Both shop owners pleaded poverty in front of Xiaoguai, with one even saying that he was just an employee and had powerful backers.
Yin looked at the other person coldly. That person was nothing more than a henchman of Dong Eshi, who was planning to use Dong Eshi's connections to seek benefits for himself.
"Heh, you have someone backing you?!" Qingyan sneered. "Since you're not the final manager, call your master here. You need someone who can speak for you."
Qingyan's words struck a nerve with the man, whose face immediately darkened. He hadn't expected this princess to be so bold as to demand to see the master of the house.
"Princess, I advise you not to speak too definitively!" The man remembered that Dong E's eldest daughter was the Third Prince's primary wife, making her Qingyan's sister-in-law.
The relationship between sisters-in-law in ordinary families is the most difficult to manage, and it is usually the younger brother or sister-in-law who has to give in.
"Too full?!" Yin looked at the shopkeeper, who had the appearance of a lackey and was acting arrogantly because of Dong Eshi.
Qingyan subtly tugged at Yin's sleeve, signaling him to keep quiet.
"Manager Liu, you've been a neighbor of Yuelai Inn for many years, and we've never seen a manager who's unreasonable." Qingyan's face was tense and her expression was very unpleasant.
Only then did Manager Liu realize that he had truly been misled; this princess was by no means a kind person.
"You quoted 1,200 taels of silver. That's enough to buy your shop." She looked at the shop owner with icy eyes, knowing she couldn't be too heartless.
Manager Liu was sweating profusely with anxiety. The young master of the Dong'e family was preparing to offer a tribute of one thousand taels of silver, while his small shop would only suffer a loss of a few hundred taels.
Those present quickly put away their ulterior motives. Qingyan was young, but she was not easily fooled. She had already inquired about the market conditions before coming to negotiate.
"We can talk this over!" Manager Liu softened his attitude. The shop was the lifeblood of their family. If this princess were to scheme against them, they would not be able to stand firm in the capital.
Yin deliberately indulged her, sitting peacefully to the side enjoying his tea. The shop owners hoped he would step in and ban Qingyan.
"Sir, could you please try to persuade him?" Manager Huang was the owner of the other side of the Yue Lai Inn. He saw Yin follow her and knew in his heart that this man should be able to control her.
Last night, he discussed with Manager Liu until very late, hoping to get Qingyan to contribute more money so that they wouldn't have to pay any more tribute.
Yin remained silent, letting Qingyan make the decision at will.
"Heh, Manager Huang, haven't you changed your greedy ways yet? All that silver you're planning to leave to your sons?" In Dashilan, Manager Huang was a notorious miser, never missing an opportunity to make money. He had very few children; his only son was almost three years old, and whether he would even reach adulthood was still uncertain.
Qingyan's words left Manager Huang speechless.
puff!
Yin spat out his tea, and Qingyan's words became increasingly venomous.
Qingyan has no regrets; such a person deserves to be ridiculed.
Nobody's money comes from thin air. The silver she took out wasn't from thin air either; it was mostly earned bit by bit.
Immediately, the private room fell silent. The shop owners who hadn't overcharged felt relieved. If they had angered this princess, they would have had even less chance of running their shops there.
Qingyan's shops only involve inns and restaurants; the other shops can remain the same as before without much loss. However, the other small restaurants are a different story.
Both Manager Huang and Manager Liu's shops are restaurants. With Qingyan gaining momentum, the restaurant industry is likely to face a fierce battle in the future.
Qingyan deliberately said that it would be best if those people were well-behaved, and that it would be good to hand over the shop to them.
"Princess, we plan to hand over the shop to you." Several small shops near the wine cellar were preparing for inventory.
They received enough silver from Qingyan to open a small shop in their hometown.
"Okay, go to Su Peisheng's place and make a record, then have the auditors check it." Qingyan asked Su Lan to come over and whispered to her to give those who bought the shops an extra hundred taels of silver.
Su Lan and a few others left. The shop owners of those small shops had all left; the instigation of Manager Huang and Manager Liu could not sway them, as those were all empty promises.
"Are there any smart ones left?" Qingyan watched them from the side. The shopkeepers of these shops all had their own little schemes. The two shopkeepers' plans probably wouldn't succeed. Vague promises couldn't sway them at all.
The identities of Yin and Qingyan were the best guarantee.
Ulanara's eldest daughter and the princes in the inner palace represented the face of the royal family.
Apart from the two shopkeepers, the remaining shopkeepers were all hesitant. Those few people sold their shops to Qingyan and ended up getting an extra hundred taels in compensation.
These were all things they could get on the spot, which made them even more excited.
Seeing that the managers were no longer united, Yin had to commend Qingyan for her actions.
Sometimes, he felt he should learn from Qingyan's approach; in his past life, his methods had been rather foolish.
"Princess, we accept the compensation from the audit." Upon hearing Qingyan's explanation, the shopkeepers prepared to take the compensation and stopped arguing with the two shopkeepers.
Qingyan nodded and pointed outside the door, where Akdun was waiting.
"Now, only the two of you are left." Yin spoke for the first time, and his cold tone startled both of them.
Manager Liu and Manager Huang had only met members of the Dong E family, but had never met Yin Zhi.
They were somewhat intimidated when they first saw the prince.
"Fourth Master, we only want our own share of the profits." Manager Liu understood that the people they had contacted had abandoned them, and in the end, they would have to fight alone.
Qingyan scoffed. These people really weren't afraid of death, talking about benefits in front of Yin.
"Profits?" Yin asked sarcastically. "And the fees you pay to those in power, too."
Qingyan chuckled to himself. Yin had inherited Kangxi's sharp tongue, and when he revealed it to outsiders, it was simply unappealing.
The two shopkeepers grew increasingly frightened; their plan was certainly doomed to fail, for this man was even more cunning than the Third Prince.
"Now, hand over the two shops to me, and this matter will be over," Qingyan said coldly.
The culprit behind this arson was most likely Dong Eshi, and these two managers certainly played a role in it.
The hundred jars of fine wine were gone just like that, and two jars of newly mixed medicinal wine were even sent to Emperor Kangxi ahead of schedule. Fortunately, Fei Yanggu had informed Emperor Kangxi in advance; otherwise, he would certainly have been guilty of deceiving the emperor.
She ignored their pleading eyes and refused outright. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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