Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 176 Zhang Yunxiu is wicked! Old Deng, are you crazy?
"you!!"

Fan Yongdou was so angry that he was trembling all over, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

At this very moment, the merchants in the study actually shared the same hatred as Fan Yongdou.

The other party was indeed right about that.

Can ordinary small and medium-sized merchants influence the market price of briquettes in this way?
Tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of kilograms are hardly enough to cause any significant stir.

In truth, only these big merchants have the ability to manipulate market prices.

In that instant, an atmosphere of distrust spread.

The merchants looked at each other, and they all saw suspicion in each other's eyes.

Even Wang Dengku, who was standing to the side, had some doubts in his heart.

Could it really be that we've run into a problem? He couldn't help but turn to look at Fan Yongdou, his brows furrowed tightly.

This person has always been ruthless in his actions, and he might actually be capable of betraying his own kind, even if it's not like he's betraying his own family.

In particular, Fan Yongdou's reaction to this matter was the most intense.

Could it be that this old bastard is crying wolf?
Just as Wang Dengku was observing the other person, Fan Yongdou also turned his head and subconsciously looked at the other person.

For a time, both sides saw suspicion, disgust, distrust, and even anger in each other's eyes.

Just as the situation was escalating and the Shanxi merchants were about to turn into a complete mess.

Finally, someone spoke up.

"enough!"

Li Mingxing sat on the upper arm, opened his droopy eyelids, and tapped the ground with his cane, producing a series of thumping vibrations.

He said angrily.

"Shut up! You're making my ears hurt! You're all brothers of the same clan, why are you arguing over such a trivial matter?"

His words finally silenced everyone in the room. Fan Yongdou and Wang Dengku also looked away, suppressing their rising anger.

Li Mingxing narrowed his triangular eyes and stared at Fan Yongdou, saying, "Manager Fan, you are the person in charge of the guild. If you are so impetuous, how will you lead everyone to make money in the future?"

"Old Li—"

Fan Yongdou seemed somewhat helpless, and finally let out a heavy sigh.

"But as you know, the market price of coal is of great importance and cannot be taken lightly. We have no choice but to be anxious."

With a net worth of hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, even Shanxi merchants with their "border trade" businesses could not be indifferent.

"Heh~" Li Mingxing let out a cold laugh. "You think you can get yourselves into this state with such tricks?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Dengku, who had been sitting next to him, immediately understood and lowered his voice to say something.

"Old Li, do you mean Zhang Shiyuan?"

"Who else but him?"

Li Mingxing sounded very resentful in his words.

"I underestimated this kid. He's not bad. He has Zhang Jiangling behind him, a figure who can compete in the court. How could he just sit and wait to die? He'll definitely use some tricks."

Fan Yongdou still didn't quite understand, and he frowned as he spoke.

"What Old Li meant was that Zhang Shiyuan intended to sell it?"
But where did he get the briquettes? We bought up all the briquettes from Xishan!

Li Mingxing said somewhat speechlessly, "How can someone who runs a coal mine not have briquettes?"

"But..." Fan Yongdou was getting more and more confused. "Old Li, didn't you say that the Xishan Coal Mine would definitely reduce production? Sometime in this month or two?"

“Reducing production is reducing production, and the methods are methods. Zhang Yunxiu is an unpredictable person, and we can’t be sure he has some tricks up his sleeve.”

Li Mingxing couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

"I originally thought that the mining methods in Xishan would have limited effectiveness, but I never expected that they could keep Zhang Shiyuan afloat until now!"

"The centipede is dead but not stiff!"

Wang Dengku, his earlier tense expression gone, stroked his beard and spoke.

"It must have been Zhang Shiyuan's trick. He secretly took out some of the briquettes, thinking he would make a last-ditch effort to demoralize our troops."

"It's so true!"

Fan Yongdou's eyes widened, a smile returned to his face, and he let out a long breath.

"That rascal is cunning; we almost fell for his trick! Thank goodness for Mr. Li's keen insight!"

