"Don't you all listen to Mr. Lin? Okay, you can take care of him with this year's new year's money!" Mei Changsu said, half truthfully and half falsely.

"Sect Master, no!" Thinking that Mei Changsu was going to drive them away, Li Gang, Zhen Ping and others knocked their heads loudly.

"Why not?" Mei Changsu calmly took a sip of jujube tea, "He has such a good reputation that even if he can't give you fifty taels each, he still has fifty taels per year!"

"Sect master?" Everyone raised their heads. Is it true that they just want the money at the end of the year? I don't want them to leave. I don't want them to leave.

"How about this." Mei Changsu smiled playfully, "If you ask him how much money he gets, I will give him the same amount. If he doesn't get half a penny, then you guys will really have no money this year!

"

"Ah?" exclamations sounded one after another.

"In addition, Mr. Lin's ban on alcohol in Jiangzuo has been extended for one year!" Mei Changsu rubbed his fingers and said solemnly, "Li Gang, remember to tell Sister-in-law Ji that no sweet wine is allowed in any powdered eggs Mr. Lin wants."

"...Yes, Sect Master!" Li Gang said in a low voice. He had a premonition that Langzhou would be "busy" at the end of the year, but for some reason he was looking forward to that day coming soon.

"Everyone, get up!" Mei Changsu said calmly, "Hall Master Wan, do you have a plan to deal with the Xuanjing user who comes to your door?"

"This is easy to handle!" Unlike Yang Guandao, who is still in his fifties and still has a strong body, Wan Wei, who is also in his fifties, is a big-bodied, round-waisted little old man with a bald forehead. He rarely receives attention from Mei Changsu, he said excitedly

, "My subordinates have already thought of a countermeasure, which will definitely leave them speechless!"

"Oh?" Mei Changsu said calmly, "Let's talk about it."

Wan Wei Qianshi bowed proudly and said: "Xuanjing Envoy wants to find out which of his subordinates will cooperate fully. If he points out that there are merchants colluding with the Jiangzuo Alliance, it will be easier. Let the three merchants identify who they are colluding with! Sect Leader

Don’t worry, the three of them have never even met me, let alone you!”

It sounds good, but it's a bit far-fetched. Mei Changsu couldn't help but rub her fingers without showing her brows.

"Even if they bite, there is still a way to deal with it!" Seeing Mei Changsu's brows still furrowed, Wan Wei hurriedly added, "My subordinates can say that they joined the Jiangzuo Alliance after the flood last year."

"What if they say that the Jiangzuo Alliance will decide whether to accept them based on their 'performance'?" Mei Changsu asked calmly.

"The Jiangzuo Alliance does not have such a covenant. My subordinates can submit to him the list of other chambers of commerce that joined the Jiangzuo Alliance at the same time, and let the Xuanjing envoys inquire on their own." Wan Wei bowed.

"No!" Mei Changsu Lengran interrupted, "The roster is a secret of the Jiangzuo Alliance. How can it be handed over to others for inspection?"

"Ah!" Wan Wei was stunned and said suspiciously, "Sect Master, although not every chamber of commerce that joins the Jiangzuo Alliance announces it to the world, it is not a secret!"

Mei Changsu looked at the people in front of him with his deep eyes: "Let me ask you something first. If there is a gang or chamber of commerce in Jiangzuo that has not joined the Jiangzuo League, but he gets into trouble in Jiangzuo, the Jiangzuo League will

Or don’t care?”

Everyone also frowned. This...

"You guys!" A sly smile flashed across Mei Changsu's eyes, "Look further, don't just focus on the 'alliance fee'!"

"Does the sect master also want to help?" Wan Wei said hesitantly, "Is it to take a long-term approach and lose the big fish? That is also feasible!"

"No!" Zhen Ping said in a deep voice, "Even if they did not join the Jiangzuo League, they are still the people of Jiangzuo. It is the responsibility of the Jiangzuo League to protect the people of Jiangzuo. But... if they want to investigate the cause or seek revenge,

Returning justice is not within the responsibilities of the Jiang Zuo Alliance! Hall Master Wan, didn’t the sect master say this?"

"Well... I know this, but I just can't figure it out. Since the sect master mentioned it again today, I dared to ask more questions. What the sect master meant was, 'Jiangzuo Alliance can protect them for the time being, but will not help them.'"

Get rid of the entanglement completely?'" Wan Wei asked cautiously.

"Yeah." Mei Changsu nodded and said, "Does Hall Master Wan think it's inappropriate?"

