Chapter 158: Does the Prefect Have a Daughter?

The families operating drapery businesses in Su Prefecture suddenly panicked and rushed to investigate the true situation of the Su family.
Ultimately, they confirmed that the Su family was indeed selling coarse cloth at remarkably low prices.
That very night.
The drapery alliance of Su Prefecture gathered together for a meeting.
Among the various cloth merchants in the prefecture, the five largest families were the Xiang, Zhu, Dong, Liang, and Qiu families.
Among them, the Xiang family possessed profound heritage, and their patriarch was a martial artist of the first rank.
"Everyone, this Su family is suddenly selling cloth at prices ten percent lower than our production costs. They are leaving us no room to survive; we must figure out a countermeasure."
"This Su family clearly lacks manners. They want to rapidly break into the Su Prefecture market by using cheap and discounted fabric, yet they didn't even bother to give us a courtesy notice. We must ruthlessly suppress them."
"Utterly ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth."
"Old Xiang, you should be the one to speak on this matter. How do you plan to teach this newcomer a lesson?"
"I will not be involving myself in teaching the Su family a lesson. Farewell."
Just at that moment, the patriarch of the Qiu family suddenly stood up, a trace of humility showing on his face as he said, "From now on, my Qiu family will gradually withdraw from the drapery business. If any of you wish to expand, you can come to my estate to discuss it. I will sell my assets at a low price."
With those words, the Qiu patriarch turned and left.
The Qiu patriarch was the most clear-headed regarding the situation of the Su family. The cost of their fabric had been compressed to an ultimate low, and on the surface, they simply could not compete with the Su family.
As for behind the scenes?
The Qiu patriarch still had the vivid image burned into his mind of his own family elder being executed with a single sword strike.
That was a second-rank martial artist!
Slain with a single sword.
Not even a first-rank martial artist could achieve such a feat.
Coupled with the fact that the current head of the Su family, Su Yang, had already attained second-rank strength, it indicated that he undoubtedly had a formidable master standing behind him.
They could not afford to provoke him.
The Qiu family could no longer afford to offend such a presence.
Since they could not afford to provoke them, the only option was to hide away.
And relinquish the drapery business entirely.
The seven remote and barren counties in the western part of Su Prefecture were so desolate that the families in the central region of the prefecture had never paid attention to them.
Naturally, they remained unaware that the Su family had reformed their textile production costs long ago and had already monopolized the drapery trade across those seven counties.
As for this detail, the Qiu patriarch had no intention of breathing a word of it.
In matters like this, one should avoid getting entangled as much as humanly possible.

...
Following the departure of the Qiu patriarch, the remaining four family heads furrowed their brows, a trace of suspicion rising in their hearts.
"Since when did the Qiu patriarch become so cowardly?"
"Pay him no mind. Let us properly discuss how to deal with this Su family instead."
"Since the Su family's selling price is ten percent lower than our own costs, why should we continue manufacturing fabric at all? We can simply go straight to the Su family and buy up all their inventory, draining their entire stock."
"The Su family is selling fabric at a loss; they will either have to restore their prices to normal or go bankrupt. If we hold massive amounts of fabric purchased at ten percent below production cost during this time, we will instead make a massive profit."
Patriarch Xiang said slowly, "The master of the Su family is far too young and immature."
"Well said. What kind of heritage could a family growing up in those impoverished mountain ravines of the western seven counties possibly possess? With just a slight effort on our part, we can utterly ruin him."
"As expected, Patriarch Xiang always has the best ideas."
Patriarch Liang wore a wicked smile at the corner of his mouth as he said, "Patriarch Xiang, I heard you recently acquired a batch of alluring demon maidens. Might we brothers have a chance..."

