From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

Early in the morning, just after 5 a.m., a group of stewards gathered in the Lijin Hall.

The three side halls—Assistant Manager, Tax Collector, and Yirang—were where the three stewards usually handled their affairs.

Chen Shizheng was in charge of the Likin Hall.

There were a total of twenty-three stewards in the entire government, nineteen of whom were involved in matters related to money and grain. All of them were present at this time.

Four of the retainers sat to one side, while the other fifteen stood with their hands at their sides.

Chen Shi, dressed in a white robe, sat upright above.

He glanced around and got straight to the point.

"I have already discussed this with Steward Jin and Steward Zhou. From now on, I will be in charge of all financial matters."

"……yes."

The managers responded in agreement, but then looked down at each other, their eyes filled with surprise.

The financial power, which was held by the two chief managers, Jin and Zhou, was actually handed over to Chen Shi!

That's all pure silver!

Could it be that Chen Shi has some background they don't know about?

Thinking of this, and looking at the young steward sitting above, who was not yet twenty years old, everyone felt even more apprehensive.

Yes, if he didn't have a background, how could he have risen to the position of chief steward at such a young age?

"Of course, although Steward Jin, Steward Zhou, and I each have our share of responsibilities, we can coordinate with each other if we need the supplies urgently, since all the stewards' seals are the same..."

Chen Shi spoke again, briefly explaining a few points.

Whether they were seated retainers or ordinary stewards, they all listened attentively, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

"That's all for today. If there's anything else, we can talk privately."

After a short while, having said enough, Chen Shi waved his hand.

Today was just a formal greeting to these people.

"We will take our leave."

The crowd responded, bowed, and left the Likin Hall.

Chen Shi remained seated, not moving, and slowly sipped his tea.

Just a moment later, Dongqing walked in.

"Manager."

Dongqing stepped forward and handed over an account book with both hands.

"Regarding the procurement of medicinal herbs, most of the procedures are still handled according to the time you were here. The only exception is that I have increased the quota for you. Please take a look."

After Chen Shi was promoted to general manager, the position of manager of medicinal herb procurement became vacant.

This is a lucrative position, and many eyes are eyeing it from all over the world.

Chen Shi had experienced this firsthand.

Unexpectedly, the master did not directly appoint anyone, but instead asked the steward to recommend someone. Jin and Zhou then gave the opportunity to Chen Shi.

Clearly, this was an intentional move to have Chen Shi promote a trusted confidant.

As the saying goes, "A hero needs three helpers." As the chief steward, how can one sit securely in this position without the support of several trusted stewards?

Understanding this principle, Chen Shi did not refuse and directly promoted Dong Qing.

"My share doesn't need to be increased; everything can remain as it was before."

After Chen Shi finished reading it, he said something and handed the account book back.

"……yes."

Holly hesitated slightly, then nodded in agreement, without saying anything more.

Having followed Chen Shi for a year, he naturally knew Chen Shi's temperament and character well.

Chen Shi was not greedy for money.

After finishing his business, Dongqing withdrew.

A moment later, another steward entered, carrying the same ledger.

Then, that morning, nineteen managers came one after another to report to Chen Shi on the distribution of their profits.

Chen Shi reviewed them one by one, and most of them were fine. Only a few had some minor issues, which he pointed out and corrected.

"Oh."

After finishing these matters, Chen Shi couldn't help but smile.

He calmed down a bit. Over the course of the year, the allowances he received from various places alone amounted to nearly 40,000 taels!

I must say, the steward of the Marquis's mansion really makes money.

Even though Chen Shi wasn't particularly interested in silver, he couldn't help but secretly marvel.

It was already noon when a servant brought food from the small kitchen, and Chen ate at the Lijin Hall.

He gave a brief explanation, then got up and left.

After leaving the Marquis's residence, we boarded a carriage and went straight to a mansion on Tongbao Street.

As the steward, he always had a carriage specially provided by the Marquis's residence for his comings and goings.

"Manager Chen."

A middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes was already waiting at the gate. When he saw Chen Shi get off the carriage, he hurriedly ran over and welcomed him into the mansion.

The mansion was enormous, spanning the entire Tongbao Street. Perhaps only the Zhao family mansion, the head of the four major pharmaceutical merchants, could compare to it.

They led Chen Shi to the front hall, where it was already full of people, numbering as many as thirty or forty.

Upon seeing Chen Shi enter, they all hurriedly stood up and bowed in greeting.

"We have met Steward Chen."

"No need for such formalities."

Chen Shi raised his hand and walked directly to the top seat to sit down.

Looking around, he smiled and said.

"Don't be shy, just sit down as before."

"this……"

The crowd looked at each other, smiled awkwardly, but no one dared to sit down.

Among the four classes of people—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—merchants, though earning more money, held the lowest social status.

At this moment, there were no seats left for them in front of Chen Shi.

The middle-aged man who had been waiting for Chen Shi at the door waved to the outside, and a group of maids came in and cleared away the teacups that had been placed on these people.

Chen Shi picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

He's fairly honest.

At least in his eyes, they were relatively well-behaved.

These people were the heads of Xiao Fengxiao's various businesses outside the company.

Of course, whether they are truly honest can only be determined after further investigation.

"There are still many things to do at the manor, let's hurry."

Chen Shi coughed lightly and gave a direct order.

"Yes."

Everyone responded and each took out an account book.

They then stepped forward one by one to report to Chen Shi.

In addition to the recent revenue and expenditure situation, another key point in the content is the allowance given to Chen Shi.

Horses won't get fat without night grass, so how could these people, who hold great power, not be greedy?

But if you are greedy, once you are found out, you will not only have to return all the money you have taken, but you will also probably die without a burial place!

After all, their employer is the Second Madam Ze of the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion!

Therefore, it was necessary to get things done at the top, and Chen Shi, as Xiao Fengxiao's agent, was their direct superior.

For every tael of silver they embezzled, they had to give a portion to Chen Shi in order to maintain their peace of mind.

Chen Shi knew this, and everyone else was tacitly aware of it; it was basically an open secret.

Even Xiao Fengxiao knew!

How could someone as shrewd as Xiao Fengxiao not know the principle that "if the water is too clear, there will be no fish"?

So last night, he made it clear to Chen Shi that these people could be allowed to be greedy, but there had to be limits. These limits were precisely what Chen Shi needed to grasp.

As for the benefits given to Chen Shi, Chen Shi can simply keep them; consider them as a reward from Xiao Fengxiao for his hard work.

"snort."

More than two hours later, as it was getting late, everyone finally reported the accounts.

Chen Shi put down his teacup, a cold smile playing on his lips, and his gaze swept over the crowd with a gloomy expression.

Everyone felt a sudden jolt of anxiety and couldn't help but tense up.

Chen Shi didn't say anything, got up and left.

The group looked at each other in bewilderment and then quickly followed.

But even after Chen Shi walked out of the mansion gate and got into the carriage, he didn't say a word.

The group was left standing there, each with a furrowed brow.

Could it be that they've seen through something?

"Tsk tsk, that's a lot of money."

Inside the carriage, Chen Shi clicked his tongue in amazement once more.

According to the reports from the shopkeepers, he can earn thirty to forty thousand taels of silver this year just from his share of the profits!

Including the Marquis's mansion and the gang's profits, it's about 100,000 taels of silver a year!

And this is just the basics.

How much silver do people get in return for their usual filial piety or for asking him for favors?

"Sigh~"

Surprised, Chen Shi couldn't help but sigh, wondering how he was going to spend so much money.