Chapter 143

“Haha, Boss Xie. Long time no see...”

“Boss Chen, how have you been lately?”

“After tonight’s banquet, how about we go to Jubao Casino?”

“My luck hasn’t been good lately, and considering tonight’s affair…”

“Regarding the Qingzhou shipment last time, Brother Li offered generous assistance. I’m deeply grateful for your noble act…”

“As fellow merchants, we should naturally help each other…”

Amidst the lamplight, boisterous sounds filled the air. Voices converged on the upper floor of Green Ripple Tower. There was still some time until tonight’s banquet. People gathered and moved about, and as a carriage arrived, someone connected with the textile industry disembarked. On the second floor, Ning Yi and the Su family had already been there for a while. As they were being seated, they were also dealing with various merchants who came to greet them – those who were optimistic about the Su family, those who were not, those with existing partnerships, and those without. In short, no one ignored the Su family.

However, compared to Ning Yi, Su Zhongkan, and Su Yunfang – the main representatives of the Su family – it was perhaps Steward Liao and a few others who received the most attention tonight. This was understandable. Given the situation, others had initially speculated that either Su Tan’er would appear, or perhaps the Su family patriarch, Su Yu, would come. If either of them had arrived, they would naturally have been the decision-makers for the imperial merchant designation tonight. But since neither the grandfather nor the granddaughter appeared, those genuinely concerned about the imperial merchant matter, particularly the practical figures, largely focused their attention on Steward Liao and others who were currently managing the Su family’s main household on a practical level.

As for Su Zhongkan and Su Yunfang, these two certainly couldn't intervene in matters concerning the imperial merchant designation. However, if the Su family failed to secure the imperial merchant status tonight, their position would be entirely different. Consequently, many were still speculating about these possibilities. Furthermore, as they had previously been considered influential figures in Jiangning’s textile industry, they naturally received considerable attention at this moment. Ning Yi, who was nearby, though currently holding the final say for the Su family’s main household, was merely a symbol. He symbolized that the head of the Su family had not been sidelined by Steward Liao and others, but he couldn't genuinely make significant decisions.

Therefore, those who came to greet and chat with Steward Liao and his colleagues were mostly influential figures from various households, people concerned about the imperial merchant designation, or stewards managing other cloth merchants. They would come over for a brief chat, and occasionally, some officials from the Weaving Bureau, whose connections had been established beforehand, would approach, chatting and smiling while hinting that there would be no issues tonight.

As for Su Zhongkan and Su Yunfang, they were mainly surrounded by influential business figures of similar standing, such as the heads of some mid-sized cloth merchants, or even the current guild leader of cloth merchants. When Wu Chenghou, the head of the Wu family, arrived, he first greeted them and discussed matters related to the cloth trade.

Ning Yi, meanwhile, continued to exchange pleasantries with a variety of people. After everyone confirmed that Su Tan’er would not be attending, their attitude towards Ning Yi became very warm. Of course, their conversations covered a wide range of topics, with little connection to the cloth business. Nevertheless, he was, after all, at the center of the stage tonight, and families with less power than the Su family usually wouldn’t be so rash as to completely disregard Ning Yi. If their family status was similar, some had learned to ignore such niceties. The Xue family and Su family were among the early arrivals, and the division between the two sides was distinct. Xue Sheng merely gave a brief greeting to Su Zhongkan and ignored Ning Yi, while Xue Yan, on the other hand, came over, smiling and saying quite a lot. He mentioned encountering Li Pin a few days ago and insisted that Ning Yi must attend Li Pin’s farewell banquet to the capital once the city gates reopened.

