The woman couldn’t resist her curiosity and looked on for a while, but then felt that her behavior was impolite, so she decided to close the door and go back inside, planning to apologize later.
However, just then, the mysterious young master finally finished eating the sugar gourd and slowly stood up from the steps.
He casually threw away the bare wooden stick and said to the crowd of people in front of him, “Not bad… come on in.”
Not bad?
The woman suddenly had a strange question in her mind.
Was he referring to the taste of the sugar gourd?
Or…
In the simply yet not simple main hall, Ying’er was serving tea to everyone one by one.
This was a very normal thing to do, but except for Wei Changtian, everyone else slightly stood up and pretended to support themselves while receiving the tea, making every move with extra care and humility.
Wei Changtian saw this and didn’t rush to speak, waiting until Ying’er retreated before glancing at Chen Bo with a hint of a smile.
“Chen, bringing so many people to see me, quite a big gesture, isn’t it?”
“Sir, you’re joking…”
Chen Bo, sitting on the left, hurriedly smiled and said, “Yesterday, many colleagues had tasks and weren’t at the office, so when they heard I was coming to pay respects to you, they all wanted to follow.”
“Let me introduce you, this is Wang Daochang from the Bujun Guard, with a rank of thousand households; this is Zhang Zhongsheng from the Zongmi Office, also with a rank of thousand households, and this is…”
Chen Bo quickly introduced everyone.
Wei Changtian nodded indifferently, but had already memorized everyone’s names.
One town governor, two thousand households, and five hundred households.
It seemed this was the entire “high-level” team of the Xuanjing Bureau’s Sichuan branch.
With over a thousand personnel, there were only eight hundred households or above, which was a relatively low ratio compared to the capital’s main office, but still a normal situation.
After all, those who had mixed around in the system knew how hard it was to get promoted from the grassroots level.
“Chen, you didn’t come just to introduce me to these people, did you?”
After taking a sip of tea, Wei Changtian smiled and said, “If that’s the case, then I’ve already recognized everyone, and you can leave.”
“Ha ha, if it were just a small matter like this, we wouldn’t dare bother you, sir…”
To ease the atmosphere, Chen Bo forced a stiff smile, but it only made him look more awkward.
Fortunately, he had a thick skin, and after smiling, he waved his hand towards someone.
The person immediately carried a large wooden box to the center of the room, took out a key, and opened the lid.
Wei Changtian had noticed the box earlier and thought it contained gold, silver, or jewelry, but now he saw it was filled with stacks of account books.
“What’s the meaning of this, Chen?”
“Sir, this is the accounting of all the industries invested in by the Xuanjing Bureau’s Sichuan branch.”
Chen Bo casually picked up a book and placed it in front of Wei Changtian, saying with some embarrassment, “Most of them are in Chengdu City, with a few in other counties.”
“Oh?”
Wei Changtian’s eyes lit up, and he looked at Chen Bo with interest: “It seems like there are quite a few. Tell me, what do you have?”
“Yes.”
Chen Bo began to introduce them like a family treasure: “We have two gambling dens, two brothels…”
“Three rice shops, one pawnshop, one jewelry store…”
Chen Bo’s speaking speed was still okay, but he hadn’t finished after half a minute.
Meanwhile, Wei Changtian’s surprise grew with each passing moment.
Good grief, this is amazing!
Food, clothing, shelter, and entertainment – it’s a comprehensive coverage!
Although most of them were only partial investments, the number was still a bit too many.
“Enough.”
Interrupting Chen Bo, who was still babbling, he directly asked, “Just tell me, what’s the total annual profit from these industries?”
“About ten thousand taels…”
Chen Bo replied, then quickly added, “However, after deducting expenses like bribes, there isn’t much left, just enough to supplement the bureau’s expenses…”
Supplementing expenses… you really dare to say that.
The imperial court would provide the officials’ salaries, and after making money, they would give some to their subordinates as “bonuses” and divide the rest among themselves.
From noble mtl dot come
Of course, Wei Changtian thought so, but he definitely wouldn’t get tangled up in such matters.
After all, the “upper supply” part was taken care of by the Wei family, who got the biggest share.
You can’t eat the meat and not let others drink the soup.
Looking at the account book in front of him, Wei Changtian didn’t flip it open, but instead smiled and asked, “Lord Chen, it seems you’re not only accomplished in martial arts, but also a master of business.”
“What’s the point of showing me these account books?”
“Naturally, it’s to return these industries to their rightful owner, handing them over to the young master!” Chen Bo said with a serious face.
“Return to their rightful owner?”
Wei Changtian laughed and said, “I haven’t contributed a single bit of effort, nor have I spent a single cent. Where does this notion come from?”
“You’re mistaken, young master.”
Chen Bo’s tone was extremely serious.
“The entire Suspense Bureau belongs to the Wei family, not to mention this small shop.”
“You’re a member of the Wei family, so of course, it’s returning to its rightful owner!”
“…”
The conversation had reached this point, and it was basically like laying all the cards on the table.
Chen Bo was clearly trying to express his loyalty by handing over the “financial authority,” fearing that Wei Changtian’s unpredictable temper might lead to him being dismissed or killed if he sent a letter to Wei Xianzhi.
As for Wei Changtian, he had no interest in these industries whatsoever.
Not to mention that he didn’t understand business, but more importantly, he didn’t lack money, and from start to finish, he only wanted to control the armed forces of the Sichuan branch.
As for the expenses of these armed forces… whether it was the imperial salary or private subsidies, he couldn’t be bothered to care.
Thinking of this, Wei Changtian finally shook his head in front of everyone.
“Lord Chen, you should take this account book back.”
“Young master! We…”
No one expected this outcome, and for a moment, they thought Wei Changtian was determined to take them down, and their faces turned pale with shock.
But before they could say anything, they heard Wei Changtian continue, “You don’t need to panic, I’ll tell you the truth now…”
The way to handle people is to use a big stick and a carrot.
The “big stick” had already been used enough, and now it was time to offer some carrots.