Winter has departed, but spring has not yet arrived. Last night, a gust of cold wind swept through, and the newly sprouted, tender green buds outside the Ming Garden wall were once again frozen to death, displaying an ominous, pale white hue.

Ming Qingda closed his eyes slightly.

He had long anticipated that the other party would choose this approach. Moreover, if he disregarded the humiliation of the family being plotted against, if the owner of Zhao Shang Bank truly invested in the Ming family, the two parties would unite, and funds would immediately become abundant. Future development would be limitless... they wouldn't even need to consider the expressions on the faces of Dongyi City and the Taiping Bank.

Ming Qingda's mood softened slightly. After a moment of deliberation, he said, "How much do you want?"

"Thirty percent." The head manager breathed a sigh of relief, raised his face, and smiled gently. "Thirty percent of everything, with an official contract, a binding contract."

Ming Qingda's mood, which had just improved, immediately plunged into boundless anger and mockery. He looked at the head manager and said contemptuously, "Thirty percent? Has your owner never seen the world? A mere four million taels of silver... and you want thirty percent of my Ming family?"

"Great Master misunderstands," the head manager said respectfully. "Thirty percent of everything refers to the Ming family's shares, the total amount does not include the shares of those dignitaries in the court... My owner may be ambitious, but he doesn't have such a big appetite or courage."

Ming Qingda sneered. Princess Royal and the Qin family held a large number of shares in his family. If the thirty percent they spoke of included the shares, that would be truly good, and he would see how they would die in the future. However, the other party wanted the remaining thirty percent, and this amount was also extremely excessive.

"It's not worth that much," he said coldly, preparing to see the guests off.

The head manager smiled and said, "The Ming family is wealthy beyond compare, holding the livelihoods of countless people in Jiangnan, with vast fields and countless properties. These mere four million taels of silver are certainly worth more than that amount... However, times change. Cash is different from assets. The same tael of silver has different values at different times."

He continued, "If this four million taels of silver were available in the past, it would only be the Ming family's cash income for one year, and of course it would not be worth thirty percent of the shares. But now the Ming family is short of liquidity and needs cash urgently. After my owner invests, he will naturally provide strong financial support... This four million taels represents a more important value... To exchange for thirty percent of the Ming family's shares now is not greedy. Master is also a wise man, and of course knows that the price my owner is asking is already quite fair."

Ming Qingda was silent for a moment, knowing that the other party was telling the truth.

"This matter is of great importance. Although I am the patriarch, I cannot make a decision alone. I need to think about it again." He picked up his teacup, and the head manager of Zhao Shang Bank and the young man behind him bid farewell and left.

...

...

Ming Lanshi walked in from the side, looking at his father anxiously and saying, "Father, we can't give it to them." Then, he said indignantly, "Now I know, this Zhao Shang Bank is really damn black! They started plotting our family's business a year ago."

Ming Qingda glanced at his son, shook his head with some displeasure, disagreeing with his words, and said, "In business, one must be businesslike. If it weren't for the support of Zhao Shang Bank this past year, our family's life would have been even worse. Four million taels of silver in debt, plus subsequent liquidity support, in exchange for thirty percent of the shares, is indeed a very fair price, as they say."

"But..."

Ming Qingda waved his hand wearily. In today's negotiations with Zhao Shang Bank, he seemed confident, but he was retreating step by step, to the point where he began to doubt himself deep down – had his confidence been weakened by the Supervisory Council's repeated blows this past year? Had he lost his courage and become accustomed to being led by the nose after kneeling before Fan Xian once and making countless concessions?

But... he was the current master of the Ming family!

Ming Qingda said slowly, "In business, one must be businesslike, but since Zhao Shang Bank is using underhanded methods... why should we pretend that our hands have always been clean?"

Ming Lanshi felt a chill run down his back, and said haltingly, "Father, if things fail, it's a death sentence of confiscation and extermination."

Ming Qingda sneered, "With Princess Royal protecting us, even Fan Xian wouldn't dare to mess around... What is Zhao Shang Bank?"

"But the main branch of Zhao Shang Bank in Dongyi City must have accounts." Ming Lanshi looked at his father, suddenly feeling a chill, and felt that his father, who usually seemed incomparably wise, was now... gradually becoming foolish and angry.

"I don't care!" A trace of ferocity flashed in Ming Qingda's calm and wise eyes, and he said coldly, "The people of Dongyi City are asking our Daqing for money... who has the patience to pay attention to them?"

"Or else... or else..." Ming Lanshi muttered, "Let's sell land and houses? Although this sum of silver is large, it's not like we can't pay it back."

