Chapter Eight: Salt Driving the Winds of Change
As the height of summer fades and early autumn arrives, the reeds along the canal begin to turn yellow. A cool breeze carries a hint of chill, yet it cannot dispel the growing anxiety within the salt merchants' world.
The morning sunlight streamed through the window of the study in the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office, falling on the table covered with bright yellow silk. Several books on salt affairs were neatly arranged on the table, along with a beautifully carved Duan inkstone.
Zhao Dexian, dressed in a dark blue robe with a five-clawed eight-python pattern, over which was a silk brocade robe with a peacock embroidered patch, and a warm hat with a plain gold-trimmed top, sat upright in a grand master's chair. He slowly stroked the copy of the rare ancient copy of the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" that Shen Rulan had sent him. Although a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes, his face remained thoughtful and deliberate.
Shen Rulan stood before the desk, dressed in a moon-white satin robe embroidered with cloud and bat patterns, over which was a dark blue pipa-shaped vest, and a jade belt hook around her waist. Her long braid was neatly combed at the back of her head. She was composed and elegant, and despite being in the government office, she showed no sign of unease.
She knew that this "negotiation" was related to the Shen family's future status in the Yangzhou salt market, and there could be no mistakes whatsoever.
“Young Master Shen, this gift of yours puts me in a difficult position.” Zhao Dexian put down the copybook, his tone deliberately serious. “The allocation of salt on the riverbank is related to the salt tax of the imperial court, and even more so to the livelihood of the people of Yangzhou. It is a matter of vital importance to the people’s livelihood. I must handle it impartially, taking into account all factors. I cannot lose fairness because of personal feelings.”
Shen Rulan smiled slightly, her tone respectful yet confident: "What you say is absolutely right, sir. Precisely because the allocation of salt for the riverbank is of great importance, it is all the more necessary for those with sufficient ability and good reputation to shoulder this heavy responsibility. My Shen family has been operating the salt industry in Yangzhou for decades and has never delayed the salt tax collection. Every year, the salt tax we pay accounts for more than 40% of the total salt tax in Yangzhou. Moreover, the Shen family has always insisted on stabilizing salt prices and ensuring the supply of salt to various places. There has never been a situation of salt shortage or price gouging. This is something that the people of Yangzhou and all the salt merchants have witnessed."
She paused, her gaze falling on the salt administration records on the table, and continued, "The salt quota vacated by the Pan family covers prosperous areas such as Songjiang, Suzhou, and Hangzhou. These areas are densely populated and have a high demand for salt. If these quotas are distributed among a few small salt merchants, they will lack sufficient transportation capacity and a stable source of salt, which could lead to a chaotic salt supply, affect the imperial tax revenue, and prevent the people from buying affordable salt. Having the Shen family take over the majority of the quota will not only stabilize the situation quickly and ensure the supply of salt, but also guarantee that the imperial salt tax will be paid in full. It is the best choice both publicly and privately."
“Of course,” Shen Rulan changed the subject, giving Zhao Dexian a way out, “the other salt merchants also need to be appeased, so that they don’t feel that the court is favoring one over the other. The Shen family is willing to give up some of the remote and trivial salt-producing areas, such as a few small counties in northern Jiangsu, which will be allocated to other salt merchants by Your Excellency. This will not only demonstrate Your Excellency’s fairness, but also keep the Yangzhou salt market balanced.”
These words not only highlighted the Shen family's strength and advantages, but also brought up the grand promises of "stabilizing the salt market" and "ensuring tax revenue," leaving Zhao Dexian with no room for rebuttal. At the same time, by voluntarily relinquishing a portion of the share, they gave Zhao Dexian room to manipulate the situation and save face, making their words watertight.
After listening, Zhao Dexian laughed heartily, stood up, walked to Shen Rulan's side, and patted her on the shoulder: "Young Master Shen is indeed a man of great wisdom and thoughtful consideration! I have not misjudged him! In that case, I will consider the matter carefully and try my best to advocate for the Shen family. However..."
