The world is like a prison, my body is holy

"Manager Chen is truly righteous!"

"Very well, since Manager Chen has been so generous, Fengyulong cannot fall behind. So, on behalf of my boss, I will also state that this year, Fengyulong will reserve 20% of its grain quota in Yangzhou!"

"Manager Chen is shrewd, and Manager Zhou is tough. Although my 'Changping Granary' is not as large and powerful as yours, if Chief Huang and General Wang are to show some compassion, even if it means gritting my teeth, I will definitely do my best to keep things running smoothly. This year, my Changping Granary will leave 20% of its grain quota in Yangzhou..."

Once someone took the lead, the atmosphere in the lobby instantly became lively.

Many grain shop managers expressed their opinions one after another, seemingly having already settled on the figure of "20%".

With his extensive experience in the underworld, how could Huang Xingde not see that these shopkeepers were putting on an act?

These people must have met quite a few times during the New Year to discuss how to deal with the father and son...

He wasn't annoyed. When it comes to doing things, nothing is ever smooth sailing.

"We know that everyone has their own difficulties. When doing business, people can't always be of one mind!"

Huang Xingde smiled and bowed to everyone, saying softly, "However, you are all prominent figures in Yangzhou. With so many of us gathered here today, surely you can come up with a solution that will satisfy everyone?"

He paused, then sighed and said, "It's not that I, Huang, am ungrateful, but I made a boast to my son earlier that I would give him 20%... I really can't explain this to him. I beg you old friends to be lenient and help me out, so that I, as his father, won't lose face in front of my son."

He made his own joke, trying to steer the conversation toward business, not wanting to give these people the impression that he and his father were bullying others.

If he really wanted to bully others by abusing his power, why would he need to personally intervene?

"This……"

As soon as Huang Xingde finished speaking, the lively atmosphere in the hall instantly fell into a stalemate again.

The group of managers looked troubled and exchanged glances discreetly.

'I knew these two wouldn't be so easy to deal with!'

"Two-tenths of a percent isn't enough to satisfy them? They're far too ungrateful!"

Judging by his posture, it's possible that today, if things don't go well, nobody will be able to step out of this door...

'He dares!'

In silence, the group of managers exchanged countless glances, and the atmosphere in the hall became somewhat strange, oppressive with a hint of anxiety, anxiety with a hint of mockery, and mockery with a hint of anger.

Huang Xingde, keenly sensing the strange atmosphere, broke the silence in the hall once again: "Leizi, Leizi, what are you still standing outside for? Why don't you come in and change the tea for the shopkeepers? Also, bring in some tea snacks and dried fruit. Oh, by the way, didn't your brother Hu send a few boxes of Jiangxi osmanthus tea cakes before the New Year? Bring them in so the shopkeepers can have a taste..."

His original intention was to steer the atmosphere in the hall towards a tea party, so that even if they still couldn't reach an agreement today, they wouldn't offend the managers.

Anyway, it's only the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, so there's still time to talk about this.

Unexpectedly, some of his casual words fell into the ears of those with ulterior motives and somehow became a display of muscle and a blatant threat.

Then, with a loud "thud," the teacup slammed heavily onto the tea table.

The barely concealed discontent immediately drew the attention of everyone in the lobby.

"I have a question that I have been pondering for a long time but have not been able to answer. Could you please enlighten me, Chief Huang?"

The speaker was a burly middle-aged man with leather wristbands on both arms and a white jade thumb ring on his right thumb. He looked more like a warrior than an accountant. He asked calmly with his hands clasped, making no attempt to hide his displeasure.

When the managers heard him speak, they were all overjoyed and wished they could give him a thumbs up!
Well done, warrior!

Huang Xingde looked at the person who had spoken, and his interest was piqued. He smiled and returned the gesture with his hands clasped, like a merchant who was good at making money: "Manager Wei, please feel free to ask any questions you may have."

This imposing middle-aged man, sitting with a commanding posture that made him stand out from the other grain store managers, was the only outsider in the main hall.

As far as Huang Xingde knew, this person had only arrived in Yangzhou at the end of last winter and had taken over the Yangzhou branch of "Ruihehe," a long-established grain merchant in Jiangnan.

After taking over Ruihe, this person was meticulous and low-key, and did nothing particularly surprising. Apart from having a few ordinary martial arts skills, he had nothing else remarkable about him.

Looking back now, he underestimated this person!
Upon hearing Huang Xingde's reply, Manager Wei asked without hesitation, "May I ask, Chief Huang, why should we, the grain depot, be held accountable for winning people's hearts with your virtuous father and son? If I remember correctly, General Wang's official position does not involve the transportation of grain and fodder, does it?"

