The first negotiation between the two sides had been very frustrating. The scholars were self-reserved and noble, they had been in the officials’ scene for many years. They were unwilling to deal with these people smelling of money, they mostly came only for perfunctory entertainment.

No one expected that after interacting, only then would they realize that Du Wan Quan was not a simple man.

Du Wan Quan had personally sailed to the Western Ocean and had seen the real world. His character, thoughts, and way of talking was different from ordinary businessmen. His sharp tongue could bring the dead back to life. Together with Jiang Chong's calm management, many people soon had a change of mind.

Waiting until the new official administration system had slowly soaked in, Du Wan Quan and his colleagues visited the largest private room in Wangnan Tower, treating eight important ministers of the court headed by Jiang Chong to a second banquet. All of them were without support in the court, had become officials through the imperial examination, and started from scratch.

This talk lasted for more than four hours. After the moon hung high in the sky, Jiang Chong who was serving as the head finally raised his cup to end the session.

Jiang Chong rose and looked around. Many people drank too much.

"We are full for today, everyone is tired, I will not ruin the mood. With this cup of wine, let's drink and dismiss." Jiang Chong said, "As long as we have to fight this battle, the implementation of the Feng Huo ticket is something that will happen sooner or later, you gentlemen are dedicated to the country..."

As Jiang Chong said this, he left the other half of the sentence empty, silently drinking the cup of wine. The next part, everyone here could already understand inside.

Dedicated to the country, but please also consider your own way out.

Over the years, there had been no way for the major merchants to have their input in court matters, the businessmen who were eager to have their own spokesperson had formally formed an alliance with a group of powerless and pure civil officials.

Du Wan Quan sent a room full of civil servants and businessmen away one by one, then returned to Wangnan Tower alone. He came to the private room right next to the one from just now. There were no servants inside, and the lights were not lit. There was only a dim steam lamp hanging overhead. There were two taels* of yellow wine, a bowl of porridge, and a dish of vegetables on the table. Half a bowl of porridge was already drunk, and three parts of the wine remained. The dishes were only touched slightly but the chopsticks were already put aside.

*an ancient unit of measurement

Du Wan Qian no longer possessed the exquisite appearance from just now, and respectfully went to pay courtesy: "Your Highness Yan Wang."

Chang Geng nodded politely: "Master Du."