Ming Qingda said gloomily, "Can't they think of what you can think of? The court strictly prohibits private land sales. It would be fine if it were a small amount, but how can selling so much land not alarm the government? It will take at least a year to complete all the procedures... Zhao Shang Bank would rather lose thirty percent than repay the debt in advance. What is their purpose? Isn't it to force us to divide the shares?"

The old man's heart suddenly sank, and he thought of the law strictly controlling land sales, which was one of the new policies strongly promoted by the Ye family's mistress when she was alive.

Ming Lanshi left with an ashen face. He guessed what his father would do, but he didn't know how his father would do it. He only knew that his father had finally lost his mind under the pressure of this year in the face of the Ming family's storm... and although he still struggled to maintain a trace of clarity, believing that it was better to cooperate with Zhao Shang Bank, he didn't dare to say anything based on the matter he had been concealing.

———————————————————

That night, on the bluestone street in Suzhou City, there were suddenly some rustling sounds, like mice that had been trapped in their holes for a long time by winter, suddenly smelling the delicious pastry, and pouring out of their nests under the cover of the night.

However, there were only three mice, three masters in black night clothes, who easily broke through the defenses of Zhao Shang Bank and directly broke into the back hall.

The security forces of the bank have always been strict, and given Zhao Shang Bank's behind-the-scenes identity, they have secretly hired many good players in the martial arts world. However, such security forces could not stop the thunderous blow of the three men in black, which shows the extraordinary strength of the three men in black.

The most terrifying thing was the long sword in the attacker's hand. The sword seemed to be branded with some kind of magic, breaking through the air silently, and the sword never returned, stabbing straight like the wrath of the Nine Heavens, its momentum moving forward without looking back. In an instant, it left more than a dozen corpses and blood all over the floor in the bank's inner shop.

And no one had time to scream or call for help.

However, these three extremely skilled swordsmen encountered great obstacles in the back garden of the bank. They clearly saw the box of IOUs and contracts that the head manager of Zhao Shang Bank was holding tightly in his arms, but they could not pierce the other party's throat with the tip of their swords.

Even the leading master among the three could not do it.

Because the supreme azure sword in his hand, which could split mountains and rivers, was now surrounded by a seemingly soft but actually infinitely powerful azure banner.

With three hissing sounds, the swordsman withdrew his sword and held his hands together, saluting the young man holding the azure banner.

There is dignity in martial arts. When assassination reaches this point, it becomes a contest of martial arts.

At this time, the azure banner had been twisted into countless pieces by the extremely skillful and steady sword intent, and the two characters "Tie Xiang" written on it had also turned into small black dots on the scraps of cloth. The young man who had once used the pseudonym Tie Xiang, now going by the name Wang Shisanlang, held the bare banner pole in his hand, looked at the black-clothed man holding the azure sword, who had the demeanor of a master, and slowly lowered his head to return the salute.

"Please."

The man in black took off his mask, with a solemn expression and a slightly fluttering three-strand beard. He carefully held his sword, pouring all his energy into the sword, and lightly parted his lips to speak.

With Wang Shisanlang's fearless and unrestrained nature, he couldn't help but be moved when he suddenly saw this man's face!

If Fan Xian were here, he would probably turn around and leave immediately without hesitation after seeing the face of the man in black.

...

...

Yun Zhilan, the chief disciple of Sigu Jian of Dongyi City, a top swordsman of the ninth rank, Yun Zhilan!

Wang Shisanlang held the banner pole tightly in his right hand, his pupils constricted slightly, and he was very nervous.

The two men in black who followed Yun Zhilan into the backyard of Zhao Shang Bank were masters from Dongyi City. Seeing Yun Zhilan facing the chaos head-on, they retreated to the side very respectfully. In their hearts, although the young man holding the banner was extremely unfathomable in his cultivation, as long as he was not a grandmaster or a pervert like Fan Xian of Qing Kingdom, he would definitely not be able to withstand Yun Zhilan's sword.

Wang Shisanlang stared at him blankly, and suddenly said, "Is... is your injury healed?"

Yun Zhilan frowned slightly and said slowly, "Does Your Excellency know me?"

Last spring, Yun Zhilan went to Jiangnan alone, partly to secretly watch his female disciples cultivate, and the most important goal was to try to assassinate Fan Xian, the imperial envoy of Jiangnan Road. However, the outcome was a bit painful. The master swordsman actually just sat on the fishing boat and glanced at Fan Xian upstairs from afar, and was ambushed by the Supervisory Council.

To this day, Yun Zhilan still can't forget the sword light that appeared like a ghost from the water, and a chill arises in his heart, because that elusive sword light caused him the most serious injury he had ever suffered since his debut. However, the news of his injury has been strictly controlled. Presumably, the Nanqing court is not willing to cause a diplomatic storm, so Yun Zhilan felt a little surprised when Wang Shisanlang asked if his injury had healed.

