Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 522 Recommendation
When Han Si was in charge of the porcelain trade, he always treated the porcelain merchants in Bianjing City with a strategy of winning some over others and punishing others. Wang Yongnian and others were merchants whom Han Si deliberately tried to win over.

Han Si often shared some benefits with them. They owned several shops, which Han Si had acquired through various means. Of course, these benefits weren't free; they also had to cooperate with Han Si.

Wang Yongnian had a guilty conscience. His eyes swept around, wondering if any of the people staring at him were victims they had oppressed.

After a moment, Wang Yongnian thought it was unlikely. Most of those people had left Bianjing after losing their shops; where would Xie find them?

Even with these considerations, Wang Yongnian dared not speak again.

Shanqing snorted coldly and said, "The previous leader was Han Si. All those things you mentioned were done by Han Si. He is currently in prison, and the court will determine his punishment. What does that have to do with us?"

"But how to choose an elder is..."

Shanqing dared not use the word "rules" again, paused for a moment, and then said, "It's a custom, and it can't be changed arbitrarily. Otherwise, with so many guilds in Bianjing, anyone could come and point fingers, wouldn't that lead to chaos?"

Before Xie Yuyan could speak, Zhou Guangyuan said, "Then tell me, how should we choose?"

Shanqing simply said, "It will be recommended through consultation among members of the industry."

As they said this, Shanqing and the others' eyes flickered.

This is the result of their discussion in the teahouse.

After Han Si and others were arrested, Xie led a group to seize the position of Elder. Isn't that because she has the support of people like Zhou Guangyuan? If the remaining members of the guild are intimidated by Xie and dare not come to stop her, Xie will smoothly become the next Elder.

Fortunately, they got together to discuss countermeasures and prepared to work together to deal with the Xie family.

Relying on just a few of them wasn't enough, so they sent someone to invite several merchants to come and help. These people usually rarely spoke in the guild and were adept at changing their tune depending on the situation; they wouldn't show up at such a critical moment unless there was something in it for them.

Since that's the case, they offered some benefits: if one of them became a trader, the merchants would be exempted from paying taxes for two years.

With the merchants they invited... their numbers were far superior, and the Xie family couldn't gain any advantage.

Thinking this, Shanqing looked towards the door. As long as the reinforcements arrived in time, the Xie family would lose.

"There's no time to lose," Jiang Qi said, "Let's make the nominations now!"

Hearing Jiang Qi's words, Guan Fenglin and Wang Yongnian both breathed a sigh of relief. Jiang Qi was a bit dim-witted; he spoke hastily simply because he was afraid someone else would come.

Guan Fenglin seized on Jiang Qi's weakness: "Since everyone agrees to nominate... we can consider it a consensus. However, Madam Xie cannot participate in the nomination."

Zhou Guangyuan frowned: "What kind of logic is this?"

Guan Fenglin smiled and said, "Brother Zhou, don't be impatient. I say this because Madam Xie is not a member of our Bianjing porcelain business."

Shanqing's eyes lit up, thinking that Guan Fenglin's excuse was excellent, at least it would allow him to entangle with Xie Shi and Zhou Guangyuan for a while longer.

Xie Yuyan looked at Guan Fenglin: "Anyone who does porcelain trading in Bianjing must join a guild. Isn't that the rule of the Bianjing porcelain trade?"

"If I bring porcelain to Bianjing to sell, am I considered a member of the porcelain trade?"

Shanqing almost jumped up: "You haven't paid your share of the porcelain trade fees, so you're not considered a member of the porcelain trade."

"So, by paying the customary fee, we can get promoted to elder?" Xie Yuyan said. "Then I will pay the fee now."

“Not now,” Shanqing said. “How can we expect to submit our proposals on the same day?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Xie Yuyan's gaze deepen slightly. Shan Qing's heart clenched, as if he had become prey falling into a trap.

Sure enough, Zhou Guangyuan spoke up, "So, it's fine as long as the fee was paid before today." This time, not only Shanqing, but also Guan Fenglin and the others frowned. Zhou Guangyuan was clearly prepared.

Zhou Guangyuan reached out his hand, and Jiang Qi took out the ledger.

“The porcelain shop’s accounts were taken away by the government, so we set up new accounts. They are clearly recorded that Madam Xie paid the customary fee yesterday, and... there is a clerk from the market administration office to testify to this.”

Even Guan Fenglin could no longer voice any doubts.

"I'm coming."

Shanqing's voice rang out at the crucial moment. Guan Fenglin's eyes lit up, and he quickly turned around. He saw several merchants being led into the porcelain shop.

When the person he was waiting for arrived, Wang Yongnian immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Guan Fenglin looked at Xie Yuyan: "Madam Xie, all of us are here. Now we can begin to elect the new head of the enterprise."

Shanqing sat down impatiently: "There's no time to lose, everyone. Let's not delay any longer." They discussed it in the teahouse and elected Guan Fenglin as the new head of the enterprise.

Guan Fenglin was the youngest and owned the fewest shops, making it easier for them to control him.

Zhou Guangyuan and the others did not move. Guan Fenglin pressed his advantage and looked at Wang Yongnian and the other merchants. They also came to their senses and sat down in chairs like Shanqing, picking up their brushes.

As he watched everyone write down his name, Guan Fenglin's heart nearly leaped out of his throat. He owed his smooth ascension to the position of Elder to the Xie family. Without them, these people would never have so readily nominated him.

Shanqing handed the paper to the clerk of the Market Affairs Bureau. Whenever a guild nominated new or old members, the Market Affairs Bureau had to supervise the process. Once the paper was handed over, it was considered that their nomination was complete.

Their numbers far exceeded those of Zhou Guangyuan and his group, and Guan Fenglin's expression became increasingly relaxed.

"Finished writing?"

Wu Tieshan, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "Then get up, it's the rest of you're going to write."

"Aren't these chairs enough?" Shanqing said. "You can sit somewhere else."

“It’s really not enough,” Jiang Qi said. “With so many people in the room, we naturally have to write in shifts.”

Guan Fenglin's mind went blank for a moment, and he immediately looked around: "What did you say? They also want to hold an elder's ceremony?"

“Of course,” Zhou Guangyuan said, “they are all people who trade porcelain in Bianjing, and they have paid the customary fees.”

“How can these people be qualified?” Wang Yongnian said. “They are just ordinary peddlers and laborers. How can they be used to fill the ranks?”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Xie Yuyan said. “Your Wang family has only been running shops for a few decades. When it comes to expertise in porcelain, you are far inferior to them.”

A burst of laughter immediately filled the room.

The merchant who had been lame in one leg came out and said, "Madam is right. My family has been firing kilns for three generations. On the day I was born, the family kiln only had three intact pieces of porcelain, so my grandfather named me Xu Sanjian (meaning 'Three Pieces')."

"Before Han Si became a merchant, my family sold porcelain at the North Gate. The old lady said that we refused to pay the festival tax, and in the end, my family was the one who lost the shop because of your scheme."

“I went to argue with you, and you broke my leg.”

“Now my shop,” Xu Sanjian pointed to Wang Yongnian, “has become the Wang Family Porcelain Shop.”

Writing didn't go smoothly today, so it's a bit late, but there are still two chapters. I'll update the second chapter later.