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Looking at the intelligence report in his hand, Chen Xi’s eyebrows twitched wildly. Seeing Chen Xi’s reaction, Liu Ye and the others knew that whatever was conveyed must be extremely displeasing to him.
"Take a look at this," Chen Xi handed over the intelligence report from Jizhou to Lub Su and the others, practically at a loss for words. How could such a promising situation have been ruined, and how could Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang be such trash?
After reading it, Lub Su chuckled, "Didn’t we anticipate this? What’s so surprising? The Zhen Family, being a hundred-year-old aristocratic family, isn’t that easy to deal with."
"But there’s no need to make such a mess. Those two idiots have even smashed their own brand," said Chen Xi, covering his forehead, a look of helplessness on his face, "I’ve finished dealing with my government affairs. I’ll handle the situation in Jizhou myself. The Zhen Family really are troublesome!"
Liu Ye didn’t say much. As a member of the Imperial Family, he had a detailed understanding of the families in the world, and the Zhen Family was among the top! To think that a merchant or two could shake the foundation of the Zhen Family was a joke, and even with Chen Xi taking action, Liu Ye wasn’t very optimistic, but since he hadn’t seen through Chen Xi yet, he didn’t want to throw cold water on him at this point.
"Write a letter to Mi Zhu, ask if he’s ready. If not, I’ll change the President!" Chen Xi said, somewhat indignantly.
Now concerning Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, they held tens of thousands of stones of refined salt and basically engaged in business without any cost. Hence, they didn’t heed Mi Zhu’s advice and went directly to Jizhou to confront the Zhen Family. In Chen Xi’s opinion, even if they didn’t employ other tactics, just engaging in dumping would be enough to cause significant damage to the Zhen Family’s vital energy. So, he didn’t say anything and directly had these two men take tens of thousands of stones of refined salt to Jizhou.
Initially, the Zhen Family really was caught off guard and suffered a surprise. By the time they recovered, the salt industry had almost been completely taken over by Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang. At this point, things should have been almost settled, especially since the Zhen Family had approached Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang to negotiate a bulk purchase of refined salt for retail. The two idiots directly mocked the Zhen Family, so even a fool would know the newcomers meant no good.
Afterwards, Zhang and Su continued selling salt, and because the prices were low, they did a lot of business that spread wide, owning all the salt shops on the surface in the entire Jizhou. To be clear, the shops belonged directly to the two of them, without any intermediaries...
From supply to sales, they set it up as an integrated operation, then trouble started. Purchasing the land was easy; there was no obstruction throughout Jizhou, but once the shops were established, the two of them were directly sued...
The Zhen Family members filed a lawsuit against Zhang and Su with an IOU in hand, and the Wang Family of Taiyuan, who had provided the loans, no longer stepped in. Most importantly, the IOU was genuine, and indeed, it was signed by Zhang and Su. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝖕𝖚𝖇.𝖈𝔬𝔪
They owed over a hundred million in debt with a monthly interest of five percent. The Zhen Family, citing the need to expand their family business, wanted to recall the loan, which was indeed due after three months, so the Zhen Family’s demand for repayment was justified. Zhang and Su claimed, however, that they had made an agreement with the Wang Family of Taiyuan to extend the contract by another half a year only two days prior.
But the Zhen Family members faced them with a mocking expression, "Do you have any paperwork or contract?"
No damn way. At that time, Zhang and Su were full of pride and wouldn’t have engaged in such antics without it. The Wang Family of Taiyuan and the two had many interactions, and everyone was from families worth over a hundred million, all reputable individuals. As businessmen, they naturally valued credibility, and it was for this reason that this matter was agreed upon verbally.
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Even fools knew they had been played by the Zhen Family. What else could be done? The saying goes, "debts must be repaid—it’s only natural." The only way was to settle the debts. Upon calculating the family assets and considering their depreciation, Zhang Su nearly found themselves reduced to slave status. Had the Zhen Family not shown a hint of mercy, doling out thirty strokes of the cane before driving them out of Jizhou, the pair, who had once returned home in glory, now had their names dragged through the mud!
When Mi Zhu heard the news, his eyebrows knitted together in frustration. Could his allies be any less reliable? If they needed money, why not just borrow from him? To him, a hundred million was no issue. Besides, with the number of underlings he had at his disposal, even ten billion was within his means to handle.
Looking at the plan in Chen Xi’s hands, Mi Zhu furrowed his brow. The killing intent was far too strong. What had the Zhen Family done to infuriate Chen Xi to this extent? Demoting the entire family to slave status seemed hardly enough to settle this score.
But since Chen Xi had given the order, Mi Zhu had no place to object. He began directing the branch lineages within his own merchant guild in accordance with Chen Xi’s command.
"Mi’er," the mother of Zhen Mi called out, looking at her daughter’s downcast expression, "Why do you not seem the least bit happy?"
"Mother, I am pondering the fate of Zhang and Su," Zhen Mi replied, her delicate face shadowed with a worry that wouldn’t dissipate.
"If they dared to provoke the Zhen Family, isn’t it only right that the Zhen Family grants them the ending they sought?" Zhen Mi’s mother spoke with pride, for the Zhen Family was short of male members and power now rested with the elder matriarch.
"The Zhen Family does not reflect upon its past wrongdoings but instead defeats all challengers. This will be the root of disaster!" Zhen Mi closed her eyes and spoke as if envisioning the scene, "To ignore one’s own faults and continue overpowering others with strength will lead to downfall due to past oversights. Does the Zhen Family really need to go to such lengths over Zhang and Su’s wealth?"
"Hmph, Mi’er, you don’t understand. If we do not strike them with thunderous force, other families will believe us weak and easily bullied. Without that, our decline won’t be far off," her mother replied with a cold laugh. Just then, a servant approached, presenting a bamboo slip with head bowed to Zhen Mi’s mother, "You continue your reading, I must manage the family’s business affairs. Study well, for you are the hope of the Zhen Family’s resurgence. Be good~"
Zhen Mi did not speak, only gazing blankly as her mother hurried away. She could not understand why her mother, who had always been eager to listen to her, departed so abruptly. She found it all so dull. Was wealth truly that important?
Zhen Mi vividly remembered that at the age of four, her father told her that the Zhen Family’s wealth was enough to squander for several generations, and they had already emerged from the bloody beginnings of their wealth accumulation. What they should pursue was dignity and integrity, not plunder and aggression. As long as they conducted honest business, no one could defeat the Zhen Family; its depth was beyond others’ imagination.
Alas, not long after, her father Zhen Yi passed away, leaving the Zhen Family in her mother’s hands. Unlike her father, Zhen Mi’s mother was unwilling to suffer any loss. Especially when Liu Liang had said that the girl was too noble to be discussed, possessing the regal bearing that could command the world, it filled her mother with overflowing confidence.
Growing up, Zhen Mi was well aware of the effect those words had and understood her mother’s plans. She had read numerous books including physiognomy, numerology, and "The Book of Changes," and while gazing into the bronze mirror, she could only sigh at her own reflection, indeed too noble to be spoken of.
However, not long ago while studying, she discovered that everything had become blurred. All talk of commanding presence and unspeakable nobility seemed wiped away as if someone dissatisfied with the state of the world had casually erased the existing order, rearranging everything anew.
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