118: Chapter 0118 The Princess and the County Princess

Diplomat Zhong Lang immediately found a waiter and asked about the relationship between Su Wansha and Lin Xiao.

Although the waiter didn't dare to speak directly and only said they had a good relationship, the two of them quickly understood.

A 'good relationship' between a man and a woman—those who know, know!

Princess Meng Xi sneered inwardly; General Lin certainly has good luck with women!

She then asked about the background of Miss Ning.

The waiter wasn't clear on this and didn't dare to talk nonsense.

Seeing that she couldn't get the information she wanted, Princess Meng Xi simply stood up and walked out.

Seeing this, Diplomat Zhong Lang had no choice but to follow.

The two arrived at the door of Su Wansha's private room, and Princess Meng Xi pushed the door open and entered.

At that moment, Su Wansha was receiving the newly arrived Xie Juner and a man who looked like a wealthy merchant.

When Princess Meng Xi saw Xie Juner's stunning beauty, she was surprised. Was the tiny Baishui City a gathering place for beauties?

Seeing Princess Meng Xi enter, everyone was stunned.

"Boss Su, you've prepared so many dishes for us. Lord Zhong and I can't possibly finish them all."

"Why not invite these two friends to eat together? It'll be livelier with more people!"

Hearing this, Su Wansha was put in a difficult position. After all, Princess Meng Xi was a princess of the Western Qiang. If things turned unpleasant, she feared it would cause trouble for Lin Xiao.

"Sister Su, this is..."

"Oh, let me introduce you. This is Princess Meng Xi, daughter of the King of Western Qiang. And this is the diplomatic minister, Lord Zhong."

Su Wansha simply explained generously, "These two are the General's distinguished guests, here to discuss business."

"What!? She's actually Her Highness the Princess?"

Xie Juner hurried to give a salute. Even if she was a foreign princess, a mere commandery princess like herself could not compare.

Moreover, Western Qiang was one of the three northern powers. Its people were fierce, and they controlled high-quality iron ore; they could not be slighted.

No wonder this young woman's temperament was completely different from Central Plains women, carrying a sense of wildness and freedom.

"This is Miss Ning Junzhu and the Ning family's chief manager. They are wealthy merchants from the North, also here to discuss business."

Princess Meng Xi's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Oh? Since everyone is doing business with General Lin, why don't we sit down and chat together?"

Since the princess had taken the initiative to speak, Su Wansha and Xie Juner naturally couldn't refuse.

The group then moved to a private booth, poured wine, and chatted while they ate.

Xie Juner had brought the Marquis Mansion's chief manager this time, along with a large number of shop deeds and banknotes to prove their financial strength.

Xie Juner had also specifically selected materials that wouldn't easily reveal the background of the Linyuan Marquis Mansion to avoid exposing her identity.

Unbeknownst to her, Su Wansha had already learned her true identity from Lin Xiao.

Su Wansha feigned ignorance, glancing through the documents as if verifying their strength.

"Miss Ning's family is indeed very powerful."

Ning Junzhu breathed a sigh of relief. "Then... can we talk about the soap and honeycomb coal business?"

"Naturally. We can proceed according to the contract we drafted earlier."

"Wait a moment."

Princess Meng Xi perked up. "What is this 'soap'?"

Su Wansha wasn't surprised. She ordered the waiter to bring in a basin of water and three pieces of newly made soap.

"Your Highness, Miss Ning, these are the latest wormwood, osmanthus, and ginger scented soaps developed by our soap workshop."

"Wormwood and osmanthus are premium products that leave a fragrance after use. As for this ginger, you should know that the price is extremely high."

"Washing hair with ginger soap can nourish the hair and make it thick, so it's a special grade product. The price will be more than double."

Not to mention Princess Meng Xi seeing it for the first time, even Xie Juner was enamored when she saw the three differently colored, patterned soaps!

The women followed Su Wansha's example, lathering and washing their hands. They found their skin to be smooth and refreshing!

Princess Meng Xi was a woman after all and naturally loved beauty. Plus, living on the grasslands meant dealing with cattle and horses every day; one would inevitably carry some scent by the end of the day.

"We want this soap for Western Qiang as well!"

Without hesitation, Princess Meng Xi was certain this item would sell brilliantly on the grasslands!

Especially the noblewomen of the various tribes; they would surely be willing to pay a high price.

Grassland women always carried a bit of an odor. If they could use scented soap, it would greatly increase their attraction to men.

Princess Meng Xi could already see the explosive sales scene where the soap would be in short supply on the grasslands!

Xie Juner wasn't about to let that happen. She also understood the lethality of these soaps for women!

"Your Highness, although you are a princess, business is business. There should be a first-come, first-served order, shouldn't there?"

"Miss Ning, firstly, we arrived first. Secondly, we can provide high-quality iron ore to the Zhenbei Army."

"By all rights and reason, our Western Qiang has the right of first refusal!"

Xie Juner said indignantly, "Your Highness might as well ask Sister Su. This commoner came many days ago to arrange this cooperation."

"As for iron ore, although our Ning Family Merchant Group doesn't have it, our other products are certainly more abundant than those of Western Qiang!"

Seeing a princess and a commandery princess about to start an argument, Su Wansha truly felt a sense of 'happy trouble'!

She wished she could raise the price on the spot and let them bid for it, giving it to whoever offered the highest price.

But knowing it concerned the long-term interests of the Zhenbei Army, she knew she couldn't do that.

"Please, both of you, calm down. You are both General Lin's distinguished guests. We will certainly do our best to meet the needs of both parties."

Su Wansha advised, "How about this? I will go talk to General Lin this afternoon to see how much the workshop can supply before making a decision."

Princess Meng Xi and Xie Juner glared at each other unhappily but had no choice but to agree reluctantly.

After the meal, Su Wansha saw the two off and immediately went to the Generals Mansion.

As it turned out, only Xiao Qingxuan was at home doing the accounts.

Upon asking, she learned that Lin Xiao had gone to the workshop early in the morning and hadn't returned yet.

In a hurry, Su Wansha rushed to the Zhenbei Army Workshop.

The workshop, built along the river, was now massive in scale, with patrolling soldiers everywhere.

Brick walls separated the various workshops, with strict controls between them to ensure no technology leaks.

Every time Su Wansha came here, she felt like she was seeing the world for the first time.

Every time she visited after a while, some new gadgets she couldn't understand would appear.

She wouldn't ask too many questions because the craftsmen were disciplined and couldn't just chat with anyone.

The security commander in charge of guarding the workshop was none other than General Wu Jinzhe.

Initially, everyone thought that General Wu Jinzhe, a great general of the Mu Family Army, would be very reluctant to come to such a place.

But to their surprise, since General Wu Jinzhe arrived, he had been glowing with health, arriving early and leaving late, even more energetic than when he was in the military camp!

He constantly praised Lin Xiao in public and private, leaving everyone greatly puzzled.

"Commander Wu, is General Lin here?"

Su Wansha arrived at the camp tent next to the workshop.

Upon entering, she saw General Wu Jinzhe fiddling with a pile of wood, seemingly using it to build a model?

Su Wansha couldn't help but smile, seeing him so engrossed in it.

Seeing Su Wansha looking for someone, General Wu Jinzhe immediately put away his woodwork and led the way personally.

"Commander Wu, is the General busy?" Su Wansha worried about interrupting the man's official business.

"Uh..."

General Wu Jinzhe was in a bind, not knowing where to start. "I suppose not. You'll know when you get there."