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

Chapter 186 The Grand Secretary! I, Xu Guo, regret my past actions!

"what!"

Li Mingxing's eyes widened as he looked at the name on the yellow paper again.

"Xie Dongbo".

It was the same merchant who had argued with Fan Yongdou that day; he was only in his thirties and had a quick temper.

By some reckoning, Li Mingxing was this man's great-uncle.

"Zhang Yunfa".

"Zhang Siyu".

These two men were distant relatives of Zhang Siwei. They had come to the capital to do business because of his kindness, but they never expected to end up like this.

"How could it come to this! How could it come to this!"

Li Mingxing wore a bitter expression, looking as if his heart was being torn apart. He was usually ruthless, but he was still an old man. Seeing these young people taking their own lives like this, how could he not feel a sense of shared sorrow?

He sighed and said, "Money can be earned back, but once you lose your life, it's all over."

The steward added, "Ah, it's quite a mess. These people borrowed money from the bank and even mortgaged their homes and shops, hoping to make a quick buck from this, but little did they expect..."

"Shameful! Despicable! Hateful!"

Li Mingxing was biting his teeth so hard they were bleeding, it was unclear whether he was cursing these people or Zhang Yunxiu.

In a daze, he seemed to calm down again and said to the butler.

"Alright, pour me a glass of water."

The butler searched around but couldn't find any intact cups on the table, so he quickly went to the back room and poured one for Li Mingxing.

After drinking a cup of tea, Li Mingxing gradually calmed down. He waved the butler away and sighed heavily.

"Manager Fan, Manager Wang, I think we shouldn't argue about who's right and who's wrong. It's just a matter of solving the current predicament."

He looked at the names of the people on the table and sighed.

"These three were all promising talents, but they made a mistake and were tricked by Zhang Shiyuan, losing their lives. We are partly to blame, but we must not forget this lesson."

Today, those three are lucky to have hanged themselves, but tomorrow it could be us. We, the Shanxi merchants, have built our businesses over the past century, weathering many storms. How could we possibly fear a mere Zhang Shiyuan?

I've figured it out: Zhang Shiyuan wants to wipe us out! This is an irreconcilable feud!
If we cannot unite as one, we will surely be defeated one by one!

As expected of Li Mingxing, his words immediately calmed the other two down.

The main reason was that the deaths of the three people were too sudden, which forced them to take heed.

Fan Yongdou sighed and said, "Old Li is right. We were blinded by our defeat and didn't care about anything else. How can we possibly defeat Zhang Shiyuan like this?"
This is not a hopeless situation. We still have over a million catties of briquettes, so there's no need to compete with Zhang Shiyuan in the capital region.

If they were all transported to the area outside the Great Wall, someone would always buy them at a high price.

"exactly!"

Wang Dengku also seemed to perk up.

"And overseas too. I have some connections in Southern Zhili, and I know several gentlemen well. When the time comes, I can sell the briquettes overseas and still make money!"

"That's right!"

Li Mingxing smiled slightly and said.

"Can't a living person find a way? No matter how capable Zhang Shiyuan is, he's only in this area around the capital. If he goes to Southern Zhili, it will be a completely different story."

The area outside the Great Wall is our territory, while Southern Zhili is the territory of the gentlemen, not to mention overseas.

His lotus root coal from Xishan is nothing more than a wedding dress for us.

"Hahaha~"

The three of them burst into joyful laughter, but as they laughed, their laughter grew increasingly dry.

No matter how you look at it, this battle was already a decisive defeat, and everyone was seething with anger.

Looking back on the "Longqing Peace Treaty," the imperial court granted tribute and trade, which led to the rise of Shanxi merchants overnight. They were riding high, and who in the world dared to provoke them?

Less than eleven years have passed, and some people have become this arrogant!

After thinking for a moment, Fan Yongdou suddenly brought it up.

"I have heard that recently, a new concubine named Zheng has been favored in the palace. This woman was born in the capital region and her family background is still shallow."

Li Mingxing stroked his beard and said, "I think that the palace maid whom the emperor favored in the palace was about to give birth in two months."

If a prince is born then, that would be a momentous occasion!

The group exchanged glances, each seeing a different meaning in the other's eyes.

After a heated argument, the managers were exhausted and decided to rest at this suburban mansion. With over a hundred servants guarding the mansion, security was at its highest level.

