Misty Canyon Chapter 10 No Negotiation

  Shenhe House is the largest and most luxurious inn in Yicheng, and it belongs to the Ning Wangfu estate. As soon as Wang Guanlan entered Yicheng, he occupied the largest courtyard of this inn.

  No choice, he brought too many people after all.

  These days, the outside of Shenhe Residence is very lively, but inside it's very quiet. Because after the 14th young master of the Wang Manor entered Yicheng, he didn't see anyone and didn't do anything... oh wait, that's wrong, he did one thing - hang a corpse.

  He has been staying in the inn and hasn't come out, nor does he know what he is busy with.

  Although he didn't show his face or say a word, the pressure he brought to Yicheng was evident. The nineteen corpses hanging on the city wall were unknown in identity, but those who knew their identities were all shocked and speechless. They were the personal bodyguards and concubines of the Third Young Master! Just like that, they were hung up to dry in the wind, which was a slap in the face. A king's illegitimate son dared to be so arrogant and slap the face of the king's legitimate son, overturning people's conventional understanding. However, they had to admit that the current Wang Guanlan indeed had the capital to call out the Third Young Master, especially when reason stood on his side. The Fifth Girl was both the Third Young Master's concubine and an assassin who attempted to kill Wang Guanlan. As the king's representative in Yicheng, Wang Guanlan had sufficient reason and power to do so. Next, it would depend on the Third Young Master's reaction.

  Unexpectedly, for the past three days, the Third Young Master of the Wang Estate, who was known for his overbearing personality, had not reacted much. Although there were some small movements behind the scenes, they were not intense. It wasn't until last night that the Fourteenth Young Master, who had been silent for three days and brought endless pressure to Yi City, finally made a move.

  The great hall of Jinju Temple is now in a strange and eerie calm.

  Wang Guanlan sat in the hall's taishi chair, slowly flipping through the account book in his hand. Wang Qing attended to him by his side. Tian Cheng and Tian Ning stood behind him. The ten people responsible for the various industries of the Ning Wangfu in Yicheng, led by Hou Zihan, stood before him, slightly bowing their heads, waiting for instructions.

  Wang Guanlan's attitude looked very serious and meticulous, page by page of the account book was flipped through, each page was read very carefully, from time to time nodding or shaking his head, every move could make the hearts of several people in charge below skip a beat.

  It's been two hours, and he has been sitting in the chair looking at the account for a whole two hours. The tea on the table next to him has been changed several times, and the legs of several stout managers are already starting to tremble. If they stand like this for any longer, they won't be able to hold out.

  However, in such a situation, no one dared to make a sound, just like prisoners waiting for the judge's verdict. Hou Zihao didn't like this feeling, but he had to lower his head.

  "Hmm, this account is done well!"

  Finally, after waiting for another half an hour, Wang Guanlan's golden mouth finally opened. "The Wang family's assets in Yicheng include nine large and seventeen small ones. Let's not look at the seventeen small ones for now, but first look at these large ones: money houses, plantations, warehouses, docks... this type of asset has an annual net income of nearly 200,000 taels of silver. After deducting the 12,000 taels that need to be handed over to the Wang family, there should still be a surplus of 170,000-180,000 taels of silver. Adding those small assets, the total income is at least close to 300,000 taels of silver. Why did you only say 8,000 taels when I sent someone to ask last time?"

  As soon as he opened his mouth, Wang Guanlan wanted to settle old accounts. The eyes of the shopkeepers immediately turned to Hou Zihans face, which was burning with anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "Maybe it was miscalculated last time!"

  "Miscalculated, humph, this can also be miscalculated!" Wang Guanlan didn't give the slightest face to this young master of the Wang family, "On the surface, this account is balanced, but the numbers in the warehouse and this account are definitely not matching. Where did it go? You know better than me!"

  Looking at Hou Zihans who no longer spoke, Wang Guanlan's mouth twitched, "Do you think that those are all old accounts, things from before, all of which were before I took over these industries? Strictly speaking, I really don't have the power to manage them. Even if I'm an official, I still have to take responsibility for the previous administration's debts. You've already left me with 8,000 taels of silver, isn't that enough?"

  "It's better if you don't know too much!" Hou Zihans finally spoke up, without any intention of giving in. This time, Wang Guanlan wanted to check the accounts, and he took out the real account book, not expecting to be able to fool him with a fake one. Because he knew that at this moment, he had to be even more careful, and couldn't leave any handles for Wang Guanlan to grasp.

  Wang Guanlan is right, he came to take over these industries, not to check accounts. Before taking over these industries, everything that happened in these industries was tacitly approved by the Wang family. Wang Guanlan really didn't have any power to say anything about it, and this point was clear to him. In short, he wasn't afraid of being investigated.