'Fuck this kid!'

Upon hearing this, the managers in the hall were all shocked. They exclaimed in unison, then turned their attention away and lowered their heads to drink their tea, acting as if they were not familiar with him and were afraid of being implicated.

But in reality, everyone secretly applauded his question.

This is also why they feel uncomfortable and resistant to the idea: 'Why should we pay for the good deeds you two do?'

Upon hearing Manager Wei's question, Huang Xingde immediately realized that he had underestimated this man...

'That accent sounds a bit like someone from Kaifeng!'

He remained vigilant, calmly sipping his tea, and after carefully organizing his thoughts, replied unhurriedly, "Manager Wei, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. What do you mean by saying that my father and I are trying to win people's hearts? What have my father and I done to make you think we are trying to win people's hearts? My father and I are simply taking precautions and requesting that everyone try not to let this year's grain flow out of the country, and to store grain for famine!"

"Neither my father nor I have accepted a single copper coin from you, nor have we asked you to provide a single grain of rice as relief to the people of Yangzhou. How can it be that my father and I have won people's hearts, yet you are demanding an accounting?"

Manager Wei raised the corners of his mouth, seemingly disdainful, yet also sneering: "Chief Huang is quite adept at deflecting blame. Every mortal has something to gain in doing things. The Xian father and son have mobilized so many people for this matter, even resorting to using their power to intimidate others. Surely they must have something to gain? Do the Xian father and son think that they are the only smart ones in all of Yangzhou who can see that grain prices will inevitably rise this year?"

"Fuck, this young man!!"

Manager Wei's bravery exceeded the expectations of all the grain store managers present, and they began to panic.

"Manager Wei, that's a misconception!"

The old man with white hair who had just complained to Huang Xingde about the Dongyu Grain Shop spoke up impatiently: "As the saying goes, 'An official should bring benefits to the people in his jurisdiction.' Although General Wang is the Demon-Slaying General, he is also the local official of Yangzhou. He foresaw that there might be a grain shortage this year and took action in advance to stabilize the grain market. This was only out of the benevolent heart of a local official who loves the people like his own children. How can it be said that he was trying to win people's hearts?"

"Yes, yes, you're not from Yangzhou, you don't understand. That's just how we Yangzhou people are. We always think about taking care of our own family."

"Yes, yes, we all know that General Wang is kind-hearted and cares deeply for the people. Manager Wei, you don't understand, so don't talk nonsense."

"Exactly, exactly. With General Wang's prestige in Yangzhou, does he even need to win people's hearts..."

A group of managers, their foreheads dripping with cold sweat, vied to be the straight man and perform a comedy routine for the white-haired old man, their eagerness to speak as if they were pledging their allegiance to him.

The last one to be the straight man, Manager Zhou, realized that everyone's eyes were on him halfway through his sentence. He immediately realized what he had said, and his vest was instantly soaked with cold sweat. He hurriedly picked up his teacup and took a tactical sip of tea: "Hehehe, Chief Huang, your tea is really good!"

Manager Wei made no attempt to hide his disdain as he swept his gaze over these opportunists, and sneered, "Is that so? You didn't say that last night at Manager Sun's residence!"

"Pfft." The white-haired old man spat out a mouthful of tea, grabbed his sleeve and wiped his mouth haphazardly, and shouted, "What? In my old mansion? This is utterly speechless!"

"Yes, utter nonsense!"

"We've never even met in the past..."

Manager Zhou, filled with righteous indignation, chimed in, only to find everyone's eyes turning to him again. He immediately felt a pang of bitterness and picked up his teacup once more, sipping his tea tactfully: "Hey, Chief Huang, where's the osmanthus tea cake you mentioned? Why hasn't it been served yet?"

Huang Xingde took in everyone's reactions and sighed silently, feeling utterly exhausted.

He regretted it a little.

They regretted not using Wang Wen's method, which was to cut the Gordian knot and directly impose the orders of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion on these merchants.

Previously, he disliked Wang Wen's method as being too crude, and at the same time, he didn't want Wang Wen to offend these prominent figures in Yangzhou. He thought that if he were to risk his reputation, he could persuade these managers to come up with a solution that would satisfy everyone and accomplish the task successfully.

He was already mentally prepared to secretly give these grain depots a sum of money...

In retrospect, doing so only complicated a simple matter.

When a scholar encounters a soldier, what an easy problem to solve!

How did he end up in this situation?

Huang Xingde sighed inwardly, "I'm getting old after all," and said expressionlessly, "Very well, since you all don't understand the reasoning, let my son go and explain it to you himself!"

