From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 565: Chapter 567: Tell Me Your Thoughts

Other ventures were one thing, but as for an escort agency, Jin Qianqian really had no plans to establish one at the moment.

Besides a shortage of manpower, she already had several businesses of her own. There was no need to jump into the fray and compete with everyone else.

But for Tian Zhuang, the escort agency was still their pillar of business. If she didn’t disrupt this line of theirs, the Tian Family would inevitably rise from the ashes.

"Madam, doesn’t Master’s classmate, Deng Junren, have an escort agency?" Lichun asked when she saw Jin Qianqian circle the words "escort agency," knowing what was on her mind.

Jin Qianqian shook her head. "Deng Yuanhang’s escort agency only goes as far as Le City. Besides, he’s only a scholar right now. There’s no need to drag him into our affairs."

"Why don’t we start an escort agency, too? We have so much business coming and going. Instead of letting others profit from it, we might as well establish our own," Lidong suggested.

Jin Qianqian, however, turned to Li Xia. "Since you’re eager to take this on, why don’t you tell us what you think the best approach is?"

Li Xia pondered for a moment before speaking. "Madam, I believe an escort agency requires far too many people. We don’t know the industry, so rushing into it wouldn’t be the wisest move.

"We could, however, leverage our connections. But Deng Junren’s escort agency is just too small. Even with our support, the most we could do is barely keep them afloat, and they would be in no position to compete with an established agency like that.

"Moreover, escort agencies operate in every city and need to have dealings with the local officials and influential figures. The Deng family’s agency clearly can’t manage that.

"Prince Bai’s escort agency, on the other hand, has what it takes to compete."

Jin Qianqian was surprised; the girl’s thoughts aligned perfectly with her own. "And you think Prince Bai would help us?"

Li Xia replied, "Madam, although I don’t know the specifics of our estate’s business with Prince Bai, a large sum of money comes in at regular intervals. It always coincides with the arrival of the men Prince Bai sends over. So, I venture to guess... does our family have a share in his escort agency?"

Jin Qianqian stifled a laugh. "You’ve guessed wrong. But you are very observant. We do have some business entanglements with Prince Bai, but they have nothing to do with his escort agency.

"I know what you’re thinking. You want to use Prince Bai’s status to suppress the Tian Family. But just think, would Prince Bai be willing to do that?

"There are countless escort agencies in this world, and they all have their own internal codes of conduct."

To outsiders, the escort agency business looks competitive. Only those on the inside know that they actually support one another. It’s an unspoken rule, and not one that’s easily broken.

Li Xia countered, "We wouldn’t be asking Prince Bai to go head-to-head with them, just to establish a few escort teams on the same routes."

"That requires a legitimate reason. To get the escort teams moving, you need clients. We can’t just pour in a ton of our own silver and have them run empty!" Jin Qianqian smiled at Li Xia, curious to see how she would respond this time.

Undaunted, Li Xia took out a blank sheet of paper, sketched out the routes the Tian Zhuang escort team frequented, and made notations.

"Madam, look. These cities he frequents are all places where we don’t have a presence.

"Our soap workshop is up and running now, so it’s the perfect time to open up some new trade routes.

"In a little while, when the sea trade ships return, there will likely be many foreign goods. With just those items, our need for escort teams will increase. That itself is a bargaining chip.

"If we specify which escort team to use and make it a condition for our business partners, don’t you think they’ll choose accordingly to get their hands on our merchandise?"

"Well said. You’ve certainly grasped that merchants prioritize profit." Jin Qianqian nodded in approval. ’Li Xia is usually so quiet, but I never realized her mind was so meticulous.’

"So, as long as we do that and then convince Prince Bai to take on this business, the Tian Family will undoubtedly lose many of their loyal clients. As a result, even if they continue their escort runs, their profits will drop. If we keep up the pressure, they won’t be able to hold out for long."

Jin Qianqian let out a soft sigh. "But you’ve missed one thing. To convince Prince Bai, we’ll need a bargaining chip of our own."

The last time Bai Jinglie visited, besides inquiring about the sea trade, he also wanted Ancient Wen Heng to come up with another moneymaking venture for him.

Li Xia’s face fell. "Won’t our past relationship with him be enough?"

Jin Qianqian replied, "Don’t put too much faith in relationships.

"Back in Le City, it was the same with Lady Nan and me. We visited back and forth and got along quite harmoniously.

"But the moment our interests were truly at stake, they made their choice.

"Based on such a fragile connection, Bai Jinglie won’t be willing to get involved in our family’s private feud."

The maids all fell silent, but they trusted that their madam already had a plan.

Jin Qianqian sent everyone out and shut herself in her room, where she spent her time writing and sketching.

When Ancient Wen Heng returned home and saw her exhausted eyes, he walked over and gently took the brush from her hand.

"Whatever it is, it doesn’t need to be rushed. If you must, you can always wait for me to get back and I can do it for you."

Jin Qianqian let go, flexing her sore joints. She had been writing for a long time, and her hand had grown quite stiff.

"You’re so busy as it is. I shouldn’t trouble you with such minor things."

Ancient Wen Heng tapped her on the forehead. "We’ve been married for ages. No need for such formalities.

"I heard you’ve been cooped up in this room for four hours, all for this."

Ancient Wen Heng glanced down, flipping through a few pages. "Why the sudden interest in glassmaking? Did Bai Jinglie come to you?"

Jin Qianqian stretched her neck. "I’m the one who needs a favor from him. I have to make a sincere offer."

Ancient Wen Heng remarked, "You’ve covered just about every kind of glassware here."

Jin Qianqian replied, "Exactly. Once his craftsmen are set on this path, they’d figure these out eventually anyway. Why not include a few more and make it a bigger favor?

"It’ll just mean more work for you when you have to negotiate with him."

Ancient Wen Heng asked, "Are you afraid he’ll use this as leverage to take back our share of the glass workshop’s profits?"

But Jin Qianqian disagreed. "He won’t. He can’t be sure what other brilliant ideas you might have. For the sake of future profits, he’ll do everything he can to keep you on his side."

Ancient Wen Heng picked up the brush and circled a few items on the page. "I’ll organize this into a proper document. You don’t need to worry about the rest.

"Are you planning to use his escort agency to go against Tian Zhuang?"

Jin Qianqian stated, "Jiang Milie must have reported back to you."

Only then did she remember that Jiang Milie was originally one of Ancient Wen Heng’s long-term followers. She had been short-handed recently and had borrowed him.

After returning to the estate, he would naturally have to report to his master.

"He mentioned a few things." There was nothing to hide, so Ancient Wen Heng told her the truth.