Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 521 Rules
Guan Fenglin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that everyone had made up their minds. He had long hoped that Han Si would give up his position as the head of the porcelain business, so he had been befriending these people in private. However, he did not expect that before he could even take action, an outsider named Xie would benefit from the situation.

If Xie were dead, he wouldn't have needed to go to such lengths to arrange all this; ultimately, those people were just useless.

When he heard that Zhao Chuan was Zhao Zhongliang, he was startled. Fortunately, he had no dealings with Zhao Chuan in private, otherwise he would have had to leave Bianjing immediately to avoid trouble.

“Now that everyone has made up their minds,” Guan Fenglin said, “we must not back down later. Even if we cannot immediately elect a new leader, we must first stir up trouble.”

Shanqing said, "There are rules for selecting elders. I'll see where Xie gets the confidence to make this request."

The group gathered together to discuss the matter carefully. Just then, they heard a commotion downstairs. Guan Fenglin got up, opened the window, and looked down. He immediately saw Zhou Guangyuan, Jiang Qi, and several others surrounding a woman and heading towards the porcelain shop.

"You're here?" Shanqing also came over and looked around.

Upon closer inspection, Shanqing noticed that there were quite a few people gathered there, and he couldn't help but frown: "Are there really so many merchants who are at odds with Han Si? I think there are at least twenty or so of them."

Another merchant squeezed in, saying, "Perhaps they were all brought by Zhou Guangyuan to make up the numbers."

Those people had their heads down, and they couldn't see clearly from the pavilion. Shanqing immediately said, "There's no use guessing from here. Let's go down and take a look now."

Guan Fenglin did not speak immediately. He was more patient than Shan Qing and wanted to get a general idea before deciding how to proceed.

He was familiar with all the merchants in the Bianjing porcelain trade, but now there were many unfamiliar faces among them.

Guan Fenglin was secretly pleased: "Zhou Guangyuan and the others are just bluffing; most of the men below are just there to make up the numbers."

Hearing this, everyone felt relieved.

Shanqing said, "They're just petty tricks that can't be brought to the table."

Since that was the case, everyone was no longer in a hurry. After discussing everything, they got up and headed towards the porcelain shop.

The porcelain guild was exceptionally lively, attracting many locals to stop and watch.

Guan Fenglin pushed through the crowd and immediately saw Zhou Guangyuan standing at the door.

"Brother Zhou," Guan Fenglin said with a smile, "it's been a long time. How have you been?"

Zhou Guangyuan returned the greeting calmly: "I've been doing well lately, thank you for your concern."

These words gave Shanqing, who was behind him, an opening: "I heard the Zhao family has returned to Bianjing? Why didn't they inform us? We could have helped them out."

Zhou Guangyuan was taken aback, and it took him a moment to come to his senses: "You mean Zhong Liang?"

Shanqing gave a cold laugh: "Then who else?"

Zhou Guangyuan immediately looked around nervously: "This... the government office forbids discussion of this matter, where did you get this information from?"

Zhou Guangyuan's face darkened, and Jiang Qi next to him looked even more unpleasant. Wu Tieshan, who had rushed over, simply interrupted, saying, "What are you saying standing at the door? Come in first."

Guan Fenglin and Shan Qing, seeing the two men's expressions, knew they were probably faking it, but they couldn't help feeling a little guilty. So they said nothing more and followed Zhou Guangyuan into the porcelain shop.

The moment they entered, Guan Fenglin and Shanqing sensed something was different.

When Han Si was the head of the porcelain business, he liked to place a chair in the center of the shop, with everyone else sitting below him. This way, he could demonstrate his status in the porcelain business.

On the table were some exquisite tea and snacks, and sometimes musicians would be invited to tune their instruments. But now, the table and chairs were arranged in a circle, and in the center sat two men dressed as clerks, writing something.

The unfamiliar situation left Guan Fenglin momentarily stunned.

"What... is this happening? Why are you doing this?" Guan Fenglin asked.

With the table arranged like this, it's hard to tell what's most important.

Zhou Guangyuan smiled and said, "Aren't we electing a leader? It'll be easier to discuss things if everyone sits like this. It will also prevent arguments about whether to sit in the front or the back."

Guan Fenglin and the others had agreed at the teahouse that once they arrived at the porcelain shop, they would use their age and the time they had joined the shop to secure front seats for themselves. However, they never expected that the tables and chairs would be arranged like this.

How are they supposed to bring it up? What's the point of arguing? They're already in a circle anyway, does it even matter where they sit?
"This is too chaotic," Wang Yongnian frowned. "When has the porcelain industry ever done this? Where did this rule come from?"

What were the rules before?

A voice rang out, and Wang Yongnian turned his head to look. He saw a girl of about sixteen or seventeen years old being surrounded by people as she walked over.

Shanqing was slightly surprised when he took a look. He hadn't expected Xie to look like this. He was about to scrutinize her more when he suddenly met Xie's gaze.

A cold, intimidating gaze swept over him, causing Shanqing to instinctively lower his head, sweat beading on his forehead. He didn't know why he felt such intense terror for a moment, as if he were about to lose his life.

When Shanqing came to his senses, he was immediately annoyed. He had just met someone and was already at a disadvantage. If others had seen him just now, they would definitely have laughed at him.

Wang Yongnian coldly replied, "Naturally, it's the rule of our Bianjing porcelain business."

"Who made the decision?" Xie Yuyan asked. "Han Si?"

Many of the rules of the Bianjing porcelain business were naturally set by the previous owner. Wang Yongnian was about to blurt them out, but fortunately, he was quick-witted and stopped in time.

Now that Han Si is in jail, if he mentions Han Si's name at this time, Xie might seize on it as leverage.

Unfortunately, it was too late...

Xie Yuyan said, "Let us hear what rules Han Si has set. How much is the annual guild fee, and how much 'tax' do new merchants have to pay?"

“They also charge repair fees and festival donations. Merchants who refuse to pay will be subject to arbitrary tax increases. If they resist, they will be arrested on charges of violating trade rules and tax evasion, and will only be released after paying a ransom.”

“For merchants who cannot pay their debts, you should lend them money at high interest rates. If they cannot repay the money by the due date, the head of the business should take over their shops.”

"These are the rules you set?"

Xie Yuyan's voice wasn't loud, but it resonated throughout the entire porcelain guild at that moment, because the surroundings fell silent the instant she spoke.

Many people showed resentment when she talked about repair costs, festival donations, and arbitrary tax increases.

A merchant with a limp was particularly excited and almost rushed forward. That's how his shop was lost, and now it's in Shanqing's hands.

Seeing that things were not going well, Wang Yongnian immediately denied it: "That's not what I was talking about."

“There are many rules in the guild,” Xie Yuyan said calmly. “Today we will explain them one by one. Especially for the merchants who joined the guild early on, you know the most, so you might as well explain them to everyone.”

As soon as Xie Yuyan finished speaking, Wang Yongnian felt many angry gazes directed at him.