Three days later, Daming Mansion, Meeting Hall.
He has walked through these thirty-two white stone steps Kiryu Xiu many times, but today it felt like he had walked for a long time.
Today he wore the most formal black silk dress, with a jade plaque given by the daimyo hanging around his waist. When he reached the entrance of the palace, he stopped, smoothed the cuffs, and moved the jade plaque half an inch out to expose it.
It has been thirty years. This sign has never failed in this door.
The hall is already full. The left column is the presidents of the chambers of commerce of various countries, and the right column is the civil servants of the Daming Palace. The empty chair in the middle is the seat of the finance minister.
Kiryu Xiu glanced at the empty chair, and the hanging things in his heart fell back to their original places.
Empty. That is to say, the candidate has not been decided yet. Even if it is not decided yet, we can still talk.
"Lord Kiryu."
The president of Kurokawa Chamber of Commerce came over and said in a very low voice, "Today's event... is not right."
"What's wrong?"
"When the daimyo came in from the back hall, he was followed by two people. One was wearing Kirigakure black armor."
"Where's the other one?"
Kurokawa's throat moved.
"The other one didn't see clearly."
Kiryu Xiu's fingers tightened in her sleeves.
The palace door was pushed open at this moment.
The first person to come in was the daimyo, who was fat and out of breath when walking. After he sat down, he waved his hand behind him.
Yukimura Shigure walked in, took off his mask, and stood on the left side of the steps.
Then there's the second person.
Wearing a white silk robe, gold threads with auspicious clouds and dark patterns, a piece of warm jade around the waist, long hair tied up, and shaking a folding fan in his hand. He walked to the right side of the stairs and stood, cupping his hands in the direction of Kiryu Xiu.
"Lord Kiryu, long time no see."
All the merchants in the hall took a breath.
"This is? Food Is Heaven... the boss."
Kiryu Xiu stood up. He didn't even realize that he stood up.
He forced a smile, "Why are you here?"
"I just came to hear some news." Senju Chen closed the folding fan, "Same as you."
The daimyo coughed, and the ceremonial officer next to him unfolded the scroll.
"According to the order of the Dai Ming: Former Finance Minister Akamizu Mitsui, for selling military rations and misappropriating national finance without permission, will be dismissed from his post and investigated."
There was a sound of chairs being moved in the hall.
"With immediate effect, the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer shall be filled by--"
The ceremonial officer paused for half a beat. Kiryu Xiu's breathing also paused for half a beat.
"Land of Water Chamber of Commerce General Office, Mizuno, takes over."
The temple was as quiet as death.
Kiryu Xiu turned his head slowly.
In the shadow of the pillars outside the palace door, a middle-aged man wearing new silk and satin clothes was walking in with his head lowered. He walked to the steps, knelt down and kowtowed in a polite manner.
Kiryu Xiu recognizes that face.
Five years ago, that face stood behind the counter where the "Food Is Heaven" plaque had not yet been hung, and the account book was wet with sweat from the palms of his hands. He didn't even glance at it at that time.
"He..." Kiryu Xiu's voice was dry, "He is a restaurant owner--"
"Haha, what's wrong with the shopkeeper?" Senju Chen tapped his palm with his fan.
"Master." The butler came up from behind Kiryu Xiu, his voice trembling. "I just received it... Daming Mansion checked the accounts of seven chambers of commerce last night. Except for our family and Kurokawa's family, Qingshui, Sakura, Eguchi... all have been sealed."
"A few have been sealed."
"Five families."
Kiryu Xiu looked down at his jade plaque.
Five families. They happened to be the five who signed the top six names on the joint petition that year, except him.
He finally understood that the purpose of today's banquet was to clear the place.
Someone spent three months removing all the people in the Land of Water business world who could stand in a row with him from the table one by one. When he walked into this hall today, he looked up--
He was the only one left on the table.
Being a loner and being a shareholder are two different things.
"Boss Chen." Kiryu Xiu slowly sat back in his chair and lowered his voice, "You and I are our own family after all. I still have your share of Food Is Heaven..."
"Oh, I brought the deed from back then."
Senju Chen took out a roll from his sleeve and unfolded it in front of the whole hall.
The ink written five years ago, with a line at the end.
"Capital of Water East Street Main Store, 30%." Mizuno read out the line next to it, "Excluding branches, excluding chambers of commerce, excluding fleets, and excluding banks."
The president of Kurokawa swallowed the tea in his mouth with a puff.
Some people started to snicker in the hall.
"Lord Kiryu, that store's net profit last year was 72 million taels." Senju Chen's tone was very calm, as if he was helping someone to pay the bills, "Your 30%, 21.6 million. These years, the dividends have been delivered to your house quarterly, never less."
