Chapter 119: 119 won’t teach a lesson, not knowing who’s in charge of this house_1
With his own interests at stake, Xie Lingyan had to fight for them, forcing a smile onto his face.
"Ah Jiang, Uncle has been handling the Jimo Family’s after-sales card services quite well. Lady Hua has never dealt with these things before, and she’s already managing so much for the Jimo Family. I’m just worried she won’t be able to handle the physical strain. Besides, now that you’re here, in such an important position, there’s no reason to let an outsider interfere, right?"
Wen Jiang looked at him, simply blinked, and said, "I said, leave it to her."
Xie Lingyan was speechless. Good heavens, she won’t even bother to offer a token excuse or a word of comfort.
Xie Lingyan, as if he’d thrown caution to the wind, said directly, "I’m afraid that won’t do. Regarding these card management matters, we’ve collaborated with the Qiao Family before. When the Mount Flower Association faced difficulties, it was the Qiao Family who extended a helping hand. If you want to send someone to directly audit the business records, you’ll need the Qiao Family’s consent at the very least."
A harsh look entered Hua Zhuo’s eyes. "What do the Jimo Family’s businesses have to do with the Qiao Family? Who authorized you to collaborate with them on your own?"
Xie Lingyan immediately retorted, "Now, now, Lady Hua, you can’t put it that way. My brother-in-law hasn’t managed anything for all these years. Doesn’t it cost money to keep such a large family running? When we faced difficulties before, no one helped. Now that the Qiao Family has helped us, you want to just swoop in and take over after all their effort? That’s hardly fair."
Hua Zhuo was suddenly at a loss for words.
Indeed, Jimo Xiao hadn’t managed family affairs, always stationed at the frontier. The Xie Family had exploited loopholes in the family’s businesses, which was why there was such turmoil immediately after Jimo Xiao’s death. She had returned too late. Even if she wanted to consolidate control, the resistance she faced was immense. She couldn’t even handle Xie Lingyan, let alone those entrenched elders who had seized control of the Jimo Family’s businesses.
Wen Jiang had Zero Egg quickly use their home System to infiltrate the Jimo Family’s corporate System and consolidate their current business data. Then she said nonchalantly, "Separate out the portion of the business involving cooperation with the Qiao Family. Lady Hua, you can handle the rest as you see fit. If you encounter any problems, just tell me. My father may be dead, but I’m not."
She was determined to get her hands on the Jimo Family’s Heritage Card. She was quite sure the card was definitely in Hua Zhuo’s possession. If she didn’t maintain a good relationship with Hua Zhuo, Hua Zhuo might not hand over the Heritage Card. Hasn’t anyone noticed that no one has even mentioned the Jimo Family’s Heritage Card yet? Even as the heir, Wen Jiang still had to demonstrate qualities that would put Hua Zhuo at ease.
Wen Jiang’s attitude satisfied Hua Zhuo. Although it would offend some people, at a time like this, a decisive heir could make all the difference. If she were soft-hearted, easily swayed by tears, then there would be no point in grooming such an heir. The good news was that this heir was decisive and resolute. The bad news was that she might be *too* decisive, perhaps even unfeeling.
Wen Jiang’s words also caused Xie Lingyan’s expression to change drastically. Although Wen Jiang was the current heir, for her to return and immediately want to completely oust her own uncle—how could she be so ruthless? He still wanted to persuade her, "Doing this will easily offend the Qiao Family..."
Wen Jiang’s gaze turned instantly icy as she looked at him. "Offend the Qiao Family? Is the Jimo Family on the verge of collapse, needing another family to rescue it? Uncle, my father entrusted you with the Jimo Family’s important business out of trust. Not only did you fail to manage it well, but you’ve also run it to the point where you had to hand over half of it. Uncle, you’ve truly been a great help to the Jimo Family."
Xie Lingyan’s face instantly turned an ugly shade.
Wen Jiang wasn’t wrong. Even though Jimo Xiao hadn’t been involved in management, given the Jimo Family’s prestige, almost anyone else put in charge wouldn’t have done a worse job than Xie Lingyan. It was likely due to Xie Lingyan’s status as his brother-in-law that Jimo Xiao hadn’t scrutinized these matters too closely.
Old Lady Xie couldn’t listen anymore and wanted to speak up for her son. "Ah Jiang, you’ve just returned. You don’t understand your uncle’s hardships. Maintaining such a large family enterprise isn’t easy. Your father, before..."
"Since you know it’s not easy, then you should also realize how incompetent *he* is," Wen Jiang interrupted impatiently. "I’ve already said, Lady Hua will handle things from now on. The Xie Family merely needs to cooperate and obey. Understand?"
Wen Jiang’s gaze swept over everyone present. Perhaps her gaze was too piercing, for only Xie Lingyan’s wife managed to meet it directly. The wife’s eyes were calm, yet they held a hint of surprise that quickly vanished. She looked at Wen Jiang, her expression impassive—a stark contrast to the others, who averted their eyes, unable to meet Wen Jiang’s stare.
Wen Jiang, of course, paid it no mind and continued, "I need to return to my training. Don’t disturb me unless it’s important. If more people from the Xie Family show up, tell them the same."
With that, she looked at Hua Zhuo, gave her a nod, and then left the Jimo Family estate.
As Wen Jiang was leaving, Hua Zhuo mentioned, "We need to hold a banquet, invite the other Nobility, and publicly announce your status."
This was to show that the Jimo Family had an heir—an unspoken rule among the Nobility.
Wen Jiang flatly refused. "I’m not interested. Forget about it."
She wasn’t a member of the Nobility herself and couldn’t be bothered to follow their rules.
After Wen Jiang left, the expressions on the Xie Family members’ faces were a sight to behold. Hua Zhuo looked at the group before her, shook her head, and said softly, "If there’s nothing else, you should head back. You heard what she said: don’t disturb her unless it’s important. She’s preparing for the upcoming Card League and doesn’t have time. As for any other members of the Xie Family, just pass on the message; there’s no need to specifically seek her out."
Facing Hua Zhuo, Old Lady Xie could only reply sullenly, "Understood."
「Leaving the Jimo estate」
The Xie Family members’ faces were grim. Old Lady Xie immediately grumbled in dissatisfaction, "What kind of granddaughter acts like this?"
Xie Lingyan’s face was also grim. "Cutting ties with the Qiao Family—isn’t that a public slap in the face to them? Does she think my brother-in-law is still around? With no one to back the Jimo Family now, does she, a mere A-Rank Spirit Card Master, believe she can oppose other Nobility families? I went to great lengths to establish this connection with the Qiao Family!"
The key issue was that he was being forced to give up such a lucrative piece of business. But that was the perverse nature of Nobility rights: even though Wen Jiang was a newly returned heir, as long as she gave an order, Xie Lingyan, lacking any leverage over her, could only obey. Because these were, after all, the Jimo Family’s businesses.
Xie Yi was practically seething. "Dad, you heard her! Someone who just crawled out of the slums, and now that she’s had a change of fortune, she completely disregards us! What right does she have? We’ve been part of the Nobility since birth! Is she really Jimo Xiao’s daughter, or just some fraud that Hua woman found to deceive everyone?"
Xie Lingyan was also deeply vexed. "Genetic tests don’t lie, and the Empire monitors such things. Unless the Empire is colluding with Hua Zhuo."
That wasn’t the main issue now, however.
A vicious glint flickered in Xie Lingyan’s eyes. This newly returned niece dares to displease me. If I don’t teach her a lesson, she’ll never understand who has truly been running the Jimo Family for the past decades.