After Zhang Wanhe thanked him profusely, Xu Yi dismissed him. Su Donglai had sent him a message, saying he had private business to report.
After Zhang Wanhe left, Su Donglai fell to his knees. "I beg you to help me take control of Lijing Hall for you, my lord."
Xu Yi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Su Donglai said, "The Head Shopkeeper is dead, and Lijing Hall's core strength has been wiped out. I didn't dare keep the news under wraps, so I've already reported it to the people above..."
"The people above? Who, exactly?" Xu Yi asked gravely.
Su Donglai said, "Ruolan is a small place, after all. Lijing Hall here is only a branch; above us is the main hall. I have connections there, so I don't need to say it outright for them to know I want to take over Lijing Hall. But the position of branch head is one of great power and status, so there'll certainly be others vying for it. If the Head Shopkeeper hadn't died so suddenly, I'd have had no chance at all. But he's dead, and so many of our people were lost with him. This is precisely when there's a power vacuum. As long as I fill the vacancies and provide a sum of resources, my connections above will naturally work things out for me. I'll be all but certain to get the position. I beg you to help me, my lord. If I take this post, it'll only benefit you. Please consider it carefully."
His words were heartfelt, and tears glimmered in his eyes.
Su Donglai had it rough—truly rough. He was already a captive and had long since stopped caring about fame and fortune. Now he was fighting tooth and nail for the position of Head