Because Li Ping'an was willing to cooperate in business with the Jin family, it not only alarmed the merchants and wealthy families, but also the royal family.

The Crown Prince and his younger brother Prince Rui both wanted to cooperate with Li Ping'an to expand the scale of their respective secret businesses.

Li Ping'an didn't want to cooperate with too many people, so he wanted Master Jin to be the general agent of his business in Nanzhao Kingdom.

First, the steward of Prince Rui's Palace sent an invitation, inviting Li Ping'an and Master Jin to visit the palace together.

It was said that the prince went hunting the day before yesterday and captured two sika deer and three wild sheep, and invited the distinguished guests to come and taste the roasted deer meat and whole roasted lamb.

In order to make Li Ping'an willing to cooperate with him, Prince Rui wanted to introduce his own sister to Li Ping'an.

Knowing that Li Ping'an was engaged, the future princess had already been chosen. He looked forward to his own sister, Princess Anhe, becoming Li Ping'an's co-wife.

Although this was considered a lowering of her status by the princess, Li Ping'an's status was too noble, and the emperor had to be respectful and treat Li Ping'an as a distinguished guest.

Li Ping'an didn't know that King Rui had made this arrangement in advance. Although he was unwilling to attend this banquet that was purely for profit, King Rui sent his butler to deliver three invitations in a row without receiving a reply from Li Ping'an.

Li Ping'an still had to do things in Nanzhao Kingdom, so he had to give some face to the emperor's most beloved prince, Prince Rui.

It just so happens that Young Master Jin is also going to hold a banquet, so why not take this opportunity to spread the news and send the invitation to Prince Rui's Palace.

Li Ping'an and Mr. Jin went to the Rui Palace together. During the meal, the Rui Palace was extremely respectful to Li Ping'an. He took the opportunity of toasting and said:

“Prince Li, I heard that you are willing to cooperate with Master Jin to run various businesses.

To be honest, Xiao Wang's private property involves many types of businesses. I wonder if Prince Li can give Xiao Wang a favor and take Xiao Wang with him in business cooperation?"

Li Pingan did not comment, looked at Mr. Jin beside him, and said to King Rui: "This king does not have time to stay here permanently. The industry here is generally managed by the manager and accountant of the Li family's affordable granary.

However, I have fully entrusted all matters of business cooperation to Young Master Jin.

King Rui wants to cooperate with the Li family in some area, so he goes to discuss the details of the cooperation with Master Jin.

However, I value the integrity of my partners. For all products purchased and sold on consignment, the quality must meet the standards required by the Li family.

If a partner fails to strictly control the quality of goods, we will not only terminate the cooperation immediately, but also pursue the liability of the partner who breaches the contract and demand compensation for Li's losses.

King Rui wants to cooperate with the Li family, and this king sincerely welcomes it. However, please also consider the pros and cons before making a decision. "

Li Ping'an's serious attitude made King Rui more determined to cooperate with the Li family.

Since Li Ping'an has no objection to cooperating with King Rui, King Rui should show his sincerity.

So King Rui ordered someone to invite Princess Anhe.

Li Pingan and Mr. Jin were both a little puzzled. For a man to discuss business with another man, why would he ask a princess of such high status to accompany him? Wasn't that against the rules?

However, neither of them raised any questions, but followed the host's wishes. They also wanted to see what King Rui meant. Could it be that he wanted the young master to join the cooperative group?

Princess Anhe and the prince both have their own private property. Princess Anhe is already seventeen years old. She is the biological sister of Prince Rui and both are the children of Concubine Jin. The two siblings have a good relationship, and Princess Anhe often lives in Prince Rui's mansion.

After a while, Princess Anhe, who was dressed in her best clothes, was carried in a sedan chair by servants to the waterside pavilion and flower hall in the middle of the lake in the palace.

The scenery here is great, and the servants don't have to worry about smoke when they grill food on site. Roasting whole lambs is not done here. The palace has a pit stewing oven that is specially used to roast whole prey.

Princess Anhe had already heard her brother's thoughts. The arrogant Princess Anhe was very much favored by her father, and was very picky about future parents. She had not found a suitable person yet.

Princess Anhe had never met Li Ping'an, but she had heard her father and brother praise Li Ping'an many times without reservation. They praised this mysterious and noble prince of a certain country, Li Ping'an.

Therefore, her brother told her that he would invite Prince Li to be the guest at the banquet today. He also wanted him to meet the distinguished guest, and it would be best if he could win Prince Li's favor and marry Prince Six as his equal wife.

Although Princess Anhe thought highly of herself, she was not stupid. She knew that even if she searched the entire Nanzhao Kingdom, no one's status could surpass Li Ping'an.

