Chapter 320
Clan Si Jingyue couldn't help but take out a silk handkerchief to wipe away her tears. Only the young clan Si Jingyu looked on coldly, without showing much emotion. Her long, jet-black hair was bathed in the amber sunlight, shining brightly. She was out of place with the crowd of people who were crying, like a stubborn girl who refused to accept reality.
Although some people felt that Si Jingyu's performance was inappropriate, she was, after all, the young clan leader, and a young clan leader with real power. She had considerable prestige in the clan and was hailed as the most likely martial arts genius in the Si Clan to advance to the Spirit Transformation Soul stage. In fact, the ancestor originally intended to cultivate Si Jingyu to succeed him and continue the glory of the Si Clan, but unfortunately, he could not hold on until that day.
Therefore, these people hesitated to speak, opened their mouths but swallowed their advice, and consoled themselves that at this moment, with external enemies surrounding them, they should unite against them and not start internal strife, lest they become a laughing stock in front of outsiders.
After the burial, there was a funeral banquet. The Si Clan would not let outsiders look down on them in this regard. Delicacies were too vulgar; they were dishes for nouveau riche. Such lavish eating and drinking was like that of bandits and thugs, devoid of any artistic sense. Truly cultured Aristocratic Clan had their own set of etiquette.
Dozens of graceful young women held official kiln celadon crackle-glazed cups, on which were neatly arranged lychees, longans, lotus seeds, torreya nuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, ginkgo nuts, pear flesh, jujube rings, lotus seeds, crabapple fritters, and large steamed dates. The placement of each item was carefully considered, in accordance with the principles of the Eight Trigrams and the Five Elements.
A man in a black robe at the banquet on the left glanced at the fruit laid out on the table and chuckled softly, "The dried fruit of Lexian is plentiful, and the foundation of the empire remains unshaken. It seems the Si Clan has no intention of backing down; they're still dreaming of an unshakeable empire."
He is Lu Ling, a disciple of the Tea School, and comes from the Lu Lineage's Fragrant Tea Manor, a powerful family whose strength is no less than Aristocratic Clan of the Water Mirror Manor.
"People love to dream, especially sweet dreams. They want to dream not only at night but also during the day. Once they fall asleep, they don't want to wake up until their pants are wet. So it's better to sleep naked."
The one who answered was a middle-aged man sitting next to Lu Ling. He had a slightly sleazy face, a thin build, and a goatee. His name was Nan Botu, School of Fiction's disciple, a Rogue Person with no powerful backing. If he had to name someone, he only had a loosely disciplined writers' association. Today, he was just here to freeload.
He didn't belong to any faction and had no vested interests with any powerful Aristocratic Clan, so he could speak without restraint and wasn't afraid of offending people—after all, he had offended enough people in the past.
Lu Ling chuckled twice but didn't reply. He considered himself a refined person and naturally disliked literary scoundrels like Nan Botu. Saying too much would only lower his own standards.
Nan Botu didn't care. He grabbed the fruit in front of him and started eating voraciously. While wiping the fruit stains from the corners of his mouth, he said to the people next to him, "Those who are hungry, hurry up and eat. If you don't eat now, there won't be any left."
A person nearby asked doubtfully, "The Si Clan wouldn't be that stingy, would they?"
"It's not that the Si Clan is stingy, but someone is clearly trying to rip us off. If we don't kick them out, are we supposed to bring out the top prostitute to treat them well?"
"What are you talking about? Are you out of your mind?"
Nan Botu peeled a lychee and popped it into his mouth. "Hehe, you and I are here to eat, but some people aren't here to eat. They're here to visit brothels and find women, and they don't plan to pay. So sooner or later, we'll be fighting. Of course, you and I are here to eat, not to find girls, so we deserve to be caught in the crossfire. Let's fill our stomachs before they reveal their true intentions, then we can sit on the sidelines and watch the show. That'll be a great pastime."
"Nan Botu, can't you speak like a human being? All this cryptic nonsense, who can understand you?"
"Why are School of Fiction like this? Are they perhaps working on a new story?"
"Ignore him. He's probably delusional, confusing reality with fantasy."
The Rogue Person, who also lacked any powerful background, dismissed Nan Botu's words as the "ramblings" of School of Fiction. Only Lu Ling showed a surprised expression, giving Nan Botu a deep look, displaying a surprising astonishment that suggested he was not being swayed by appearances.
After the vegetables and fruits were served, the appetizers were brought out, including lotus root duck skewers, cocoon soup, three delicacies sashimi, stir-fried eel, jellyfish sashimi, quail soup, minnow sashimi, three crispy soup, hand-washed crab, and fried tripe. This dish was called "Ten Cups and Twenty Minutes of Paired Food," and it was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, making people's mouths water.
