Sun Zhonghe didn't answer, a trace of unnaturalness flashed in his eyes.
Yang Zhenshan continued, "Shopkeeper Sun, you have been with the Guiyuan Hall for thirty years and have read countless people. You don't know whether these accounts should be pursued. You handed over the list because you are waiting for someone to ask you this question."
Sun Zhonghe was silent for a moment and finally said, "What does Mr. Yang want to hear?"
"I want to hear from you what Shopkeeper Sun wants Guiyuan Hall to become."
Sun Zhonghe was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly, "Mr. Yang is joking, what hope is there for a dying man?"
Yang Zhenshan shook his head. "Shopkeeper Sun is sixty-three this year, Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement, there is no problem in living for another ten or twenty years."
"It's not that you don't want to hand it over, but you're afraid that if you do, Guiyuan Hall will die in the hands of Yao Qing."
"You have been at the Guiyuan Hall for thirty years, and this shop is your child, and you can't bear to let it go."
Sun Zhonghe's hand stopped completely.
He raised his head and looked at Yang Zhenshan, his eyes a little more complicated.
After a long time, he sighed, "Mr. Yang is a sensible person."
"I have no abilities in this life. My alchemy skills and cultivation are mediocre. The only thing I can show off is this old face and this shop."
"Guiyuan Hall has been able to stay in the capital for thirty years not because of elixirs, but because of favors."
He looked at Yang Zhenshan and said, "If Young Master Qing only wants to treat Guiyuan Hall as a profitable business, then this shop will be closed sooner or later."
Yang Zhenshan nodded. "Young Master Qing understands this truth, so he doesn't want to collect debts, he wants to clear them."
Sun Zhonghe was stunned. "Repay the debt?"
Yang Zhenshan took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it over.
Sun Zhonghe took it and looked at it. There were a few lines written on it, which were written by Yao Qing:
[Guiyuan Hall has been trusting you for thirty years.]
[Now Yao Qing takes over, I feel deeply responsible and the old debts are written off.]
[From today on, anyone who has an unsettled old account in the Guiyuan Hall can receive one Qi-Nourishing Pill for free with the account book.]
[I hope you will continue to take care of me in the future.]
Sun Zhonghe held the piece of paper, his hands shaking slightly.
He raised his head and looked at Yang Zhenshan. His lips moved a few times, but he didn't say anything.
Yang Zhenshan stood up. "Shopkeeper Sun, what Young Master Qing means is not to regard Guiyuan Hall as a business, but as Yao Family's human network in the capital."
"These favors are not debts, but capital."
"Collecting debts means offending people; paying off debts means winning people's hearts."
"More than two thousand spiritual stones can buy the favor of thirty or forty families in the capital. This transaction is not a loss."
He paused and then said, "As for the people over there at Yao Ke, I need you to make a list. Young Master Qing will personally visit you. Guiyuan Hall from the Yao Family will always welcome Yao Family people."
Sun Zhonghe stared at him blankly for a long time, then let out a long breath. "Mr. Yang is very calculating."
Yang Zhenshan smiled, "It's not my calculation, it's Young Master Qing's grandeur."
Sun Zhonghe stood up and bowed deeply to Yang Zhenshan: "Please tell Mr. Yang to tell Young Master Qing that I am convinced that Guiyuan Hall's keys, account books, and Pill Formula will be delivered to your house early tomorrow morning."
Yang Zhenshan helped him up and patted his shoulder. "Shopkeeper Sun, Guiyuan Hall is still looking after you. Young Master Qing said that he just changed his name. The shopkeeper is still you."
Sun Zhonghe was shocked and looked up at Yang Zhenshan, his eyes slightly red.
The matter of the Guiyuan Hall ended perfectly after Yao Qing paid a price of more than two thousand spiritual stones.
Yang Zhenshan also thought that Guiyuan Hall's matter was over.
But he underestimated Yao Ke.
When the news reached Yao Ke's ears, he was drinking tea in his study.
After listening to Hu Zhong's report, he put down his tea cup and sneered.
He stood up and walked to the window, "My second brother is quite courageous."
