Chapter 531 A Blatant Threat
Cheng Wanwan stepped inside and sat down in the main seat.
She picked up her teacup and said with a smile, "We villagers all drink coarse mountain tea. Manager He probably isn't used to it, so we can only apologize for the inconvenience."
Manager He twitched his lips. This woman really didn't know any manners. He, a guest who had come to visit, didn't like the tea. Shouldn't she have served him a different kind of tea? She just brushed it off so lightly. Tsk tsk, a village woman is a village woman. Even if she becomes a sixth-rank lady, so what? She can never change her vulgarity and will never be presentable.
He cupped his hands and said, "I've come here today for business matters. I imagine that Old Master Qian has already explained things to Anren."
Cheng Wanwan's expression suddenly turned cold: "Lord He is a second-rank official, a man of high moral character and integrity. How could he possibly compete with a sixth-rank woman like me for profit? Old Qian said that Manager He used the power of the He family to force me to sell the skincare product formula. I thought it was nonsense, but judging from Manager He's words, could it be true? Does a second-rank official really care about such a petty profit?"
Upon hearing this, Manager He's face darkened.
Of course, Lord He was unaware of what he had done, and there was no need for Lord He to know about such a trivial matter; he could handle it himself.
During his years of service in Yuncheng, he used the power of the He family to seize countless booming businesses. The He family's business in Yuncheng brought them immense wealth, and his status within the He family rose accordingly. He was used to doing these things, but he never expected to encounter such a tough opponent here.
However, he once snatched business from the prefect's wife, so why would he be afraid of a mere sixth-rank official with no powerful backing?
“The people of Sui’an have misunderstood the He family.” Manager He maintained a humble demeanor, but his voice carried a firm edge. “The Qian family is a merchant family, and their business is thriving in Huzhou, but it falls short further afield. Because the Qian family is relatively weak, their beauty and skincare products cannot be sold to other regions, which also affects the people of Sui’an’s ability to earn more money. After learning about this, I wanted to do my part for the people of Sui’an. If we cooperate with the He family, I guarantee that our current profits will increase at least tenfold or twentyfold. Why wouldn’t the people of Sui’an be happy to do that?”
Cheng Wanwan laughed: "So, I should thank Manager He?"
"Thank you, but I don't deserve it." Manager He bowed his head. "The He family is a century-old and prestigious family. The people of Sui'an will not suffer any losses by cooperating with the He family. Please think it over carefully."
Cheng Wanwan's smile deepened: "What if I refuse?"
Manager He raised his head: "If you refuse, we have a second option: the He family can offer 10,000 taels of silver to buy out the skincare formula."
Cheng Wanwan sneered. Ten thousand taels of silver sounded like a lot, but once the glycerin workshop's production increased, it could earn that much money in a year. She wouldn't do a losing business that would ruin a long-term business for a year's profit.
Moreover, she also plans to develop other new skin care products. Does that mean she'll just hand them over to the He family every time she develops one?
She picked up her teacup, took a slow sip, and smiled faintly: "What if I don't want to choose either path?"
“If none of the people of Sui’an choose this path, then they are going against the He family.” Manager He straightened his back, his eyes revealing a hint of threat. “Now that a bright future is laid out before us, if the people of Sui’an are smart, they should know what to do and not jeopardize their future for short-term gains.”
He's just a sixth-rank official with no real power. If he knows what's good for him, he should stick close to the He family.
He believed that the people of Sui'an were not stupid.
He thought he would see compromise on Cheng Wanwan's face, but to his surprise, her face was full of a mocking smile.
Cheng Wanwan slammed the teacup down on the table, her gaze icy: "I thought Manager He was a guest, but I never expected him to be a hungry wolf coveting our wealth. Someone, escort Manager He out."
Shopkeeper He was incredulous: "The people of Sui'an don't know what they are doing. You don't want to take the sunny road, but insist on narrowing the road..."
Mrs. Qi stepped forward impatiently: "The door is here, please come in, Shopkeeper He."
Shopkeeper He wanted to say something more when Cheng Jia hurried in from the doorway: "An Ren, the county magistrate is here!"
Cheng Wanwan immediately stood up. She had told Magistrate Shen that if any news came from the capital, she must come to Dahe Village to tell her as soon as possible.
She didn't care about anything else and started walking outside.
Granny Qi gave Cheng Jia a wink, and Cheng Jia understood. He grabbed Manager He's wrist, pulled him by the collar, and dragged him out of the courtyard.
Manager He was almost furious. When he was in the capital, although he was just the son of a housekeeper, he had never been treated like this. Not to mention that after coming to Yun Province, he had the support of the He family and could act like a bully. No one had ever dared to treat him like this.
He was determined to write back to the capital and tell his father to seek justice from the authorities...
Cheng Wanwan strode to the outside of the courtyard and saw Magistrate Shen dismount. Magistrate Shen walked up to her with a radiant face and said, "Congratulations, Sui'an people! Cheng Zhao has lived up to everyone's expectations and passed the imperial examination. Even more gratifying is that he has won first place in the metropolitan examination and is this year's top scholar!"
"That's great!" Cheng Wanwan's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile. "If you become a Gongshi, you can take part in the palace examination. The palace examination will be in April, and I don't know when the results will be out..."
"The palace examination selects the successful candidates on the spot, and the results will be out soon." Magistrate Shen stroked his beard. "The messenger has already gone to Chengjia Village to report the good news. I must go there as well to thank the entire Chengjia Village clan for their all-out assistance, which has enabled Ping'an County to produce the top scorer in the provincial examination, the top scorer in the metropolitan examination, and the top scorer in the metropolitan examination. If they can also become the top scorer in the imperial examination, that would be the triple honor, which is unimaginable... This is the greatest honor since the establishment of Ping'an County, and the Cheng family deserves a reward!"
Cheng Wanwan asked, "Where's Xiaozheng? What's going on with him?"
“He became a Xiucai by luck. How could he possibly stand out among all the Juren in the country? Of course, he failed the exam.” Magistrate Shen didn’t care at all. “He passed the Xiucai and Juren exams in one go. Everything came too easily. He became arrogant. He deserves some setbacks. This is a valuable experience in his life. I hope he can calm down and study hard in the future.”
Cheng Wanwan nodded: "It's still early, Lord Shen, please hurry to Chengjia Village."
Magistrate Shen got into his carriage without stopping, and the carriage disappeared from Dahe Village in an instant. As soon as the carriage left, the busy villagers immediately gathered around.
"My goodness, Cheng Zhao is number one, the number one scholar in the entire Great Yu Dynasty. He's going to be incredible in the future."
"I always knew Cheng Zhao was capable, but I didn't expect him to be this capable. He's someone who came from our Dahe Village, and he really brings honor to our Dahe Village."
"Master Yu is amazing. He almost became a Gongshi himself. Now that he has taught a Gongshi, it can be considered a success."
"Don't speak too soon. Cheng Zhao will not stop at being a tribute student. He will definitely become the top scholar in this imperial examination. Just wait and see."
"I heard that if you become the top scholar, you will directly serve the emperor. From now on, Cheng Zhao will be a big hit with the emperor..."
"..."
The villagers gathered together and talked about all sorts of exciting things, saying whatever they wanted, and the more they talked, the more exaggerated it became.
These words reached Manager He's ears before he could leave, making his heart feel like it was being fried in oil.
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