The fellow sent back by Uncle Wang was named A Fu. He was a young man in his early twenties, with a dark complexion and a dusty appearance. There was a distinct scratch on the left sleeve. It was obvious that he had been in a hurry all the way and might have even encountered some setbacks.
As soon as he entered the study, he didn't even bother to bow. Panting heavily, he said urgently, "Second Miss!" Uncle Wang asked me to come back quickly to report! We... We rushed to Fengqiao Town. Mr. Sun was safe and sound! But... But Miss Ah Xing... Missing!
Missing!
These two characters pierced Shen Ruoxin's heart like two ice cones. She swayed her body, held onto the edge of the table to steady herself, and her face turned deathly pale in an instant: "Missing?" When did it happen? How could one go missing? "!"
Afu hurriedly said, "Old Man Sun said it was the night before the little ones arrived in Fengqiao Town!" Miss Ah Xing was fine in the evening. I sent him some food, but she didn't return to her place at night. The next morning, Old Man Sun realized something was wrong and searched everywhere but couldn't find anyone! Uncle Wang learned that in the past two days, there had indeed been seven or eight strong men with foreign accents in the town. Their movements were mysterious, and they were inquiring about the whereabouts of a young girl everywhere. Describing... It's somewhat similar to Miss A Xing! Uncle Wang suspected that Miss A Xing had sensed danger and hid in advance, or perhaps... "Kidnapped by those people!"
Carry away... Shen Ruoxin closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down: "Where's Uncle Wang?" How is he now?
Uncle Wang and his team were still searching around Fengqiao Town, also trying to find out the background of those outsiders. But... A hint of resentment appeared on Afu's face. "Zhao Baopi's men in the town are keeping a close watch, constantly hindering us and not allowing us to approach the pier and the Yuelai Inn." Uncle Wang said, "Most of those outsiders are staying at the Yuelai Inn. They must be colluding with Zhao Babapi's people!" He asked the younger one to come back and deliver the message first, asking the second young lady to make a decision! He also said... Let our people be extremely careful!
Zhao Babapi! It's him again! And those mysterious northerners!
Shen Ruoxin felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet and spread rapidly throughout her body. Ah Xing's black warning, Wang Bo's obstruction, the looting of Shengze Town, Li Tuiguan's probing... An invisible net is quietly tightening, its target straight at the Splendid Pavilion, straight at her, Shen Ruoxin!
She took a deep breath and was about to give an order when she saw Li Molan walking over quickly with a solemn expression, holding a newly delivered embroidery stick, and whispering a few words in her ear.
Shen Ruoxin took the embroidery taut and her gaze fell on the edge of the back of the taut - there, with two striking red silk threads, a clear live knot was tied!
Red Alert!
Her heart sank suddenly. Without replying to Afu's words, she immediately withdrew from both sides, leaving only Li Molan. Then, she carefully took out the thin mulberry bark paper as thin as a cicada's wing from the back lining of the tensio.
The handwriting on the note was not A Xing's neat and elegant style, but a deliberately altered, slightly square one, clearly from someone she had newly developed or indirectly contacted through Li Molan.
According to an insider from the tax department, recently there has been a secret discussion among the top management about adjusting the business tax, with Pingjiang Prefecture as the pilot area. The tax rates for the four major items of silk, cloth, tea and porcelain are proposed to be raised by 20%! The source of the rumors pointed to a certain official in the Canal Transport Office, suspected of colluding with a certain business gang in the north, with the intention of purging local merchants and redrawing the market. This matter has not been made public yet, but there are undercurrents. Please take action as soon as possible. -- (Code name) Fish.
The Canal Transport Office! Northern merchant group! Increase business taxes by 20%! Clean up local merchants!
Every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting Shen Ruoxin's heart hard!
This is no longer a covert attack; it's a blatant raising of a butcher's knife! Raising the commercial tax by 20% is like cutting off the fuel supply at the bottom of the silk industry, which is already suffering from thin profits and is being hit by the supply disruption of gold and silver threads and counterfeit products! Once implemented, countless small and medium-sized merchants in Pingjiang Prefecture will go bankrupt as a result! And those forces that have long been in the limelight and might even be the ones behind the scenes can take the opportunity to take over at a low price and complete the market monopoly!
What a "cleaning"! What a "rezoning market"!
The seemingly concerned "reminder" given by Li, the Pusher, now seems more like a condescending examination and assessment! I'm afraid he has known this news long ago. Maybe even... It's also involved!
"Second Miss..." Li Molan looked at Shen Ruoxin's ugly expression and her voice trembled a little. "Raise taxes by 20%..." This... This is forcing us to death!
"Death?" Shen Ruoxin suddenly raised her head, her eyes burning with anger, yet with an astonishing composure. "They want us to die, but we just can't!"
She walked to the window, looked at the busy embroiderers in the courtyard, and at this Splendid Pavilion which had been the result of her father's lifelong efforts and was also where she now made a living. A strong fighting spirit rose from the bottom of her heart.
"Sister Mo LAN," she turned around, her tone resolute, "immediately!" Make use of all the connections we can, whether it's the shop assistants, other familiar shopkeepers, or even... Let me inquire about those seemingly insignificant connections we've gathered through our "flower language"! I want to know what the reactions of all the merchants in the four major trades of silk, cloth, tea and porcelain in Pingjiang Prefecture are to the news that their business taxes might be raised!
