"Ezhou Chamber of Comrce?"
Li Yan and Sha Lifei exchanged glances.
They had dealt with the Ezhou Chamber of Comrce before.
Although the Chamber of Comrce was composed of wealthy rchants from various places,
its president was nad Wu Honglin, whose Wu family held enormous influence in Ezhou and had several officials in the court.
Furthermore, they were quite cunning, relying on mariti trade to bind many forces including Prince Wuchang’s Mansion, and they also jointly undertook military supplies’ transportation with the Pai Sect.
The greedy and foolish County Magistrate of Zigui County was his younger brother.
Amidst such chaos, the Wu family remained unaffected, which demonstrated their extraordinary nature.
Thinking of this, Li Yan continued to inquire, "Landlord Tian, why do you think the culprit is that person?"
Landlord Tian sighed, "Opening up mariti trade is very profitable but also quite risky, and at that ti, not many people dared to wager on it."
"I just happened to have so idle money, and I was quite curious about overseas customs, so I took a bite and invested, never expecting to earn a hundredfold."
"Now the shares of the Chamber of Comrce have beco a hot commodity, and several people have co to to discuss, wanting to buy my shares at a high price."
"Among them, Wu Jiucheng was the most eager, but he offered a miserably low price, which I outright refused."
Sha Lifei stroked his beard, questioningly asked, "The Wu family has the most shares, right? Do they still need to stoop so low?"
"You don’t know the half of it,"
Landlord Tian shook his head, "The Wu family is rich and powerful, but there are also many family mbers, direct and collateral lines, senior and junior branches, adding up to hundreds of people."
"If everyone had a share, wouldn’t it be chaotic? The shares held in the Chamber of Comrce are family assets that can only be divided as dividends."
"Moreover, the Wu family has a strict hierarchy, direct and collateral branches, everyone’s share is fixed, not to be overstepped."
"That Wu Jiucheng is a concubine-born child; by rights, he shouldn’t receive little, but he spends lavishly and lives luxuriously, and the family’s dividends are far from enough for him, so he set his sights on ."
Speaking of which, his eyes were full of anger as he respectfully clasped his hands, "I still ask you gentlen to help find the evidence; I will not let him get away with this!"
Sha Lifei’s eyes rolled as he pretended to have difficulties, "Landlord Tian, in principle we are obliged to take care of this matter, but the situation is different from what you described."
"We ca to look at Fengshui, but now we have to offend soone, especially the Wu family who commands the winds and rains in Ezhou. You’ve seen it, the previous magicians all t with misfortune, not daring to utter a single word..."
Landlord Tian was not the least bit annoyed, instead, he laughed, "Young Brother Sha, I’ve co all this way, do you think I don’t know your temperant?"
"We’re not strangers here, no need for such talk. Rest assured, gentlen, I am not a petty person, just finish this matter, and I’m willing to gift thirty thousand taels!"
"Money is the least of our concerns."
Li Yan interrupted him, earnestly starting, "We also have two favors to ask of Landlord Tian."
"First, there’s the martial arts tournant hosted by Prince Wuchang’s Mansion, I’m itching to exchange pointers with the various masters."
"Second, we want to find a capable Mystical Sect craftsman, and he must be reliable and tight-lipped after the fact."
"Oh?"
Landlord Tian pondered for a mont, "The martial arts tournant is easy to deal with, the Chamber of Comrce has already got an entry quota, Young Hero Li can participate under the na of a patron of Tian’s Chamber of Comrce."
"As for the Mystical Sect craftsman, allow so ti to inquire. After all, the person you are looking for is likely not ordinary. Once I have so leads, I’ll get back to Young Hero Li."
"Good!"
Having negotiated the terms, it was natural to solve the current issue first.
Li Yan asked again, "Landlord Tian, I’m curious, after we get the evidence, how do you plan to handle it?"
"We need to know the scale of the matter so that we can act accordingly."
As Landlord Tian had said, the Wu family was influential, but Li Yan and company truly did not fear them, having already offended the Heavenly Saint Sect and Ghost Sect to a sufficient degree.
But first, they needed to know how bold Landlord Tian was.
Landlord Tian naturally grasped his aning, shaking his head he said, "Though the marketplace is a battlefield, it also has its rules; it won’t get too ugly."
"The Wu family has significant influence within the Chamber of Comrce, but they are not the only ones with power; there are many who covet their positions."
"I and a few old friends are considered neutral parties, combined we protect each other, sought after by both sides, and the practice of using secret techniques to take people’s property is a major taboo in the Chamber of Comrce."
"After the Dragon Boat Festival, there will be a new election for president. At such a critical mont, Wu Honglin dare not be careless. With evidence in hand, I will make him concede so key positions."
"It’s worthwhile for to take so grievances if I can achieve this."
Li Yan, upon hearing this, wasn’t surprised.
This was the true nature of a businessman, who wouldn’t engage in pugilistic confrontations where conflict leads to swords drawn.
In the end, they might even wine and dine in harmony.
"In that case, the matter becos easier to handle."
Sha Lifei, always full of tricky ideas, had an idea as he rubbed his bald head, "Leave the finding of people to us. Landlord Tian, you secretly dispatch soone to locate those magicians and solidify the evidence."
"Also, tell us the nas of the craftsn who built your house."
Landlord Tian nodded, "The one who built the house for is Xu Qingquan, of the Xu Family Group from Huzhou Gang. He is known for his honesty in Han Yang City and has an excellent reputation; I never would have thought he’d do such a thing."
"I’ll go settle the account with him right now!"
Li Yan pondered for a mont, then shook his head, "No rush."
"Landlord Tian, haven’t you noticed? They are so brazen because they are confident that the spells are secretive, and even if discovered, they could completely deny it."
"This suppression technique is a bit strange; it’s devoid of Yin Evil Qi, so it’s hard to use as evidence. The urgent matter is to find the key to it."
"Then, when we confront them, they’ll have nothing to say."
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