If you force me to take the blame, I'll spend a day in jail and gain a year's worth of spi

The Imperial Clan Court was embroiled in endless arguments, with all sorts of ingenious ideas emerging, and the commotion continued until the sun began to set.

Ultimately, Xiao Xuan established the principle of "letting the rich get rich first to help the poor get rich later," with the goal of achieving unified prosperity and everyone working together towards a moderately prosperous society.

He looked at Xiao Fenghua and Xiao Meier, the two wealthy individuals whose faces had turned pale, and at Emperor Xiao Zhengfeng, who also wore a bitter smile:

"As for the specific details, Zhengfeng, Fenghua, and Meier, the three of you will discuss and decide together."

After saying that, he closed his eyes and stopped talking.

The dignified ancestor of the royal family arranged for his descendants to use their beauty to serve men for his own benefit.

If this gets out, his old face... never mind, I don't want to think about it, it gives me a headache.

The patriarch can wash his hands of the matter, but the rest of the people are left with a huge headache.

Because in practice, things are fraught with difficulties.

First, what does Zhang Yu himself think?

Would he be willing to be the entire stallion?

If he refuses and you anger him, the consequences could be dire.

Secondly, even if Zhang Yu reluctantly agrees, how will the Xiao family make arrangements?

Who goes first and who goes last?

According to what standard?

Is it based on blood ties or the magnitude of merit?

Or... let's see who's more "daring"?

This is an unsolvable problem. No matter how you arrange it, it will offend a large number of people and cause new conflicts and resentment.

The old lady who wanted "old trees to bloom" and the young man with special sexual orientation are the two most troublesome examples.

Just as Emperor Xiao Zhengfeng, Xiao Fenghua, and Xiao Meier were gathered in the imperial study, looking at the list with furrowed brows, they felt it was a hundred times more troublesome than dealing with national affairs.

"Report—!"

A eunuch hurried in, his expression slightly strange.

"What is it?" Xiao Zhengfeng asked irritably.

The eunuch immediately knelt down and whispered, "Your Majesty, our scouts report that Zhang Yu's men are in trouble."

Since the focus is on Zhang Yu, his subordinates naturally become the target of the royal family's attention as well.

Although the relationship between Li Dagang, Mozi, and Zhang Yu was well hidden, the royal family still managed to uncover some clues during their all-out investigation.

Half a day ago, at the Yong'an Marquis's residence.

At this moment, the Zhang family members are gathered in the somewhat empty main hall, continuing to discuss how to repair their relationship with Zhang Yu.

"Luo Han is right. Although Zhang Yu's personality has changed drastically, he probably still has feelings for Luo Han."

Qin Xuehua rubbed her aching temples, forcing herself to analyze the situation:

"If we can restore the marriage contract, even if it's just in name, we'll have room to maneuver."

"That's all we can do for now."

Zhang Qingyue nodded silently.

Zhang Heng and Zhang Wanning remained silent with gloomy faces. They had a lot of opinions about Zhang Yu and did not want to participate in this topic.

Just as the group was discussing how to use Jiang Luohan as a pawn to trap Zhang Yu again...

At this moment, Zhang Qingyue's communication jade tablet suddenly flashed.

"Mother."

Zhang Qingyue bowed and said urgently, "I just received a letter from Wenhua Academy, the school I attend, saying there is an urgent matter and I need to return to the academy immediately."

Yuwen Huaguo Academy holds a superior position among the eight kingdoms of the Eastern Regions, establishing its doctrines through literature and governing the country with Confucianism.

Zhang Qingyue's ability to study there was originally an honor for the Marquis's family, but now it has become a reason for her to leave.

Qin Xuehua frowned: "So hasty? Couldn't it be a few days later?"

The Marquis's mansion was going through a turbulent time, and she instinctively hoped that her children would be by her side.

Zhang Qingyue shook her head: "The letter is very strict; those who disobey may be expelled from the academy. Daughter... dares not disobey."

Zhang Heng waved his hand and said, "Go on, go on, the academy's affairs are more important. We'll take care of things at home."

He was in a state of confusion and felt that his third sister wouldn't be of much help even if she stayed.

Zhang Qingyue felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She quickly took her leave, packed her things briefly, and hurriedly left the Marquis's residence.

After Zhang Qingyue left, the group in the hall continued their previous conversation, but the atmosphere became even more somber.

Without Zhang Qingyue, the Marquis's mansion feels even more desolate and on the verge of collapse.

However, misfortunes never come singly.

"Madam, no...something terrible has happened!"

The steward of the Marquis's residence rushed over.

"What's the panic? What kind of behavior is this?"

Zhang Heng was already annoyed, and upon seeing this, he shouted sternly, "Speak! What is it?"

The manager fell to his knees with a thud, crying out, "It's...it's the freight station in the west of the city, something terrible has happened."

"What?" Several people in the hall suddenly stood up, their expressions changing drastically.

Freight station!

