My Manor

"You said what you wanted." Seeing Jiang Hai's teasing gaze, the young man frowned. Sure enough, this guy wasn't easy to get along with. Judging by his persistence in wanting to see the rabbit, he knew the court would have to pay a price.

However, what the court had wasn't his concern. He was here simply to ask Jiang Hai for help. As long as Jiang Hai agreed to assist, they wouldn't mind if the court paid a little more. Looking at Jiang Hai, the young man spoke calmly.

"It seems the court lacks sincerity. They don't know what I want, but they still sent someone here? Think carefully about what you can offer me." Jiang Hai wasn't particularly skilled at negotiation, but he wasn't stupid either. Revealing his cards too early wouldn't be wise, so he simply smiled and picked up the teacup in front of him.

Since ancient times, China has held the tradition of serving food to guests. And the only guest here was the young man.

The young man, having received professional training, understood exactly why Jiang Hai did this. Without saying much, he stood up, nodded to Jiang Hai, and left the room.

He had only come to convey the higher-ups' message. The actual negotiations would depend on Jiang Hai and his superiors.

"Jiang Hai, do you really want to agree to their request?" Qi Li, sitting next to him, asked hesitantly after watching the man leave.

From her understanding of the imperial court, while private cooperation might bring some reputation, there was little else to gain. Making money was far more important to these businessmen than any recognition.

"There's no such thing as agreeing or not. It depends on their sincerity. Anyway, my business isn't in the country. We'll talk about it later. This man is just a messenger. I'm sure some big shots will come to speak with me tomorrow. This is also a chance to deal with the An family." Jiang Hai narrowed his eyes and smiled at Qi Li.

Jiang Hai's main goal here was to eliminate the three members of the An family. Once he made his intentions clear, the imperial court would likely help him.

"Okay." Seeing that Jiang Hai had made up his mind, Qi Li hesitated briefly before nodding. She then changed the subject. For her, nothing was more enjoyable than making money from the restaurant. Of course, if Jiang Hai truly understood her feelings, that would make her even happier than the profits from the restaurant.

After the meal, Jiang Hai and his companions returned to the hotel, while Qi Li went home.

Lying on the big bed in his hotel room, Jiang Hai scrolled through the contacts on his phone—Ai Xiaoxi and Feng Yunchen. To be honest, although it had only been a short time since he left, and they had kept in touch through calls and messages, Jiang Hai found himself missing them. After all, they were the only two women in the world who had confirmed their relationship with him.

What about Afra? Well, Jiang Hai considered Afra an accident. He hadn't thought about becoming involved with the girl beside him.

Now, having come to the imperial capital, Jiang Hai found himself missing them even more. But after staring at their contact details for a while, he put the phone down.

If it were before he learned the power of the An family, Jiang Hai would have called them. But now he had to think ahead—what if the plan failed? How would they escape?

Jiang Hai regretted bringing Darlene, Marianne, and Penelope Dahler here. Adding more people was definitely not part of the plan.

After hesitating for a moment, he slapped his head in frustration, threw the phone aside, and decided to focus on the task at hand. He would deal with everything else later.

The rest of the night passed without conversation. After all, he had flown for more than ten hours and had to adjust to the time difference. Feeling a bit tired, Jiang Hai slept in until after ten the next morning, only to be awakened by a knock at the door.

Still in his pajamas, he walked groggily to the door. Upon opening it, he saw the staff member from the Ministry of State Security who had come to see him the night before. Behind him stood a middle-aged man in his forties who appeared energetic.

The middle-aged man, around 1.75 meters tall, looked quite respectable. Wearing black-framed glasses, he gave off more of a scholarly vibe than that of a government official. His first impression was positive.

"Hello, Mr. Jiang. It's good to see you again. This is my superior, Mr. Cao Weiqing. He represents the court and will continue the conversation we started last night." The young man, addressing Jiang Hai, spoke with formality.

