The solution to this matter, whichever chosen, was of great importance. Although Manager Jin appeared arrogant in public, he dared not make a decision rashly in such a matter. Hence, he purposely let Ji Xinhe hear their argument, delegating the decision to her.
In the room, a servant-boy was pouring tea earnestly for Xin He, saying with a grin: "Manager is currently negotiating with Master Wang. This Master Wang has visited three times this month."
Xin He raised her eyebrows: "Three times? It seems he’s very sincere."
"Of course. Who in Yu State doesn’t know about the status of the Winding Pavilion? Not to mention the abilities of you, our proprietor. Unless the Wang Family is no longer interested in doing business in Yu State, they wouldn’t dare to offend us. So, these three personal visits to apologize make perfect sense," the servant-boy continued before lowering his voice: 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"In fact, our Manager has been rude to him every time, but Master Wang has been very persistent. Despite this, he keeps coming back, insisting on resolving this dispute."
Xin He gave a faint smile, "Master Wang seems quite willing to swallow his pride."
A Grand Elder, humbling himself before a mere shopkeeper, she only knew Master Wang as timid and mediocre, too afraid to take on major responsibilities. She thought the Wang Family’s business wouldn’t have much of a future.
But as it appeared now, the true strength of Master Wang lay elsewhere. With Master Wang’s "thick-skinned" demeanor, even if the Wang Family’s business does not progress greatly under his charge, it is unlikely to suffer significantly losses.
"Indeed, the manager has been driven to distraction and is still undecided..." The servant-boy paused before tentatively asking Xin He: "What is the master’s opinion?"
Xin He tapped lightly on her teacup, her eyes deep and unreadable. She didn’t answer, as if considering something.
Seeing that Xin He had no intention of stopping him, the servant-boy continued: "Actually, Master Wang is rather pragmatic. He knows who truly holds power in Yu State’s business world. He naturally dare not offend us at Winding Pavilion. Before, when he dared to withhold our goods, there was indeed someone behind the scenes manipulating him. The Wang Family is kind of pitiful in this matter. They’re caught between a rock and a hard place."
Xin He’s eyes flickered; she seemed to have thought of something: "Summon him in."
"Ah, yes!" Ordered by Xin He, the servant-boy left immediately.
As the boy slipped out, Master Wang was still trying to soften Manager Jin. The boy whispered a few words into Manager Jin’s ear, causing a slight change in his expression.
Master Wang, keenly aware, asked anxiously: "What happened to Manager Jin?"
Manager Jin snorted: "Nothing, it’s just that the superior of our Winding Pavilion wants to meet with Master Wang."
Upon hearing this, Master Wang’s eyes lit up with visible excitement: "Could it be the proprietor of Winding Pavilion?!"
The mysterious proprietor had never appeared before in public. If he was willing to meet him today, then there was probably a chance of turning things around!
Overjoyed, Master Wang hurriedly followed Manager Jin into an elegant room.
In the room, layered muslin hangings and a beaded curtain dangled with a gold hook. Manager Jin led Master Wang to stand outside, where they could only vaguely see a person inside – a woman. But it was impossible to discern her face.
Master Wang was nonplussed and was about to ask a question.
When he heard a clear, ethereal female voice coming from behind the muslin, "I have come to ask Master Wang a few questions as my young master heard of Master Wang’s remorse for the past incident and his persistent need to personally visit the Winding Pavilion every now and then."
Only then did Master Wang understood, the person inside wasn’t the proprietor, but likely a favored maid of the proprietor.
Even so, Master Wang dared not show any disrespect. His salutation was extremely deferential: "Thank you for your trouble, miss. Please, go ahead and ask your questions!"
Xin He smiled faintly, took a gentle blow on the hot tea, then asked softly, "What does Master Wang think he did wrong in the last incident?"
Caught off guard by the question, Master Wang’s palms began to sweat nervously. He feared that one wrong answer might jeopardize the future of the whole Wang Family.
After racking his brain for a while, Master Wang finally cleared his throat and answered very cautiously: "Of course, I shouldn’t have arbitrarily detained the goods of Winding Pavilion, nor should I have ignored Jin, the shopkeeper of Winding Pavilion, and forsaken the friendship between our families..."
The more Master Wang spoke, the more guilty he felt. He quickly made a U-turn: "But all this, we, the Wang Family, were helpless!"
Xin He smiled and shook her head: "Wrong."
Master Wang’s heart tightened and his face went pale: "Ah?"
Xin He repressed her smile, her voice now noticeably colder: "What Master Wang did wrong was not recognizing his own position."
Master Wang couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his brow. Even though he knew the woman before him was just a small maid from the Winding Pavilion, he still felt an invisible pressure that made him so nervous he could hardly breathe.
"I’m not sure I understand the meaning of the miss’s words," Master Wang stuttered: " Please give me some guidance."
Xin He said in a flat tone, "My young master knows that Master Wang was coerced to follow the commands of a distinguished person from the capital out of fear of his power. The fact that the Wang Family had detained the Winding Pavilion’s goods was not what Master Wang had intended."
Upon hearing her words, Master Wang became excited and nodded vigorously, "Exactly, exactly!"
Xin He then changed the direction of the conversation sharply, her tone serious: "However, whether Master Wang should be controlled by that distinguished person is something he needs to weigh first! Master Wang, before you do anything, think about who is protecting the Wang Family: is it the imperial court or Yu State? Then, make your choices. Don’t clumsily become a fence-sitter and end up losing both sides."
Frightened, Master Wang’s body trembled. He quickly said, "But in this affair, I, I, I, dare not? That man is a segment from the capital..."
"What if he’s someone important from the capital? In Yu State, doesn’t he still need to look at the face of Prince Pingyang? Rooted in Yu State, when there is a real problem, do you think Prince Pingyang is reliable or is it the distant imperial court that can’t put out a fire nearby? Once this point is understood, Master Wang will no longer need to worry about being threatened and manipulated by others in the future. Indeed, if the Wang Family is willing, Prince Pingyang will undoubtedly be their greatest backer." Xin He said, her voice deep and mysterious.
Master Wang’s back was soaked with cold sweat. He originally thought he had merely done a favor for a distinguished person from the capital, but he did not expect to have been drawn into political struggles so early on.
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