Chapter 134 Showdown

The sunlight was warm and pleasant. Xi Junyu walked through the courtyard corridor beneath the eaves, paused for a moment, and then stepped into the adjacent room, exchanging nods with the two people inside.

"Manager Chen, how is Rong Ji's side reacting?"

The man he addressed as Manager Chen was named Chen Youhe. Hearing Xi Junyu's question, he shook his head. "Rong Li's side is still insisting on raising the price. They intend to push it to four liang and two qian."

"That is outright robbery." Xi Junyu frowned. However, because similar bad news had become commonplace over the recent period, he did not show excessive emotional fluctuation, merely sitting down by the table with a gloomy face. "Lü Ji's side can be negotiated down to four liang."

"I've already brought that up, but Rong Li claims that since the senior master is no longer managing affairs, and once the second young miss steps down—triggering massive changes in the Su family that will leave them unable to recover their vitality—they are simply waiting to take losses. Therefore, they are adamant about this price."

"The second young miss will not step down!" Xi Junyu paused. "Su Yu is not that short-sighted. Even if he has to hold on by the skin of his teeth, he will help prop up the main branch. With the second young miss's capability, she will rise again sooner or later!"

His tone was resolute and decisive, but silence fell upon the room. One knows one's own family affairs best; the current situation was indeed dire. The second and third branches were desperately trying to dismantle the main branch, and even Su Yu currently seemed somewhat overextended. The old man could no longer suppress the endless gossip and opinions of so many people. Over the past month, the voice and influence of the Su family's main branch around Jiangning had suffered. Primarily, certain supply and distribution merchants were demanding higher prices or increased profit margins. For the most part, the Su family was dragging things out, telling this side to wait and that side to wait, but the implicit impact had likely shaved twenty percent off the main branch's overall profits. Most terrifying of all was the question of future development.

"Damn it... One wrong step, and every subsequent step is wrong..."

Xi Junyu swallowed a breath and cursed, then shook his head with a dark expression as he began handling some paperwork on the desk—shipment and receiving invoices and the like. The two managers beside him also wore gloomy faces, and Chen Youhe shook his head. "If it weren't for that lapse during the period of the Imperial Merchants..."

The few people in the room did not continue, but everyone knew what those words referred to. Recently, a certain narrative had begun to circulate within the Su family, originating mainly after an internal review was conducted regarding the situation of the bright yellow fabric workshop from the Imperial Merchant period.

For instance, while managers could handle many matters on their own, numerous tasks still required someone with overall command to steer the helm. The small workshop responsible for researching the new fabric had originally been personally managed by Su Tan'er without issue, but after she fell ill, lapses occurred on certain levels. As viewed now by these experienced Su family managers, if Ning Yi hadn't been overly aggressive and radical in the operation of the bright yellow fabric during that period, leaving behind many small details that should never have arisen...

If Su Tan'er had been personally in control during that time, when they chose an aggressive promotional strategy, she certainly would have fine-tuned the workshop's confidentiality measures to suit it. But once Ning Yi took charge, he ultimately did not understand these minute details. While the workshop's policy remained unchanged and Managers Zhou and Bai struggled to maintain secrecy while cooperating with the high-profile promotion above, countless traces were inevitably exposed. That was how the Wu family managed to exploit those fundamental strategic levels.

Whenever the group thought of this matter, they felt an extraordinary sense of frustration. They had prepared everything, only to lose in the end to that reckless greenhorn. Experience—all the problems boiled down to experience. Back then, regardless of which seasoned manager had taken control of the overall situation, such a problem likely would never have occurred.

To think that scholar even wrote with such righteous indignation, "Though white-haired and lifelong friends, still I clutch my sword"—how humiliating...

In the past, people had largely ignored Ning Yi, feeling that if they won, it had nothing to do with him, and if they lost, it couldn't be helped. But over the past half-month or so, this narrative had begun to crystallize. Because of this, criticisms targeting Ning Yi within the Su family had grown increasingly fierce recently. Manager Xi had originally been relatively kind and charitable, arguing there were extenuating circumstances, but ultimately he too felt a sense of depression. In the eyes of Manager Chen and the others, Xi Junyu's slight loss of composure at this moment stemmed from this very reason.

