The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 147 Designated Operations
"Chen Che, I'm pleased that you came to visit me day and night to show your concern," Shang Zishu said coldly, looking at Chen Che. "But I want you to know that I'm not married to you yet, so I can't be completely open and honest with you. Not to mention before we're married, even after we're married, I might still have things I don't know... If you're hoping your future wife will be completely open with you, let me tell you now, that will never be me!"

Among the sisters, Shang Zishu and Shang Mingshu are closer, spend more time playing together, and have some similarities in personality.

Shang Zishu has expectations for romantic love, aspirations for a woman's life, and even the courage to gamble on marriage—qualities that Shang Mingshu lacks, or rather, that Shang Mingshu is more superficial in these areas.

But she also possesses the same fierceness and self-assurance as Shang Mingshu.

Chen Che stared blankly at Shang Zishu, seemingly stunned by what she had said. He was still reeling from the shock. He had thought that Shang Zishu would be the person he trusted and was closest to in the future. He regarded her as someone with whom he could share everything without reservation. He couldn't accept that Shang Zishu had told him so decisively that even after marriage, she would keep some things from him.

Chen Che's dejected state made Shang Zishu feel a little sorry for him. She opened her mouth, but couldn't bring herself to say anything soft. She had to make this clear to him, otherwise, it would inevitably create a deeper rift between them after their marriage.

This was different from what he had imagined and expected. Chen Che couldn't help but take a step back. He lost his footing and almost fell. He grabbed the railing next to him to steady himself.

"Chen Che..."

Startled, Shang Zishu stepped forward and grabbed Chen Che's arm.

Chen Che gently pulled away from her: "Let me think about it..."

With that, Chen Che turned around and staggered away.

Shang Zishu took two steps after him, then stopped and watched Chen Che walk away.

“You sisters…” Shang Mingshu led Zhang Yushuang around, leaving from the other side. Zhang Yushuang couldn’t help but sigh softly, “Heartless people.”

“I’ll take this as a compliment,” Shang Mingshu replied with a smile.

"How can it not be a compliment?" Zhang Yushuang took a deep breath of the cold winter wind of Huizhou Prefecture. The icy breath, carrying the instructions of Hanmei, rushed into her brain through her nostrils, and she instantly felt clear-headed. "Isn't a woman being a little ruthless in order to protect herself?"

Shang Mingshu held Zhang Yushuang's hand. Now, she had found out why Zhang Yushuang had returned to Fengyang Prefecture as the year was about to end, and why she was willing to come to Shexian with her: "Aren't we the same?"

Zhang Yushuang's gaze fell on Shang Mingshu's slender, fair hands. The warm breath traveled from Shang Mingshu's palm to the back of her own hand, like a blanket on a cold winter night, the warmth of being wrapped in it was something to cherish.

"You're right, aren't we the same?"

This may be the reason why she admires Shang Mingshu and is willing to get to know her better.

That night, Shang Jinliang returned home beaming with good news: "Shi Houqiong has confessed."

"He confessed?" Shang Zishu asked in surprise. "What triggered him to finally admit it?"

"He personally identified the bodies of his two children, and heard that the prefect was thoroughly investigating the Shi family's ancestors. Chi Wulang confessed before him, leaving him speechless." Shang Jinliang followed the whole process. "The Shi family's ancestors were indeed suspicious. Prefect He wanted to report to the imperial court and proposed that the Ministry of Revenue take the lead in conducting a thorough investigation of the household registration..."

If there's a Shi family in Huizhou Prefecture, there might be a Wang family or a Zhao family in other places...

They never imagined that the person they grew up with, whom they thought they knew inside and out, would turn out to be a spy from another country! How could the court tolerate such a thing that could bring disaster to the country?

I fear the imperial court will take drastic action as a result, but I don't know how they will investigate.

This was not something Shang Mingshu cared about. Chen Che had come from afar, and Shang Jinliang was very happy. His son-in-law was worried about his daughter, and this sentiment was very precious. He pulled Chen Che to have a drink with him.

Considering that Shang Zishu was to get engaged next year, and driven by his inherent sense of seniority, Shang Jinliang wanted to prevent Shang Wenshu from being gossiped about. Seeing that Shang Wenshu and Du Zhong were in love after this incident, he decided to arrange their engagement.

Shang Wenshu and Du Zhong had no objections. Before the new year, the two got engaged in the presence of their elders, and the wedding date was set for March of the following year, when spring was in full bloom.

As a result, many in the clan had reservations, fearing that Du Zhong would marry into the family and then naturally inherit the Xiangmingzhai restaurant.

Shang Jinliang ignored it, pretending not to have heard these idle gossips.

Not long after Shang Wenshu and Du Zhong got engaged, Shi Houqiong died in prison. It was said that he committed suicide by poisoning himself, which angered Prefect He. The prison that he guarded so carefully was eventually exploited, so he carried out a major overhaul, and the whole Huizhou Prefecture was on edge.

The arrival of the New Year has dispelled the thick gloom in the sky.

"The Shi family's property has been confiscated, all their teahouses have been seized, and the prefect has designated all of the Shi family's teahouses to be owned by us, the merchants." Upon receiving this good news, Shang Jinliang rushed home to discuss it with Shang Mingshu. "Mingshu, what do you think?"

When the government confiscates property, it can appoint wealthy merchants to take over, or it can solicit tenants by issuing notices to attract merchants to rent the property. Alternatively, it can be allocated to brokerage firms for bidding.

The Shi family's businesses are extremely large, and most of them are profitable. It's not impossible for merchants to take them all.

"What are you thinking, Father?" Shang Mingshu asked in return.

"Father wants to hear your thoughts." Ever since Shang Wenshu and Shang Zishu forced Shang Jinliang to acknowledge Shang Mingshu as the heir, Shang Jinliang has been intentionally or unintentionally cultivating Shang Mingshu.

Shang Jinliang was overjoyed by Shang Mingshu's many business acumen. He was surprised to find that the only thing he could do to guide Shang Mingshu was that she was still inexperienced and that some of her ideas needed improvement. In fact, there were very few things he could find wrong with her.

"Father, let's postpone it." Shang Mingshu fiddled with the beans with her fingertips. Tomorrow is Laba Festival, and she will personally cook porridge for her family, starting with selecting the ingredients herself.

"Why?" Shang Jinliang clasped his hands together, a smile on his face, and looked at his daughter with a relaxed expression.

Zhang Yushuang looked at Shang Jinliang, then at Shang Mingshu. She was touched that Shang Jinliang treated her like family and never hid anything from her when discussing matters. At this moment, she was also very curious as to why Shang Mingshu would push away such a huge benefit.

“There are many tea merchants in Huizhou, and several of our uncles and elders are on par with us. The Shi family is not much better than us.” Shang Mingshu lowered her head, picking up beans. Her black hair hung down, and when a cold wind blew, her black hair fell onto her fur collar, dancing with the light feathers, making her look exceptionally gentle. “The merger of Xiangmingzhai and the Shi family’s businesses will inevitably lead to a monopoly.”

"Is that not good? You should know that these are all rewards given to the Shang family by Lord He." Shang Jinliang continued to ask.

The Shi family made a great contribution in this operation to expose the Shi family. Shang Mingshu's suggestion that Shi Houqiong was originally from Japan enlightened the court, allowing them to uncover many spies in secret. However, to prevent unrest, the matter could not be made public, and the court was unsure how to reward Shang Mingshu.