Xue Yan was not particularly familiar with Li Pin; their interactions were limited to occasions like the previous incident at the Green Smoke Pavilion. However, after Ning Yi began managing the main household, Xue Yan had invited Ning Yi to dine twice, and the atmosphere had been pleasant each time. Xue Yan was someone who, when he wanted to put on a show, could do so effectively. At this point, he even treated Li Pin as an acquaintance. Shortly after, the Wu family arrived. Wu Chenghou and his two sons each came over to speak with Ning Yi. Wu Qilong even teased Ning Yi about his lateness that morning: “I heard Steward Luo mention it today. It seems that even though Li Heng is usually composed, he was a bit nervous about today’s events, haha…”

As the head of the cloth guild, the Wu family generally maintained good relations with all households. When tensions arose between the Xue and Su families, they often stepped in to mediate and ease the situation. Recently, Wu Qilong and Wu Qihao, the two brothers, had met with Ning Yi frequently, and at least in terms of their attitude, it was fair to say they were close friends. Ning Yi shook his head with a wry smile, a hint of helplessness: “I originally intended to keep up with these tasks until the very last day, but who knew I’d oversleep this morning… Uh, you all know about this now… it hasn’t spread further, has it?”

“Heh heh,” Wu Qilong lowered his voice, stifling a laugh. “I’m afraid everyone already knows…”

“Tsk…” Ning Yi paused, then rolled his eyes. Wu Qihao burst into laughter beside him.

“Brother Ning’s affairs are no secret. Everyone in Jiangning now knows that while Brother Ning might be muddled in small matters, he’s never ambiguous about important ones. As for tonight’s imperial merchant designation… *cough*, honestly, since we’re rivals, I won’t wish you luck, haha…” Wu Qilong laughed open-heartedly. “However, while Brother Ning is formidable, our Wu family also has a secret weapon. So, regardless of the outcome, both of us must be convinced by the results.”

The two brothers were open-minded individuals, and those nearby who heard them were greatly impressed. After a few more pleasantries, the brothers turned and departed. Ning Yi smiled as he watched their retreating figures, then turned his attention to dealing with other “acquaintances.”

As the time approached, everyone gradually took their seats. The second floor of Green Ripple Tower was spacious, and eligible merchants had their own designated seating arrangements. The Su family had a large round table, while other merchants were each assigned a round table. A few merchants had brought fewer people, but there would be no shared tables, because this banquet was, in fact, meant to decide the imperial merchant designation, and thus each family needed its own designated spot.

The Su, Xue, and Wu families were situated at three different ends of the venue. The hall was relatively calm at this point, with some people still arriving. Officials from the Weaving Bureau came over to greet them individually and offer some instructions.

The bidding for the imperial merchant designation was not conducted through a typical fair bidding process. This was primarily due to the unique nature of the imperial merchant role in previous years. The issue of tribute cloth had always been something people tried to avoid. If an open tender were held and no one participated, it would clearly be a great loss of face. Over decades, the imperial merchant task had actually come to be decided in the form of “tributes.” It was as if you were offering something good to the imperial family, and in return, the imperial family would grant you certain privileges, though this would not be explicitly stated.

The fabrics genuinely delivered to the palace were quite profitable. If the imperial family desired them, they would demand them at any time, and offerings could also be made at any time. However, every year around this time, the Weaving Bureau had to arrange and allocate the quotas for tribute cloth. If a few established imperial merchants complained too much, the Bureau would often reallocate some of the burden, assigning it to families like the Sus, Wus, and Xues: “Here’s a task, you need to help share the load.” No one dared to refuse, as refusal would inevitably lead to future troubles. Of course, the Weaving Bureau was not overly excessive; they always maintained a certain degree of discretion.

Thus, for several decades, the Weaving Bureau’s annual gathering usually followed this pattern: each household would showcase their finest fabrics in turn for everyone to appraise, simultaneously presenting them as their achievements and offerings to the imperial family. Although the burden of tribute cloth for each household had long been secretly determined, outwardly it was a grand affair, resembling an exhibition of achievements and a connoisseur’s event for fine fabrics. This year, it was still like this on the surface, but internally, things were already vastly different.