She emphasized the word "possible". The news has not yet been made public. This is the time when people's hearts are in turmoil and the true cards of all parties can be most clearly seen!
"Yes!" Li Molan immediately accepted the order.
"Remember," Shen Ruoxin added, "don't directly ask 'Do you want to raise taxes?' It would be too conspicuous." Be subtle! For instance, you can go to a familiar tea shop and ask if you have heard recently that the government is going to conduct tax audits or if there are any new regulations. You can go to the cloth shop and "unintentionally" complain about the difficulty of doing business and the heavy taxes, and see how the other party responds. We can even have our people go to crowded places like restaurants and tea houses, deliberately spreading some complaints that "excessive taxes and levies are more ferocious than tigers", and listen to the opinions of those around them!
Also, focus on several types of people:
First, for those merchants who have been in close contact with the Canal Transport Office and Zhao Babai on a daily basis, it can be seen whether they are panicked or as calm as a mountain, or even... A hint of pride?
Secondly, for those powerful and well-established big business firms, are they preparing to jointly boycott, or are they planning to follow the trend of The Times, or even want to take the opportunity to make profits?
Thirdly, we... Similar to the situation of Jinxiu Pavilion, these small and medium-sized merchants, who are not large in scale and have a weak foundation but have always been doing business honestly, are they preparing to close down, or are they planning to take risks, or... Is it possible to unite?
I want to know these reactions as quickly as possible! The more detailed, the better! Shen Ruoxin's gaze was as sharp as a knife. "Only by understanding the cards and intentions of all parties can we clearly judge how deep this pool of water is, and only then can we know who the real enemy is and who..." Potential Allies that can be fought for!
Li Molan nodded vigorously and immediately turned around to go out and make arrangements. For a moment, the Jinxiu Pavilion seemed like a precise machine, quietly operating around the core of "business tax". All kinds of probing, either overt or covert, like countless invisible antennae, reached out to every corner of Pingjiang Prefecture.
In the evening, scattered news began to gather in Shen Ruoxin's hands through various channels. Some were directly reported orally by Li Molan, while others were sent in through the newly established "secret document delivery method", hidden in the embroidered fabric.
The owner of the "Ruifengxiang" silk and satin store in the east of the city, Mr. Liu, sighed and said that if the tax was really raised by 20%, his shop would have to close down next year...
"Mr. Sun, the owner of the 'Tongda' tea House in the west of the city, remained calm. He only said that he would deal with whatever came his way, but his staff privately said that Mr. Sun had just gone to the Canal Transport Office yesterday to deliver a generous gift..." "
The several familiar shopkeepers from Zhao Babai's side all had rosy complexed faces today. They were chatting animatingly in the restaurant, saying things like, "When good fortune comes, it can't be stopped..."
"At the largest silk merchant 'Su Ji', there's no movement for the time being. Boss Su claims to be ill at home and no one is seen..." "
Some small and medium-sized cloth merchants have already been in collusion, seemingly planning to jointly submit a petition, requesting the Prefect's understanding...
One piece of information after another, true and false, virtual and real, sketches out the panorama of the business community in Pingjiang Prefecture on the eve of the storm.
Shen Ruoxin spread all the information on the table and carefully sorted, compared and analyzed it.
Her fingers eventually landed on the two pieces of information: "Sun, the owner of Tongda Tea House, presents a generous gift" and "Zhao Baopi and others look radiant".
Sure enough! Those who were associated with the Canal Transport Office and Zhao Ba PI were not panicked at all; instead, they were smug! It is almost certain that they were already aware of this and might even be the beneficiaries or even the drivers of this tax increase controversy!
And the "joint petition" of those small and medium-sized merchants... Shen Ruoxin shook her head gently. In the face of the iron curtain of collusion between officials and businesspeople, such a practice is no different from trying to break a stone with an egg. It is likely that one won't even get to see the governor.
As for the most powerful "Su Ji"... Boss Su pretended to be ill and disappeared. This attitude is quite thought-provoking. Does he really want to stay out of it? Or just keep observing in the dark and wait for the best price to sell?
The situation is more complicated and dangerous than imagined! This is not merely a conspiracy against the Splendid Pavilion, but a huge scheme jointly planned by the forces of the Canal Transport Office and the northern merchant groups, aiming to control the four major industries of Pingjiang Prefecture! Within the government, at least the department of the Canal Transport Office, and perhaps even higher levels, has been opened up by them!
Shen Ruoxin felt a bone-chilling chill. In this storm, the Splendid Pavilion was as insignificant as a small boat in the surging waves.
But she has no time to be afraid.
She must make a decision immediately! Just wait for the failure of the alliance between small and medium-sized merchants? Or is it still dependent on the ambiguous Su Ji? Or...
Her gaze fell upon the note inscribed with "Constables' Money" and "Cui 'er". Perhaps... Is the real breakthrough still in those most inconspicuous places?
Just then, there was another rapid sound of footsteps outside the door. It was Afu, who had returned from his departure!
Miss Two! Uncle Wang... Another message has been sent from Uncle Wang! Yes... It's the urgent red mark!