I resent my mother’s nagging, but after such a long fight, things finally returned to normal.
The Jiangdong Lul Clan, which was essentially exterminated by Sun Ce later on, also birthed the last of the Four Heroic Generals, Lu Xun. Known for their shipbuilding, they were one of the four great families of Eastern Wu, slightly less wealthy than the Five Great Merchants, but stronger than the likes of the great businessmen Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping.
"The Lul Clan, huh?" Chen Xi pondered the pros and cons carefully. Since the four families of Eastern Wu intermarried and were closely linked, advancing and retreating as one, it meant that if the Lul Clan got involved, all four families would have extended a hand, which wouldn’t be good for Liu Bei.
"Zizhong, are you confident you can keep the Lul Clan from informing the Zhang, Gu, and Zhu families, or at least allow the Lul Clan to share profits with them but try to keep us out of it as much as possible? Of course, the Lul Clan doesn’t need to hide anything," Chen Xi considered for a moment before raising his head to speak. Lu Xun’s impact on him was slightly greater than his previous plans.
"This won’t be difficult. Aristocratic families exist for their own interests, so getting the Lul Clan to keep this a secret is not hard, and if necessary, they can even put the blame on me. After all, I’m a well-known merchant among them," Mi Zhu agreed almost without thinking, and he was right. His identity as a principal of the Five Great Merchants was enough to fool most people. Even if some were suspicious, it would be hard to connect it to Liu Bei.
"Alright then, leave this matter to you. Offer Yangzhou to the Lul Clan as a sales territory, and allocate the Shu land to you. Tell Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping to deal with the Zhen Family as soon as possible. Once they take care of the Zhen Family, Yongzhou, Liangzhou, and Sili will also be theirs to manage. If they fail, I’ll take back Jizhou." After delegating another bothersome task to a professional, Chen Xi felt it necessary to notify Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping once more so they wouldn’t forget the big picture while focusing on making money.
"The Zhen Family?" Mi Zhu furrowed his brow, "Does Zichuan have a grudge against the Zhen Family? If it’s not a big issue, I could mediate between them. If it’s not necessary, we shouldn’t provoke the Zhen Family. Despite whether they admit it or not, the Zhen Family is definitely the strongest, even more than twice as powerful as a newcomer like me."
"I wouldn’t want to either, but the Zhen Family has gone too far. Looks like we’ll have to show them some color," Chen Xi said with a helpless shrug.
"What’s the Zhen Family’s main business focus?"
"The Zhen Family deals with grain, salt, horses, cattle and sheep, tea and iron, smelting, silk and hemp, and logistics. They’re strong in every sector, but if I had to say, their main focuses are grain, salt, and animal husbandry," Mi Zhu explained the Zhen Family’s industries to Chen Xi with a wry smile, clearly not keen on confronting them.
"Indeed, a vast family business with so many industries. It’s not going to be easy to make them bend. What a hassle," Chen Xi also scratched his head, taking seriously Mi Zhu’s acknowledgment of the Zhen Family’s strength.
"That’s why I say, unless it’s absolutely necessary, we should avoid provoking the Zhen Family. Their hidden strength is too overwhelming; I’ve never been able to gauge their full extent all these years," Mi Zhu sighed, advising caution.
Chen Xi rolled his eyes. It would be a wonder if the Zhen Family weren’t powerful. Yuan Shao’s son married Zhen Mi to gain the support of the Jizhou aristocracy. Later, Cao Pi did the same. Representing the wealthiest region of Jizhou at the time, how could their family be ordinary?
"Let’s take it slow. For now, we’ll gradually stir things up, and I’ll deal with them when I have the time. The Zhen Family is strong, but not so strong that I need to fear them," Chen Xi said nonchalantly.
The Zhen Family was indeed powerful, but clearly short-sighted. The top merchants foolishly sided with Yuan Shao, and following his defeat, they suffered a great blow to their vital energy. Later, by relying on Zhen Mi’s connection to Cao Pi, they managed to get back on their feet, but after the dispute over the princely heir, Cao Cao nearly wiped them out, and their wealth was mostly gone. Just when things were looking up and Zhen Mi died, did Cao Pi still care about the Zhen Family?
After Cao Rui took the throne, the Zhen Family finally surfaced, as Zhen Mi’s son became the emperor. How nice, but what a pity; by that time, the Zhen Family was already no more...
As for such a clan, one with not-too-sound minds among its elders, Chen Xi found no difficulty in getting them in order.
"Oh yes, Zizhong, I forgot to mention, you have quite extensive connections among the merchants. You can pull those people together to form a team, which would strengthen their ability to withstand risks. Furthermore, the team could internally adjust various commodities, and transportation costs could be reduced, lowering overall costs. As more people join, the variety of goods will increase. If managed well, it will save a lot of trouble," Chen Xi observed Mi Zhu’s wry smile and thus threw him a suggestion, also telling him not to worry too much about the Zhen Family’s affairs. With no one to manage their dumping, Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, even if they couldn’t topple the Zhen Family, likely wouldn’t suffer losses.
"Eh?" After musing for a moment, Mi Zhu’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Chen Xi. "This strategy is brilliant; I hadn’t expected Zichuan to have such a deep understanding of commerce."
"Alright, Zizhong, leave the business matters to you. If you can afford to, don’t go easy on the Zhen Family. That’ll be all." Chen Xi took out a scroll of documents to review, signaling to Mi Zhu that he should go about his business without wasting more time.
"I’ll get on it right away, and I’ll make sure the Zhen Family pays for it," Mi Zhu laughed loudly, taking no offense at Chen Xi’s nearly clear gesture of sending him away.
"Go on, Zizhong, I have high hopes for you. You will become the greatest merchant under the heavens," Chen Xi stated without lifting his head, showing little sincerity, but Mi Zhu laughed heartily in return, "I am honored by your auspicious words!"
Once Chen Xi had pointed it out, Mi Zhu realized that his connections could indeed make everyone in his network a lot of money, and as the central figure in this network, if he couldn’t bring down the Zhen Family, that would truly be incompetent. As a result, he was not dissatisfied with Chen Xi’s actions.
After Mi Zhu left with a face glowing red, Lub Su lifted his head, looked at Chen Xi, who was idly twirling a pen on the main seat, and spoke, "I’ve noticed an issue."
"What issue? Is it someone bullying men and dominating women again, or some unfair courtroom verdicts, or bandits descending from the mountains?" Chen Xi raised an eyebrow, quickly summarizing several common scenarios.
"No, just that you, Zichuan, seem to know everything. Moreover, you are quite proficient in every area," Lub Su remarked curiously.
"I’m only good at talking big. When it comes to actual implementation, I’m on par with Zhao Kuo, so I’d better stick to commanding professionals," Chen Xi shrugged and spoke candidly.
"Hahaha, Zichuan can be modest too! Isn’t this the time when you are supposed to arrogantly say, ’I am a genius bestowed by heaven, born with knowledge, what’s the problem with knowing these things?’" Lub Su laughed heartily, disbelieving Chen Xi’s candid remarks and instead imitating Chen Xi’s former prideful discussions about the future.
"These days, no one believes the truth," Chen Xi rolled his eyes and said, "Hurry up and work. Get all the autumn harvest affairs sorted out for me today. Tomorrow Xianhe and Zilong are returning to check the accounts. If there are any mistakes, be prepared to redo everything!" As Chen Xi spoke, his tone shifted suddenly, seriously giving Lub Su a pile of work to do while he continued to sip his tea, contemplating future tasks.