The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 162 The Iceman Arrives
Shang Mingshu could roughly guess what Xu Tianxing and Ren Erniangzi talked about, but she had no intention of delving into it.

When she returned to the mansion, the Shi family was having a secret meeting with Shang Jinliang. This time, Shang Jinliang did not allow Shang Mingshu to participate.

The agreed-upon assets were not acquired, and this was caused by Shang Mingshu. It's not as simple as just returning the money to the Shi family; the Shi family has lost a livelihood that would have allowed them to continue to survive.

"Mingya, don't worry about the bidding. I'll take care of the Shi family." Shang Jinliang saw off the Shi family members who looked rather unwell and then came over to comfort Shang Mingshu.

He knew Shang Mingshu's personality all too well; she wouldn't let this go. Shang Jinliang had learned the ways of business from his father, one of which was that when dealing with powerful people, one could not be on good terms with them, but one could not make enemies.

He disagreed with Shang Mingshu's confrontation with Ren Erniangzi, believing that a head-on clash is easily broken.

"Father, there is still room for maneuver." Shang Mingshu was only testing the waters yesterday. In such a short time, she had never bothered to learn about the Ren family. How could she possibly know them well?
The result was pleasing; it turned out that Second Madam Ren was of good character and had not come to make an enemy of her.

"Really?" Shang Jinliang never expected the situation to take such a dramatic turn.

"A conclusion should be reached by tomorrow at the latest." Whether it's Xu Tianxing's ability to resolve matters or Ren Erniangzi's desire to let go and avoid getting entangled, both will contribute to bringing this matter to an end as soon as possible.

"This Second Madam..." The turn of events was beyond Shang Jinliang's expectations.

"I will not hold a grudge against Lady Ren," Shang Mingshu reassured Shang Jinliang.

"That's excellent." Relieved, Shang Jinliang couldn't hide his joy.

Fortunately, he planned to negotiate with the Shi family and offer them some benefits to minimize the Shang family's costs and get rid of the Shi family.

"Perhaps... there will still be 10,000 strings of cash left." Shang Mingshu had no intention of hiding this sum of money from her family.

Shang Jinliang understood: "If there is truly more than enough, it is all due to your ability, and it will all be your private savings."

Shang Mingshu nodded in satisfaction.

Ten thousand strings of cash is no small sum; many wealthy families do not have ten thousand strings of cash as a dowry when their daughters are married.

Shang Jinliang's generous gesture towards her showed his trust in her. With this unexpected windfall, Shang Mingshu had even more confidence in her new teahouse.

The next morning, Shang Mingshu received an invitation from Ren Erniangzi.

Holding the post and looking at it repeatedly, Shang Mingshu was somewhat surprised. She thought that Second Madam Ren would not want to see her again.

"Ming Shu, I'll go with you." Shang Zishu felt it was a trap, as she was still resentful of Ren Erniangzi's behavior yesterday.

“Okay.” Shang Mingshu did not refuse.

Since Madam Ren didn't explicitly invite her, she could certainly bring people along, lest Shang Zishu wait anxiously at home and overthink things.

Amidst the clusters of pear blossoms, Second Madam Ren regained her composure from their first meeting. She personally handed a box to Shang Mingshu: "Our family is not involved in the tea business. I acted recklessly yesterday. I am willing to transfer these properties to Third Madam at a discounted price as my apology."

Ren Erniangzi hadn't calculated in detail how much Shang Mingshu would have to spend to acquire these properties. She only knew that by intervening, and because of Shang Mingshu's immense wealth and her grandfather's connections, no one could compete with her, which meant she naturally benefited greatly.

However, offering Shang Mingshu a discounted price was something she had planned from the beginning. Her purpose in coming here was to put an end to her plans. Once her goal was achieved, she would clean up the mess she had created.

"I cannot let Second Madam lose money." Shang Mingshu did not refuse, took the box, and inside were indeed the properties she had her eye on. If she took these to the yamen, they would belong to the Shang family. "Second Madam's help has made all my wishes come true, and I should repay your kindness."