Even her father, the Emperor, will treat you as an equal when he meets you safely, and will not dare to act arrogantly at all.

Princess Anhe was determined to show her best appearance and figure to the noble and mysterious Prince Li.

She wanted Prince Li to fall in love with her at first sight, and it would be best if she could snatch the position of Princess Qin.

Princess Anhe, full of confidence, had already been dressed up carefully by her maid, waiting for her brother's invitation.

When they reached the lake, the sedan chair stopped and Princess Anhe was helped down from the sedan chair by her maid.

The maid quickly helped her tidy up the hem of her skirt.

Princess Anhe walked towards the banquet table in small and graceful steps.

Li Ping'an and Master Jin saw a slim young woman in gorgeous dress, with jingling jewelry and graceful manners walking towards them.

Arriving at the dining table, An He greeted her brother first. King Rui immediately stood up and enthusiastically introduced Princess An He to Li Ping An.

Li Ping'an stood up politely and exchanged greetings with Princess Anhe.

Because Young Master Jin was of much lower status, he performed the ritual of a subject to the princess.

Princess Anhe was a woman, so she shouldn't sit at the same table with men. So the servants immediately used a transparent lotus pond koi screen to separate Princess Anhe from her.

It neither delays everyone's conversation nor breaks the rules.

Li Ping'an and Mr. Jin didn't think much about it. They continued to slowly taste the barbecue and delicious dishes that the servants kept bringing to them.

Prince Rui kept bringing up the topic of his sister's marriage. He even pretended to be ignorant and asked Li Pingan:

"Prince Li is young, handsome, and of noble status. I wonder if he has gotten married yet?"

Li Pingan immediately understood what King Rui meant. It turned out that he wanted to marry him!

Li Pingan smiled and said, "I am still young and very busy with my affairs, so I have not yet gotten married."

As soon as this was said, both King Rui and Princess Anhe were delighted. Prince Lu only said that he had not yet gotten married, but he did not say that he was already engaged. Does this mean that he still has a chance to win the position of princess?

Prince Rui struck while the iron was hot and said with a smile: "Prince Li is so outstanding, it would be great if he could marry into my royal family.

My sister, Princess Anhe, is gentle, virtuous, young and beautiful. She and the prince are truly a perfect match made in heaven.

Prince Li, please do not blame me for being rude. You are of noble status and busy with affairs. It is really not easy for me to see you.

I will not be polite to you and would like to ask you to give me a clear answer here. Is my sister worthy of your attention?"

Princess Anhe also lowered her head shyly, secretly glancing at Li Ping'an out of the corner of her eye.

Just now, Princess Anhe liked Li Ping'an very much when she saw him for the first time.

At this moment, his heart was beating like a deer, and he wanted to hear Li Ping'an's affirmative answer.

Li Ping'an sighed inwardly, thinking that Prince Rui was too unruly.

How should he answer this question asked in front of the princess herself?

A direct refusal would certainly hurt the princess's heart and make her lose face. But he would not agree. He had already chosen Lin Yue and set a wedding date with her, so he would not choose anyone else.

Li Pingan's face remained calm, his tone was gentle:

"I appreciate your kindness, Your Majesty, but although I have not yet married, I have already been engaged to someone else.

The princess is dignified and beautiful, and of noble status, so she must be sought after by many noble men. The princess will surely find her ideal husband.

Besides, my hometown is more than ten thousand miles away from here. I can't bear to let the princess marry far away, so I will give this opportunity to the nobles and princes of other countries on this continent."

As soon as these words were spoken, Prince Rui and Princess Anhe's faces instantly turned very ugly.

Although Li Ping'an said many words to save their face, he still refused the marriage.

King Rui forced a smile and said again, "I see, it was you who was rude.

However, Prince Li was of noble status, so he would definitely not have just one wife.

My sister is outstanding in both appearance and talent. She is the most beautiful and noble woman in our Nanzhao Kingdom. If you don't mind, you can marry her as your co-wife. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

This King Rui was really trying his best. After being politely rejected by Li Ping'an once, he was not afraid of being slapped in the face and continued to ask.

In fact, King Rui wanted to force Li Ping'an to feel embarrassed to say no under such circumstances.

However, Li Pingan was very unhappy when he heard King Rui ask directly about his sister's face, which made everyone embarrassed. However, he still patiently explained:

"King Rui, you don't know. My grandfather and father both believed in monogamy. Men of my generation also have the same idea.

This prince only wants to be with one person for the rest of his life, and does not want to waste the youth of more women. Princess Anhe. Why would such a talented person marry far away and live under someone else's tutelage?

