Chapter 77 Dirty Tactics Fu Yun listened to Fang Shi…
Hearing the familiar tone of Fang's voice, Fu Yun became even more certain that she had a deep connection with the Empress.
Although he was curious about the extent of the relationship between Guard Fang and the Empress, he did not intend to test her intentions. He simply followed her words and said, "As a commoner, I respect and admire the Empress. How could she not be happy?"
Guard Fang gave Fu Yun a meaningful look, then chuckled and shook his head, saying nothing more.
Fu Yun didn't delve into the meaning behind the guard's gaze, treating it as just casual conversation.
He looked up at Su Mang on horseback and asked, "What exactly happened at the shop today? And what's the situation with Su Zi?"
Su Mang was listening quietly to the conversation between Fu Yun and Guard Fang, trying to deduce from their words how likely it was that His Majesty wanted to take the young master into the harem as a concubine.
Upon hearing the young man mention Su Zi's name, she was visibly startled, then snapped out of her daze, immediately putting aside the question she had been pondering and remembering the changes in the shop. Anger instantly ignited in her eyes.
Those people must have known that the young master was exceptionally capable and difficult to control, and that they could not gain any advantage from him. That's why they only dared to launch a sneak attack when the young master was not around. It was utterly shameless.
Su Mang felt indignant at the thought of what these people had done and wanted to vent her anger to the young man.
“We were doing a good job in business when suddenly a few people barged in and started causing trouble. They accused us of adding poppy and five-stone powder to our tea drinks, claiming that it was the reason they were addicted to our tea drinks. They demanded that we hand over the tea drink recipes so they could check the types of ingredients we used.”
"Of course we couldn't possibly agree to such an unreasonable demand. When they failed to get the recipe, they started fabricating facts and spreading malicious rumors, telling everyone that they got stomach aches after drinking our tea. Young Master Cheng originally tried to reason with them, telling them that no matter what their purpose was, we wouldn't let them have their way. We do business honestly and are not some unscrupulous small-time merchants. Their malicious rumors and trouble-making are illegal, and he has the right to pursue legal action. But they pretended not to understand and started arguing and slandering us, saying that we are profiting from people's suffering, that we sell a cup of tea that can be found anywhere for such an expensive price, that we are cheating people out of their hard-earned money, and that we are making money with a dirty heart."
"Young Master Cheng and Young Master Lu were naturally very angry when they heard this. They demanded that the women produce evidence, or they should leave. However, the women argued that since the liquid had been swallowed, how could they produce any evidence?"
"Young Master Cheng then asked them to bring out the empty lotus leaf cups so that Young Master Lu, who is knowledgeable in medicine, could examine them and give everyone an explanation. If you don't believe Young Master Lu, we can also find a doctor and coroner who are knowledgeable in medicine and toxicology to conduct another test."
Upon hearing this, Fu Yun nodded in approval: "You handled the unexpected situation very well."
"Yes! Just when it seemed the trouble was about to be resolved, their first scheme failed, so they tried another." Su Mang grew increasingly angry as she spoke: "They immediately claimed that because they trusted us, they never imagined we would add anything harmful to the recipe, so they threw away the lotus leaf cups after finishing the tea and therefore couldn't provide them. When Young Master Cheng asked where they threw them away, he said he could find them to prove our innocence. But then they said they couldn't remember."
After finishing her sentence, Su Mang concluded, "I don't think they've ever even tried our tea. They're just deliberately coming to the store to cause trouble and disrupt our opening. They're shameless. They're afraid that customers will come to our store instead of theirs, so they're playing dirty tricks on us and hiring people to put on this show."
Fu Yun smiled slightly and did not refute Su Mang's conclusion: "Your analysis is also correct; you have grasped the main reason for the sudden event."
However, Fu Yun did not believe that it was really the work of a competitor. It was likely just a smokescreen, and the so-called competitor was merely being used as a pawn.
Seeing that Fu Yun agreed with her point of view, Su Mang's eyes lit up with a strange light. Then, she lowered her head somewhat shyly, tucked the stray hairs from her forehead behind her ear, and said modestly, "It has little to do with me. It is because Young Master Cheng and Young Master Lu are shrewd and capable, and have extraordinary strength, that they can remain calm in the face of trouble and deal with each move as it comes."
Fu Yun knew that people in ancient times liked to be modest, so he didn't dwell on the matter too much. He simply nodded, not in doubt but in affirmation: "They found that slander and rumors didn't work, so they just resorted to cheating and arresting people, right?"
Su Mang nodded hurriedly: "Yes, after a confrontation, they found that Young Master Cheng was not only quick-witted but also meticulous and extremely difficult to control. Fearing that their efforts would be in vain if things were exposed, they simply found a high-sounding but false reason to report us to the authorities and forcibly took Young Master Cheng and Young Master Lu away."
Su Mang's gaze towards Fu Yun gradually revealed admiration: "Young master, you were not even there, yet you already guessed what happened? You're really amazing, young master. No wonder they tried to avoid you before causing trouble."
Fu Yun felt a mix of amusement and exasperation: "It's not that I have the ability to predict the future, but rather that your description has already told me the answer."
Su Mang retorted, "That could also be due to other unforeseen events that occurred later. Yet, you, young master, still managed to pinpoint the true direction of events from among many possibilities. That in itself is quite remarkable. You don't need to be so modest, young master."
Fu Jun gently shook his head, not wanting to discuss it further, and changed the subject: "Let's not talk about this for now. Commander Ye and General Qian are already helping to find their whereabouts, and I believe we'll have news soon. You should tell me about Su Zi's situation first."
The business world is like a battlefield; wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue. He is no stranger to, and in fact quite familiar with, some of the dirty tricks in the business world, but he does not approve of them. To win, one must win honorably, not by suppressing opponents through some underhanded means.
Spreading false rumors, disseminating misinformation, and using public opinion to suppress and attack opponents are tactics that have been exhausted in the business world. Yet, in ancient times, they were not to be outdone. On the very first day of opening their business, they presented him with such a grand gift.
That's quite interesting! It reminds him of the feeling of once dominating the business world and competing with rivals.
Who here would be unable to bear seeing themselves do well, and be afraid of their own progress?
The answer is obvious; no wonder I didn't see anyone when I went to the house.
Right now, they're probably busy settling accounts with the people they hired to cause trouble and cleaning up their mess!
It must be said that Su Tan is indeed suitable for the role of a villain; she does every single thing that is disgusting and repulsive.
Maliciously defaming a store's reputation and damaging its public image is an extremely vicious scheme, which could even seriously affect its future development.
This is a classic case of spreading rumors with a single word, but debunking them is incredibly difficult!
Even though he later clarified to everyone that the store was innocent, it still had a considerable impact during the store's operation.
Su Mang pondered for a moment before replying, "Su Zi overheard some news from the servants at the Su residence and wanted to send us a message, but they discovered her and she was captured."
Fu Yun looked calmly at Su Mang: "Su Mang, if you really trust me, I want to hear the truth from you."
Author's note: I fell asleep halfway through writing last night, I'm so frustrated.
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