...
Incense Value: 200,000
Literary Qi: Third-Rank Scholar
Human Merit: 53
Soul Fragments: 25
Realm: Second-Rank
Dharmic Artifacts: [Hanguang Flying Sword (Merit Dharmic Artifact)], [Brocade Pouch of Treasures], [Blazing Sun Broadsword], [Buddhist Little Golden Bell]
Cultivation Techniques: [Incense Scripture+], [Aura-Observing Technique], [Second-Rank Mind-Controlling Worm], [Root-Measuring Technique], [Heaven-Masking Law]
Secret Arts: [Nine Demonic Ox Strengths], [Fire Dragon Overlord Three Spears], [Flying Sword Quenching Technique], [Blazing Flame Slash]
Data: [Holy Gynecology Scripture+]
Longevity: 230 years
Family Progress: Congratulations, you have gained a firm initial foothold in Su Prefecture, but to establish yourself permanently in a place like this, you need to lean against a great mountain. Please find a towering tree to maintain a solid alliance, and you will receive 200,000 incense points.
Family Progress: Open ten branch stores within Su Prefecture to receive 100,000 incense points.

After bustling about for an entire day, Su Yang finally opened the system interface.
His accumulated incense points had reached 200,000, while all the remaining points had been converted into longevity, bringing his current lifespan to a full 230 years.
Should he ever enter closed-door seclusion for a year or a half, he would no longer have to fear running out of lifespan and kicking the bucket.
Furthermore, having completed the previous family milestone, he had also acquired the [Second-Rank Mind-Controlling Worm]. Once cultivated, he would be able to swiftly take control of Su Prefecture.
Only, cultivating this second-rank mind-controlling worm would require two full months.
Two months from now, it would presumably be winter.
In addition, new family milestones had appeared: one was to open branch stores, and the other was to find a powerful backer in Su Prefecture to maintain that relationship.
As for the best way to maintain such a relationship, Su Yang believed it to be marriage into a powerful family.
Among all the figures in Su Prefecture with whom he was acquainted and who qualified as a towering tree, the most prominent was naturally Prefect Ren Qianshan.
He only wondered whether the prefect had any unwed daughters in his household.
As for the other family milestone, opening branch stores was relatively straightforward; as long as he had sufficient silver, it could be accomplished within a few days.
Having no permanent residence in Su Prefecture yet, he had been staying at an inn for the past two days. He needed to find time to purchase a small courtyard, though once matters in Su Prefecture were completely stabilized, he still intended to return to live in Yanggu County.
Once he had completely swallowed up the central region of Su Prefecture, he could expand outward toward the eastern, southern, and northern parts of the prefecture.
Once the drapery business spanned across the entire Su Prefecture, the tavern business would catch up as well. With vast amounts of silver, he could acquire farmlands and gradually break into the grain and rice industry.
Controlling nearly a hundred counties in Su Prefecture entirely in his own hands was indeed a long and arduous journey.

Early the next morning.
Su Yang instructed his subordinates to search for vacant shops to open storefronts, or to acquire suitable shops being put up for transfer, while he himself headed once more to the prefect's residence.
Occupied with official duties, Prefect Ren Qianshan had no leisure to accompany Su Yang, and instead delegated his eldest legitimate son to keep him company.
The eldest son, named Ren Tinghe, also pursued the Confucian path. Now over thirty years of age, he was a provincial graduate of the previous dynasty.
The Great Zhao Dynasty still recognized the provincial graduates of the former dynasty without requiring them to retake the examinations; they could directly participate in the metropolitan examinations during the spring trials, at which point he could travel to the capital alongside Su Yang.
Because his father had given him special instructions, coupled with Su Yang's formidable talent in the Confucian path which had already reached the realm of a third-rank grand scholar, the young Confucian scholar Ren Tinghe held boundless admiration for him and treated Su Yang with the utmost respect.
In the courtyard, an artificial lake stretched before them, upon which a few unknown water birds drifted lazily.
"Brother Su, my father mentioned that the imperial court is about to promulgate a new reform system. Might you have heard of it?"
Ren Tinghe asked aloud.
"A new reform system?"
"What kind of system?"
Su Yang was slightly startled; he truly had not caught wind of this.

(End of this chapter)