The prince thanked Li Ping'an again. He said, "I am really sorry for the poor hospitality today and for letting Prince Li witness this farce. I will definitely hold a banquet at Hongyun Tower another day to make amends for today's neglect."

Li Ping'an did not comment, but only said: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is too polite. I am busy with affairs, so I'll take my leave now." Then he strode away with Master Jin.

He knew that the prince would not give up until he achieved his goal and would continue to pester him.

However, the prince wanted to cooperate with him exclusively. That was impossible. The prince had a very big appetite, and his demands were very high. Not to mention exclusive cooperation, he was unwilling to give him even ordinary cooperation. Too much share, so as not to fatten his appetite.

So it’s better not to go to this banquet.

After returning to his residence, Li Ping'an discussed the matter with his trusted subordinates. The trusted subordinate thought for a moment and said, "The prince is so persistent. If we refuse directly, he may bear a grudge.

When Young Master Jin cooperates with you in the future, some things will inevitably be obstructed by him and sabotaged by despicable means.

Your Majesty might as well accept the banquet first, and then cleverly maneuver at the banquet, giving the Crown Prince face while not easily agreeing to cooperate."

Li Ping'an thought it made sense and decided to attend the banquet.

On the day of the second banquet, the prince was already waiting at Hongyun Tower.

At the banquet, the prince was extremely attentive, with wine and food flowing incessantly. After a few drinks, the prince brought up the matter of cooperation again.

Li Pingan smiled and said, “Your Highness, this matter is of great importance, and I will not take any risks.

Besides, the market is changing rapidly nowadays, and I cannot leave all the business of Nanzhao Kingdom to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

You are the prince and are busy with government affairs. How can you have the energy to take care of my business?

The business of this king is of great importance, and the partners must do it themselves and take care of the business wholeheartedly.

So, Your Highness, please don't embarrass me. I really can't obey your order for exclusive cooperation."

Although the prince was very displeased after hearing this, he could not force it openly, so he could only give up for the time being and continue to pretend to be nice to Li Pingan.

The prince thought to himself: "This Li Ping'an is really arrogant. Even if he is powerful, who in Nanzhao Kingdom can be greater than him, the crown prince of the East Palace and the future emperor?

Instead of cooperating exclusively with him, he found that loser named Jin and promised to cooperate with King Rui. Then Li Ping'an would know that if he didn't cooperate with me but with others, it wouldn't be smooth sailing.

The prince planned that if open negotiations failed, he would use some tricks behind the scenes to see if Li Ping'an would still agree to exclusive cooperation?

After the banquet, the prince still smiled as he sent Li Ping'an away, but he had already planned a conspiracy in his mind.

After a few days, Li's business encountered strange things one after another. Stores in various places were inexplicably picked on, and rumors of quality problems frequently appeared in the goods, which greatly affected the business.

The same thing happened to Mr. Jin. His business partner suddenly broke the contract and his cash flow was in trouble.

Li Ping'an knew in his heart that this must have been done by the prince.

He remained calm and secretly investigated those who were causing the trouble, and discovered that it was indeed the prince's cronies who were behind it.

Li Pingan sneered: "This prince is too smart. Why would he provoke me when there are so many people he can provoke? Doesn't he even consider his own strength?"

Li Pingan decided to fight back.

Prince Rui took the opportunity to show his sincerity to Li Ping'an. He collected evidence that the prince was secretly colluding with merchants to manipulate prices.

There are other rumors that were also spread by the prince's men, and the evidence is in hand.

At the same time, Prince Jin spread the news that the prince wanted to monopolize the business and suppress his peers. For a time, the court and the people were talking about the prince.

As the crown prince of a country, the prince's words and actions seem too petty, and he lacks the love for his people that a crown prince should have.

He competes with the people for profit and uses vile means. Is it time to replace the crown prince?

The prince didn't expect that Li Ping'an would be so difficult to deal with? He wanted to put pressure on him to submit, but he ended up getting burned and falling into a passive situation.

