Situation changes

When the report came that Xian Ying requested an audience, Gao Yuan was having a meal with the women. Upon hearing this name, Little Chili Pepper set down her chopsticks.

"It's her, that vixen! She actually dared to come to our doorstep. Sisters, you must be careful!"

Zhao Xiyao was unaffected. She turned to look at Gao Yuan and asked, "What conditions do you think the Xian Family will propose this time?"

Gao Yuan shook his head. "I don't know either. However, I expect they will make some concessions. But as long as they still cling to the idea of acting like local despots, then for me, there are only three words: impossible."

"As long as you have a plan, that's good. Just don't fall for anyone's honey trap!"

Gao Yuan truly felt more wronged than Dou E, but upon seeing the playful expression on Zhao Xiyao's face, he immediately realized he had been teased.

"Xiyao, I didn't expect you to learn such bad habits."

"Hmph, I'm just giving you a reminder on behalf of the sisters. Don't lose your bottom line the moment you see a pretty woman."

The three women beside them nodded in unison, expressing their approval of Zhao Xiyao. This made Gao Yuan feel like four words were floating over his head: 'unjustly accused'.

Knowing that Gao Yuan had serious business to discuss, the four women left together after the meal. Gao Yuan received Xian Ying in the study.

Gao Yuan did not rush to attend to Xian Ying. Instead, he took out his tea set, leisurely brewed some Kung Fu tea, and placed a cup in front of her.

"This is this year's new tea. Madam, please try it."

Xian Ying took a sip and nodded slightly. "It leaves a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth. The Commandery Duke certainly has refined taste."

"It's just a minor pastime to pass the time."

Gao Yuan drained his cup in one gulp, then looked at the woman before him with interest. "I wonder what brings you here today, Madam?"

Xian Ying pulled a letter, still warm and carrying a woman's scent, from her bosom and handed it to Gao Yuan with both hands. "This is a letter that the Family Head entrusted me to deliver to you, Commandery Duke. Please take a look."

Whether intentional or accidental, when exchanging the letter, her hand brushed against Gao Yuan's, causing a ripple of desire to stir within him.

"This woman's skin is really nice. I wonder how she maintains it." This thought flashed through his mind, but Gao Yuan immediately opened the envelope and unfolded the letter to read it.

Soon, he set the paper down and shook his head. "Madam, forgive my bluntness, but if your Xian Family still clings to such notions, then you are not far from destruction."

Just as Gao Yuan had anticipated, those in the Xian Family clearly still harbored the idea of becoming the Kings of Lingnan.

"Commandery Duke, we have already made significant concessions."

Gao Yuan tossed the two sheets of letter paper in front of Xian Ying. With a cold, stern expression, he said, "Let me emphasize this again: here, there are no local officials and no hereditary titles. If people from the Xian Family wish to enter government service, I welcome them with open arms, but only on the condition that they are appointed based on merit. As for the military, only the imperial court shall ever control it. Any attempt to retain military power is, in my eyes, tantamount to rebellion, and that will only be met with the conquest of my armies."

Xian Ying did not expect Gao Yuan to be so unyielding; he hadn't retreated a single step. She struggled for a long time without being able to say a word.

At this moment, her inner turmoil was extreme. She desperately wanted to storm off, but she couldn't.

Meanwhile in South of the Ranges, Guangzhou, ever since the news of Chang'an's fall and the collapse of the Guanzhong reached the region, Feng Pu's movements had become increasingly frequent.

The officials appointed by the Xian Family in various places were being transferred and sidelined, and within the military, Feng Pu had already gained the absolute upper hand.

To put it bluntly, the Xian Family had reached a critical juncture of life and death. If Gao Yuan was unwilling to intervene, then the Xian Family's annexation by the Feng Family was imminent.

It was precisely because he had guessed this situation that Gao Yuan refused to retreat and kept pressing them.

For him, if the Xian Family were willing to submit, it would naturally be a good thing, as it would significantly reduce the cost of taking over the Lingnan Circuit.

However, it didn't matter if the Xian Family didn't submit; Gao Yuan was still very confident in his own military strength.

He didn't have much confidence in fighting the elite forces of the Great Qian, but dealing with Feng Pu's local troops was a sure thing.

