Joy of Life: Starting by clinging to the eldest princess's coattails!

After Shuying left, Wu Feng asked the waiter to bring him paper and pen.

He sat down at the table and picked up his pen to write down the major powers in Suzhou at that time.

The Ming family, the Cui family, the Su family, the Gu family, the Xia family's water village, and Qingyutang.

The pen tip touched the two characters "Ming Family".

As a time traveler, he naturally cared most about the Ming family.

However, the Ming family at present is far from reaching the size it would have sixteen years later, when it would almost control the lifeline of Jiangnan.

And he will not allow the Ming family to develop to the extent described in the original story.

Ye Qingmei's idea of ​​distributing wealth among the people is correct.

Distributing the profits of the three major markets to small and medium-sized businesses, so that ordinary people can also benefit, is a method that can indeed revitalize the economy.

But she was too naive.

Not only did she refuse to share any soup with the local powerful families of Suzhou, but she also didn't use her own power to eliminate these local bullies.

So now that she's dead, the three major pharmacies and Qingyutang have lost their protection, and these people will naturally jump out to grab this piece of fat meat.

Wu Feng stared at the name on the paper, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table.

This time, the Eldest Princess entrusted him with the management of the three major workshops and Qingyutang. He was prepared to continue implementing Ye Qingmei's method of distributing wealth among the people.

but……

We need to give these big families in Suzhou a little something in return.

otherwise.

Unless he completely eradicates these companies.

With the limited manpower he has, it's simply impossible for him to do it, and his status is too low; doing so would have too much of an impact.

So once he leaves Suzhou, these people will definitely try to sabotage him, both openly and secretly, and then the business of the three major workshops will be in jeopardy.

Thinking of this, he picked up his pen and circled the three characters "Qing Yu".

To subdue the three major workshops without causing too much trouble, it would be best to first gain the support of Qingyutang.

The transportation channels and business network left by Ye Qingmei are very mature, and the management of Qingyutang is definitely the most secure at present.

Therefore, he does not intend to shut down Qingyutang.

Ideally, Qingyutang should be brought under control, creating a situation where Qingyutang and the major families of Suzhou can rival each other and check each other.

but……

Gaining the support of Qingyutang is not easy.

Wu Feng stared at the three characters "Qing Yu Tang" and pondered for a long time.

Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face.

I have a solution.

He gathered his thoughts, put the paper away, lay down on the bed fully clothed, and slept until evening.

After having a decent dinner in the lobby of the inn, Wu Feng returned to his room and quietly waited for night to fall.

Tonight, he plans to go for a walk.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Ming family's old residence.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating the living room brightly.

Madam Ming sat in the main seat, her face expressionless.

Old Master Cui sat to her left, holding a teacup in his hand, slowly blowing on it to warm it.

Sitting next to him was a middle-aged man in his thirties, who was the current head of the Ming family.

However, the Ming family is ruled by Old Madam Ming, and Ming Qingda, the head of the family, is just a puppet.

"Prefect Xie Yu of Suzhou has already given his approval." Old Master Cui put down his teacup. "However, Xie Yu's appetite... is quite large."

Madam Ming's expression remained unchanged: "I'm not afraid of his big appetite, I'm afraid he won't accept it. As long as we can get the operating rights of the three major workshops, what does that little bit of effort matter?"

Upon hearing this, Old Master Cui smiled slightly.

"That's true. Now, it all depends on whether the imperial envoy sent by the Eldest Princess knows what's good for him. As long as we can take good care of this envoy, without Ye Qingmei, Qingyutang... is nothing to worry about."

"We still can't be careless," Old Madam Ming said slowly. "We can't ignore the Su family and the Gu family either. Our bargaining chips must be stronger than theirs."

When the Su and Gu families were mentioned, Old Master Cui's expression became more serious, and he nodded.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Late at night, in the study of the prefectural government office in the backyard.

By candlelight, Xie Yu opened a small wooden box.

Inside was a thick stack of silver notes, each worth a thousand taels.

He stared at the banknotes and remained silent for a long while.

He hadn't expected that the Cui and Ming families would be so willing to spend so much this time.

Two hundred thousand taels of silver, given away so readily, that's incredibly generous.

Xie Yu was in his early forties, with a thin face, and looked like a refined scholar.

He was originally promoted by Ye Qingmei, and his career was bright. Thanks to Ye Qingmei, the powerful families in Suzhou all had to give him some face.

But who could have imagined that Ye Qingmei would be killed?

That's Ye Qingmei.

To put it bluntly, if Ye Qingmei were to stomp her foot casually, the entire Qing Kingdom would tremble.

Xie Yu had never met another person like her in his entire life.

Intelligent, decisive, and with a broad vision, he holds the power to overturn the world.

Yet such a person died, and died such a tragic death.

Thinking of this, Xie Yu unconsciously clenched his fists.

"Master," the butler's voice rang out from outside the door, lowered slightly, "Manager Ye has arrived."

Xie Yu came to his senses.

He closed the box, locked it, and put it in a hidden compartment behind the bookshelf. Only then did he straighten his robes and leave the study.

"Please invite Manager Ye to the flower hall in the backyard," he instructed the steward.

The butler acknowledged and hurried away.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the darkness, a figure swept across the eaves like a ghost and landed silently on the wall of the prefectural government's backyard.

Wu Feng wore the ghost mask that he had extracted from the system, revealing only his eyes.

He crouched down, his gaze sweeping across the backyard.

Through the dim candlelight, he saw Xie Yu come out of the study and walk towards the flower hall on the other side of the backyard.

Meanwhile, a middle-aged man wearing a black cloak and with a thin build was being led by the butler towards the flower hall.

It was Ye Songnian, just as the butler had mentioned.

Wu Feng's heart skipped a beat.

This is going to be interesting.

While secretly contacting the Ming and Cui families and receiving 200,000 taels of silver notes, Xie Yu also maintained contact with Ye Songnian, the head manager of Qingyutang...

What exactly is Xie Yu planning?

Wu Feng held his breath and, under the cover of night, quietly moved to the window on the side of the flower hall.

The hushed conversation between Xie Yu and Ye Songnian could be heard from inside.

It was a bit far away, so I couldn't hear very clearly. I only caught a few words intermittently: "Princess," "Imperial Envoy," "Self-preservation," "Evidence"...

Wu Feng listened intently.

"...The evidence of the crimes committed by the Ming and Cui families over the years has been almost completely collected." This was Xie Yu's voice. "We can take this opportunity to use the Princess's people to get rid of them completely."

Ye Songnian's voice rang out, tinged with hesitation:

"But Lord Xie, the affairs of the three major pharmacies and Qingyutang are now entirely under the jurisdiction of the eldest son. And her relationship with the young lady..."

"No, that won't happen." Xie Yu interrupted him. "If the Eldest Princess wants to control the three major workshops and Qingyutang, she must help us."

……

Upon hearing this, Wu Feng frowned slightly.

If Xie Yu really meant it, and he intended to use the evidence of the Ming and Cui families' crimes to bring them down, then why did he still accept the 200,000 taels?

Xie Yu must have other ideas.

The conversation in the flower hall continued, but the voices were lowered, and Wu Feng couldn't hear what was being said next.

He didn't linger. He shrank back and disappeared into the darkness with a few leaps and bounds into the night streets.