It's no wonder they're so restless; for merchants, money is as important as life itself, and even the closest relationships can be fraught with suspicion.

Once suspicion arises, without guidance from others, it will surely lead to a bloody fight.

"Humph!"

Li Mingxing snorted coldly.

"Even if you are impatient, don't think you can rest easy. In my opinion, Zhang Shiyuan is not as easy to deal with as you think. It's always better to be more careful."

Fan Yongdou said with a smile, "We will certainly keep the old gentleman's teachings in mind, but no matter how powerful Zhang Shiyuan is, he can't change the feng shui of Xishan, can he?" He sat down again, took a sip of tea and said.

"If he can change the world, what's wrong with me, Fan Yongdou, giving him my entire fortune? There are no gods in this world."

"That's not possible."

Li Mingxing chuckled and shook his head.

"The Xishan workshop is bound to decline, without exception since ancient times, but we must be cautious."

Once inside the guild hall, the merchants were expected to work together, monitor each other, and strive for unity of purpose.

And keep a close eye on the mines too; we absolutely cannot let Zhang Shiyuan profit from them.

These words were clearly meant for the other merchants present.

The merchants looked at each other, then bowed to Li Mingxing and said...

"I will heed Manager Li's teachings!"

Given Li Mingxing's qualifications, his claims are still convincing.

After briefly arranging various matters and dismissing the merchants, Li Mingxing kept Fan Yongdou and Wang Dengku behind.

He looked at Fan Yongdou and said meaningfully.

"How is things going with the Prince of Lu?"

"Don't worry, Elder Li, I'm keeping a close eye on things here. The Jingji Daily is doing very well lately, and Prince Lu is overjoyed to see the results."

They'll surely help us deal with Zhang Shiyuan later.

"good."

Li Mingxing then exhaled a breath of stale air.

His cloudy eyes looked at the branches outside the study.

I couldn't help but sigh.

"Even in my old age, I still have to worry about you young people."

After hesitating for a moment, Wang Dengku asked with some doubt.

"Elder Li, we have been putting in our utmost effort lately, so why is there no action from the court? Relying solely on the art of trade is probably just a drop in the ocean."

Ultimately, the affairs of the world depend on the court. If they lose the power struggles in the court, no matter how cunning and strategic they are, it will be of no use.

Now that Zhang Juzheng has returned to the court, Wang Dengku naturally has some doubts.

"The imperial court?"

Li Mingxing let out a dry laugh and said.

"What's the rush? The court assembly is in a few days. We can see that Xishan is becoming increasingly depleted. Not only us, but also the Huizhou merchants and the emperor will not let Zhang Shiyuan off the hook."

Things are different now. In the past, he had the emperor's protection, a group of court officials who shared his hatred of the enemy, and he also used his medical clinic to coerce nobles.

With Xishan Workshop now so deeply in debt, let's see how Zhang Shiyuan will handle this!

The Grand Secretary's official residence.

Backyard den.

After listening to his father's words, Zhang Yunxiu drank the tea on the desk in one gulp, looking nonchalant.

He crossed one leg and looked at Zhang Juzheng, who was sitting upright with a memorial in his hand.

Zhang Yunxiu said with some surprise.

"Court assembly. How could I not know? Does Father not know that even the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard has to attend court?"

Zhang Juzheng said with some helplessness, "I know you will be attending court, but the dangers of the court meeting in two days are unknown, so we must be extremely cautious."

"Dangerous?"

Zhang Yunxiu didn't quite understand.

But Zhang Juzheng sighed, pushed the copy of the "Jingji Daily" in front of Zhang Yunxiu, and said in a meaningful tone.

"This concerns the matter of Xishan."

He seemed very conflicted, but finally made up his mind.

"A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. Shiyuan, perhaps we should back down."

These words were also very sincere and gentle.

But as soon as he said that, Zhang Yunxiu immediately exploded.

“What the hell???”

His smile froze instantly, and he jumped up from his chair, glaring angrily at his father.

"You old fool! Are you insane?!"

(End of this chapter)