Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 339 Coming
Old Master Zhou coughed a few times and said, "The imperial court allows people to buy private boats so that the Bian River will be more lively. We can't go against the imperial court. Let those small-scale operations be. It's just a livelihood. Who knew that some people would overestimate themselves and want to form a fleet to take many boatmen away from us?"

They didn't really care about the Guo brothers at first, otherwise they wouldn't have let them get away with it until today.

Until last winter, the Guo brothers heard from somewhere that employers should pay their employees at least one hundred coins a day and should not beat or scold them at will. If an employer did such a thing, the employee could file a lawsuit with the yamen.

Taking advantage of the lack of work on the water during the winter, the two brothers spread these words everywhere, teaching the hired laborers to rebel against them.

They thought the Guo brothers wouldn't amount to much, but after the weather warmed up, they suddenly had several more boats. And that wasn't all; boatmen from all four families quit their jobs to work for Guo Xiong and Guo Chuan.

After all that fuss, they actually managed to snag a few deals.

Of course, in the eyes of the four families, these were all small businesses. What really concerned them was that the source of their incitement seemed to be Daming Prefecture.

The Liu family of Daming Prefecture fell, and a number of officials were arrested and imprisoned.

Upon hearing the news, everyone reacted as if they had struck gold, as if this wind could carry the message from Daming Prefecture all the way to Bianjing.

Although such a thing is unlikely to happen, if things continue like this, it will inevitably cause unrest among the people and bring a lot of trouble.

The Guo brothers secretly gathered a group of people to oppose them.

If left unchecked, it could become a dangerous situation.

So the four families began to investigate the Guo brothers, and thus learned that they were looking for the Feng family, who had gone to the capital to file a complaint.

The Feng family's case is somehow connected to them, so why keep them around? Let's just deal with the Feng family as well.

By killing the Guo brothers, those who wanted to rebel against them lost all hope.

Old Master Zhou waved his hand, and the steward immediately understood and hurriedly ordered someone to prepare the car.

The show is over, it's time to go back and rest.

Grandpa Sun smiled and said, "Such a small matter really shouldn't bother the two old gentlemen."

Grandpa Zhou chuckled and said, "The younger generation is becoming more and more unruly. Let's see what tricks they can come up with. But it seems they're nothing special."

They were easily dealt with, with no chance of recovery.

Old Master Wu also took a deep breath. When the imperial court issues new policies, there are always some troubles. This was the case in Daming Prefecture.

That's why they have to be extra careful.

What if the Guo brothers have someone backing them? Wasn't that the case with the Xie family in Daming Prefecture?

"It seems I can't transform into a dragon."

If I had known they were just two little mudskippers, I would have been better off staying home and listening to music.

……

Besides these four companies, there are others keeping an eye on things here.

In the teahouse, He Fan was chatting with Ge Ying.

Ge Ying smiled and said, "I heard you're opening a private event again today?"

He Fan looked smug. He hadn't expected that the female wrestling matches in the entertainment district could attract so many people. He had many other businesses in the entertainment district, and they were all doing well, but none of them were like the female wrestling matches, where he could not only make money but also use them to befriend wealthy families in the capital.

He had to make his money off these people. He Fan felt that his grandfather's old methods were no longer effective, and he would have to see how his grandfather handled things from now on.

He Fan said, "My business is just a small one. Unlike you, cousin, you travel all over the country with your uncle and can get any kind of goods. Twenty percent of the shops in Bianjing rely on you."

“There are plenty of those,” Ge Ying said with a smile. “We just help people transport goods and earn a meager living.”

Not only that. Two years ago, there was a severe drought, and rice shops in Daliang couldn't get any grain. Only a few merchants had grain in their hands, and the Ge family was one of them. The Ge family made a lot of money from that incident alone.

The He family also saw this opportunity. They couldn't compete with the Ge family on land, but they could get involved on waterways, which is why they set their sights on Bian River.

"Didn't my cousin say he was leaving the capital a few days ago? Why is he staying?" He Fan asked. "Is something the matter?"

Ge Ying went to the Xia residence to see Madam Li, who advised him to prepare more inexpensive porcelain to be transported to the border market. He naturally had to heed Madam Li's advice, so he planned to find the Gao family to discuss the matter together.

Of course, the Gao family couldn't rely solely on producing cheap porcelain. He had to visit every kiln chosen to supply the border markets. A single piece of news meant a sum of money, and with increased production, their merchant caravans would need to help transport the porcelain to the markets.

And so Ge ​​Ying stayed.

Although they were all related to the Li family by marriage, Ge Ying did not explain the details to He Fan.

"Madam Li also asked us to inquire about the Xie family of Daming Prefecture," Ge Ying said. "My cousin has people all over Bianjing, so we need to do more to help him."

He Fan shook his head: "Is it worth going to such lengths for a small merchant? Even if she has some reputation in Daming Prefecture, she won't make a ripple in our Bianjing City."

The waters of Bianjing are too deep; one step in and you're gone.

The He and Ge families were able to establish themselves in Bianjing only because of their marriage ties with the Li family.

Could that widow Xie really have such a powerful backer?
"Don't think about this," He Fan patted Ge Ying on the shoulder, "Why don't we go have some drinks?"

Ge Ying, however, had a new suggestion: "Why don't you take me to see that female wrestler?"

He Fan shook his head: "Today's wrestling match is for the women to watch, how can we let outsiders in?"

Ge Ying gave a meaningful smile: "I know your estate is quite large. Take me to a high place to sit down, and we'll join in the fun. We won't wander around aimlessly."

He Fan still felt it was inappropriate, but Ge Ying kept persuading him: "It would be fine if it were someone else, but it's all He family property, so why can't we be more accommodating? Let's disguise ourselves and pretend we're working on the estate."

“No need for that,” He Fan agreed. “We’ll go in later, so please don’t wander around. Bumping into any of the women’s families would be troublesome.”

Ge Ying rubbed her hands together happily: "I'll listen to my cousin."

The two of them rode off out of the city without delay.

At this time, many carriages and horses were coming and going in the village outside Hejiacheng.

Granny Jiang arrived early and stood at the gatehouse helping to collect invitations. She recognized almost all the female relatives who came to visit, and even if she encountered some unfamiliar faces, the He family steward would greet them from the side.

Granny Jiang successfully ushered everyone inside. Just as she was about to rest for a while, she saw another carriage slowly approaching, and Granny Jiang immediately perked up.

The servants who drove and followed the carriage looked quite unusual.

It wasn't that they were dressed well, but rather that their calm demeanor was different from that of ordinary servants. They lacked arrogance, yet a sense of pride was hidden in their bones. Even when they tried to conceal it, it still revealed a hint of it.

Granny Jiang was a frequent visitor to the inner quarters and was an expert at recognizing people; she could guess a person's identity and status at a glance.

Although she hadn't seen the people in the carriage yet, her back straightened instinctively.