The room fell silent for a while, filled only with the rustling sounds of business being processed. Amidst the silence, Xi Junyu glanced to the side, his previous irritated expression now calmed.

The preparations were practically complete; the clan assembly would begin within half a month. By then, Tan'er would be stripped of her position, and that would be the optimal time for such public sentiment to reach its peak. If the accusation came from the people of the second and third branches, it might instead provoke her defiance. But if the people closest to her kept whispering these things, amidst her stubborn exhaustion, she would inevitably end up venting her anger on others. Human nature was nothing more than this.

After the Imperial Merchant affair, the Su family had blown up—chaos and every imaginable kind of rhetoric filled the air. No one knew that the rumors surrounding Ning Yi were entirely promoted and guided by him behind the scenes. There was no need to hire people to shout it from the rooftops; he only needed to casually drop a few remarks in certain conversations that sparked contemplation, letting people think and deduce for themselves. On the other hand, he amplified the feeling of "we did nothing wrong yet still lost," intensifying that sense of grievance and suffocation... From beginning to end, he observed from the outside with the detachment of a rational person, even occasionally putting in a good word for Ning Yi—though these words ultimately only served to provoke a reverse psychology effect.

Everything had been laid out impeccably; he excelled at this sort of thing. The ideal scenario would have been for Ning Yi to finally lose his temper and make a few unseemly scenes at home, but that scholar proved remarkably resilient. Faced with various provocations, knowing that argument was futile, he said nothing and even put on a leisurely facade. But it mattered not; he had already begun hinting to the people at home: this fellow feels not a shred of guilt.

As these thoughts drifted casually through his mind, Wu Qilong's face suddenly flashed across his thoughts, and he frowned.

"Manager Chen, how has the Wu family been lately? I heard they've run into some trouble."

"Not entirely clear. I heard a steward worked himself to the point of illness—Qin Ye, I think. I dealt with him a couple of years ago," Chen Youhe raised his head. "Some people are gossiping that the Wu family is facing this and that; it's probably the Xue family spreading rumors behind their backs. The Imperial Merchant delivery is coming up soon, and the Wu family will be busy with the annual tribute fabric for a while. The Xue family probably wants to take advantage."

"Oh."

Right now, the Su family certainly didn't like the Wu family, but as the losers who had just been stabbed in the back by them, they had even less appetite to listen to gossip about the Wu family all day. Chen Youhe spoke casually, and Xi Junyu simply nodded. Then, reflecting on it, what trouble could the Wu family possibly face? Best to ignore it. Whatever troubles befell the Wu family now were no longer on the same plane as the Su family; they were drifting further and further apart. Let them be; for now, finishing his own tasks was what mattered.

In short, everything was going smoothly.

He glanced out the window at the afternoon sunlight in the courtyard. The atmosphere was peaceful, yet tinged with a faint sense of desolation. There were less than half a month left until the Su family clan assembly, and everything would be set in stone. The people belonging to the main branch were all stubbornly exhausted right now, doing their human utmost while leaving the destiny unknown. Perhaps only he clearly and distinctly knew where his position was and what he was doing. Only he was someone with a destination.

And so he smiled, as relaxed as that patch of sunlight.

………………

The quiet afternoon room, with its doors and windows sealed, felt somewhat dim. The air was thick with the scent of medicine. Beside the tightly swaddled sickbed, a woman of refined and graceful appearance held a porridge bowl in her hand, blew gently on the spoon, and brought it toward the patient's lips.

"...I heard the Seventh Uncle has also decided to let me step down at the clan assembly; Second Uncle managed to persuade him after all... Third Branch is busy poaching people; these days they're complaining that Manager Liao was sent out on business, that Rong Ji wants to raise prices, and Lü Ji does too. Such a hassle, running back and forth again in a little while..."

Feeding the patient spoonful by spoonful of porridge, speaking slowly of household matters, the woman by the bedside looked somewhat fatigued, yet a faint smile curved the corners of her lips. Beneath that weariness lay a touch of irony. She reached out to smooth her temples, tilting her head to look at her father on the bed. In truth, there was also a hint of bitterness in her heart. Originally, she had come to visit the sick and hoped to avoid bringing up these vexing topics, but looking back, the communication between father and daughter—aside from purely social pleasantries—seemed to consist of nothing else.

