Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 324 Awakening
Guo Xiong immediately perked up, but seeing Yang Xiaoshan's calm demeanor, he felt that Yang's words seemed unintentional.

Guo Xiong tentatively said, "Your wife is very capable."

“That’s natural,” Yang Xiaoshan said with a smile. “After coming to our clan, Madam took over the management of the household affairs in just a few days.”

Guo Xiong's eyes widened, a mixture of surprise and disbelief in his voice: "This...is it true? How many people do you have?"

Yang Xiaoshan said, "There are several hundred people, including both direct and collateral relatives."

Guo Xiong felt that Yang Xiaoshan was exaggerating.

Yang Xiaoshan immediately became agitated: "Why don't you believe me? Why would I lie to you?" Yang Xiaoshan then briefly recounted how Xie Yuyan punished the second wife.

"With such conclusive evidence, how could someone like that be in charge? Naturally, the eldest daughter-in-law took her down. The eldest daughter-in-law is authoritative, fair in her actions, and doesn't bully members of the collateral branches. We were the first to trust her."

Although it was still hard to believe, Yang Xiaoshan's explanation of cause and effect was so clear that Guo Xiong had to admit that it must be true.

"And then?" Guo Xiong asked, intrigued.

Yang Xiaoshan said, "Madam led us to do business."

Guo Xiong couldn't help but ask, "What kind of business are you doing?"

Yang Xiaoshan took a sip of water to moisten his throat and said, "I can't say yet, but it's a very good deal."

When he suddenly stopped talking, Guo Xiong had some doubts. But then he thought that some deals required seizing the initiative and not letting others know in advance.

Yang Xiaoshan ignored Guo Xiong's thoughts and simply said, "My mistress's business profits are not allowed to exceed 30%, and the wages paid to the hired workers cannot be less than one hundred coins."

“There has never been such a business in our city before, but my wife managed to make it happen. The merchants in the city wanted to make things difficult for her, so they hired idlers to guard the shop and prevent people from buying anything from it.”

Guo Xiong asked, "Then... how did your wife handle it?"

Yang Xiaoshan laughed and said, "Madam hired a lawyer in advance and had her family keep an eye on those idlers. When they did something wrong, she would arrest them and take them to the government office. Then the lawyer would write a lawsuit against them."

"The old lady also said that there's no reason why a business that can make money for many people shouldn't continue. There's nothing those people can do to stop it."

"In short, if you want to do business, especially big business, you must do it openly and honestly, and you can't have any wishful thinking in your heart."

"Currently, the imperial decrees are particularly favorable to merchants. For example, on the Bian River, only the imperial transport boats were allowed in the past, but now private boats are also allowed to travel. The taxes on private boats have been reduced again and again. Isn't this all to allow more people to do business on the water?"

Guo Xiong was surprised that Yang Xiaoshan had seen through all this so soon after arriving.

Guo Xiong asked, "Did your wife say this?"

Yang Xiaoshan nodded: "Madam also said that this business will definitely do well in the future. If we had enough manpower to row the boat, my madam would have bought one too."

Guo Xiong sighed; "It's not that easy."

“Of course,” Yang Xiaoshan said, “everything is difficult at the beginning. Before the court issues a decree, no one knows what it will turn out to be.”

Guo Xiong poured Yang Xiaoshan a glass of wine, which he had brought with him when he arrived. Yang Xiaoshan was clearly not a strong drinker; his cheeks began to turn red, and his gaze became slightly unfocused.

If he hadn't drunk all that wine, Yang Xiaoshan wouldn't have said so much.

“As long as we persevere, there will definitely be good results,” Yang Xiaoshan said, patting Guo Xiong on the shoulder. “However, we also need to be prepared.”

Guo Xiong asked, "What do you mean?"

Yang Xiaoshan remained silent for a long time before speaking again: "What kind of people were on the Bian River before? If someone suddenly comes to share the profits, do you think they'll be happy? They'll definitely find ways to cause you trouble, just like when my mistress was doing business?"

“Those people outside are easy to deal with, but be careful not to let them find an opportunity to frame you. It’s truly terrible if something goes wrong within your own family.” Guo Xiong said, “Has your wife ever encountered anything like this?”

"What do you mean there isn't?" Yang Xiaoshan lowered his voice. "Someone deliberately put things that should have been handed over to the imperial court into our business, accusing us of concealing them."

"It was the eldest daughter-in-law who noticed it early and sent those people to the yamen instead."

Guo Xiong was startled.

“Those people are used to such tricks, doing these things secretly, and then they get caught red-handed, and you'll have nowhere to seek justice.”

Guo Xiong stared intently at Yang Xiaoshan, now he was 50-60% sure that the person in front of him was there to warn him.

If this is true, their spice trade must have been noticed as suspicious.

Can something that everyone outside knows still be considered a secret? How could transporting spices in secret possibly go unpunished?

Guo Xiong had originally intended to obey his second brother and risk his life to rescue Feng Erniang, after which he would never get involved again. Now, it was as if a thunderbolt had exploded over his head, completely waking him up.

What ability does he have to do these things?

How could such a lucrative business fall into the hands of powerless people like them?

Their best course of action is to act within the bounds of the imperial law. Those powerful and wealthy families couldn't find an excuse to punish them before, but now that they've delivered themselves to their doorstep, do they really expect to escape unscathed?

Guo Xiong broke out in a cold sweat. He thought he was trying to get information out of others by drinking alcohol, but in reality, they had seen through his plan from the very beginning.

Guo Xiong felt more grateful to Yang Xiaoshan, and thus spoke to him even more politely.

“Your wife is right,” Guo Xiong said. “You have to do things properly and not do anything illegal.”

Ordinary people can only rely on the law. Without any regulation, how could they earn even a penny? Wouldn't all the profits go to those in power and influence?

Yang Xiaoshan wiped his mouth and said, "I'm full and should go back now. There are still many things to do at home."

Guo Xiong didn't keep Yang Xiaoshan any longer. He wanted to pay the bill, but Yang Xiaoshan insisted on giving him half, saying, "We're eating together today, how can I use your money? You can treat me another time."

After parting ways with Yang Xiaoshan, Guo Xiong hurriedly walked back, probably because Guo Chuan had already taken the spices without his knowledge.

After a quick walk, when they found Guo Chuan, he was talking to several boatmen. The boatmen, who had been excited, all fell silent when they saw him.

After sending the boatmen away, Guo Xiong did not directly reprimand Guo Chuan. He knew that some words would be useless, so he simply reassured him for the time being, "Let me first gather some information and make sure that no one is watching us before we take any action."

Guo Chuan smiled and said, "Brother, does that mean you agree?"

Guo Xiong nodded: "How much can you transport on your own? You might as well make a trip; it'll reduce the danger."

Guo Chuan said repeatedly, "That's exactly what I meant, brother finally understands."

“However,” Guo Xiong said, “those spice merchants have already left Bianjing, haven’t they? It might not be easy to find them again.”

“Simple,” Guo Chuan said, “I’ll go find it.”

Guo Xiong looked at Guo Chuan: "Do you know where they are?"

Guo Chuan paused for a moment, then immediately covered up his misunderstanding: "I don't know, but I'll find out if I ask around."

Guo Xiong replied, "Then that's settled."

Seeing his younger brother's joyful expression, Guo Xiong felt a chill in his heart. If it was really discovered that someone had set a trap, he should go and thank that old lady properly.