"I never owed you a copper."
Kiryu Xiu's face tightened inch by inch.
Seventy-two million sounds like a lot. But the entire "Food Is Heaven" Land of Water Chamber of Commerce's turnover last year was 3.7 billion.
He slapped the table and asked for "30%", but got six thousandths.
"You..." the old man grabbed the handrail twice, "You knew back then that I would only look at the store."
"I don't know." Senju Chen shook his head, "I just wrote the deed clearly."
"You just didn't pay attention."
He paused and knocked the fan in his palm.
"You said something that day, but I always remember it."
Kiryu Xiu looks up.
"If you don't take advantage of the situation, how can you call it business?"
The old man sat on the chair for a long time without moving.
No one in the hall laughed anymore.
The daimyo couldn't understand what he heard above, but felt that the atmosphere was not right, and coughed dryly. "Then... regarding the port, should we follow Boss Shui's wishes?"
"Return to the Daming." Mizuno bowed, "Customs declaration, settlement, and auditing at thirty-seven ports will be merged into the Food Is Heaven Chamber of Commerce agency. The customs duties will still be transferred to the Daming Mansion, which is a lot, and it is 20% more than last year."
"Twenty percent more?" The daimyo's eyes lit up.
"The extra 20% is saved from the middlemen."
Several chairs in the left row of the hall rang at the same time.
Senju Chen then turned around and looked at Kiryu Xiu.
"Lord Kiryu."
"... say."
"I brought two copies of the new deed."
He placed the scroll on the table in front of Kiryu Xiu.
"For the first one, you hand over the operating rights of eleven ports in exchange for a 15% dividend from the Chamber of Commerce. This time, write it all down - including branches, including fleets, including banks."
Kiryu Xiu's fingers moved.
"Quan" at 15% is nearly three hundred times more than "our store" at 30%.
"Here's the second one."
"For the second part, you won't hand over anything." Senju Chen opened the folding fan and shook it slowly twice, "You continue to work on your eleven ports and continue to be the chief advisor to the daimyo."
"It's just that starting from tomorrow, your ship will not be able to dock at those thirty-seven piers."
"Your salt cannot come out Land of Water."
"Your bank cannot redeem the official ticket of Kirigakure."
The hall was so quiet that you could hear the fire in the charcoal basin.
Kiryu Xiu stared at the two scrolls for a long time.
He suddenly laughed, very lightly.
"Boss Chen, you... are not here to talk to me at all today."
"No." Senju Chen nodded, "I'm here to inform you."
"Then why did you leave the first copy for me?"
Senju Chen closed the fan, bent down, and lowered his voice so that only two people could hear it.
"Because Land of Water needs an old face."
"Those businessmen outside are afraid of ninjas, not businessmen. They have believed in you for thirty years. You sit here and nod, and they will nod accordingly. This can save me a lot of time."
"I'm not short of money, Lord Kiryu. What I'm short of is time."
Kiryu Xiu's breathing was erratic for a moment.
He finally understood.
The other party didn't want to eat him. They wanted to hang him up and use him as a sign. And he didn't even have the qualifications to refuse - because all the chips he had accumulated in the past thirty years had been burned to ashes in the accounting room of Daming Mansion this morning.
The old man stretched out his hand. His hand was shaking.
He pulled the first scroll over, picked up the pen, and signed it.
When he put down his pen, he suddenly raised his head. "One last question."
"You asked."
"Your new Mr. Mizukage...Kirisame Ryo." Kiryu Xiu's voice was very slow, "What is his relationship with you?"
Senju Chen rolled up the signed deed and handed it to Mizuno.
Then he straightened up and straightened his sleeves.
"We know each other very well."
Three days later, Kirigakure, Mizukage's Office.
Senju Chen read the first Ministry of Finance statement sent by Mizuno and threw it on the table.
"Land of Water's annual income for the whole year, 43% will pass through Food Is Heaven's hand." Mizuno added next to it, "It will reach 60% by the end of the year."
"There's no rush." Senju Chen leaned back in his chair, "You have to collect the money slowly. If you collect it too quickly, your heart will explode."
He reached out and turned over the map on the wall.
On the back is the full picture of Five Great Nations.
Konoha There is a white flag at that point.
"Boss." Mizuno hesitated, "The news just came back from the port."
"Say."
"A fleet entered the port this morning. It was flying the flag Land of Lightning, and the two people on the bow were wearing the official mission uniforms of Yun Yincun."
Senju Chen's finger stopped on the map.
"It came quickly." Senju Chen clicked on the map and laughed.