The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 106: Asking the Third Lady to Wait for Three Days
"Are you satisfied with the result?" Shang Zishu asked knowingly.

In fact, even she had not expected that Shang Jinliang would actually stand against the Shang clan for Shang Mingshu. In her childhood memories, Shang Jinliang always attached great importance to the family. Some people embezzled money, and he treated them lightly; some people were cunning and deceitful, and he let them go; some people were traitors, and he punished them severely.

In the hearts of Shang Zishu and Shang Wenshu, Shang Jinliang is much more tolerant towards the people in the clan than towards them and their sisters.

"Second sister, Dad might not be as biased towards his clan members as you think." Shang Mingshu knew Shang Zishu's concern and tried to ease the situation. "The mistakes made by the clan members won't cause much harm to Xiang Ming Zhai. Being too picky will only make Dad look like a heartless person. Not all the people we look for will be loyal to Xiang Ming Zhai, and they might even cause other disasters. If that's the case, why punish them harshly for such minor mistakes?"

Shang Mingshu did not understand Shang Jinliang's behavior in the past until she began to regard Xiangmingzhai as something in her pocket and put herself in Shang Jinliang's position. After thinking about how to expand and develop Xiangmingzhai bit by bit, she gradually understood Shang Jinliang's approach.

Today's move not only makes Shang Jinliang appear to favor them, but also makes Shang Wenshu and Shang Zishu see clearly and not to hold grudges against Shang Jinliang because of past events.

Only when a family trusts and tolerates each other can they work together to revitalize the family business.

This is what she saw and learned from the Cheng family.

Shang Zishu was happy in her heart, but said awkwardly: "Humph, he only thought about us today. If you hadn't explained the pros and cons to him in advance, how could he have changed sides so easily? What the tribe members say is what they believe!"

Shang Wenshu said thoughtfully, "My third sister reminded me that I will try to think more from my father's perspective in the future. If I really can't figure it out, I'll go ask him."

Shang Mingshu smiled and took Shang Zishu and Shang Wenshu's hands: "As a family, we should give you and me more opportunities to explain ourselves. Speculating alone will only hurt others and ourselves."

When Shang Jinliang, who had sent his tribesmen away and returned to look for Shang Mingshu, heard this, his eyes suddenly swelled up and he felt both happy and guilty.

What made him happy was that the young girl tried her best to make the whole family feel at peace with themselves, and let him know Shang Mingshu's responsibility and broad-mindedness.

He felt guilty that as a father, he didn't realize that his daughters had some complaints about his tolerance for the people in the clan, and he had to rely on his youngest daughters to resolve the issue.

Shang Mingshu's martial arts skills were such that she had known that Shang Jinliang was coming, so she deliberately said these few words to let Shang Jinliang know that his behavior was inappropriate, and naturally she also wanted to let Shang Jinliang know that no one was more suitable than her to take over Xiang Mingzhai.

The next day, Cheng's tea had not yet arrived, and tea prices in Huizhou Prefecture were rising steadily. The Shang family members would crowd into the tea market several times a day, keeping a close eye on the prices. They resisted the urge to split up and sell tea from Shang Jinliang. Seeing that Cheng's tea had not arrived, several families pooled their money and joined in the tea rush.

On the third day, Cheng's tea still had not arrived, so Shang Mingshu sent someone to find Cheng She to get a definite answer. Hemu came back and reported that Cheng She had gone out for an urgent matter and his whereabouts were unknown.

On the fourth day, Cheng's tea had not arrived and Cheng She was nowhere to be seen. Shang Mingshu could not sit still and went to visit him in person. Cheng Qin was not there, so Wang received him personally.

"Third Madam." Wang's face was friendly, but there was a lingering worry between her brows. "Before my second brother left, he told me that if you come to visit and he hasn't returned, I should give you this letter."

Shang Mingshu took the letter handed to her by Wang Shi, and opened it in front of Wang Shi to prevent Wang Shi from misunderstanding that she was wavering between the two brothers.

The letter contained only a few words: "Please, Third Lady, wait for three days." She handed the letter back: "Madam, are you sure this is the letter that Second Brother Cheng left for me?"

Wang Shi looked down curiously at Shang Mingshu's question and found that she couldn't understand her meaning either. "My second brother gave it to me personally and has been keeping it ever since. This is indeed my second brother's handwriting."

Shang Mingshu knew that this was Cheng She's handwriting. Cheng She's handwriting was more powerful than Cheng Mian's, even a little arrogant, which was inconsistent with the steady image Cheng She gave Shang Mingshu.

She also knew what Cheng She meant, but she just wanted Wang to be a witness on purpose, but she also didn't want Wang to think that she was pretending to be frank.

She pretended to ponder for a moment and then said, "I may have guessed what Second Brother Cheng meant. I need to go back home and discuss it with my father."

Wang guessed that it was not a trivial matter and needed to be discussed with Shang Jinliang, so it was difficult to keep Shang Mingshu. She could only personally send Shang Mingshu out without even drinking a sip of tea.

The first thing Shang Mingshu did when she returned home was to discuss things with Shang Jinliang.

Shang Jinliang looked troubled. "Mingshu, it's not that I don't trust Master Cheng's ability. I think something must have gone wrong with his tea. Whether it was destroyed or looted, it's extremely difficult to bring it back safely. Master Cheng wants us to sell the tea at a low price and compete with other tea merchants. Regardless of whether his tea can be delivered in time, Xiangmingzhai will become a target of public criticism."

"Dad, I know." Shang Mingshu hadn't expected Cheng She to leave her with such a difficult problem, but she knew in her heart that she had to intervene in this matter. "My daughter previously asked Second Brother Cheng to allocate a portion of tooth paste for Xiangmingzhai. It was originally because of Third Brother Cheng's request, but it seems like she owed him a favor. If we succeed in this..."

She suspected that Cheng She was working for the court, and Xiang Ming Zhai had done him a favor. Cheng She and the people behind him who represented the court would not sit idly by and watch Xiang Ming Zhai suffer a huge loss. This would discourage the meritorious officials. Even if they could not be rewarded openly for their merits, they could still find compensation elsewhere.

For example, Zheng Daguangming gave Xiang Ming Zhai tooth stickers, and for example, she has been longing for the fire gun that Zheng Daguangming has always wanted to own!

Shang Jinliang wasn't convinced. He shook his head, "Mingshu, this matter is of grave importance. Whether Mr. Cheng is acting for the imperial court is still uncertain. We can protect ourselves by staying out of it. If we intervene, it's unclear whether Mr. Cheng will benefit from it, but we're sure to be resented by the tea merchants in Huizhou Prefecture!"

"At least I can win the favor of Lord He." Shang Mingshu was unwilling to give up. "Dad, haven't you gone to the tea market to take a look? Now even ordinary people are like gamblers, desperately stockpiling tea. The rumors are getting more and more intense. Can you bear to see innocent people being deceived and buying tea, resulting in poor sales and ruined families?"

These words touched Shang Jinliang for a moment. He met his daughter's earnest gaze and couldn't bear it: "I'll go see the prefect."

This is not completely impossible to do, it just depends on how to do it to minimize the risk to Xiang Ming Zhai.

If the government could step in, it might be more prestigious.

Shang Jinliang ran into a wall with Prefect He. Prefect He praised Shang Jinliang's heart, but he couldn't confirm for the time being that Cheng She was working for the court. As an official, they must have prestige. Even if they were not sure that Cheng She was a secret agent of the court, and that Cheng She's tea could be replenished in three days, he could not take the prestige of the official as a joke.

"If you open a warehouse and sell tea at a fair price, I can protect you in three days." This is all Magistrate He could do.