The prince was busy making excuses, destroying evidence, distancing himself from the matter, and maintaining his image as a man with a broad mind and who loved his people like his own children.

When the prince was in a state of panic, Li Ping'an did not stop there. He joined forces with King Rui and revealed more of the prince's illegal activities to the emperor.

The emperor was already dissatisfied with the prince's recent performance. After hearing these evidences, he became furious.

The emperor summoned the prince into the palace and severely reprimanded him, warning him that if he behaved like this again, he would be deposed from his position as crown prince.

The prince was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly knelt down and begged for mercy, promising to restrain his behavior.

After this incident, the prince never dared to provoke Li Ping'an again.

He knew very well that this prince was very powerful and had the help of King Rui behind him.

Li Pingan continued to work with Prince Jin and Prince Rui steadily, and their business grew bigger and bigger. Prince Rui's position in the court and the business community became more and more stable.

As for the prince, he can only put aside his ambitions temporarily, behave himself, and wait for the right opportunity to make a comeback.

But he also knew that it would be difficult to defeat Li Ping An. However, he seemed to have chosen the wrong enemy.

If he had not been so greedy and only wanted to establish a cooperative relationship with Li Ping'an and expand it slowly in the future, he would definitely not be in the embarrassing situation of losing more than he gained today.

However, the situation in the court was turbulent.

Soon after, the war on the border became tense, the enemy invaded, and the army of Nanzhao was defeated.

The emperor was worried and summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures.

The prince took the opportunity to recommend himself and asked to lead the troops to the battle, hoping to use this opportunity to restore his prestige.

The emperor thought about it again and again, and finally agreed to the prince's request.

Li Ping'an felt uneasy when he heard King Rui's complaints about this.

He knew that the prince had no real military talent and that this trip would be dangerous. But he also understood that this might be a good opportunity for the prince to consolidate his position.

The prince led the army to the border, and at first he was able to hold his ground. But as the war progressed, he made frequent mistakes in command, and the army suffered heavy casualties.

When the news reached the capital, the whole government was shocked.

At this time, Li Ping'an did not add insult to injury. Instead, when the Emperor of Nanzhao asked him for help, he gave advice to the Emperor:

"Your Majesty, send experienced generals to support us immediately. Replace the crown prince. The crown prince has no military command ability.

On the scene, both sides wanted to confuse the other side and attack them unexpectedly, but it was useless to follow the military books.

Without real command ability, the prince can only make things worse.

It's not too late to change the commander now. Send another two marshals to support the front line!

He knew very well that if the prince was defeated, the Nanzhao Kingdom would be in greater crisis.

At Li Ping'an's suggestion, reinforcements quickly arrived at the border.

After a hard battle, they finally turned the tide of the war and defeated the enemy.

Although the prince saved his life, his prestige plummeted.

During the border war, Li Ping'an and Jin Gongzi, who used their own private property to purchase large amounts of food and sent it to the border, were praised by the people. These two princes were truly righteous.

Especially Li Pingan, he was not from Nanzhao, but was a kind man from another country who came to Nanzhao to help the people. Nanzhao could not afford to fight this war. Fortunately, he secretly supported them, so the colorful soldiers did not starve.

When the war was at its most intense, with the help of Li Ping'an, the Nanzhao Kingdom had sufficient food and grass, and salaries were paid on time, which not only stabilized the military spirit but also boosted morale.

With the army's morale greatly boosted, the soldiers, full of fighting spirit, under the command of the new marshal, were able to defeat the invading army from the border in one fell swoop.

For this reason, although King Rui did not go to the border, he still received the support of the people.

Li Ping'an and Jin Gongzi are also more popular among the people.

However, they were not in the court of Nanzhao, did not participate in government affairs, and would not be promoted, so this praise and support was transformed into commercial benefits. More partners were willing to join their business.