Everyone, in fact, was well aware of this.

Others whispered amongst themselves, observing the situations of the Su, Xue, and Wu families. Steward Liao and his colleagues were also discreetly gathering information on the prevailing sentiment from others. As they took their seats, he leaned closer to Ning Yi and whispered with a smile, “Judging by the atmosphere tonight, there should be no problem with the imperial merchant designation. The efforts of the past month and more haven’t been in vain after all; most people are optimistic about our Su family…”

He paused, then sighed, “Ultimately, it was Second Miss’s foresight; she began preparing several years ago. Although I had a vague inkling back then, I wasn’t clear about the full development of this matter. When Master Su met with misfortune, I truly thought the Su family was in for a major fall… But minor schemes ultimately cannot compare to genuine, long-term accumulation. With that fabric in hand, we truly have a solid foundation, and the events of this past month can truly be called an overt strategy.”

Ning Yi pursed his lips slightly, looking around. “Are you really sure there won’t be any problems?”

“No major issues,” Steward Liao also glanced around. “The Lu family recently introduced a new fabric; it’s good, but unfortunately not very suitable for the imperial family’s requirements. It’s called ‘Smoked Tea Silk,’ and I’ve already seen it. The Xue family previously had a signature ‘Purple Rinsed Fabric’ that was always popular with wealthy households and quite expensive, but they likely haven’t produced anything new recently. Although the Wu family is foremost in weaving and financially strong, their most outstanding asset is their weavers. With ‘Divine Needle Luo’ in their household, their fabric weaving is always superior to others. However, in the face of our Su family’s ‘Golden Dawn Brocade,’ even their excellent weaving might not make much difference…”

In preparation for the Su family’s imperial merchant bid, Steward Liao and others had done extensive homework. He spoke fluently, then slightly furrowed his brow. “However, the true mastermind behind Master Su’s assassination has not yet been found. If it truly was orchestrated by the Xue family, I’m concerned they might have further moves…”

Steward Liao glanced towards the Xue family, then shook his head with a smile, comforting Ning Yi. “The possibility is low, and… we’ve done all we can. Now that matters have progressed this far, let’s just watch with peace of mind…”

Ning Yi nodded, saying nothing more. He then turned back to signal Chan’er to place a brocade box she carried onto the table in front of him. A moment later, an official approached and spoke with Steward Liao. Steward Liao smiled and tilted his head towards Ning Yi: “Lord Dong and the others have arrived. Our Su residence has the most momentum this time, and Lord Dong wants this banquet to be impressive, so he’s arranged for our Su family to be the grand finale.”

“Grand finale is good?”

“In previous years, the finest fabrics always closed the show, and several of those are still regularly supplied to the imperial family…”

As he spoke, Steward Liao was actually slightly nervous. He told Ning Yi with a smile, then spread the word to the other stewards nearby.

“Grand finale…” Ning Yi murmured, sitting there lost in thought for a while, then shook his head slightly with a smile. “Tonight’s matter is settled…” Since his tone sounded somewhat like a question, Steward Liao chuckled beside him. “It’s still uncertain, Son-in-law. It’s truly hard to say.”

At the same moment, someone in the hall cast a glance in their direction, toying with a green jade thumb ring on their hand. A whisper escaped their lips: “Tonight’s matter… is it settled?” The voice was so low, like a murmur, or as if gently questioning the thumb ring on their hand, a faint, leisurely smile playing on their lips.

The formal banquet was still some time away, as it was only after sufficient boasts had been made that feasting and revelry were appropriate. What almost no one could have anticipated was that the true events of the night would completely unfold barely half an hour later. The turn of events was so sudden and dramatic, the reactions of those involved so ostentatious and fierce, and the underlying darkness so profound, intertwined with various intricate schemes. As these layers were subsequently peeled back, the incident left a deep mark, becoming a recurring topic in Jiangning’s textile industry and even the wider business community for months, even years, to come.