Manager Yu's eyes widened, clearly not expecting Steward Xie to be willing to get involved after knowing all this. After a long while, he said, "Steward Xie, this matter is of great importance. Why don't you discuss it with your young master?"
"No need." Butler Xie glanced at the screen out of the corner of his eye. Things had come to this point, and there was no reason to back down. "Manager Yu, please rest assured, our young master is the most reasonable person in the world."
Seeing Steward Xie's attitude, Manager Yu finally felt relieved: "Since Steward Xie says so, I will go back and tidy up. We can discuss this in detail tomorrow."
Having received confirmation, Chief Secretary Xie then ordered Manager Yu to be sent back to the Longchang Escort Agency before returning to the council hall.
Gu Yuzhi was already sitting in the chair in front of the screen. When he saw Xie Changshi come in, he hurriedly said, "Xie Changshi, does Manager Yu mean that the escort agency will be handed over to us tomorrow?"
Manager Wen said that the people of Li's Trading Company regarded Longchang Escort Agency as a piece of fat meat that was within their grasp, and now that this piece of fat meat was about to be snatched away by someone else, the people of Li's Trading Company would certainly not be willing to accept it.
He frowned, not understanding why they couldn't just sign the contract today, so that the people from Li's Trading Company wouldn't be able to do anything if they wanted to cause trouble.
"Yes." Xie Changshi suppressed his shock and patiently explained to Gu Yuzhi, "Acquiring a security escort agency is not something that Manager Yu and I can decide on just by talking. It also involves the previous disputes with the Longchang Security Escort Agency, which they need to resolve in advance. There is also the issue of dismissing the staff of the Longchang Security Escort Agency..."
Chief Secretary Xie paused for a moment, then continued, “The Longchang Escort Agency has already dismissed all the miscellaneous staff, leaving only the head escort and a few bodyguards. We need to wait for Guard Qi and his companion to return before making a decision about these men. As for Manager Yu, I believe he is trustworthy. If he has no objections, I intend to let him continue as the manager of the escort agency.”
Gu Yuzhi nodded and said, "If the Chief Secretary says this person is trustworthy, then let's continue using him." He frowned and asked, "Is it alright if we didn't make an appointment today? What if the people from Li's Trading Company cause trouble?"
Chief Secretary Xie had naturally considered this as well: "I have the guards escort Manager Yu back, and they will also be on guard at the Longchang Escort Agency tonight. I will definitely not let Manager Yu get into trouble at this crucial moment. When the time comes tomorrow, I will go to Manager Yu to sign the contract."
To Gu Yuzhi and Xie Changshi's surprise, the Longchang Escort Agency encountered trouble before the next day.
By the end of the Xu hour (7-9 PM), the victims of the previous lost shipments had come to Longchang Escort Agency and surrounded the entire agency. The matter quickly reached Qi Wenhan's ears.
Qi Wenhan was in a real bind. He hurriedly put on his coat and headed towards the Longchang Escort Agency. Before mounting his horse, he sent someone to inform Chief Secretary Xie.
Wanting to train Gu Yuzhi and let him know the dangers of the world, Chief Secretary Xie brought Gu Yuzhi along. The two sat in the carriage, hidden in the darkness not far from the escort agency.
The Longchang Escort Agency was ablaze with flames, making it impossible for Gu Yuzhi to see clearly inside. He stroked Xueye's fur and said, "Chief Secretary Xie, didn't you pay Manager Yu half the fee this afternoon? Didn't Manager Yu reimburse them?"
Chief Secretary Xie said with a stern face, "The guards came to report this afternoon that Manager Yu and the previous aggrieved party settled the matter before leaving."
Gu Yuzhi couldn't understand: "Since you've already compensated them, why are they still causing trouble?"
Why can't you just pay back your debts? Why are you causing trouble?
Xie Changshi lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, "It should be related to Li Ji Trading Company. Manager Yu settled the debt with the aggrieved party as soon as he left the mansion, and the people from Li Ji Trading Company naturally understood the meaning of Longchang Escort Agency."
He looked ahead, where there were many figures, but he could only vaguely make out Qi Wenhan's figure: "I just don't know why this aggrieved party took the money and came to cause trouble."
At this moment, at the entrance of Longchang Escort Agency, Manager Yu was being protected by the guards of the mansion. Several men claiming to be the aggrieved party were pointing their fingers at him and shouting angrily: "You, surnamed Yu, your cannibalistic escort agency, how dare you accept escort missions! Give me back my sister's life!"
"That's right, give our young lady her life back!"
"I knew it! So you've got the money to pay back the debt, you're out on another escort mission!" The man spat and raised his voice, "Fellow villagers, you all come and judge for us! Our Zhou family isn't the richest in Changzhou, but we're still a well-off family. The old master and Chief Escort Geng knew each other in our early years, which is why he was willing to lend a hand to the Longchang Escort Agency when it was in trouble."
Manager Yu remained silent, appearing somewhat guilty.
“My sister has been in poor health since childhood, and we have been taking good care of her all these years. With her delivery imminent, my father specially bought ginseng from Jiangnan to ensure her safe delivery. Who would have thought that the Longchang Escort Agency couldn’t even protect a small ginseng!”
More and more people gathered around, and even Gu Yuzhi's carriage was surrounded by a crowd. If it weren't for the guards standing by, the horse would probably have been startled.
The noise grew louder and louder, and Gu Yuzhi pieced together the whole story from the chatter of the people.
The Zhou family does indeed have a daughter with poor health. She grew up taking medicine and was told by doctors that she would not be able to have children. She didn't find a husband who would live with her family until she was in her twenties. It is said that the couple had a very good relationship, and she unexpectedly became pregnant after more than two years of marriage.
Those who know the Zhou family know that when their daughter found out she was pregnant, they consulted a doctor to check her pulse and learned that she needed to take ginseng to supplement her diet. They tried every means to buy ginseng from various pharmacies and continued to take it until she was close to giving birth.
Two months ago, the Zhou family heard about a century-old wild ginseng in Jiangnan and went through countless connections to finally acquire it. Just then, the Longchang Escort Agency lost two shipments, putting them in a difficult situation. Remembering their past relationship, Master Zhou asked the Longchang Escort Agency to make this trip and bring the ginseng back...
Gu Yuzhi had just sorted out the situation when a heart-wrenching cry suddenly erupted from the center of the crowd: "Prefect Qi, you are here, please be the judge! Just now, my sister died in childbirth! The doctor said that all she needed was that ginseng root..."
The man couldn't continue speaking, and the Zhou family members around him also started crying. For a moment, even the discussions around the carriage quieted down considerably.
Gu Yuzhi puffed out his cheeks, feeling somewhat annoyed: "Chief Secretary Xie, did Chief Escort Geng and the others do something wrong?"
He scratched his head. The Zhou family's daughter had lost her life because of this, and it seemed that money couldn't solve the problem.
Xie Changshi suddenly laughed and lowered his voice, saying, "Your Highness, we cannot believe everything we hear. If the Zhou family truly loved their daughter, they wouldn't have allowed them to escort this century-old ginseng after the Longchang Escort Agency lost two shipments."
"Most importantly, wouldn't a family that consumes ginseng regularly have spare ginseng?"
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