them.
With over five hundred various officials and constables in the General Mansion, aside from some indispensable positions, everyone else was busy clearing the Ying River to establish a camp by the riverbank, recruit able-bodied men, and transport food, weapons, and so on—all requiring substantial manpower.
Clearing the Ying River was no small project; it demanded a great deal of human and material resources, and just coordinating these was a hassle.
"Thank you, Marquis!" Luo Shang didn’t stand on ceremony, sitting by the tea table and starting to brew tea, while Luo Zhen stood obediently behind him.
Yang Zhenshan stepped out from behind the desk, "In a few days, Chengye will return, don’t forget to send Luo Bo to the Personal Guard Camp to report!"
"Rest assured, Marquis, I’ve arranged everything!" Luo Zhen replied with a grin.
Yang Zhenshan nodded and sat by the tea table, picking up the tea that Luo Shang had poured and took a sip.
"What brings you here today?"
He didn’t need to be formal with the Luo family; although Luo Shang maintained a very respectful demeanor, Yang Zhenshan actually always regarded Luo Shang as a friend.
A true friend, for over a decade.
"It’s about the telescopes; the three thousand telescopes have almost been sold out!" said Luo Shang.
Yang Zhenshan raised an eyebrow, "That quick?"
"Yes, quick, in Jiangnan, where sea merchants abound, three thousand telescopes are far from sufficient. Moreover, many wish to purchase stock from me, but I don’t have much left." Luo Shang continued.
For sea merchants, the telescope was a very practical tool.
At fifteen Silver a piece, it might seem not cheap, but sea merchants would not care about such money when they could earn thousands or even tens of thousands of Silver from one voyage. Why would they mind spending dozens or hundreds of Silver?
Yang Zhenshan stroked his beard, "There are some telescopes, the glass workshop rushed to produce quite a few, but I can’t give you too many."
"Why not?" Luo Shang was a bit puzzled.
Yang Zhenshan spread his hands, "The Ministry of War wants a thousand, the Central Army Commander’s Mansion another thousand, and I expect the other Governor’s Mansions will also purchase a batch from me!"
The officials in the Ministry of War and Central Army Commander’s Mansion were not fools; how could they not see the value of the Thousand-mile Eye?
Therefore, after studying the telescope, the Ministry of War and Central Army Commander’s Mansion sent people to Chongshan Pass to order a batch.
Just a few days after the people from the Ministry of War and Central Army Commander’s Mansion left, Yang Zhenshan didn’t expect Luo Shang to already have sold out the stock, which was beyond his expectations.
"I see!" Luo Shang frowned but relaxed soon after.
Yang Zhenshan thought for a moment, "First, I’ll give you a thousand. In time, the production of telescopes should increase, and then I can give you more."
Selling telescopes was for making money; naturally, the more sold, the better.
But now the glass workshop had yet to increase its capacity; it would take some time.
"Okay!" Luo Shang replied.
Yet Yang Zhenshan continued, "Later when you visit the glass workshop, take a look; there are many glass ornaments there. Pick a batch to sell in Jiangnan!"
"That’s not a business just for us; in a few days, I’ll let a few other merchants join in."
Glass ornaments sell for their novelty and scarcity, and their profit margins are much higher than that of telescopes.
Yang Zhenshan was planning to make a significant profit from glass ornaments.
The Luo family could not expand further, but participating was still okay.
Besides the Luo family, Yang Zhenshan had already planned to involve the houses of Prince Jing’an, the Lin family, the Zhang family of Liao’an, the Qi family of Huaining, and the Zhen family of Ping Yuan in selling glassware.
Except for the Zhang family of Liao’an, the other four were merchants Yang Zhenshan intended to support.
Why exclude the Zhang family of Liao’an? Because they were already powerful and entrenched and didn’t need Yang Zhenshan’s support.
The Zhang family of Liao’an had always given him face, so he didn’t mind sharing some benefits with them.
As for the Zhang family of Jing’an, since they chose to ally with the Liaodong Maritime Trade Office, Yang Zhenshan didn’t bother to associate with them at all.
The future of the Zhang family of Jing’an was already clear to Yang Zhenshan; it certainly wouldn’t last long.
The reason was simple: actions of the Zhang family of Jing’an had already dissatisfied Yu Tonghai and Wu Chongzhe. Recently, Wu Chongzhe even specifically wrote to inquire Yang Zhenshan’s opinion, to which Yang Zhenshan only replied with five words, ’Up to you to handle.’
The Zhang family of Jing’an thought that by allying with the Liaodong Maritime Trade Office, everything would be smooth sailing, but they seemed to forget who held power in the Liao Sea.
The Navy of the Tenglong Guard were the real bosses; if they said your ship would sink, then your ship would truly sink.