He drawled out his words, a calculating glint in his eyes, "Recently, Young Master Cao Jin has been frequently visiting the yamen, showing great interest in salt affairs. He even said he wanted to contribute to the Yangzhou salt market. What do you think?"
Shen Rulan sneered inwardly—Zhao Dexian was trying to use Cao Jin to pressure her and force her to offer more benefits.
However, she remained outwardly calm and spoke in a flat tone: "Young Master Cao is a nobleman from the Imperial Textile Bureau, of noble status and with a wide range of interests. It is a good thing for the Yangzhou salt market that he is willing to pay attention to salt affairs. However, salt affairs are complicated and arduous, involving many matters such as transportation capacity, salt sources, and taxation. They are not comparable to matters of romance and require long-term management and experience accumulation. Moreover, the imperial court has regulations that salt permits must be held by registered salt merchants who are registered with the Salt Transport Office. Young Master Cao is not a salt merchant. If he wants to participate in salt affairs, he should find a reliable salt merchant to cooperate with, which is the right way."
She gently passed the buck back, both pointing out that Cao Jin's identity was irregular and implying to Zhao Dexian that if Cao Jin wanted to get involved in the salt business, he would ultimately have to rely on the existing salt merchants, and who would decide on this "reliable family" was none other than a matter of Zhao Dexian's word.
Zhao Dexian narrowed his eyes, knowing that Shen Rulan was not easy to handle, so he said no more and picked up the teacup on the table: "Young Master Shen, you must be tired from your journey. Have a cup of tea first. As for the matter of the shore diversion, I will give you a solution as soon as possible. Just wait for good news."
Shen Rulan understood that this meant she was being asked to leave. She bowed and said, "Thank you, sir. I will not disturb your work any longer and will take my leave now." With that, she turned and left the study.
As she walked out of the Salt Transport Commissioner's office, Shen Rulan looked up at the sky and understood—this negotiation was just the beginning; next, she would have to deal with Cao Jin's actions.
Inside the Cao family's villa.
Cao Jin, dressed in a purple brocade robe, sat on a mahogany chair in the living room. On the table in front of him was a document about Zhouji Salt Company. His face was so gloomy it could drip water.
"How's the talk with Zhou Laoliu going?" Cao Jin asked the advisor standing to the side, his tone tinged with urgency.
Master Zhou bowed and said, "Young master, although Zhou Laoliu is greedy, he also has some concerns. He said that transferring the salt shop and the share of the saltworks is illegal and he is afraid that he will be held accountable by the government in the future, so he dares not agree easily."
"Afraid? What does he have to be afraid of!" Cao Jin slammed his hand on the table, splashing tea from his cup. "He's drowning in debt. If he doesn't pay it back, his creditors will break his legs, and he'll be arrested and imprisoned! I'll give him money, help him pay off his debts, and let him go far away. What more could he ask for?"
He paused, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "Go again and tell Zhou Laoliu that as long as he's willing to sign the transfer agreement, I'll not only give him five thousand taels of silver, but I'll also help him settle all his creditors. If he doesn't know what's good for him, I have plenty of ways to make sure he can't stay in Yangzhou!"
Master Zhou looked troubled: "Young master, isn't this too forceful? Although Zhou Laoliu is timid, he's also afraid of things escalating. What if he reports this to the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office? It will be bad for us."
"What's there to be afraid of!" Cao Jin said disdainfully. "I've already given Lord Zhao a generous gift, so he won't interfere. Besides, once Zhou Laoliu takes the money and runs away, who will bother to investigate? Rules are rules, but people are flexible. I don't believe that with the Cao family's power, we can't take down a small Zhou's Salt Shop!"
Seeing Cao Jin's resolute attitude, Master Zhou could only bow and reply, "Yes! I will go see Zhou Laoliu again and make sure he agrees to the transfer!" After saying that, he hurriedly left the living room.
