Accompanied by the butler, Wang Pan came to the door of the reception room with a sullen face and hurried steps.
He suppressed the irritability and vague uneasiness in his heart, straightened his clothes, and tried to force a smooth smile that was common among businessmen on his face, and walked towards the reception room.
Zhou Dequan, a wealthy merchant from Jinyang who had recently lost his son and was equally powerful, was standing with his back to the door, his hands behind his back, looking at a landscape painting hanging in the hall. His back revealed a suppressed grief and sinisterness.
The Zhou family and the Wang family hold a pivotal position in the business community of Jinyang and even Hedong Road.
The Zhou family, in particular, has a very close relationship with high-ranking officials in the Hedong Dao government office, and it is said that they have even bigger backers in the capital.
The Wang family is a rising star, and they dare not disrespect the Zhou family, their elders.
Wang Pan coughed lightly, then bowed and said loudly, "Brother Zhou, what brings you to my humble abode? I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!"
Zhou Dequan turned around slowly.
He was more than ten years older than Wang Pan. His temples were already gray, and his eye sockets were deep and bloodshot, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. He stared at Wang Pan's face, as if he wanted to penetrate his skin and see into his heart.
There was no courtesy in those eyes, only deep hatred and cold scrutiny.
Zhou Dequan's voice was hoarse, with a metallic texture, and he simply omitted the polite address: "Brother Wang, do you know how my son Zhou Yuan died?"
"Brother Zhou, I mourn your loss! The untimely passing of our nephew Zhou Yuan is truly heartbreaking. Wasn't the Jinyang prefectural government's verdict on this matter... a sudden death from an acute illness?"
Wang Pan's heart trembled, but he remained calm and gestured for the other party to sit down.
It turned out that in order to enhance the reputation of the Zhou family, Zhou Dequan found Xue Chengkui, the governor of Hedong Province, and sent people to arrest everyone in Shuyuxuan. At the same time, he blocked the news and announced to the outside world that Zhou Yuan suddenly died of an acute illness while drinking in Shuyuxuan.
The Zhou family was in mourning. In order to fulfill his business promise and avenge his brother, the owner of Xuetangzhai immediately went to Xiazhou with Zhou Shou, the Zhou family's housekeeper, to hunt down the murderer.
Zhou Dequan once told the owner of Xuetangzhai that even if he had to give up all his property, he would kill the person who killed his son.
But as luck would have it, Zhao Muyun sent Tong Gu and others to take the opportunity to recapture Xiazhou. Zhou Shou, the Zhou family's housekeeper, was killed and the owner of Xuetangzhai was arrested.
It was not until many days later that Zhou Dequan saw that the people from Xuetangzhai had lost contact with Zhou Shou, and hurriedly sent people to investigate, only to find out that they were gone.
Therefore, in Jinyang, everyone only knew that Zhou Yuan, the playboy of the Zhou family, had died suddenly, and they all applauded.
Those who knew the inside story remained silent. They knew that the Zhou family must have offended someone they shouldn't have.
"Sudden death?"
Zhou Dequan slammed the coffee table, making the teacups clink. He stood up suddenly, his eyes blazing with anger. "Actually, my son was murdered, but now I can only swallow my anger."
“Killed… by someone!”
Wang Pan feigned shock. "Who is so blind as to dare to kill Master Zhou? Brother Zhou, you've come to our door. Do you suspect our Wang family was responsible and are here to call us to task?"
He had a serious face and shook his hands repeatedly: "Although our two families have some conflicts in business, I swear to heaven that I will never do such a thing that will destroy my family lineage!"
Wang Pan's words were like salt in Zhou Dequan's wounds. His face twitched for a while. "Brother Wang, you misunderstood. I already know the assassin and the murderer."
"There's no such thing as a visit without a request. Brother Zhou, you came to see me, but I wonder if there's anything I can help you with?" Wang Pan laughed.
The two have been in the business world for many years. Which one of them is not a thousand-year-old fox and very shrewd?
Zhou Dequan glanced at the housekeeper beside Wang Pan.
The smile on Wang Pan's face faded and his eyes became solemn.
He waved his hand to signal the butler to leave, and only the two of them were left in the hall.
"Brother Zhou, it's just you and me here now, if you have anything to say, just say it!"
Wang Pan's voice deepened, "I deeply regret what happened to your son."
"My son's killer was a subordinate of Zhao Muyun, the commander of the Suppressing Enemy Army, who lives in Shuozhou."
Zhou Dequan gritted his teeth and said, "It's a pity that the master of Xuetangzhai personally went to hunt him down, but was killed in return."
"What! Could it be that Lord Zhao who repeatedly defeated the Tartars at the border, earned numerous military exploits, and rose from a small soldier to a captain in just six months?"
Wang Pan pretended to sigh and said, "He is the captain appointed by the current emperor. Young Master Zhou is fine, so why did he become an enemy?"
The Zhou family was unlucky enough to have offended such a god, and Wang Pan felt a little gloating.
After all, if the Zhou family declines, it will be his Wang family that will come to the fore.
"It's a long story, and it all started with Zhao Muyun's smuggling of salt!"
Zhou Dequan's eyes were filled with ruthlessness. "He's just a lowly soldier who climbed up from the beacon tower. He relied on his military achievements to brazenly kill my son! I have an irreconcilable feud with him and I will never stop fighting until my death!"
Save your energy!
Do you think I don’t know that it was your son who hired a killer to assassinate Zhao Muyun first?
If one day I have a conflict with your Zhou family, will I use this kind of method to deal with you?
Wang Pan sneered in his heart, but his face showed an extremely worried look:
"Brother Zhou, Zhao Muyun is now a captain of Dayin. In the Hedong military, his rank is second only to that of Jiedushi Pei. He has made great military achievements and has earned the favor of His Majesty."
"I heard that Lord Pei Lun, the governor of Hedong Road, has a close relationship with him, and that the prince of Jin also serves in his army."
"We are just a family of merchants. How can we fight him?"
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