  Where did the previous benefits of Yicheng's industry flow to, and the high-level officials of the Wang Mansion knew it in their hearts. Even this time, Yicheng's industry was taken over by Wang Guanlan, which was also a result of the struggle among the high-level officials of the Wang Mansion.

  "Alright, we've met and the accounts have been checked. That's it then. From now on, everyone will continue to do what they need to do. Of course, if anyone wants to leave, I won't force you to stay!" Wang Guanlan's gaze swept across the ten people in front of him. "From now on, Wang Qing will take over Hou Zihans position and officially represent me in handling all matters related to Yi Cheng Industries. His words are my words. Those who choose to stay need to understand that the rules here will be changed. Specifically how they'll be changed, Wang Qing will tell you. Alright, you can leave now!"

  Is that it?!

  The eyes of the ten people below were fixed on me, and mine on them. Finally, they converged on Hou Zihans body. However, Hou Zihan just smiled, swung his sleeves, and cupped his fists in a salute to Wang Guanlan, "In that case, I bid farewell!"

  "Not sending!"

  Looking at Hou Zihans calm back, and then looking at Wang Guanlans impatient face, the ten shopkeepers also helplessly sighed. Seven people with full bellies of doubts followed Wang Qing to the side hall, while three others thought for a moment and followed Hou Zihan out of Shenhe House.

  ……………………

  ………

  "Master Bai, what's going on here? Are you just going to let it go like this? One sentence and you're dismissed? What is Wang Qing anyway? He's just a small-time accountant. What skills does he have that can replace your position?"

  Among the three men who followed Hou Zikuan away, one was extremely fat, with a body wrapped in brocade, and a face full of flesh, with two small eyes rolling around, occasionally flashing a sinister glow. "In that case, we don't seem to be like the Third Young Master's entourage!"

  "We don't need to report to the Third Young Master!" Hou Zihan didn't even glance at them, his tone revealing a hint of impatience. "The corpse of Fifth Miss is now hanging on the city wall, which means that there's no longer any possibility of reconciliation between Wang Guanlan and the Third Young Master. Since there's no possibility of reconciliation, how can I, as the representative of the Third Young Master in Yicheng, still intervene in his Yicheng industries? As for you few, you're considered clever, among all the shopkeepers, you've been closest to me, even if you don't leave on your own, he'll soon find a reason to send you away!"

  "It's not that easy to get rid of us, these industries are all in our hands, even if we don't have any credit, we have put in hard work, he just arrived, what right does he have to chase us away!"

  "You've only left him with 8,000 taels of silver!" Hou Zi sneered coldly. "Zhu Lao Pi, stop clinging to your position, it's definitely not going to be saved. Think about how to retreat wholeheartedly instead!"

  "I'd rather die than retreat! How can I retreat? All my family's property is in Yicheng, it's all in Huitong Manor. If I lose Huitong Manor, I'll have nothing left! Young Master Bao, I cannot retreat!"

  Hou Zihan stopped in his tracks, looking at Zhu Laopi and saying, "You still have your life because the Fourteenth Young Master was too lazy to deal with you, so he gave you a chance to retreat with your whole body. You only have one chance, and I'm reminding you of this because I see how hard you've worked all these years. Don't be greedy, Zhu Laopi, you've made quite a bit over the years!"

  "But...!"

  "Alright!" Hou Zihanshaked his hand, interrupting Zhu Laopi who was about to speak. "I've said all I need to say, whether you listen or not is none of my business!" After that, he quickened his pace and ignored the few shopkeepers, leaving them standing in the middle of the street, unsure of what to do next.

  "No, it can't be like this!" After standing in the wind for a while, Zhu Laopi suddenly stomped his foot. "Things can't just end like this! Hmph, he's just arrived in Yicheng and hasn't even stood firm on his feet, yet he wants to move us? Doesn't he think about how many years we've been operating in Yicheng, how much heart and soul we've put into it? If we leave Yicheng, we'll be nothing! I won't let him succeed so easily!"

  "Zhu Zhanggui, think thrice!" another shopkeeper said cautiously.

  "Hmph, what's there to be afraid of? He's just a teenager, no matter how capable he is. Does he know how to do business? Does he know how to maintain the various relationships in Yicheng? Does he know how to manage these industries?! Zhu Laopi shook his plump body, full of confidence, "If we don't cooperate, can he take control of Yicheng's industries with just those few accountants? Even if he does take control, will he be able to operate them?!"

  "What do you mean...!" Another shopkeeper was very astute and immediately sensed something unusual from Zhu Laopi's words.

  "This isn't what I meant, it's what San Shizi meant!" Zhu Lao Pi said coldly, "Don't you forget, how did Qin Weihua fall ten years ago?!"

  "Qin Weihua!!" The two shopkeepers were taken aback upon hearing this name, and nodded thoughtfully after a moment of silence. "Alright, since that's the case, we'll go back and prepare!" After saying this, the two men also bid farewell with a clasped fist, but whether they really went back to prepare is unknown.