Cao Jin watched Zhou Shiye's retreating figure, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.
He knew that although Zhouji Salt Company was small in scale and its salt quota was only in a few small towns on the outskirts of Suzhou, as long as he took over Zhouji Salt Company, he could participate in the salt quota distribution as a "salt merchant". With the help of the Cao family's power and Zhao Dexian's support, he might be able to take a larger share from the Shen family.
At that time, he will be able to gain a foothold in the Yangzhou salt market and make that kid Shen Rulan look at him with new eyes!
Shenfu
The atmosphere inside the council chamber was heavy.
Shen Rulan had just received a report from her spies that Cao Jin was secretly contacting Zhou Laoliu of Zhouji Salt Shop, intending to buy the shop's brand and its share of the saltworks.
"Cao Jin actually wants to buy Zhou's Salt Company?" Shen Rulan frowned, tapping her fingers lightly on the table. "Although Zhou's Salt Company is small and its saltworks are remote, if Cao Jin is allowed to use this to get involved in the salt business, and this sets a precedent, other powerful figures will follow suit, and the Yangzhou salt market will be in chaos. Moreover, Cao Jin has a grudge against us. If he really gets the salt permits, he will definitely oppose us at every turn, and there will be endless troubles in the future."
Shen Fu stood to the side, his tone tinged with worry: "Young Master, should we remind Lord Zhao? Cao Jin's actions are against the rules. If Lord Zhao intervenes, Cao Jin will not dare to act rashly."
“Zhao Dexian is eager for someone to stir things up so he can profit from it. Why would he step in to stop it?” Shen Rulan shook her head, a sharp glint in her eyes. “Zhao Dexian deliberately brought up Cao Jin before, wanting us to fight with Cao Jin so he could reap the benefits. Going to him will not only be useless, but it will also make him think we are weak and easy to bully, and he will take the opportunity to demand more benefits.”
She pondered for a moment, then formed a plan: "No need to find Zhao Dexian. Shen Fu, immediately have someone investigate Zhou Laoliu's background, especially whether he has any shady dealings, such as tax evasion, adulterating salt, or colluding with bandits. Zhou Laoliu has been running Zhou's Salt Shop for many years and is a greedy man; he can't be without evidence. Also, find out who Zhou Laoliu's biggest creditor is, then take the silver to that creditor and buy back the debts Zhou Laoliu owes. I want Zhou Laoliu to beg to hand over the saltworks to my Shen family, instead of selling it to Cao Jin!"
Shen Fu bowed and replied, "Yes! This old servant will make the arrangements immediately!" After saying that, he turned and left the council hall to arrange for people to investigate Zhou Laoliu.
Shen Rulan stared at the map of Yangzhou salt permit distribution on the wall, her mind racing with thoughts. Cao Jin's actions were faster and more ruthless than she had anticipated; this battle for salt permits would likely be more intense than she imagined.
The news of the redistribution of salt permits spread like wildfire throughout Yangzhou.
Whether in teahouses and taverns on the streets or in the casual conversations of ordinary people, everyone was talking about this matter.
The Yuelai Teahouse in the south of Yangzhou was bustling with activity.
Several men who looked like salt merchants sat around a table, drinking tea and discussing the distribution of salt permits.
“In my opinion, the salt quota vacated by the Pan family this time will ultimately be taken by the Shen family!” said a salt merchant wearing a blue robe. “The Shen family has the greatest influence in the Yangzhou salt market, and with Old Madam Shen and Young Master Shen in charge, even if Lord Zhao wants to check and balance them, he wouldn’t dare to favor others too much.”
“Not necessarily!” another salt merchant dressed in blue silk retorted. “I heard that Young Master Cao Jin has also gotten involved. Young Master Cao is from the Imperial Textile Bureau and has the support of the Imperial Household Department. Lord Zhao might give Young Master Cao some face and allocate some shares to him. Moreover, Lord Zhao has always wanted to check and balance the Shen family, and he certainly won’t let the Shen family dominate.”