As the host, Si Jingyue was about to stand up and announce the start of the banquet when someone suddenly stood up and said, "Clan Chief Si, please don't rush to start the banquet. I have a question for you."
Many Si Clan felt a pang of unease; what was bound to happen had finally arrived.
Si Jingyue's expression remained unchanged as she asked, "So it's Master Zhou Zhao from the Jiazhuan Pavilion. What can I do for you?"
After bowing, Zhou Zhao took out a stack of contracts and said, "Logically speaking, since Senior Xi has passed away and your estate is in mourning, I shouldn't bother you with mundane matters at this time. However, since it involves dozens of gold and stone shops and tens of millions in profits every year, I can only offend you this once."
Twelve years ago, your esteemed establishment, in the name of Senior Xi, signed an agreement with my Jiazhuan Pavilion. One party provided capital, the other technology, to share the shares of twenty-three stone and metal shops. It was agreed at the time that the agreement would be for ten years, after which all the shares of these twenty-three shops would belong to the Jiazhuan Pavilion. However, Senior Xi, being a man of great memory, never mentioned this matter again, and we didn't want to disturb him. Now that Senior Xi has passed away, I would like to ask: does the agreement your esteemed establishment signed back then still stand? Does it mean that the agreement is void with the passing of a person?
Si Jingyue frowned slightly. She hadn't heard of this matter and didn't know if it was true, but it seemed to be real. Back then, with their ancestor, a Spirit Transformation expert, backing them up, the Si Clan acted incredibly domineeringly, often breaking contracts and forcibly seizing others' property. Just like with the Jiazhuan Pavilion incident, they agreed to return the shares after ten years, but they simply refused to do so. What could anyone do about it? Did he really dare to come to their ancestor's door and question him?
The Si Clan was in the wrong to begin with, and with the old patriarch, their pillar of strength, gone, the Si Clan could no longer act as domineeringly as before. As the saying goes, "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." Si Jingyue didn't expect to be able to protect the family business anymore. She planned to divide it up in batches and shrink the Si Clan's assets in order to achieve a new balance with other aristocratic Aristocratic Clan and conglomerates.
But such things should be done privately and secretly after the funeral, gradually reducing influence until the bottom line is maintained, rather than being made public and known to everyone.
The Jiazhuan Pavilion is clearly a stepping stone. If she agrees to their demands in front of everyone today, other forces will likely follow suit, all vying for a slice of the Si Clan's pie. In the end, it's hard to say how much will be left.
However, if she were to refuse outright, she might give others the impression that the Si Clan was "unrepentant." In that case, these Aristocratic Clan and conglomerates might unite and, instead of negotiating, resort to more brutal methods to directly seize the Si Clan's business.
Agreeing was wrong, refusing was wrong, and Si Jingyue was caught in a dilemma, cold sweat gradually beading on her forehead.
Knowing that many people were watching her, she couldn't hesitate for too long, so she spoke with difficulty, "Since it was promised in the name of our ancestor, Water Mirror Manor will naturally not go back on its word. In business, trust is paramount. Now that the ten-year term has expired, we should abide by the terms of the contract..."
Upon hearing this, many representatives from the Aristocratic Clan present showed expressions of satisfaction, eager to try and follow suit.
At this moment, the young clan Si Jingyu, suddenly spoke up, "Of course, Water Mirror Manor will abide by the contracts, but only if these contracts are genuine."
Zhou Zhao quickly replied, "Of course it's true."
What evidence do you have?
These contracts are physical evidence.
"Pah, it's a fake."
"I have witnesses; quite a few people saw it with their own eyes."
"Pah, it's a fake."
"It bears the signature of your company's representative."
"Pah, it's a copy."
"It also bears your esteemed estate's seal; surely we couldn't have forged that too?"
"What a coincidence! A month ago, our estate was robbed; several seals disappeared and are still missing... I wonder if Master Zhou has any other, more compelling evidence?"
"You... I..."
Zhou Zhao was so angry he almost vomited blood; this was utterly shameless!
Si Jingyu shook his head and said, "It seems that Jiazhuan Pavilion has no other evidence. Business matters are all about integrity and cannot be taken lightly. However, I believe that with Master Zhou's character, he wouldn't joke about such a thing."
She pretended to think for a moment and continued, "How about this, after the seventh day after the ancestor's death, our manor will send someone to negotiate with your side to jointly investigate the truth of this matter. We promise that your representative will be in charge, and once the truth is verified, we will immediately return the shares of the twenty-three gold and stone shops, as well as the profits exceeding the contract period for two years. What do you think, Master Zhou?"