Two and a half months had passed since Su Boyong was assassinated. During this time, Su Boyong's paralysis had been confirmed; he had lost sensation in both legs, and the mobility of his left hand was also somewhat impaired. He remained in a frail state, requiring daily bandage changes and unable to leave the bed. His spirit also seemed to have been affected, leaving him in low spirits much of the time. Su Tan'er came every day, but their conversations as father and daughter were mostly limited to these mundane matters. Often, when her mother and concubine aunts were present, they merely exchanged polite greetings. At this moment, Su Tan'er paused for a moment.

"Today on the street, I saw many people selling tangerines. Father used to like eating them, didn't you... Ah, there isn't much wind today; Father, let's see if we should open the window a little... Husband said opening it would be better, something about air circulation... and then letting the sunlight in would lift your spirits..."

The sincere words she could muster amounted to no more than this. When mentioning Ning Yi, her smile grew a little brighter. Su Boyong nodded slightly over there, then shook his head again. "Better not open it... It's cold... I feel cold. Besides, Tan'er, what has Heng'er been up to lately?"

Su Tan'er smiled faintly. "Doesn't husband come to see you every day? Lately, he's just been teaching those children, going out for walks and wandering around..." Su Tan'er's smile had already faded as she calmly recounted Ning Yi's recent activities. In truth, she understood why her father was asking. Previously, lying in this sickbed, her father had sighed several times: "I cannot see through him." He was actually reminding her.

These things could not be easily explained. How formidable her husband truly was, and what he was capable of doing—Su Tan'er was also curious in her heart, but her father's perspective differed from her own. After chatting a few more times, she called out to the doorway, telling her father's maid Xiuge to come in, handed her the porridge bowl, and then rose to take her leave.

For the past month and a half, she had countless things to handle every day. Stabilizing the current situation was no easy feat, and she had exerted immense effort. Yet she no longer felt the utter cluelessness she had experienced before the Imperial Merchant affair; tackling her tasks now brought an inner peace and sound mental state, even if her body was busy. Upon stepping outside, her maid Juan'er hurried over, and it was evident that the young miss's mood was not particularly good.

There were still places to go and things to busy herself with this afternoon. Master and servant stepped out of the courtyard, only to hear hasty voices echoing from the adjacent courtyard.

"Things have already reached this point, what on earth are you still thinking about..."

"It's not that simple, sister..."

"I've already heard about it, but this main branch isn't hers alone! Is everyone supposed to accompany her down with her? Things are already like this, the main branch belongs to Boyong, you need to help Boyong safeguard this share..."

"I know..."

"If it weren't for that Ning Yi knowing nothing and sticking his oar in..."

Faint and indistinct snatches of conversation drifted over. When two figures suddenly appeared at the doorway yonder, they froze in surprise. Su Tan'er curtsied with dignified grace. "Second Mother, Uncle Gu..."

"Ah, Tan'er, you're here... come over to see your uncle..."

"Second Young Miss."

The speakers were the family's Second Concubine and her younger brother, who was also one of the managers of the main branch. After exchanging awkward greetings, the two parties parted ways. Walking toward a more secluded spot, Juan'er pursed her lips. "Miss, the Second Madam and Manager Gu were discussing capitulation..."

"I know." Su Tan'er smiled faintly. "They aren't the only ones..."

With so many things happening to the main branch recently, internal divisions had inevitably surfaced. Some felt that the main branch would certainly fail to secure the headship of the family, so they might as well stop fighting and prioritize preserving their own inherent interests. Even if Su Zhongkan or Su Yunfang ended up running the household in the future, surely they wouldn't drive everyone out; the more they managed to hold onto, the better everyone's future days would be. The two concubines, and even her own mother, seemed to hold this attitude. Of course, if Su Tan'er were to genuinely have a frank discussion with them, they would most likely protest, "There is no such thing whatsoever" and "We women do not meddle in commercial affairs."

