Chapter 298

“Branch Manager? So you’re saying that a direct command came from the headquarters of Zhangxing Company to inflate food prices by fifty times in the city devastated by flooding, profiting off the disaster? You’re telling me that was ordered clearly and directly?”

Ah, the art of winning an argument.

Expand the interpretation. Use the opponent’s claim against them.

Distort the opponent’s claim, then nail it down for good.

And persuade the audience instead of your opponent.

As Qing posed the question, the eyes of the crowd grew fierce.

“No, that’s not it!”

“Then what is it? Since Hyeonseung personally made a visit, according to tradition, that meant some token of gold and silver, right? If you want to profit at that level, wouldn’t you have to resort to selling your daughter to a brothel and your son into servitude, wiping out your family lineage?”

The branch manager was left speechless.

It’s because that’s exactly what they were planning to do.

Qing’s loud rebuttal was a stretched manipulation, but in reality, this was the game merchants played when a disaster struck.

While not just Zhangxing Company, all associations were dreaming such dreams. Qing doused that illusion with a splash of cold water.

It’s said that when a cow backpedals, it catches a rat, and that certainly fit this situation beautifully.

The crowd’s expressions turned sharp, like the points of spears.

The shape of one’s eyes reflects the state of their heart, and the crowd was clearly poised to stab at their target.

“It’s a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! Hyeonseung was just passing by, you see. It doesn’t make sense for a mere merchant to call for Hyeonseung!”

Qing wasn’t about to heighten the tension with accusations of lies.

After all, saying Hyeonseung was merely passing by was a lie even a three-year-old wouldn’t believe.

The crowd listening would find that even more absurd.

Of course, from an official standpoint, Hyeonseung was just trying to subdue the crowd gathered outside, and wasn’t bribed with gold and silver to smite ordinary citizens.

If Hyeonseung had said that, people might have reluctantly believed it; however, a mere branch manager had no authority to compel assents from the commoners.

“Yet you claimed that Zhangxing Company ordered that food prices be raised fifty-fold and profited drastically. That command was indeed issued, correct?”

“No, no! Absolutely not!”

“Then is that just your judgment, Branch Manager?”

“Oh, how could a mere branch manager have such authority!”

“Oh dear. Branch Manager, are you finding my cheerful tone amusing and easy to handle? If orders didn’t come down from above, then you have no authority. What in the world is the cause of food prices soaring fiftyfold?”

“That’s….”

The branch manager stumbled, failing to find an answer.

In truth, this was like a merchant’s divine skill.

There’s no authority to ask the headquarters.

Want to ask the headquarters? But do you know anything about the headquarters?

So where should inquiries go then?

Don’t ask me; the guest should figure it out on their own!

When issues arise, no one is responsible, so no one takes the blame.

It’s the perfect world where only the merchants remain unscathed.

Even if the guest rages in frustration, it’s not possible for an individual to challenge an association, so they’re forced to give up.

However, gathering people could easily get you hanged for trying to incite a revolt, which is strictly forbidden by national law.

But if everyone ignores that and rushes in, what can a mere branch manager do?

“Ah! I see! I seem to have really misunderstood something here. I originally stated that Zhangxing Company was hiking food prices to profit outrageously, as if that had already been decided. Surely, that can’t be the case, right?”

“This is, so….”

The branch manager began to sweat profusely.

If he admitted it, someone would have to take responsibility, and if not, grains would have to be sold at a lower price.

“Well then. I’m here to buy grain. All the grain you have. How much are you asking for that, or rather, how much are you willing to sell it for?”

“Well, it’s not the season to be selling grain. It’s not for sale!”

“Ah. So at a time when countless people are starving after the flood, you’re hoarding all the grain and not selling it? Why is that?”

“That’s a matter for the association, and I can’t disclose it to outsiders….”

“What’s with this ‘outsider’ talk?”

Qing let out a teasing sound.

“Oh, so Zhangxing Company intends to hoard all the grain while people starve to death? Is that too a decision made at headquarters? To just watch until everyone starves? Wow. Did you all hear that? They plan to watch us all starve to death!”

The expression on the crowd’s face began to shift dangerously.

“N-no! That can’t be true!”

“Then is this just your judgment, Branch Manager? Are you going to selfishly enjoy your meal while everyone else starves?”

“I-I don’t have the authority to do that…”

Qing tilted her head quizzically.

“Branch Manager? Just what kind of authority do you have? If the branch manager has no authority over the branch, are you just sitting there collecting a salary like it’s some dream job?”

“I can’t disclose the association’s internal rules-”

“But hey, we’re trying to borrowed some grain from the storage. Do you have the authority to stop us?”

“That’s the same as robbery!”

“Robbery? I said we’d borrow it. Do your ears not work? Of course, I can’t tell you when I’ll return it or provide a loan agreement.”

“How is that any different from robbery!”

“Well, should I call it robbery then? What can you do about it, Branch Manager? Will you stop me with your body?”

“That’s a crime and illegal! With national laws in place, how can you say such reckless things!”

“Ah, I don’t know. Everyone! They’re not selling the grain and they’re just gonna hoard it until it rots! Wouldn’t someone eating it be better? I’ll take full responsibility! I, Seomun Qing, will ensure it!”

Off she goes, ready to borrow grain!