“What you all say makes sense, but the most important thing is Lord Zhao’s attitude!” An old salt merchant with white hair stroked his beard and said slowly, “If Lord Zhao favors the Shen family, the Shen family will get the majority of the share; if he favors Young Master Cao, Young Master Cao will get a share. We small salt merchants can only watch their faces and are lucky if we can get some scraps.”
Other customers in the teahouse also joined the discussion. Some were optimistic about the Shen family, some thought Cao Jin would win, and others were waiting to see the two families fight it out.
The entire city of Yangzhou became lively because of this dispute over salt permits.
Unlike the bustling city, the Su family courtyard in Lianhua Lane was shrouded in gloom at this moment.
Su Wenyuan's condition worsened again; he coughed incessantly and even began coughing up blood.
After the doctor's diagnosis, he said that a ginseng root that is more than ten years old is needed as a medicinal guide in order to alleviate the condition.
Old ginseng is extremely expensive, costing fifty taels of silver per ounce. Su Moqing had only managed to scrape together twenty taels of silver by pawning the jade hairpin left by her mother, which was far from enough.
Looking at her father lying weakly in bed, she felt anxious and helpless.
"Mo Qing, forget it..." Su Wenyuan held his daughter's hand, his voice weak, "That old ginseng is too expensive, our family can't afford it, don't bother me anymore..."
"Father, please don't say that!" Su Moqing said, her eyes red and brimming with tears. "I will definitely find a way to buy the old ginseng, and you will get better!"
After saying that, Su Moqing turned and walked out of the room. She decided to go and see if there was anything she could use as money.
She searched through all the boxes in the house and only found a calligraphy brush that her father used when he was young. Although it was made by a famous craftsman, it wasn't worth much money.
Clutching her calligraphy brush, she walked out of her house dejectedly and wandered aimlessly through the streets.
Su Moqing stopped in her tracks as she passed by the Jirentang Pharmacy.
She hesitated for a moment, but still went into the pharmacy.
Inside the pharmacy, the shopkeeper was preparing medicine for a customer. When he saw Su Moqing enter, he greeted her warmly, "Miss Su, are you here to get medicine for Mr. Su?"
Su Moqing nodded, her voice slightly hoarse: "Shopkeeper, I'd like to ask if... if you could lower the price for the ten-year-old ginseng? I only have twenty taels of silver right now, and I'll definitely pay you back the rest later."
The shopkeeper looked troubled: "Miss Su, it's not that I don't want to help you, but these ginseng roots are all transported from the Northeast, and the cost is very high. Fifty taels of silver is already the lowest price. I really can't lower the price any further."
Upon hearing this, Su Moqing's heart sank. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she saw Li Ping'an, the steward of the Shen family, also in the pharmacy. He was purchasing nourishing medicinal herbs for the Shen family.
When Li Ping'an saw Su Moqing, he smiled and walked over: "Miss Su, you're here to get medicine too? Has Mr. Su's condition worsened again? If you urgently need money or medicine, you should go back and report to the young master so I can help you think of a solution?"
Upon hearing this, Su Moqing's face turned pale instantly. She knew the other person meant well, but she didn't want to trouble Shen Rulan because of her family's predicament, and she didn't want others to think that she was trying to curry favor with the Shen family.
She immediately interrupted Li Ping'an, "No need! Thank you for your kindness, Manager Li, but I can handle it myself." After saying that, she hurriedly ran out of the pharmacy, even forgetting to take the calligraphy brush that was on the counter.
Li Ping'an watched Su Moqing's hurried departure and shook his head helplessly. He knew that Su Moqing was stubborn and unwilling to accept help from others, but he still felt that he should tell Butler Shen Fu about this so that the young master would know.
After returning to the Shen residence, Li Ping'an found Shen Fu and told him everything about his encounter with Su Moqing at Ji Ren Tang.
