Zheng Quan had his own calculations, "If it were the past, I definitely wouldn’t have given it much thought. But now is the time when you are short of people, and besides, they brought two girls who know some martial arts. I want to keep them around to see first."
Since he had put it that way, Song Jiyun would certainly not object.
The two of them discussed how to arrange matters for He Dazhi and his companions.
In the meantime, He Dazhi and Dai Sishi were talking together in the guest room where He Dazhi was staying.
Dai Sishi anxiously said, "Second Senior Brother, if that young master asks us to harm Miss Song, what should we do? Fifth Senior Brother is like a milk brother to Miss Song, wouldn’t we be harming Fifth Senior Brother by then? How could we still roam the Itinerant World with righteousness and valor?"
Someone said, "But that young master saved us from that young official’s hands, and we’ve promised to be Miss Song’s guards. If we just leave like this, wouldn’t that also make us faithless and untrustworthy?"
Dai Sishi said, "But that’s still better than being an informant beside Miss Song, right?"
The person retorted stubbornly, "He hasn’t asked us to report everything about Miss Song to him, how can we be considered informants?"
Skies don’t drop pies for free, no matter how you slice it, they’re unsettling to eat," Dai Sishi remarked, "I always feel like we are being held by our weaknesses and that any moment could be our downfall."
Song Dazhi, who had initially appeared simple and honest, now revealed a glitter in his eyes and looked exceedingly shrewd and capable, "Since we’ve already come this far, it’s too late to turn back. The only way now is to go up and complete the task that young master has entrusted to us. As for whether that young master will harm Miss Song, we can always run when he decides to harbor such thoughts."
Everyone agreed that this was a good idea.
As for what to do about the two girls who were washing clothes in the courtyard, Dai Sishi lowered his voice and glanced at them, "What about those two?"
These two had come with that young master, accompanying them.
They had asked them privately; they said one was named Xiang Ye and the other Xiang Cao, acrobats who juggled bowls, but since the troupe leader had offended the local gentry and couldn’t continue, they sold themselves to that young master.
Dai Sishi had tested the skills of the two, and their agility was not something that could come from a troupe of jugglers.
A flicker of ruthlessness passed through He Dazhi’s eyes, "As long as they obey, it’s fine. If they don’t, hand them over to Zheng Quan."
Dai Sishi nodded. A Song Family servant boy called them to dinner, and the two exchanged glances, hailing the rest to head to the adjoining dining hall with a flurry.
*
On Song Jiyun’s side, someone was sent to deliver invitations to Ma Hui and others, saying it was the perfect weather for enjoying crabs.
In a place as small as Liang County, who didn’t know that Song Jiyun had swallowed up Wang Zhubo’s family business.
When Mr. Wen received Song Jiyun’s invitation, he was in the midst of discussing with a group of Liang County gentry and scholars the preparations for the Kiln God’s winter sacrifice.
Upon receiving the invitation, he angrily tossed it aside and said to the reporting steward, "I’m not going!"
Ever since he had fainted in Wensi Building, he hadn’t ventured out for a long time.
Li Zixiu, sitting beside him, made a sign to the steward and then calmly picked up the invitation, saying, "Eating crabs is just a pretext; the real deal is to discuss how to handle Wang Zhubo’s properties, right?"
To foster good relations with Wang Zhubo, the Wen Family had also rented two shops from the Wang Family. But now that the shops were Song Jiyun’s, could he really expect the Wen Family to continue paying rent as before?
Mr. Wen sneered, "It’s not as if our family will starve without those two shops. If it comes to it, I simply won’t rent them any longer."
The businesses on Front Street were good, but in a place like Liang County, the best business was still porcelain; no other business could compare with the success of Zhu Mountain Porcelain Market.
Li Zixiu did not speak, but Wang Yan, the owner of the glaze material shop, advised, "We see each other often. At the upcoming ritual offering for the Kiln God, we can’t do without her family’s Kiln Factory."
Mr. Wen fell silent for a moment.
The cost of the annual offering to the Kiln God was shared evenly among the major kiln factories.
He could prevent the Song Family from participating in the ritual offering to the Kiln God, which meant the Song Family could also avoid paying.
Mr. Wen could handle being at odds with Song Jiyun, but he couldn’t handle being at odds with silver.
Li Zixiu, however, was intentional in stirring trouble, laughing, "She was specifically mentioned by the County Magistrate, would she dare not to come?!"
Mr. Wen felt there was logic in that statement, stubbornly saying, "I can’t eat crabs, getting diarrhea if I do. Whoever wants to go can, but I won’t participate."
Wang Yan just shook his head.
After a few days, when Song Jiyun was entertaining guests, Mr. Wen, as if setting up a challenge, invited Li Zixiu and others to discuss whether the Temple of the Wind God, used for the ritual, needed renovation. Li Zixiu was not afraid of a high stage when watching a show, and invited several good friends to Mr. Wen’s place. Wang Yan, on the other hand, found an excuse with Old Master Yan to visit the Song Family.
Mr. Wen couldn’t help feeling displeased and, before getting to the main topic, went to a restaurant by the Changjiang River to eat.
Just as the group had barely started their third round of drinks and had yet to thoroughly discuss Song Jiyun’s transgressions, the Steward of the Wen Residence ran up breathlessly, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
"My lord, my lord," he said, regardless of Li Zixiu and the others present, "Miss Song intends to sell Wang Zhubo’s shop at a low price to the tenants!"
Everyone at the table stood up.
Because of their ties to Wang Zhubo, they had either rented shops from him or had business dealings with him. Although the shops and business no longer belonged to Wang Zhubo, the deeds had not yet expired, and rent still had to be paid, and business still had to be conducted.
Song Jiyun’s handling of Wang Zhubo’s estate was linked to everyone present.
The first to lose his composure was Boss Chen, who sold clay materials.
Wang Zhubo owned a mountain rich in Kaolin Clay, which he had long coveted.
"What’s going on?" he asked urgently, before Mr. Wen could speak, "Aren’t all those properties in the hands of the Song Family now?"
"Exactly!" continued the Wen Family Steward, still wiping his sweat, "I’ve never seen such disregard for the rules! They say their master specializes in making porcelain and has no interest or expertise in other businesses. Better to sell it to someone fated than leave it to waste in their hands."
With a mournful expression, he went on, "Now, Old Master Yan and Old Master Wang have sent their respective stewards to fetch silver. I heard Old Master Wang is very interested in our two shops on Front Street. If we wait any longer, I fear Old Master Wang will buy them!"
Mr. Wen’s face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
If their two shops were bought by Old Master Wang, at worst they could continue to rent from him. But that would make it seem like the Wen Family couldn’t even afford two shops.
But having already made his statement, it was not so easy for him to change his stance immediately without losing face.
Forcing an air of indifference, he lifted his cup, urging those at the table, "Drink! Drink! It’s only a few shops, she can’t possibly make anything fancy out of them!"
The expressions around the table varied, and they all agreed with a clutter of voices. As they resettled into their seats, each found an excuse to leave, either to use the restroom or something they had forgotten to instruct their servant boys about, leaving seats vacantly alternating between them, unable to even clink cups collectively.
Mr. Wen knew full well they were finding ways to rush to the Song Family to discuss the purchase of Wang Zhubo’s properties.
He downed a few cups of wine in silence, and seeing that even Li Zixiu could not stand it any longer, pretending to be drunk, he wanted to leave first. He sighed inwardly, wiped his face, and called his own steward over: "Go, find a way to buy our two shops."
Worried that Song Jiyun might give him a hard time, he instructed, "Even if it means overpaying, find a way to secure them!"
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