Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Chapter 95 Taking a Different Approach

Qiu Tang looked over and said with a smile, "If you feel you're losing out, I can add a little."

Ye Ci considered for a moment, then nodded and said, "No need to add more, I want cash."

He didn't care how much silver Qiu Tang offered, because he could ask for anything for a dead person, and he said three copper coins were nothing to him.

The reason I didn't take action wasn't because I was afraid of him, but because I believe in keeping my word.

He is not alone; he now has Old Man Shen behind him, so it is not advisable to put him in a dangerous situation.

Qiu Tang was very satisfied with Ye Ci's attitude, which was more cooperative than expected, so he continued, "The money for the shop can be sent over immediately."

"I need you to do one more thing for me after you come here."

At this moment, Qiu Tang chuckled: "As your former superior, I'm asking you to do something."

"What is it?"

"It's a simple matter. We just need to find out exactly how much the Shen family has in assets. This shouldn't be too difficult for someone like you who is a retainer."

"I will not get involved in the Shen family's business affairs."

"The officer is only responsible for giving orders."

The study fell into a deathly silence.

After a long pause, Ye Ci said, "General, do you intend to confiscate the Shen family's property?"

A mere lowly cavalry captain with hidden strength is insignificant, but if it is Zhang Guan's intention, it must be taken seriously.

Qiu Tang leaned forward slightly and said in a solemn tone, "The general is not a ruthless person, he just needs some money to bribe officials and keep those poor scoundrels quiet."

"The general is a man of great loyalty and righteousness. We have served him for so many years, and he also wants to acquire some property for us."

"That's why I made you find out how much wealth the Shen family has."

"Of the three thousand rivers, the general only takes a single sip."

After saying that, he deliberately glanced out the window.

Because Shen Xin was eavesdropping.

But Qiu Tang didn't care; for him, it was all about letting the Shen family hear it.

He enjoys seeing his prey tremble with fear.

Ye Ci looked at him: "Why didn't you go to Master Shen, but instead came to me?"

Qiu Tang chuckled lightly: "Yizhou Prefecture is not like the frontier. The families here all have other backgrounds to some extent. We will still do things according to the rules. Inquiring about their family assets will help us to be more targeted and not push the Shen family too far."

"I'm giving you a chance. Before Qin Lie left, he told the general that you were one of his men. Normally, the general wouldn't need to pay attention to a mere captain, but this time, he said that the old guard of the Holy Martial Army should still be given some face."

"Since the general is somewhat interested in you, I hope you can seize this opportunity. Do you understand what I mean?"

Qiu Tang felt that his very polite visit today was already a great honor for Ye Ci, and that he had even come up with a way for him to curry favor with the general and use other people's money to make his own way.

He had never done such a good deed in his entire life.

He actually taught others how to submit a pledge of allegiance.

Upon hearing this, Ye Ci suddenly grinned and asked lightly, "Qiu Tang, have you noticed that you really act like a dog?"

"Um?!"

Qiu Tang's face darkened slightly upon hearing Ye Ci's sudden remark, and he angrily rebuked her, "How dare you insult me?"

After saying that, he stood up.

Ye Ci shook his head and said calmly, "You once told me that you were a dog, a loyal dog, and you were proud of it. Why do you feel like I'm insulting you today?"

"If you don't want to be the general's dog, I'll tell him."

Ye Ci smiled and said, "Because now you need to consider whether the general will consider getting a different dog after he sees me."

After a moment of silence, Qiu Tang said, word by word, "I am not a person with a good temper."

"So, I'm selling the grain shop to you."

Ye Ci took a small sip of tea and said calmly, "It's your business how much money the general wants from the Shen family. You'd better not interfere. What you want, I, Ye Ci, can give you."

He changed his mind and decided to give the shop to Qiu Tang because he had a new idea.

"I'll be taking over the shop tonight."

Qiu Tang's face turned ashen, and he stormed off.

"I can kill him for you."

Under the eaves, Ling Cang suddenly spoke.

Ye Ci watched the other person's back and shook his head: "Killing someone is very simple, a white knife goes in and a red knife comes out, but what happens after the killing is very complicated."

"Moreover, he is only at the hidden strength level. Even if this lord is also very good at killing, I can handle it. Dealing with him doesn't require using a sledgehammer."

"A deputy once told me that killing is just a means, not an end; solving the problem is the most important thing."

"Moreover, the person who came was an official."

Ling Cang remained silent, saying nothing more.

Shen Xin watched the disappearing figure with a look of horror on her face, because she had also overheard the conversation from under the eaves.

She gracefully gave a deep bow: "Thank you, Venerable Ye, for causing you to give up the shop to him. Don't worry, the Shen family will compensate you."

Ye Ci shook his head in silence.

He didn't care about a shop, because the Shen family's promise to "fully support your martial arts training" was more important than any number of shops.

The reason they took over the shop was simply to put Li and her second aunt at ease, so they would feel that the Ye family also had property.

What truly worried him was that Zhang Guan's so-called adherence to rules and regulations was extremely limited; he often only needed an excuse to do things.

He wanted to get rid of Zhang Guan.

Shen Xin spoke up: "Qian'er told me that this general doesn't want to stay in Songjiang County to garrison, so he's resorting to extortion and levies to make more money to bribe officials. The Shen family hopes he can succeed in doing so. Besides, the master has already used his connections to make dealings with the general, and things should be looking promising in a few days."

"I understand. Go and tell Master Shen what happened today."

"it is good."

After saying that, Shen Xin left in a hurry without bothering with pleasantries.

Before long, Shen Wanzhou arrived.

His expression was not good. He said, "It's easier to deal with the devil than with his underlings. Qiu Tang did indeed have designs on the Shen family. Not only that, he also deliberately spread rumors. As a result, some small businesses that were on good terms with the Shen family have begun to distance themselves. However, the Shen family does not rely on the business of Songjiang County alone, so they can survive."

"Now, the only question is what Zhang Guan's appetite is."

Ye Ci frowned and asked, "Does Master Shen have any plans?"

There are two paths.

Shen Wanzhou counted on his fingers: "First, we should try our best to satisfy Zhang Guan's appetite and wait until he leaves Songjiang; second, even if the Shen family leaves Songjiang, my second son Chongde is in Jiangling. If I sell my family property and go to Jiangling, I can still make a comeback."

"This old man is planning to take the second path. Based on my understanding of Zhang Guan, I'm afraid his term will severely damage the Shen family. Rather than that, it's better to cut off an arm to survive, which will probably result in less loss. The only difficulty is that, in terms of financial resources, no one else in Songjiang County can take over the Shen family."

"You're trying to run away!"

Ye Ci looked at him in surprise, and couldn't help but admire the old man's decisiveness.

What kind of person is that!

To sell off such a large family business so readily requires quite a bit of courage.

It's important to know that the Shen family is known as the "Half of the City," and most people would never be willing to give up such a massive business empire.

As far as he knew, the other four major families had made the most of their connections and tried every means to befriend Zhang Guan, but Master Shen had taken a different approach.

Ye Ci nodded, then suddenly asked, "Has Master Shen considered going to the Southern Barbarians? Uncle Ling in the courtyard is a master of the Southern Barbarians."

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