From another perspective, they were actually acting in the interest of the main branch, Su Boyong, and themselves—it was merely somewhat short-sighted and chilling to the heart, calculated entirely through the lens of women's inner-courtyard political maneuvering.

"Juan'er, it's a good thing you weren't born into a wealthy aristocratic family..."

"Huh?" Juan'er blinked.

"In this family, there is no human warmth."

Su Tan'er smiled faintly. Juan'er pursed her lips; as a maid, it wasn't her place to comment. The two paused on the small stone bridge near the garden pond. Su Tan'er looked at her reflection in the water, adjusted her hair, and murmured softly, "Actually, I don't have much human warmth either..."

"No, Miss and the Young Master are both very good."

"I could never grow truly close to Father; I've simply wronged my husband. Mm, he's been out all day during this recent period, hasn't he?"

"Mm. Some people in the family say very ugly things. The Young Master can't be bothered to argue with them, but he certainly doesn't like hearing them... Chan'er was even bullied to tears last time..."

Su Tan'er frowned, a flash of cold severity crossing her eyes. After a long moment, she took a deep breath, smiled at Juan'er, and asked, "You've written down everyone's names, haven't you?"

Juan'er started slightly, then lowered her head. "How did Miss know?"

"Because I am the older sister."

Su Tan'er said it as a matter of course. Juan'er felt a bit embarrassed, lowering her head with a troubled smile. "I—Chan'er and I both wrote them down. Last time... last time when we were secretly recording names at home, the Young Master caught us."

"Oh? What did husband say?"

"He said we were petty."

Su Tan'er let out a sudden chuckle, then reined in her smile. "Write them all down clearly and show them to me. Don't tell husband."

Juan'er nodded. Having obtained this "get-out-of-jail-free card," she put on a serious expression and began lodging complaints. "Miss, actually, these past few days, they've been getting more and more outrageous. Some even told the Young Master to leave the Su family of his own accord... How much longer until we resolve everything? Actually, the Young Master is the one who has been wronged the most. Sometimes, even Juan'er can't bear to listen anymore..."

"Husband, he..."

Su Tan'er paused, recalling the events of the past two-plus months. Especially after the Imperial Merchant annual meeting, her own busyness was secondary; it was Ning Yi's cloud-like lightness amidst a chorus of public revilement and accusations that stood out. It wasn't just Juan'er, Chan'er, and Xing'er who couldn't bear to watch—in her own heart, every single time she wanted to stand up and curse people out, there were occasions when Ning Yi would simply pat her shoulder and tell her to go back. Only she could clearly feel the immense power underlying each of these incidents, the towering steadfastness concealed behind that casual figure. And every such occurrence made her feel that she had indeed failed her husband somewhat. At the beginning of their marriage, she had assumed these were burdens she alone had to shoulder, and she had worked very hard to try and manage them. Yet in the end, it was still that figure who stepped forward and lightly blocked it all away.

"It won't be much longer. The news has already been released. If the Wu family's reaction is normal, then pretty much..." She gazed at the surrounding scenery. "Pretty much we can start showing our hand in these next few days..."

Having said this, a faint sense of liberation seemed to bloom in her heart. "Such a long two and a half months," she murmured with a sigh. "After things are finished, after things are finished..." A thought crossed her mind, and a blush flashed across her face. She lowered her gaze to the reflection in the rippling water, then instinctively raised a hand to gather her hair, tilting her head to study herself in the water. Sure enough, she would have to wait until it was all over; she looked far too haggard right now—she wasn't worthy of standing beside him looking like this...

The reflection in the water smiled. The young woman let down her hair and stepped forward.

"Let's go. Time to prepare our hand."

The afternoon sunlight illuminated the woman's bold and confident stride, with the little maid following closely behind, beaming with happiness. This day was the fourteenth day of the tenth lunar month in the eighth year of Jinghan. Although the decision to show their hand had been made, going through the necessary procedures still required waiting a few days. Yet in reality, it was precisely on this afternoon that certain events were already set in motion. The occurrences seemed quite natural on the surface, but upon retrospective thought, they might strike one as somewhat abrupt.

