A fierce wife enters the house: She helps up a house full of spineless people.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

The fog on Changning Street in the capital had not yet dissipated, but the gate of the Prince's Mansion was already completely surrounded by people.

The owners of the eight major timber merchants, as well as several large cloth shops and raw silk stores, all had dark circles under their eyes and shivered in the cold wind. Without exception, they were all holding thick lists of gifts and contracts, constantly wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads with their sleeves.

The news that General Li Zheng, the Grand General of the State, smashed the gates of the residences of the two Ministers of Rites and the Minister of Revenue last night, had already spread throughout the capital like wildfire.

I heard that the Wen family's white marble lion was split in two, and the He family's gate was kicked open. The two sons of high-ranking officials, who were usually arrogant and haughty, were so scared that they wet themselves and didn't dare to utter a sound. To make matters worse, the patrol battalion seemed to have gone blind and deaf last night, and didn't patrol a single street.

What does this mean? It means that His Majesty has tacitly approved of General Li's thunderous rage!

These merchants were terrified when they heard the news last night.

They then realized the enormous hornet's nest they had stirred up in their attempt to curry favor with the young masters of the Wen and He families. Those were the Zhenwei Army! Retired, wounded veterans! If they cut off their escape route, Li Zheng would probably tear them apart alive!

Inside the main hall of the Prince's Mansion, Wang Jinzhu was leisurely drinking a bowl of red date and bird's nest porridge.

Feng An rushed in, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement: "Madam! Amazing! Absolutely amazing! Those timber merchants and cloth shop owners outside were waiting before dawn. They were all like quails, begging and pleading to see you, saying they wanted to apologize!"

Wang Jinzhu put down the porcelain spoon, gently wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, and chuckled, "With such a grand entourage from General Li last night, if these opportunistic businessmen didn't come, they'd really be courting death."

"Madam, shall we meet or not?" Feng An asked, rubbing his hands together.

"Of course I'll see them. Why wouldn't I?" Wang Jinzhu's eyes turned slightly cold. "They're like fat sheep delivered to our door; we might as well fleece them. Let them wait in the yard for half an hour before bringing them in."

"yes!"

Half an hour later, in the main hall of the Prince's Mansion.

A dozen or so prominent merchants from the capital were brought in. As soon as they entered, the group of people knelt down in unison with a few thuds.

"Madam Wang! This humble subject deserves to die! This humble subject was blinded by greed and offended the officials of Xiahe Village yesterday. I have come here today to beg for forgiveness!" The head timber merchant, Boss Zhao, kowtowed repeatedly, his voice trembling with sobs.

"Yes, Madam, we were forced into this situation! Young Master Wen and Young Master He have spoken, how dare we commoners offend the Ministry of Rites..." Boss Qian of the raw silk shop also complained, tears streaming down his face.

Wang Jinzhu sat upright in the main seat, her eyes lowered as she fiddled with the tea leaves in her teacup, not even glancing at them.

The hall was deathly silent, save for the crisp clinking of tea lids against teacups, which sent shivers down the spines of the merchants.

After letting them wait for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wang Jinzhu finally spoke slowly: "What are you bosses doing? Yesterday, you were willing to pay double the deposit rather than sell the timber and raw silk to Xiahe Village. Where did that stubbornness go?"

"Madam, you flatter me!" Boss Zhao abruptly raised his head, urgently holding up a contract. "Yesterday I was foolish! I guarantee today that all the timber needed by Xiahe Village will be supplied at half the original price... no, thirty percent! Thirty percent! I would never dare to delay the veterans' house construction!"

"My humble cloth shop is the same! As long as Zhiji Pavilion and the textile workshop need cotton cloth and raw silk, I am willing to supply them in unlimited quantities at cost price, and deliver them whenever needed!"

Seeing the group's arrogant yet obsequious manner, Feng An felt a surge of satisfaction.

Wang Jinzhu remained unmoved, slamming her teacup down on the table with a thud.

