The fact that Manager Song said such a thing shows that he was blinded by the hope of survival.

Of course, he didn't think much of it, since Jing Zhe had said he wanted money, and his words were just a polite formality.

Little did they know, this very "polite remark" would cause trouble!

"Oh dear, Manager Song probably doesn't know me well!"

Jing Zhe said with a serious expression, "I have one characteristic: I am honest and I never refuse others. Since Manager Song has spoken, then I want Wenxiangju!"

"..."

Manager Song was stunned and almost cried.

This plot... isn't right, is it?

So he forced a smile and said awkwardly, "President Jing, didn't you say you wanted money? Why are you asking for Wenxiangju again?"

"Yes, I wanted some money from the beginning, but Manager Song said it wouldn't be a problem for me to give him Wenxiangju. I thought that since Manager Song is so generous, it would be disrespectful to him to refuse. So after thinking it over, I decided to accept it!"

"..."

Seeing Manager Song's astonished expression and his mouth agape, Jing Zhe said with some dissatisfaction, "Manager Song, let me tell you, the kind of person I hate most is someone who doesn't keep their word. You know Zhang Xuehou, he's a liar, otherwise why would I have asked Prefect Li to arrest him? But we should also thank him for pulling out such a big fish as the Du family's gambling den!"

"..."

Manager Song's expression froze completely. After hearing this, how could he dare not give it? If he didn't, given his relationship with Li Haoyun, not only would Wenxiangju be gone, but he would also be gone!

He wanted to slap himself; he had just said one more thing, and he had ruined his business built up over many years!

After much deliberation and hesitation, she finally made up her mind: "Alright, then we'll give this Fragrant Pavilion to President Jing. As for the money..."

Manager Song's idea was that since Wenxiangju had given it to him, and there was still a lot of silver in Wenxiangju's account, he could keep it for himself. Even if he did nothing in the future, he could live a carefree life with this money for a long time!

"Of course, of course!"

Jing Zhe waved his hand, "It's rare to see someone as generous as Manager Song. You don't need to persuade me anymore. I'll definitely accept the money! Since Wenxiangju is mine, this money is naturally mine too!"

"..."

Manager Song wanted to say "That's not how it is," but when he saw Jing Zhe's somewhat mocking look, it seemed as if he was laughing at him.

At that moment, he finally realized that from the very beginning, he had been after all his wealth, and even if he hadn't said that, he would have found another reason.

Sigh, I'm not as skilled as others, but I have nothing to say.

Who told me to let them have something on me?

At this point, his only regret was that he had placed a large order with Zhang Xuehou's winery during this period, and he had put all the profits he had received from the Du family's casino into Wenxiangju's account.

Fortunately, there was still some savings hidden at home…

In order for the Song family to continue, Manager Song had no other choice.

He sighed, his eyes darkening. "President Jing, you can have Wenxiangju, but you have to promise me that Prefect Li won't make things difficult for us again!"

"That's easy!"

Jing Zhe clapped his hands: "Go and have someone bring over the house deeds and land deeds. Let's go to the yamen together to hand them over to Prefect Li. This will also let you see Prefect Li's attitude, so you won't doubt me!"

Upon hearing this, Manager Song readily agreed.

Although Jing Zhe's words sounded so convincing, who could be sure that his relationship with Prefect Li was genuine?

Let's go and verify it!

"President Jing, please wait a moment, I'll go down and get the house and land deeds right away!"

"Oh, right, also remember to bring the ledger."

"..."

The most crucial thing in taking over Wenxiangju is to get the account books. Otherwise, if Manager Song runs off with all the money in the restaurant and then gives him a loss-making account book, he'll have to pay off the debts after taking over, which would be a mess.

Manager Song gave a wry smile. He had originally planned to have his younger brother, Song Er, change the ledgers and withdraw the excess silver when he went downstairs!

"Manager Song had better act quickly and not try anything underhanded."

Seemingly having guessed his thoughts, Jing Zhe warned directly: "If you dare to alter the ledgers to cheat me, be careful I don't want it anymore, and you won't live to spend all that silver!"

"..."

At this point, Manager Song was completely speechless.

There's no way to alter the ledger now, since ink won't dry that quickly. If it gets discovered, I'll be beheaded, and I certainly won't live to spend the money.

"President Jing, don't worry, I'll be right back!"

So, Manager Song pushed open the door and went out. A short while later, he came back into the house carrying a large ledger and house and land deeds. Song Er followed behind him, pulling and tugging, and asking questions.

"Brother, why do you suddenly want the house deed and land deed?"

"Still holding the ledger?"

"What exactly happened?"

"..."

Manager Song didn't answer, but handed the book to Jing Zhe: "President Jing, the account books are here, and the house and land deeds are also here. Shall we go and transfer the property to Prefect Li?"

"No rush, let me take a look at the ledger first."

So Jing Zhe picked up the ledger and began to examine it carefully.

Song Er, standing to the side, was completely dumbfounded. He looked at Manager Song in disbelief and said, "Brother, you...you sold Wenxiangju? You sold Wenxiangju, which our Song family has worked so hard to build up over decades? That's the culmination of generations of our Song family's efforts! It's not just yours alone; I have a share too. You didn't even ask me why you sold it?"

"..."

Manager Song sighed and didn't bother to answer.

Jing Zhe looked up and glanced at him: "Don't talk nonsense. I didn't buy this Wenxiangju. It was a gift from your older brother. I won't pay a single penny!"

"..."

This made Song Er even angrier.

"Brother, I need an explanation!"

"explain?"

Manager Song sneered. He had been depressed since last night and could only drown his sorrows in alcohol. Today, he was filled with anger and grievances, but Song Er came to question him, and he immediately ran into a trap.

"You want an explanation from me? How dare you ask me for an explanation? If you hadn't introduced me to the three Du brothers, would I have gotten involved in their casino business? If you hadn't repeatedly encouraged me to introduce more wealthy businessmen from other places to the Du family's casinos, would I have done it? Now that the truth has come out, you want an explanation from me?"

As he spoke, Manager Song raised his thick thigh. Despite his bulky appearance, he was surprisingly agile at that moment and kicked Song Er, almost sending him flying.

"If it weren't for the fact that you also share the surname Song and are my own brother, I wouldn't care about you at all. I would have the authorities arrest you and behead you without hesitation!"

After saying this viciously, Manager Song still felt it wasn't enough, so he raised his leg and kicked him again.

This time, however, he lifted his leg a little too high and pulled on his testicles, causing him to cry out in pain.

Song Er, completely dazed and oblivious to the pain, muttered blankly, "It's finally happening..."

————