That afternoon in a teahouse, perhaps driven by a sudden impulse, Ning Yi neatly tied up the loose threads of a minor affair. Of course, what he viewed as a trifle might well have seemed unimaginably momentous to others. Just the day before, Ning Yi had crossed paths with Wu Qilong on the street. The encounter looked like a casual chance meeting, and the two exchanged a casual greeting. Over the past month and a half, this might not have been their first time crossing paths, but it was indeed their first time exchanging greetings. At the time, Wu Qilong was chatting with a certain fabric merchant about something. Catching sight of Ning Yi, he cupped his hands from afar. "Brother Ning, how have you been lately?" Ning Yi had returned the salute with cupped hands. "Not bad." Afterwards, they parted ways, and Ning Yi hadn't bothered to give the matter much thought at the time.

And then came today. After finishing his lessons, he ran over to the Eastern Market to buy an old book. It was likely a volume brought in from the Western Arabian regions by Hu merchants, filled with numerous diagrams and presumably touching upon alchemy-related knowledge. Ning Yi had bought it on a whim, intending to have someone translate it later. After purchasing the book, he strolled over to a teahouse to sip some tea, and had the waiter bring him brush and paper so he could study the diagrams, trying to guess what the book might be about—a method of exercising and reviewing past knowledge. While he was engrossed in writing and drawing, a figure walked up beside him.

"Brother Ning, what a coincidence. What is this?"

Ning Yi looked up, and indeed, it was quite a coincidence—it was Wu Qilong. He nodded in greeting. Without invitation, Wu Qilong seated himself on the other side of the tea table, prompting Ning Yi to casually offer an explanation.

"It should belong to the Arabian region. This is Persian script from a bit further north; I can't read it. But judging from the diagrams, it seems to involve the chemical reactions of various metals. Do you understand chemistry? Ah, something akin to alchemy..."

"Brother Ning's scope of knowledge is truly vast. Ah... the chemical reactions of metals?"

"Metal purification and transformation, that sort of thing."

Wu Qilong turned serious. "Oh? Wouldn't that be exceptionally useful?"

"Not really. The things discussed here are likely already mastered by the blacksmiths on our side; it's merely using stones from other hills to polish jade. Their way of thinking differs, providing a reference." At this point, Ning Yi raised his head and looked at Wu Qilong. "Is Brother Wu waiting for someone?"

"Ah, nothing much. Just taking a stroll and happened to see Brother Ning here out of curiosity."

Ning Yi nodded, his gaze lingering. Wu Qilong smiled, and the two stared at each other for a moment. After a brief pause, Ning Yi narrowed his eyes, nodded again, and waved to summon the waiter. "Bring another cup."

He lowered his head once more, beginning to sketch one of the book's diagrams onto paper. Frowning thoughtfully, even after the teacup arrived, he didn't look at Wu Qilong, simply extending a hand. "Brother Wu, please help yourself."

"Thanks." Wu Qilong smiled and poured himself a cup of tea. Ning Yi continued bowing his head to process the diagrams, letting out a soft sigh as if he had just heard some other remark from Wu Qilong, murmuring in a daze, "Oh, the fabric is starting to fade..."

Wu Qilong's smile froze instantly, his hand jerking slightly, though he ultimately steadied the teapot and set it down gently. Tilting his head, his gaze locked onto Ning Yi with intense, fierce concentration, his face twitching slightly. Something surged up from the depths of his heart—the tactile sensation of a nightmare finally turning into reality, mixed with a trace of bewilderment. In his pre-arranged script, these conversations were not supposed to go this way, nor was Ning Yi supposed to casually toss out such statements.

Yet right before his eyes, everything had materialized just like this. Ning Yi was still lowering his head to write and draw; to him, all of this seemed as ordinary as the pastries and tea of an early winter afternoon. He had simply uttered those words with the air of casual small talk: *Oh, the fabric is starting to fade, no wonder you decided to sit down.*

The most mundane of occurrences.

"So... it really was your doing..."

Wu Qilong had to exert a tremendous effort to keep his tone from sounding gritted or trembling.

In the early winter sunlight, Ning Yi laid down his brush, raised his head, and exchanged a final glance with him.