Wang Shisanlang smiled helplessly and said, "You are a generation of swordsmen, why do you act as a thief for others?"

Yun Zhilan smiled and said, "Isn't Your Excellency the same?"

"Even if you kill all the people in Zhao Shang Bank and burn these contracts, you can't help the Ming family." Wang Shisanlang sighed and said, "What is left here are just copies. The originals are naturally not in Suzhou."

"If the originals are in Dongyi City, they should be gone tomorrow." Yun Zhilan said slowly, "I don't know which sect Your Excellency belongs to, but the Ming family is too important to my Dongyi City, please don't stop me."

Wang Shisanlang said, "Ming Qingda is finished."

Before he could finish speaking, the man in black who had been quietly waiting by Yun Zhilan's side opened his mouth and said, "Master, this person is stalling for time."

Wang Shisanlang was slightly startled, and found that this man in black was actually a woman, and her voice was extremely clear. He couldn't help but tilt his head and smile, "Sisi is here too?"

The black-clothed woman's body shook, and Yun Zhilan also looked at Wang Shisanlang curiously, and sighed, "I didn't expect you to know so much about my sect... I'm really a little curious, but unfortunately there isn't much time, the Suzhou government is coming soon."

He slowly raised the sword in his hand, the tip of the sword trembling slightly, pointing remotely at Wang Shisanlang's throat.

"You won't kill me," Wang Shisanlang said.

"Why?"

"Because..."

Wang Shisanlang's expression suddenly became solemn, his left leg took half a step back, and the Azure Banner lone pole suddenly smashed down, his left hand holding the end of the pole from behind, his right hand pressed down, and the tip of the pole pressed down with a burst of energy!

The sound of breaking wind suddenly rose and fell, only cutting out a line in the air!

What a powerful sword intent!

...

...

Yun Zhilan's pupils shrank slightly, and he asked slowly, "Who exactly is the owner of Zhao Shang Bank?"

Wang Shisanlang hesitated for a moment, then slowly retracted the Azure Banner and silently formed a mouth shape.

Yun Zhilan's face was filled with shock, which disappeared in an instant. He smiled helplessly, without saying a word, and turned around and left the backyard with his two female disciples. When he was about to leave the backyard, he suddenly turned around and said, "Junior Brother, take care, Fan Xian is more insidious than you think."

Wang Shisanlang smiled bitterly and said, "Senior Brother, if you tell Ming Qingda, I believe I will have a chance to see how Fan Xian slowly kills me."

Yun Zhilan didn't turn his head. His shoulders were as stable as if they were cast in iron. After a moment of silence, he said, "He used such a large amount of interest as a bet to test how loyal you are to him... I don't understand."

"I don't understand either." Wang Shisanlang said slowly, "Maybe he is very confident that even if I betray him, he has a way to kill the Ming family. He just asked me to preside over this matter and take a look at my attitude."

Yun Zhilan said, "What exactly is Master's intention? Is the Ming family important, or is Fan Xian's trust in you important? I can decide what to do."

"Little Fan's trust is the most important." Wang Shisanlang said sincerely, "Even if I join forces with you and tell Ming Qingda the truth, and help the Ming family get through this disaster, what about next time? ... The Inner Treasury is ultimately Little Fan's, and Master doesn't mind establishing a friendship with foreign children."

"Then you shouldn't have told me just now." Yun Zhilan said slowly.

Wang Shisanlang smiled and glanced at the head manager of Zhao Shang Bank, who was holding the documents with a wary look on his face: "Even if I didn't tell you, no one knows whether I will secretly notify you, so it's better to tell you in person."

"It seems that Dongyi City won't take action either." Yun Zhilan sighed. He was not sighing that he had made a trip in vain, but praising the profound scheming hidden under his master's foolish face. He also knew until today that the most mysterious little junior brother had been following Fan Xian in doing things after leaving the mountain.

"Yes." Wang Shisanlang lowered his head and said, "Now I am attacking, so please retreat for the time being, please remain silent."

"I can retreat, but why should I remain silent?" Yun Zhilan said calmly.

Wang Shisanlang took out a small jade tablet from his arms and showed it to him. Yun Zhilan sighed immediately after seeing the jade tablet, shook his head and smiled: "The sect has always known that you don't have a sword tablet, I didn't expect that Master gave you this one."

...

...

In this world, all people and all forces are acting as wait-and-see. And the Dongyi City lineage is undoubtedly a towering tree. If it falls to any side, it may produce some unexpected ending and never be able to float back.

