Chapter 83

Perhaps because there were too many unacceptable events in one day, or because Shangguan Ruomeng failed to complete the task of asking Zhang Changling to postpone the election, or because she was physically and mentally exhausted, after returning to the Shangguan residence and having dinner with Feng Jueyu, Shangguan Ruomeng returned to the Yunmeng Tower with a worried look on her face...

That night, the lamp that usually stayed lit until late at night remained extinguished...

The next day, Feng Jueyu resumed his usual routine of morning exercises, bird-walking, tea-drinking, and chess-playing. As he walked out of the Yunmeng Pavilion, the surroundings were eerily quiet. At this time, Xing'er would usually be up, preparing breakfast for Miss in the kitchen. Why was it so quiet today?

"Ruomeng, little sister..."

"Xing'er..."

Feng Jueyu knocked on the door, puzzled by the lack of response. Had she left so early?

Perplexed, Feng Jueyu stepped out of the moon gate, walked through the long corridor, and arrived at the front courtyard. To his surprise, he encountered Shangguan Ruowen and Shangguan Ruowu. What amused Feng Jueyu was that these two had been very low-key recently, walking with their heads down and in a hurry, as if something significant had happened. They no longer looked down on people with their noses, which made him a bit pleased.

"Brother Ruowen, Brother Ruowu, where are you going?"

Shangguan Ruowen and Shangguan Ruowu stopped in their tracks and turned around. Seeing this demon star, they shuddered involuntarily.

Yesterday, Feng Jueyu's performance at Zhang Changling's residence was clear to them. After returning, Shangguan Liuyun explained Feng Jueyu's actions to the two, and they were so frightened that they broke out in cold sweat. In their view, Feng Jueyu was a bottle of bad wine that had gone sour, and playing with him was clearly courting death.

"It's Brother-in-law, good morning, good morning..."

The two brothers trembled, and in the warm spring of March, they were sweating profusely...

Am I that scary? Feng Jueyu scratched his head, not understanding why the two were afraid, and asked, "Leaving so early?"

Feng Jueyu knew these two brothers well. They usually didn't get up until the sun was high in the sky. Why were they up so early today?

Shangguan Ruowen replied formally, "Yes, there are only 21 days left until the election for the Chamber of Commerce president. The Huairen Hall is short of personnel in several branches, and Elder Sister has assigned us to help. This is a big matter for the Shangguan family, so we have to get there even if we don't sleep."

"For the shares," Feng Jueyu realized, feeling relieved that the two brothers had finally come to their senses and were willing to work hard for the family's cause, which was indeed commendable.

Shangguan Ruowu thought for a moment, nudged Shangguan Ruowen with his elbow, and then said, "Brother Feng, we were wrong last time. We didn't expect Xu Zixiong to really dare to use underhanded tactics. We were very regretful afterward. Brother Feng, please forgive us."

Shangguan Ruowen also said, "Yes, yes, we all live in the same house, we are one family. Brother Feng, please don't hold a grudge against us."

It was truly difficult to get these two to apologize. Shangguan Liuyun must have given them a good scolding. In fact, Feng Jueyu didn't really hold a grudge against them. Thinking about it, even if he did, what could he do? For the sake of Shangguan Liuyun, he couldn't do anything to them.

Since the two brothers showed a sincere intention to repent, it wasn't difficult to turn the page. Feng Jueyu nodded and smiled, "That matter? I've long forgotten about it."

Shangguan Ruowen and Shangguan Ruowu were slightly stunned, staring at Feng Jueyu's sincere smile, feeling deeply moved. They immediately said, "Brother Feng, thank you."

The two of them suddenly felt an urge to cry. This guy finally forgave us. They had to go back and tell their grandfather and father right away, so they wouldn't be treated inhumanely anymore.

Feng Jueyu didn't know that on that night, Shangguan Liuyun had given the two a final ultimatum: if Feng Jueyu didn't personally say he forgave them, Shangguan Liuyun would no longer recognize them as his sons.

Although the words were harsh, Shangguan Liuyun wouldn't really disown them, but it still scared Shangguan Ruowen and Shangguan Ruowu half to death.

Now that Feng Jueyu had truly forgiven them, how could they not be grateful?

In fact, Feng Jueyu also felt relieved. The Shangguan residence was in a state of intense competition over the inheritance. The eldest branch, led by Shangguan Ruomeng, controlled the family business and had the air of a new family head. The second branch was the strongest competitor, with Ruowen and Ruowu, both male heirs, naturally set to inherit part of the family business. The third branch, led by Shangguan Jinglei, had no children and was uninvolved in family affairs, with a strained relationship with his wife.

In fact, the third branch of the Shangguan residence was the most difficult. Shangguan Jinglei was a heavy drinker, and his presence was rarely seen. Everyone in the residence knew that the third master had been injured and could not have children. The third lady had suffered a lot with the third master, and Shangguan Liuyun felt guilty towards his third daughter-in-law, so he turned a blind eye to her behavior, which increased the pressure on Shangguan Ruomeng.

In short, the family was not at peace. However, it was fortunate that Shangguan Ruowen and Shangguan Ruowu had turned over a new leaf and reconciled with Feng Jueyu, and were now working hard to improve. The pressure from the second branch was almost resolved.

