Free Web NovelChapter 580: Chapter 582: Can’t Measure Up
"Are you talking about Yue’er’s marriage?" Prefect Nan guessed instantly, seeing the solemn look on his wife’s face.
"I heard the Holy Emperor is planning to add an extra imperial examination. My lord, you shouldn’t just focus on Tian Zhuang and his affairs these days. It’s time to carefully select a match for our Yue’er."
"You’ve made up your mind?"
"I’ve thought it all through. Our family doesn’t have a deep foundation. If we really marry Yue’er into one of those prominent, wealthy families, we might actually be harming her.
And look at that Jin woman. She followed Mr. Gu all the way, her status rising with her husband’s honor. Could our Yue’er really fare any worse than her?"
Prefect Nan was speechless. "Madam, do you think every scholar will have the same kind of fortune as Gu Wenheng?
Throughout history, how many have been promoted as quickly as he has?"
"I know all that," Lady Nan said. "I’m not expecting Yue’er to find a husband exactly like Mr. Gu.
But for a husband and wife who have supported each other on their way up, the bond they share is much stronger than one from a marriage of convenience.
I just want our daughter to have an easier life in the future.
Besides, Mrs. Gu doesn’t have her maiden family to support her, yet she still manages to live so well.
Our Yue’er has you, her father, a magistrate! How could she possibly be worse off than her?"
Prefect Nan shook his head. "Don’t always make such comparisons. There are some things where we truly can’t compare."
"How can we not compare..."
Prefect Nan paid no mind to her nagging. Some matters required early planning. ’It seems I need to talk to my confidants.’
Tian Zhuang quickly sensed that the winds had changed in Le City.
Previously, if his establishments were vandalized, the government officials would arrive quickly. But for some reason, they were now dragging their feet. On a few occasions, he had grown impatient and had to urge them repeatedly before they finally showed up.
The men under him also found it harder to get things done. Some of his old business partners even started avoiding him.
He sensed something was wrong but couldn’t pinpoint the reason right away.
Li Yong saw his master’s anxiety and felt uneasy himself. ’From an outsider’s perspective,’ he thought, ’Tian Zhuang probably won’t come out of this well.’
’When he first came back, he was so adulated by others that he lost his sense of direction, doing things without any scruples.’ freewebnøvel.coɱ
’Having been to Shangjing with him, I figured out the reality of the situation long ago.’
’The Mistress and the Young Miss aren’t as influential as the rumors in Le City suggest. In fact, to the nobility in Shangjing, they’re probably not even worth mentioning.’
’It’s just that "the heavens are high and the emperor is far away" here, which creates a false impression.’
"Master, what should we do next?"
’If we were to pull out now, take what’s left of our assets, and leave Le City, we might have a chance to make a comeback.’
’But obviously, these were not words a head steward like him could say.’
Tian Zhuang had come to his senses by now. He knew that some people had likely seen through his previous bluffs. Those people were pragmatic; it made sense for them to side with the other party.
He gritted his teeth. "Send word down. Tell them to get rid of the goods on hand as quickly as possible. Sell the shops that can be sold and sublet the ones that can’t."
But this would mean getting rid of sixty percent of his properties in Le City.
All that would be left were some manors and that escort agency.
Seeing that Tian Zhuang was no longer being stubborn, Li Yong quietly breathed a sigh of relief. "Then... shall we go find the master’s brother-in-law?"
Even though Xiao Yunhai was just a small county magistrate now, being close to the local parents official was much better than relying on others like this.
Tian Zhuang frowned. "Yun Hai is probably unreliable. Lan Fen has been in Shangjing all these years, claiming to be taking care of Jingyu and Shiyu, but that’s just an excuse.
Over the past few years, Yun Hai’s correspondence with me has become less and less frequent. I don’t think he’s sent a single letter this year, has he?"
Li Yong lowered his head, thinking to himself, ’You and your sister are two of a kind.’
’The moment the Mistress saw her husband lose power, she found an excuse to stay in Shangjing long-term.’
’And Tian Zhuang is no better. He couldn’t even be bothered to send gifts over the years. Even when he remembered, he just went through the motions.’
’Her husband couldn’t have failed to notice. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gradually written fewer and fewer letters over the years.’
’Still, no matter what anyone said, Tian Zhuang was publicly known as the official’s brother-in-law. If he went to seek refuge now, even if he wasn’t welcome, the man would have to save face and help them get settled.’
"What do you say... we move to Shangjing?"
A little man in Li Yong’s heart was shaking its head frantically. ’We’d be better off moving to some remote place. At least we’d still have some money left and could live as wealthy idlers.’
"This servant wouldn’t know about that. Perhaps you should discuss it with the Madam and the Young Miss?"
Tian Zhuang glanced at Li Yong. ’I used to think this man was clever, able to come up with small ideas. What’s wrong with him today? He’s shirking responsibility at every turn.’
"Alright, I don’t need you here. Go and have someone deal with all the shops.
If anyone comes to cause trouble again, just endure it for now."
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about sending another letter to Shangjing to call for reinforcements, but the price for that was more than he could afford.
’They might help, but it would surely cost me an arm and a leg, and in the end, I might get nothing out of it.’
’In that case, it’s better to cut my losses quickly. Save what I can.’
Tian Zhuang walked to the rear courtyard alone. Along the way, he contemplated many things.
’Back then, I was just trying to stand up for my sister, but I never expected to get dragged into this myself.’
’It seems I’ll have to reconsider my relationship with my sister and niece from now on.’
＆
Jin Qianqian hadn’t expected Tian Zhuang to flee so quickly. It hadn’t been long since she received the last letter, and now, barely ten days later, the situation had changed completely.
"The old saying ’commoners don’t fight with officials’ really does make sense." Jin Qianqian smiled and shook her head, knowing this was a choice Prefect Nan had made after weighing his options.
’It seems borrowing those personal guards from Brother Zhou was the right move.’
"A big part of it is that our fist is stronger than theirs," Gu Wenheng said, voicing his thoughts. "An indirect connection can never compare to direct power.
So, will we continue our operations in Le City?"
"Of course," Jin Qianqian replied. "We’ve already invested so much manpower and capital. It would be a loss to pull back now, and I don’t do losing business.
Don’t worry, Li Xia and the others know what they’re doing. They’ll do their work honestly and won’t get involved in the affairs of the local gentry and officials."
"That’s not what I mean. You’re always saying you’re short-staffed. Leaving so many people over there might stretch you too thin."
In the end, Gu Wenheng’s heart ached for Jin Qianqian. He didn’t want her to work so hard. After all, they had more Silver than they could ever spend, so why go through all the trouble?
As for the businesses in Le City, if they just put the word out, plenty of people would be willing to take them over. They wouldn’t lose much at all.
Jin Qianqian said, "I don’t want to crush Li Xia’s and the others’ enthusiasm. That girl looks up to Qing Lan and wants to achieve something great herself.
They’ve finally managed to get this venture off the ground. If I were to recall her now, wouldn’t that be a huge blow to her?"
Seeing that Jin Qianqian had made up her mind, Gu Wenheng said no more.
