“Old Qin, over here!” Just as Manager Qin sat down, someone called out to him. He turned his head to see a familiar face—Wang Minghe, a traveling merchant who frequently went to Huizhou for goods. Previously dealing in mountain products, Wang had switched to trading in scholarly supplies and tea since last year, mainly operating between the capital, Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou, and Huizhou. His business was reportedly doing quite well.
Manager Qin had previous dealings with him and maintained a friendly relationship. He smiled, picked up his teacup, and walked over to sit beside Wang Minghe. “Ha, Miss Li is quite capable, isn’t she? You’re usually so busy throughout the year that it’s hard to find you, yet somehow she managed to invite you here.”
“Ha, Old Qin, you’ve got it wrong. Miss Li didn’t invite me this time. The owner of Fu Ji Scholarly Supplies received an invitation but didn’t want to come, so I took his invitation instead,” Wang Minghe said with a hearty laugh.
Hearing that Fu Ji’s owner wasn’t coming, Manager Qin understood the situation well—Fu Ji had good relations with the Tian family, so naturally they wouldn’t attend at this time. He clicked his tongue without saying a word while giving Wang Minghe a puzzled look. If he wasn’t invited, why did Wang Minghe come of his own accord?
Wang Minghe understood the doubt in Old Qin’s eyes, but some things were better kept to oneself.
The reason for Wang Minghe’s attendance was gratitude. Though there wasn’t any formal debt of gratitude, one thing was certain: without Li’s family’s medicinal ink, Wang Minghe wouldn’t have had his current prosperous life.
Being grateful to one’s benefactors was fundamental to Wang Minghe’s character.
Back then, when Madam Zheng developed a fire toxin sore, she was mistaken for being possessed by evil spirits by a White Lotus Sect priestess. They had bound Madam Zheng, intending to perform an exorcism. Later, Zhenniang cured Madam Zheng’s condition on the spot with medicinal ink, exposing the priestess’s lies. Wang Minghe had been present and had even eagerly purchased some of the medicinal ink that Zhenniang had used to treat Madam Zheng’s inflammation.
And then, coincidence struck.
During his return journey, perhaps due to poor rest, Wang Minghe developed digestive issues from internal heat. Remembering Zhenniang’s words about the ink’s effectiveness in clearing heat and treating such conditions, he tried taking a small amount. To his surprise, it worked immediately. At that time, he happened to meet Nanjing’s wealthy merchant Jin Baiwan on the boat, who was suffering from similar problems due to travel. Wang Minghe recommended the medicinal ink to Jin Baiwan, who found it equally effective.
This connection with Jin Baiwan opened new doors for Wang Minghe. Jin Baiwan introduced him to several well-connected merchants, helping Wang Minghe expand his business networks. Now, he was doing quite well in the merchant trade.
Wang Minghe always believed that without that half block of the Li family’s medicinal ink, he wouldn’t have achieved his current success. So when he returned and coincidentally met Fu Ji’s owner who mentioned Li Mo’s store opening, he couldn’t stay away. Though his rise was still recent and he couldn’t offer much help to the Li family, he could at least show his support by attending. Thus, he came uninvited.
Manager Qin knew nothing of these circumstances.
“Old Qin, things don’t look good for Li’s family’s opening. How come you’re the only one from the Merchants’ Association here? This doesn’t seem right,” Wang Minghe said pointedly.
“You don’t know, but a few days ago, the Merchants’ Association elected a new president. Hu Zonglin stepped down, and Wang Sifang was elected. Miss Li’s uncle, Han Yigui, is close friends with Hu Zonglin, so Wang Sifang’s relationship with the Li family isn’t good. Moreover, during the recent land incident, Wang Sifang had hoped to acquire Han Yigui’s property, but Han Yigui managed to turn the situation around. Wang Sifang is holding quite a grudge, and unfortunately, the Li family has become his target. Others in the Merchants’ Association have to consider President Wang’s attitude, so naturally, they don’t dare to come,” Manager Qin explained.
He had offended Wang Sifang when he took Zhenniang to meet Hu Zonglin before, and now by attending Li’s family’s opening ceremony, he knew the new President would take note. Since he had already made an enemy of Wang Sifang, there was no point in hiding anything now.
“Oh, so that’s how it is.” Wang Minghe nodded in understanding. Then he clicked his tongue: “Your President Wang seems rather petty.”
He had heard about the affairs between the Li family and the Tian family. It seemed the Li family’s path in Nanjing would be extremely difficult. Thinking this, he shook his head and sighed.
Beside him, Manager Qin was influenced by his mood and also shook his head with a sigh.
“By the way, if that’s the case, shouldn’t your former President Hu come?” Wang Minghe asked.
“He should come, probably as the final honored guest,” Old Qin replied. Although Hu Zonglin had just lost his position as president of the Hui Merchants Association a few days ago, his reputation built over many years in Nanjing’s business circles remained intact, far superior to Wang Sifang’s.
His presence would help maintain some dignity for Li’s family’s opening ceremony.
Speak of the devil—at that moment, another round of congratulatory greetings sounded from the main gate of Mo Manor.
Then the doorman announced: “Instructor Zhao from the Imperial Academy, Manager Hu from Hu Ji Pawnshop, and Manager Han from Han Silk Business, here to congratulate Li Mo Manor’s new store opening!”
The announcer’s voice was naturally loud and clear, ensuring everyone from Mo Manor to the back and front courtyards could hear.
Manager Qin and Wang Minghe smiled at each other and stood up to welcome the guests.
Meanwhile, Zhenniang was eagerly greeting Hu Zonglin.