Shang Mingshu was neither flattering nor deliberately trying to befriend Ren Erniangzi. On the contrary, regardless of whether Ren Erniangzi could let go of Xu Tianxing, she would keep her distance from Ren Erniangzi.

To be frank, the Shang family's tea business is becoming increasingly renowned, and everyone who has their eye on the tea industry believes it holds immense potential profits. With the Shang family bidding, there will be no shortage of competitors, and some may even form alliances to launch a coordinated attack.

Yesterday, many wealthy and powerful merchants were present, but their budgets were limited, and they might not be able to complete all the transactions as planned. Regardless of Ren Erniangzi's initial intentions, her help to Shang Mingshu was undeniable.

"Third Sister is so upright, so we'll do as you say." Second Sister Ren didn't intend to argue with Shang Mingshu.

Unaware that Shang Mingshu wanted to keep her at a distance, Ren Erniangzi also planned to have no further contact with Shang Mingshu.

Firstly, it was to appease Xu Tianxing's heart; secondly, she didn't dislike Shang Mingshu, but she also couldn't bring herself to like her.

Just as Shang Mingshu had hoped, after handing over the reins to Ren Erniangzi, the two bid each other a polite but distant farewell.

They went in opposite directions, one to the left and one to the right.

"Third Sister." Shang Mingshu took five steps and then heard Ren Erniangzi's voice behind her. She turned around.

Ren Erniangzi gazed at her for a moment: "He is a good match."

Xu Tianxing hurt her, but it wasn't his fault. Love between a man and a woman is never something that can be achieved by one person's wish alone. She still hoped that Xu Tianxing could get what he wanted.

Shang Mingshu nodded with a slight smile, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Ren Erniangzi stared at Shang Mingshu's back for a long time. She suddenly had a feeling that Xu Tianxing might also suffer the same unrequited love as her.

"This Second Madam Ren is truly an eccentric person." Shang Zishu couldn't quite understand her.

Even though the man doesn't love her, she still speaks well of him in front of the woman he admires, seemingly with the intention of bringing them together.

"She is also a good match." Shang Mingshu did not hold back in praising Ren Erniangzi.

Missing out on Ren Erniangzi might be Xu Tianxing's loss.

"You..." Shang Zishu opened her mouth, but in the end only a helpless sigh escaped.

She wanted to ask Shang Mingshu if she really didn't consider Xu Tianxing at all. She had asked her sister that question before, and it was clear that her sister's attitude hadn't changed, so why should she ask again?

When Shang Mingshu and Shang Zishu returned home, they were surprised to see the matchmaker arrive. Madam Yu was seeing the matchmaker off when the matchmaker saw Shang Mingshu and gave her a meaningful smile.

"Someone came to ask for Third Sister's hand in marriage? Who?" Shang Zishu asked curiously. Right now, Shang Mingshu was the only one in the Shang family who wasn't engaged, and the ice man had clearly been targeting Shang Mingshu earlier.

"Let's go inside and talk," said Madam Yu, her expression remaining calm.

Back in the main hall, Shang Jinliang was also there.

"Father, here are some tea plantations we've got our eyes on!" Shang Zishu couldn't wait to present what she was holding.

Shang Jinliang took the box and examined the contracts inside. He discovered that Shang Mingshu had already gone to the yamen. Apart from the tea plantation in Jiangsu and Zhejiang that she had her eye on, which was under her own name, the rest were under Shang Jinliang's name.

"Father, who came to ask for Third Sister's hand in marriage?" Having completed her task, Shang Zishu couldn't wait to satisfy her curiosity.

Judging from the fact that Madam Yu personally saw the person off, she must not be someone who is not respectable.

Shang Zishu wondered if Xu Tianxing had decided to be upfront and directly send someone to propose marriage.

Shang Jinliang put his hands behind his back, having engaged in a verbal battle with Madam Yu, and having lost, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak: "It is the Cheng family, seeking a beautiful woman for Second Master Cheng."