"Please, come in," Jiang Hai responded, slightly taken aback before smiling and gesturing for them to enter.

The two didn't say much more, simply stepping inside. As they surveyed the suite, it was clear that although they were officials, they likely didn't have the opportunity to stay in such accommodations regularly.

The young man's eyes shone as he took in the surroundings. He couldn't help but wonder how Jiang Hai, who was around his own age, managed to live like this—owning a suite of this level, associating with members of the Dubai royal family, and, most importantly, having a beautiful wife like Qi Li.

Indeed, it took only one night for these people to dig into Jiang Hai's background. They knew he supplied beef to Qi Li's restaurant and that he was her husband.

"You two sit down first. There are drinks in the fridge. I just woke up, so I need to freshen up." Jiang Hai gestured casually at the two men before heading into the bathroom.

This was a bad habit Jiang Hai had developed after spending time in the United States. He didn't treat officials as superiors—after all, in the U.S., someone of his wealth was part of the privileged class, while officials were nothing in comparison!

A man with a fortune like his could ignore mayors and governors. However, once his wealth reached a certain point, even governors and presidents would seek him out for political funds. Then, he'd truly be able to walk freely in the U.S. But for now, that was all irrelevant. He was still just the richest man in Winthrop.

This attitude had made him dismissive of many officials in China, a stark contrast to how he had behaved just a year ago.

The two men were momentarily stunned when Jiang Hai made his request. The young man's face grew slightly displeased, but the middle-aged man didn't seem to mind. He maintained a polite smile as he examined Jiang Hai's room.

About ten minutes later, Jiang Hai emerged from the bathroom, freshly washed. He sat in front of them, nodding.

"Mr. Jiang, you're truly impressive. According to our information, you're not even 30 years old and already have such a vast fortune. You're truly a young hero," the middle-aged man said with a smile.

He was clearly flattering Jiang Hai, but also subtly signaling that they had thoroughly investigated his background. Any attempts at empty tricks would be futile.

"I prefer to get straight to the point. I know you represent the court, and you must have already looked into my situation. I can assist the court with matters related to Du Famen, oil, and high-speed rail, but I still want to ask: what can the court offer me?" Jiang Hai replied calmly, his smile unwavering.

The middle-aged man gave him a serious look before speaking slowly.

"Serving the country—shouldn't that be a virtue for a Chinese citizen? Why do you ask like this?" He let the question hang in the air for a moment, clearly aiming to flatter Jiang Hai.

"Enough. If the court isn't sincere, we can forget it." Jiang Hai immediately waved his hand, dismissing the flattery.

He wouldn't throw away the benefits he had already secured over a few empty words.

Although he needed their help with gathering the members of the An family, he wouldn't refuse the benefits he was entitled to. The most important thing was to distance himself from the An family issue, and that would be his focus.

"Mr. Jiang, please don't be hasty. The imperial court represents a nation. They can't bow to anyone, but they will offer help and compensation..." The middle-aged man extended a hand to stop Jiang Hai, continuing with a slow and deliberate tone.

In essence, he was referring to the Chinese art of negotiation. The court may not bend to anyone, but working for the court would still result in assistance. Like a civil servant, a salary would be paid. The imperial court's power would remain high, so the benefits were there, depending on whether Jiang Hai prioritized face or material gain.

For Jiang Hai, face was less important than benefits, so he chose... to secure the benefits.

"Oh? What kind of help and compensation can the imperial court offer? I'm very curious," Jiang Hai said, settling back into his seat.

"The court can't do much for you in the U.S. I don't think you want their shadow over your manor—it wouldn't do you any good there. But in China, the court can offer you the first favorable condition: when your goods are sold in China, you won't need to pay customs duties." The middle-aged man explained.

Jiang Hai curled his lips. Selling beef? What kind of customs duties could he even be paying on that? He was selling high-end products in limited quantities, not bulk.

(To be continued...)