The Zhang family's second largest economic pillar, second only to the alchemy workshop.

Although it doesn't generate as much profit as an alchemy workshop, it's not as lucrative as some other places.

However, the freight station connected merchants from the north and south, receiving rare and exotic goods from all directions at low prices and then selling them at high prices, resulting in a stable net income of tens of thousands of taels of silver every month.

This is the main source of income for the Marquis's daily expenses, social obligations, and the training of private soldiers.

It was also the most important source of funding when filling the hole in the alchemy room.

"What exactly happened? Explain yourself!"

Qin Xuehua's voice became shrill, and her fingers gripped the back of the chair tightly.

The steward, panting heavily, said quickly:

"Starting this morning, all the major merchants who have long cooperated with us and supply rare and exotic items, medicinal herbs and furs from all over the world have sent people here as if by prior arrangement, saying that they want to renegotiate the price."

Not just one or two, but all of them.

"Renegotiate the price?"

Zhang Heng was taken aback, then angrily said:

"Let's negotiate the price. We've negotiated prices in previous years too."

Do they really dare to ask for an exorbitant price?

"Young Master... it's not that you're asking for an exorbitant amount, it's... it's doubling the price!"

The manager looked miserable:

"The ginseng from Xueling that used to cost 100 taels of silver now costs 250 taels."

The price of high-quality fur from the northern desert has more than doubled.

Pearls from the South China Sea, gems from the Western Regions... all goods have seen price increases of at least 50%, with most more doubling in price.

Moreover…and the other party was adamant, saying either they would pay the new price, or they would immediately resell the goods to someone else, with absolutely no room for negotiation.”

Qin Xuehua gasped:

"Double?"

All suppliers doubled their orders at the same time?

How...how is this possible?

Aren't they afraid of offending our Marquis's family and having to stop doing business with us in the future?

Zhang Heng's face was filled with disdain and the arrogance of a marquis's heir:

"Hmph, just a bunch of arrogant and unscrupulous merchants. Do they really think the Marquis of Yong'an's mansion is a pushover that can be bullied at will?"

He suddenly stood up and said confidently:

"Mother, Sister Wanning, you don't need to worry."

Our Yong'an Marquis's warehouse is one of the largest warehouses in the capital and even the northern border, with its prestigious signboard standing for over a century.

Countless merchants from both the north and south are scrambling to send their goods to us and use our channels to sell them to various places.

I used to use them because we had been working with them for many years and their prices were reasonable.

Now they are courting death, daring to join forces to raise prices and threaten the Marquis's mansion.

That's a joke.

The more he spoke, the more convinced he became of his point, exuding an air of dominance:

"Since they don't know what's good for them, then we'll eliminate them all."

There are countless merchants, both inside and outside the capital, who want to curry favor with our Marquis's mansion and supply us with goods.

I refuse to believe that we can't eat hairy pork even without Butcher Zhang.

This is a good opportunity to switch to a group of more obedient and law-abiding suppliers.

Maybe the price can be pushed even lower.

Qin Xuehua found her son's words very reasonable, and her tense nerves instantly relaxed.

The Marquis's reputation and distribution channels are indeed a major advantage. Perhaps they can use this to put those unscrupulous merchants in their place and even find cheaper sources of goods.

She nodded, her tone becoming firmer:

"Heng'er has a point. How can the century-old foundation of my Yong'an Marquis's Mansion be manipulated by a few merchants?"

This matter is entrusted to you. Make sure you find a new, reliable source of goods as quickly as possible; you can't let the freight station's business be disrupted.

Zhang Wanning echoed:

"Indeed, these unscrupulous merchants must have seen that our Marquis's mansion has been in turmoil lately and thought they could take advantage of the situation to extort money from us."

If we take a tough stance, and even spread the word that we're looking for new suppliers, they might get scared and obediently lower their prices back down.

The three of them talked back and forth, and the more they talked, the more they felt that this was a common extortion by merchants. They regained some of the confidence of the people in charge of the Marquis's mansion and began to discuss how to put pressure on the old goods merchants, how to find new channels, and how to restore the reputation of the freight station.

Only Jiang Luohan, sitting to the side, frowned slightly, her unease growing stronger.

"Auntie, Hengdi,"

Jiang Luohan spoke cautiously, her voice soft yet tinged with doubt, "Luohan feels that this matter should not be taken lightly."

Zhang Heng, who was in the middle of an exciting conversation, waved his hand impatiently upon hearing this:

"Sister Jiang, you're overthinking it."

Merchants are driven by profit; they must be trying to take advantage of our current difficulties to make a quick buck.

"As long as we take a firm stance, they will naturally back down."

Qin Xuehua also said, "Heng'er is right. We can't be too polite to these people. Don't worry, the Marquis's mansion still has its foundation. These mere merchants can't cause any trouble."

Zhang Wanning also cast a dismissive glance at her.

Seeing that they wouldn't listen, Jiang Luohan sighed inwardly and stopped trying to persuade them.