There’s a proper way to handle matters.

Whatever you do, holding onto excuses and trying to avoid a loss at all costs—what kind of fools are these?

For crying out loud, since Zhangxing Company took charge of flood prevention, shouldn’t they at least take some responsibility if it was due to bad design, shoddy construction, or mishandling of gates?

If they dare to profit outrageously from food under those conditions, only a swift fist of rage could be used against them.

“Wait! You can’t do this, please!”

The branch manager dashed out without even his shoes, blocking Qing’s way.

Qing beamed at him and said, “Branch Manager? Shall we have a little chat?”

The branch manager felt a glimmer of hope, thinking perhaps she wanted to discuss something with him.

Given that he could do pretty much anything with the support of the crowd, surely she was about to offer something.

For example, maybe some kickbacks or he’d let her have the grain.

Or perhaps she’d want to pull strings to get in good with the prefectural governor, considering the association chiefs were cozying up to the local officials.

But the first words out were a complete wreck.

“What will you do about the grain? I can offer you double the market price.”

“Great Hero, please, consider my situation! I at least need to leave ten times more!”

“Ten times more while the people who have turned into beggars because of the flood get torn apart?”

“Ten times, at least—”

Qing interrupted, muttering to herself.

“That’s strange. That’s not something a human would say. Am I sitting across from a monster or some phantom? I might have to treat it like a creature of the dark and slay it.”

“I can give you double—double!”

“Alrighty then. Geoltaran, check the quantities and get a contract set up. Hmm. I don’t know much about this, so Geoltaran, handle it well.”

“Yes, Young Lady. You won’t miss even a single grain.”

“Yeah, yeah. It makes everything easier to have smart folks doing the work.”

“Cough! What an honor! What an honor! A million thanks, it’s truly a massive honor to be acknowledged in such a way…”

Geoltaran suddenly welled up with tears, bowing deeply, showing a level of gratitude that seemed cosmic in magnitude.

After all, being praised by the revered Supreme Heavenly Demon—the miracle was indeed grand as if the very heavens were flipped upside down.

The dedicated agents of the evil cult had been brainwashed through torment since childhood, fully committed as zealots.

The branch manager stood there, pale and frozen.

Could it be she was some incredibly noble lady?

So that must be why Hyeonseung got instantly flattened, and when the local officials retreated, they must have been a rare gem or even of noble blood!

“By the way, I’ve heard Zhangxing Company is in charge of flood prevention work. I’d like to meet the person responsible.”

“Well, that’s….”

“If you say you don’t know again, will I really get mad? You want to die? Do you want to see my Moonlight Sword drenched in your blood? Oh wait, if I can’t breathe anymore, I won’t see it, will I?”

Now it was outright intimidation.

But with just the branch manager, Qing, and an overly devoted zealot occupying the office, where could the branch manager even appeal?

“That’s not it! There’s really no one around accountable for the work!”

“Wait, a flood hits and there’s no one responsible? Is that even logical?”

“The manager of the flood control should supervise and take responsibility for any faults, but the person in charge is nothing more than a name, virtually non-existent!”

Hmm. The Central Plain is really a mess.

Qing mused about how chaotic the Central Plain was, then changed the topic.

“Hmmm. Then who gained the most benefit from the flood-prevention work at Zhangxing Company? Someone must be enjoying hefty profits from this major project.”

“That’s….”

The branch manager took a deep breath.

At that moment, Qing quietly laid her most beautiful hand over the hilt of her sword, a silent threat.

“The person who awarded and directed the project is the chief’s daughter, Young Lady Nammunhae. She inherited the distribution network in Henan through that work…”

“Wait, if that’s the case, why wasn’t that mentioned sooner? She awarded and oversaw the project? Then who else is responsible besides her?”

“Responsibility is another matter…”

The word responsibility is the most despised term by merchants.

It embodies refunds, aftercare, and everything that merchants find intolerable.

Thus, the association would go to great lengths to avoid naming a responsible party, using vague language in contracts or appointing a figurehead, complicating departments, and blurring responsibilities endlessly.

“Well, enough of that. If there are any relevant officials, spill the beans. There must be carpenters involved, and who’s the chief carpenter in charge?”

“Well, I wouldn’t know. It’s not that I’m hiding things, I truly don’t know. A big job like that would be handled at the headquarters; as a simple branch manager, what would I know?”

“What do you mean you don’t know? Did you bring all your workers from overseas? Surely some wages were siphoned away along the way?”

Having dabbled in construction back in my hometown, I figured those work habits would be the same whether in the Central Plain or modern times.

Describing it as siphoning means, at worst, it could be viewed like taking an introduction fee.

It all depends on just how much was taken.

“Certainly the important positions were probably directed from headquarters. I was just the go-between who took a cut. Although, I think there should be a list of workers somewhere. I’ll go get it for you if you wish.”

He genuinely seemed clueless about the project.

Initially involved in the merchant’s dark dealings, he hardly measured up to a misdeed on such a massive scale. Observing him, it looked as though he was originally a good person whom misfortunes befell, which was most certainly not the case.

In fact, he’d probably be failing with a few points to spare.

If his faults rated over three hundred points, there wouldn’t have been any talking. He would have simply led the crowd for a proper raid.

With a heavy sigh, Qing said:

“What are you doing? Go get it now.”

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