Chapter 307: Who Is the Visitor (3000+)

Chapter 307: Who Is the Visitor (3000+)

Wuxu Hall had twenty-one folding chairs arranged in order. On each side table next to the chairs, placed on yellow wood square tables, were beechwood nameplates. The nameplates were exquisitely prepared, with gold-embossed regular script engraved in intaglio, and they were neatly arranged in straight lines. In front of the hall, five large armchairs were placed side by side. Every ten steps, a tall young woman dressed in a maroon robe stood by.

Strong Boss and Xianjin arrived together. Seeing the setup, Strong Boss didn’t dare to enter for half a day.

“I’m really scared,” Strong Boss leaned closer to Xianjin, warily. “It feels like they’re going to hit me up for a huge membership fee.”

Xianjin: ... Strong Boss really has an animal-like intuition.

Xianjin walked into the main hall. The chairs on both sides were already sparsely occupied. The top five armchairs didn’t have names, but clans: Chen, Heng, Bai, Yun, Liu.

Xianjin stood in place, slightly lowering her eyes.

Strong Boss was illiterate and relied on a fellow merchant to be seated. Seeing Xianjin still standing, he called out in a loud voice, “Why aren’t you sitting down!?”

Xianjin scanned the room and finally spotted her name at the far end of the seating arrangement.

Xianjin let out a bitter laugh, said nothing, and calmly made her way to the end.

A few paper merchants, known for their straightforwardness, protested, “Why are you sitting there!?”

Others whispered among themselves, glancing between the front seats and Xianjin, gossiping quietly. “...Yes, yes, yes, she’s from the Chen family...”

“Nowadays, who knows what she’s doing!”

“Seems like she’s taken over a small workshop—probably starting from scratch again!”

“Haven’t heard of any big moves from her recently!”

“Haha, I told you, what can a girl like her do? She’s only gotten this far because of the Chen family’s connections!”

Though few, those who spoke ill couldn’t help but respond. “Huh! Some people really know how to eat while holding the bowl and curse after putting it down! Without this ordinary girl, do you think we could have made the imperial papers!?”

“The apprentice from my place who went to the imperial paper camp said Manager He has real skills.”

“She’s not exactly sitting idle! Didn’t she just land that big book printing paper contract in Shandong?”

“Yes, yes, yes, several families like Old Niu, Old Yang, Lao Zhu... all got contracts and real benefits!”

The murmurs were like the hushed chatter of an audience in a theater, and although Xianjin was now sitting below the stage, she was still the central figure on it, immune to both the positive and negative comments.

The young Manager He sat steadily in her seat, her eyes fixed like nails on the Chen family’s chair.

The preliminaries were over, and now the main event was about to begin.

The Heng, Bai, Yun, and Liu families took their seats in turn. The Chen family’s seat remained empty.

As Xianjin and Aunt Zhong conversed, Aunt Zhong squinted and bent forward, “Should we go check it out?”

Xianjin gently shook her head, “She will come.”

As Xianjin and Aunt Zhong exchanged words, the Heng, Bai, Yun, and Liu families had finished their greetings and socializing. Heng Lian, with a smile at the corners of his mouth and eyes, hands resting on his knees, spoke first in a clear voice, “Today’s meeting is the first gathering after the great event of our Xuan paper industry! It just so happens to be a season of new growth, with spring buds sprouting and spring swallows returning to their nests!”

“Clap, clap, clap—” Loud clapping filled the room.

Xianjin’s right hand rested casually on the side table, her face slightly turned, without any movement.

Heng Lian was very satisfied with the applause, pressing down with his hands as his expression remained gentle and refined. The Buddhist beads hanging on his right wrist were particularly eye-catching.

Strong Boss poked his head in, rolling his eyes dramatically, “Fake! Fake! Fake! Why do these men always try to act like cultured scholars once they achieve something!”

Xianjin leaned in, “Your words are quite a betrayal of your own kind.”

One statement had knocked out all the men, including himself.

Heng Lian’s voice was gentle and steady, much like the charismatic leaders often praised in business circles. “Today, I’d like to discuss two important matters with all of you: first, we need to settle the meeting rules of Xuancheng's Paper Guild—”

Strong Boss, alarmed, interjected, “I knew it! Membership fees, here we come!”

“My family has drafted a preliminary set of twelve rules, which I will read aloud for all of you to consider carefully.”

The first nine rules largely overlapped with the industry regulations that Xianjin had previously proposed, mostly concerning the obligations of guild members and their rights.

The last three were quite interesting.

—“Rule number ten: standardize the membership qualifications for Xuancheng's Paper Guild. Applicants must submit a name card, report annual revenue, scope of the paper business, sources of raw materials, and major sales destinations. Applicants will be subject to review.”

“Rule number eleven: any matter that receives unanimous approval through a vote by the guild members can only be executed if none of the five major families object; if a matter is unanimously rejected by the vote of the guild members, it will not be executed unless all five major families agree.”

“Rule number twelve: these rules may be proposed for revision at any time by the guild president and the five major families.”

As Heng Lian finished reading the twelve rules, Xianjin couldn’t help but narrow her eyes.

This is exactly what you’d expect from a guild.

Especially rule eleven, which blatantly protected the interests of the upper class, almost like the “veto power of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council”—the interests of the five major families must be maintained; if those interests were compromised, then no one got to benefit!

With a smile, Heng Lian rolled up the scroll, “Does anyone have any objections after hearing these?”