Upon hearing this, Shen Fu immediately went to the study to report to Shen Rulan.
Shen Rulan was reviewing Zhou Laoliu's investigation report in her study when she heard this. Her pen paused, and ink dripped onto the rice paper, staining the writing.
She paused for a moment, her tone tinged with complexity: "I understand. Shenfu, go tell Rong Mama to select some mild and nourishing medicinal herbs in her own name, such as ginseng, angelica, and wolfberry. They don't need to be too expensive, so as not to put pressure on Miss Su. Then find an excuse, saying that the old lady of the manor has leftover medicinal herbs that are a pity to throw away, and have Rong Mama send them to the Su family."
She couldn't help Su Moqing directly, as that would hurt her pride. She could only use this roundabout method to help her solve some difficulties without making her feel like it was a deliberate act of charity.
Shen Fu bowed and replied, "Yes! This old servant will make the arrangements immediately!"
.
The Shen family acted extremely quickly.
In just one day, Shen Fu uncovered Zhou Laoliu's dirty secrets—in his early years, Zhou Laoliu had colluded with yamen runners to adulterate salt with sand and gypsum to save costs before selling it to the people; he had also evaded taxes and forged account books. This evidence was enough to put him in jail for life.
At the same time, Shen Fu also found Zhou Laoliu's biggest creditor - Wang Dabao, the money shop owner in Yangzhou City, and bought the IOU for the three thousand taels of silver that Zhou Laoliu owed Wang Dabao at double the price.
The next morning, Shen Fu arrived at Zhou's Salt Shop with several guards.
Zhou Laoliu was sitting behind the counter, anxiously waiting for news from Cao's clerk. When he saw Shen Fu enter, he turned pale with fright.
"Butler Chen...butler Chen, what brings you here?" Old Zhou stammered, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.
Shen Fu walked to the counter and placed a stack of incriminating evidence and IOUs in front of Zhou Laoliu. His tone was icy: "Master Zhou, you should recognize these things, right? You colluded with the yamen runners, adulterated the salt, and evaded taxes. Each of these is a serious crime. In addition, you owe Wang Dabao three thousand taels of silver. This debt has now been transferred to the Shen family's name. You must pay it off by today. Otherwise, I will hand these incriminating evidence over to the Salt Transport Commissioner and have the officials arrest you!"
Zhou Laoliu picked up the incriminating evidence and debt notes, becoming increasingly frightened as he looked at them, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
He knew that once this evidence was handed over to the authorities, he would not only go to jail, but his property would be confiscated, and his family would be implicated. And he simply couldn't come up with three thousand taels of silver right now.
"Steward Shen, I...I was wrong! Please have mercy on me!" Old Zhou fell to his knees with a thud, weeping bitterly. "I will never dare to adulterate salt or evade taxes again! I really can't come up with the three thousand taels of silver right now, please give me a few more days!"
Looking at Zhou Laoliu's disheveled appearance, Shen Fu's tone softened: "I can spare you, but you must agree to one condition from the Shen family. You hand over the Zhouji Salt Shop's signboard and the saltworks' share to the Shen family to offset the debt of three thousand taels of silver. In return, the Shen family will not pursue your crime and will even give you one hundred taels of silver for travel expenses so you can leave Yangzhou and make a living elsewhere. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Laoliu was overjoyed—as long as he could save his life and get travel expenses to leave Yangzhou, even losing the salt shop and the saltworks quota would be worth it. He quickly kowtowed, "Thank you, Steward Shen! Thank you, Young Master Shen! I agree! I'll sign the transfer agreement right now!"
Shen Fu took out the transfer document he had prepared beforehand and had Zhou Laoliu sign and press his fingerprint on it. Then, he took out one hundred taels of silver from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Laoliu: "This is for your travel expenses. Pack your things as soon as possible, leave Yangzhou, and don't come back."
