Ultimately, this is a world where the strong are respected and the weak are preyed upon.
This is also why Zhang Yu used the Marquis Estate's mansion as a front for doing business when he lacked real power.
Now they want to sever ties with the Marquis Estate. Zhang Yu himself is capable enough, but his subordinates are too weak to face such a powerful force as the Marquis Estate on their own.
"Tell me, wasn't it you who broke the agreement first?"
Zhang Heng asked the question again, wanting a positive answer from Li Dagang so he could stand on the moral high ground.
Li Dagang's face was pressed hard against the cold floor tiles by the rough soles of his military boots, his mouth and nose filled with the smell of blood and dust.
He moved his jaw with difficulty, which was being pressed down, his voice tinged with blood and foam, yet unusually clear:
"The contract... is written in black and white... it only states long-term supply... at fair market price... there is no... fixed price... how can there be... a breach of contract?!"
This was a hidden move made by him, or rather by Zhang Yu behind him, many years ago.
That seemingly generous supply contract, in the crucial unit price clause, never leaves a fixed price.
From the very beginning, Zhang Yu had no intention of leaving the Marquis Estate with any substantial leverage over them.
He had foreseen everything, except for the shamelessness and cruelty of the Marquis's Marquis Estate.
"Bullshit!"
Zhang Heng didn't need logic; he just needed an excuse to vent his anger and assert his authority.
He abruptly waved his hand, interrupting Li Dagang, his spittle almost landing in the other man's face:
"It's a long-standing practice, and the price has remained the same for so many years; it's an ironclad contract."
"You're raising prices so easily now; that's a breach of trust, a breach of contract, and a slap in the face to the Marquis Yong'an's Estate's Mansion."
He arbitrarily equated concessions made in business dealings based on personal relationships or special purposes with legally binding clauses.
"Agreement... custom... not... a contract..."
Even in this humiliating position, Li Dagang still managed to squeeze out a rebuttal, his eyes practically overflowing with sarcasm.
Have these privileged children ever truly understood that the business world is like a battlefield, and contracts are like ironclad laws?
"They're really courting death." Zhang Heng's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
Without needing to give any further orders, the Eighth Rank guard who was stepping on Li Dagang's feet turned cold, suddenly increased the force under his feet, and twisted his boots hard.
"Snap!"
A faint cracking sound rang out, accompanied by Li Dagang's suppressed groan of pain.
The bones in his cheeks groaned under the immense force, and more blood gushed from his mouth and nose. His vision blurred, and he nearly fainted.
Mo Zhai stared at Li Dagang in anguish, struggling frantically but powerless; this was the tragedy of the weak.
No matter how clever or resourceful you are, no matter how loyal or brave you are, in the face of an absolute power disparity, you are like a fish on a chopping board, completely at the mercy of others.
Your reasoning, your persistence, your anger—to the ears of the strong, they are nothing more than the lamentations of a defeated dog.
Zhang Heng looked with satisfaction at Li Dagang, who was almost unconscious at his feet, and then glanced at Mo Zhai, who was acting like a madman. The humiliation and rage he felt from being "outdone" by Zhang Yu finally found some release.
He straightened up, straightened his sleeves, as if he had just stepped on an eyesore of an ant.
"It seems Shopkeeper Li needs some time to clear his head and think carefully about how to answer this Heir Apparent's question."
He spoke slowly and deliberately, his gaze sweeping over the other merchants in the corner who were trembling with fear, "As for you..."
He paused, a cruel smile spreading across his face:
"Should we sign a new contract now and supply goods at the original price... or wait until Shopkeeper Li 'thinks it through' before making a decision?"
The merchants were pale-faced, glancing at each other, then at Li Dagang lying on the ground, his life hanging in the balance, and they trembled like leaves.
"Say yes."
At that moment, a hoarse yet unusually calm voice rang out.
It is Mo Zhai.
He was pinned to the ground, his face pressed against the cold floor tiles. His voice was distorted by the pressure, yet it carried an almost cold rationality.
He turned his head and stared intently in Li Dagang's direction, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth:
"Da Gang... agree to him, sign as he says."
He saw things more clearly than Li Dagang.
The current situation is dire.
Two Eighth Rank guards could easily suppress them, and the two Ninth Rank Household Guard retainers who had been watching coldly had not yet made a move. The true strength of the Marquis Estate was even more unfathomable.
If we stubbornly persist, we'll only face certain death.
Once they are dead, the businesses, connections, and intelligence networks left behind by Zhang Yu will instantly disintegrate or be swallowed up by the Marquis Estate.
"Where there's life, there's hope."
This is an ironclad rule that Mo Zhai summarized after countless brushes with death.
As long as a person is alive and can still breathe, there is always a chance to turn things around.
A moment of humiliation is more valuable than a pointless sacrifice.
Upon hearing this, the ferocity on Zhang Heng's face eased slightly, replaced by a playful expression, like a cat toying with a mouse.
He nodded in satisfaction, and even clapped his hands:
"A wise man knows when to yield, Mister Mo. You understand things better than Shopkeeper Li. I prefer dealing with intelligent people."
He waved his hand, and immediately a guard came forward with the prepared new contract and inkpad, and knelt down in front of Mo Zhai.
However--
"No."
Li Dagang, lying on the ground, coughed up a mouthful of black blood. He struggled to lift his swollen and deformed face, and in his bloodshot eyes burned an almost obsessive flame.
He stared intently at Mo Zhai, then turned with difficulty to Zhang Heng, his voice broken yet resolute:
"Boss... entrusted the Merchant Guild... to me... I can't... do anything to betray the boss... This price... cannot be signed."
Greedy?
Li Dagang does indeed love money.
Lustful?
He never hid this hobby of his.
But his loyalty to Zhang Yu was the only thing he never wavered on, even after years of navigating the underworld and navigating the treacherous waters of the underworld.
"Court death!"
The fleeting "satisfaction" that had just appeared on Zhang Heng's face instantly froze, then transformed into a violent rage.
All his patience and all his feigned "reasoning" attitude were completely shattered at this moment.
A lowly merchant, an ant he trampled underfoot, dared to defy him time and time again.
This completely ignited the most violent chord within him.
I gave you a chance.
Zhang Heng's voice was sharp with extreme anger. He suddenly drew a standard military knife from the waist of his bodyguard with a clang.
The blade is long and narrow, with a chilling gleam, carrying the bloody scent unique to the battlefield.
Without any hesitation or warning, in the blink of an eye before anyone could react, Zhang Heng's eyes flashed with ferocity, and he slashed his long sword down fiercely towards Li Dagang's neck on the ground.
This strike was ruthless and decisive, carrying the madness of a scion of the Aristocratic Clan after being disobeyed, and also an outpouring of all his jealousy and hatred towards Zhang Yu.
"No--!!!"
Mo Zhai's roar was like the howl of a wounded beast, instantly bursting from his throat.
Qin Xuehua and Zhang Wanning were slightly taken aback, but did not stop them.
In their eyes, these merchants were nothing more than ants, and their deaths were no big deal.
Jiang Luohan didn't say much either; it was just a businessman dying, nothing to worry about.