Why not find a man of matching status in Nanzhao country, and live in monogamy and love with him? Isn't that a better choice?"

King Rui was speechless after hearing Ping'an's words, and he no longer had an excuse to marry Li Ping'an.

Even though Li Ping'an's words were very tactful, the atmosphere was still extremely awkward.

If Princess Anhe left the table immediately, she would be suspected of losing her temper and neglecting her guests regardless of her status.

If she didn't leave, she was too embarrassed to stay here any longer, let alone eat or drink. In her current state, everything she ate tasted like chewing wax and she really had no appetite.

Upon seeing this, Young Master Jin quickly stepped out to smooth things over, "Your Highness Prince Rui and Your Highness the Princess, don't worry, let's talk about business cooperation first.

The fact that Prince Li was able to take time out of his busy schedule to visit the palace shows that he thinks highly of the two princes.

If everyone can work together, the industries of the two masters will surely expand rapidly in the future. Making a lot of money is the most important thing.

Since Prince Li has given me full authority to handle this matter, I will discuss it carefully with Your Highness and reach a cooperation that satisfies everyone."

King Rui finally came to his senses. Yes, the most important thing was to cooperate with Li Ping'an, to get closer to him and to make more money.

He regained his spirits and started talking about business with Young Master Jin, while Princess Anhe was filled with disappointment. The blind date that was originally highly anticipated took an unexpected turn.

However, Princess Anhe is from the royal family and is very smart. Since she cannot marry Li Ping'an, if they can become business partners, with Li Ping'an's strong connections and financial resources, as long as she can get a share of his profits, it will be enough for her to make a fortune.

With status, position and money, what kind of handsome man can't she find?

Princess Anhe was just like an eggplant hit by frost; after she figured it out, she became full of fighting spirit as if she had been injected with chicken blood, and her mind was full of calculations.

Li Ping'an couldn't help but secretly praise Master Jin for his proper and smooth way of handling things.

"I originally thought that Mr. Jin was just a lecherous dandy. But as I spent more time with him, Li Ping'an felt that Mr. Jin was actually a very smart and shrewd eldest son of a wealthy family. He was definitely not as ignorant as he appeared to be.

It seems that everyone in a big family has a protective color. Especially in this continent, it is not surprising that big families fight for power and maintain their status and harm their relatives.

Young Master Jin was able to grow up safely and healthily in an official family with a powerful background and become the family's most valued successor. He must have his outstanding qualities.

Maybe lust is his way of protecting himself.

In order to make up for the embarrassment brought to the two princes by rejecting Princess Anhe's marriage proposal, Master Jin looked at Li Ping'an and asked him whether he would agree to King Rui's request and share some of the overseas trade business with them?

Li Ping'an nodded slightly, and Young Master Jin understood what he meant, and said to King Rui with a smile:

"Your Highness, Prince Rui, since Prince Li has given me full authority to handle the business, I think you are right. We can cooperate in overseas trade.

However, overseas trade involves many types of goods. In order to ensure that the goods are sold well and that all merchants involved can get more profits when each merchant ship goes out to sea, it is necessary to make a reasonable combination of goods.

Therefore, I have to confirm in advance the types and quantities of goods that Your Highnesses want to send to the ship.

In addition, the commission must also be carefully calculated based on the quantity of cargo on board.

Therefore, Your Highnesses are requested to find your own stewards and the shopkeepers of each workshop and shop as soon as possible to finalize the shipping list together.

In addition, the Li family has extensive experience in shipping. If we can cooperate with the Li family, it will not only be mutually beneficial, but also allow the two princes to earn a lot of high profits. "

King Rui's eyes lit up, and the gloom he had felt because of the rejection of his marriage proposal instantly dissipated. "That's great. If we can cooperate with the Li family in overseas trade, I believe we will make a lot of money."

Princess Anhe also perked up and said in a sweet voice, "Mr. Jin, I hope you can take care of me. I will have to rely on you for future cooperation."

Young Master Jin quickly agreed.

The atmosphere at the table gradually relaxed and everyone began to chat and laugh again.

Li Ping'an looked at Master Jin's skillful handling of affairs and felt more confident about this cooperation.

He also plans to use this cooperation to expand more connections and business opportunities on this continent and lay the foundation for subsequent matters.

The geographical environment of this time and space is also more ocean than land. The various continents are distributed in different parts of the ocean, facing each other across the sea, and need ships to exchange what they need, which is particularly suitable for maritime trade.

No matter where you go to do charity, you need a lot of money. So you can't just take money out of the space, but you have to do business locally.

Using profits for charity can help more poor people without hurting the foundation of the family.

Prince Rui and Princess Anhe were also thinking about how to get the most benefit from this cooperation.