Zhou Laoliu accepted the silver, thanked him profusely, and left.
Shen Fu left Zhouji Salt Shop with the transfer documents in hand, satisfied.
Master Zhou hurriedly returned to the Cao family's villa and told Cao Jin that Zhou Laoliu had refused to transfer the salt shop and the share of the saltworks.
"What?! That bastard Zhou Laoliu actually dared to refuse?!" Cao Jin slammed the teacup in her hand to the ground, the sound of the porcelain shattering was particularly jarring in the living room.
His face was ashen, and his chest heaved violently; he was clearly furious. "Yesterday he was eyeing five thousand taels of silver, how could he suddenly change his mind today? Someone must be pulling strings behind the scenes!"
Master Zhou lowered his head tremblingly: "Young master, I heard from Zhou Laoliu's neighbor that this morning, Steward Shen from the Shen family brought people to Zhou's Salt Shop and talked with Zhou Laoliu for a long time. When Zhou Laoliu came out, his face was pale, as if he had been greatly frightened. I suspect that the Shen family interfered and used some means to threaten Zhou Laoliu, making him afraid to sell the salt shop to us."
"Shen Rulan! It's Shen Rulan again!" Cao Jin gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment. "He ruined my plans a while ago, and now he's trying to steal the salt shop I've got my eye on. Does he really think I, Cao Jin, am easy to bully?" He paced anxiously in the living room, then suddenly stopped and said to his advisor, "Go and investigate! Investigate immediately what kind of deal the Shen family and Zhou Laoliu made! I don't believe Shen Rulan can pull off something so flawless! As long as I find something to hold against him, I'll report him to the Salt Transport Commissioner and make him regret it!"
Master Zhou looked troubled: "Young master, the Shen family has always been cautious in their actions, so it will be difficult to find any incriminating evidence. Moreover, Zhou Laoliu has already packed his things and left Yangzhou, so even if we wanted to investigate, we wouldn't know where to begin."
"Left Yangzhou?" Cao Jin was stunned, then became even angrier. "That Shen Rulan! How could she be so ruthless!"
He knew that once Zhou Laoliu left, the trail went cold, and there would be no point in pursuing it further. This time, he had truly come up empty-handed.
Cao Jin sat helplessly in the chair, his heart filled with resentment and anger.
He had originally thought that with the Cao family's power and money, taking over the small Zhou's Salt Shop would be a piece of cake, but he never expected that Shen Rulan would ruin it again. He secretly vowed to make Shen Rulan pay the price and never let him have a smooth ride in the Yangzhou salt market.
Three days later, the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office officially announced the salt permit allocation plan.
Just as Shen Rulan had predicted, the Shen family, with its strong financial resources, its stabilizing influence on the salt market, and the generous gifts given to Zhao Dexian, successfully acquired 70% of the share vacated by the Pan family, covering prosperous areas such as Songjiang, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, further consolidating its dominant position in the Yangzhou salt market.
Zhao Dexian distributed the remaining 30% to several salt merchants, such as Yufeng Salt Company and Taihe Salt Company, who had been "paying tribute" to him on a regular basis.
Zhang Wanlin of Yufeng Salt Company obtained the salt diversion quota for two counties in northern Jiangsu. Although it was not as good as expected, it was still a gain. He hurriedly took generous gifts to the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office to thank Zhao Dexian.
Cao Jin's efforts were completely in vain.
Although he visited the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office many times and even gave him many generous gifts, Zhao Dexian always refused his request on the grounds that "Young Master Cao is not a registered salt merchant and does not meet the regulations."
Cao Jin was so angry that he almost lost his temper on the spot, but he didn't dare to offend Zhao Dexian, so he could only swallow his anger and leave.
Zhao Dexian looked at the gift lists from various families in his hand and smiled with satisfaction.
In this salt license allocation, he not only received a large sum of money and gifts from the Shen family, but also gained a lot of benefits from other salt merchants. At the same time, he used 30% of the share to control those small salt merchants, making them more obedient to him.
