Chapter 397: Partnership

"This way, you won't just ease the pressure of funding the shop—you'll also share the risk. If anything goes wrong, you won't have to deal with it alone, Crown Prince."

Luo Jingshen mulled it over and figured he had a point.

Given how much silver he had on hand right now, opening five barbecue joints at once—one in each direction of the capital, plus the center—would still be a stretch.

After all, buying the deeds, fixing up the shops, and hiring staff would add up to a hefty chunk of change.

He turned to Liu Qingya. "Who do you reckon I should team up with?"

Liu Qingya answered, "I think Marquis Ji would be a solid pick for you, Crown Prince. The Yongning Marquis Estate is a centuries-old noble family. Their forebears won military honors, so they're sitting on a pile of family wealth."

"Plus, Second Young Master Ji from the Marquis Estate knows his way around business, so you could put him in charge of running the barbecue shops."

That got Luo Jingshen's gears turning, and Liu Qingya went on, "But there's one more key thing I haven't brought up yet."

A shrewd glint flashed in his eyes, just like the one in Luo Jingshen's.

"Aren't you about to marry Second Miss Ji and make her your Crown Princess? If you pull Marquis Ji in as a partner, wouldn't that basically mean the whole Marquis Estate is working for you?"

"Every bit of silver you make would be yours, free to blow however you like. If you're feeling generous, toss Marquis Ji a cut; if not, he gets squat. And when it comes down to it, would Marquis Ji dare talk back to you?"

Luo Jingshen's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands, impressed. "Now that's thinking, Mr. Liu! How the hell didn't I come up with that?"

Liu Qingya grinned. "You went through all that trouble to win over Ji Nanchuan, so of course you've got to squeeze every last drop of use out of the Yongning Marquis Estate. That way, marrying Second Miss Ji won't have been a total waste, right?"

Luo Jingshen smirked, standing by the window with his hands clasped behind his back, a chill glint in his eyes.

"Obviously. If it weren't for the Yongning Marquis Estate's deep pockets, why the hell would I go against my mother and marry Ji Qingqing?"

"Between Ji Qingqing and Ji Yuntang, it's the scheming, capable type like Ji Yuntang that I actually prefer."

"Too bad she hitched herself to that good-for-nothing Prince Ye, so she's bound to be my enemy for life. Since I can't take her down, marrying her sister just to piss her off isn't a bad play."

Liu Qingya buttered him up on the side: "No matter how sharp Ji Yuntang is, she's still just a bastard daughter the Marquis Estate tossed aside. How could someone of that standing ever be worth your notice, Crown Prince?"

"You treating her as an enemy is already giving her way too much credit!"

Luo Jingshen's eyes turned dark, and he pulled at the corner of his mouth. "Her status isn't worth my attention, sure, but every time I think about how she stepped in for Qing Qing and married into Prince Ye's household, I get this hollow feeling in my chest."

As he talked, his hand drifted to his chest without thinking, and his face went blank.

Liu Qingya took one look at Luo Jingshen and knew exactly what was running through his head.

He spoke up sharply, "Crown Prince, your Crown Princess has to be a proper legitimate daughter of noble birth. Even if Ji Yuntang hadn't married Prince Ye, she'd never have the standing to set foot in the Eastern Palace."

"For the sake of the bigger picture, I'm begging you—don't get hung up on this lovey-dovey stuff, and don't go pining after someone who's not yours, or you'll wreck our whole plan!"

Luo Jingshen snapped out of it and cleared his throat to cover his awkwardness.

"Come on, Mr. Liu—you know me better than anyone, don't you?"

"Every woman I've got around me is just for fun—how could I ever catch real feelings for any of them?"

"I know damn well which matters more—women or the throne. So don't worry about that, Mr. Liu."

Liu Qingya pursed his lips and bowed. "Forgive this subordinate for overstepping!"

"Crown Prince, should we call Marquis Ji over now to hash out the barbecue restaurant deal?"

Luo Jingshen nodded. "Obviously. No point dragging our feet—we can't sit around while Ji Yuntang and Xie Liuzheng rake in all the cash. By the time we act, it'll be too damn late!"

"Here's the plan: you head over to the Yongning Marquis Estate yourself and fetch Ji Nanchuan for me."

Liu Qingya acknowledged, "Yes, Crown Prince."

Half an hour later, Ji Nanchuan showed up at the Eastern Palace.

He wasted no time greeting Luo Jingshen. "This subordinate pays his respects to the Crown Prince."

Luo Jingshen smiled and walked over himself to help him to his feet.

"Marquis, get up and have a seat. We're about to be family—no need for all this bowing and scraping with me."

Ji Nanchuan was secretly flattered, but he kept his face all proper and respectful.

"It's my daughter's good fortune that the Crown Prince has taken a shine to her, but we still have to keep up the proper formalities. Otherwise, if some troublemaker gets wind of it, they might claim this subordinate has been disrespectful to you, Crown Prince."

Luo Jingshen waved a hand, brushing it off. "We're practically family now—cut the stiff act!"

He took a seat, had tea brought out, and then said, "I called you here today, Marquis, to talk business. I'm planning to open five barbecue restaurants in the capital, and I want you in on it. What do you say?"

Liu Qingya had already laid out the whole plan to Ji Nanchuan on the ride over!

He knew exactly how much money was in the barbecue game—Ji Yuntang had only opened one shop and was already drowning in silver.

Ji Nanchuan would be lying through his teeth if he said that kind of profit didn't make him jealous.

Now that the Crown Prince had come to him, it showed he truly regarded him as one of his own, which was why he thought of partnering with him first.

Thus, Ji Nanchuan didn't hesitate long before agreeing!

"For the Crown Prince to think of this subordinate is an honor. This subordinate is willing to partner with you in opening the barbecue restaurants."

Luo Jingshen wasn't surprised by this answer at all. He raised the wine goblet in his hand and said, "Excellent! The Marquis truly lives up to being my future father-in-law—you know how to show appreciation. I toast to you, Father-in-Law."

The two raised their goblets and drank in one gulp.

Ji Nanchuan asked, "Where will the shop fronts for the barbecue restaurants be located? And how much silver does the Crown Prince require this subordinate to invest?"

Luo Jingshen let out a faint laugh and said, "The shop fronts haven't been chosen yet, but I've decided to open one in each of the five directions of the capital. That way, we can monopolize all the customers in the city and leave Ji Yuntang with no business at all."

"As for the investment, I've already had someone calculate it. I'll put up three hundred thousand taels, and you, Marquis, will provide two hundred thousand. If it's not enough later, I'll send someone to collect more from you."

Ji Nanchuan was startled, his hand holding the wine goblet trembling slightly. He looked utterly incredulous.

"Five hundred thousand taels? Isn't that a bit too much, Crown Prince?"

"This subordinate heard that the barbecue restaurant Ji Yuntang and Heir Xie partnered on only cost seventy thousand taels in the early stages."

Luo Jingshen sneered with disdain, a mocking curl at the corner of his lips.

"What I'm opening is a high-end barbecue restaurant, with the finest wood used for the layout and decor. How could it compare to the likes of their low-class establishment?"

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