Carrying the little lucky star, leading the villain on the road to exile

Xu Zitian was truly exhausted. No wonder his master wouldn't accept him; look at his lack of comprehension! But at least he had come here with him to endure hardship, so he had put in the effort. "I told you, that's their skill. If it were you, what would you do?"

Without even thinking, Wu Xingshun blurted out, "Then I'll lower the price a bit too."

Xu Zitian: "What if you still think the price is too high? Can you lower it to the absolute bottom?"

Wu Xingshun said, "I need to at least break even."

“The same logic applies,” Xu Zitian pointed to the line ahead, “the money is finite, but for all the patients in the world, even His Majesty wouldn’t dare to ask for it…”

Bai Suihe is indeed the legitimate daughter of the Bai family. Even the Bai family here wouldn't dare to make such a statement. So why does Wu Xingshun have the right to just say it?
Wu Xingshun finally understood, and his face immediately turned red. "I didn't think that much about it. I just felt that with so few people, waiving the medicine fees wouldn't affect the Gu family..."

He didn't dare to continue saying that last sentence, lest more people come to him seeking help; he was being naive.

"Think carefully before you speak in the future. This is something we should only discuss here. Otherwise, we'll not only offend people, but also make a fool of ourselves."

Don't underestimate their free clinics. Ordinary people can take preventative measures for their health and anticipate potential minor health problems so they can intervene in advance.

This alone is already a great act of merit; we still have many shortcomings.

After Xu Zitian finished speaking, he turned and left. Bai Suihe, a woman from the inner quarters, could do this, and she did it herself.

As the official in charge of the people's livelihood, he has not done enough. He needs to go back and think carefully about how to make the people of this county live a better life.

Wu Xingshun quickly followed suit, "Senior brother, I was wrong. You can't tell the other brothers about this."

Although he wasn't formally accepted into the sect, he was still a nominal disciple. If his fellow disciples found out, he would definitely have a lot more homework.

"Then work hard and study hard. I hope you won't say such irrelevant things again in the future."

“I promise,” Wu Xingshun breathed a sigh of relief, “but there’s one more thing I haven’t told my senior brother.”

Xu Zitian stopped. "What did you do now?"

"Senior brother, I really didn't mean it," Wu Xingshun licked his lips. "Didn't Gu Kaiyuan send our clerk over to help today?"

“That’s right, and I gave my permission,” he said, his eyes sharp as he looked at Wu Xingshun. “Did you cause trouble for them?”

“No,” Wu Xingshun quickly waved his hand and said, “I just told the clerk that if we do things in person, they should get a little more kickback.”

Seeing Xu Zitian glaring at him, he didn't dare to stop. "But I didn't want it. I just felt that the brothers usually suffer too much and have too much work. Taking a little more would be a good way to give them extra meals."

"I really didn't overcharge, just a few taels of silver. I've already sent someone to buy more meat; we can have an extra meal tomorrow."

"No matter how much extra you gave, add more tomorrow. Since you're going to give everyone extra food, do your best." It's impossible to return it, but Wu Xingshun needs to be taught a lesson so he won't act on his own again next time.

“We’ll be staying here for a few more years. I hope to achieve some political success. I also have high hopes for Gu Kaiyuan. Don’t cause me any trouble.”

His tone turned cold. "Who have you been with lately?"

Given Wu Xingshun's personality and his own training, he shouldn't be so audacious. "Those new families who came to the capital have invited me for drinks before, but I haven't agreed to anything they asked." He knows what he can and cannot do, and no matter how much they flatter him, he remains clear-headed.

"Are you referring to the Gu family's affairs in this?"

"How did you know?" Wu Xingshun didn't seem to care. "We just chatted for a bit, and everyone was envious of Gu Kaiyuan's good luck, wondering if the Bai family had received some advance notice."

He didn't notice that when he said this, his tone also betrayed envy, and even a hint of hostility.

Xu Zitian stared at him intently. "What does this have to do with you? Whether they rely on the Bai family or on their own abilities, it's all the Gu family's business."

Those companies are now keeping an eye on Gu Kaiyuan. Otherwise, why do you think Gu Kaiyuan would clear out his businesses?

It all comes down to Gu Kaiyuan not trusting us and being afraid that he couldn't protect the industry, which is why he had to reluctantly part with it.

When they say these things to you, don't you think about it carefully?

Wu Xingshun's mind returned to normal at this point. "You mean they want to use me to deal with Gu Kaiyuan?"

"You think too highly of yourself," Xu Zitian rolled his eyes at him. "Everyone knows about your relationship with me, so they're probably here for me."

If you target Gu Kaiyuan, it represents my attitude. Do you think the merchants in the entire Zhang County will think?
Then they can use some tricks to stir up some trouble, and then they can take advantage of the situation.

If you're lucky and things go smoothly, you might even be able to have their people replace you. Then you can come back with me and apologize to our master.

The main reason is that their county is located in a very important position, connecting the entire Lingnan region. If they want to take over Lingnan, Zhang County is an area they cannot bypass.

He had analyzed these things with Wu Xingshun before, and Wu Xingshun had agreed verbally. However, after going out for drinks a few times, his resolve was shaken again. It seems that he needs to be re-forged and properly refined.

Wu Xingshun broke out in a cold sweat. "This...this shouldn't be that bad, right?"

She said it aloud, but in her heart she already believed it, after all, her senior brother had never lied to her.

Although he was not as clever or talented as Xu Zitian, he was not stupid either. At several tea parties and banquets, he seemed to be chatting idly, but upon closer inspection, there were some clues.

These people seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally leading him, and Gu Kaiyuan was part of that. That's why he felt these past two days that Gu Kaiyuan shouldn't have such a large market share; he was trying to monopolize things here...

Most importantly, he also bought a few small shops, but he was too greedy for cheap prices and didn't check the specific locations. He hasn't sold any of them yet and hasn't gone out to rent them out.

Therefore, he harbored negative emotions towards Gu Kaiyuan and his wife.

"You should really think about this carefully," Xu Zitian said, and then ignored him. Over the past few years, he had worked diligently and finally gained the trust of the people of Zhang County. Now, Lingnan was in a good period of development, which was also his opportunity. He couldn't let some small details ruin it.

Before leaving, he added, "I think you should stay at home and calm down for a while. Don't go to the government office for now."

Wu Xingshun opened his mouth, but said nothing. After a long while, he took a deep breath and followed. (End of Chapter)