As the group was about to part ways, Li Mingxing's steward couldn't help but step forward and ask him something.

"Sir, there is one more matter I need your decision on. These three people have families to support. They have borrowed money from the bank, and I'm afraid they won't even be able to collect the bodies or hold a funeral. What do you think?"

"Just because they suffer doesn't mean we don't?" Li Mingxing said sternly. "There's no other way. We come into this world naked and we leave naked. Wrapping ourselves in a straw mat will do, won't it?"

“Yes.” Wang Dengku also looked conflicted. “It’s not that we are unwilling to lend a helping hand, but if we help this family, we will have to help every other family.”

We have also suffered heavy losses and are truly unable to continue.

The butler seemed hesitant to speak, but ultimately remained silent.

"I would be very grateful if Mr. You could inform him of this matter. This is extremely urgent, and I dare not delay in the slightest!"

Outside the Zhang residence, Xu Guo was begging and pleading with his steward, You Qi. The dignified Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel almost knelt down before a mere steward.

"I'm flattered! I'm flattered!"

You Qi waved his hand repeatedly. Since Zhang Juzheng fell ill, he had become much more restrained and no longer dared to be as arrogant as before.

He sighed and said, "Minister Xu, it's not that I'm unwilling to inform you, but my master is very busy and has been resting quietly in his study lately, unable to bear being disturbed by outsiders."

You Qi pointed to a departing sedan chair and said, “Minister Xu, look, lately there are countless people who want to see my master. If we could see them all, there would be no need to deal with the affairs of the court.”

Since the news from the Ministry of Revenue came out, Xishan Workshop not only did not suffer losses, but even made a considerable profit.

The Zhang family's doorstep was practically worn down by the crowds.

The recent report in the Wanli Xinbao newspaper further confirms the news of the emperor's visit to Xishan.

"I do not care!"

Xu Guo, a man in his fifties, actually acted like a rogue, tears streaming down his face as he spoke.

"If Mr. You does not help me, he will be harming me. I might as well just kill myself here today, and that would be a clean death!"

"Why are you doing this to yourself!" You Qi stamped his foot and sighed helplessly.

"I deeply regret my past actions! I'm willing to discuss anything now!" Xu Guo said through gritted teeth, looking heartbroken. "If only you, sir, would grant me a meeting, I would serve you with utmost loyalty. If only you would allow me to rejoin the Xishan Group, I would die without regret!"

“The Xishan Workshop is led by the young master, and so is my master,” You Qi tried to console him.

But with a "thump," Xu Guo actually knelt down and banged his head on the ground repeatedly.

"Mr. You! You must help me!"

You Qi was startled. This was not a good thing. The dignified Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was crying and begging in front of the Prime Minister's gate. If word got out, people would think it was Zhang Juzheng's way of winning people's hearts.

"Alright, alright! I'm afraid of you! Minister Xu, get up quickly, I'll go and ask the master again."

"Is this true?"

After hearing You Qi's words, Xu Guo obediently got up and followed him into the mansion to wait.

"Bah! A hypocrite who's arrogant at first and obsequious at second!"

After entering the inner hall, You Qi hurried along, but couldn't help cursing under his breath.

But he still hurried to the door of the study in the backyard.

At that moment, Zhang Juzheng was reading something in the room.

"Now there is a system of equal distribution of grain. In County A, 10,000 households travel for eight days; in County B, 9,500 households travel for ten days. Siwen, how come this 'Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art' is not quite the same as the way of commerce?"

The eldest brother, Zhang Jingxiu, replied, "Father, you want to learn the ways of commerce, but you shouldn't be studying the 'Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art.' It would be better to ask Shiyuan."

Zhang Juzheng's voice was tinged with anger: "You unfilial son! If I could ask him, would I need to seek you out?"

“My child, my child is not a rebellious son.”

"If I say you are, then you are."

The conversation inside was quite amusing. You Qi waited a while before knocking on the door to report.

"My lord, that Vice Minister Xu refuses to leave and insists on seeing you. He even said he would kill himself at the door if he couldn't see you. I was thinking..."

There was a moment of silence in the study.

"Ai--"

Zhang Juzheng sighed heavily and said.

"Well, he's not entirely wicked, so let him come in and have a word."

(End of this chapter)