Huh?
Wang Ziwen's gaze instantly sharpened. He looked at the scout and said in a grave voice, "I advise you not to get any ideas. Last time, the prince took most of the heir's money because the prince is his father."
"If you dare set your sights on his businesses, you probably won't even know how you died. Do you really think just anyone can push the heir around?"
That fool doesn't know whether to live or die!
He even dares set his sights on the heir. He really has no idea what he's doing.
He knew full well that the young man's words just now had come from envy of Benefit to All Under Heaven's astonishing profits, which had made him want to get his hands on them. In the end, wealth did stir men's hearts.
But a master was a master, after all, and once a servant's thoughts crossed that line, he was basically finished.
"Please spare me, chief steward. I would never have such thoughts..."
The scout's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly begged for mercy. He had finally realized how serious the matter was.
"You may leave. The heir has changed a great deal lately. He won't hold it against you," Wang Ziwen said, shaking his head, his words laden with meaning.
The scout breathed a sigh of relief. He apologized, then withdrew.
Watching him leave, Wang Ziwen's eyes flashed with killing intent. "He's thought of betraying his master. We can't keep a man like that around. Go deal with him," he said quietly.
"Yes!"
An answer came from the darkness. Then a figure flashed into motion and went straight after the scout.
After the man in black left, no one remained in the study but Wang Ziwen.
Hahaha!
Looking at the intelligence report in his hand, Wang Ziwen suddenly burst out laughing. He laughed with unrestrained delight.
"'When not in a position, do not meddle in its affairs.' So that's how the heir conducts himself?"
Wang Ziwen wholeheartedly agreed with those words, and he now understood the heir's actions. It seemed the heir really had been concealing his strength all along.
Before, the heir had only been the heir, so all he needed to do was enjoy himself. But now that he was temporarily in charge of Northern Liang City, he had not forgotten to shoulder his responsibilities.
Not only had he given land to the common people, he had also sold them salt at a low price. He had learned to show them kindness.
Now the common people had changed their opinion of the heir. They even regarded him as Northern Liang's savior, a savior of the common folk.
He could see every one of those changes, and they filled him with pleasant surprise.
He could not help saying with satisfaction, "Who would have thought? Perhaps the heir will be the most suitable successor for Northern Liang, an heir truly capable of bearing Northern Liang on his shoulders!"
The Ran residence!
Over the past five days, Ran Chao's injuries had improved considerably, so he could just manage to move around.
Looking at his father, who was still unconscious, Ran Chao's expression turned extremely grim. He looked at the physician beside him and said in a grave voice, "Physician, why hasn't my father woken up yet? I remember you said he would be fine as long as he made it through three days. It's been five now!"
Because his father, Ran Zijin, was still unconscious, Ran Chao had temporarily taken charge of the Ran Clan's affairs.
"Young master, Lord Ran's wound is in a vital area of his chest, only one centimeter from his heart. It is already a great blessing that he survived. As for anything else..."
At that point, the physician closed his mouth.
Some things were best left at a hint. If he spelled them out too clearly, the family probably would not like hearing them.
Ran Chao frowned deeply. He had seen the wound too, so he naturally knew the physician had a point, but he was very worried now.
Just then, the steward came over carrying a huge pile of account books.
"Young master, these are some account books that need to be checked. You need to look them over to make sure the people below haven't made any mistakes."
"What, all of these?"
Looking at the huge pile of account books, Ran Chao's face instantly fell. Surely this was far too much.
If he wanted to read through all of them, he probably would not have enough time even in a whole day.
"Young master, our Ran Clan is large and prosperous, known as the second family of Northern Liang. Naturally, we have many businesses under us. I haven't troubled you with the matters this old servant can decide, but some of these accounts can't be put off any longer, so we need you to make the decisions!"
Uncle De gave a wry smile as he explained.
As the steward of the Ran residence, he knew a great deal about the Ran Clan's businesses, so he had a good grasp of the situation.
Although his master's line was only a branch of the Ran Clan, its strength was not to be underestimated. It controlled quite a few industries. Put all those businesses together, and they were worth an astronomical sum.
That meant there were many accounts and the like involved.
Even with the bookkeepers' help, there were still plenty of figures the family head needed to review, so there were many things he could not avoid.
Sigh!
Ran Chao sighed and said irritably, "I used to see Father in his study all the time and thought he was just dull. Now it seems he was busy counting money! Looking at it that way, being rich isn't so great either!"
For the first time, he felt that having too much money seemed to be a problem too, and a big one at that: he couldn't be bothered to count it.
Pfft!
Uncle De nearly spat blood. For an instant, he felt an urge to devour his master. Was that something a person should say?
He was just about to speak when a sudden rush of footsteps came from outside. Uncle De could not help frowning and went to the door.
"Who has so little regard for the rules? Looks to me like you want a taste of the family punishment!"
"Steward, something terrible has happened!"
The newcomer was out of breath. After catching his breath, he spoke in a panic.
Ran Chao frowned and said in a grave voice, "What happened? Why are you in such a panic?"
"Young master, Lin Yi suddenly got involved in the salt trade. We haven't sold a single jin of salt today. We're taking losses across the board," the newcomer said, steeling himself as he looked at his young master's murderous expression.
"What?"
Ran Chao's expression changed drastically, and he immediately stood up.
He was about to speak when he felt a tearing pain in the wound on his abdomen. He immediately collapsed onto the bed, cold sweat streaming down his forehead from the agony.
But he could not worry about anything else at the moment. His face dark, he said, "Where did Lin Yi get salt? Almost all the salt in the Great Ning Dynasty is in our Ran Clan's hands. Can he conjure it out of nothing?"
"Young master, not only does he have top-grade refined salt, it doesn't have a trace of impurities. As if that weren't enough, he's actually selling refined salt for less than coarse salt. He's driven all our business away," the newcomer said indignantly.
"Refined salt for less than coarse salt?"
Ran Chao's pupils contracted. Had Lin Yi gone mad? Who could withstand him doing business like that? Was he going to drag the entire prince's residence down with him?
Hearing that, the newcomer glanced cautiously at Ran Chao and said in a low voice, "Young master, Lin Yi's salt is said to come from Baiyuan Commandery. It seems to be from our poison salt mine. I..."
"The poison salt mine?"
At those words, Ran Chao's eyes lit up. Lin Yi actually had the nerve to sell poison salt.
If that were true, the fellow had walked right into the Net.
He said excitedly, "Hahaha, Lin Yi, you've fallen for it this time. You actually dared to sell poison salt to the common people. Let's see how you answer to everyone under heaven!"