Chapter 204 Conspiracy
Upon hearing this, Yun Zheng asked in surprise, "Do you have a solution?"
Xie Qi glanced at him and chuckled, "Go see Xie Chengzhi in private..."
After a few brief words, Yun Zheng listened with a ferocious expression.
After a long while, he finally raised his hand and stammered, "You..."
"I am despicable, shameless, and vile."
"..."
Yun Zheng clasped his hands together and bowed repeatedly to Xie Qi.
Just when Xie Chengzhi was in a state of utter distress, Yun Zheng's visiting card was delivered to him.
When the visiting card was received, thirty or forty people left the Xie family's textile and dyeing workshop.
It should be noted that since his birth, so many craftsmen have never left the Xie family.
A few people left the Xie family's textile and dyeing garden due to death or serious illness, but they all left with Xie San Niang's consent and were even seen off with generous gifts.
There has never been anything like this before, with people successively saying they don't want to work for the Xie family anymore, or people working well but suddenly not coming back the next day, preferring to forfeit their wages rather than turn back.
Manager Wu sent people to look for them several times, but none of the craftsmen who had left would return.
Xie Chengzhi looked at the names crossed out on the personnel roster and gritted his teeth in hatred.
"Let them go. What if my Xie family's weaving and dyeing workshop can't continue operating without them?"
“One by one, you picked up a sword right in front of me, without even looking at whose territory this Suzhou Prefecture is!”
"I refuse to believe that there is any family in the city that is more generous, treats craftsmen better, and is more willing to pay them monthly wages than my Xie family."
Upon hearing this, Manager Wu was about to say that the embroiderers and dyers in the garden had all been poached by Xiecui Workshop at high prices.
Before he could speak, Xie Chengzhi added, "I've long complained that these people's monthly pay is too high, and I was thinking of finding a reason to lower everyone's monthly pay."
"Now it's all good. A bunch of freeloaders who didn't do any work are gone, which makes things much easier for everyone."
Xie Chengzhi slammed his hand on the table: "You know perfectly well which members of our Xie family can leave and which cannot, right?"
"I've won over a few old guys. They all have long-term contracts with me. If they dare to have any other ideas, I'll file a lawsuit with the prefect and make them regret it."
"..."
Manager Wu had a lot to say, but before he could utter a single word, Xie Chengzhi choked him back.
After thinking for a moment, he just smiled and said, "Second Master is joking. Who in the entire Suzhou Prefecture doesn't know that the craftsmen of our Xie family are the most willing to put in the effort?"
"No one ever eats for free. When the old boss was around..."
Xie Chengzhi clicked his tongue twice: "Don't mention your old employer to me. Can it be compared to what it used to be?"
He held up a finger and casually pointed at the embroiderers sitting together outside: "Look, look, not a single one of them is working seriously?"
"Second Master, the embroiderers have no work because the garden was flooded a while ago and all the looms were burned, right?"
"So what's the use of keeping so many people around? They can't do any work for the time being, and they're just sitting in the garden eating for free..."
At this point, Xie Chengzhi turned around and tilted his head to look at Steward Wu.
"How much longer until the flower tower machine is finished?"
"Master Song said it would take at least two or three months."
"What!"
Xie Chengzhi jumped up in a panic upon hearing this: "Three or two months? You mean those idle people outside have to collect three or two months' wages for nothing?"
After saying that, he hurriedly reached out and counted the number of people, then picked up the abacus and fiddled with it for a while.
"Look at this!"
Xie Chengzhi pointed at the abacus beads: "You're wasting so much of my money every month. How many goods do I have to sell to earn that back?"
"No, no, you go and tell them right now to let all the embroiderers who have no looms and no work go home."
"go home?"
Manager Wu looked surprised: "Second Master, do you mean all these embroiderers are to be dismissed?"
"Of course not."
Xie Chengzhi said with exasperation, "If you dismiss my Xie family, who will weave cloth in the future? You?
"That……"
"Let them go home and rest for the next few months. Don't pay them their wages. Let them come back to work when the looms are finished."
Even the usually obsequious Steward Wu shook his head upon hearing this: "Second Master, not only are the embroiderers out of work in the garden, but many weavers and dyers have also stopped working. With the warehouse burned down and no raw materials available, it's natural for them to stop working."
"Then send them all away too."
Manager Wu said, "These are all ordinary people. They haven't had work for months. How are their families going to survive? Some families depend on one person to support them. If we send them back, their lives will be in danger..."
Xie Chengzhi glared at him: "I've never heard of anyone starving to death in Suzhou Prefecture."
"What, you think I did something wrong?"
Xie Chengzhi patted the unopened invitation card in his hand and said angrily, "My Xie family is also in a time of crisis. Where do we have so much money to support a large number of idle people?"
"Dozens of people don't work, yet they get paid for several months for nothing. Go out and ask around, which business owner would do that?"
“Our Xie family are merchants, but we’re not fools…”
"this……"
Manager Wu looked troubled.
After a long pause, he said, "How about you give them less pay this month, Second Master, so that at least the craftsmen and their families can have something to eat..."
"Wu Zhongliang, are you getting too cocky?"
"Why should I pay the workers if they don't work? I can't explain this logic anywhere."
"I don't care. Except for a few important master craftsmen, the rest of you have no work to do. Send them all away today."
Don't let them eat a single bite of lunch!
Manager Wu pursed his lips, looking troubled.
After a long while, he muttered "I know" and walked out.
Just as he stepped out the door, Xie Chengzhi said from behind, "Wu Zhongliang, let me tell you, I am now in charge of the Xie family. Don't even think about bypassing me to find someone else, and don't even try to sow discord between me and my brothers."
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhongliang paused, his back stiffening for a moment.
He did indeed have the idea of going to find Xie Boyu, but Xie Chengzhi's words reminded him of that.
After all, they are brothers, and the entire textile and dyeing workshop belongs to the Xie family.
"I see."
After saying this, Wu Zhongliang walked out of the accounting office and ordered someone to bring all the people who had temporarily stopped working to the office.
While inside the house, Xie Chengzhi listened to the incessant cursing and shouting outside, and slowly picked up the visiting card from beside him.
He opened it and saw that it was an invitation from the manager of Jixia Manor, who said that there was an important business to discuss in detail in three days. He couldn't help but snort with pride...
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