More importantly, he maintained a semblance of "fairness," neither allowing the Shen family to become too powerful and uncontrollable, nor causing Cao Jin too much dissatisfaction, thus achieving both fame and fortune.
He picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and secretly calculated: Now, all that's left is to wait and see the Shen family and Cao Jin fight. As long as they start fighting, he can continue to reap the benefits and make even more money while serving as the Salt Commissioner of Yangzhou.
Inside the Shen family's accounting office, the light was dim, and the air was filled with the smell of paper and ink.
Shen Rulan sat at the accounting table, with a thick ledger spread out in front of her, recording all the expenses of this salt license dispute—the rare calligraphy and painting from the previous dynasty and the ancient inkstone given to Zhao Dexian, worth 20,000 taels of silver; the 3,000 taels of silver used to purchase Zhou Laoliu's debt; and various bribes to appease other salt merchants, totaling more than 30,000 taels of silver.
Shen Rulan looked at the numbers in the ledger, gently rubbed her temples, and showed a hint of fatigue on her face.
She picked up the abacus and started calculating rapidly. After finishing, she couldn't help but sigh.
Although the Shen family obtained most of the salt permits, which will greatly increase their future profits, the price they paid this time was too high, almost depleting their working capital for the first half of the year.
"The way of business warfare is indeed to pave the way with money and to scheme against people's hearts," Shen Rulan muttered to herself, a hint of weariness flashing in her eyes.
She learned about the salt business from her grandmother from a young age and was used to the deceit and intrigue in the business world. She thought she was already used to it, but every time she experienced such struggles, she still felt physically and mentally exhausted.
She put down the abacus, stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the courtyard.
The chrysanthemums in the courtyard had already bloomed, yellow, white, and purple, vying for attention, but they could not dispel the gloom in her heart.
She suddenly missed the quiet of the library—there was no smell of money, no scheming, only the faint scent of ink and elegant paintings, and the figure of Su Moqing painting intently.
How wonderful it would be if I could stay in the library, discussing painting and art with Su Moqing, far away from all these disputes.
But she quickly suppressed that thought. She knew she couldn't run away.
Cao Jin will not let this defeat go unpunished and will surely seek revenge in the future; Zhao Dexian is greedy and will continue to demand benefits from the Shen family; although the other salt merchants have been appeased for the time being, they are still eyeing the Shen family covetously and will pounce on them as soon as the Shen family shows any weakness; there are also various forces such as the Grand Canal Gang and the Jiangxi Salt Commissioner, all of which need to be dealt with carefully.
She has only won this battle for salt permits, gaining another chance to catch her breath. The real challenge is yet to come.
Shen Rulan took a deep breath, her eyes regaining their resolve.
She turned back to the accounting table, picked up a pen, and wrote the six characters "Be careful to fulfill your duties and proceed cautiously" in the ledger.
She knew that only by being more cautious and working harder could she protect the Shen family's business and have the opportunity to pursue the peace she desired.
Just then, Shen Fu walked in and bowed, saying, "Young Master, Granny Rong has delivered the medicinal herbs to the Su family. Miss Su initially refused to accept them, but Granny Rong said it was the Old Madam's wish, so she reluctantly accepted them. In addition, Mr. Su's condition seems to have improved. The doctor said that with those nourishing medicinal herbs and careful recuperation, he should be able to recover slowly."
Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible warmth flashed in Shen Rulan's eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly: "Understood. Tell Rong Mama to keep an eye on the Su family's situation, and let me know if they need any help."
"Yes! This old servant understands!" Shen Fu bowed and replied, then turned and left the accounting room.
Silence returned to the accounting office.
Looking at the chrysanthemums outside the window, Shen Rulan felt her weariness gradually dissipate.
Perhaps, this long struggle is not all cold scheming; there is also a warm connection that can support her to keep going.
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