Zhang Heng made up his mind and immediately returned to the Marquis Estate, bringing with him two of the Marquis Estate's Household Guard who possessed the strength of the Ninth Rank.
What nonsense about market prices and industry rules? In front of the heir of the Marquis Estate's Heir Apparent, the future Marquis, all of that is utter nonsense.
Since polite words and following the rules won't work, then we'll use the methods the Marquis Estate excels at—power and force.
Looking at her son's exasperated expression, Qin Xuehua said with concern:
"Xiao Heng, calm down."
In business, the principle has always been to follow market trends and to make money through harmonious relations.
If we take the lead in breaking the rules and force the other party to lower their prices... it will likely incite public outrage.
"Mother, you're so foolish!"
Zhang Heng lowered his voice, but it carried a shrewd, self-satisfied air:
"Those three merchants have signed long-term supply agreements with our Marquis Estate Freight Station."
The prices have been established over the years, and now they're raising prices at will. They've violated morality first; they've broken their promise.
The more he spoke, the more convinced he became of his point, and his voice grew louder.
"When I bring people to their homes now, it's not to force them to buy or sell; it's to reason with them and to act according to the contract."
His fallacious reasoning focused on the other party's price increase, forcibly equating it with a breach of contract.
Jiang Luohan watched the mother and son's argument with cold eyes. The last bit of expectation she had for Zhang Heng was completely extinguished, replaced by an intense contempt and disgust.
Idiot!
Utter idiot!
She screamed wildly in her heart.
Compared to Zhang Yu, who could make even Grandmaster bow down with a mere laugh, this Zhang Heng before him, who could only wreak havoc in vain, was simply like an uncivilized, savage pig.
Besides relying on his ancestors' legacy and his pitiful martial prowess, what else did he have?
Jiang Luohan even found it somewhat ridiculous.
How could I have given up on Zhang Yu, that potential dragon, and chosen Zhang Heng, that worthless wretch?
Zhang Wanning agreed with Zhang Heng, adding, "Mother, Xiao Heng is right. They broke the contract first, so they shouldn't blame us for bullying them."
In her view, it was only natural for the Marquis Estate's mansion to teach a few treacherous merchants a lesson.
Zhang Wanning grew up in the Marquis Estate and was used to her father and brothers using their power to oppress others, so she had almost blind faith in the Zhang Family's military strength.
Although Qin Xuehua felt uneasy, her unease was suppressed by the persuasion of her son and daughter, and the thought that we were in the right over her shoulders.
Yes, after all, the other party raised the price first. What's wrong with the Marquis Estate's mansion seeking justice?
With a legitimate reason to back them up, the Marquis Estate was immediately filled with high morale.
In addition to his two strongest Ninth Rank Household Guard, Zhang Heng also mobilized more than twenty Elite Guard, including many skilled Seventh Rank and Eighth Rank fighters.
In the eyes of ordinary people, this is already a powerful force that is enough to intimidate a region.
"Let's set off and show those unscrupulous merchants that the Marquis Yong'an's Estate is not to be trifled with."
Zhang Heng mounted his horse, a long sword at his waist, and headed straight for the South City Merchant Guild district, surrounded by guards.
However, inside the Shenglong Merchant Guild, the scene was quite different.
Li Dagang was sitting cross-legged in a grand chair, with a thick ledger spread out in front of him.
His fingers clicked rapidly on the abacus, a mixture of pain and pleasure on his face.
"Old Mo, look, just last year alone, the price difference we subsidized for the Marquis Estate's Freight Station exceeded 200,000 taels."
Li Dagang pointed to the figures in the ledger, his face full of heartache, "This is just what's on the surface. If you factor in transportation losses and storage costs, the actual losses are much greater."
He picked up his teacup and took a satisfied sip. "Now it's all good. We've finally gotten rid of this huge burden. From now on, all this money can go into our own pockets."
Several large traders sitting opposite him nodded in agreement.
"Master Li is right, he's really made our lives miserable all these years."
"Exactly! It's a deal that could have made a fortune, but they insisted on selling it to the Marquis Estate at half price. It's infuriating to even think about."
Just as everyone was getting into the conversation, Mo Zhai, who was sitting alone by the window, let out a cold snort.