Xianjin looked around. Everyone present appeared calm and without objection. A few families had already started chatting absentmindedly, clearly having been informed of these contents beforehand.

A few smaller merchants wanted to speak up, but Heng Lian swept his gaze over them, smiling as he deliberately overlooked them, “These meeting rules have been approved by the five families. It will only get harder to join Xuancheng's Paper Guild—these past few days, you’ve all seen the benefits, haven’t you? Only paper merchants under the guild can hang the big red plaque of tribute paper, correct? You’ve all seen the benefits, haven’t you? Business has been booming, profits are up, and customers are flocking in, right?”

The small merchant bit his tongue, the words swallowed under the implied threat.

Indeed.

What was the purpose of a guild?

To forge connections, share resources, and achieve common prosperity, right?

But who forged the connections? Who provided the resources? Who got rich first and helped others get rich?

The large merchants!

Only the large merchants could do that!

And the condition for the large merchants to help you was to protect their own status!

This rule, though blunt, made sense.

The vote went quickly, with mostly approvals.

The smile on Heng Lian’s face deepened, his voice rising, “Excellent! Excellent! When we work together, there’s no limit to what Xuancheng's paper industry can achieve!”

“Alright! Let’s move on to the second matter—the change of the guild president of Xuancheng's Paper Guild!”

The crowd burst into an uproar!

Immediately after, all eyes turned sharply to Xianjin's face.

Xianjin sat at the far end of the table, her expression calm as she looked past everyone, her gaze sharp and piercing, fixing on the corners of Heng Lian's eyes.

"Why are you trying to replace Boss He?" Boss Qiang was the first to challenge. "What gives you the right? Boss He has done so much for us! Not to mention, her relationship with the government is unparalleled. Who here can compare?"

Heng Lian smiled. "Boss Qiang, you miss the point. What does the position of the Xuancheng Paper Industry Association's leader require? Isn't it about one's own capabilities and how well their business is doing? When did connections with the government become a deciding factor?"

There was a hint of polite sarcasm in Heng Lian's smile. "If we go by that logic, the Bai family's daughter is married to the Yingtian Prefecture official; the Chen family's grandson is a provincial graduate and is about to take the imperial examination; and my humble Heng family has several members studying—we all have intricate connections with the government, which makes it hard to judge."

Boss Qiang fell silent and looked back at Xianjin with clear eyes: I’ve done everything I can, Boss.

Heng Lian smiled sincerely. "We understand that Boss He is highly capable and has secured big deals for several workshops in the city—but in business, while we aim to make money, we must also follow rules. Are we supposed to just kowtow to whoever gives us business?"

Boss Qiang was fuming, breathing heavily.

Who are you fawning over!?

You! You stink the most!

"Why propose to replace the leader?" Heng Lian stopped engaging with Boss Qiang and cut to the chase. "When Boss He was elected leader of the Xuancheng Paper Industry Association, she was the head manager of Chen's, backed by the Chen family. That was the primary reason everyone supported her."

"Now, Boss He is on her own. May I ask, how large is her shop? How much monthly revenue does she generate? Does she even have ten staff members?"

Heng Lian chuckled. "Although our Xuancheng Paper Industry Association isn't composed of people who are profit-hungry or money-grubbing, we are prominent merchants who produce tribute goods. Can a small workshop owner bear the weight of the Xuancheng Paper Industry Association's reputation?"

As Heng Lian spoke, he glanced back.

The Bai family, along with the other heads, nodded in agreement.

Especially the Bai family, who had long-standing grudges with Xianjin.

They nodded vigorously, almost as if they were under a spell.

Xianjin looked at Heng Lian and smiled to herself.

So, this is where the eleventh rule comes into play.

Heng Lian knew that Xianjin had been courting the smaller workshops in the association with a large order from Shandong. To counter this, he invoked the five major families, placing them above the members' voting rights.

Xianjin slowly stood up. "Does the matter of replacing the Xuancheng Paper Industry Association's leader even require a vote from the members?"

Before Heng Lian could respond, Xianjin added with sarcasm. "After all, the final decision lies in your hands, doesn't it?"

Heng Lian laughed heartily. "Boss He, you're not making a reasonable argument. Our families, whether it's manpower, profits, or paper production and sales, dominate the Xuancheng Prefecture—if we truly wanted to exclude you, would your workshop have been able to open smoothly?"

Xianjin smiled. "The meeting rules have just been approved. We follow established regulations and operate by the rules. You're free to proceed with your proposal through the proper process—" her eyes fell on the empty seat of the Chen family, "but with one seat missing, what do you plan to do?"

Heng Lian laughed as if he'd heard the biggest joke. "If it were any other family missing, there might be room for maneuvering, but it's the Chen family—"

You and the Chen family have a long-standing feud.

How could the Chen family possibly assist you now?

Heng Lian laughed, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes more intricate than his complicated fate.

"What about the Chen family?" A clear female voice came from outside the hall.

The crowd turned to look, squinting for a long time before nudging the person next to them uncertainly. "...Is that the Chen family's matriarch?"

"No way! Unless the Chen family's matriarch has miraculously rejuvenated!"

The woman was in her early forties, her hair neatly arranged, her ornaments elegant, her features gentle, her skin fair. Her every move exuded a noble air of propriety and substance.

It was Madam Duan, the widow of the Chen family’s eldest branch, standing before them.