Hu Zhong whispered, "Master, there is also Yang Zhenshan, he is also a person."
Yao Ke did not answer the call.
He stood in front of the window, tapped his fingers on the window lattice twice, and suddenly said, "Hu Zhong, do you still remember that incident five years ago?"
Hu Zhong was stunned. "The young master said..."
"Zhou Mingde." Yao Ke spit out three words.
Hu Zhong's face changed slightly.
Zhou Mingde, the former doctor Ministry of War Military Selection Office, was impeached and dismissed from office five years ago for corruption.
But few people know that Zhou Mingde's batch of ordnance and two hundred bows were taken by Yao Ke's people and sold to Black Market.
Zhou Mingde is only for the top cylinder.
The person who was responsible for the preliminary review and write-off of the ordnance accounts back then was the current doctor Military Selection Office, Liu Wenyuan.
Yao Ke turned around with a faint smile on his face, "Tell me, if Liu Wenyuan takes Guiyuan Hall's elixir and gets poisoned, what should my second brother do?"
Hu Zhong hesitated for a moment. "Liu Wenyuan... is not very courageous, so he may not be willing to do it."
Yao Ke said nothing, walked back to the desk and started to write a letter. Soon, he finished writing and handed it to Hu Zhong.
Hu Zhong opened it and saw that the letter was very short, only a few words:
[Guiyuan Hall changed owners, and his younger brother Yao Qing took over. This man is young and energetic, and he doesn't know the importance.]
[Qi-Nourishing Pill made by the Guiyuan Hall, the quality is worrying.]
[I hope Brother Liu can take this opportunity to let everyone in the world see clearly the disadvantages of the Guiyuan Hall elixir.]
[Then, the two hundred bows disappeared.]
"Send this letter to Liu Residence." Yao Ke said calmly.
Hu Zhong put the letter into his sleeve, clasped his fists and stepped back.
It was already late at night when the letter was delivered to Liu Residence.
Liu Wenyuan opened the letter in the study room, and after just one glance, his face turned pale.
His hands began to tremble.
Five years ago, in order to usurp Zhou Mingde's official position, he and Yao Ke framed two hundred military bows on Zhou Mingde.
This Yao Ke wants to use his leverage to force him.
"Master..." His wife's voice came from the door, and Madam Liu walked in with a bowl of soup. Seeing that his expression was wrong, he put down the bowl and walked to him, "What's wrong?"
Liu Wenyuan handed her the letter.
Madam Liu After reading it, his expression changed.
"This... doesn't this require you to harm people?" She lowered her voice with a trembling tone.
Liu Wenyuan smiled bitterly, "Harm others? He wants me to harm myself."
He stood up and paced back and forth in the study, his voice hoarse. "Is the Qi-Nourishing Pill that Guiyuan Hall sent you still there?"
Madam Liu nodded. "Yes, I didn't move."
Liu Wenyuan stopped and was silent for a long time. Then he said slowly, "Go and get the elixir."
Madam Liu hesitated for a moment, turned around and went out. After a while, she came back holding a porcelain bottle.
Liu Wenyuan took the porcelain bottle and poured out the elixir.
The elixir is Upper Yellow Grade, which is light yellow in color and exudes a light medicinal fragrance.
He looked at it for a long time and suddenly asked, "Is there Aconite in our medicine cabinet?"
Madam Liu was stunned and turned pale. "Master! You want to..."
"It must be done." Liu Wenyuan interrupted her, her voice terrifyingly calm.
Madam Liu's eyes turned red.
Liu Wenyuan continued, "Aconite conflicts with spiritual ginseng. If people eat it, they will get fever and faint, but it will not be fatal. I only take half a pill to make a show, that's enough."
He paused and then said, "Moreover, I only tampered with the surface of the elixir. If someone checks it, they will find that the poison was added later. In this way... I at least have room for explanation."
Madam Liu bit her lip and tears finally fell. "Then... then if it is found out that it is you..."
"No." Liu Wenyuan shook his head, "No one would suspect that the victim harmed himself. Moreover, Yao Ke will not let this matter be investigated. What he wants is Guiyuan Hall's reputation, not my life."