"What!?" It was as if Zuoqiu Guanyu had been viciously slapped across the face. His jade-like features flushed crimson in an instant, and his anger shot upward in waves. "Wang Shouzhe! You—you—you actually dare speak to me like that?!"
"Heh heh~"
Wang Shouzhe glanced at him and ignored him.
He picked up the teacup on the table again and took an unhurried sip.
Only when Zuoqiu Guanyu's expression had grown increasingly ugly, as though he could barely hold on any longer, did he slowly speak. "Clan Head Guanyu, a man should know his own worth. Right now, it is the Zuoqiu Clan that is beset by troubles within and without, and it is you who need something from me. I truly do not know where you found the nerve to put on airs before me."
"As long as I refuse to negotiate, the capital's censure alone will be enough to make the Zuoqiu Clan choke on a bitter draught."
"Taking a step back, even if the Zuoqiu Clan can smooth things over in the capital through years of connections, and even if you can suppress the unrest within Qing'an Prefecture by force—if your grain seeds cannot be sold, how many years can the Zuoqiu Clan's assets sustain you? A great clan with great holdings naturally cuts an imposing figure, but can you bear your yearly expenses? Or perhaps you could reduce the number of Celestial Realm and Purple Mansion Realm successions. You could also have your clansmen tighten their belts. That might let you last a few more years."
"Unfortunately, no matter how much you economize, it will not change your fate of decline from this day onward."
Every word Wang Shouzhe spoke was like a sharp arrow, one after another piercing Zuoqiu Guanyu straight through the heart.
As the