The couple found it strange, "Why has Father come in person? Is there something important?"
"Mmm."
The solemn tone made everyone present uneasy. Feng Shan walked up to him, invited him to sit, and then asked,
"Father-in-law, has something happened?"
"Look, this is a letter from your eldest brother's family."
A letter?
And it was from eldest brother's family. Why didn't they send it directly to their home, but through the Hua family?
"The shopkeeper said that the person beside Madam Feng kept saying that this matter concerned the life and death of the Feng family, which is why they sent someone to deliver it urgently. However, there was fighting, and the Lan Shui River could not be crossed, so the letter was only delivered to us today. When we opened it, we realized that something had happened to the Feng family."
Upon hearing this, Feng Shan's face also fell.
He immediately unfolded the letter and began to read it carefully.
Madam Hua accompanied him. After they finished reading, the veins on her temples bulged, and her eyes seemed to spew fire!
"Nonsense! How could I send someone to harm my eldest sister-in-law!"
Feng Shan knew his wife's character. Although she came from a merchant family, she never belittled herself. While her relationship with her eldest sister-in-law was not particularly close, it was not to the point of wanting to harm her!
"Someone in the family must have used my name to cause trouble. Good, I've managed the household for half my life, and there's a traitor within. They truly don't take me seriously! Master, don't worry, I will investigate thoroughly later. Once the culprit is caught, I will escort him to the capital to apologize to my eldest sister-in-law!"
"You are too kind, Madam."
Seeing Feng Shan's complete trust in his daughter, the old master of the Hua family, who had been somewhat worried, finally felt completely at ease.
Otherwise, with his eldest brother and sister-in-law on one side and his wife on the other, he was afraid he might have doubted her.
He knew his daughter's capabilities. She was very cunning even when she was in the Hua family. Finding a traitor would not be a difficult task, so he didn't say anything more about it. Instead, he asked,
"By the way, what do you think of the Ninth Prince's invitation?"
Their Hua family had received one, so the Feng family must have received one too.
"Before Father arrived, we were just discussing this matter. It's quite troublesome. This invitation clearly means we have to show respect to the Ninth Prince. However, we have already spent a lot on the matters in Liangzhou City recently. If we were to present him with precious gifts again, I'm afraid our finances will be strained."
Madam Hua was speaking the truth. Similarly, all the merchants involved in the restoration and reconstruction of Liangzhou City were in a similar situation.
Old Master Hua saw this, and a trace of disgust flashed under his drooping eyelids.
Then he said to everyone present, "Since that is the case, let us pool our resources to erect a bronze statue for this hardworking and meritorious Ninth Prince. Let it be placed in the center of Liangzhou City. I shall see if he still has the audacity to demand more after such grand gestures are made for him."
The casting of a bronze statue was troublesome but expensive. Although it required some effort, it could preserve the merchants' money to the greatest extent.
If they were to give money and gifts, it would be like a dog stealing a steamed bun – gone without return.
However, with things like this that were more about reputation, there was much room for manipulation.
He didn't believe that this Ninth Prince would still be here by the time the bronze statue was cast!
He would be driven away by the sheer effort of it all!
Feng Shan also found this method feasible.
It was just that they had never dealt with princes before, especially the capricious Ninth Prince.
On the night of the banquet, the Ninth Prince entertained them with fine wine and delicacies. Seeing that everyone had brought brocade boxes, he felt they were indeed sensible.
So, he picked up the wine beside him and said to the assembled merchants,
"You are all heroes of our Great Jin. Without your wholehearted assistance, Liangzhou would not have recovered so quickly. This humble prince offers this cup of wine to all of you!"
"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. We humble subjects are unworthy."
After saying this, they also drank it down.
Seeing that everyone was enjoying themselves, the Ninth Prince no longer held back. He clapped his hands, and a group of dancers and companions immediately entered.
A cold glint appeared in Feng Shan's eyes.
Liangzhou City naturally had its brothels and entertainment venues, but many had fled due to the recent war. Only about half had returned. Where had he found these people?
Could it be that he brought them from Ganzhou?
As expected, when one of them spoke to him, urging him to drink, his accent was clearly from Ganzhou. The anger in Feng Shan's eyes intensified.
His fists under his sleeves clenched and unclenched, clenched and unclenched.
At a time when Liangzhou City was in dire straits, the Grand Marshal who defended the west had hidden in Ganzhou and did not appear. Now that Liangzhou City had just recovered, he actually brought people here for nightly revelry. He truly did not care about them, the common people, at all.
In an instant, his anger flared up, and his previously calm emotions erupted.
He cupped his fists and said to the Ninth Prince, "Your Highness, the outside is still in ruins, and we are here seeking pleasure. If the common people find out, they will surely scold us as greedy merchants and black-hearted scoundrels. If things go wrong, it might even tarnish Your Highness's reputation, which would be a loss outweighing the gain."
The Ninth Prince was happily drinking when he heard such a blunt reprimand. His sinister gaze swept over.
"Is the Master of the Feng family trying to spoil my mood?"
As soon as these words were spoken, several other family heads stood up to plead for Feng Shan, saying,
"Your Highness, please be merciful. The Master of the Feng family is also thinking for Your Highness. In peaceful times, no one would comment, but this is an extraordinary period, isn't it? Heh heh, please understand, Your Highness."
"Yes, we merchants already have a bad reputation and low status. We truly do not wish to bear further infamy."
The Ninth Prince had never been so directly challenged by a group of "lowly people." He was about to lose his temper.
Who knew that one of his subordinates would suddenly step in to mediate?
"Your Highness, please be magnanimous and forgive the Feng family this once," he said, then glanced at the brocade boxes beside them, his meaning all too clear.
With a combination of coercion and enticement, perhaps more silver could be extracted.
Thinking of this, the Ninth Prince suppressed his thoughts for the time being.
He waved his hand, and the dancers and companions withdrew.
"Fine, since someone is pleading for you, I will spare you this time."
His attitude was arrogant and unreasonable. If not for his royal status, Feng Shan would have retorted without hesitation.
Seeing that the atmosphere had become somewhat awkward, the person who had pleaded for them interjected and asked the head of the Tie family beside him,
"Master Tie, what is in this box? I am quite curious."
Upon hearing that the topic had shifted to him, the head of the Tie family immediately stood up, bowed to the Ninth Prince, and respectfully said,
"This is a petition from the common people, filled with their words of gratitude for Your Highness. Please accept it, Your Highness."
As soon as these words were spoken, even the person who had pleaded for them felt a bit embarrassed.
He had expected a stack of silver notes, or at the very least, something else.