He put down his wine glass, glanced at Li Dagang, and said, "That's all you're good for. You probably haven't finished using the batch of Body Tempering Pill the boss gave you, have you?"
Li Dagang gave an awkward smile, "I've been busy dealing with chamber of the Merchant Guild matters..."
"The affairs of the Merchant Guild are handled by the shopkeepers."
Mo Zhai stood up. He had now broken through to the Seventh Rank, and his aura was refined. "The boss means you need to improve your strength as soon as possible. The Sixth Rank... isn't enough in the Capital City."
He said this in a calm tone, but the merchants all instinctively shrank back.
Although this Master Mo doesn't often get involved in affairs, once he speaks, even Master Li has to give him some leeway.
"Okay, okay."
Li Dagang waved his hand, "I'll go into seclusion after I'm done with this busy period... Sigh, what's more interesting than making money?"
Mo Zhai was about to speak again when he suddenly frowned.
Almost simultaneously, a panicked shout came from downstairs, "You can't go in... Ouch!"
Then came heavy footsteps and the loud crash of tables and chairs overturning.
Li Dagang frowned and said, "Who dares to cause trouble here after eating a bear's heart and a leopard's gall?"
Mo Zhai, however, looked grave, sensing several terrifying auras and feeling deeply worried.
Previously, Zhang Yu was afraid that the subordinates would become too powerful and dared not recruit too many capable men, so he always did business under the name of the Marquis Estate's mansion.
Now that they've fallen out with the Marquis's mansion, the weaknesses of Li Dagang and his Marquis Estate have become apparent.
The problem is that their Cultivation are too low. The strongest among them is Mo Zhai, who only has Seventh Rank Cultivation and has just been promoted.
Amidst everyone's doubts, the hall door was kicked open with a bang.
Zhang Heng stormed in, exuding a Sha Qi, followed by more than twenty guards who filed in, instantly filling the hall to capacity.
Two Ninth Rank Household Guard on either side of him, their cold gazes sweeping over everyone in the hall.
But Li Dagang stood up casually, even wearing a professional smile on his face.
"Oh, Heir Apparent master, what brings you to our humble shop?"
He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, seemingly oblivious to the gleaming swords and blades. "But what big orders does the Freight Station have to take care of?"
Zhang Heng suppressed his anger, signaled his guards to bring a chair, and sat down imposingly in the main seat of the hall, attempting to regain control of the situation.
His gaze was sharp as a knife, his voice deliberately slowed, yet carried an undeniable pressure:
"Shopkeeper Li, and all the managers here, we have been cooperating for many years and have always gotten along well."
I, the Crown Heir Apparent, have come today with only one question.
Why the sudden mass defaults and brazen price increases?
Are they taking advantage of my Marquis Estate's lack of manpower, or do they think I, Zhang Heng... am easy to talk to?
He believed that this opening statement both clearly stated the breach of contract and demonstrated the magnanimity of the Marquis Estate's residence, a move that was polite before resorting to force.
Upon hearing this, Li Dagang's professional smile faded slightly.
He slightly cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone neither humble nor arrogant:
"Your Heir Apparent, you are mistaken. We open our doors to do business for the sake of profit."
The business dealings with the Marquis Estate's household were business dealings before, and they still are now. However...
He paused, then met Zhang Heng's gaze calmly:
"What used to be a friendly price is now the market price."
If a business is losing money, it's only natural for prices to rise.
"What a generous price!"
Zhang Heng seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair, laughing in anger:
"Then why didn't you lose money before?"
Why is it that when it's my turn, Zhang Heng, to take over the affairs of the Marquis Estate, you all suffer losses?
"Do they look down on me, Zhang Heng, or do they think my Zhang Family... is not as good as it used to be?"
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, his voice rising in arrogance, characteristic of scions of the Aristocratic Clan.
Zhang Wanning chimed in, shrilly, "That's right! It's clearly you unscrupulous merchants who are opportunistic and bully my younger brother because he's young."
This is called taking advantage of someone's misfortune; it's both unethical and immoral.
The brother and sister, working in unison, firmly pinned the blame for breach of contract and price gouging on each other, as if they were the ones who were completely in the right and suffered the most.