The Wang family could only swallow this bitter pill, their anger finding nowhere to go but to vent it on the Chu family, since they were the ultimate beneficiaries.

“We know all too well that this is his scheme to sow discord,” Chu Chuyan said, her eyes filled with worry. “Knowing is one thing, but it is difficult for people to be absolutely rational. Because of this, many members of the Wang family have criticized the Chu family, feeling that the Chu family is deliberately plotting against them.”

“There are always some idiots in every family,” Zu An commented. “And there’s definitely someone from Sang Hong secretly stirring things up. So you asked me to meet with Wang Yuanlong to explain this misunderstanding?”

“It’s not just that,” Chu Chuyan replied. “Our Chu family, as well as the Wang family and the Zheng family, are the head merchants. When individual merchants from various places come to our port to wholesale salt, they often need to pay a deposit a year in advance. After receiving this deposit, the head merchants will use the money for various purposes, since the money will be theirs next year anyway, so using it in advance is not a problem.”

“But the problem this time is that the government has handed over the Wang family’s land reclamation project to us, which means they have to return the deposits to those individual investors.” Chu Chuyan’s eyes flashed with deep worry. “Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be a problem, but the Wang family is already struggling to make ends meet because of the looting of their trading posts. If they have to come up with these deposits, their cash flow will probably break down, and the huge Wang family may collapse.”

Zu An was shocked: "This Sang Hong is really ruthless. He doesn't make a move unless he's ready to kill!"

“That’s right, but our Chu family can’t just sit idly by,” Chu Chuyan said. “So we want you to host a banquet for Wang Yuanlong at Shenxianju and give them the deposits privately, and then they can return them to the individual investors. This is a good opportunity to resolve any lingering resentment they may have.”

Zu An's eyes lit up: "Brilliant! This move of using someone else's strength against them not only solved the Wang family's urgent problem, but also cleverly thwarted Sang Hong's idea of ​​sowing discord between the two families. I wonder which expert in your household came up with this idea."

"I'm not exactly a master, I've just seen too much of the deceit and treachery in the business world over the years, and this is just my instinctive response." Chu Chuyan said calmly, but there was still a hint of smugness in her eyes, clearly indicating that she was the master.

Zuan couldn't help but smile. She was usually so cold and aloof, but she had shown such a girlish side to herself.

"Why go through me to resell it? And why choose a place like Shenxianju?"

Chu Chuyan explained, "The main reason is to cover our tracks. After all, we claimed to be poor to the court, saying that we couldn't afford to pay because of the rampant smuggling of salt. But then we turned around and gave the Wang family such a large sum of money. It wouldn't look good for either the court or the Chu family, and it would also give our political enemies an opportunity to attack us."

"Secondly, the Wang family is a well-known wealthy family in Mingyue City. If people find out that they can't even come up with this much money, it will easily affect the Wang family's reputation and make them lose face. If they're not careful, they might not only fail to achieve their goal of making friends, but also make enemies."

Zuan couldn't help but exclaim, "Wife, you are so thoughtful, you even thought of this!"

At the same time, I secretly thought to myself, "No wonder she can smell any other woman's perfume on me. I guess I have to be extra careful next time."

Upon receiving his praise, Chu Chuyan smiled faintly: "The third reason is that I heard you helped Wang Yuanlong at Shenxianju a few days ago. Given this opportunity, Wang Yuanlong will also give you face, so there won't be any unnecessary misunderstandings."

"More importantly, no one would have expected that we would entrust such an important task to you."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Zu An immediately became displeased: "Are you praising me or insulting me?"

Chu Chuyan's mood clearly improved, and her radiant smile truly brightened the entire room: "Don't you have any idea what kind of image you project in everyone's eyes?"

Zuan: "..."

The longer this woman spends with me, the more venomous her tongue seems to become.

"Have you finished talking about serious matters? If you have, then we can begin today's treatment," Zuan said with a sullen expression.

Chu Chuyan blushed slightly, and after a long while, she softly hummed in agreement.

Zuan, with the air of a domineering CEO, coldly looked at her: "Take it off!"