After sending the Wang Family's bunch of pests on their way, Zhang Heng hurried off with several trusted attendants to the Marquis Estate's most important—and most profitable—business: Dingsheng Workshop.
Dingsheng Workshop specialized in all kinds of Pills, from basic healing and Qi Restoration Pills to rare Spirit Pills that aided cultivation and helped break through bottlenecks. It had a complete range of products.
Rumor had it that Dingsheng Workshop's monthly net profits accounted for almost half of the entire Marquis Yong'an's Estate's income. It was undoubtedly the Marquis Estate's "moneybag" and a pillar of its prosperity.
Standing beneath Dingsheng Workshop's imposing golden sign, Zhang Heng looked up at it, and the gloom brought on by his debts and the Wang Family's humiliation swept away.
He could already picture Dingsheng Workshop's profits multiplying under his brilliant leadership, with wealth pouring into the Marquis Estate.
"Fifth Young Master, you've finally arrived. We've been waiting for you."
Dingsheng Workshop's head shopkeeper was surnamed Qian, a shrewd-looking middle-aged man.
He had received the news long ago. Now, he stood respectfully at the entrance with a group of stewards and shop assistants.
"Shopkeeper Qian, there's no need for formalities."
Zhang Heng nodded with reserve, doing his best to assume the bearing of its future master. "Show me the accounts, then take me around the different areas."
"Yes, yes. This way, Fifth Young Master."
Shopkeeper Qian hurriedly stepped aside to lead the way, ushering Zhang Heng into an elegant, quiet study on the third floor. This was where the core accounts were handled.
Soon, several thick, beautifully bound ledgers were brought before Zhang Heng.
He drew a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and began to leaf through them.
He would have been better off not looking. The moment he did, a storm surged in Zhang Heng's heart.
Dingsheng Workshop's monthly net profit was actually 128,000 taels of silver. It was practically a mountain of gold.
Zhang Heng fought the urge to throw his head back and laugh. His fingers trembled slightly with excitement.
Before, he had only heard his mother and sister say that the Marquis Estate "brought in a hundred thousand a month." He'd assumed they were exaggerating, but one Dingsheng Workshop alone made far more than that.
That good-for-nothing Zhang Yu had dared to boast that the Marquis Estate depended on him because he'd managed a business like this?
What a joke!
This was clearly thanks to the Marquis Estate's deep foundations and excellent businesses!
Anyone could make money as head shopkeeper, as long as they weren't too stupid.
Zhang Yu had merely been lucky enough to inherit a ready-made opportunity.
After checking the accounts, Zhang Heng's confidence soared.
He closed the ledger and said to Shopkeeper Qian, "Come on. Take me to the Alchemy Zone. It's the foundation of Dingsheng Workshop."
"Yes, yes. This way, Fifth Young Master."
As Shopkeeper Qian led the way toward the Alchemy Zone in the rear courtyard, he rattled on:
"Rest assured, Fifth Young Master. The Alchemy Zone at Dingsheng Workshop was built to the highest standards.
"The earthfire is stable, we have all the furnaces we need, and the alchemists we've hired are all genuinely skilled."
Zhang Heng nodded repeatedly as he listened, feeling even more reassured.
With a steady source of income and a professional team of alchemists, Dingsheng Workshop was an inexhaustible gold mine.
Taking over had been even smoother and better than he'd imagined.
They passed through several covered corridors and reached an area in the rear courtyard enclosed by a formation, where the temperature was noticeably higher.
This was Dingsheng Workshop's Alchemy Zone, a vital area off-limits to ordinary people.
"Fifth Young Master, look. This is our Alchemy Zone. You..." Shopkeeper Qian pointed at the bustling scene, ready to keep flattering him and sing the place's praises.
The Alchemy Zone was spacious, with dozens of furnaces arranged in rows. The earthfire burned steadily, and the alchemy apprentices each went about their duties, the atmosphere busy but orderly.
Zhang Heng nodded in satisfaction as he surveyed the area, feeling rather like a lord inspecting his own domain.
But when his gaze passed over a corner, his brow furrowed.
There, a disheveled old man lay sprawled across a battered bamboo recliner.
The old man had his eyes closed and clutched a wine gourd so stained that its original color was impossible to tell. Every so often, he took a swig and let out a satisfied "tsk," lounging about in stark contrast to the busy scene around him.
What displeased Zhang Heng even more was that all the alchemists, apprentices, and even stewards had put down their work and bowed respectfully when their new master arrived, calling out, "Fifth Young Master."
Only this disheveled old man acted as if he hadn't seen the whole group. He continued lounging there, sunning himself.
This was blatant disregard and defiance of Zhang Heng's authority.
Zhang Heng's face darkened at once.
As a new official, he was worried he wouldn't get the chance to establish his authority and put the people under him in their place.
This rude, lazy old man was practically a chicken delivered straight to his door, ready for him to kill as a warning to the monkeys.
Still, Zhang Heng wasn't completely brainless.
He knew the Alchemy Zone was the core of Dingsheng Workshop, and that he couldn't afford to offend the people here lightly, especially the skilled alchemists.
If the old man turned out to be a hidden master, then firing the wrong person would be like cutting into his own lifeblood—and he'd have everything to lose.
He forced down his anger and didn't lash out at once. Instead, he turned to Shopkeeper Qian, who had been following close beside him, and asked in a calm voice edged with coldness, "Shopkeeper Qian, who is that...?"
Shopkeeper Qian followed Zhang Heng's gaze and lowered his voice:
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