"No, my subordinates just want to say that if they come to us when they have a problem, we can help, but we have to charge relevant fees. Now the sect leader has taken back more than 80% of Jiangzuo Alliance's properties, including several idle courtyards. How about

It is used to house chambers of commerce or gangs seeking protection. For those who have joined the Jiangzuo League, the Jiangzuo League will not take any money; for those who have not joined the alliance, their room and board expenses and the remuneration of their disciples will be calculated on a daily basis. If

They also hope that if the Jiangzuo Alliance seeks justice for them, the clan leader can ask for remuneration based on the amount of their family property."

"..." Mei Changsu.

"..." Li Gang, Zhen Ping and others.

"Uh... Sect Master, forgive me! Wan Wei made a mistake!" Seeing that Mei Changsu didn't speak, Wan Wei's heart sank.

Sure enough, he has the brains of a businessman. He who comes from a noble family has missed this calculation. Mei Changsu chuckled and shook his head: "Master Wan has a good plan. Can you tell everyone in detail why you want to seek the protection of the Jiangzuo Alliance?"

People were placed in the courtyard under the Jiangzuo League?"

"Well..." Seeing that Mei Changsu had no intention of blaming him, Wan Wei smiled proudly, "Firstly, the sect master has a precedent when settling the Gongsun family; secondly, the disciples can better display their abilities in their own courtyard.

, don’t look at other people’s faces.”

"..." Mei Changsu.

"..." Li Gang, Zhen Ping and others.

"Sect Master, you are a descendant of a noble family. You should know that a large family has many rules. Rather than letting the brothers who came to bless you abide by those rules, it is better to let them live on our land and abide by our rules!" Wan Wei said cautiously.

"If a courtyard wants to accept merchants from Jiangzuo, Jianghu gangs, and visitors from all over, what kind of rules should be set?" Mei Changsu asked softly.

"This... gang is informal, and daily care should be no problem. It's just that the aristocratic family... as far as my subordinates know, moving their female relatives into the inner courtyard is the bottom line for them to accept the move." Wan Wei bowed and replied.

"What Hall Master Wan said is reasonable. However, most of the disciples in the alliance are men. If there are women moving in, where will they find maids and servants to serve them?" Mei Changsu looked at everyone.

Everyone present also frowned and began to think.

"Master of the aristocratic family, my wife cannot do anything without the stewards and personal maids. Let them take care of these people by themselves, and we can save a lot of trouble. But other servants must not stay in the courtyard arranged by us, otherwise the courtyard will be ruined.

It's theirs." Mei Changsu rubbed his fingers and continued, "If we want them to obey our arrangements, I need smart maids and servants, as well as a courtyard steward who knows how to adapt."

Chen Kun thought for a moment and then said: "After the flood last year, the alliance took in many people who were in distress, and there are still hundreds of people who have nowhere to go. According to the previous instructions of the sect leader, my subordinates arranged them under the name of Jiangzuo Alliance

As helpers in the industry. Why don’t the sect master choose the right one from among them!”

Mei Changsu stopped rubbing his fingers. Can they... okay?

"Didn't the Sect Master find a few maids to serve Elder Xi and Miss Song?" Chen Kun lowered his head and said, "You can also choose servants for each courtyard..."

"No!" Mei Changsu's expression condensed, "We can no longer let Elder Xi and Miss Song worry about this matter! Besides, their maidservant is very important to the family...!"

"The sect leader can hire stewards who have worked in wealthy families, such as nuns." Wan Wei bowed and said, "As for stewards, you can choose suitable ones among the disciples under the alliance."

"This matter is not urgent. We will discuss it after we return to Langzhou!" Mei Changsu said solemnly, "Let's talk about the three merchants first. If they insist that it was secretly instructed by the Jiangzuo Alliance, how are you going to deal with it?"

"This..." Wan Wei wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "According to the instructions of the sect leader, the materials distributed by the Jiang Zuo Alliance and the materials donated by merchants were registered and made available for review by all parties. Today's Mirror

Now that I have found him, can I submit this account book to him?"

"After I read the account book, I ordered you to copy a copy and send it together with the original to the governor Li Ang who came to Jiangzuo for disaster relief at that time. Let him keep one copy and ask him to stamp the other and return it.

Jiangzuo Alliance sealed it."

"Yes, I did as I was told! This account book with the governor's official seal and private appraisal has been handed over to Tianji Hall for sealing!" Wan Wei replied respectfully.

Mei Changsu turned his attention to Chen Kun.

Chen Kun stepped forward again and bowed: "After receiving this account book, I ordered someone to put it in the second category of the 'Twenty-Seven Years of Zhenping'!"