Feng Jueyu was lost in thought for a while before realizing the heavy burden on Shangguan Ruomeng. Sighing, he thought, "Not even 20 years old, and she's supporting this family business. It's not easy..."

Thinking about this, Feng Jueyu suddenly felt that since many people cared about the position of the Chamber of Commerce president, it was necessary to understand its powers and responsibilities. He asked, "Hmm? I heard that many people are competing for the position of Chamber of Commerce president. Is it very powerful?"

Shangguan Ruowen sighed and said, "Brother Feng, let's talk while we walk."

"Okay." The three of them had reconciled, and with the misunderstanding cleared, Shangguan Ruowen began to explain to Feng Jueyu.

"Brother Feng, you may not know, but the Tian Nan Chamber of Commerce is a department established by the current emperor, led by Zhang Dachang. Each president directly represents the industries under the Tian Nan Empire. The president is divided into a main position and two deputy positions. Every decision made by the chamber is jointly signed by the three presidents, covering all internal operations of the industry. Since the chamber has to pay a substantial tax to the state each year, it involves the interests of various families."

"For example, in the pharmaceutical industry, our Huairen Hall is the largest, followed by Huichun Hall and Miaoshan Hall. In the past, the Pharmaceutical Chamber was led by the heads of these three halls, that is, Uncle, Xu Zixiong's father Xu Dongping, and Chen Hongjie's father Chen Datong. These three were the main, deputy, and deputy presidents, each responsible for their own duties, and they would consult each other on major matters to ensure fairness."

"But this year is different. The emperor intends to merge the three halls into one, but he doesn't want to exclude any of them, so he came up with the idea of an election for the president. This year's president has significant responsibilities and powers, almost like a one-man show, directly under the management of Zhang Dachang and even the emperor. If we don't get the position of president, even if we have many people in the chamber, we won't have a say in major matters. Brother Feng, you may not know, but after the Tian Nan Empire conquered the territory, it was Grandfather who first proposed withdrawing from the court to do the herbal medicine business. Little did we know that Old Man Xu would also enter the industry, following Grandfather's lead to do the herbal medicine business. Although they were once the Seven Princes of Tian Nan and had helped the emperor in many battles, their relationship has deteriorated since then."

At this point, Shangguan Ruowen deliberately lowered his voice and said, "Let me tell you one more thing, but don't tell anyone else." He looked around and whispered, "One day, we accidentally overheard Grandfather, Uncle, and Father talking in the study. Grandfather suspected that Old Man Xu Liufeng might be sent by the emperor to target the Shangguan family."

"Oh?" Feng Jueyu was stunned, thinking it was not impossible.

Shangguan Liuyun came from a bandit background and had a large number of capable people under him. Although he couldn't match the powerful martial arts families, he was a significant force for a country. After he entered the herbal medicine business and became the leader of the industry in the Tian Nan Empire, his influence and power were considerable, making him a target for caution.

As he was thinking, Shangguan Ruowu whispered, "Brother, be careful, there might be eavesdroppers."

Shangguan Ruowen shuddered and said, "Brother Feng, don't tell anyone. Criticizing the emperor in private is a capital offense."

Feng Jueyu nodded, thinking he now understood. If the Xu family really took the position of the Chamber of Commerce president, the Huairen Hall would certainly be suppressed. No wonder Shangguan Ruomeng was so concerned.

Thinking further, Feng Jueyu suddenly had a terrifying thought: Could the emperor have intended to target the Shangguan family from the beginning when he assigned them the task of escorting supplies?

Putting himself in the emperor's shoes, if the Shangguan family had such significant influence, he would certainly want to suppress them. The Shangguan family's business in the Tian Nan Empire was thriving, making it difficult to move. So, he might use a surprise move, giving the Shangguan family a heavy task and then deliberately spreading the word to have enemy countries send assassins to intercept them.

The emperor would guess that the Shangguan family would do everything to protect the supplies. Whether they succeeded or not, the interception would result in the deaths of some significant figures among the assassins, making the Shangguan family and the Jin Yin Guild sworn enemies.

With the Jin Yin Guild's ruthless methods, they would certainly seek revenge. In the capital, they couldn't touch the Shangguan family, but in the provinces, it would be different.

This way, the Shangguan family's business would be severely impacted by the Jin Yin Guild, and with the Xu family and Chen family joining forces, they would have the power to challenge the Shangguan family.

Once the position of the Chamber of Commerce president fell into the hands of the Xu family, the Shangguan family's business would suffer repeated setbacks and gradually decline.

In this era, without money, one couldn't move an inch. As the Shangguan family's income shrank, they wouldn't be able to support their capable people, effectively weakening their power.

This strategy of cutting off the roots was truly ruthless and deadly...

The emperor wanted balance, a stable imperial power, and an unshakable empire. It was not surprising that he had this plan...

Seeing that the old man had already guessed this, he had used most of the Shangguan family's strength in Tian Nan City that day, not just to avenge the brick Xu Zixiong threw at him, but also to warn the emperor that the Shangguan family was his life's work, and even as the emperor, he couldn't touch the Shangguan family.

Politics, damn, it's indeed sharp.

This is what is called the emperor's heart and the strategy of the highest military.

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