"Too late." Wang Jinzhu's voice was cold and clear, carrying an undeniable air of authority. "Yesterday you cut off the supply, and I've already had the Liu family's Fuying ship transfer goods from Zhongzhou and Qingzhou. They'll be transported by water and will arrive at Qinghe Wharf soon. My Wang family no longer needs your goods."

Upon hearing this, the merchants were struck dumb, their faces turning deathly pale.

The Liu Family's Fuying Firm! That's the number one merchant firm in the Great Liang Dynasty, a royal merchant-level entity! The Wang Family actually managed to connect with the Liu Family overnight, bypassing the local chambers of commerce in the capital!

If the Wang family doesn't want their goods, wouldn't General Li's anger have nowhere to go? They could easily be accused of "obstructing military affairs and persecuting veterans," and they wouldn't have enough lives to spare! The Wen and He families are struggling to protect themselves right now, so there's absolutely no way they would protect them!

"Madam! Madam, save us!" Boss Zhao crawled two steps, weeping bitterly. "If you don't take our goods, General Li will surely skin us alive! Please, have mercy on us and give us a way out!"

"Please, madam, spare me a meal!" The other merchants echoed their cries.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Wang Jinzhu gave Feng An a wink.

Feng An immediately stepped forward and said sternly, "Quiet down! Your shouting is disturbing our lady!"

The merchants immediately covered their mouths and stared longingly at Wang Jinzhu.

"In business, I always believe in making money through harmony." Wang Jinzhu leaned forward slightly, her sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Since you sincerely admit your mistakes, I might as well give you a chance to make amends."

"Madam, please speak! As long as you say the word, this humble subject will not hesitate to go through fire and water!"

Wang Jinzhu held up three fingers: "First, you breached the contract yesterday, and the penalty of double the deposit must be delivered to the Wang Mansion by noon today."

"No problem! I'll send someone to collect the money right away!" Everyone nodded repeatedly.

"Secondly," Wang Jinzhu continued, "although the Liu family's timber is on its way, the progress in Xiahe Village cannot be halted. From today onwards, all the timber, bricks, tiles, raw silk, and cotton cloth in your possession will be supplied to Xiahe Village and my workshop at 20% of the market price. If you dare to use inferior materials, or if you are even an hour late..."

"This humble subject will bring his head to you!" Boss Zhao hurriedly replied.

"Third," Wang Jinzhu said with a cold smile, "a binding contract. From now on, the eight major timber merchants and cloth shops in the capital must prioritize supplying my Wang family and Xiahe Village. If you are again instigated by others to cut off supplies or breach the contract, you will not only have to pay ten times the penalty for breach of contract, but I will also personally deliver the contract to General Li and the Minister of War. Do you understand?"

At 20% of the market price, this is practically throwing money away. But compared to losing one's head, losing money to avoid disaster is the best outcome.

The merchants agreed without the slightest hesitation.

"Understood! This humble subject understands completely! Thank you for your mercy, Madam! Thank you for the meal!"

Half an hour later, Feng An held a stack of signed and sealed death contracts and a thick stack of silver notes, grinning from ear to ear.

"Madam, your move was brilliant!" Feng An said admiringly. "Not only did you make a huge profit from the breach of contract penalty, but you also managed to drive down the material costs for the construction of Xiahe Village and the workshop to the bare minimum! Those old foxes have lost everything this time!"

Wang Jinzhu casually flipped through the contract, a satisfied smile playing on her lips: "Since they dare to act like dogs of the powerful families and bite me, they'd better be prepared to have their legs broken. Old Feng, take the contract to Zhao Dezhu in Xiahe Village and tell him there's plenty of material, so let the workers get to work! I want all two hundred-plus veteran households to be moving into their new homes before winter!"

"Yes, Madam!" Feng An accepted the order with great enthusiasm and left.

Wang Jinzhu stood up, walked outside, and took a deep breath of the morning air.

The Wen family, the He family?

After this battle, the powerful families in the capital should really think twice about whether Wang Jinzhu is a pushover.