Yin Nan, who is known for his good temper, couldn't hold back any longer and said sternly, "Cheng Xu, do you know what you're doing?"
Cheng Xu stood up and walked to Yin Nan. He wasn't worried at all that the group of merchants in front of him would go berserk. He stared into Yin Nan's eyes and said, "I used to be a staff member of Lord Ma Tiezhou. Later, I was promoted by the Princess to become the chief clerk of the prefect's office. I have served two prefects of Yanchuan and have been in the prefect's office for ten years. I have long considered myself a Yanchuan person!"
"I secretly investigated your background to crack down on corruption in Dajing! I'm going to deal with you to rid Yanchuan of this scourge!"
"Tell me, do you think I don't know what I'm doing?"
Yin Nan was intimidated by Cheng Xu's imposing manner and sat down abruptly.
On the other side, Yan Lü lay on the ground, banging his forehead against the ground with all his might.
"No matter what you say, I will not compromise! This is how my Yan family has lived all these years! Even if I die, I will not give in to your wishes!"
"Boss Yan!"
"Boss Yan, please don't do this!!"
Everyone rushed to pull Yan Lu away.
Yan Lü roared, "Let me die! Let me die!"
"Boss Yan, why did you have to go to such lengths..."
Just then, a familiar voice from the Yan Chuan merchants rang out: "Yan Lü, calm down!"
Everyone looked up and saw a young man in white walking over.
"Boss Song!"
"Boss Song, where have you been?!"
Song Baiyu turned to the side, revealing Zhao Cheng's figure.
"Young Prime Minister!"
Song Baiyu said, "When Nine Fingers came to arrest you, I was in the outhouse, and no one noticed me. When I saw you being arrested, I immediately went to ask the young prime minister for help!"
"Boss Song, you're so clever!" Yin Nan quickly stepped forward, knelt down in front of Zhao Cheng, and shouted, "Young Prime Minister, you must stand up for us!"
"Seriously... can't a person get any sleep?!" Zhao Cheng yawned.
Only then did everyone realize that Zhao Cheng was actually wearing a bathrobe!
Song Baiyu explained, "The young prime minister was worried about your safety and rushed over without even changing his clothes!"
Zhao Wu said from behind Zhao Cheng, "He was woken up from the Princess's bed."
Yin Nan bowed deeply to Zhao Cheng and said, "Young Prime Minister, you are truly kind!"
Yan Lü also crawled over and said, "You've delayed the young prime minister and the princess from having children; that's a capital offense!"
Zhao Cheng: "..."
"Surely it's not that serious?" Zhao Cheng glared at Zhao Wu and said, "Why are you saying all this? Who told the Right Prime Minister's residence to be located in Yanchuan City? Who told my old man to stop managing things? If something happens to you in Yanchuan City, where will I put my face?"
Yin Nan cried out, "Young Prime Minister, please help us!"
Zhao Wu pulled up a chair for Zhao Cheng, who sat down and said, "Don't panic, don't panic, I know everything about you. Boss Xiao is my brother, Xiao Jiu and I are also very close, and Registrar Cheng is someone my wife promoted. You see, we're all in cahoots..."
"but!"
Just as the Yan Chuan merchants were feeling disappointed, Zhao Cheng changed the subject, firmly controlling the pace, and continued, "Business is about relationships, but it's even more about rules and the big picture!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Lü saw a glimmer of hope and exclaimed, "The young prime minister is right!"
"Since I've come all this way, I'll tell you the most honest and heartfelt things."
Zhao Cheng sighed and said, "After you left the restaurant, Lord Wei You and Lord Lu Zhao both talked to me. They believe that opening a supermarket would be beneficial to the court. No matter what we do, they will put the supermarket model on the Emperor's radar. If His Majesty approves, then opening a supermarket will be an inevitable trend."
"So, from a broader perspective, I think this is feasible, and we should even be at the forefront! Think about it, you're suffering now, but when supermarkets open in Jingdong County, Jiangyang County, and other counties, even more people will suffer. By suffering first, you'll find a way out before others." Qianqian Xiaoshan
"This is a transformation, a crisis for you right now, but it's not just a crisis for you, it's a crisis for all business people. Think about the examples of successful transformations throughout history; those who first weathered the crisis and persevered are often the ones who succeeded after the transformation!"
"That is true destruction followed by construction, a phoenix-like rebirth!"
"You'll figure it out yourselves. I hope you can be smart and seize the opportunity."
Zhao Cheng stretched out his legs and lowered his body as if he were sleeping in a chair, and continued, "Those who can understand it don't need me to say more. Now let's talk about those who can't understand it. I won't talk to you about the big picture. Let's talk about the rules."
“According to the rules, Nine Fingers is wrong! If you disagree, then you disagree. How can Nine Fingers act like a bandit, shouting for violence?”
The merchants nodded repeatedly.
"Young Prime Minister, I'm just too angry..." Nine Fingers was about to explain when Zhao Cheng waved his hand to interrupt him.
“Boss Xiao has gone a bit too far, but since you signed the agreement, it’s not like he’s breaking the rules if he wants to unilaterally breach it. As long as he compensates you according to the agreement, it’s not considered breaking the rules. But, Xianjiu is my business, and I’m in charge of that.”
"so……"
Zhao Cheng stood up, put his hands behind his back, and said, "For those of you who still oppose opening a supermarket, I can only agree to two things."
"First, I can guarantee that Nine Fingers won't cause you any trouble and will allow you to continue doing business."
"Secondly, I can still supply you with Immortal Wine. As for the other products of the Eastern Chamber of Commerce, those belong to Boss Xiao, and I have no say in them."
"As for your hidden households... Registrar Cheng is handling official business strictly. If he insists on doing so, I cannot protect you."
"It was the determination to risk everything and try to get things done by Registrar Cheng, even if it meant losing the family business and living a miserable, shameful life, ashamed of our ancestors and descendants."
"Or, let's follow the trend and the steps of the Chamber of Commerce, and strive to become one of the first successful big merchants after the reforms."
Zhao Cheng shook his head and walked into the darkness, saying, "You can make your own decision!"
The merchants were all stunned.
A moment later, Zhao Cheng's voice came from the darkness again, but he appeared behind the merchants, as if he were walking around them.
"To be or not to be...that is the question..."
Finally, Yin Nan couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "I support opening a supermarket!! Boss Xiao, my Yin family wants to cooperate with the Eastern Chamber of Commerce!!!"
When Cheng Xu threatened him with the matter of the hidden households, Yin Nan had already wavered. Zhao Cheng's words completely broke his defenses.
It's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that this is all I can do for you.
Compromise may be painful now, but there may be opportunities in the future.
Going against them will only lead to certain death.
Zhao Cheng's statement about survival or destruction was actually a form of irony, a message meant for businessmen.
Is it that hard to choose?
Is survival or destruction really that hard to choose?
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