"Doesn't Li Ang still have a copy? Do you think it's appropriate to ask the Xuanjing envoy to ask him for it? As for the one we have, let's transfer it to a first-class file for the time being!" Mei Changsu said coldly.

"Sect Master, you...!" Didn't you know that Li Ang threw away the account books he kept? Wan Wei cursed. But when he received Mei Changsu's meaningful look, he suddenly realized: "I understand!"

"The second-category files can be checked by you signing the documents, but the first-category files need to be signed by me!" Do the people in front of them really understand what he is going to do? Mei Changsu sneered: "

But this matter is not an exaggeration, Jiangzuo League immediately sent the account books to the governor."

"Will the Xuanjing envoy go check on Li Ang?" Gu Qing asked puzzledly, "What if Li Ang insists that we didn't give it to him?"

"Hmph, there is his official seal on the account book!" Mei Changsu said sarcastically, "When I saw him ignoring everything, I knew he was not a responsible person, so when I made the book, I specifically asked Hall Master Wan to write -

—'This account book is made in duplicate, and the governor and Jiangzuo League each keep one copy!'"

"What the sect leader means is that the Xuanjing Envoy will investigate Li Ang because of what we said?" Wan Wei thought for a moment and then said, "They say that officials protect each other, and the Xuanjing Envoy..."

"Guards protect each other? The Xuanjing envoy directly obeys the orders of Emperor Liang and cannot protect Li Ang." Mei Changsu said solemnly, "But we can't do this. Even if Li Ang has done something wrong, Hall Master Wan can't push this matter to the outside world.

On him. You need to be tactful and humble when talking to the Xuanjing envoy. If the Xuanjing envoy wants to see the account book, let him wait for a few days, and then say that he needs the approval of the sect leader before he can read it from Langzhou Tianji Hall. If he wants to go directly to Langzhou

If the state sees it, you will send a letter from Fei Ge to inform Tianji Hall to be ready. As long as the Xuanjing Master looks at the account book, he will naturally know that Li Ang still has one on hand, and the rest of the matter has nothing to do with the Jiangzuo Alliance."

Mei Changsu's words made everyone present suddenly realize. Isn't this killing someone with a borrowed knife? Moreover, the other party came to the door on his own initiative.

"Yes!" Wan Wei was convinced and at the same time tightened his heartstrings. It turned out that their sect leader was hiding a secret, and they needed to be more careful in the future and not treat him as an ordinary member of the aristocratic family.

"Master Gu, as the master of Tianlu Hall, you and Hall Master Wan will meet with the Xuanjing Master this time!" Mei Changsu said after a moment of silence, "First of all, as the master of Tianlu Hall, you need to know about the Xuanjing Master

Secondly, I also expressed my position to the visiting Xuanjing envoy that whenever Jiangzuo League disciples are involved in the case, Jiangzuo League will never protect their shortcomings!"

"Yes!" Gu Qing responded.

"There is one more thing I need everyone present to know!" Mei Changsu stood up with a solemn expression, "There is no business or transaction between the Jiangzuo League and the various commercial banks. Each commercial bank pays one-thousandth to five-thousandth of its annual surplus.

Pay the 'League Fee' to the Jiangzuo League. While collecting the 'League Fee', the Jiangzuo League will protect the smooth flow of goods and safe trading in the fourteen states of Jiangzuo!"

"According to the covenant, the Jiangzuo Alliance's extermination of Jiangzuo land is unjust and unreasonable. It prohibits transactions that are not allowed by national law and prohibits forced buying and selling of Jiangzuo land. However, it has no right to interfere with the daily operations of the chamber of commerce under the alliance. The Xuanjing envoy said that we colluded with profiteers to embezzle.

It is ridiculous to say that the rice distributed by the court was passed off as good quality and the price difference was obtained. Last year, during the disaster relief, the Jiangzuo League sought help from several merchants to come up with material aid for the people, but for the merchants who refused to help, the Jiangzuo League

When has it ever been taken by force? Not only that, the Jiangzuo League also used silver to buy rice and grain from other places to help the people of Jiangzuo."

"As for the three merchants that the Xuanjing Envoy found, huh, they happened to be among the 'merchants unwilling to help'!" Mei Changsu snorted coldly, "Why did the Jiangzuo Alliance admit them after they refused to help?

!It’s nothing more than an urgent need for rice and food to help the people affected by the disaster.”

Everyone present frowned slightly and listened carefully to every word of Mei Changsu. Only after hearing the last words did they understand the meaning of Mei Changsu's words. Just like the sect leader and the crown, as long as they guide the news spread
To be continued...