The Liao Family Patriarch waved his hand grandly, and several servants came forward, about to free the trussed-up carriage driver.
Jiang Chengyuan stood unmoving, while Jiang Chengfeng crouched down to sweep their legs, and the servants dropped like scallions.
The uninvited guests bode ill, the uninvited guests bode ill.
The Liao Family Patriarch's face drooped, but he didn't dare offend the Jiang Family, so he could only squeeze out a smile and say, "Let's talk nicely, no need for violence."
"Liao Sir also knows we can't use violence." Jiang Chengyuan finally spoke, "Then why have you repeatedly used despicable means against the Jiuzhen Store?"
The Liao Family Patriarch's heart thudded.
He and Jiang Chengyuan were not that close. After all, the Liao Family had married upwards into the Jiang Family. But with Mrs. Liao's mediation, they addressed each other affectionately whenever they met. Jiang Chengyuan would also respectfully call him "Uncle".
Yet now, for the sake of the Jiuzhen Store, he actually addressed him as "Liao Sir".
The Liao Family Patriarch was angry and annoyed, and also a little panicked. "Chengyuan, I'm your uncle. This is your mother's maiden family."
But this uncle, this clan, had replaced his sister and left the Jiang Family's main branch shattered and scarred.
Jiang Chengyuan didn't know who came up with the idea or who the ringleader was.
He couldn't resent Mrs. Liao. He could only resent the Liao Family.
Old grudges and new hatred surged up. Don't blame him for being ruthless.
The next day.
Issues like tax evasion, short weighing, missing inventory and so on were discovered in two Liao shops. They were immediately seized on site. Even the shopkeepers and servants were detained at the Fengjing Government to await investigation and trial.
No matter how gentle the top family's young masters appeared, when they struck, it was always thunderous fury, swift and precise.
The Liao Family lost thousands of taels of silver. Several Liao women with tears ran to seek out Mrs. Liao.
Then they were stopped at the Jiang Family gates.
The gatekeeper coldly said, "The Lady is in poor health recently and cannot see guests. Esteemed ladies, please leave."
The Liao Matriarch shrieked, "I'm her sister-in-law, not a guest. Can't I see the young ladies of the Liao Family?"
The gatekeeper straightened his back. "There are no young ladies of the Liao Family here, only the Jiang Family Lady. She is unwell now and cannot see outside guests."
As soon as he finished speaking, the gates closed shut.
The Liao women tasted dirt in their mouths and harvested countless strange looks.
Tan Yue, who had watched the whole thing from a corner, left satisfied and reenacted the scene for Old Lady Jiang, ending with, "Esteemed Lady, the young master has matured and finally dared to deal with the Liao Family."
The best thing about the Jiang heir was how filial he was. But he was also too soft-hearted, lacking his ancestors’ ruthlessness and decisiveness.
That day in Yunzige Pavilion, Old Lady Jiang was packing up Jiang Sheng’s things when she overheard Jiang Chengyuan blaming himself. She pondered for a long time before having Tan Yue pass on a sentence.
She had wanted the boy to buck up. She didn't expect him to be so courageous already.
Delight shimmered in Old Lady Jiang's eyes, though her mouth said, "Still lacking. He dared to do it only on the second try. If the old General was around, he would have subdued the Liao Family on the first try."
"The young master isn't bad. Having dealt with the Liao Family this time, things should settle down," Tan Yue suddenly hesitated, "It’s just that the lady has always favored her maiden family. You can hide it for a time but not forever. Sooner or later there will be more trouble. What do you think..."
"Let her make trouble." Old Lady Jiang raised her voice. "For now I'm just having the Liao Family compete fairly with the Jiuzhen Store. If they dare make trouble, I’ll strip their status in Fengjing."
Did they think the Jiang Family was just for show?
The old lady didn't make a move only because she wanted to see how far the children could go, and let them experience the necessary growth instead of indulging the Liao Family to do evil and profit.
The young generation of the Jiang Family had proved that one could never grow up in a greenhouse.
On the other hand, the kids in the small yard were all outstanding.
Tan Yue finally calmed down. "The Liao Family won't dare use despicable means again. The young lady must be overjoyed. I heard there are fresh lychees to eat too. How blissful!"
Old Lady Jiang didn't speak, just stroked the little handkerchief Jiang Sheng had used, smiling with closed eyes.
The same smile appeared in the second yard.
Zheng Ruqian slapped his thigh and guffawed. “Too awesome. The Liao Family totally deserved it. Let them be insidious, sinister and vicious. They deserved it, deserved it all!”
The others remained silent, eyeing the feast before them covetously.
"Fifth Brother, earlier you told us to wait and see. Did you discover something we don't know?" Jiang Sheng questioned first.
"Little Five always understands Fengjing well. He must know something we don't." Xu Mo raised a brow.
"Little Five, how could you hide things from me?" Wen Zhiyun looked at him reproachfully.
Chang Yan was extremely vexed.
He had just guessed after all. The incidents outside the Jiuzhen Store seemed unrelated, but if someone helped behind the scenes, everything became logical.
The lychee carriage had also dodged the collision, adding weight to his speculation.
Not until the Liao Family’s misfortune did Chang Yan know he had guessed right.
"The Liao and Jiang Families are in-laws. Old Lady Jiang doesn't want the Liao Family's lychees but wants Second Brother to deliver them to her door. This shows she is dissatisfied with the Liao Family." He analyzed slowly. "And little sister is the Jiang Family’s main daughter. So it must be the Jiang Family protecting you behind the scenes."
Furthermore, the Jiang Family’s status far exceeded the Liao Family’s. Just by exerting some effort, the Jiangs could make the Liaos cower.
"Thanks to little sister's radiance, Second Brother's lychee business should have no troubles." Chang Yan spread his hands. "But the Jiang Family didn't touch the Liao Family’s foundation. They merely severed the family ties. This means Second Brother still has to work hard for the business himself."
But it was enough.
When the news that several Liao women had eaten dirt outside the Jiang Family gates spread, everyone knew that the Liao’s backup was shaky.
It was a pity that with Mrs. Liao between them, the in-law relationship was too strong for the Liao Family to completely collapse.
"It would be great if we could strip them of all their backups." Zheng Ruqian lamented. "The Liao people are too nasty. I have no qualms about competing with them. It’d be even better if we could seize all their lychee business."
"It's not impossible." Xu Mo suddenly spoke up.
Chang Yan and him exchanged a glance and smiled at the same time.
"What are you laughing about?" Zheng Ruqian asked impatiently. “Don’t keep me hanging, say it out.”
Xu Mo just smiled without replying.
Chang Yan wore an inscrutable expression.
But both their gazes fell on the household’s littlest sister – Jiang Sheng.