As he spoke, he picked up his teacup and lowered his head to drink the tea.

The managers on both sides understood each other, exchanged glances with trepidation, reluctantly stood up, bowed to Huang Xingde to take their leave, and turned to wipe their sweat as they filed out of the hall.

Just as everyone stepped out of the hall, Huang Xingde, who was drinking tea in the hall, suddenly spoke up again: "Manager Wei."

Everyone turned around at the sound and saw Huang Xingde with his head down, slowly stirring his teacup, and saying softly, "Don't be so impulsive later. Just answer whatever he asks, and agree to whatever he says... Don't make things difficult for your boss."

Manager Wei was still frowning, puzzled.

The other managers, however, all changed their expressions. Their old faces turned pale with a hint of red, then purple, and finally white.

In the end, Manager Sun, being "mature and prudent," forced a smile and said, "I suddenly remembered that I still have some matters to discuss with Chief Huang. Since Manager Wei has important matters to attend to, it's alright for him to take his leave first!"

"Yes, yes, we still have a few minor matters to report to Chief Huang. Manager Wei, you can go ahead now!"

"Hurry up and leave. Once you're out this door, don't even think about recognizing us, okay?"

Manager Wei suddenly realized what was happening, and his square, broad face instantly turned a purplish-red.

He flicked his sleeve and shouted angrily, "A rabble of lawless rabble!"

After saying that, he turned around, head held high, and strode towards the gate, completely unaware of the pitying looks from the managers behind him.

The managers exchanged a glance discreetly.

"It seems that 'Ruihehe' will no longer exist in Yangzhou!"

'Who says otherwise? Hey, can't we just talk business? Why bring up General Wang?'

'Yeah, of all people to mess with, this little rascal had to provoke General Wang… Has he always been this brave?'

……

"Is it important?"

Wang Wen walked down from the main hall of the general's mansion with a cold smile. He kicked Manager Wei in the stomach with a seemingly slow but actually fast kick, sending him flying backward like a wild goose landing on a sandy beach, crashing into the courtyard. "Your most important thing today is to get this beating!"

Upon hearing his words, a large group of knowledgeable and sensible black-clad demon-suppressing guards immediately surged out from both sides of the courtyard, surrounding Manager Wei in a circle.

Although these burly demon-suppressing guards didn't use any weapons, they were all incredibly ruthless. The "thump, thump, thump" sounds of them hitting the sandbags made it clear that they were aiming to beat Manager Wei to death.

Wang Wen stood outside the crowd and sneered, "Why did you have to anger my father of all people? Do you think you can anger him? Even I don't dare to upset him now, don't you know that?"

Manager Wei clutched his head, feeling the torrential rain of punches and kicks raining down on him. Terrified, he abandoned all pretense and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I am Wei Liangcai, the former Crown Prince's bodyguard and the current Emperor's personal bodyguard!"

The group of demon-suppressing guards who were kicking him in a circle stopped their violence when they heard his shout.

One of the demon-suppressing guards, who appeared to be an officer, turned around with a pained expression and slapped his subordinate's head to the side, muttering angrily, "How many times have I told you? For this kind of trash, slap them in the mouth first, slap them in the mouth first, don't you remember? Don't you remember?"

The group of timid demon-suppressing guards lowered their heads in frustration.

The comical scene made Wang Wen chuckle and curse, "You bunch of idiots, you stop when I tell you to? You believe him when he says he's an imperial guard? Then I could say he's a notorious bandit posing as an imperial guard! Do you believe him or me?"

His curses terrified Wei Liangcai, who, ignoring his aching body, desperately cried out, "No, I really am the Emperor's servant..."

"Crack!"

A size 45 foot stomped hard into his open mouth, knocking out four of his front teeth on the spot.

The group of burly demon-suppressing guards glanced admiringly at their squad leader, thinking to themselves, 'No wonder you're so capable of being a squad leader.'

They used both their hands and feet to kick Wei Liangcai in a circle again.

This time, Wei Liangcai was unable to shout out again.

Wang Wen, who was standing outside the crowd, never called for a stop.

Only when Wei Liangcai slumped into a puddle of mud and completely breathless did he turn around and stagger toward the main hall: "Don't dirty our own place. Where he came from, just throw him there."

When a scholar encounters a bully, it's a simple matter.

I really don't understand why the old man does all this unnecessary stuff; doesn't he find it troublesome?

The Eastern Palace? The Emperor?
"Tsk!"

Wang Wen comfortably settled back into his armchair, picked up his pen, and continued writing official documents: "Interesting..." (End of Chapter)