The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 158 Offending People, Shang Mingshu is Not Afraid

“I’m afraid that tea plantation won’t be enough to entice the tea farmers. I’ll have to trouble you, Second Sister, to act as a go-between.” Shang Mingshu smiled and nodded slightly to Shang Zishu.

"You only know how to order me around." Shang Zishu complained, but she got up quickly and turned around with a smile on her lips.

She just has that kind of unlikable personality. She's secretly pleased that her younger sister needs something from her, and she's overjoyed when her sister recognizes her abilities and value, but she can't help but complain a bit.

This tea plantation is located at the border of Xiuning County and Shexian County. It is not large in area. As for the water source problem, Shang Mingshu and Shang Zishu already have a solution, which is simply to invest some money.

With proper care, the yield per mu can reach 1,000 jin, making it a worthwhile long-term investment.

Ever since the last insect infestation, many tea farmers have breached their contracts with the Shang family. Shang Mingshu has been trying to solve this problem. The Shang family has many tea mountains, but their annual output is only enough to support China Tea Investment. Most of the tea sold to the outside world comes from tea farmers in various places.

With the government's support for tea sales, the Shang family wouldn't necessarily fall into losses. Because it was a collaboration with the government, they had to cover the shortfall themselves, so the profits weren't substantial. This was just enough to keep the entire Shang family afloat. To have surplus money, they had to reduce their expenses...

Shang Mingshu had been living a life of luxury since childhood. Asking her to cut back on expenses and to carefully consider anything she liked was unbearable for her. Therefore, she had to work hard to earn money to ensure her extravagant enjoyment.

Now is a good time.

"Third sister, do you want to find a better way to get along with the tea farmers?" Shang Wenshu guessed Shang Mingshu's intention.

Shang Mingshu didn't keep the previous incident to herself. They could more or less sense that as tea merchants, especially the well-known tea merchants of Huizhou Prefecture, they couldn't act rashly, lest they attract group rejection and suspicion.

They and the tea farmers are undoubtedly the stronger party. If they take the initiative, no matter what they do, they will give others a handle to use against them. Being attacked is a minor issue; the real fear is that the tea farmers will end up earning less money. Even if it's not because of the change in the cooperation agreement, people will make a big fuss about it and take it to the government. They will inevitably be accused of exploiting the people and plundering their wealth.

Now that tea farmers are bringing their tea to our door, it's not that they're actively requesting changes to the contract. If there are any problems later, we can't use this as an excuse to pursue the matter. It's a mutually agreeable transaction.

"How can we know if it's good or bad if we don't try?" Shang Mingshu nodded.

“Third Sister’s worries are also my own, and I agree with Third Sister’s method.” Shang Wenshu first agreed with Shang Mingshu, and then raised her own concerns, “This method can certainly deepen our connection with tea farmers and bind our interests together so that they will not easily turn against us, but it will also take away the profits of some small tea merchants… It will inevitably offend some petty people.”

Shang Mingshu lowered her head and gave a soft, unreadable smile: "Elder sister, the way of merchants is to pursue profit. Ever since the signboard of Xiangmingzhai was hung above the door, generations of merchants have had to compete with the world in order to establish themselves."

From my grandfather and father to today, Xiangmingzhai has grown increasingly prosperous, offending countless merchants along the way. The business world is like a game of chess; every move requires being proactive. Those who shrink back for fear of offending others will inevitably be trapped in a corner, unable to move an inch.

Shang Mingshu is never afraid of offending people.

Their business is all about offending people.

After listening, Shang Wenshu thought about it and realized that Shang Mingshu was right.

As long as they do not go against their conscience and do not do anything that harms others without benefiting themselves or others for their own benefit, they have a clear conscience and have nothing to fear from being hated.
The two sisters exchanged a smile, their attention returning to the bidding. The first tea merchant's stall fell into the hands of a determined Wuyuan porcelain merchant, who beamed with pride as he accepted congratulations from all sides. With such a good start, the subsequent bidding intensified. Each merchant brought at least one accountant, and the sounds of accountants fiddling with abacuses filled the bidding arena, all calculating the optimal bid or whether their funds were sufficient.

Shang Mingshu acted like a spectator. Several major local merchants from Huizhou brought their accountants, including Cheng Qin, but the Shang family did not.

Every property that the three sisters had their eye on had been carefully calculated in advance with the help of the two sisters, Shang Wenshu. They also planned for unforeseen circumstances, such as abandoning some properties if they exceeded their expectations, and what to bid on as a second choice.

Soon it was Shang Mingshu's turn to set her sights on a tea mountain in Shaoxing. This tea mountain did not produce much tea, but it was suitable for growing pearl orchids. Shang Mingshu used her own assets to bid and included it in her private property.

"Xiangmingzhai has offered three thousand strings of cash. Is there anyone else bidding?" Shang Mingshu suddenly increased the bid by five hundred from two thousand five hundred, scaring everyone away.

Just when everyone thought the bidding was over, a merchant from out of town, who hadn't made a bid yet, suddenly spoke up: "Three thousand five strings of cash."

Shang Mingshu looked over and saw that the person was unfamiliar. When Shang Mingshu asked Shang Jinliang, Shang Jinliang shook his head slightly, indicating that he did not recognize the person. He sent people to inquire, and the most direct way was to ask the government officials who were presiding over the bidding.

Someone handed over the other party's background to Shang Mingshu first. He was Cheng She's servant, whom Shang Mingshu had met many times. She first raised the price to four thousand again, glanced at Cheng She, and did not refuse.

Unfolding the message handed to him by Cheng She, he learned that the other party was not just a merchant, but an employee of the powerful Ren family, a military family based in Suzhou. General Ren was a famous anti-Japanese hero.

Since General Ren, the Ren family has had no successor. General Ren took a liking to Xu Tianxing and personally went to his home to arrange a marriage, but Xu Tianxing politely declined. His granddaughter, Ren Erniangzi, is deeply in love with Xu Tianxing and has declared that she will not marry anyone but him. She has been waiting until now, at the age of twenty-two, and she will not give up until Xu Tianxing is married.

"Five thousand strings of cash." The other party raised the price again.

Shang Mingshu was somewhat disinterested. She respected General Ren, and since the tea plantation was worth more than 5,000 strings of cash, the profits would be meager, so she decided to give it up immediately.

"Will this person cause trouble again?" Shang Mingshu didn't hide the letter Cheng She handed her, and Shang Zishu read it openly with a furrowed brow.

"She better not," Shang Mingshu said calmly.

Cheng She explained Ren Erniangzi's background in detail: her mother was the daughter of the richest man in Suzhou. Back then, she married into a wealthy and powerful family with a grand wedding procession, enjoying immense prestige. Ren Erniangzi was never short of money.

These funds were obtained legitimately, but as the daughter of a high-ranking official, especially given the lack of a successor in the Ren family, Ren Erniangzi's ostentatious behavior would only bring disaster upon her family.

"Third Sister, this Second Madam has been waiting for General Xu for years, and she has become obsessed with him. You must be careful," Shang Wenshu said with concern.

Shang Mingshu accepted the kindness and returned a reassuring look.

Shang Zishu was different; she wasn't worried about her sister at all, but she was worried about Lady Ren: "Amitabha, I just hope that Lady Ren will stop now."

In all her life, Shang Zishu had never seen anyone who tried to harm Shang Mingshu succeed in doing so, regardless of gender.