Taking one last look at Gao Yuan, Xian Ying confirmed the firmness and determination in the man's eyes. Finally, she stood up, trembling. "Since that is the case, I will not disturb you further, Commandery Duke. I brought some gifts this time..."

Gao Yuan waved his hand decisively. "I cannot accept gifts without merit. Madam, you should take these gifts back."

"Commandery Duke, this..."

"If you find it inconvenient to take them back, you can exchange them for silver and deposit it in our Diannan Bank. Rest assured, depositing in our Bank is not only safe, but it also earns annual interest."

Xian Ying felt as if she had discovered a breakthrough and nodded repeatedly. "I will certainly go."

Watching Xian Ying, who seemed to have grasped a new hope, Gao Yuan felt very wronged. Heaven knows he just wanted to help the Bank gain a depositor; who knew how this woman could have misunderstood his intentions?

In any case, the final result was that Xian Ying sold off all the gifts, worth several thousand strings of cash, and deposited them into the Bank.

As more and more wealthy families opened accounts and deposited money in the Bank to curry favor with Gao Yuan, many ordinary people also began to feel eager to try, depositing the money they had saved for their wives or coffins into the Bank.

Soon, the first loan customer appeared. A merchant from the Jiannan Circuit came to Guchang to purchase goods. Because he didn't bring enough money, he used an ancestral jade pendant as collateral and obtained a loan of five hundred strings of cash, with an annual interest rate of only 15 percent.

This pleasantly surprised the merchant. What surprised him even more was that there was no need to carry heavy copper coins to conduct transactions. Several major merchant firms in the city had already received instructions; they only needed to go to the Bank counter to settle the transaction with a voucher.

With the first person to try something new, more and more people soon began to attempt to get loans. However, not everyone could get a loan; gamblers who tried to mortgage their family properties didn't get a single coin. For ordinary people who urgently needed money due to sudden family emergencies and used land as collateral, the Bank approved loans quickly and only charged a 5 percent interest rate.

Before the New Year arrived, the entire Bank's operations were running smoothly. Chu Xi acted quickly; by the end of the twelfth month, Banks in major cities like East Pass, Vientiane, and Coastal Defense were already being prepared.

Just as Gao Yuan was busy with development, the situation in the surrounding areas began to change rapidly. After taking Chang'an, Northern Liang swept through and occupied the entire Guanzhong, pressing toward Hanzhong.

Song Ren hurriedly mobilized troops to garrison Hanzhong. Of course, he did not forget to reinforce Song Prefecture and Jia Prefecture.

In the north, under the pincer attack of Lu Kuan and Chang Xingrong, the four guard units stationed in Hebei and Shandong were soundly defeated, losing Cangzhou and Qingzhou.

Li Zonghan joined forces with the Turks's Cavalry to drive straight in. The Left and Right Martial Guards could not hold them back and had to retreat to defend the cities. This caused many people living outside the cities to suffer, and for a time, cries of misery filled the land.

The Jiangnan gentry, led by the former dynasty's Xiao Family, chose this very moment to cause trouble. This also resulted in Mao Biao and the Left and Right Guard troops stationed in the Jiangnan West Circuit being unable to move north to reinforce.

Meanwhile, Northern Liang suddenly reinforced Hangu Pass, forcing the Left and Right Valiant Cavalry Guards to enter Hongnong to respond. It was as if they had agreed upon it; the various rebel forces all revolted at once, and the Great Qian, which had just stabilized, once again became precarious.

At this time, the Luoyang imperial court could not send any reinforcements, and could only watch helplessly as the situation everywhere deteriorated.

Lingnan Circuit, Guangzhou—which had now been renamed Guangzhou—at the Military Governor's office.

"Big Brother, good news! Good news!" Feng Dao, the number two figure of the Feng Family, rushed into the main hall, excitedly waving a piece of paper.

Sitting in the main hall was a middle-aged man with a sinister appearance. This person was none other than the Military Governor of Lingnan Circuit, the Commandery Duke of Qiao, Feng Pu. He set down his teacup and glared at Feng Dao. "Flippant and reckless! What kind of behavior is this?"

As he spoke, he took the letter from Feng Dao's hand. He only needed to glance at it before a triumphant laugh rang out in the main hall.