As she had planned earlier, the opening would be fine as long as Hu Zonglin attended. Although she had hoped to make the ceremony grander, the current situation wasn’t much worse. The Merchants’ Association had only suffered a temporary setback. After Longqing ascended to the throne, Hu Zonglin would rise again, and by then, the Li family would be able to turn the situation around.
As for the ink merchants, with her opening this ink shop, she would be dealing directly with customers. It wouldn’t matter much if the ink merchants didn’t support her. Besides, she still had liquid ink up her sleeve. This convenient and profitable product would inevitably impact the regular ink market significantly. When that happened, the ink merchants’ regular ink would become difficult to sell, and eventually, they would have to come to the Li family for help.
In short, Zhenniang wasn’t anxious. She would take things slowly. As the saying goes, you can’t eat hot tofu in a hurry.
Beside her, Zheng Fuli saw Hu Zonglin and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Then he respectfully escorted Hu Zonglin into the store.
Meanwhile, Zhenniang was greeting the wives of various families.
“Zhenniang, your aunt has failed you. I said I would invite Second Madam Xu and Madam Wang, but in the end, they both declined, saying they had other matters to attend to,” Madam Han Li took Zhenniang’s hand and apologetically said.
Originally, if Second Madam Xu could have come, she would have been the cornerstone guest. Although the Xu brothers didn’t pursue official careers, their father’s influence was immense. Even without official positions, the Xu family commanded respect from all circles in Nanjing.
As for Madam Wang, her husband was Magistrate Wang, and her presence would have also added prestige to the occasion. Unfortunately, both families declined. At least Instructor Zhao and his wife gave face, readily accepting Madam Han Li’s invitation.
“Aunt, having Madam Zhao here is already a great help,” Zhenniang said with a bright smile. She wasn’t just being polite—while others might consider Second Madam Xu and Madam Wang more important, in Zhenniang’s eyes, Madam Zhao was the most crucial guest.
“Well, as long as you don’t blame your aunt,” Madam Han Li said with a smile.
“How could I dare blame Aunt?” Zhenniang smiled and accompanied her aunt and Madam Zhao into the store. After walking a few steps, they heard the doorman announce: “Master Luo Jiu, owner of Yi Hou Sheng Money House, here to congratulate Li Ink Manor’s opening!”
The guests were surprised to hear of Luo Jiu’s arrival. Luo Jiu has been a hot topic in Nanjing’s business circles lately.
He was a dark horse in the banking industry, first opening a money house with gold mine capital, showing undoubted financial strength. Then, during the land crisis, when other money houses were restricting loans, only Luo Jiu dared to lend to the Han family despite their unfavorable situation. This once again proved that Luo Jiu wasn’t just a nouveau riche but had keen insight. After the Han family’s recovery, Yi Hou Sheng Money House became famous overnight.
Although Yi Hou Sheng Money House was now well-known, its owner Luo Jiu maintained a low profile despite his reputation. Many had heard his name but never seen his face.
Now that they had a chance to see him in person, everyone curiously looked his way.
At this time, Hu Zonglin, who was walking ahead, also stopped. Due to their recent cooperation, any previous misunderstandings between Hu Zonglin and Luo Jiu have dissipated. Moreover, after learning that Luo Jiu was actually from Huizhou, he naturally wanted to show extra warmth.
“Manager Luo, let’s walk together,” Hu Zonglin called out to Luo Jiu who had just entered.
“Certainly,” Luo Jiu cupped his hands in greeting to Hu Zonglin. As a junior, he had to show proper respect. He then quickly stepped forward, and when passing by Zhenniang, he spread his hands apologetically, as if regretting not being able to help invite more guests.
Zhenniang smiled and shook her head, showing she didn’t mind at all.
At this, Luo Jiu smiled again, though with a hint of pride in his expression. He gave another respectful bow and followed Hu Zonglin and the others to the main hall, where the Old Madam personally received them.
When Tian Rongchang heard that Luo Jiu from Yi Hou Sheng had arrived, he felt somewhat indignant. In recent days, he had also heard of Luo Jiu’s reputation and had tried to meet him several times, but Luo Jiu hadn’t given him face and refused to see him.
Unexpectedly, Luo Jiu had come to attend the Li family’s opening ceremony, which made him quite uncomfortable. However, when he saw Luo Jiu approaching Hu Zonglin’s group, he laughed heartily: “I wondered who Luo Jiu was, turns out it’s Brother Wenchien! Seems Brother Wenqian is doing quite well these days.”
“Thanks to your blessing, Second Young Master Tian. Luo Jiu will always remember your kindness,” Luo Wenqian grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth, with a somewhat chilling effect. Then, without looking further at Tian Rongchang, he followed Hu Zonglin to pay respects to Old Madam Li before taking his seat.
Tian Rongchang’s heart skipped a beat at Luo Jiu’s words. Luo Wenqian had run gold mines in the northern regions, where things were very dark. Even killings between gold gangs were as common as daily meals. Over the past year, Luo Jiu had developed an imposing aura of violence. This aura was something that a playboy like Tian Rongchang found difficult to handle.
Moreover, since the Tian family had seized the Luo family’s property, Luo Wenqian’s words made him feel somewhat guilty.
Furthermore, this was Li family territory, and although Tian Rongchang was usually arrogant, after being disciplined by Tian Benchang on the boat last time, he had become more practical.
Besides, there was still more drama to come—he was here today just to watch the show. So he just laughed, cupped his hands in greeting, and sat down.
Shortly after he sat down, another commotion arose at the main gate—the sound of Lotus Fall singers could be heard.