So Sigu Jian cannot fall, because his sword must guard Dongyi City. He must completely judge the situation in Qing Kingdom before making a decision, or, if there is a strong enough fatal temptation, he will take action.

Because of Fan Xian's sudden rise, he must give Fan Xian enough sincerity. Part of the attitude is Wang Shisanlang. And he still reserved part of his attitude with Princess Royal, such as Yun Zhilan.

Only in this way can he obtain corresponding benefits no matter which side wins in the internal affairs of Qing Kingdom in the future.

This is grasping with both hands, and both hands must be hard.

The raid on Zhao Shang Bank tonight, however, made Sigu Jian's two hands meet head-on and begin to compete, and I'm afraid that even this grandmaster did not expect this situation.

Fan Xian made the first move, so Yun Zhilan had to retreat, but he did not have to remain silent. He could completely tell Ming Qingda the truth and let him refuse Zhao Shang Bank's investment, but he saw the sword tablet of the master, so he understood which side the grandmaster was more inclined to in the current situation.

...

...

The Zhao Shang Bank was quiet, and the bloody smell from the front yard was faintly heard.

The head manager of the bank, who had been wary before, had now regained his calm and gentle expression. He solemnly saluted Wang Shisanlang, who was holding the Azure Banner in a daze, and said respectfully: "Congratulations, Master Thirteen, for passing the test."

Wang Shisanlang tilted his head somewhat痴, and sighed after a long while: "The hearts of human beings are really complicated, Master and Fan Xian are really... very interesting people."

———————————————————

Ming Qingda habitually turned his eyes to the trees outside the high wall of Ming Garden, feeling a little desolate, thinking that the winter was obviously over, and the spring breeze had already blown on his face, how could the tender green branches that had grown some time ago be frozen to death again?

He knew that the situation facing him now, facing the family, was also like a severe winter. The Ming family's century-old foundation was originally not so easily played to death by others, but since becoming a royal merchant distributing products from the inner treasury, the Ming family has made a lot of money, and has also been caught too deeply, unable to pull itself out at all, and has gradually become a place for the various forces in the court to compete.

No matter how strong a merchant is, how can he withstand the court's playing? Whether it was the suppression this year, or the price manipulation a few months ago, and the vicious and even rogue stone-smashing silver mirror... the Ming family paid too much blood and sweat, lost too much strength, and the operation of the entire family business was becoming more and more difficult.

If he could get out, the Ming family could still be preserved.

But he cannot get out, so he needs to solve the problem. The most urgent problem facing the Ming family right now is that the turnover is not working, and the liquidity is seriously lacking. To solve this problem, external support is needed. However, Taiping Bank is not a bottomless pit after all, and it is impossible to always transfuse blood to the Ming family. It is said that some people in Dongyi City have already begun to raise objections. And that damn Zhao Shang Bank...

Ming Qingda's brows furrowed and he coughed, coughing with a tearing pain in his chest.

If Zhao Shang Bank did not want 30% of the Ming family's shares, and held enough chips in their hands, Ming Qingda would not have reacted so irrationally. He would even be willing to cooperate with Zhao Shang Bank at a deeper level, and after passing this storm, they would join hands to make all the money in the world.

But... wanting his family property? This touched Ming Qingda's bottom line. This was the family property he had obtained by killing his mother, kneeling, enduring humiliation, and seeking glory. How could he hand it over with both hands for just four million taels of silver?

But... the current Ming family really can't draw out cash to repay these four million taels of silver. Even if Zhao Shang Bank agrees the debt at a low water price, Ming Qingda can't take out nearly three million taels of silver.

He coughed even more violently, and a hint of dimness, loss, and surrender flashed in his eyes.

Yun Zhilan left with his men again, but last time this swordsman was injured by the Supervisory Council, but this time he left smartly. These two different things made Ming Qingda smell an extremely dangerous smell. Although many people died in Zhao Shang Bank the night before yesterday, the account books and IOUs were not snatched back, and the action in Dongyi City was completely silent. On the contrary, the Jiangnan Road Yamen took over the Zhao Shang Bank blood case first and sent heavy troops to guard it.

At the same time, the Ming family's private soldiers were also being closely watched by the Jiangnan Road Governor Xue Qing's state army.

Ming Qingda knew that he could no longer use thunderous methods. Being watched by the court, he could only find a way from the business route. To solve the current crisis of the Ming family, he could only choose to bow his head.

He said wearily to the concubine beside him: "Go and invite the people from Zhao Shang Bank over... You go in person, and your attitude should be better."

The personal maidservant of the old Madame Ming nodded and then reminded: "Hurry up and ask for help from the capital."