"What does your father mean by this?" Fu Changfeng's smile vanished, and he stared straight at the eldest young master of the Long family.

"Hehe, sir, don't you understand what this means? This is a congratulatory gift from my Long family to you, to celebrate your appointment as the magistrate of Shaoming County."

"My official position was bestowed by the imperial court, so there's no need for that. You can take it back yourselves, and I won't pursue the matter of your gift-giving. If you don't take it back, then I will punish Chief Long for disrespect." Seeing their behavior, Fu Changfeng looked down on the Long family even more.

"Does Your Excellency truly intend to refuse the Long family's kind offer?"

"As the local magistrate, am I not allowed to refuse any business from the Long family? If you don't take it back quickly, don't blame me for being impolite."

"Hmph, then I wish you good luck, sir." The eldest young master of the Long family turned back as he left, said this to Fu Changfeng, and then walked away.

"Sir, the Long family is really too arrogant. They've started threatening you now." After they left, Zhao Yuping shook his head, also feeling somewhat disapproving of the Fu family's behavior.

"I'd like to see what other tricks they have up their sleeves. Bring them on!"

Xi Chun heard about what happened at the yamen while she was in the backyard. She found Tao Zi and gave him a few words of advice.

"Sister Xichun, don't worry, I'll take care of it right away. I've never seen such an arrogant person before. Relying on his family's power in the local area, he even dares to bully the county magistrate. We have to stand up for him."

The fabrics and clothes that were delivered this time have begun to be neatly arranged. Previously, they used Taozi's name to buy several empty shops in Shaoming County. Fortunately, the Long family was not at the point where they could buy up all the shops in the county, so they took advantage of the loophole and bought shops on every street. This time, they were going to go head-to-head with the Long family.

Upon hearing his eldest son's reply, Long Shijin's expression immediately turned grim. This county magistrate was really asking for trouble; if he dared to refuse the Long family like this today, who knew what demands he would make in the future.

"Father, could it be that he's putting on airs and not daring to accept it because we're delivering it openly? Should we wait until tonight and send someone to deliver it to his house secretly?" Long Shijin's second son suggested.

"Hmph, no need for such trouble. Isn't he disobedient? Then let's cause him more trouble. We must make him leave on his own, or stay here forever and never be able to leave again. Have you found out about his background?"

“Father, I have already inquired. This county magistrate is just the son of a wealthy family in a county under Guangming Prefecture in Jiannan Circuit. His sister-in-law is the daughter of the county magistrate. He has no other connections in officialdom. I don’t think he is anything to be afraid of.”

“If that’s the case, then we don’t need to worry about their family connections. They’re just an ordinary merchant family. No wonder they were assigned here. If they really had connections, they would have already found good positions in Jiangnan.” Upon hearing this, Long Shijin already had a plan in mind.

Within a few days, Fu Changfeng and the others learned that the Long family had begun training their thugs and organizing their tenant farmers, indicating that they were about to make some moves.

"Sir, the Long family is definitely after you this time. You must think of a way. If they really frame you, I'm afraid you won't even be able to keep your official position." Li Cheng had witnessed their methods before. The county magistrate had been persecuted in this way before, and afterwards he turned a blind eye to the Long family's affairs.

"Don't worry, we need to be prepared. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. I have my own methods."

"My lord, I think they are deliberately trying to incite a popular uprising, and they want to falsely accuse you of oppressing the people. At that time, public opinion will be overwhelming, and no matter how you try to defend yourself, it will be useless. We must be careful."

Fu Changfeng had already made private contact with the prefect and had ordered the soldiers stationed nearby to obey his commands, so he was not worried about the situation.

In Xichun, Taozi has already prepared everything, and today he will announce the opening to the public with drums and gongs.

The shopkeepers of the Long family had seen the neighboring shop quietly tidying up and covering everything up these past few days, so they couldn't find out anything even if they wanted to investigate privately. Now that it's open for business, they're all folding their arms, wanting to see what kind of trouble this outsider is up to.

"Cloth shop opening! New arrivals! Buy today for great prices!" As the drumming stopped, someone shouted, immediately attracting the attention of shoppers on the street.

"How come a cloth shop has opened here, right next to the Long family's house? They're really too bold. The owner doesn't look like someone from around here. How can he be so bold?" Some people whispered, wanting to watch the commotion from the doorway, but no one went in.

"Everyone can take a look. These are the most fashionable styles in the capital. They're available for men, women, young and old. Today, we're having a sale with discounts of up to three times the price. Come in and have a look!" Seeing that these people were hesitant to enter the store, the shopkeeper wasn't worried. He simply instructed his assistant to bring out some of the fabric styles and hang them on the racks outside for others to see.

"Grain store opening! Affordable prices! Come and see, come and buy! You won't regret it! Don't miss out!"

At this time, a grain store appeared on another street. People found the novel advertising slogan interesting, and they were even more excited when they heard the price quoted by the shop assistant. Taking advantage of the fact that the Long family's manager was not there, they all quietly went in to take a look.

“These grains should all have been harvested last year, not stored for several years. Look at the quality, I think they are even better than the Long family’s. I heard that the Long family sells old grains.”

"That's right, why don't we buy some here? We can walk out through the backyard and no one will see us."

"Selling oil! Fresh vegetable oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, guaranteed to make your home delicious."

The series of opening announcements drew everyone's attention. By the time the Long family heard about this, the newly opened shops had already sold quite a bit of stuff.

"Damn it, where did these shops come from? Why didn't anyone report it before?" Long Shijin slammed his fist on the table after hearing that his family's business had been stolen.

“Father, those shopkeepers said they hadn’t paid attention before. They never expected these shops to open so suddenly. They originally thought these shops would be squeezed out soon, like the ones opened by others before. Since our family’s business is spread throughout the entire county, we didn’t pay much attention.”

I've already had someone investigate. The shop owners aren't locals; they're all from out of town. And we can't even find out who their owners are; all we know is that the land deeds belong to a man named Zhang Rentao.

“Zhang Rentao? Who is this guy? He actually dares to come to Shaoming County and challenge me. I think he has a death wish.” There was a dangerous glint in Long Shijin’s eyes.

"Father, what do you think about finding Zhang Rentao, and then..." Young Master Long made a throat-slitting gesture.