The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 105: Try to find out what is more important
"Fifth brother, since you already knew that Cheng's tea had arrived in large quantities, why didn't you take advantage of these two days to sell the tea?" Some people couldn't wait. This was such a huge profit, and he could get a larger share of the profit at the end of the year!

Shang Jinliang sneered, "Cheng has made every possible preparation, selling tea at high prices yesterday and today. The buyers haven't left yet. Won't they return to demand an explanation?"

"This is a transaction between two parties. He wants to buy tea on his own initiative. How can we let him cancel it whenever he wants? Why should we say anything to him?" someone said confidently.

"Short-sighted." Shang Jinliang said nothing more to them. He turned to ask the Shang clan leader, "Does the clan leader think so?"

Not long after the Shang family became wealthy, Shang Jinliang's father had only studied for a few years, and Shang Jinliang barely passed the imperial examination to become a scholar. Shang Jinliang and his son donated a lot to the family, but the Shang family was not born with a good talent for studying, and they did not produce many real scholars.

The Shang clan leader can barely read and write, how much foresight can he have?
Being asked this by Shang Jinliang, he was at a loss for words. Fearing that he would label him short-sighted, he could only feign profoundness and ponder for a moment before saying, "Your concerns are not without reason, but the Shi, Zhao, and Feng families all sell tea at high prices. We are unique and might arouse suspicion. Why not select a few more open-minded people to sell it?"

"Just catch the kind-hearted people and harm them." Shang Zishu's voice was neither loud nor soft.

Shang Jinliang didn't scold him, pretending he hadn't heard. "Third Uncle, how could I be so unrighteous? It's fine if others don't know, but I knew I had bought the tea at a high price and couldn't sell it. How could I harm a fellow trader for a small sum of money? Before my grandfather died, he told my father and me to be grateful for the kindness of our clan, and he also told me to be honest in my business dealings."

He pointed to the framed ancestral precepts on the right side of the main hall and said, "Can't you see the ancestral precepts left by my grandfather?"

Shang Zishu was the first to respond: "Dad, there are many laymen in the clan."

Shang Jinliang ignored the dignity of his clan members and continued, "Zi Shu, read it out."

"Yes." Shang Zishu was happy to accept such an order. She cleared her throat and spoke in a clear and resounding voice, "Virtue is never alone, and the business path is broad; goodness lays the foundation, and the road to wealth is long."

The Shang clan members suddenly felt ashamed, including the clan leader, but they could not find any words to refute.

Someone was unconvinced and stiffened his neck: "Fifth Brother, you are so sure that Cheng's ten thousand catties of tea will soon be shipped to Huizhou. What if your information is wrong?"

"Puchi." Shang Zishu couldn't help laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" an elder who had long disliked Shang Zishu scolded, "The elders are discussing matters, and as a woman, you don't know how to step aside, and you even dare to mock them!"

She turned around and angrily pointed at Shang Jinliang: "Silang, look at the good daughter you taught!"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with Zishu." Shang Jinliang could scold Shang Zishu for being disrespectful, but he wouldn't allow anyone to say anything bad about his daughter in front of him. "Zishu, tell your uncle why you're laughing."

"I was just thinking about how Daddy made money because of his foresight and never stole a cent." Shang Zishu's eyes were clear and charming, and she swept them around, scanning everyone present. "Why did Daddy lose money because of his foresight, but he has to explain it to the clan? Why are there always people in this world who are so self-righteous and don't take risks? I couldn't help but laugh out loud. It's Zishu's fault for disturbing all the uncles."

Shang Zishu gave a perfunctory greeting without any sincerity.

All the members of the Shang clan blushed, especially the person who asked that question.

Shang Jinliang managed to run Xiangmingzhai from a few shops to its current fame in Jiangnan. The profits they received increased dozens of times compared to their parents' generation, but they never felt that they did not deserve it.

Even though Shang Jinliang made a mistake this time, it only cost them a small profit, not a loss, yet they were still blaming him. Shang Zishu finished speaking, and Shang Wenshu and Shang Mingshu, using their round fans as a screen, gave her a thumbs-up, one on each side.

Shang Zishu looked around and raised her chin slightly with pride.

Shang Jinliang found this jarring. It wasn't Shang Zishu's words that irritated him, but the way she pointed out the oppression these relatives were putting on him. "Third Uncle, what Zishu said is also something I'm confused about. Third Uncle, why don't you explain this to me? Which relative do I owe you? How much do I owe? How can I repay it?"

Chief Shang felt embarrassed. He felt that Shang Jinliang had changed and was not as close to them as before.

Shang Jinliang was indeed right about what happened today. This kind of thing had happened before, and Shang Jinliang had never been so disrespectful to them.

They naturally didn't know that they came to make trouble that day, Shang Mingshu's disappointed ridicule of Shang Jinliang, and his most beloved daughter began to distance herself from him because he tolerated his clansmen, which made him feel uncomfortable.

It was rare that Shang Mingshu could open up to him yesterday. Seeing that his daughter once again trusted and had expectations of him, he naturally could not let his precious daughter down again.

"Advancing the beam..."

"Clan leader." Clan leader Shang was about to frown and reprimand Shang Jinliang, but Shang Mingshu interrupted him first. He walked around Shang Jinliang and slowly walked to the main hall. He saluted the elders of the three parties in a proper manner. "My elders have never read the Great Ming Code, but Mingshu has read a little bit. Let me show off today.

The Great Ming Code states: "If anyone sees someone buying or selling something and compares prices to confuse people in order to profit, he shall be flogged forty times. If anyone sells something cheap as expensive, or buys something expensive as cheap, he shall be flogged eighty times."

The second sentence is indeed in the law, but it also has the first half: the traffickers colluded with the pawnbrokers to commit evil schemes.

So what? She just cut off the beginning and the end. Who told them to be less educated?
Sure enough, as soon as Shang Mingshu said this, the unconvinced look on her face instantly disappeared, and was replaced by retreat and hesitation.

Shang Jinliang took it all in and struck while the iron was hot: "What Third Brother said just now does make sense. I shouldn't stop my clan from profiting. You don't have to believe me. Xiang Ming Zhai's tea will be sold to each family at the original price according to their dividends. You can sell it as you please. Whether you make a profit or a loss is none of my business. If you get into trouble, don't blame me."

Shang Mingshu's words made them hesitate, and Shang Jinliang's words made them completely back down.

There were one or two who were unwilling to give up and did not have the courage to try alone, so they could only follow the crowd and return empty-handed.

After sending him off once more, Shang Zishu couldn't help but mutter, "When will this end? They come knocking at my door at the slightest sign of trouble. No family is more narrow-minded than them."

"Dad didn't complain, so why should we complain?" Shang Wenshu felt that Shang Jinliang was the one who suffered the most.

When my grandfather was alive, the Shang clan members were not so insatiable. Most of them were cautious in currying favor with him, listened to him in everything, and spared no effort in giving his help.

"What my elder sister said is right." Shang Mingshu agreed with this statement. The next generation of the clan is different. They have more knowledge and are more cautious, but they also have greater ambitions.

Shang Zishu pouted in dissatisfaction and turned to Shang Mingshu, "You were honest with your father yesterday. Is that why he behaved like this today?"

Shang Mingshu did not refute: "I was just trying it out. In my father's heart, who is more important, me or my clansmen..."